A Comet's Voyage

Like any youth of India for the last few years I was following the development of the nuclear deal that is going to be signed between the world largest democrat countries India with the most powerful country of the world America. I have an interest on this development partly because this burning topic may become a group discussion topic in my campus interviews and partly because I want to know how this deal will affect us in the years to come.
So on 22nd July when a special parliament session was going on and being aired on television I thought that I should have a look on it to make my idea clear about the deal and also observed some of the country’s prominent legislator’s speech and their point of views on this very important debate. It was the second day of the session and the trust vote was expected at the end of the day. I don’t support any parties. So, I was watching from a neutral point of view.
Now, we have to look back that why this motion is introduced by our UPA government under the leadership of Dr. Monmohan Singh. Now it is worth to mention that this deal was first initiated during the time of the NDA government under the leadership of Mr. Atal Bihari Bajpayee, the then prime-minister of India. But after his government’s tenure of five years NDA tasted defeat because of various reasons. Congress came out to the single major party but they alone cannot touch the magic figure of two hundred and seventy one which is require forming the government. Now, for the first time in the India government Left parties came to the parliament with some odd sixty members under their kitty and they became the king maker of the government. Now, it was clear that they will not form a government with alliance like BJP because of their different political point of views as in their eyes BJP is a communal party. So they support the Congress party depending on issues and they themselves restrained to be part of the cabinet members of the government. That time India was facing another crisis because at that time Congress was lead by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi who was an Italian origin and is the wife of Late. Rajib Gandhi. She, herself holdback from the post of the Prime Minister and elected Dr. Monmohon Singh who was the Finance Minster of the Congress Government during the time of Mr. Narashima Rao, to lead the UPA government with support from the left from outside. The Indians were pleased and happy that a stable government had come into force and expected that government will be allowed to complete their terms of five years. But many political persons expressed their doubts that it may not happen because of the support of the Left parties.
Years passed by, various hurdles come in front of the government. Inflation touched all time high in the Indian history. World petrol price reached all time highest, UPA government increased the oil and gas prices. There were strikes, petitions etc. One such strike was in West Bengal and it was supported by the ruling party the Left front who was happened to be the member of the UPA government. The next day was followed by another strike called by the leading opposition party of the state Trinumul Congress.
It is important to note down that the Left parties is against the Congress in the state and they are supporting the same party in the parliament to stabilize the government. I think this is what politics is all about! Another point is that, on the first day the IT industry was not excluded from the strike but it is on the industry that the government banked in the state for foreign investment. Now, move our attention to the central politics.
A committee was formed consisting of delegates from Congress, Left parties and other parties to discuss the terms and conditions of the nuclear deal. After nine such meetings the Left parties failed to restrain the government to go on with the Nuke-deal. Inflation was increasing week by week. And so at the end of the June the Left parties withdrew support from the government and the UPA government became a minority government. The stage was set for some regional parties to take the advantage of the situation and exercise the power. The Samajbadi party lead by Mr. Mulam Singh yadav and Amar Singh took the side of the UPA government while the Bahujan Samaj party lead by ‘Bahenji’ Mawavati joined hands with the Left parties to bring down the government by defeating them in the trust vote.
Various allegations were made against each other by various parties about ‘horse trading’. This term is very new for any person who has no knowledge on politics. It is about buying MPs from other parties and forces them to vote for some other parties and make them abstain from taking part in voting. Media flashed that horse trading is in full swing with prices ranging from 3 to 25 corers. I just think ‘Wow! The vote of an MP is 25 corers. Then we should be paid by parties while we cast our votes. Or at least give a treat to us .‘ But, after sometimes when my conscious came back I began to think ‘Is this democracy on which the Indians are proud of?’. All this ignited my mind to have a look on the parliament session.

When I switched on the TV, our Finance Minister P. Chidambaram was giving the speech. There were lots of interruptions from the opposition parties and the respected speaker Mr. Somnath Chaterjee had to intervene to bring the situation under control and tried all his power to make them silent. But all are in deaf ears. From the speech of the Finance Minister I gathered some mere statics about the crop production in India, and another important point that China is using nuclear energy to generate their 2% total power. He even brought an allegation that some of the MPs do not want India to go ahead of China.
Then an opponent leader V.K Malhotra took the center stage and began to talk against the motion. But, I was surprised that there was no relevant point it. The speech consists of some mere allegations against the prime minister and the convicted MPs. The whole atmosphere became heated. But hold on! There are convicted MPs in the parliament of the largest democratic country. Is it permissible? Yes, after all they are MPs. Here is another lesson for the non-political people. Is it left or right? Let the viewers decide.
Then came the blue-eyed boy of the Indian politics. Mr. Rahul Gandhi son of Late Rajib Gandhi and the projected Prime-Minister in near future. What a dashing entry he had made. He started his speech with words that he will not speak as a Congress man but a youth of India. Then I heard a slogan ‘Oye Indian’. I was surprised and felt aback. That if any MP made this comment he is not proud to be an Indian?. Do you think that this MP should be in the parliament? Do not get agitated, it is politics. But Rahul Gandhi handled the situation that ‘yes, I am proud to be an Indian’. He tried to figure out a relationship between energy security and the poverty by citing examples from a village where he recently visited. He concluded in the way that India should think about how she will impact the world rather how world will impact India. I am deeply moved by these words. Yes, this is difference between a powerful country and a country who want to become a powerful one. It showed that the fresh blood thinks politics from larger point of view rather than the regional points. Many leaders followed. But none of them except Omar Abdulla had any impact on me. Omar Abdulla talked to the point.
But at the end of day when I sat down to think that what I have gained from today….those words came ringing back to my ears..’India should think how will She impact the world rather being worried about how the world will impact india’. It gives me a new way of thinking and I think the viewers will feel the same way.