Do Political Parties obey their Party Manifesto?
By: SHABIR AHMAD
With the commencement of general elections, each political party comes with a new Election Manifesto in order to influence the electorates and promises to work according to the checklist if voted to power. But do they really follow and obey their Manifesto’s? I am sure we all have the answer to this question and it is a big NO. We shouldn’t forget that election Manifesto’s are prepared when a party is out of power and when they achieve the power, a lot of dynamics change. A recent example is that of Indian National Congress which, right now, is promising to heal the wounds of farmers, provide at least 22 lac jobs by filling all the vacancies in different government offices, good governance, removal of corruption, public accountability and so many other promises. The same dispensation has owned the power corridors for the longest time in the history of Independent India and yet such issues were never resolved.
BJP is talking about resolution of Kashmir problem by abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A, Construction of Ram Mandir, transforming secular India into Hindutva Rashtriya and many other communal policies. But it is better said than done for BJP as well as the party has always preferred power over its ideology of long term plan for converting India into a Hindu Rashtriya.
The fact is that no political party has ever gone as per their Party Manifestos. The document, therefore, remains a tool in the hands of the political parties to allure people- even to deceive them, one may say! Their mind changes when they capture power and are more concerned about the investments that they have made into becomes leaders and parties- since modern day elections and politicians have reduced themselves to mere commodities and nothing more. Their first priority remains to fill their own homes, the party fund, donors share etc- masses come at the last, or maybe they never are counted.
With the passage of time, the dream of good and corrupt free governance remains a flopped idea, educated youth continue to remain jobless despite of many degrees. What government deliver to them is some recruitment advertisements where they have to spent time and money and at the eleventh hour transparency shuts and backdoor appointments are made.
There will be dearth of jobs and the farmers will continue to commit suicide while as Kashmir problem will remain unresolved for more elections to play around the same themes. And at the end of the term, the party’s will issue a new manifesto.
The Author is a Freelance Writer and can be reached at [email protected]
