Main stumbling block for dynamic, young leaders: Party supremos in 70s

By Sudhansu R Das 
A massive expenditure of Rs 1.35 lakh crore was reportedly spent to conduct the Lok Sabha election 2024. Nearly 968 million people have waited for five years to select their representatives. People have given their leaders immense power to rule and manage the country’s resources. 

Now, political representatives should return what they have got from the people; they should deliver good governance and improve quality of life instead of clinging to power like a honey bee. The political class now should converge on creating inclusive growth opportunities for people across the country.
A nation can’t become strong and prosperous without quality human resources. It can’t remain independent without having quality human material. Internal violence, alarming growth of population, inflation, indebtedness, growing indiscipline among youth, mono sector growth, high cost of quality education, health and housing etc happen mainly due to lack of quality human resources which does not mean English speaking people who move with suit and boot and maintaining safe distance from common man. 

If an educated person lacks moral courage to question the wrong things happening around him he or she should not be considered as an educated person but a timid rabbit.
Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta and Pune have educated people but those people suffer a lot due to their indifference to their society and environment around them. Their children want to work in foreign countries. 

Those so-called educated people embraced the pain of isolation in their old age due to their long apathy to the society where they live. One will come across a large number of old parents in all metro cities guarding their lavish houses and repenting for their past mistakes which they can’t correct. 

 They get what they always deserve: isolation, a waterless life, rising temperature due to loss of trees and water bodies. Food adulteration and polluted water threaten their lives. The majority of them do not have access to quality school and health care facilities. Pothole filled roads and air pollution have become an acceptable menace. 

A few people organize themselves into groups to raise their voice but it does not make much difference. Newly constructed roads in many cities peel out after three to four hour heavy rain. Cities get flooded with rain water. All these things happen because India has ignored the importance of quality human resources.

Political representatives should return what they have got from the people; they should deliver good governance

The solution to build human resources is not far but the will to do it is missing. Each and every political party should establish internal democracy and allow inclusive growth opportunities for the deserving leaders. 

Party supremos who remain in power for decades are the biggest stumbling block before the young and dynamic leaders. No political party should keep its leader at the helm for more than 10 years. The supremos should step down from politics after enjoying power for long years; their presence creates a leadership vacuum in the country. 

Many party supremos in their 70s despite having life threatening diseases cling to power; this is absurd. They choose their near and dear one as their heirs when they feel they can’t walk a few steps. Money, muscles and the presence of Supremos are the main reasons why honest, educated and efficient young people are not choosing politics as their career.
The Annual Status of Education (ASER) Report 2023 shows 45% Indians or nearly 65 crore youth in the age group of 14 to 18 are unable to read, write, understand and calculate simple arithmetic. This is where the rot begins. This is like an emergency situation in the field of education. 

If 45% Indians at the age group of 14 to 18 can’t read, write and understand how can they choose their political representatives? This is high time for each and every educated Indian to spend some time teaching children. But who is going to do it if schools have failed to do it in the last many decades? 

 This situation raises a question whether India can survive as an independent country with the burden of such a large number of youth who can’t read, write and understand.