In the forthcoming elections, people's vote should be for NATION FIRST.

Yesterday morning near Hiranandani towers in Powai, Mumbai, even elite people stood in a long line to enroll themselves as voters for the next election.

When the Election officials refused to accept unattested documents to enroll people as voters, one person volunteered to attest all the documents and quickly brought his rubber stamp and stamp pad to start the process for enrollment of new voters. This elite class which has never voted in the past, did not mind the unpleasant March sun and the sweat involved in the process of securing their right to vote.

Similarly in Bangalore, Lucknow, Delhi, Ahmedabad and wide across the nation in small and big settlements alike - people stood in queue to be recognized as voters.  People of India have come to recognize the power of the ballot.  A mature society has evolved and forged ahead on the path of democracy.  Nation building has found its rightful architects and interior designers.  Indian Republic is in a highly charged state of political consciousness and democratic power.

Come April and May 2014!  India has to cleanse itself of dynasties and misrule of Nehruvian mammoth.  India has to shun the politics of mob mobilization and irresponsible opposition to civility and decorum.  India has to choose development over anarchy.  

The voters who have stood in long lines across the country to secure their right to vote should also rightly vote.  The largest democracy in the world should find its path, make its path, cleanse its path and show a new path to the world. That will be the real face of people's revolution. 

In the forthcoming elections, people's vote should be for NATION FIRST.

V K Saxena
President
NCCL
Ahmedabad

A monkey in the ruling clan

In the Jungle Book of national capital, there is a certain monkey that can only see mangoes and bananas in the public.   This particular ape climbs the trees that grow money in the real estates that stash money.  It's tail winds long into the corridors of power and if anyone even dares to touch its tail, its matriarch asks the cabinet to defend it from attack.  At airports, it passes without frisking and in the jungle, its worth has grown from lakhs to millions.  It does not care for the struggle of the people to raise the image of the nation to the world stage of recognition and strength.  For this monkey, all it purveys is an orchard of bananas the people are just the hard seeds covered by the yellow pulp.  This arrogance is all just because the monkey wooed and married the daughter of the matriarch of the Jungle.

How does one protect the nation from the banana loving monkey menace?  It is hard!  This country has often been haunted by monkeys  that clamour of the bananas in the public.  We have known of them snatching bananas from our hands in temples, tourist destinations and even in streets and hotels.  But now from the corridors of power and elite neighbourhoods!  For us, there it is not fun being bananas.  But for the monkey, it is a whole lot of fun to peel the skin live and eat up all the fortune fruit.

Well, I could not be but satirical on this matter.  Those who think of this great nation as banana republic deserve just to be dismissed as monkeys.  They are not even worth fighting in the court of law on charges of diminishing the dignity of our nation

V.K.Saxena

National Council For Civil Liberties

Ahmedabad.