By Nithya Sagayam

Chennai, Dec. 13, 2018: There is a tendency to imagine that the people have come up with a choice of Congress to regain the lost democracy. Never. It is only a reaction of the people to the ways and means the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took people for granted and manipulated the rules and regulations to satisfy the few by troubling the rest.

The recent outcome of the election results in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Telengana, and Chhattisgarh are not for Congress but against BJP. If the Congress is keen to come back to power and reinstate true democracy, they should go back to the cry of the poor, the farmers, and the indigenous peoples—Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe, the migrants and the displaced people who continue to pay their taxes but are unable to get their entitlements, the security of women and children.

All these were under stake with the wrong stand taken by the BJP with their full support of few business men, siding with the rich and the moneyed and the corporate sectors, interference with the judicial system, threat to and buying of the media.

It was noted that the Modi-Amith Shaw duo, along with a few businessmen like Ambani and Adani, thought that they were the authors of the largest democracy. But as in the past, the voters have once again proved their power not only to elect their leaders but also to throw away those leaders if they fail to do their duties.

The loss of BJP coming to power will only increase the vigor in the party to get back to power by hook or crook in 2019 (general elections). If the Congress wants to pave the way for democracy with true development, then they have to work vigorously all the more harder with commitment on their vision and mission towards the least, lost and the last. The number of the poorest and the marginalized has increased at rapid speed in India. India needs those leaders who will work for the development of the poorest of the poor under top priority.

It is not time to celebrate an opaque success and relax for the Congress party but to plunge into action. This action must be focused on the welfare of all – “Sarvodaya” – starting with the welfare of the least ones – the “Antyodaya” – of society.