The South Wing

The 2009 Indian general election results are being viewed by the world as a victory for the Congress party, which could form a government almost alone at the center of the world’s most populous democracy. Not accurate – though the Congress won just over 37% of the Lok Sabha (House of Commons) seats, and three of its pre-election partners contributed close to 10%, making reaching the 50% mark easy, the election resulted in yet another coalition rule. The significance of the most recent elections, however, lies in the defeat of the communists and that of regional political parties.

The communists were decimated in their south-western stronghold of Kerela and the eastern state of West Bengal; securing not even 4% of the 62 seats from 30 000 leagues under the sea dvdrip the two states. (In 2004, they won 44 seats from those 2 states alone.) Regional parties such as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) saw their aspirations take a hard fall with the Indian masses refusing to fall prey to sectarianism. Thus without an overtly fragmented coalition and with the absence of the communists’ blackmail, this could be a more stable government than those that have ruled the nation in the last 20 years. That precisely could be the challenge for the new Indian gove

rnment; this time there is little room for excuses.

As the government focuses, hopefully, on inclusive economic growth, there is another agenda that needs attention of the Congress leadership – meritocracy. It is no secret that Rahul Gandhi, as the heir apparent of the Gandhi family and the Congress, played a key role in these elections. More than his credentials, it was his surname that held sway over the masses. Other young inheritors such as Priya Dutt, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitendra Singh and Agatha Sangama won largely due to their lineage. While these youth representatives will now participate at the highest level of decision making in the country without having to justify their experience or capabilities, many ordinary but talented youth cannot even get past the gates of the Parliament or the State Assembly. Just as there are those who aspire to be astronauts and doctors, there is a section of the youth, albeit a minority, who desires to use its education and capabilities towards improving the polity and policies of the nation. For them it is frustrating to acknowledge that without the right surname or connections, their abilities by themselves do not afford them the opportunity to realise their dreams.

This nepotism does not speak well of the party that was started as a combined force of patriots, irrespective of caste, creed, religion and economic status, to work for the independence of the nation. It will be unfair to say that this favouritism has gone completely unnoticed with the youth of the Congress. Rahul Gandhi,

himself, apparently started a “quiet talent search” in 2008 in select states to induct members into the Indian Youth Congress (IYC). However, the selection criteria were not articulated and the candidates were selected by Rahul Gandhi and his close companions; all of them hailing from professional political parties. Further, it remains unknown whether this is a one time exercise or will it be a regular feature from now on. Nonetheless this could be a start and it will be interesting to see if any of the selected candidates do make it to the steering committees in the next few years.

Meritocracy within the party is not the only agenda that the Congress needs to cater to. Education has far reaching consequences on all aspects of national life, ranging from economic growth to the growth of political parties. Civil services on the other hand are the corner stones of policy making and it is key to have aware individuals manning these offices; aware about the constitutional and human rights, local needs and struggles, national political and economic developments and the shortcomings of policies. Education and civil services’ improvement while vital to the rise of Indian growth trajectory are also probably the biggest roadblocks in this ascent. Not only is there wide-spread illiteracy in India, but there is also significant discrimination against the majority in these two fields.

The Congress in the early 1990s started a quota system in education, with more than 50% of admissions to institutions of higher education being reserved for students belonging to the backward classes. While there was little attention given to the development of primary education and financial assistance for meritorious students from backward classes, a law was passed that allows backward class students with much lower scores to sit in the same lectures as students who have secured significantly higher marks. This non-financially assisting facility is provided to the backward class students at the cost of taking away the dreams of intelligent and talented students belonging to the so-called upper castes. In its last reign, the Congress extended this quota to the country’s finest technical and management institutions. The youth would encourage the government to develop fair incentives to enable the impoverished to succeed. However, just the birth into a backward class family, (which may not be economically or opportunistically disadvantaged) leading to more accessible means is deemed grossly unfair.

A similar quota system is applicable in civil services, wherein an applicant is granted employment solely based on the caste defined on the candidate’s certificate even if there exists a more deserving aspirant. This rule blindly applies to the offspring of ex-civil servants as well, while they clearly are at no disadvantage. In addition to creating an unjustified imbalance, in the presence of the loophole, this law has created an inefficient and lazy huddle in the civil services. This discrimination has had a direct impact on the quality of graduates and civil servants and indirectly it has promoted corruption within and brain drain from the country.

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In a speech not long ago, Rahul Gandhi said, “If we are to truly become an organization that represents the youth of our country, if we are to truly develop leaders of whom this nation can be proud, we need to do two things. The first is to build an organization that is open and relevant to a broad range of Indians who believe in our values and seek to serve the nation. The second is to build a meritocratic organization. Young people bring tremendous passion and energy into our organization. We must see to it that they are accountable. It is our duty to ensure that their progress is linked to their performance.”

If progress according to the Congress should strictly be linked to performance, if the party is truly secular and non-discriminating, and if it wants to demonstrate a shift away from nepotism in totality; then the Congress needs to address internal policies and those that have created unfair and non-merit based systems in the country. If there is true desire to efficiently channel the energy and passion of the youth, if there is a keenness to increase accountability and if the Congress indeed wants to herald change; then the playing field should finally be levelled. If the 2009 general elections need to go down history as the corner stone of Indian growth, then the youth of the Congress need to act judiciously and impartially. The heir apparent needs to demonstrate that he stands true to his word; otherwise he will be guilty of falling prey to monarchy in the world’s largest democracy, just like his friends and associates.