7 chief ministers in 9 years! And lo!… We have our new Chief Minister who happnes to be a murderer! What a tragedy! The state of Jharkhand was formed on the promise of freedom and self-governance for the adivasis (the natives of Jharkhand). When it was carved out of Bihar, it had a bright future. After all, it was undivided Bihar’s industrial powerhouse, it was immensely rich in mineral and forest resources. We had such high expectations…
But the state is now sinking deeper and deeper into an abyss because of its political instability and a thoroughly corrupt political class. Palamu district continues to claim maximum deaths due to hunger. Sandwiched between the landlordism and the naxalites, farmers don’t seem to have too many choices. With persistent droughts, the condition of small peasantry and landless agricultural labourers of my state has only worsened, who today mostly survive on harmful eatables of the forests. The middle class that terribly lacks civic sense, has decided to take up these issues only over a cup of coffee.
We all know the situation. Yet why do corrupt politicians and those with criminal backgrounds keep getting elected? Because we vote for them! Earlier it was attributed to lack of knowledge about politicians. But that is no longer the case. Ever since the Association of Democratic Reforms, through it public interest litigation, has succeeded in making it compulsory for those contesting elections to declare their assets, educational background and involvement in criminal cases, people just can’t claim to be ignorant any more. And yet we keep electing criminals and corrupt politicians. What a shame! Clearly, we are not willing to do much more than crib in our living rooms about corruption. Till we are willing to do so, we have to suffer the murderers of the world…
सौरभ राय | Sourav Roy 
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