Politics is an opportunity for politicians to lead, guide and bring development for people. Politics is to enhance democracy which is a government ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’. Politics and democracy aim at uniting people, transforming society, respecting people and providing equal rights and opportunities for citizens of a country.
However, in this present era, politicians, instead of encouraging each other and working together for the betterment of the society, are fighting against one another and degrading the dignity of one another; they are also intruding into the private lives of individuals.
The election campaign of political parties for the general elections of 2014 has seen all this.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) goes after the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Congress criticises the BJP, and the AAP attacks the other two. Congress and BJP. Power, prestige and wealth have taken control of politics. Politicians no longer respect one another.
Is this kind of campaigning truly the best way to win the general public over? Where is the ethical responsibility and respect of human dignity in our political leaders?
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Politicians need to realise that they are people’s representatives and need to set good example in words and deeds. Political parties need to campaign for elections in order to win but they should not let power and position control their values as human beings. Politicians need to take political campaigns or rallies as an opportunity to spread values among people and not to degrade one another.
The author is in first year Mass Communication Studies, St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Bangalore