On the eve of yet another Republic Day, it’s time for introspection. It’s time to give a thought to what have we achieved since the 68 years of becoming a Republic? Success and failures should be weighed properly. We should not go overboard either with our success or failures. We will have to take both with the same stride. While mistakes should be rectified, successes would be our inspiration to move ahead.
There is no denying that since independence, India as a nation has come a long way. In the year 2019 itself, India will become the fourth largest economy in the world supprassing United Kingdom. Moreover, India is to become the second largest oil demand centre. All these are no mean achievements. It shows India is steadily making its way forward to become a developed nation. Though weare yet to achieve all our goals, clearly we are on the right path.
But at the same time, we should also keep in mind that India is in grip of terrible unrest. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, our nation is facing trouble. Some problems have surely being instigated by forces who do not want India to emerge as a world leader. At the same time we should not forget that a few of the problems are the creation of our faulty policies. India has been facing grave threat from terrorism for the last four decades. No other country in the world has been so severely hit by terrorism as India has suffered with its longstanding battle against the enemies of mankind. Even today, when the world has realised how grave the situation is, India remains a favourite haunting ground of terrorists. Why the terrorists are targeting India is known to everyone. But the world is lackingcollective will to combat terrorists and their patrons. It is gainsaying that the day world will stand united against terrorism, Kashmir will stop to bleed. But till that time India will have to suffer enormously in terms of lives and property.
At the same time, India is reeling under few other problems which are not caused by terrorism. Among these problems is the divide between the rich and the poor, which has reached alarminglevels. One recent study suggested that while the wealth of three per cent India has increased by 30 per cent over the last couple of years, the rest 97 percent have registered a growth of just three per cent during the same period. Clearly, it is a sign of the beginning of two Indias. While one India belongs to the riche rich and the other belongs to the poor. When such a large number of citizens denied a taste of the fruits of development, it is time to ponder what went wrong?
The Maoist problem is a direct fall out of this divide. The poor and downtrodden are feeling neglected today. Natural wealth, which remains their main source of livelihood for ages, is being looted. Leaving these people unhappy, the nation will never be able to become a Republic in the true sense. So on this Republic Day, let us take a vow to remove disparity of wealth among the citizens to make India strong, powerful and vibrant.
