With the election over and the focus shifting towards the formation of a new government it is introspection time for the citizens. Elections do not just mean going to the booths to push certain button of the Electronic Voting Machine; it amounts to the whole exercise involving it. It provides an opportunity to debate, argue and write on serious issues. It is an occasion to educate the masses. This is the very essence of democracy.
It is true the quality of debate during the recently concluded election campaign was not upto the mark. Nuclear deal with the United States, economic policy, the devastating man-made flood of Kosi, which took over 50,000 lives, Nandigram etc failed to become election issues. Our politicians talked on the security of the country and terrorism and almost nothing else. The BJP did try to whip up the Ram Mandir hysteria while parties in Tamil Nadu made a bid to cash in on humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka following the virtual debacle of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam. Apart from that our politicians, the media and other public opinion-makers failed to raise the standard of the debate on the issues which had direct impact on the people of the country.
