Right to abstain...

I will be 25 in the next 5 months...7 years past the voting age. And I have not voted once till date, in any election. This is not something I am proud of. And I offer no excuse. However, I do wish i had the rights to abstain from voting and furthermore, this 'right' would have made a difference.

For the current Indian polity neither invokes any motivation to elect our leaders nor imparts the confidence that democracy is deemed to bring about.

I seek leaders who can make me proud. I seek leaders who can take radical decisions surpassing the fear of losing political mandate. I seek a government that would have said 'NO' to organizing Commonwealth Games stating that it bears a terrible burden on the conscience of a nation whose 37% of the population lives below Poverty Line and 55 % of women and children are malnourished. I seek a government that would refuse to spend 2.1% of the nation's GDP on defense and armament and persuade the international community to extend help if needed. Of course that would invoke criticism...Criticism by the 'guardians' of nation's 'pride' and whose definitions of pride do not encompass the health and education standards of the country, the rampant corruption, violation of human rights, so on and so forth. I can assure there are several others like me who would NOT give a damn to such guardians.
I seek leaders I can talk about, to my children and grandchildren. I seek leaders I can tell tales of....tales similar to the ones i grew up listening to.