Make 'Women's Safety' The Reason Why You Vote Next

'Days ago, India witnessed the horror of the brutal rape and murder of a woman doctor on night duty at the R G Kar hospital in Kolkata.'

'The crime was so outrageous that any self-respecting chief minister should have resigned, bearing moral responsibility.'

'But then the terms 'self-respect' and 'moral responsibility' do not exist in the modern Indian political lexicon,' argues Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd).

One-Two, buckle my shoe... Seven-Eight, lay them straight... so went the nursery rhyme designed to teach us numbers. Thursday was our Seven-Eighth Independence Day and let me therefore, lay them straight for people who care to read or stir their sleeping consciences.

Celebrating Independence is not about the prime minister hoisting the national flag to a 21-gun salute.

It is not about 'Har Ghar Tiranga'. It is not about Whatsapp greetings. It is not about yelling 'Jai Hind' at the top of your voice.

It is the sentiment behind such symbology, the vision of our collective future as a nation that is of essence. That, unfortunately, has been hijacked by politics, non-performance, corruption, misgovernance and crime.

Just five days ago, India witnessed the horror of the brutal rape and murder of a woman doctor on night duty at the R G Kar hospital in Kolkata.

The crime was so outrageous that any self-respecting chief minister should have resigned, bearing moral responsibility.

Incidentally, the chief minister also holds the health portfolio. But then the terms 'self-respect' and 'moral responsibility' do not exist in the modern Indian political lexicon.

Candlelight marches and processions are not enough. Make 'Women's Safety' the reason why you vote next.

Despite assurances of addressing common peoples' grievances, corruption is the root cause of our lack of progress.

Corruption in government, in all areas where there is public interface, is chronic and almost incurable.

The people who stand to lose the most in ill-gotten wealth are the same people who have to initiate the change.

The public that votes for change, that votes for a better future, is the most neglected once the elections are over. Make corruption the reason why you vote next.

India is the most beautiful country on this planet. I have travelled the world and I can say with confidence that the whole world is contained within India.

We have messed our country up by dirtying it with every toxic substance one can imagine.

There is no environmental policing and other than a few pockets of extraordinary progress, mostly due to the uncommonly committed officials, the Swachh Bharat slogan rings hollow.

Urban civic bodies are totally corrupt and inefficient. And they blame us -- the population, for being too large. Make cleanliness the reason why you vote next.

Organised religion, caste dynamics and politics is a heady combination and all political parties have succumbed to the temptation of religious divisiveness, minority appeasement and caste politics to secure vote banks.

India, that has had an inclusive culture for centuries, is under a serious threat of internal strife due to religious intolerance and divisive politics.

The multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic identity has to be preserved. Make religious and cultural maturity the reason why you vote next.

Do you think the police constable on the street is your friend? Are they supposed to instill a sense of security in you ar are intimidated by their presence? Is helping and correcting people their primary job or is it apprehending and collecting money from ordinary citizens? The police to public ratio in India is among the lowest in the world.

We have laws that many experts say are adequate but the same experts lament that enforcement mechanisms are not. So how can one expect good policing? Are the police forces politicised? If they are, does that make them do things that may not always be in the public interest? Are you happy with the law and order situation in the country? Answer these questions and make law enforcement the reason why you vote next.

Do we have a national vision for the future? I am not talking of party manifestos. I am talking of a national vision to which all leaders, irrespective of political affiliations must agree.

Surely, there are enough issues to agree upon like economic progress, poverty alleviation, technological self-sufficiency, educational reforms, better law and order, cleanliness and so on.

Can our leaders come up with a national vision that will commit political parties across the spectrum to a 'path' for national good? Make clarity of a national vision the reason why you vote next.

Mere symbolism diverts focus away from the more important aspects of safety, security, welfare and reform.

The state of our nation should compel our nation to fly the tricolour at half-mast on our 78th anniversary of Independence.

Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta (retd) is a former commander-in-chief of the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com