There is pressure on politicians to hand over the reins to the new generation. There is near unanimity on this that a younger India deserves younger leaders and more youth in decision making; more new, young faces in parliament. It all sounds music to the nation's ears but is the youth ready to shoulder the responsibility that the elderly shoulders carry on so effortlessly?
For one, the younger generation has no respect for traditions. Look at how the elders have upheld the glorious tradition of adjournments even in the last days of the last session of this Lok Sabha. They know what hasn't functioned all these years must not function in its last days. Adjournment is the essence of our Lok Sabha, like postponement is that of the nation.
We have postponed things to the extent that what was supposed to be done in the Sixties is still underway. By the time we widen our two-lane roads to four-lane we need eight lanes. We just got modern urban transport systems, like Metro, and most of our cities are still in planning stages.
This is because the leaders have managed to follow the unwritten procedure and code of adjournment. Patience is the key to delayed gratification and delayed gratification is the path to self-actualisation. The old and frail and cynical old men in politics are past masters at delaying future.
On the other hand, lack of patience is the hallmark of the new generation. They want everything now. Some want Telangana and they want it now. Some even want real development and want it now. Some have gone so far as to talking about removal of caste and community identities.
These are centuries-old traditions. If we remove social injustice, how will we fight for the noble cause of social justice? The tyrannical slave masters from the bad Old Blighty killed the age-old traditions of Sati in India. They banned it. They did not know the beauty of ugly traditions. But since we became free, we have kept them alive. We know khap panchayats are not democratic and regularly betray medieval mindset.
We also talk about the horror killings they order and execute. But in the true tradition of democracy we debate and preserve them because they are part of our social fabric. We keep the caste cauldron stirred and communal equations shaken. Traditions, you see.
What happened in parliament in the last two days is part of that glorious tradition where the well of the house wails under the weight of our overweight MPs protesting against something or the other. All is well as long as MPs are in the well and the chair pleads for papers to be tabled. Mallikarjun Kharge couldn't finish his rail budget speech.
Shinde managed to table the Telangana papers before Telangana MPs pepper-sprayed the tables. Fisticuffs ensued, mikes were thrown and general pandemonium prevailed. Some MPs were hurt in the process. Those experienced in the ways of the house ducked.
The bar is set high. Does the young generation have the guts and gumption to achieve the height of absurdity our senior leaders have reached? It is easy to dream to lead the nation. It takes real skill to survive parliament and duck for your life in the free-for-all democracy. Do the new leaders have it in them?
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