Martyr’s Day is observed on 30th January, the anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi
India observes Martyrs Day on January 30 every year to salute the martyrdom of all the soldiers. January 30 was chosen as the special day as it marks the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Today, we will understand the use of soldiers in politics these days.
India is a country where the election takes place every year in some part of the country. We and our politicians are not mature enough to practice a healthy democracy with a progressive mind. Often the political parties blame each other for the polarization of votes by asking votes on the lines of caste, religion, nationalism and other non-beneficial factors. The latest addition to the list is the soldiers of Indian Armed Forces.
Recently, India slipped 10 places below to 51st place in the latest Democracy Index global rankings published by The Economist Intelligence Unit. India’s score was lowest in political culture with a score of just 5.63 out of 10.
In the general election 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and other ruling party leaders banked on Air Strike to attract votes. The opposition including the Congress, AAP, TMC, RJD and others blamed the NDA government of using the soldiers of Indian Armed Forces for their benefit. So both the ruling government and the opposition used the Indian Armed forces to influence the election in their favour.
Martyrs Day 2020: It’s time to ask your politicians not to use soldiers as their sword
This is not the only time when soldiers were used in the election. After the Surgical strike against the militant launch pads across the line of control in retaliation of Uri attack, the government used it in the Assembly elections of Punjab, Goa, Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The BJP was successful in forming the government in three of these states except Punjab. AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal asked for the proof of Surgical strike which was nothing sort of dishonour, questioning the military. Congress also played on the names of soldiers in various elections.
Read more: What is the root cause of a decrease in India’s ranking in Global democracy index?
It is not only the fault of big political parties and big political leaders across India but also it is a fault of common citizens. They have been given a wrong definition of nationalism and have been deviated from the main issues. It would be harsh to say that one certain political party is responsible for it. All the political parties are tarred with the same brush.
All those people who say, what’s bad in taking the name of our soldiers with pride, when they have achieved something. The question is how much do we really help the families of those soldiers when they need it. Very few times. Indian Military, Navy and Air Force are not a part of politics and they should not be used to influence an election. We have to understand this, once we understand, so will these lawmakers.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are the of writers. The organisation does not take any responsiblity.
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