Moving ahead.

India’s Progress, Politics and the Ordinary Citizen 

Beyond political arguments lies a simple question: Are we moving forward together as a nation? Of course we are.

Every ordinary citizen has a dream for India.

We want our roads to improve, our villages to prosper, our cities to become cleaner, our children to receive good education, our young people to find opportunities, and our country to earn respect across the world. Above all, we want to feel that the nation is moving forward and that our children and grandchildren will inherit a country with greater possibilities than the one we received.

Yet, when we look at politics today, a question naturally arises: How much of our national energy is being spent on building India, and how much is being spent on fighting over who should receive the credit?

The challenge of building a nation

Governance is an enormous responsibility. A country as vast and diverse as India cannot be transformed overnight. Development requires planning, resources, competent administration, cooperation between the Centre and the states, and the patience to carry projects from announcement to completion.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has witnessed major initiatives in areas such as digital public infrastructure, financial inclusion, sanitation, roads, railways, renewable energy and welfare delivery. Supporters see these efforts as important steps towards a more developed India. Their impact, like that of any large public programme, must ultimately be assessed through implementation, outcomes and the experiences of citizens.

There is also a larger ambition: to see India become more self-reliant, technologically capable and influential in the world.

Such ambitions demand sustained effort. They cannot be achieved by one person, one party or one term of government. They require institutions that function effectively, public servants who deliver, citizens who participate and political leaders who understand that the country's interests extend beyond the next election.

Opposition is necessary. Obstruction is a different question.

Democracy was never intended to be a system in which everyone agrees with the government.

The opposition has an important duty. It must question policies, expose failures, demand accountability and offer alternatives. Sometimes, a government may be moving in the wrong direction, and a strong opposition can protect the public interest by pointing it out.

But there is a difference between questioning a policy and rejecting it merely because it comes from a political rival.

When parliamentary proceedings are disrupted, discussions are repeatedly lost, or important proposals become entangled in partisan confrontation, citizens have reason to ask what has been accomplished through that conflict. At the same time, not every disagreement or legislative delay is the opposition's fault; governments too have a responsibility to consult, explain their decisions and respond to legitimate criticism.

The real test is not whether the government or the opposition wins an argument. It is whether the argument helps the country.

A government must be answerable for its decisions. An opposition must be answerable for the alternatives it offers. Both must be answerable to the people.

The new political battleground: our mobile phones

There was a time when political discussion took place in newspapers, public meetings, homes and tea shops. Today, a political message can reach millions of people within minutes.

A video without its original context, a dramatic headline, an edited speech, a sarcastic meme or an emotionally charged post can shape public opinion before anyone has checked whether it is accurate.

Social media has brought many benefits. It gives ordinary people a voice, allows neglected issues to gain attention and makes information accessible to those who once depended entirely on traditional media. It can also help citizens question those in power.

But the same medium can spread misinformation, deepen divisions and turn every public issue into a battle between opposing camps.

The danger is not that people have different opinions. Differences are natural in a democracy. The danger is that we may begin to treat every opinion we encounter as a fact, every disagreement as hostility, and every political opponent as an enemy.

When that happens, we stop listening in order to understand. We listen only to find something to attack.

Our young people deserve better

Perhaps the greatest concern is the effect of this atmosphere on our youth.

Young people are already negotiating a complicated world. They are trying to discover their abilities, choose careers, establish relationships, manage family expectations and find their place in society. They are full of energy and idealism, but they are also learning how to distinguish confidence from certainty and information from persuasion.

They deserve to participate in public life. Their questions, protests and aspirations are important. 

But they also deserve the time and freedom to form their own judgments.

When political communication—whether from a party, an influencer or an anonymous account—uses outrage, ridicule or selective information to recruit young people into rigid political camps, it can discourage independent thinking. The young may find themselves defending a position before they have had the opportunity to examine it fully.

We must encourage our youth to read beyond headlines, check sources, examine evidence, listen to differing arguments and question even those with whom they generally agree. They should be free to support a government on one issue, criticise it on another, and change their minds when the evidence changes.

A young citizen's greatest strength is not unquestioning loyalty to a political camp. It is the courage to think independently.

Social media should inform us, not govern us

Before forwarding a political message, we could pause and ask a few simple questions.

Who originally made this claim? Is the full speech or document available? Does the information come from a reliable source? Is an important fact missing? Would I accept the same argument if it were directed against the party I support?

These questions may appear small, but they can make a substantial difference to the quality of public discussion.

We need not abandon our convictions. We need to hold them responsibly.

Citizens should be able to appreciate a government's achievements without becoming blind to its shortcomings. They should also be able to acknowledge an opposition's valid criticism without assuming that doing so makes them disloyal to the government they support.

Patriotism is not the defence of every action taken by one's preferred political party. It is a commitment to the country's well-being, even when that requires uncomfortable questions.

Progress is a collective undertaking

It is easy to imagine a developed India. We can picture modern transport, strong industries, better healthcare, excellent educational institutions, scientific innovation, clean surroundings and prosperous communities.

But turning that picture into reality is a herculean task.

Every bridge, school, hospital, research laboratory and public service depends on thousands of decisions and the work of countless people. National progress requires continuity, cooperation and correction when things go wrong. It requires governments to deliver, opposition parties to contribute constructively, institutions to uphold their responsibilities, and citizens to remain alert.

No government is beyond criticism. No opposition is automatically right. No party owns the nation.

The country belongs to its people.

The farmer waiting for a fair opportunity, the student preparing for an examination, the parent worried about employment, the entrepreneur trying to build a business, the soldier serving far from home and the elderly citizen hoping for dignity—all have a stake in how our democracy functions.

For them, political rivalry is not an end in itself. They need decisions that improve their lives.

Let us raise the standard of political discussion

We cannot demand civility from our leaders while celebrating abuse on our own social media accounts. We cannot complain about misinformation while forwarding claims simply because they confirm what we already believe. And we cannot expect young people to think independently if we reward them only when they repeat our opinions.

The change must begin with us.

Let us question without insulting, disagree without dehumanising, and demand accountability without spreading unverified allegations. Let us recognise genuine achievements wherever they occur and point out failures wherever they are found.

The Modi government, like every government entrusted with public responsibility, should be judged by its promises, decisions, implementation and results. Its supporters should be free to defend its record with evidence. Its critics should be free to challenge that record with evidence. Parliament should make room for serious scrutiny and meaningful debate.

That is not a concession to one political side. It is a commitment to democracy itself.

As ordinary citizens, most of us cannot determine the course of national politics. We cannot personally build highways, reform institutions or resolve every disagreement in Parliament.

But we are not powerless.

We can stay informed. We can vote thoughtfully. We can refuse to spread falsehoods. We can teach our children to think rather than merely follow. We can demand results from those we elect, regardless of their party. And we can remember that the person who disagrees with us is also a citizen of the same country.

India's future is too important to be reduced to an endless argument over who is right and who is wrong.

We need ambition, criticism, accountability and debate. But we also need the wisdom to know when political competition is serving the nation and when it is distracting us from the work that remains to be done.

The government has a responsibility to govern. The opposition has a responsibility to scrutinise and offer alternatives. The media has a responsibility to inform. And we, the citizens, have a responsibility to think.

Our ultimate loyalty must be to India—not to a party, not to a leader, and certainly not to a viral post.

When the next generation looks back at our time, let them see more than arguments, accusations and political victories. Let them see a generation that understood its differences but did not allow those differences to become bigger than the country itself.

For in the end, the question is not simply who won the political battle.

It is whether India moved forward—and whether the lives of its people became better because of it.

When Sensible Voices Get Lost in the Noise 

One of the most disappointing aspects of today's political atmosphere is that the loudest voices often appear to command the greatest attention, while the more measured voices struggle to be heard.

An opposition is essential to democracy. But surely its purpose is not merely to oppose everything the government proposes. Its responsibility is to question, examine, suggest improvements and present alternatives that can genuinely benefit the people.

When political confrontation becomes the principal attraction, serious discussion risks being pushed aside. A constructive argument may receive less attention than a dramatic accusation. A carefully reasoned proposal may be overlooked while an angry exchange dominates television screens and social media feeds.

And what happens to the citizens in the middle of all this?

They are left trying to distinguish genuine criticism from political theatre. They may see repeated conflict without understanding what has actually been debated, what has been achieved, or what remains unresolved.

Perhaps there are capable and thoughtful people within political parties whose voices deserve greater attention. If so, our democratic culture must create more room for them. They need not be less passionate about their country; they need an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment through reasoned arguments, practical proposals and sustained work.

Passion is valuable in public life, but passion without patience can become confrontation. Criticism is necessary, but criticism without alternatives leaves citizens wondering what should happen next.

A country needs political leaders who can raise their voices when necessary, but it also needs leaders who can sit down, listen, think and work together when the nation's interests demand it.

The ordinary citizen is not asking every politician to agree with every other politician. We are asking something more reasonable: let disagreements produce better decisions rather than become an end in themselves.

India is too large, its challenges too complex, and its future too important for constructive voices to remain unheard.

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What fun and work ethics to have been in. And look at our state now. 

We need to move ahead.