India's day of reckoning

Posted on by Moni Basu

photoBy Friday afternoon, everything should become clear.

Who did more than 500 million voters choose to lead India? India’s day of reckoning is here. Election results will be announced soon.

All week, there has been so much speculation and interpretation of exit polls that my head is spinning. By all guesses, Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party will become the next prime minister of my homeland.

Modi is known as a Hindu nationalist. He is controversial, polarizing. Under his watch, Gujarat suffered Hindu-Muslim carnage. But he also inspired voters who are fed up with the same old corruption and drudgery of government. For them, the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty and Congress stopped delivering, despite being the party of independence and freedom.

People in India are hungry for change. They grew disappointed after India failed to launch, as it were. How many people predicted India would be the next Asian tiger? But the growth slowed and India is still a poor nation that lags far behind rival China.

Today, I received my Overseas Citizenship of India certificate. With OCI status. I am entitled to most of the rights and privileges I once had as a citizen of India, except I can’t vote. I wished that I had been able to in this landmark Indian election.

I cannot say who I supported — I am a journalist, after all. But I can say this: I hope, for the sake of my homeland, someone steps in and cleans up government. I am done paying bribes and drowning in bureaucracy and dealing with inefficiency.

I am done waiting for India to arrive.

Read my India stories on CNN.com:

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/04/world/india-hotel-death/index.html

http://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2013/11/world/india-rape/

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/world/asia/india-rogue-tiger/

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/22/health/india-end-of-polio/

 

4 thoughts on “India's day of reckoning”

  1. “Under his watch, Gujarat suffered Hindu-Muslim carnage” …. just like many others states like Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh did under the watch of Pro-Congress state governments!! Since the Godhra train massacre of Hindu pilgrims by muslims, and the post-Godhra riots nearly 10 years ago, there has been peace, quiet and all-round growth in Gujarat.

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