VIVEK : Issues & Options - March - April 2014

In this issue

Vox Populi, Vox Dei. In a democracy, the voice of the people is the voice of God. Come May 16, the verdict of the masses on the performance/non-performance of the different political parties would come to the fore and a new Government would assume office soon thereafter.

While Government formation is important, its stability, the maturity, vision and
decisiveness of its leadership and the quality of governance that it would deliver are equally critical. In recent times, the country has witnessed crises of confidence, of credibility and one sincerely hopes that the new Government would be able to restore the faith of the people in democracy, the rule of law and institutions, which has eroded over the years.

The 2014 Lok Sabha elections witnessed unprecedented mudslinging, personalized attacks and attempts to divide the electorate on casteist, communal and linguistic lines, which is most unfortunate even six decades after independence.

The low level of discourse engaged in by sections of the political class did not behove a mature democracy at a time when all the eyes of the world are on India.
Instead of debating governance related issues, which are of core concern to the people of India, particularly the youth, attempts were made by vested interests to focus only on the cliché subject of secularism, which has come to be identified with political hypocrisy.

One can only hope and pray that once the dust of the campaigning settles down, civility would be restored back into our polity and the political class would set an example by working together, particularly to resolve major challenges confronting the nation. In this issue, our eminent authors such as M N Buch, Dr A Surya Prakash and Prof B K Kuthiala have dealt with some of these critical issues.

We also have insightful articles on Defence, Diplomacy and Governance from our
distinguished scholars.

Please keep sending us your valuable feedback to enable us to serve you better in future.

VIVEK : Issues & Options Magazine Description:

Vivekananda International Foundation’s E-journal carries exclusive articles by distinguished scholars on diplomacy, strategy, governance, defence, neighbourhood, economy, media, history, science and technological Studies.

Selected articles from the E-journal are also featured regularly on the VIF Webiste : http://www.vifindia.org

VIVEK : Issues & Options is also e-disseminated to a large number of interested persons across the globe.