Votes not SMSes can end terror

Funny messages started landing in my mobile and mail inboxs. Funny! Really funny. It looked as if the techno savvy patriots have vowed weed out scrupulous politicians and that it is just an SMS / Mail away.
One text message that I received on 27th evening says "Do not worry about those who have come thru boats... Our forces can easily defeat them. WORRY about those who have come thru votes.... Those are our REAL ENEMIES..." Votes! Whose votes? For me in the first instance it looks like a message sent by a terrorist again. While the forces from across the border were successful in attacking Mumbai, the forces, immediately after the attack have unleashed an attack on the democracy in India through 'text messages'. Pakistan that does not believe in democracy (several coups stand testimony to the fact) wants to create unrest in India and thus harm the strong democratic set up that India has, and therefore the message.

"....those who have come through votes", well, whose votes. Do they mean to say that those all who have participated in the electoral process are terrorists or those supporting the terrorists. Every citizen of India who is above 18 years of age and in mentally sound is eligible to vote. And those who have come through votes should be considered as those elected by the citizens who are mentally sound. We should not be worried about those who come either by boats or votes. Whom we should be really worried is about those who do not vote. It is they who are sending 'incompetent' leaders to the Parliament and the Assemblies. Their absence from voting ensures the victory of bootleggers, smugglers, land mafia, coal mafia, communal and anti-nationals, scrupulous businessmen, tax evaders... and the list goes on.

Telecom companies estimated, a week later that the text message revenue after the attack on Mumbai has fetched them the revenue of more than Rs 2o million. Conservative estimate after converting Rs 20 million into number of text messages puts the number of those who have either sent of forwarded the messages at 40 million (considering the fact that most of the mobile phone operators offer 150-200 free SMs per month and the avg tariff of a text message at 50 paise). Well, how many among these 40 million have voted. I claim, hardly half a million.

It is easy to send or forward a text message. It is easy to send or forward a mail. You can do it at the comfort of an air-conditioned office. You can do it at the push of a button. But it is 'painful' to vote. It is 'painful' because you have to register as a voter. It is 'painful' because you have to stand in a que, often in scorching summers and chilling winters. Its 'painful' because it spoils your 'holiday'. (The same applies to celebrating Independence day and Republic Day)

Why take some much pain. Why think so much and waste time when you can claim yourself to be patriotic and that too just by forwarding a text message or a mail. My dear techno savvy patriots this is not democracy. A strong democracy (like the America... most of them believe) cannot be built by exhibiting your creativity in writing text messages and mails. A strong democracy cannot be possible if you think its painful to vote. A strong democracy can be built only when you think voting is as simple as a Text message. A strong democracy is possible only when you think voting is pleasure.

Dont worry about those who have come through votes... WORRY ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE NOT COME TO VOTE. They could be helping terrorists. They could be helping Pakistan.