Imagine Modi replying to difficult questions in a US prez-style debate
This is the first US presidential race which I am following quite closely. And I am very much impressed by the system with which the nominees are elected. After two years of not-so-healthy yet substantive competition, the contest will finally conclude on November 8.
It stirred my thoughts - why can't a debating system be implemented in our country? It will provide an opportunity to people to elect a better candidate.
Imagine Narendra Modi debating or responding to personal and contentious questions related to his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat.
Why can't our leaders be more open to a system like in the US? Are they scared of debating publicly as it might decimate their political career?
Remember Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's interview with talk show host Arnab Goswami just before the 2014 elections? It was called a PR debacle and cost Gandhi dearly.
Goswami ended any prospects Gandhi had as a candidate for the post of prime minister. After the interview, Modi's campaign gained greater momentum.
Also recall the ways in which the media was managed throughout the 2014 elections. A handful of channels were able to get Modi's interview, and none dared ask the most difficult questions.
Let's turn towards the US. To many analysts, this election has been the most brutal ever in the history of the country. And all this because of one man, Donald Trump.
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Trump's way of trapping someone with naked reality is something new in politics. His boldness left good speakers such as contender Ted Cruz answer less in front of the crowd. The art of diplomacy goes haywire when you are not prepared for something like this.
Television is Trump's baby. He brings out a candidate's tainted past and focuses the entire debate on that.
Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton's poised ways of handling the tough questions has garnered her massive support. She has boldly replied to Trump's questions on some of her controversial acts when in office.
The open forum debate provides an opportunity to elect the better candidate. As First Lady Michelle Obama said while addressing students at La Salle University in Philadelphia: Presidency is an adult's job and requires courage to take bold decisions when the time comes.
TV debates give you a glimpse of the ways in which one can handle nasty situations under pressure when the entire nation is watching you.
Don't we need such a system in India where a lot happens discreetly? As an electorate, don't we have the right to know everything?
How can we decide when we don't know the candidate from inside and out?