BY SANJEEB KUMAR SAHOO
Before I go on to discuss why each Indian citizen should contribute even Rs 50 a month to political parties, politicians, and journalists who operate small print media houses and news YouTube channels in order to engage in honest and serious political journalism, I would like to make it clear that no political party can prioritise helping the needy through big corporate house donations. This is due to the fact that big corporate houses give political parties and politicians crores of rupees every year; these donations enable political parties and politicians to finance their large-scale and costly campaigns as well as cover the daily costs required to get ready for elections and political party events.
So let me explain to you in a few words about why people should donate at least Rs 50 or any amount as per their capability each month to honest, sincere political parties who are working for needy people 24 hours a day and honest, sincere politicians who can fight for needy people even when they are needed. With people’s finances or given money from people whenever needed, honest, sincere politicians can go to the street to fight for needy people’s rights and journalists who manage small print media houses and news YouTube channels can do honest and serious political journalism.
With donors’ money and contributors’ money, honest, sincere political parties and honest, sincere politicians can also contest any polls so that they work for them with accountability after winning the polls, and people can also question and ask for any aid they need from them. With donors’ and contributors’ money, journalists who manage tiny print media houses and news YouTube channels can undertake honest and serious political journalism and also pay their staff members if they have staff members in their organisations while using donors’ money and contributors’ money.
If any political parties or politicians go to the polls with corporate donations, they will work for them first after winning elections or forming governments in New Delhi or in states, because corporates never invest crores unless they receive double, triple, or four times the return on their investment.
I don’t have any evidence, but I am telling you, after interacting with many people, that if any political parties or politicians contest any polls with corporate money, they work according to them and make policies that suit the corporate house.
Similarly, in the media world, if any media house gets lakhs or crores of rupees in advertisement from a corporate house, then they don’t publish news items or telecast news items in their news channels, which will hurt the business of the corporate house.
With people’s donations and contributions for political parties, politicians, small media houses, new YouTube channels, and honest journalists, who provide many responsibilities to help needy people through honest politics with 24 hours and do more real and honest political journalism, which is missing from corporate-run media houses, as they are all doing public relations (PR) journalism, and PR journalism means that only the ruling political party and its top leaders benefit from it.
And, believe me, whoever is in power in New Delhi and the states, I and National Political Mirror have been, are, and will continue to be the voice of opposition political parties working to help India’s needy people so that we may all work together to develop our country before 2047. So that our country becomes a developed nation, or Viksit Bharat, by 2047.
And, before I conclude my column, I would want to point out to you that over the last decade, the top 20 USA billionaires have donated approximately $5 billion to influence USA elections. While some billionaires, such as Michael Bloomberg, support Democrats, others, including Miriam Adelson and Ken Griffin, support Republicans.
Elections in the United States of America (USA) are now significantly influenced by billionaire donations, but critics argue that this concentration of financial power threatens democracy and raises concerns about the fairness and transparency of political processes because these donations frequently reflect personal interests.
