The electoral countdown has begun and the political parties are all set for the battle. But what the parties lack is a national issue. In the party manifestos, each political party has tried to hold a mirror before the other and has girdled their loins to mudslinging each other.

In spite of terrorism, economic slowdown and falling inflation, the price hike is a big challenge for the country. But the political parties are least bothered to take up the biggest challenge in the poll battle. Casting aside the price rise issue, the parties have taken up communalism, religious fanaticism and personal mudslinging as the major poll planks.

It is same for all the parties, it may be the oldest Congress or another biggest national party BJP or it may be the isolated CPM. All the parties are drenched in its own colors, miles away from the national issue.

Mudslinging at each other and religious fanaticism have been given the topmost priority in the 15th Lok Sabha polls. For instance, the inflammatory speech of Varun Gandhi has ignited the spirit of Hindutva, which BJP wants to project in the elections. Whereas, Congress is adamant to prove saffron’s communal inclination.

From Prime minister Manomohan Singh to Rahul and Priyanka, everybody reacted on Varun’s hate speech. If you just go through the pages of Congress’ manifesto it will give you a notion that how these political parties are busy in other issues, away from the national issue.

Just a year ago, Congress was even ready to sacrifice the UPA government at the cost of nuke deal. But this deal is out of the priority list and it only gets a mention in the manifesto. The manifesto has left no effort to prove BJP’s communal affinity and has termed the Third Front as the alliance of opportunists. The manifesto released by the Lefts are also on the similar lines. From the poll planks of the political parties, it is clear that the parties and the leaders can do anything for the sake of power.