Rising Above the Noise: India Greens Party’s Vision for a Sustainable Future

India’s political landscape is dynamic and complex, where the chatter is limited to conventional issues. The recent shift of campaign conversation to creating division along religious and communal is most unfortunate. It makes a false sense of crisis and deviates the attention of Indian voters away from matters of great importance, like unemployment, healthcare, education, and climate change.

India is suffering from unprecedented heat wave, water crisis, food crisis, and a resultant healthcare crisis. There has been little discussion on these issues in the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaigns by major political parties and their biggest leaders. Even the manifestos consist of very broad ambitions without much hint of pragmatic, achievable steps.  

Not many people are aware that amidst this neglect, there exists a political party championing environmental sustainability and social justice, called the India Greens Party (iGP), under the leadership of Suresh Nautiyal, who emerges as a revolutionary in this hubbub of fruitless political conversation. Fuelled by his experiences and interactions with global green movements, Nautiyal resolved to bring the principles of green politics to India. In 2017, the iGP was born, starting small but with a big vision: to protect the environment and foster sustainable development across the nation. It currently fields candidates in Maharashtra, Delhi, and Punjab.

At the heart of the India Greens Party's mission lies its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, dubbed the 'Charter of Hope'. This manifesto presents a comprehensive roadmap for a greener and more equitable India. It covers nine key themes including water resources, urban issues, energy, and climate change, and offers pragmatic solutions for sustainable cities, groundwater recharge, waste management, and forest conservation. A breath of fresh air, the iGP manifesto is available here: https://indiagreensparty.org/manifestos/?doing_wp_cron=1716617827.3459119796752929687500.

Image Credits: https://globalgreen.news/indian-green-party-igp-condemns-israeli-attack-on-gaza/

What is worth appreciating about the iGP is their honesty and dedication towards grassroots activism and youth empowerment. The party karyakartas go door-to-door to spread the word about their work and leverage social media as a channel for engaging with people. They also believe that the ‘traditional’ way of election campaigning wastes resources, pollutes the streets, and harms the environment.

There are many hurdles for a small and niche party such as the iGP before they gain the traction that green politics deserves. First, remaining independent of the influence and interests of large corporations and businessmen causes financial constraints when competing with well-funded parties. Moreover, in India, where voter behaviour is not guided by climate change and related policies, gaining widespread traction is still an uphill journey.

So perhaps, we will not see much of the Indian Greens this election, but there is always hope for the future. If not the misguided wealthy, perhaps the subaltern people and communities would relate to the iGP’s mission and vision of sustainability with equality.