The Golden Spectacles: While Leaders See Clearly, The Nation Waits in Darkness

Two Indias: One Gets Advanced Surgery, The Other Waits in Darkness

It was a bright morning in Delhi. The news channels were flashing a happy headline. "Lalu Prasad Yadav's Surgery Successful." The news anchor smiled. She said that the RJD chief had a complex eye surgery. It was done in a top private hospital in Delhi. They used "advanced technology." He is recovering fast. He has been discharged. This is good news for his family and his party.

But this story is not about the politician. This story is about what happens just ten kilometers away from that expensive private hospital. This story is about the India that votes, not the India that rules.

"I have been sleeping on this footpath for four days. My left eye is dark. Now the right eye is also going dark. They say the machine is broken. They say come back next month. But if I come back next month, I will be fully blind." — Ramkishan, 62 years old, Farmer from Bihar.

The VIP Treatment

Lalu Prasad Yadav is a big leader. He has served as a Chief Minister. He has served as a Railway Minister. When his eyes needed help, he did not go to a government hospital. He did not go to the hospitals that politicians promise to improve during elections. He went to a Private Eye Hospital.

In that hospital, the floors are clean like mirrors. The air is cool with AC. The nurses speak softly in English. There is no line. There is no waiting. The best doctors use the best machines from America or Germany. The bill runs into lakhs of rupees. But for a VIP, money is not the problem. Access is not the problem. The surgery was done quickly. The "Health Update" was given to the media instantly.

We are happy he is well. But we must ask a hard question. Why was the government system not good enough for him? If the hospitals built by the government are good for the poor, why are they not good for the leaders?

The Common Man’s Hell

Now, let us walk with the camera of VOTE4NATION.in to a government hospital in Delhi. The name does not matter. They are all the same. The smell hits you first. It is the smell of sweat, old medicine, and dirty toilets.

Here, we meet Ramkishan. He has come from a village in Bihar, the same state Lalu Prasad Yadav belongs to. Ramkishan has cataracts. It is a simple problem. A simple surgery can fix it. It takes 20 minutes in a private hospital. But Ramkishan is not a VIP.

The Scene at the Gate:

• There are 500 people in the line.
• The registration counter opens for only 2 hours.
• People are pushing each other. An old woman falls down. No one picks her up because they will lose their spot in the line.

Ramkishan holds a plastic bag. Inside, he has a dirty file of papers and two dry rotis. He stands on his weak legs. He cannot see clearly. He asks a guard, "Sir, where is the eye doctor?"

The guard shouts, "Sit down! Wait for your number! Don't crowd here!"

The Broken Machine

After six hours of standing, Ramkishan reaches the doctor. The doctor is tired. He has seen 200 patients today. He does not look at Ramkishan’s face. He looks at the paper.

"Your eyes are bad," the doctor says quickly. "You need surgery."

Ramkishan smiles. Finally, he will see again. "When, doctor sahib? Tomorrow?"

The doctor laughs a sad laugh. "Tomorrow? Baba, there is a waiting list. The machine in OT-2 is not working. The staff is on strike next week. Come back in October 2026."

Ramkishan freezes. It is 2025 right now. "But Sahib," he cries, "by then I will be blind. I cannot work in the field. My family will starve."

The doctor shrugs. "What can I do? Go to a private hospital if you want it fast."

"Go to a private hospital." — The sentence that kills the poor man's hope.

A private surgery costs 30,000 rupees. Ramkishan does not have 3,000 rupees. He walks out of the room. He sits on the dusty floor of the corridor. He cries. No news channel is there to film his tears. No "Health Update" is issued for Ramkishan.

The Great Betrayal

This is the betrayal. When leaders get sick, they fly to big cities and big private hospitals. They use the money that comes from taxes. Your tax. My tax. Ramkishan’s tax (even when he buys a matchbox, he pays tax).

But when the voter gets sick, they are left to die in queues. They are told the machine is broken. They are told there are no doctors.

Why is this happening?
Because the leaders do not have to use the system they build. If every politician was forced by law to only use government hospitals, imagine how fast those hospitals would improve! The AC would work. The machines would be fixed in one day. The doctors would be on time.

But as long as there is a VIP gate for them and a broken gate for us, nothing will change.

The Final Image

As evening falls, the news on a tea stall TV shows Lalu Prasad Yadav waving from his car. He looks healthy. The text on the screen says: "Surgery Successful."

On the pavement outside the tea stall, Ramkishan lies down on a plastic sheet. He closes his eyes. He prays that he does not go blind before his next appointment next year. He covers his face with his arm to block out the street light.

One India sees clearly with advanced tech. The other India closes its eyes in despair.

We demand answers. Why is health a luxury? Why is sight for the rich and blindness for the poor? We wish the leader good health, but we wish the common man Justice.

The surgery was successful for the leader. But the system has failed the nation.

Story from real incident happened in India.