Acharya Prashant addresses the question of why India cannot get good leaders, specifically referring to political leaders. He explains that India is a democracy, where it's not the case that someone comes and seizes power through force or their army to become the leader. Here, the throne is given to the one whom the people choose. He quotes a famous English saying, "People get the leaders they deserve," and states that this is one hundred percent applicable in a democracy. Therefore, the question is not why India can't get good leaders, but rather that Indians get the kind of leaders they are. Leaders do not come to power through rigging; there is a proper vote count, and the one who gets more votes gets the position. Since the people themselves are giving the votes, and they are Indians, the leaders they elect reflect their own state. He further quotes another English saying, "People cast their vote, but in India, people vote their caste." He then asks how one can expect good leaders in such a scenario. Acharya Prashant asserts that until the people become better, the leaders cannot be better. In a democracy, a leader does not lead the public but follows them. If a leader tries to go in a different direction, they will be separated from the public and will not get the position. In a democracy, the leader walks behind the public. Whichever way the public goes, the leader will follow. And among the public, it is the most foolish who lead, because they are in the majority. When votes are counted, it is not seen how much intelligence or consciousness the voter has applied. A vote cast by a wise person and a vote cast by a fool have the same value in a democracy. Therefore, better leaders can only be found when the people are better. For people to become better, they first need a better spiritual leader, a Guru, because there is no other way to make people better. When he says people should be better, he means their minds should be better, their level of consciousness should be higher, and the quality of their decisions should be elevated. This work can only be done by a spiritual leader. He concludes that for one to be able to choose a better political leader, it is first necessary to have a better spiritual leader. A spiritual leader is one who walks ahead of the public, not behind them. A political leader cannot bring about change in a democracy, even if they are the Prime Minister, because they have to walk behind the people. If the people call day night, the Prime Minister will also have to call it night, otherwise, they will be thrown out of power. If the questioner feels that Indians have chosen bad leaders, the clear reason is that Indians have not had good Gurus in the last 50-100 years. The Guru is the one who shows the path and shapes the consciousness of society. If the Guru is wrong, or if people have chosen the wrong people as Gurus, then society will be in turmoil. Today, a true Guru must also be a social activist and a propagandist, because they cannot just sit in a cave while society is on fire. They must go out and make noise to reach the people, as no one will willingly listen. Only then can one hope for some change.
