MODI AND THE IDEA OF INDIA

MODI AND THE IDEA OF INDIA:

2014 general elections have been most difficult elections. It is a departure from all early elections.  The voters have voted not only for a change and a new government.  They have voted for a new idea of India

Modi has sold to the youth of our nation a dream larger than the universe.  More than 50% of youth have stood with Modi and voted for him. 

The promise Modi has made to all will be fulfilled through ‘development and good governance’.  He will bring about good governance.  But the good governance and development will be brought about through neo liberal path of development.  In this respect Modi hass not come out with any new idea.  UPA has been following exactly the same path, in spite of their slogan of “inclusive growth”.

UPA, however did not enjoy the kind of luxury that Modi will enjoy in having an absolute majority on his own.  UPA allies were opposition within. The prime minister’s cabinet was formed by the allies and not by his prerogative. When there was a need to raise railways fares after several years Mamata Banergy changed the railway minister.  UPA’s attempt to introduce FDI in multi brand retail was opposed even by the congress government in Kerala, not to speak of TMC and DMK who were their big allies.  At the end Congress lost both these allies on one pretext and the other.  It was relying on the outside support of BSP and SP.  But their outside support functioned as vehement opposition than anything else.  SP and BSP might have had some vested interests to give the outside support.  Good governance needs good numbers in the parliament.

The development by neo liberal ideology essentially means mobilizing resources from all parts of the country, particularly from the remotest tribal areas to promote growth.  It will exploit all the mineral wealth from the tribal areas depriving them of their assets, livelihood and displacing them to live on wages under contract labour.  The formation of special economic zones through land acquisition will take away the lands of the dalits, adivasies, farmers handing over to private industrialists.  Another important aspect of neoliberal ideology is to globalize the national economy to the maximum extent.  This includes inviting foreign direct investments and opening the market to the international producers.  At one level this leads to what is called growth.  More foreign capital flows in and there will be growth in employment in short run.  When growth of any economy depends on the flow of foreign capital it is a growth on borrowed money.  When the tides begin to change the flow of capital takes reverse direction.  Before this happens the foreign capital would have made huge profits and repatriated to their base outside our country.  Foreign direct investment will leave our country high and dry at the end of the story.  This would cause crisis in our economy.  This is precisely what happened towards the latter part of UPA II rule.

A word about private public partnership, Modi has added one more P to it to run it like people, private public partnership.  This is a formula meant to make use of public assets to be used by private interest to make more profits.  To add to this Modi will also involve the people to join the band to be exploited for private profit.  The net result of this will be all the common property and public assets will go under the control of private industrial interests. This formula fits into the picture of neo liberal policies that aims at mobilizing public and people’s resources into the hand the private industries.  Neo liberal ideology believes in privatizing social assets, just opposite to what we would desire, socializing the wealth for common good.

The good governance that Modi speaks of is governance that will facilitate growth of capital, foreign investment and industrial peace.  Good governance will give free hands to all to expand capital and deregulate the market.  Liberalization or deregulation is a mantra of good governance.  The private capital will have unfettered access to the common wealth and free market.

Modi has assured that he will revitalize agriculture.  Given his pro industry enthusiasm one will have to imagine what kind of attention he will give to agriculture.  One would not be surprised if by this he means industrialization of agriculture. Contract farming would be another way out to meet short fall of food production. If agriculture is viewed only in terms of producing more food then this approach would be found suitable in the Modi’s frame work of things.    In either case there would be growth in food production but rural population would have no money to buy food as their livelihood would be usurped by the industrial agriculture or contract farming.  We will land up with agriculture that will not be sustainable.  One does not need to talk about the harm it will cause to the environment.

Modi wishes to revitalize the economy through good governance and neo liberal policies.  However the extent to which he will succeed in globalizing our economy to that extent our economy will under the influence of global economy.  The impact of global crisis and swings in global economies will get reflected in our economy.  Will Modi have any control on this situation?  Will his development not come under the sway of global ups and downs?

What will be the social impact of the Modi government?  Almost every BJP leader has come to politics through rigorous RSS indoctrination and drill.  RSS’ nationalist and Hindutwa agenda is expected to be part of the mission of every BJP.  Under NDA I BJP had a reduced strength and hence they were constrained in their militant ideology.  Now BJP on its own enjoys absolute majority, will it be constrained in their militancy? BJP did not given ticket to a single Muslim candidate in the recently concluded elections.  The only Muslim who got elected from NDA to the parliament was a candidate put up by Mr. Paswan LJP.

Many like Mr. Gurucharan claim that majority of the youth who voted for Modi did not vote for Hindutwa but for development.  Those who voted for Modi for development may make a distinction between Hindutwa and development.  But how will BJP and its militant cadres at the ground interpret the mandate?  Will they implement Modi’s election promise to send Muslim immigrant back to Bangladesh and welcome Hindu immigrant?  One must remember that apart from the youth reposing their faith in Modi the RSS cadres have put immense efforts in ensuring Modi’s victory.  How will they act under the absolute majority of BJP?

Sudheendra Kulkarni has asked Modi, “You should pledge that your government would work towards the goal of a riot-free India.”  He reposes responsibility for riot free India in the lap of Modi.  We have seen how he conducted Raj Dharma in Gujarat in 2002.  Would he be able to restrain militant RSS-Hindutwa cadres?

What is even more serious risk we are facing is gradual safranization of Indian state.  There will be a fair chance that more pro saffron officials, army and police personnel, judges and bureaucrats will be recruited in to the state machinery.  We have experienced safronization of school curriculum in the past.  In this case the state will not be able to respond to the aspirations of multi racial, multi religious and multi ethnic population of our country.

Modi and the youth, the first time voters are looking anxiously to their future.  They would like to carve out their future along the lines of their aspirations.  Modi seems to have struck a chord in the lives of the youth.  These young people will make their own history. 

But these people cannot make their own history in a historical vacuum.  By the very definition making history is in the context of our past and our vision for the future. Their efforts, no matter how innovative at finding solution to their problems in the present and charting out their future, are guided and circumscribed, moulded and conditioned by their respective histories, their inherited economic, political and ideological structures.

India set on its path on its own as it were after independence, i.e., from 1947.  But this path has deep roots in the struggle of the people for independence.  The political and ideological features, which have had a decisive impact on the post independence development, are largely a legacy of the freedom struggle.  It is a legacy that belongs to all the Indian people, regardless of which party or group they belong to now, for the party which led this struggle from 1885 to 1947 was not a party but a movement.  All political trends from the Right to the Left were incorporated in this movement.

What are the outstanding features of the freedom struggle? A major aspect is the values and modern ideals on which the movement itself was based and the broad socio economic and political vision of its leadership. This vision was that of a democratic, civil libertarian and secular India, based on self-reliant, egalitarian social order and an independent stand as against the rest of the world.

The movement popularized:

• Democratic ideas and institutions in India:  The Indian National Congress was organized on a democratic basis and in the form of a parliament.
• From the beginning the nationalists fought against attacks by the state on the freedoms of the press, expression and association and made the struggle for these freedoms an integral part of the national movement.  The defense of civil liberties was not narrowly conceived in terms of one political group.  It was extended to include the defense of other groups whose views would be politically and ideologically different.
• From the initial stages, the movement adopted a pro-poor orientation which was strengthened with the advent of Gandhi and the rise of the leftists who struggled to make the movement adopt a socialist outlook.
• The national movement was, from its early days, fully committed to secularism.  Its leadership fought hard to inculcate secular values among the people and opposed the growth of communalism.  Despite the partition of India and the accompanying communal holocaust it did succeed in enshrining secularism in the constitution of free India.

Modi has a herculean task to deliver on the promise of dream taller than the Mount Everest made to the youth and all the people of our nation.  Any short fall on this will be very hard for Modi.

WILL THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS HELP US TO MOVE FORWARD?

WILL THE OUTCOME OF ELECTIONS HELP US TO MOVE FORWARD?

In the current elections we are faced with two options.  Option no one is whole sale Neo Liberal economy or directionless opportunist politics.  In the first option we have two political parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.  In the second option we have all and sundry parties at regional level, which at one time come under third alternative, another time federal front or united front.  We do not know where these parties stand.  While standing alone they are no different from the Congress and the BJP. 

BJD in Odisha, while it has parted company with BJP supports neo liberal policies as much as the Congress and the BJP.  Their support to POSCO, exploitation of mineral wealth, and displacement of the adivasies they are more efficient than these two national parties. 

Chandra Babu Naidu of TDP called himself as CEO of the liberal agenda.  He had totally forgotten the rural masses and paid not even lip service to the interests of the farmers.  He was shown the door by the voters and he is out of power for last ten years.

Nitish Kumar has become a new face of efficient champion of growth model of development.  He was credited to have shown growth more than the national average rate of growth.

Samajwadi party of Mulayam Singh is Samajwadi only in name.  His party rides on politics of caste and minority.  There is nothing that can be said about his achievement either for the weaker section and minorities or for the growth.

Trina Mool Congress (TMC), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), DMK and AIDMK fall under the same categories as other regional parties.

All these small and sundry parties are known for their opportunism. There are deep contradictions between them. SP and BSP are opposed to each other as they are in UP; DMK and AIDMK are opposed to each other; TMC cannot stand CPI, CPM and the left oriented parties.  Neither as individual parties nor as an in alliance do they exhibit any strength to come to power at the centre.  Except for Samajwadi party all of these parties at one time or the other, have been in alliance with BJP.  SP has given outside support to the UPA government.  But one does not miss noticing their open hostility to the Congress Party.

All these parties recently opposed UPA for opening a path for FDI in retail.  But that does not characterize them as opposing ‘Neo Liberal Policies’.  There seems to be one character they all share and that is being opportunist parties.  They have always aligned with the winning coalition.  Ram Vilas Paswan has shown this very well.  He was in NDA coalition government under the leadership of Vajpayee.  In 2002 he came out of the coalition under protest because of the killing of Muslims when Modi was ruling in Gujarat.  But he has no problems in joining NDA even though they have projected the same Modi as their prime ministerial candidate.

What is apparent in the political drama that is being unfolded before us is that there is one very strong trend represented by two opposing parties, BJP and INC, i.e. strong support for Neo liberal Ideology.  The only difference between them is that one follows out right communal, Hindu nationalist agenda and the other follows pseudo secularism.  The regional parties reflect the micro image of these two national parties.  But they have a luxury of opposing both these parties and when needed align with any one of these.  This summarises the political drama of our country.

The dream of the common people on the road is different. It is sad to say that all the political parties are playing on the dreams of aam admi.  The people want to see that there is over all development taking place, development that ensures people right to employment, food security, education, health care, right to land and housing.  Nobody wants to live in or see poverty around. All believe that this could be achieved by good governance which can be guaranteed by efficient and corruption free politics.  There is nothing new in this dream of the common people.  But it is a far cry!  Whether it is the opposition parties or the ruling political dispensation, not body has done a mighty little to ensure this to the common citizens.

How does one explain this?  It is not very difficult to find answer to this.  Throughout the history of India since independence, specifically from the second generation politics of our nation, the political system has existed and functioned for the interests of the capitalist class.  Growth has been the mantra of development.  It is believed that once growth is attained the benefits of growth will percolate to the people at the bottom.  By growth we should realise that it is not growth in common wealth over which all have right.  Growth is the growth of the capital of the capitalists.  In other words development is equated with the growth of capital of the capitalists.  Since independence what has percolated to the people at the bottom is absolutely nothing. Now under the neo liberal ideology the government has been shedding its responsibility for social welfare.  We have seen massive drive towards privatization.  Privatization was taken so seriously that NDA had instituted a ministry for disinvestment, (another name for privatization). Education is being privatized, health is privatized in such a way that even in government hospitals the poor have to pay bribe to get health care.  The government is asked to be responsible only for governance.  What does governance means?  It means being a facilitator for the growth of investment, creating mechanism for smooth functioning of capitalism by insuring industrial peace.

As long as we follow Neo Liberal path of development neither the health of our politics will improve nor the health of our nation. 

Our nation is situated at the fringe of the global capitalist system.  Our efforts to develop into a growth oriented economy are taking place in the context of the global economy.  This necessarily gives rise to unequal development both in the context of international economy and also within our nation state.

The growth story of India is fired mainly by foreign investors.  To attract foreign investments the government has to create favourable conditions for foreign capital to function in India.  Creating conditions that would facilitate foreign investment means our government would curtail democratic rights of the workers to organize and fight for job securities, just wages and better working conditions.  There is large scale out sourcing of jobs, employment of contractors who employ people without job security and even without fair wages.  The glorified soft ware professionals do not have any organization, no benefits like bonus, or even security of job.

On the other hand there had been large scale corruption emanating from the corporate.  The 2G scam is fundamentally driven by the corporate who wanted to buy spectrum at easy terms.  Coal gate too was primarily for the benefit of the steel and power industries who wanted to buy cheap coal without any concern for environment.  The attempt to double the price of gas was solely done for the benefit of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Company.  It has been argued that since this price rise of gas is on hold it will lead to retard the flow of foreign capital to India.

When there is an attempt to deal with corruption it sends shivers in the spine of the foreign capital.  When the Supreme Court cancelled the 2G licences there was a hue and cry as it would drive foreign capital away from India.

India signed the great Civil Nuclear Treaty with United States of America.  Manmohan Singh had personally attached a great importance to it even at the risk to his Government.  Because of this treaty the Congress lost the valuable left allies once and for all.  But with all the drama that surrounded this treaty Manmohan Singh did not see any investment coming to Indian from America.  The single reason for total failure of the nuclear treaty is Nuclear Liability Act.  When a major liability of disaster is fixed on the suppliers of nuclear equipment the foreign investment shies away.  Like in Bhopal gas tragedy the investors in the nuclear plants want to wash their hands from the consequences to people after nuclear disaster.

Foreign investment has become very crucial for Indian Economy not only for growth. It is also linked up to management of current account deficit or balance of payment.  We need to import goods from foreign countries and we also export goods to foreign countries.  If our import is higher than export then we have negative balance of payment or higher current account deficit. Government tries to meet the gap in CAD by using the flow of foreign capital.  A safe level of CAD is considered to be at 2.5% of GDP.  But this level shoots up to above 5% of GDP.  To correct this imbalance there should be more export and less import.  But our imports shoot above our export.  Hence the foreign trade is unsuccessful in managing our CAD at the permissible level.  Therefore we look to the foreign investments.  But this money that comes to India through foreign investments belongs to the investors.  In times of difficulties this foreign capital flies away from our country.  Foreign investment or flow of foreign capital is so whimsical that every turn of event or even at rumours it tends to fly away from the country.

The impact of being integrated in the global capital puts our economy under pressure from international capital.  We begin to move away from our real economy and take shelter in the very uncertain and risky capital flow in to our country.  Whether it is matter of growth, employment or stability of our economy the whimsical flow of capital in and out does not help.  We need to rely on the domestic wealth to organize our house.  In 1971 Indira Gandhi understood the value of building strong domestic economy.  She declared that her goal was to move away from import dependence to domestic production.  Whether it was in the case of arms or any other commodity our country can become strong by moving from import dependence to self reliance.  If we fail to make this move away from import dependence and foreign investment we will continue to remain under pressure of foreign capital and will put the fate of our population at risk.

To make this shift we require a political will.  But when our political dispensation is stuck in the slush of neo liberal ideology there will not be any move towards that.  The regional parties make a lot of noise but their noise is too opportunistic.

The coming elections do not offer us any hope in this direction.  Almost all the parties have no clue about the path our nation should take.  They cry foul by repeating the curse of licence raj or inefficient and loss making public sector.  They should try to set this system right.  Instead they run after neo liberal ideology.  Our economic advisers are drawn from the United States of America, such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley.  We are worried about how Moody’s credit rating agency will evaluate our economy.  They not only offer advice to us and rate our credit worthiness; they also dictate to us what kind of government we should have.

THE CHURCH OF THE POOR AND THE CHURCH FOR THE POOR

THE CHURCH OF THE POOR AND THE CHURCH FOR THE POOR

Alex Tuscano

Pope Francis has come 800 and odd years after St. Francis of Assisi. Relatively long period has passed between the great reformer Pope John XXII and the Pope Francis. His choice of name, Francis of Assisi for himself is the announcement of his mission for the Papacy.

St. Francis of Assisi emerged at a time when the Church needed reform.  The Cross in the Church of St Damiano urged Francis to repair the Church which was falling in ruins. Jesus meant not the building of St Damiano's church, but the Church, the people of God.

During the times of St. Francis the Church was a militant Church. After triumphant Byzantine entry into the humble, persecuted Church of the early Christians the Church entered the mode of celebration and projecting Christ the King. Crucifixes used to be studded with diamonds. Monarchies were assuming leading role in the Church. It helped the Church to spread across in a rapid way. The militant Church was more a religion of power than the faithful following the life of the Gospel.

Emergence of St Francis of Assisi brought back to the centre of the Church the Jesus of Nazareth. By his first crib Francis reminded the Church that Jesus was born in a manger. The human Jesus, poor Jesus, the self emptying, kenosis of Jesus was brought to the forefront.

Today the Church Pope Francis has found is also in a deep crisis. For the Europeans Christianity is matter of culture. Wearing a cross round the neck is a symbol of cultural identity rather than a religious and spiritual aspiration. The majestic churches are empty.  Many of them are turned into museums or halls for cultural programmes. The monasteries and seminaries are turned into home for the aged. There are no vocations to the priesthood, much less to the religious life. Youngest religious nuns or priests are in their early seventies. There are no priests to celebrate Eucharist for a few Christians who believe in going for Sunday masses. The paedophilia scandal has hit the sky.  Priests have become unpopular.

Church has also become a political and financial power.  Vatican is a recognized sovereign state having its ambassadors all over the world. It has the best communication system.  Even during primitive stage of communication what was promulgated in The Vatican reached the remotest villages and tribal hamlets.  This is a power of tremendous organization and dedication.  It needs to be hailed on one side.  But on the other side it is an indication of tremendous power and a tight grip on the entire Catholic world, without direct political and military control.  Church excels in its capacity of mobilizing money from the remotest corner of the world.  Vatican bank is perhaps the richest bank on earth.  But it is also rocked by scandal of financial irregularity.

In the face of women's awakening and quest for gender equality there is a demand for women priests.  The protestant Church has heeded to this. Along with women priests there is cry for married priests.  In the light of rampant sex scandal paired with acute shortage of priests this demand seems to be justified.

Pope Francis has begun on the right foot. He speaks of “Poor Church for the poor”.  He knows poverty and the struggle of the poor.  He was caught in the midst of political crisis that sprang from the powerful to stamp out the revolt of the poor against injustice and exploitation.

If Pope Francis calls the Church poor it reflects his desire that the Church should be poor. But it is by no means a poor Church given its wealth and power.

The Church is conceived as a second Israel, the people of God, the people with whom God made a covenant and Jesus sealed this new covenant with his blood “This cup is the new covenant in by my blood.  Whenever you drink it do it in memory of me” (1Corinthians 11:25-26).

Who were the people of God?  In the Old Testament it has been made clear again and again.  It is the poor, the oppressed, those who are treated unjustly.  They are the people of God.

The Old Testament is based on the theology of ‘the people of God’, a history of the oppressed people struggling successively to reach the kingdom of justice, love and brotherhood.

Moses appeared in the midst of the people as their leader.  He fought with Pharaoh and led the people out of slavery into the land of freedom. God made a covenant with these poor slaves who had nothing left to carry with them.  These people became the “people of God”.  “You shall be my people and I will be your God”.

The Prophets who spoke in the name of God sided with the poor and for justice. They condemned exploitation of the poor.  The Bible gives the prophet more prominence than it gives to the kings of Israel. 

Prophets Hosea, Jeremiah, Ezekiel were strong against the evils in the kingdom of Israel.  Prophet Isaiah declared himself as the one sent by God.  He announced as “The spirit of the Almighty Lord is with me because He has anointed me to deliver good news to humble people.  He has sent me to heal those who are broken hearted, to announce that captive will be set free and prisoners will be released … to comfort all those who grieve.”   It was Isaiah, who challenged the authorities in the Jewish society by asking them, “Yahweh asks what you mean by crushing my people”.  The phrase ‘my people’ is synonymous to the ‘chosen people of God’.  Here we see that the poor, the suffering and the exploited came to be identified with ‘the people of God’.

The language of Prophet Amos against the rich who lived by exploiting the poor is unparalleled.  He exposes the crimes of Israel against the poor.  “How terrible it will be for you who sprawl on ivory beds surrounded with luxury, eating the meat of tender lambs and choice calves.  You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and you fancy yourselves to be great musicians, as King David was.  You drink wine by the bowlful, and you perfume yourselves with exotic fragrances, caring nothing at all that your nation is going to ruin.  Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives.”  “The people of Israel sell the righteous for money and the needy for pair of sandals.  They stomp the heads of the poor into the dust.  They push the humble out of the way… You have turned justice into something deadly and what is righteous into poison.  Listen to this message, you cows of Bashan who live on Mount Samaria.  You women oppress the poor and abuse the needy. You say to your husbands, “get some wine! Let us Drink!”  Israel, you hate anyone who speaks out against injustice.  You are disgusted by anyone who speaks the truth.  You trample the poor and take their wheat from them for taxes.  You build houses from hand cut stones, but you will not live in them.  You plant beautiful vineyard but you will not drink their wine.  I know that your crimes are numerous and your sins are many.  You oppress the righteous by taking bribes.  You deny the needy access to the courts.”

On January 15, 588 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Jerusalem Temple, the centre of Israelites.  The monarchy came to an end. The Israelites were taken as prisoners in the Babylonian captivity.  All this happened because the kingdom did not live up to the covenant made with God by honouring justice.  They spent long years in Babylon.  Many settled down there and established big businesses and became rich.  They did not long to return to Israel, their homeland.  Only those who worked as wage earners, who were poor and did not have permanent shelter in Babylon, returned to their homeland, Jerusalem.  These people, the holy remnant, eventually were considered ‘the people of God’.

Pope Francis’ focus time and again is on building a "poor church for the poor", “the poorest, the weakest and the least important". Time and again the Pope has urged his fellow church men to leave their comfort zones and reach out to those who live at the margins of society. He demonstrated his desire to be with the people on the margin by washing the feet of 12 juvenile in mates, including two girls, during a visit to a Rome prison during the holy week.  Responding to the scandal in the Vatican bank Francis recalled that neither St. Peter nor St. Paul had any bank accounts. When Peter had to pay taxes, the Lord sent him to the sea to catch a fish and find the money in the fish.

Francis has repeatedly denounced consumerism and what he called the "culture of waste" of modern economies. He had been denouncing capitalism time and again for it focuses exclusively on profit.  He says that he is engaged in a spiritual fight for renewal and salvation.

New Alternative

NEW ALTERNATIVE?

Aam Aadmi Party has come up before the people promising an alternative politics.  It is evident that people in the whole country are fed up with all the political parties.  They are looking for an alternative.  A large number of people across India are looking up to Aam Aadmi Party.

AAP has formed a government at Delhi with outside support of Congress party.  But the question is ‘will AAP deliver’. Many are disappointed by what they see happening under AAP government.  Apart from their campaign against corruption, AAP seems to have to clear vision for the nation.  They have not spelt out their policies on number of very important issues.

If we look at UPA government dispassionately we may have to admit that UPA has achieved a lot in 10 years. No other coalition governments in the past have achieved so much.  The average economic growth has been much higher than the growth NDA had achieved.  The lowest economic growth under UPA was not very much lower than the average growth NDA had achieved in five years.  Apart from this UPA has given its people ‘Right to Information, Employment Guarantee to the rural poor (MGNREGA), Food Security Act, Lok Pal Act, The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition - Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act.

UPA is guilty of rampant corruption: corruption in Common Wealth Games, Adarsh scam, 2G scam, coal gate scam, to mention the most prominent scams among all.  UPA II was most inefficient government in tackling inflation and price rise. The UPA has suffered a terrible decline in its popularity.

BJP has put up Narndra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate to promise that it will take people to a paradise of good governance and development.  However, BJP can never claim to be above corruption.  Has Modi washed himself clean of his 2002 crimes?  Their communal agenda of bringing Hindu Rashtra would spell disaster for the nation.

The regional parties are coming together to hammer out an alternative to both BJP and Congress parties.  Their belief is that neither NDA nor UPA will get enough seats to form a government.  These parties also want to restrain Modi and BJP from forging ahead for power.  They believe Congress will not be able to restrain BJP and Modi.

If we look closely coming together of regional parties will not provide a cohesive alliance. Not a single regional party is innocent of corruption, caste and communal politics.  In UP SP is not only involved in corruption but it is also accused of promoting ‘gunda raj’.  Biju Janathadal is not innocent of corruption.  Jayalalitha is facing trials in cases of possessing dis-proportionate assets.

The left parties who speak in the name of the working people and the poor are running after corrupt political parties to form an alliance. This seems to be their efforts to somehow remain relevant to Indian politics.

To put simply, we are facing today is a deep political crisis.  Not a single party has any credibility to give the nation a government that will offer new hopes to the people.  All the political parties suffer from lack of vision for the nation and its people.  Political power has become a business.  Political parties use caste and religion to further their interests. The citizens of our nation need equal opportunities and access to resources to build their lives. No political party is working to build India that is truly democratic, secular, just and without discrimination under caste, community or creed.  

No political party will be worth the salt if it does not take care of the long term interests of the workers, farmers, dalits, adivasies and all excluded sections of the society. The real alternative the nation needs is a government that will ensure:

1.       

      Regulation: Government should regulate market, finance and to some extent production to ensure equitable distribution of goods and services to the citizens. There talk about ‘let the government govern and it should not interfere in the economic affairs is flawed.

2.       Food sovereignty:  It is not just ‘food security’ doled out to people by way of providing subsidised food grains.  People should be able to produce their food.  They should have control on the food production.  People should enjoy right to land.  They should get irrigation facilities and be able to get credit. They will be employed gainfully in agriculture and will produce food for the nation.  Food security will be guaranteed only through the universal public distribution system.

3.      

     Right to education: The present RTE seems to be designed to perpetuate discriminatory multilayered school system where the rich can get educated through private schools and exclude the poor from quality education.  It is the responsibility of government give quality education to all the children through uniform syllabus.  Privatization of education goes against the goal of universal quality education for all.

4.      

      Right to health:  Health care is being systematically privatised.  Health insurance helps the private players to make enormous profits.  The government hospitals are only an apology for government responsibility for health care. Government should fulfil its constitutional obligation to provide health care to all its citizens.

5.  

           Right to employment: The neo-liberal policies have marginalized the working people.  The rights of the workers, which they had gained through long history of struggles and sacrificing their lives, have been denied to them.  Out sourcing, contracting to the middle people has left the worker in the lurch without trade union rights to fight for job security and fair wages.  Right to employment means not only work but also right to association and bargaining power.

6.       

      Life with dignity: A government that will ensure equal status and dignity to the citizens of all origin, without caste and race consideration; that will put an end to atrocities against women, dalits, minorities and people of different races; giving them equal opportunities in social, economic and political sphere.

We need a government that will stand with the majority of our people!

THE CHALLENGE BEFORE THE AAP

                

            The AAP has undoubtedly posed a huge challenge to all the political parties in India.  There is not a single party in India which will not experience the impact of AAP‘s growth.  This challenge of AAP will be real when AAP take up the challenges facing before the citizens and before the nation as such.  Having entered into politics and forming a government at Delhi it cannot escape from the task of bringing the nation to the high ground from where they had been speaking.

Arvind Kejrival still talks about corruption. Looking at the problems of the nation from the point of view of corruption only is not taking the bull by the horns.  Corruption in my opinion is only an expression of greater problem, i.e. the problem of development in the country.   Arvind Kejrival and all other members of AAP, during their agitation against corruption did not come strong on the issues of aadivasies, daliths, land acquisition and depeasantization. 

However emergence of AAP has eliminated the extreme right forces from within itself.  People like Kiran Bedi who have their hearts with RSS and BJP have not become part of AAP.  They have stood opposed to AAP.  AAP are attracting people  who totally fresh, uncontaminated by corrupt politics or right wing ideology.

 By strong opposition to corruption and standing for aam aadmi they have, knowingly or unknowingly, stood for an economic order which will not favour neo liberal capitalist order.  AAP has not formulated its stand with regard to neo liberal economic order.  But by standing for AAM AADMI it has opposed a political and economic order that excludes aam aadmi.  By their opposition to corruption they have de-facto shot at the corporate houses and multinational corporations which have been primarily involved in corruption.  Corruption in the realm of politics and administration supports the cause of capitalist class.  The capitalist class is the principle beneficiary of corruption. 

If AAP opposes this kind of corruption then AAP should stand for economic order that will function for aam aadmi, keeping aam aadmi at the core of objectives of development.  AAP cannot announce sops for the poor and on the other hand give free hand for the corporate houses and multinational corporations to plunder the national resources and draw enormous profits from the labour power of aam aadmi.

The Congress party brought in MGNREGA and Food Security bill.  Through these legislations Congress wants to take care of the poor and the rural masses.  Congress has developed Special Economic Zones for industries by snatching the land of the dalits, aadivasies and peasant, driving them out of their livelihood.  They have resorted to privatization in all economic sectors.  Disinvestment in public sector, public private partnership, inviting foreign direct investments are the ways by which Congress and BJP have handed the economic affairs of the nation into the hands of profit hungry corporate houses and multinational companies.  All the talk of the Congress Party about inclusive development will eventually turn out to be empty.  Their neo liberal path of development will exclude the aam aadmi.  Their neoliberal policies will out do all the social policies like employment guarantee and food security. All that the Congress Party does is they take away the tax payers’ money to fund these socialistic programmes and on the other hand allow the capitalists free hand to exploit and make profits.  These socialistic programmes can not go along with their neo liberal policies.  There is not a single political formation, at the national level or regional level that has opposed these policies.  BJP has gone far ahead of Congress in articulating and implementing neoliberal policies.  The so called Gujarat Model which is offered as an ideal development model has no place for the poor.

All the programmes the parties initiate for the poor or aam aadmi are meant to win votes.  The modern democracy has a very contradictory facet.  On the one hand the governments have to show growth and progress in the economy.  For this it has to support capitalists and invite foreign direct investment.  Any state government which has attracted maximum investments, especially foreign investments is considered to be a very successful government.  It has to resort to privatization, hand over natural resources to the corporate houses.  On the other hand political parties need aam aadmi to vote for them and bring them to power.  For this reason they offer sops to the poor.  Fundamentally, the governments work for the capitalist class.  But to come to power they need take care of short term interests of aam aadmi.  Our political system can be characterized as one that ‘runs with the hare and hunts with the hound’.

This cannot go on long.  It is precisely this contradiction in our political system that has brought forth the Aam Aadmi Party.  If AAP has to be consistent with its goal and governance then it has to find a new path for economic development. Their governance should be characterized as “by aam aadmi, of aam aadmi and for aam aadmi”. 

  AAP should not fall prey to axioms like “There is no alternative to capitalism”.  Political parties like to express their concern for aam aadmi in the context of capitalism or via media the capitalists.  Almost all the parties, national and regional, believe that development and eradication of poverty can be achieved only through economic development understood in terms of industrialization and economic growth.  Give the capitalists land, water, forest and the minerals and they will give aam aadmi employment, food security, healthcare and education, as if all that aam aadmi needs is these things.

AAP’s paradigm of development should have no place for capitalism and exploitation.  In other words AAP has to follow a non capitalist path of development.  There have been efforts to follow non capitalist path of development.  Soviet Union stood for abolition of wage labour, private ownership of the means of production and establishing Socialism.  Though the USSR has gone away the sceptre of socialism has not become irrelevant.  Even today there are debates in European countries about the relevance of socialism.  France, U.K. are having nuanced socialist programmes in their economy.  Many Latin American countries like Cuba, Venezuela are trying to work along the Socialist path of development.  Even India experimented with Socialism.  AAP will have to invent a new path of bringing about Socialism.  Democracy and Parliamentary politics are most suited to realize this goal.  For this we have to translate seudo democracy into a genuinely participatory democracy.  AAP has been campaigning for such democracy.

There is a need to address the issue of caste not by playing to the gallery, offering sops and perpetuate caste system.  The adivasies who live on the fringe of our economy and social life and who are being systematically eliminated need a holistic remedy to protect their economic and cultural rights and integrate them into social, economic and political main stream.  The issue of land right, prevention of depeasantization and making agriculture to address the issue of employment, food sovereignty and food security of the nation.  It has come out in the open the kind respect we give to women and allow them their right on their bodies and integrity.  No development can be real if the women of that society do not enjoy equal rights and dignity along with men. 

One should not understand these issues as individual unrelated issues that can be solved by individual packages.  These issues are part of the whole problem of the feudal and capitalist form of our society.  These can be addressed by bringing about total transformation of society.  But we do not need to wait for the total transformation to happen to solve these issues.  The total transformation can be brought about by addressing these issues and relate the struggle of all exploited and excluded people into a struggle for total transformation.

The level of development the world in general and India in particular indicates that capitalism has run out its time. Capitalism has lost its capacity to take the world to the next height of and development.  In reality the capitalist and capitalism has become a hindrance to take our society to the next stage of progress.

If AAP has to live up to its name and claims it cannot afford to bypass this issue.  AAP needs to move away from of neoliberal economic development to more equitable, democratic and socialist economic organization.  Then we can truly say, in the word of Prakash Karat, that what the Communist Party began to do long ago and failed to do, AAP has taken this up as an undaunted task.