Love and hatred are all consuming passions. Love can build or destroy but hatred ALWAYS destroys. Like Tina Turner, you may ask: “What’s love gotta do with it?” What indeed? I am talking about the increased polarization of the Indian polity where hatred has become the order of the day and civilized discussion between liberals and conservatives has become impossible. This destruction of civility in dialogue is going to hurt all of us. Both of them claim to love India but whose vision is better? Whose vision is better suited for our demographics? Whose suits the current day and age?
I would say it is the conservative vision. What drives my decision? Is it confidence or arrogance? It is but a thin line, which divides the two. So with the sliver of doubt in my mind, how can I convince my liberal brothers and sisters about my beliefs? At a philosophical and an emotional level, I will have a harder time doing that.
But with Mother India and aam aadmi in question, this discussion must and should take place. Name-calling and low blows should be kept out. Occasional sarcasm, which is often important to drive home, a point should be allowed. That said, I would like to present my case. Being a man of technology, I need to see proofs. In absence of proof, overwhelming statistics will do as well.
In terms of sheer performance and long term impact, PV Narsimha Rao was slightly better than Atalji. Until PVNR became the PM, the Congress was mired in Nehruvian socialism. PVNR ably assisted by Manmohan Singh set the country on the road to our current position. All things considered we’ve come a long way. We still have a very long way to go. But credit has to be given to PVNR and MMS team. Fortunately for them, they did not have to deal with as many dominant regional parties.
But after PVNR’s death, you have to examine which party followed the success recipe to a higher degree of success with lesser distractions like corruption, minority appeasement and dynastic politics. The answer is the BJP / NDA. MMS as PM has not been able to succeed like MMS as FM. As FM, his hands were not tied. But now he is dealing with everything except doing the right things. Compared to him, Atalji and the NDA have done better than MMS and UPA.
Even at state level you can see that the best performers are those from the BJP / NDA. People will bring the non-BJP states of TN and Andhra. The fact is that if you have economic centers like Hyderabad and Chennai, it is very hard to stop economic growth. Such is the momentum of today’s India. Look at Karnataka. Despite of Yeddyurappa’s subpar performance, the state is doing well.
Detractors will say that Gujarat was always a good performer. That is correct but during Narendra Modi’s rule, the central government has not helped the state (rather they have done everything to bring the Modi down) and yet Modi has converted a prosperous state into a juggernaut. People from all walks of life have acknowledged this fact. This includes Maulana Vastanvi who has since paid a price for praising Modi. A very conservative Economist Magazine calls Gujarat India’s Guangdong. China has been an economic miracle since mid 1980’s. But Gujarat did not achieve that level of productivity until Modi took over. Liberals often treat his US VISA refusal as his indictment in the post Godhra riots. They are welcome to their petty victory, which seems to soothe their frustrated souls. Other states like TN are now trying to explore the Gujarat model of development.
The point is that from an economic point of view, the conservative pro business policy works. If you follow the Gujarat model and balance the production and agricultural sectors then you have a recipe for success. If you include social responsibility in the corporate practices then you have a model for perfection. That way all strata of the society can enjoy the prosperity. In short, a conservative vision for India is good for prosperity.
But what about the social aspect? This is where I find myself on unsure grounds. Is a conservative society better or a liberal one? Unfortunately for this, we cannot draw graphs or quote numbers. The proof for this is empirical at best.
India is a land of Hindu ethos. Our culture and way of thinking is Hindu and it shows in all aspects of our lives. Even people of other religions in India have Hindu rituals incorporated in their lives. Just compare the weddings in Indian Muslim community and that in other Islamic countries. It is our faith and religion, which has kept this land of more than two-dozen languages together. No less than a Muslim intellectual like M J Akbar has said that India is secular because of Hindus. Since secularism is an essential ingredient of democracy, we can safely say that India is democratic because of Hinduism. Moreover, can you cite examples of Muslim democracies (Turkey because of Ataturk and Malaysia because of their eastern culture, do not count).
That said, I would like to add that the secularism in India of today is a perversion of the concept. Under a secular rule, all religions should be equal to the decision makers. If Muslims get Haj subsidies then Hindus should get their “teerth yatras” subsidized as well. Unfortunately, the definition of secularism as per most political parties is dovetailed with their need of Muslim and other minority votes. We need a political party, which will be an impartial guarantor of rights to all citizens of India. Which party has the moral courage to do that? A liberal party cannot do so. We have ample proof of that in the history of our young nation.
The point is that the social conservatism may not fit well with the Indian youth of today because it imposes boundaries on their lifestyle. Hinduism / social conservatism is not “cool”. I will concede that social mores are part of social dynamics and thus ever changing mostly for the worse. For instance, the urban Indian life is wreaking a havoc on the single most important unit of our society – the family. We need only look at the European countries and the effect of extreme liberalization on the society over there. We do not want to replicate it. So what is the solution to the problem? The perfect solution will involve holding on to our traditional values which have sustained us as a society and accept modernization as unavoidable. It is a difficult task but we have no other choice.
I would say it is the conservative vision. What drives my decision? Is it confidence or arrogance? It is but a thin line, which divides the two. So with the sliver of doubt in my mind, how can I convince my liberal brothers and sisters about my beliefs? At a philosophical and an emotional level, I will have a harder time doing that.
But with Mother India and aam aadmi in question, this discussion must and should take place. Name-calling and low blows should be kept out. Occasional sarcasm, which is often important to drive home, a point should be allowed. That said, I would like to present my case. Being a man of technology, I need to see proofs. In absence of proof, overwhelming statistics will do as well.
In terms of sheer performance and long term impact, PV Narsimha Rao was slightly better than Atalji. Until PVNR became the PM, the Congress was mired in Nehruvian socialism. PVNR ably assisted by Manmohan Singh set the country on the road to our current position. All things considered we’ve come a long way. We still have a very long way to go. But credit has to be given to PVNR and MMS team. Fortunately for them, they did not have to deal with as many dominant regional parties.
But after PVNR’s death, you have to examine which party followed the success recipe to a higher degree of success with lesser distractions like corruption, minority appeasement and dynastic politics. The answer is the BJP / NDA. MMS as PM has not been able to succeed like MMS as FM. As FM, his hands were not tied. But now he is dealing with everything except doing the right things. Compared to him, Atalji and the NDA have done better than MMS and UPA.
Even at state level you can see that the best performers are those from the BJP / NDA. People will bring the non-BJP states of TN and Andhra. The fact is that if you have economic centers like Hyderabad and Chennai, it is very hard to stop economic growth. Such is the momentum of today’s India. Look at Karnataka. Despite of Yeddyurappa’s subpar performance, the state is doing well.
Detractors will say that Gujarat was always a good performer. That is correct but during Narendra Modi’s rule, the central government has not helped the state (rather they have done everything to bring the Modi down) and yet Modi has converted a prosperous state into a juggernaut. People from all walks of life have acknowledged this fact. This includes Maulana Vastanvi who has since paid a price for praising Modi. A very conservative Economist Magazine calls Gujarat India’s Guangdong. China has been an economic miracle since mid 1980’s. But Gujarat did not achieve that level of productivity until Modi took over. Liberals often treat his US VISA refusal as his indictment in the post Godhra riots. They are welcome to their petty victory, which seems to soothe their frustrated souls. Other states like TN are now trying to explore the Gujarat model of development.
The point is that from an economic point of view, the conservative pro business policy works. If you follow the Gujarat model and balance the production and agricultural sectors then you have a recipe for success. If you include social responsibility in the corporate practices then you have a model for perfection. That way all strata of the society can enjoy the prosperity. In short, a conservative vision for India is good for prosperity.
But what about the social aspect? This is where I find myself on unsure grounds. Is a conservative society better or a liberal one? Unfortunately for this, we cannot draw graphs or quote numbers. The proof for this is empirical at best.
India is a land of Hindu ethos. Our culture and way of thinking is Hindu and it shows in all aspects of our lives. Even people of other religions in India have Hindu rituals incorporated in their lives. Just compare the weddings in Indian Muslim community and that in other Islamic countries. It is our faith and religion, which has kept this land of more than two-dozen languages together. No less than a Muslim intellectual like M J Akbar has said that India is secular because of Hindus. Since secularism is an essential ingredient of democracy, we can safely say that India is democratic because of Hinduism. Moreover, can you cite examples of Muslim democracies (Turkey because of Ataturk and Malaysia because of their eastern culture, do not count).
That said, I would like to add that the secularism in India of today is a perversion of the concept. Under a secular rule, all religions should be equal to the decision makers. If Muslims get Haj subsidies then Hindus should get their “teerth yatras” subsidized as well. Unfortunately, the definition of secularism as per most political parties is dovetailed with their need of Muslim and other minority votes. We need a political party, which will be an impartial guarantor of rights to all citizens of India. Which party has the moral courage to do that? A liberal party cannot do so. We have ample proof of that in the history of our young nation.
The point is that the social conservatism may not fit well with the Indian youth of today because it imposes boundaries on their lifestyle. Hinduism / social conservatism is not “cool”. I will concede that social mores are part of social dynamics and thus ever changing mostly for the worse. For instance, the urban Indian life is wreaking a havoc on the single most important unit of our society – the family. We need only look at the European countries and the effect of extreme liberalization on the society over there. We do not want to replicate it. So what is the solution to the problem? The perfect solution will involve holding on to our traditional values which have sustained us as a society and accept modernization as unavoidable. It is a difficult task but we have no other choice.
Is conservative better than liberal? Of course Yes! Need proof? look at the west, isn't that proof enough? West is no where near conservative, at least by Indian standards.
ReplyDeleteFirst time a BJP candidate becomes CM in South and look at the spectacle we have. BJP has its foot in its mouth with Yeddyurappa. The man is still calling the shots! Saying that Karanataka is progressing in spite of the Yeddyurappa is like saying India progressing in spite of MMS's screw ups. So why complain?
There should be no subsidies on holy pilgrimages be it majority or minority .. I concur.
What traditional values have sustained us as a society/nation, care to explain?? Had it not been for the English consolidating their military gains into an Empire, 500 princely states of the subcontinent that fought each other fiercely would have turned into independent nation states much like Europe. If Indians were so united (if ever) they would not have fallen to muslim invaders and not again to the English.
Karma Bhai,
ReplyDeleteMy point about BSY was to equate the successes of TN, Andhra and Karnataka. I wanted to prove that when federally created economic zones function to their limits, there is no way to mess up the state. Some of these were by design by GoI and some by chance. A good leadership will take them to the next level which we are still waiting for. That is my complain.
When will we tire off giving the credit to the British for forming India? They had a lot to do with it but so did the Mughals to some extent and some old Hindu kingdoms. Most countries were formed like that (united by a common powerful interest) even tiny countries like Japan. However, there has to be a common thread for them to stay togther otherwise they will Balkanize (that term will prove the opposite case). That thread for us is not language ( as I mention) or any of the other things common to other nations. What do you think that thread is if not Hinduism?
AA
Bhai,
ReplyDeleteYes, there has to be a common thread, you're right and there was one. The fear of a common enemy, the British. Indians across the board (Hindu+Muslim) were opposed to foreign rule, hence the 1857 Mutiny. That was the binding factor and that is where the idea of a united opposition to the British rule and ergo a united India came into being. Hinduism wasn't even remotely the part of the equation. Left to ourselves we would merely continued fighting each other.
I so badly wish you had not typed the last statement. There are Millions of minorities who take pride in being Indian and don't have remotely anything to do with Hinduism. The are millions of Sikhs in the army who defend India day and night, not because they like to provide a save home for religious bigots, but because they want to preserve the real India ethos and way of life - a pluralistic and colorful society, that does not discriminate on the basis of a man's faith. And there are many Hindus who fight the enemy within from imposing their twisted ideology in the name of nationalism. You can be as nationalistic as any other without being Hindu. (let me not get started on how vague and discriminatory Hinduism is in itself)
In fact it's the hindu-muslism divide lead to the partition. Religion(s) corrupts, almost absolutely. Should the right-wingers take over (God forbid) India will be become a Hindu version Pakistan, and that is just to put it mildly!!