Bill K. Koul
In 1947, India was left dirt poor and divided by the British. By 2014, India emerged as a stable country, a force to reckon with – politically, economically, and militarily – and a technically progressive nation, and not a banana republic. Thanks to the fortitude of its founding leaders, who had a progressive vision for their new-born country, and not a readymade platform or proven blueprints for reference or use, India followed people friendly, nation building policies – e.g., 5-Year Plans – which were more socialist in essence, enabling people from the lowest rungs of its tall socioeconomic ladder to rise, some to the top and lead the country. In 2014, India changed its direction and seems to be at crossroads at present.
Since 2014, India followed a more capitalistic model, driven by wealthy prospectors from both within and outside the country. As a result, in the last decade, two version of India have emerged: (a) a miniscule, socio-politically and economically privileged India; and (b) a majority, relatively impoverished and unprivileged India, ruled by the privileged minority, the neo- sultans of present India. With a growing socio-political authoritarianism and a vastly depleted freedom of expression, limited to its privileged minority, India has deviated significantly from the path envisioned by its founding leaders.
The Speaker of the House is the most important position in a parliamentary democracy. The Speaker must carry a civil, calm and considered disposition, and remain impartial, fair, unbiased, unprejudiced and dignified in the execution of parliamentary duties. However, where the Speaker works favourably for the Executive, democracy disappears like a puff of smoke. Same must be said about the judiciary, law enforcement, election commission, central bank and media. Therefore, how can a government call itself the mother of democracy and the world leader when it uses and promotes two sets of rules — one for itself and one for the opposition and the critics? How can it get away unashamedly with a sustained use of despicable unparliamentary language and filthy, uncivil taunts against respected members of the opposition, whilst also vindictively misusing the authority of law enforcement agencies against the opposition?
Can it be said, where law enforcement agencies, judiciary, electoral commission and central bank all abdicate their sacred role of working autonomously as the necessary ‘checks and balances’ of a democracy, and, instead, work solely for the Legislative and the Executive as their extensions and covert operatives, a ‘mother’ of democracy is born?
A democratically elected government that blatantly uses all state institutions to undermine the opposition loses its validity. A regime that (mis)uses all state law enforcement agencies and the election commission, and deviously compromises the judiciary, even for most frivolous and trivial matters — in an attempt to disqualify senior members of the opposition and send them to jail — can’t hide long from the watchful eyes of the world.
While the world may be closely watching India and figuring out how to deal with its new authoritarian version, it is indeed the masses of India who hold the key to their destiny, by invoking their peoplepower and pulling their country back on to the track. But they can do that only if democracy exists in the country.
Does India deserve to be represented by only its far-right, 5-percent socio-economically powerful community, which uses religion as a toll to create socio-political divisions and reap power dividends? How bizarre is that, despite possibly having a skewed knowledge about the Hindu religion – gained apparently from the WhatsApp University of India – or perhaps having no idea about the essence and core messages of the Bhagwat Gita or the Ramayana – this privileged minority pursues its political missions in the name of Lord Ram?
A country of the poor
The soul of India lives in its less-privileged masses, comprising more than 95-percent Indians, and it is because of their all-encompassing, infinitely accommodating and warmly embracing spirit of Hinduism, India’s spiritual essence has survived through its difficult, testing times in the past. But what does this less-privileged, or rather unprivileged majority gain from their vote? Zilch! Is it being looked after by the elites? Yes, only as commodities! Is it being considered as equal humans? Questions arise!
As per the January 2023 reports from India, richest one-percent Indians own more than 40-perecent of India’s wealth, and the top 5-percent wealthy Indians own more than 60-percent of the country’s wealth. This dreadful disparity can be understood by a simple analogy:
Imagine India’s population is represented by 100 people and total wealth by a large flat bread. Now cut the bread into 100 equal pieces. As per the present situation, those 100 pieces will be distributed as follows:
It may appear, therefore, in terms of monetary wealth alone, an upper-tier (wealthiest) Indian equals roughly ten (10) middle-tier Indians and about 100 lower-tier Indians. In this capitalistic world, wealth can buy everything, almost, including a disproportionate, inexhaustible power over the people sitting on lower rungs of a gigantic socio-economic hierarchal ladder. Such disturbing wealth inequality has manifested from India’s growing capitalism after 2014, which benefited only a few cronies of the sacrosanct politicians, leaving mere breadcrumbs to nearly 1.35 billion people (out of a total 1.42 billion population).
Currently, India prides itself as the world’s fifth largest economy, with expressed ambitions to climb further and become the world’s third largest economy within the next decade. In April 2023, India is reported to have 169 billionaires, with 100 wealthiest Indians reported to be worth USD $775 billion. In December 2023, India’s GDP is reported to be USD $3.73 trillion, and a growth rate of 7.6% (Q2 of 2023).
Can it be said, therefore, India is a wealthy country but only for a miniscule 5-percent of its humongous population of more than 1.4 billion people. For the remaining 95-percent (comprising more than 1.35 billion people), it remains to be a poor country. At present, India’s per capita GDP is just about USD $2,601. It grew about 3.2 times from 2000 to 2014 but only 1.8 times thereafter with the advent of capitalism.
Bharat and Sanatan Dharma of 2023
The popular new names for India and Hinduism – Bharat and Sanatan Dharam, respectively – are fast gaining momentum. as the existing names ‘India’ and ‘Hindu’ are considered to be of alien origins and rejected at all levels by the Indian nationalist diaspora. Viewing the Bharat of 2023-24 with a Nehruvian vision of 1950s and 1960s can lead to misleading conclusions. To win the elections in the Bharat of 2024, an ‘out-of-box’, unorthodox approach will be required, which only the ruling party has mastered, with no apparent equal in sight. The current Bharat not only has a billion (100 crore) more people than Nehru’s India, but it also has an entirely different ethos and culture. That is, the Bharat of 2023-24 can’t be compared to India of 1950s and 1960s.
In contrast to the Bharat of 2023-24, Nehru’s India of 1950s and 60s was a secular, democratic, republic — essentially socialist in government policies — where the civil infrastructure, public amenities and public educational institutions were considered as the real ‘temples’ of the country. In short, India was owned and governed by its own people.
In the Bharat of 2023, however, the institutions of democracy report to the Executive and Legislative. Similar to Pakistan, religion has become central to all aspects of life and living, and religious leaders are actively prompted to take the helm of political affairs of the country. Crony capitalism defines national policies and meagre public funding; poverty and unemployment are no longer considered as matters of concern; independent journalism is called ‘urban naxalism’; the term ‘secular’ is degraded as ‘sickular’; the term ‘Congress’ as ‘khangress’; and a humanistic Hinduism is replaced by ‘archaic Sanatan Dharma’. On the whole, democracy has transitioned to a more hybrid system, an undefined mix bag of everything.
As Bharat seems to emulate its neighbouring Pakistan, only time will tell if a clear past distinction between the two countries becomes blurrier in the future.
What lies ahead?
The 2024 General Election in Indian will define India’s future. There won’t be any turning back from there. Will the 810 million poor Indian people continue to depend on a free food dole, or will they be helped to stand on their legs with respect and dignity? Will the institutions of democracy return to where they should be? Will the upper 5-percent socio-politically elite minority continue to rule over a vast unprivileged majority? Will the country return to unification? Will the country improve its parameters of democracy? Questions arise!
If EVMs (Electoral Voting Machines) are used, doubts will remain about the validity and the results of the election. There is already a book, written a decade ago by a sitting Member Parliament of India from the ruling party, about how EVMs can potentially be misused to undermine democracy and legally steal elections from people. The recent state elections in India have already raised alarming questions about the validity of their results and the sanctity of the EVM. In a free democracy, these issues would not have risen, as the electoral commission and the judiciary would have ensured the immunity of the elections from any influence of the ruling party.
India must guard itself from the separatist designs of its privileged social propagandists who hail the ‘unexpected’ loss of the opposition in some of the recent state elections as victory to the ‘Sanatan Dharma’.
India must also watch itself carefully, as the world, especially the democratic West, must be watching it closely through (a) the watchful eyes of their staff in high commissions and embassies, (b) intelligence; and (c) the independent press. The recent EVM fiasco, if not allowed to be investigated independently by credible third parties and cleared from all doubts of tempering, will accrue to a humongous electoral fraud and a great crime against the people of the nation.
A democratic West values India favourably for its (historic, post-British) democratic credentials. Democracy is most important to common people in the West and their elected governments who report to the people. West’s favourable stance and material interests in India may dry out quickly if India’s democratic credentials disappear.
Were the founding fathers wrong?
Democracy serves those who believe in lateral egalitarianism, and not those who promote vertical hierarchy in everything they do. Democracy becomes weaponized in hierarchical, authoritarian systems. How do you teach the essence of democracy to people who literally worship their highest public servants as sacrosanct, demigod kings, and remain subserviently grateful to the king’s benevolence for receiving free monthly rationed food and a nominal cash dole in return to their vote? Such a democracy is nothing short than an archaic monarchy in the guise. You may take a horse to water, but you may not be able to teach it how to drink.
Can it be said, therefore, the founding fathers of the post-British India were wrong in founding a vibrant democracy that, down the decades, allowed such a large bunch of unscrupulous individuals to sit in the parliament and commit, with a laughable impunity, unparliamentary, despicable acts against members of the opposition who ask valid and justifiable questions? Did the founding fathers misread the culture of the people? Perhaps, India needed a different system that would have screened out unscrupulous individuals, preventing them from stealing the country in the name of the religion.
When scumbags undeservedly rise in a democracy and surreptitiously come to rule, shit hits the fan. Everyone stinks and the country develops a foul stench that hangs around for a very long time and causes a widespread revulsion. People must blame themselves for the filth they bring upon themselves if they allow themselves to be tricked by imposters and don’t vote with extreme caution.
Going forward, educational qualifications and criminal background of politicians must be rigorously checked before they are declared as candidates. Those with a criminal record or with unverified educational qualifications must be permanently barred from politics.
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