Politics begins to contaminate everything like
an epidemic when ideology dies. Death of ideology is the most glaring fault
line on the rock of present Indian democracy.
Before the present regime took charge
of the country, political parties were driven by certain underlying ideologies
though corruption was on the rise from Indira Gandhi’s time onwards. Mahatma
Gandhi’s ideology was rooted in nonviolence. Nothing could shake the Mahatma’s
faith in that ideal. Nehru was a staunch secularist who longed to make India a
nation of rational people who will reap the abundant benefits proffered by
science and technology. Even the violent left parties had the ideal of
socialism to guide them. The most heartless political theory of globalisation
was driven by the ideology of wealth-creation for all.
When there is no ideology whatever,
politics of the foulest kind begins to corrode the very soul of the nation. And
that is precisely what is happening to present India. Everything is
politics here now.
Everything will
be vicious politics in a country where there is no connection whatever between
the word and the deed of the king. The king may be able to speak the language
of Gandharvas and make fantasy look like reality. India is projected now as one
of the largest economies in the world. But the various global indices tell a
different story altogether. India is at a miserable 111th position
on the Global Poverty Index 2023. Out of 125 countries, 110 are doing better
than India. Even countries which were seen as extremely poor are now occupying
higher positions than India on that Index.
The Global Hunger Index 2023 tells a
similar story. 94th place out of 107 countries. The Prime Minister
himself recently declared, rather boastfully, that his government is giving
free food to 80 crore people in the country. The total population of India is
140 crores. More than half of the citizens have to queue up for free food and
the king is claiming in bombastic speeches that his country is the third
largest economy in the world!
GDP is another
kind of politics which the ordinary person standing in the queue for his daily bread won’t
understand. There is an increase in that mysterious thing called GDP and that
increase decides the place of the country on the ladder of global economies.
Where lies all that great wealth of India if more than half of the country’s
population have to subsist on free rations given by an apparently benign
government?
The crony capitalists of the country
are getting richer minute by minute. Their wealth has grown from 5% of the
country’s GDP to 8% in the last ten years. India’s wealth is being handed over
to a few people who are close to the Prime Minister.
When Modi became India’s Prime
Minister, the number of multibillionaires in the country was 56. Now, ten years
later, that figure is 169. Good. We’re indeed becoming a rich nation. But at
whose expense?
Gautam Adani’s
assets amounted
to Rs2952 crore in 2013. Now it is Rs748,800 crore. This leap is achieved not
because of some miraculous powers of the man but because of the magnanimity of
Modi’s government which gave the entrepreneur the country’s wealth on golden
platters. Chhattisgarh’s coal mines, Maharashtra’s electric power stations, 6
major airports, 13 seaports… and huge projects abroad. That’s what Adani got
from Modi during the last ten years.
Why? Because Adani helped Modi to
come to power by financing all his Kautilyan moves against senior leaders like
Vajpayee, Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, and so on, more than a decade back.
Adani is not the only one to gain, of course. A lot of assets of the country have been sold or are being sold to others as well. 400 railway stations, 90 passenger trains, 265 goods trains, 25 airports, and the huge public sector establishments such as NTPC, BPCL, IOC, and LIC are already in the hands – or will soon be there – of a few wealthy individuals of India.
What about the
poor people of the country? Their poverty will be concealed behind facades when
foreign dignitaries visit. Like what happened in Mumbai during the last G-20
meet.
The poor can go to hell for all that
their government cares. Follow the example of the 112,000 farmers who killed
themselves in the last ten years. Or that of the 312,214 daily wage labourers
who took the same escape route from Rama Rajya.
30% of the medium and 40% of the
small enterprises in the country shut shops in the last few years. Unable to
understand the kind of politics that is at play. Yes, it has become a game now.
A game without any rules. The only referee is a dictator. He blows the whistle
against all his critics. When the whistle is blown, all law enforcement
agencies such as CBI, ED, Income Tax department, the law courts and the police
will march out to headhunt the projected enemies of the nation.
A whopping 20 crore people of the
country are projected as enemies of the nation
by none other than the Prime Minister in his election campaign speeches these
days. The Muslims of India are infiltrators and child breeders, according to
Modi’s latest speeches.
Anyone can be a traitor in this
country now. Because politics here is a game whose rules are determined by one
person’s whims.
In that game, medicines will be taxed
at the rate of 18% while the GST on diamonds is a meagre 1.5%. On luxury cars,
it is only 4%. You have to pay 12-18% taxes on certain food items!
A report in The Hindu dated 1 May 2024 says that the cost of food items in India rose by 71% in the last 5 years while the salaries rose only by 37%. The middle class will dwindle into that class of ration-beggars sooner or later. We may soon see posters and other ads claiming that Modi is giving free food to a hundred crore people.
Another report in The Hindu of
30 April 2024 informs us that from 2014-15 to 2023-24 the personal income tax
rose steadily and has now crossed the corporate taxes. The ordinary citizens of
India pay more taxes than the extraordinarily affluent corporate superstars.
In this game, you may elect a leader
belonging to a political party of your choice but the next day the ruling party
will buy him up with your tax money.
The BJP has ways of collecting funds
other than taxes too. Like electoral bonds.
An MP is allowed to spend less than one crore rupees for campaigning. The BJP
collected more than Rs6000 crore by way of electoral bonds. Even if there is a
BJP candidate in every constituency, only about Rs530 crore can be used. What
about the remaining Rs5470 crore? Just vanished into thin air. Modi’s politics
is magical. Black magic?
Yes, black magic that can get the
government agencies to steal your personal info from your laptop and mobile
phone. Pegasus will come from Israel for assistance.
Even God is politicised. The nation
witnessed the post-truth divine comedy that was played out in Ayodhya recently.
The ruler is the High Priest. Soon the ruler will be God. And the Ganga, on
which thousands of crores of rupees have been spent for purification, will
lament: Rama, tera desh maila! Rama and the Ganga have not been spared
from the political games.
Be cautious. Play a safe game if you
don’t want to die in a dungeon as Rev Stan Swamy did. As Sanjiv Bhatt IPS seems
to be destined to do. As Arvind Kejriwal may too, who knows? Remember: EVERYTHING IS POLITICS. Without ethics of any sort.
PS. This post is a part of ‘Everything is Politics Blog Hop’
hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed.
You see I have nothing against a certain Political party, but the blatant lies and chest-thumping over false facts along with throttling any voice of dissent are what get me agitated. I feel as a common man I have no voice no power.
ReplyDeleteI have no party politics either. It's the falsehood of the present regime that rattles me too. You and I are on the same boat with a few million other Indians. Helpless.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteAs ever, you have a clear vision on the facts, as opposed to the fiction of the leaders... YAM xx
Too many Indians believe all that fiction!
DeleteEverything is politics. It's sad when people in power are just in it for the power. And acclaim.
ReplyDeleteWe now have a dictator in India who will go to any extent to retain his absolute power.
DeleteI'm tired of politics. I'm so worry about United States election this November.
ReplyDeleteCurrent politics, irrespective of country, is worrying.
DeleteIt is shamefully sad, indeed. Very dark and distressing.
ReplyDeleteAlarming too... India is voting for dictatorship.
DeleteAfter seeing politics from very close quarters, I have developed a bitter distaste for it. I do understand that politics is a part of democracy. But not this form of politics. The trend that we are seeing is not just in India, but in many other countries too. My only hope is 'nothing lasts forever'. Today's new is tomorrow's old; and the old gives way to another new. The cycle continues.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, Pradeep, nothing is permanent. So hope is justified.
DeleteCurrent political scenario reminds me of a shaaeri by Faiz Ahmad Faiz-
ReplyDelete'Dil na-umeed to nahi, nakam hi to hai...
Lambi hai gham ki shaam, magar SHAAM hi to hai'🙂
Very relevant and meaningful lines. Let hope sustain us until the dawn breaks without delay.
DeleteVery well written and you have lucidly explained your point of view. Well put arguments. Completely agree with them. Hopefully we add to our tribe.
ReplyDeleteI remember a college kid debating with a 'bhakt' on tv about the 80 crore feeding, chest thumping. He replied, "oh so you agree, 80 crore people were pushed into poverty then?"
ReplyDeleteThen there was an oped in the newspaper last week telling us how Ideologies matter only to the voters but for the politicians, its just a matter of better job opportunities. Sad sad affairs.
It won't be long before we're like Pakistan, whose corrupt generals and rich have looted their own people and nation and have absconded to other countries.
Our politicians are all criminals, with a few exceptions. Politics is the job of the good-for-nothing people who should have actually been selling tea in rail stations.
DeleteHats off to you for putting it out in black and white. My hands are tied as my daughter is an election campaigner. But I wish I could write as boldly as you have. Dictator for sure!
ReplyDeleteSome of us have to initiate the change.
DeleteAll this and the glorification of criminals/rapists in positions of power too. It is scary to think of what politics has come to. One can only hope that more of the population would see this clearly.
ReplyDeleteLet more people open their eyes and see the light. That's the only hope.
DeleteWhat a dark and gloomy picture you have drawn of the political scenario in our country! I do hope we can come out of it all as a new dawn breaks. May we learn to live harmoniously together in a country where wealth is distributed equally, there are no haves or have nots! Maybe a kind of Utopia, perhaps?
ReplyDeleteThe original Rama Rajya was a utopia of sorts and the present version of it (as claimed) is sheer dystopia.
DeleteI agree with each and every point you made in the post. The world of politics grows murkier and seedier by the day. the sad part is that the majority of the population has put a blindfold over their eyes, and are happy with their lives of privilege
ReplyDeletePeople are quite helpless...
DeleteToo many facts and figures but this definitely came as an eye-opener! Appreciate your efforts to research and put it across rationally!!
ReplyDeleteIncredibly well penned. Hats off to your honesty and the way you have penned the facts. I too agree we all are mere helpless creatures just dragging themselves to vote but none of them is deserving ..
ReplyDeleteReading this piece reminded me of my experience working with a grassroots organization in rural India. We were focused on improving access to education and healthcare in underserved communities. Initially, our work was guided by clear ideologies of social justice and community empowerment, reminiscent of the ideologies that once drove India's political landscape. However, over time, as political influence seeped into every aspect of our operations, our efforts were often hampered by bureaucratic roadblocks and corruption.
ReplyDeleteOne particularly frustrating instance was when we tried to set up a health camp. Despite having all necessary permissions and community support, local politicians intervened, demanding bribes and political endorsements before allowing us to proceed. This shift from ideological support to political manipulation was disheartening. It made me realize how the death of ideology can indeed turn politics into a corrosive force, affecting not just governance but also grassroots initiatives aimed at genuine progress.
The current situation, as detailed in your post, highlights a broader national crisis where ideological voids are filled with self-serving politics, leading to widespread disillusionment and a sense of betrayal among those who still hold onto the ideals of service and integrity.
The degeneration of Indian politics is quite worrying. Now Modiji is claiming he has a mandate from god himself and he's going to be here till 2047. Another Putin or New Hitler... Can't expect much...
DeleteEven God is politicised! This became amply clear during the whole Ram Mandir inauguration hoopla. What an eye-opening read this was.
ReplyDeleteRam Mandir is going to the backstage soon. The MAN who made it is now claiming to be the latest incarnation of Vishnu.
DeleteEverything is politics, yes indeed, god is involved in politics, sports, entertainment even publishing sector have involved in politics too. It is commendable and yet need to restart everything. Well penned.
ReplyDeleteBrilliantly putting your thoughts in simple way to show the people what is going on under the name of politics. I even fear what future our kids have ? Govt sector slowly shutting down and then where we ordinary people will go ? Why ? When will end this ?
ReplyDelete