Você está na página 1de 28

The Problem

Gian Singh

Searching Alternative

Publisher:
TEHRIK Publications
383/6 Fatehpuri Colony
Rohtak-124001
India
+919729961518, +919416358044

Circulation is best value paid

Searching Alternative

IV

The Problem

The human-society does change as other objects in


nature do. It is similarly subject to law of motion.
Recognising that constant change in nature occurs in
slow or say normal and abrupt, i.e. fundamental form
per force its law, human society does go for change in
course of its function, while its own dynamics releases
forces that work at a point of time to affect its normal
rhythm for abrupt transformation. It is natural. School
students know it too.
If present stage in human relations, including that govern
socio-economic life, fulfils requirement of times the
level of contentment may also be normal requiring no
fundamental change in its course. If the level of
discontentment is beyond tolerance level, time for such
an abrupt change has arrived. This law of change
provides the cue to fathom what we are faced to, as a
barometer does to the temperature.
Let us then proceed to understand first what is the
present level of development in human society and
see the law that drives it, which necessarily must
generate its corresponding level of contentment/
discontentment in general affecting working people in
particularly, being its producer component of wealth
(1)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

of nations? Normally, answer to this query will score


the problem.
Presently, society is government by a law of development that constantly generates inequality between
actual producers of goods who constitute a heavy
majority of population and those who own means of
production through a system of overt and covert
expropriation, which is a microscopic minority. There
is no shortage of goods; problem is the distribution
through market mechanism where unequal ownership
over money predominates. Imbalance creates crisis of
its own make.
The overview by mere keen observation, without going
into detailed data here at the moment it is evident
that social life presently is beset with crisis of sorts.
Rulers most often too face crisis as a result of a system
they are presiding over.
But, our concern is basically for mass of the people
who are victims, all because they stand a ruled lot as a
distinct category and suffer. If it is not dismissed outrightly as a reading from negative approach, crisis is all
over. pervasive and debilitating, beneath even
apparent tranquillity. It is much more painful than ever.
Peoples everywhere are made to live in constant turmoil,
intimidation of one sort or the other to maintain order
of inequality and tension eating at their nerves with
unusual regularity.
What is the source of this turmoil? Definitely, it is not
(2)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

normal trajectory of growth in society to fulfil its needs


keeping compatibility with nature. To say it briefly,
source of turmoil is basically the craze to produce extra
for extracting maximum profit beyond what is normally
saleable. It is done by creating demand artificially
through outside interventions.
The circle is running constantly relying more and more
on inert labour i.e. using technological improvements
in machinery than human labour by a powerful minority
and who have cheated society on common resources
to become owners over means of production at cost of
people where state is in a happy nexus.
The mad race for expansion in demand to meet the
speed in production generates corresponding tension
and turmoil with periodic bouts of crash, crisis and
boom. This skewed model of production and distribution
has a law of uneven development giving rise to extreme
polarisation, leading to ever rising inequality with
squalor and deprivation for majority at one end while
a hopeless minority rules roost at another.
Let us take an example to explain. By claim, America is
a model capitalist state in the world, a first rate
economic power in so-called modern world following
capitalist system of production and distribution. It is
also first rate military power after Second World War
to guard and extend its interests worldwide.
Under a crisis of their own make, in powerful America
situation for rulers has gone so sore that they cannot
(3)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

win an election after a term of four years if a war in


foreign land is not waged to give artificial boost to a
faltering economy and befool electorate on capabilities
of their leaders in turn.
America is rich and powerful, Americans are heady over
it. They are made to believe that their country is rich
because they are exceptional. If American government
occupies a foreign land or contrives possession of
resources from other lands, leaders win elections on
valour of a robber. The question remains: what is the
source of this economic power of America in the first
place to a claim of prosperity? Americans do not bother.
They are happy to get their pound of flesh.
America today is a damn polarised society; inequality
reigns as never before, a country of 1 versus 99; a
country of vast sea of producers at another end as wageslaves in the sense that to get regular supply of rations
for survival it must depend on good wishes of its
employer-masters or good will of creditors where law/
surveillance agencies constantly breathe heavy over
their shoulders day and night lest there is any break in
order that establishment has set in for protection of
these slave owners presiding over huge resources.
What American establishment thinks as right these slaves
are made to think right. This is short story of American
growth in its normal course under capitalist dispensation
rulers there one day had chosen for it.
And, direction America is fast heading to? After Second
(4)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

World War, it has turned over to be head executioner


of resource rich countries for possession; a constant
source of turmoil and war. At the end of Soviet
experiment as a powerful rival, it is exceptionally brute
in action. This is America . the pariah of capitalist order!
And other countries of similar credo/pedigree, they
too do not differ in substance. There is a crisis of faith
in social life all over. The urge for peace and
contentment has taken a strong beating. This is
cumulative result of their present path of pursuit.
The crisis, however, had not been always so. It is the
natural outcome of a deliberate system forced upon
human society. Its strength is in an armed state presiding
over this system that generates strife and social tension
perpetually. Its weakness lies in its womb. The present
crisis stems from its skewed structure in midst of
unprecedented accumulation of wealth and knowledge,
which has potentiality of providing a life of bliss.
However, concrete situation today necessarily leads to
a state of constant strife. This is mother of all problems.
So, nature of present day problems and philosophy that
may empower one to face the situation is the question.
Here at this point we desire to know the pathology of
problem in its various dimensions so that clarity is
reached about different aspects of a possible solution
and its objective trajectory underlined.
The social wealth is as usual on its growth trajectory,
while simultaneously increasing rate of deprivation in
multiplying social debility. Wealth in itself have not
(5)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

and cannot solve the riddle, it is its cause under the


prevalent structure, which has come from a specific
project of a profit driven production system.
The masters of new type that gained foothold almost
three hundred years back raised the pitch and have
driven it to present stage. The cause lies here. Any
prognosis of social problems, which plague our life
today, can ignore it only at cost of objectivity and truth.
If ignored, it may not lead one anywhere near a solution.
The present is so complex that one is likely to grope in
dark without a valid reference point and method (may
be called philosophy) to understand it in a world of
myths woven around in abundance like its wealth.
Though present era took its first steps after a new
situation had emerged as a result of trade and trader
coming out free from agriculture as a free pursuit and
earning livelihood from deductions on sale of
commodities one dealt in, first by theft and later named
as a right, leading to primary accumulation of capital.
This led in course to industrial revolution to take over
as leading force for production, which turned relations
taking shape since primary accumulations in society to
upside down. The human society stood divided into
incompatible interests to contend. Since then, situation
has so emerged that individuals, barring few honourable
exceptions, stand conditioned to act and talk as
individual under influence of personal interest and how
this society of incompatible values affect each.
A short break came in November, 1917. It was thought
(6)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

that as per law of motion a moment has arrived where


society requires a push in its course of development
for an abrupt (fundamental) change. The reading was
not wrong. The event though first occurred in Czarist
Russia, it heralded sweeping changes all over and
affected all walks of life, good or bad. Many described
it as beginning of a new era, as it could have, with
fresh experiment in social engineering that lasted for
over seven decades of twentieth century.
There was instant reaction to the event. Since October
evolution of 1917 occurred in name of peasants and
workers with a claim of building a new society in their
lead, many quarters felt threatened. At first, chaos
started gripping and soon after nearly 14 countries
intervened to thwart the effort with help of internal
elements who were dislodged. After a protracted civil
war lasting almost three years the Soviets started to
take up the task with certain formulations to work upon
for building a new society of fresh relations. The
intentions enthused working population everywhere.
Till end of Second World War in 1945 the event of 1917
in Russia attracted wide attraction and received wide
appreciation, though legions of critiques denounced the
experiment as extravagant and regressive. Many
deprecated its theory and practice as violent in nature.
Later, for some reasons of succession to power in Soviet
Union, personality of Stalin came under serious attack
after his death, mainly from his close associates first
who succeeded him, terming him as despot and
(7)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

murderer with debatable and untested charges. Since


charges came fast and thick from his associates as well
as adversaries alike, the heavy blitz of campaign stuck.
But, when some wise men of communist faith try to
describe disintegration of Soviet camp as .collapse of
Stalinism, it boils down that the effort lacks a serious
exercise to analyse reasons underlying its collapse and
betray poor understanding of the science of dialectics.
To pass on the blame to one man for the collapse saves
part of theory and practice that went wrong wholly. It
may serve only those who wish to continue with such
old formulations pertaining to the science of social
change that lie under the collapsed experiment despite
heap of evidence pointing to it.
There is no place for personality cult in science, so in
social science. No one in serious study of social
movements for human progress can cultivate it. This
does not imply that individuals have no role in history;
role of individuals do influence the course, but social
change is more a question of processes that require
collective contribution in a chain. Here in this case, it
is theory of authority, accepted by teachers of
communist movement like F. Engels to Stalin and Mao
which has played the main mischief. The concept,
combined with concept of democratic centralism as
developed by a besieged communist leadership at one
point and continued throughout their rule of over
seventy years helped to perpetuate strange concept of
discipline under hierarchal structure that tragically
preached equality in theory. It was irony of sorts.
(8)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

But the claim to bring fundamental shift in matters of


governance and redefining economic relations afresh
remained as distant a dream as ever, while alienation
of people continued as previously, nay, increased
manifold so much so that the people stood unmoved
when efforts were made to dismantle these relief
measures one by one, even in matters of governance.
The revolutionary proletariat in USSR remained totally
unconcerned and did not come forward to defend its
class power when coup leaders turned the so-called
state of peasants and workers in 1991 into a state of
capitalist development again. The alienation seemed
complete, an unfailing feature of capitalist system.
With fall of Berlin wall it was clear that structures built
around for a new society had low foundations. The
whole Soviet camp collapsed while China started
moving to dismantle since 1978. The whole project
in socialist reconstruction came down flat and the
experiment was declared closed. The disarray
simultaneously in leading forces everywhere, both ruling
as well as intending-to-be-ruling, facilitated ideological
confusion to rein in for a while. Francis Fukuyama and
his tribe jumped out to pronounce death sentence
immediately on the ideology of liberation itself. That
is a piece from recent history.
With collapse of the Soviet experiment, the
simultaneous disintegration of ruling communist parties
was a notable feature in the emerging situation.
Scramble for power and opportunism exhibited byso
called ruling communist leaders in changing colours to
(9)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

suit their individual interests like in any other


bourgeois political formations was striking. It reflected
the growth of individualism within. No one so far has
questioned what gave rise to individualism while the
state structure was busy to build socialism?
The fall back of 1991 has affected all the continents. Its
reach was universal in impact. Philosophy of liberation
came under carping ridicule instantly. A different ideology
was put in practice, the philosophy of marauders that
soon changed the scene: American policy of aggression
went on spree with no contest. International relations
were redefined. Social security measures started
disappearing fast. Labour was put on discount. Family
and its neighbourhood community were put on
sacrificing block. Capital and wealth became central
to relations. Social values and morality became
irrelevant. Unearned income was turned into sacred
possession. All defining characteristics of trade and
commerce gripped the entire social life and individuals,
which previously stood despised. Individualism became
the cherished philosophy in the market, duly getting
support from media and academics.
Soon after 1991 event, imperialist countries were on
offensive to seize upon opportunity and tighten their
grip on world market and politics. The Uruguay Round
of negotiations for trade and tariff started silently,
without any mandate with the rulers, to pave way for
World Trade Organisation, replacing GATT in order to
build and consolidate one world market with American
hegemony. With the disappearance of this so-called
(10)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

socialist market by 1991, the balance of forces had


shifted decisively in favour of corporate capital with
American hegemony, at least for the time being.
The w orld had gone through two wars for the sake of
redistributing the market among industrialised nations
and grabbing of natural resources to fuel their industrial
race; signifying the acute internal crisis in the production/distribution system the capitalist class had
forged for itself with corresponding culture in
attendance based on individualism and national pride,
inviting consequential crisis in social relations. The
Second World War had paved way for emergence of a
so-called parallel socialist market with Russian hegemony to the detriment of American aspirations.
In terms of market, world stood divided in two rival
camps. Now, Western countries achieved through
WTO and NATO with a weakened UNO what they
could not get by armed strategy in two world wars.
In the changed situation, America needed an enemy to
consolidate its hold on its citizens as well as on other
partner countries to safeguard its interests. It had
inventing one in communism by 1948 to consolidate its
lead over the imperialist camp and depended heavily
on defence industries to provide both butter and muscle
in the game, while conjuring up national jingoism to
the extreme within. McCarthyism was its creed for long.
With elaborate propaganda blitz it helped American
corporate capital to consolidate world over and beat
mental faculty of American citizenry into extreme
(11)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

individualism against communitarian way of life to the


sheer advantage of industrial commercial culture: Rulers
won and citizens lost. Citizenry everywhere had to
bear burden of this costly mad race between two sets
of armed rulers.
Now after 1991 when ghost in communism was gone,
America needed another enemy as an alibi to maintain
its ideological hegemony and keep its citizenry subdued
to forestall any challenge. It is now War Against Terror
to fill the gap that occurred in 1991. This way, WTO
and War against Terror are now weapons of convenience
in hands of expropriators to maintain rule of predatory
corporate capital with facility to stem potential threat
from citizens and recalcitrant countries.
At this stage development, capitalism has turned very
uneasy with its democratic pretensions. There is reason:
corporate capital cannot do with democracy intact. It
needs alibi occasionally to curb democratic rights of its
own citizens, so it creates one to suit circumstances as
it has done now with its rhetoric against terrorism.
In recent history, Hitler had done it with Reichstag fire
in Berlin on 27 February, 1933 and Bush junior
orchestrated with World Trade Centre fire in
Washington on 11 September, 2001. One was against
communists on the rise and the other is under way
against democratic pretentions.
It was not for nothing that rulers everywhere have taken
up so obediently War against Terror as a creed since
then and ambit of democratic rights of citizens curbed
(12)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

in name of national security while these very rulers


have happily conceded their sovereign rights to
American institutions for the sake of globalisation. with
a perennial threat to national security at the hands of
American spy agencies! Almost all countries are now
subject of sabotage and terror activities which
previously had remained peaceful.
The present situation has come around despite
professing democratic faith in place. Tragedy, however,
crept stealthily from the beginning. Equality, Liberty,
Fraternity had proved a liberating slogan against
autocratic rule with divine right of the king in West
and paved way for the mercantile and industrial capital
to take root instead. The released energy of peoples
power was soon to be a fearful perspective for the
new class. The crafty slogan of government of the
people, by the people and for the people fooled them
into representative democracy instead as a practical
solution to the impracticable participatory (direct)
democracy, which it had meant.
The globalised economy with free market as its guide
started taking shape after 1991 with speed, much fanfare
and zeal. It left forces of expropriation unchecked for
speedy gains, dismantling old safeguards against uncouth
jaunts that made masses venerable to heavy costs with
no easy remedy available. It speeded the reign of
exploitation. Within two decades of its sway, corporate
capital has turned into an unruly monster fomenting a
state of constant strife and sectarian wars to keep
(13)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

perpetuate its hold and subdue masses in obedience.


The rising inequality in America, strife, displacement,
spectre of pink slips and unemployment, constantly rising
prices of essential goods, unbearable cost of medical
care, high cost of education and vanishing civil rights
have left peoples gasping everywhere with no
immediate way out. All political parties and other civil
formations have gone to the side of rich and rogues.
Peoples stand alone and sidelined, left with no effective
voice against injustice. Discontentment among the
deprived is rising high now. Leaders are targets of
ridicule. All democratic and political institutions have
lost respect of people; a crisis of new kind indeed.
The protagonists of industrial commercial mode,
when left with no alternative than to accept the
ground reality, resort to hedging and have the habit
to hide the cause. For example, to pose poverty
as a problem, devoid of reasonable entitlement, is
an intellectual trickery that people are fooled.
By harping merely on poverty virtually goes to sidetrack attention from its cause. This in fact helps in
saving a system of expropriation that goes on to enrich
corporate houses. People are not poor; they are
deprived of fruit of their labour by legal and non-legal
trickery involving political/trade union leadership, sate
and capitalist class organisations.
Poverty again is relative, while expropriation of hard
labour is concrete in terms of ones entitlement. It is
undeniable that today poverty is defined by robbers
(14)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

themselves at will, while expropriation is in-built with


the system of present production to keep inequal ity
intact, which again is important to keep health of
capitalist class to grow. This results in disturbance in
social harmony and tranquillity when working population
is made subject to good-wishes of the rich and goodwishes are hard virtues to find in the commodity market!
With collapse of the Soviet and Chinese experiments
in social engineering, it was declared by its rival camp
that philosophy of liberation from capitalist slavery is
a sham. It has no future. The future lies with capitalist
mode. There was a flurry of activities to invest it with
new vigour and energy by forging some new tools with
a declaration that it signifies a new era of efficiency,
plenty and prosperity. Unfortunately for the proponents,
however, sooner than expected by them system proved
again and again to be terminally sick.
Events at international level so moved by last decade
of twentieth century that ecstasy ruled the jackals over
their prey by the time collapse of experiment in building a new society occurred in USSR, though it was
terminslly sick of its own make before collapsing. They
became almost mad with the grab, invited friends to
rejoice and were smart enough to sharpen their jaws
for the next jump. However, soon the grim story for
them started to unfold within a decade.
The collapse of Tiger economies in East and a bit later
depression like situation worldwide in all capitalist
countries after its leader in America suffered collapse
(15)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

in its banking system around 2008 with the collapse of


Lehman Brothers. The administration had to provide a
massive injection of public money to save the system
of free economy. The burden of debt accumulated by
private banks was shifted to shoulders of masses. The
state immediately came to rescue of corporate
capital in spite of the claim by supportive economists
that it has no role to play in operation of a free economy.
With integrated economies of capitalist countries
profits are national entities, more to the kitty of
powerful ones among them, while the cost of crisis is
shifted to pliant countries by manipulating terms of
trade and which in turn their population are paying
through their nose. It led Noam Chomsky to crisply
sum up the reality of corporate jaunts in a globalised
economy with the remark:
The basic principle of modern state capitalism is that
cost and risk are socialised, while profit is privatised.
The massive increase in credit has turned into a massive
cesspool of debt. Despite talk of recovery crisis did
not subside and the talk proved a futile fiction advanced
to sooth troubled nerves to restore confidence in the
system. In USA corporate houses are awash with money
yet they do not invest in productive activity for lack
of confidence or incentives at public cost.
According to even IMF. the world economy is on track
to grow merely a 2.9% which is about half to previous
level. It was a crisis of globalised economy where
(16)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

weak is asked to share burden equally. Despite infusion of heavy dose of public money, crisis is ruling the
scene. Similar is the position of Europe. The global
nature of crisis made it impossible to keep Europe
immune from the crisis that took America at tailspin.
Italy has lost 9% of its GDP since beginning of crisis and
Greece 25%. The launch of euro in 1999 was seen as
key to a golden era of peace, prosperity and European
integration but it took little time to face the reality of
failures and disintegration. Greece crisis found its echo
in euro and the European Union itself. Middle East is in
turmoil, while in most countries of Latin American
countries tagged to IMF and World Bank like South East
Asian and Indian scene are not better. They are feeling
the pinch of a globalised economy and are transferring
its cost to shoulders of respective population.
The report by Oxfam, titled Working For the Few,
published ahead of World Economic Forum (WEF) 2014
meet in Davos, details impact that widening inequality
is having in developed and developing nations.
Wealthy elites have co-opted political power to rig
the rules of the economic game, undermining
democracy and creating a world where the 85 richest
people who own the wealth of half of the worlds
population, Oxfam claimed.
It further added that since the late 1970s, tax rates for
the richest have fallen in 29 of the 30 countries for
which data are available, meaning that in many places
the rich not only get more money but also pay less tax
(17)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

on it. The report alleged that the richest individuals


and companies in the world hide trillions of dollars away
from the tax man in a web of tax havens around the
world. It is estimated that USD 21 trillion is held
unrecorded and off-shore, it said. The reality of
situation is too stark to ignore. Sins of the system
refuse to die silently. The dark forces of skewed age
are on prowl, while peoples nurture hope of their destiny
to win against sinners! Fukuyama or no Fukuyama,
history did not end. That is the world after 1991.

The Indian Scene


It was time after 1991 for the Indian rulers also to take
turn: inheriting a bankrupt nation from marauding British
rulers in 1947, Nehru led economics led it to consolidate capitalist development at the cost of working
people, especially the peasantry. Learning its lesson in
Korean War, India played its card well taking help from
Western block and Soviet camp to work for
capitalist development under claims of a socialistic
pattern of society to sideline the Lefts.
In the changed situation after disintegration of Soviet
camp, Indian ruling circles found it opportune to take
the next stage in its onward journey with similar superb
dexterity to cling to American tail instead of an
independent course and surrendered its vast resources
at service of corporate capital in pursuit of its own
imperialist aspirations with American help. In 1991 its
march to capitalist growth reached a new stage of
consolidation. It took the plunge and shifted to
(18)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation in the


interest of corporate capital to flourish.
The worst Indian state could do to its faith in democracy
was how at the back of its citizens and its so-called
elected representative body, the parliament it tagged
fate of the country to WTO under GATT proposals in
1994. It was to prove as a charter for more sinister
adoption of a neo-colonial regime clearly under the
hegemony of American model of growth with its
corresponding culture of loot and domination.
The agreement on agriculture (A o A) under its aegis as
integral part of international trade for first time at the
call of imperialist block turned out to be the turning
point and an open declaration for demise of family
farming in India despite strong opposition when the
issue came out in open. It was a shameless abdication
of obligation to its constituent citizens.
Accordingly , New Agriculture Policy-2000 by BJP government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee changed the
very character of Indian agriculture to bring it in tune
with aspirations of corporate capital which so far the
state was doing secretly. The country is paying the
price of this folly; its agricultural economy is in deep
crisis making rural India virtually gasping with no visible sign of recovery in near future unless it is radically
changed by abrogating AoA in the first instance.
It was the UPA- I under Manmohan Singh who had a
bilateral agreement on Nuclear energy with American
(19)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

ruling dispensation in 2005 that surrendered agriculture


business also to their dictate. American ruling class
thereafter started dictating to Indian government for
changing its laws according to its trade interests when
obligation on suppliers in case of defective machinery
was made a legal bond.
With American dictation to scrape its Food Security
Act 2013 and enforce its will under threat of trade bar
to drop it altogether under WTO negotiations now with
Modi Government of BJP the reality of abdication by
Manmohan Singh in 2005 came calling. A new BJP
government has taken over with Modi in command.
W ith it fresh pressure came from American
government to agree with Bali declaration and drop its
concerns on food security. The corporate media in India
was furious and launched a campaign asking its
government to drop the said law on food security and
bring its incompatible policies in tune with WTO
obligations. This is symbolic where Indian democracy
now has landed when interests of traders take
precedence to the concerns for its citizens.
Let us understand that Indian agriculture is not a barren
field incapable to feed its citizens. Position is in
reverse. If today after seventy years after colonial
governance came to end in 1947 its 80 per cent of
population needs Food Security Act it simply implies
that skewed policies of discrimination against agriculture
to turn it into capitalist agriculture and subserve
industrialisation spree are basic to this crisis that has
(20)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

made people go hungry and turned insecure about food.


Arguments changed. Dreams were altered for the sake
of capital. Everything was put on notice for abrupt
change to the wish of dollars and sterling pounds.
Aspirations of freedom movement were buried. At a
time when the country was celebrating 50 years of its
freedom, for sake of trade interests of the community
his party represented, the then Prime Minister on behalf
of BJP advised: it is not wise to tease old wounds when
Amritsar citizens wanted apology from visiting British
Queen to the city for crimes at Jalianwala bag mass
massacre by British General Dyer at Baisakhi day in
April, 1919. It was new low for the sake of foreign money.
In the era of LPG, state came out openly for the capital.
Labour-power was devalued along with human values.
Money was made a master key of relations. Man stood
dehumanised. Self became dominant in conduct.
Everything was sought for market duly converted into
a commodity, including female sexuality, human
emotions and marital relations. New venues in female
sexuality are zero risk industries now.
The Indian media, as if on command, is going constantly
gaga for globalisation on one side, while at the same
time it continuously is whipping crash nationalism and
projecting grand agenda for the nation to become a
super-power hurriedly by itself and attain number two
position, if not the first by grace of America! This
modus operandi of media helped subtly the ruling
circles to justify its alignment with the number one
(21)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

imperialist country with its dastardly crimes to humanity.


The policy of Globalisation and Liberalisation adopted
by it since 1991 has produced such a clumsy, but
powerful face of an embedded media in India as at
present. It is out to chisel public opinion in service of
constant strife and injustice in the country. Media is
acting as a fourth important pillar of the establishment
to serve corporate capital. Elections to 16th Lok Sabha
proved the final fall of a free press/media.
It is the short story of Indian journey during last seven
decades with last leg of twenty years of fast strides to
ruin of a dignified growth on its own talent.
There can hardly be any legitimate quarrel with such a
course India has adopted for growth if it satisfies the
aspirations of common men and women in the country.
History however testifies otherwise.
Urge to be super-power, by definition, is to dominate
others in economic, political and military affairs
with capitalist mode of production/ distribution to
earn private profit, goes against rationale of war
for its own independence from British rulers. What
wrong then East India Company and the British capital
were doing to India with force of arms and cheating?
If India has a legitimate urge to become a super power,
Britons cannot also be denied the same right legitimately? If Indian Capital is doing good to other
countries, British Capital cannot be faulted on this
account? Such logic justifies illegitimate occupation of
other lands for grabbing resources and expropriation.
(22)

The Problem

Searching Alternative

Secondly, what the present mode has done to common


masses within the country since 1947, with all fine
promises of justice and common good? Despite almost
seven decades at its command, country was made to
reel under agonising poverty, injustice, inequality, filth
and disease. Heavy majority of its people go hungry or
half hungry daily. Delivery of justice is a nightmare.
People stood cheated. Around 1952, Nehru used to
banter opponents on the question of equity by arguing
that there was nothing to distribute before producing
enough. The slogan was to produce first in the fields
and factories before question of fair distribution is
raised. Though the newly adopted Constitution mandates
rulers to fashion government policies for equitable
distribution of gains in development, this question still
after 70 years has gone to winds and is conveniently
replaced with trickle-down theory to rob Peter and pay
Paul! In fact, people stand reduced to a position of
virtual destitutes with beggers bowls in their hands
for little concessions here and there from the rulers.
Perhaps freedom fighters had not bargained for it
when they left their hearth and homes to gain selfrule from colonial Britain. Production still remains a
slogan without equity and justice.
The banter on that day from Nehru served the capitalist
class well. In the name of raising production with legal
frames strongly to serve production it consolidated
its grip on economy and hence on national politics. Its
pace for expropriation also quickened unabated in the
first half century of production that made it worthy of
(23)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

take off by 1991 to dream high and nurture imperialist


aspirations through the globalised economy at the cost
of working population which stood cleverly cheated
even of legitimate wage in the name of national pride.
What this growth in production means to commoners,
by the way? It proved a sheer robbery of their hard
labour. They did not receive due share in wages, what
to say in raised production. Abject poverty and
deprivation through crafty manoeuvre of economic tools
by the state in favour of capitalists is the result. They
stand literally robbed, starved and famished to bare
bones despite hard and honest labour during these past
seven decades and despite what the pius Constitution
promised them on this count.
Perhaps, the written promise and banter from the
supreme leader came as a deft design to keep famished
people silent over the impending injustice as a result
of chosen mode. One does not need elaborate data to
corroborate the fact that around 80 per cent of people
in India are forced to survive on less than 20 rupees a
day, when Ambanis, Adanis, Tatas, Jindals and the like
get more than thousand rupees per second without
shedding a drop of personal sweat by simply managing
an elaborate web of robbing/cheating the nation with
grace of state! Their accumulated wealth is a sufficient
proof of the loot. The misery of people tells a tale
eloquently -a testimony that Articles 38, 39 stood
flouted in letter and spirit both with impunity.
In their simplicity Indian people had believed the
(24)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

message in banter from Nehru on that day. But it was


Nehru including his successors who did not keep promise
to people. Advantage went definitely to capitalist class.
Nehru on that day was not a dodo; he was intelligent
enough to understand what is meant by what. It was a
definite strategy to take the country along capitalist
mode by inventing timely clichs like socialistic pattern,
welfare state at one time and inclusive growth with
social justice at the other. For once, removal of poverty
b e c a m e a ca p t i va t i n g s l o ga n .T h e s o - c a l l ed
communists in India, on the other ha d, proved to be
sheer dodo; they worked like one, despite vast
readings of texts and carrying sufficient mount of
ego on this account. They miserably failed
Indian masses to educate them honestly. Their failure
at crucial times, as on that day Nehru surmised
and Modi now, proved devastating in real terms.
The people believed them and suffered unmistakeably
for the fault or failure or both these leaders.
Unfortunately, by this time people, without realising
it, became victims of faith on these parties and leaders
who are charged to work mainly for capitalist growth.
For want of a coherent understanding on historical
growth of these political institutions under social system
of industrial culture, it was difficult for commoners to
realise inherent danger in depending on political parties
and leaders for solving their social issues.
By reasons of electoral politics, rulers since 1947 onward
have been promoting heaps of welfare schemes to keep
(25)

Searching Alternative

The Problem

famished people bewitched to their pals, while these


schemes proved effective more in skirting away from
the real issue. Doles could not solve the problem rather
accentuated its pangs. As a result, hunger, disease and
starvation level subsistence for majority of citizens
persists doggedly with no solution in sight. It needs to
be stressed that it is not poverty which bedevils Indian
citizenry, it is expropriation of their honest labour;
poverty is its result. This makes fight against capitalism
relevant and important.
People who value to live with dignity and cherish human values as indispensable social asset have to
prefer adoption of a different way of life.
Fukuyama or no Fukuyama, history moves on. There is
no end of road even for ideology; neither philosophy
of life is uni-linear or irrelevant. It is kicking and alive,
despite soothsayers from the camp of adversaries.
In fact, these are the inherent flaws of capitalist growth
that guarantee the emergence of a counter philosophy
of life for the peoples. Their assertion for a dignified
life, for social peace and satisfaction is an outcome of
this objective condition that has emerged out
ofcapitalist system in search of uncouth wealth
for deceit, expropriation and intimidation.

(26)

Você também pode gostar