this is a country, where 'dynasties' preach democracy !
an alleged autocrat PM says, "I am sorry"
a road map to future 'poverty' is celebrated with sweets ! (farmers)
some minorities feel - they r real masters, some others think - because they have 'angrez connection', they shud reap all benefits and insult Desis !
There is over dependence on sugarcane ... cultivation - which again takes away bulk of irrigated water and electricity.
# u care for dogs, but not cows !
Repeal of farm laws may give anti-Modi campaigners a win-win feel, but India's reform journey derailed
New Delhi:
Politics cannot be without populism. But Narendra Modi's popularity-drive was tinged with an element of 'risk taking' ability and a stronger element of his determination.
The killer instinct.
But the repeal of three farm laws marks the victory of politics of anarchy and street battle, it marks the defeat of good governance and reform.
There was a large-scale admiration of single mindedness among his admirers. Of course, the detractors called it arrogance, but to push change - the departure from status quo - there ought to be a balance between discipline and democracy. Modi showed that and people also admired.
S C Jamir, a Naga Christian leader who was Governor of Gujarat during Modi's tenure as CM, has been categorical. "I have seen many Prime Ministers, but one good quality with him is, he takes decisions and it is very important," Jamir told this writer just a week before the Prime Minister made his rare retreat from the path of reforms.
The 90-year-old Congress veteran has actually seen all the Prime Ministers since Jawaharlal Nehru.
Brushing aside reforms, industrialisation and development has not happened for the first time.
Right from the racketeers who ran Narmada Andolans to Mamata Baneree's rabid anti-industrialisation programmes of the erstwhile Left regime in West Bengal - all had one goal - hail anarchy.
In the words of Late Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, "a few hundreds of Indians misguided by forces within and outside the country can block roads and railway tracks and get their demands fulfilled".
He had spoken these words at the critical juncture of India's economic history - 1990-91 - when the desperation for reform had set in.
The major crisis of 1990s fed by ill-advised Rajiv Gandhi's economic policies of mid-1980s finally pushed P V Narasimha Rao to push the reform. Sadly, now the reform trajectory has been taken 10-15 years back.
No government will now show the courage to bring in the much needed reforms in the farm sector.
It is particularly sad for the farmers from the states in southern and eastern India who did not agitate in this Punjab-Mandi driven strike. They have been punished.
Let us go a little deeper. Farmers in some states such as Punjab are used to government/Sarkari patronage. They do not like the concept of free and open market determining the prices.
Over the years, they have lavished at the cost of consumers and taxpayers. But they liked it because, they are used to the government buying up crops and then paying them.
Whether the products are stored or thrown somewhere to be rotten or sold and reached out to the end users did not bother them at all. This suited Mandi operators, and they need not be 'farmers' on the fields. That's selfless India ! This spirit rules every nook and corner of India and every section.
Hence, the triumphant time visits the students of anarchy politics. Look at the likes of Arvind Kejriwal. He was handed over Delhi city government for 10 years solely because he fulfilled the 'jugadu-city residents' aspirations - sab chahiye, free chahiye !
In the new generation politics and governance, perhaps it is time the judiciary intervenes with a firm hand and ban all kinds of freebies. It is not just Utopian thinking, it is wishful dream of a protagonist - yours blogger - who is an image of 'failures' to many and a half-mad husband and son!
Nevertheless, the debate should continue.
Take a few list of major projects wherein ulterior motives have hampered Indian industries.
When Baba Ramdev's products do well, the Marxists and rationalists join hands to propagate argument that he is mixing questionable ingredients. When computers were brought in the 1980s, Rajiv Gandhi was helplessly called 'computer boy'!
When the Marxist Chief Minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya tried to bring industries, a street fighter came in jeopardising the entire plot and in the ultimate - turn a bigger anarchist herself.
We have already spoken about Kejriwal's freebies politics and Narmada Andolans.
In Maharashtra yet again, we are faced with the opposition to bullet train and metro projects.
The Neta-Babu nexus is an important facet of Indian polity, and this also needs a brief reference.
In 1996 India had two Prime Ministers just within two weeks time - Atal Bihari Vajpayee and H D Deve Gowda.
While the dark reality of coalition shenanigans came into focus, there was another issue in debate – the servility of the senior Babus.
Many secretaries and additional secretaries at the centre were spotted on TV clips and also newspapers standing on the government buildings of various ministries with bouquets. Such acts were uncalled for.
If this was one aspect, there was another highlight of the functioning of bureaucracy in the mid-nineties.
Thanks to the kicking off the liberalisation policy from July 1, 1991; in the senior echelons there was intense flight to public sector companies and even to private companies for heavier pay-packets.
Now, move to Maharashtra and circa 2005, at the maiden media conference on appointment as Mumbai police commissioner, P S Pasricha said three people were responsible for giving him the new assignment – the then Chief Minister - Sushil Kumar Shinde of Congress, Deputy CM and Home Minister R R Patil (NCP) and Sharad Pawar also of NCP.
Incidentally, Pawar was Union Agriculture Minister then and thus should not have any ‘say’ in appointment of a police commissioner. But this was ‘Pawar-dom’ of the ‘Maratha strongman’.
Many say – it was Sharad Pawar who really had brought in the lobby-culture and nepotism in Maharashtra Babudom.
Mamata's chief babu made news earlier this year.
The First reform strategy should be to teach India's steel frame a bitter lesson!
And for this, even a macho Narendra Modi is not enough ! Will the demand for CAA and Article 370 resurface?
It goes without saying, now that the detractors have tasted blood, PM Modi would face more such problems.
Look at the complicit edits and columnists. For a change, they would go silence and then pretend to discover a great folly yet again. They are keen only to run their 'shops', that's it.
Good Governance and good economics make bad politics !
No comments:
Post a Comment