indiaeleven

India is marching ahead with full vigour inspite of many hurdles on the way.  “Change” is the name of this game – whether for good or bad but the change is there for the sure. The economic boom being witnessed by others has impacted every Indian in every walk of life. It’s great times for some but worse  for many other countrymen. It’s not all about money but also about the challenges ahead of the governance, ever widening disparity in wealth distribution, rising inflation and resulting destitution of the poor, the corruption, the injustice and the rising militancy of the so called Maoists. For some the “Sensex” could be a barometer of progress but for the majority having two meals a day and a roof to sleep is a distant dream. Poor are getting poorer and the rich the richer. Then there is talk of progress, prosperity and assumed status of a rising economic super power. All this will be meaningless in the face of grave inequity and the loot by the powerful of nation’s scarece resources.  Under the circumstances,Social tensions are bound to rise. Today or tomorow there is going to be a civil war if these conditions persist. Borrowing frm Hemingway, we can ask “For whome the bell tolls” . Perhaps no one knows.

True, many Indians are driving good cars, owning luxury flats, shopping in malls and viewing movies in chick multiplexes. They are elite and a class by themselves but what about others who are pitifully deprived of basic necessities. For many items of daily existance poor are charged more than the rich. They even buy their water at exorbitant price or drink unpalatable dirty water instead. The Indian PDS provides the poor with rotten wheat and rice at high price whereas many subsidies are given for the things consumed by the rich. The habitats of the poor are so apalling that even dogs won’t like to live in those small hovels where the poor are subjected to live under threats from Jhuggi mafias, paying exorbitant rents. 60% of Mumbaikers live in such slums. Other metros also have the same story to tell.

The regional imbalances in developement are glaring. See the North-East. The ULFA, the Bodos and othe smaller outfits of Assam are bent on harrassing the Central  Government. Manipur and Nagaland are worse. The militants in these states have their own armies which challenge the Indian Govt every now and then. In Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra, West Bengal and Odisa, the Naxalites have acquired a strong foothold. Dont blame them. The poor, the Dalits and the tribals were systematically exploited, tortured and killed by the police, robbed by the Banias (traders) and exploited by the Babus. It was so easy for the Nazalites to take them into their fold to ‘use’ them for nefarious ends.

The recent scams exposed by the media are a tip of the ice berg. The country hasbeen wantonly looted by the bureaucracy in collusion with their political bosses eversince the independence of the country. Rs.1,76,000 crores bungled by the Minister RAja was enough to wipe out 50% of country’s fiscal deficit. The quantum of loot is mind boggling. Mr. Balu, who was a MInister from the same coalition partner DMK too had looted the country of thousands of Crores through NHAI’s Road Building Contracts but could not be pinned down like his opther friend Mr. Raja. If we do have such Ministers in the Central Cabinet , why do we need enemies like Pakistand and China since we have lots of enemies of the country working as powerful ministers in the Union cabinet.

The crux of the matter is unless we shoot these corrupt politicians and IAS Baboos under some stingent law (though not yet there in the statute book , we can’t get rid of this rampant corruption.

Now let us answer the question “Where are we  heading?” The my answer is – we are heading towards chaos and anarchy and ultimately a bloody civil war in the next ten years.

Let’s talk about OBAMAJI who has paid a visit to the largest democracy of the world. Let us not be much euphoric about this visit since America’s strategic interests do not coincide with ours. Pakistan is ostensibly their main ally in the so called war against terrorism. However his sane counsel to India about Pakistan is a wise one since an unstable Pakistan will be disastrous for India. Imagine, if Pakistan collapses and falls in the hands of “Qaida” then India too is doomed. Read the rest of this entry →