Saturday, June 19, 2010

SU[PER-SENIOR CITIZENS


SUPER SENIOR CITIZENS

                                                                                                  -SANJOG MAHESHWARI

 

 

              Across the board, there should be a standard uniform definition of senior citizens throughout the country. Apart from this there should also be a separate category for some citizens- more advanced in age- say the males 75 and above and the females 70 and above who expect a little bit more compassion and consideration from the State and the society - a few extra benefits, amenities and facilities, over and above the other senior citizens, so that some sunshine could be added in the twilight years of their otherwise drab and cheerless life besieged, as it always is, with sufferings from hosts of terminal debilitating diseases, waging an ever losing struggle for survival against the heavy odds and ravages of “ills, bills, pills” and “empty nest” syndrome. The extra facilities and benefits to these citizens, who may be called “Super-senior citizens” are not going to cost too much to the State particularly because of the severely limited capacity of their bodily and mentally infirm users, who after-all, are not too many. Reasonably enough, among other things, they richly deserve: (1) Priority in the matter of healthcare and medical facilities (2) across the board 50% concession in the travel charges all classes by Air, train, buses or any other mode of transport with priority in reservation of seat/birth therein (3) total exemption from payment of Income Tax thereby relieving them of the worry of filing returns: except that a token 1% or 2% across the board T.D.S irrespective of the income earned by them may be levied and recovered as their modest contribution or pay back to the Society to be credited under a different revenue-head of account. Depending on their circumstances and other factors they may volunteer for higher percentage cut of T.D.S on income as a token expression of gratitude to the caring Society (4) Priority in grant of accommodation in Old Age Homes, Guest Houses, Rest Houses, Clubs, Hostels etc. so that they may have homes away from home for as long a period as they like, everywhere throughout the country, at concessional rates. Treating them thus-a little more equal among equals- won’t hurt nobody; neither their pride nor the interests of anybody else in the society nor, for that matter, is going to cost much to the government.

                If the Government takes quick and urgent initiative with the spirit of goodwill and welfare as the driving force, I am sure the private players owning hostels, dharamshalas, guest-houses, buses etc. may also join in this humanitarian endeavour. .

                                                                                                 

                                                                                                  -SANJOG MAHESHWARI

                                      

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Development for a few & misery for millions


                                                                                   


                                                     WHITHER DEVELOPMENT?                                                                                                                                                                    -SANJOG MAHESHWARI

              Economic growth and development should not only be balanced but must also blend with equitable distribution of the wealth so earned among various sections of the society. Quite opposite to it, in our country, just to impress the gullible  common man, higher growth rate is achieved easy way by augmenting industrial production of the luxury goods and neglecting totally the farm or agricultural sector, resulting in  the rich getting richer and the poor-poorer. This is how, while they glibly boast of Industrial growth at 17.6% in April raising hopes of an 8.5% GDP growth rate in the current fiscal, do not talk about the health of the farm sector even in muted whispers.   

             

              Thus this prosperity for less than 10% rich, powerful and privileged has not only made the poor still poorer, but also robbed the middle-class India off its tranquil, peaceful quality life, infesting it instead with perpetual tension-filled days (and nights) with no respite in sight. The quality of life of educated urban middle-class and the poor in our country is held hostage to the higher and higher standard of living for less than  10% rich, mighty and elite of the country, who corner 90% of its wealth and scarce resources. For the teeming millions living below the poverty line, and the middle class educated urban India, growth is a mean dreaded word which means their ruthless exploitation by the less than 10% rich, mighty and powerful.  This lop-sided growth is reflected in the mindless unplanned and grotesque RCC jungles, that despoil the urban landscape of the country,  which is getting uglier by the day.  All the big cities are bursting at their seams; straining to the limit their extremely fragile infrastructure.

             

              The quality of life of the nation as a whole deteriorates if the development is not tempered with equitable distribution of  the national wealth and natural resources as they belong to the nation as a whole and, not  to the few rich and powerful only, which, unfortunately, has been the case with our country ever since independence. (The country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru- a self-styled Fabian Socialist – in actual practice promoted what may be called ‘ State Capitalism’  in its worst possible form. On the one hand, he,  created hundreds of ‘white elephants’  in the form of non-productive, corruption-ridden giant industrial units in the public sector, and network of uneconomic, not even self-supportive, and wasteful autonomous bodies like C.S.I.R etc., besides multiple hugely resource-guzzling ceremonial so-called democratic institutions, and on the other sounded the death knell of the agricultural sector through  sheer neglect and indifference to it

             

              The successive governments at the Centre,  as also in several states, not knowing what better to do, enthusiastically and  blindly followed all his policies and programmes - right  from total neglect of the agricultural sector, small scale irrigation projects and agro-based industries, to his political creed of cultivating, fostering, nurturing and nourishing the minority (read Muslim)  vote-bank through an incremental and expanding quota/ reservation agenda, which they further fortified by including several other identified targeted groups also in the privileged club of beneficiaries, that generally gets expanded by the inclusion of yet some other community or communities, usually in the run-up of general elections.

             

              The mindless pursuing of these faulty economic policies through all these years by the successive governments at the Centre and the States, has resulted in the worst form of lop-sided development and grotesque urbanisation. We rejoice the factory output expansion at 17.6% raising hopes of 8.5% GDP growth rate in the current fiscal, but what about farm sector expansion? In a predominantly agricultural country like India(proud inheritors of pastoral culture fostered and patronized by Lord Krishna himself), farm sector should have engaged more attention of policy-planners and public alike than the industrial sector but, as explained above, the opposite has been the case ever since Independence. The process is continuing unabated             

             

              The total neglect of the agriculture sector is responsible for the sky-rocketing price rise of all the essential commodities and basic necessities of life.  Further, in part, this also explains the paradox of as many as five Indians (gracing?) the exclusive, exalted and distinctive club of ten richest persons of the world while more populous China with a decidedly far  better, the most vibrating, and fastest growing economy in the world, has not even one there in it. Not long ago, a nation of opium-eaters, which was brought under the Communist rule in 1948- almost about a year after India gained Independence-is now miles ahead of us in economic growth and implementation of schemes of population control. Is this not a sad commentary on the state of affairs in our country?

             

              Unlike in India, the poor, unprivileged and the middle-class there is not driven, coerced and cornered to subsidise the five-star life-style of the rich, mighty and powerful through the interplay of free market forces and the State’s faulty economic policies; even though the diabolical materialism  has long come to stay as the presiding deity of their economic growth.   In our country also the culturally induced old resentment about crass consumerism and diabolical materialism is slowly but surely getting enfeebled by the day.

              As explained above, the GDP growth rate inching towards 8.5% after recession, may sound good, though it is an out and out deceptive perception. Immediate course correction, through an focused approach towards reforming, improving and revitalizing the farm, poultry, agro-based, labour-intensive, small and medium scale industry and promoting green industries, is called for. Increasing industrial output by inviting foreign moneybags and multinationals to manufacture and produce swanky car models is tantamount to duping the country as it exposes the people to still more miseries.  As a result, we are now witnessing a phenomenon where cars are eating away the roads, and, in turn, the roads rapidly devouring the rich and fertile farmland with demonic appetite.

             

              The prices of all the essential goods and bare necessities of life are already going through the roof rendering life extremely miserable for the common man.(Food inflation rate in the neighborhood of 20%!)  The middle-class educated urban youth is also leading the  most stressful life, as there is no law to regulate his work conditions in the Industrial units.  

             

              Further, the paradoxical irony of the lop-sided development in which the growth rate in the Agricultural sector, in a predominantly agricultural economy, has been steadily nose-diving from zero percent to the negative figure of(-) 2% or more  while factory output registering expansion at 17.6% could obviously be the sure recipe for the rise and rise of Nexalite and Maoist insurgency in the country.  The blame for which lies squarely with the  government itself for pursuing faulty  economic policies. 

             

              We should counter these maladies by (1) Reversing this trend of lop-sided development and concentrating on the Agriculture sector. (2) Introducing farm reforms in a sustained manner, (3) improving storage capacity and facilities for the farm products as well as irrigation system, (4) Focusing on sustainable development and  promoting labour-intensive and green industries, (5) Guaranteeing security of service, regularizing the work timings and regulating the work and employment conditions  for those working in private, semi-organised and unorganised sectors and ensuring them the work conditions, at par with those in the government service. 

             

              Our mind-set should also change.  We must eschew crass consumerism and materialism.  If the ancient Indian wisdom and the accumulated experience of millennia are to be believed, happiness lies in minimizing the wants and, not in multiplying them. It consists not in having many things but in needing a few.

                                                                                                            -SANJOG MAHESHWARI

 




Monday, June 14, 2010

INTERNET HINDUS


THE INTERNET HINDUS
                 Contrary to the common understanding,  the term ‘Internet Hindus’ is given by the handsomely paid old breed arm-chair leftist intellectual- writers, with  impressive university degrees to flaunt, to the lesser-off, who they, in their misplaced arrogance, despise and ridicule in the mass media.  These lesser-off are Internet savvy, average educated Indians mostly Hindu- techies, mobile –wielding 24x7ers, students,  employees in the private sector companies and corporate houses, and   the  educated  youth belonging to the much-troubled and far the more stressed middle class urban India, whose main claim to fame is their being Internet-savvy. Despised by the elicit creed and the mainstream mass-media, all through these years, their deliberately suppressed thoughts, views and sentiments, now find volcanic explosion on  various free web-sites, where they pour their heart out, through blogging ,chatting and social networking. In the cyber space these poor souls share their views, sentiments, frustrations, love, bickering, romance, virtual and real life experiences, in short almost every shade of human feelings and emotions,  with other similarly placed persons-called ‘friends’( in the web’s own lexicon and vocabulary). To them, for the first time in the history of free India, the constitutional  Right to freedom of speech and expression, is now leaping out of the law books to take the shape of reality. In the cyber space they, not only  now uninhibitedly express and share their hitherto suppressed views and sentiments through blogs and articles but also venture out to expose the fraud, hypocrisy, games and gimmicks that the self-proclaimed saviours of our so-called democracy play on the nation.  They  now question the authenticity of the out and out pro-establishment so-called mainstream media-both print and electronics, which, in the most despicable show of atrocious arrogance, has so far and so long  denied  them the media-space, which they desperately needed and richly deserved , to ventilate their grouse and grievances mainly against the establishment.  Their number runs in millions.
                Goes without saying that the emergence of this new tribe of rebellious youth brimming with  meadow-dew fresh thoughts on everything, under and over the sun, out to reject and rubbish the status-quo and bent upon giving practical shape to the Socrates’  famous exhortation: “An unexamined life is not worth living”, is sending shudders and shock-waves down the delicate spine of those who have been manipulating  anything and everything to their advantage in the safe believe that no one could question them. On the other side the visibly disturbed elite class,    actively supported by the mighty establishment, and  mainstream media with the help of  whole army of  handsomely paid writer-intellectuals on their pay-rolls, is up in arms against these Internet voyagers to defend the status-quo, establishment and the despicable entrenched vested interests.
                The new generation of Internet activists, do not have the matching qualifications of their counterpart intellectuals in terms of highfalutin degrees and awards who,  for a long time now,  have been active on the electronic and print media.  The all-powerful establishment is also bent upon making the life and living of these Internet activists, more and more miserable and stressful to stall their purposeful romancing with the Internet;  enfeebling them by denying them the level playing ground.  In-spite of so many handicaps, hiccups and hindrances, they have been acquitting  themselves well- doing all that that can be done for their cherished cause- braving all the odds and obstacles wilfully imposed on them by the conniving establishment which dreads the word ‘change’ and roots for the meaningless misleading jargon: ‘development’- a battered hat which has lost  its shape  on being tried on so many  heads.
watch with abated breadth, as the hitherto much-maligned and derided tag-Hindu- instantaneously turning into much coveted trophy of honour and achievement. While all this fails to dent their reputation as intellectuals, and  continue to be handsomely remunerated  for writing all such pro-establishment, hackneyed stuff,  appear on their favourite T.V. Channels participating in talks, discussions and other intellectual activities- mostly as invitees and experts, it has certainly exposed them for what they are- downright hypocrites.
                Goes without saying that these blue-eyed boys of both the print and electronic media, can not afford to stray away from the pre-structured policy of the either- except for some inconsequential deviations now and then designed only to project (obviously faked and pretentious) objectivity and impartiality of the concerned journals or the T.V. channels. Sometimes, it does bother their conscience, but money matters more, and hence triumphs.
                 As stated above, these worthies, in a carefully designed strategy, associated the Internet activists
with the hitherto maligned word ‘Hindus’  with a view to denounce, decry and degrade them and to project them as ‘communal’. However, in their anxiety to paint these  Internet activists with the communal dye, they conveniently overlooked the fact that Hinduism stands for all that is good,  great , beautiful and  pure in secularism as against the officially touted secularism, which at its best is pseudo-secularism, and at worst a contrivance devised for minority (read Muslim) appeasement aimed at cultivating, nurturing, nursing and fostering the minority (read Muslim) vote-bank for the purposes of gaining political mileage over the rival parties in the elections. Thus the ploy to defame and degrade the Internet-savvy urban middle-class India by appending the word ‘Hindu’ to them got misfired, and the cult is going from strength to strength, and  in the process  glorifying Hinduism to the huge chagrin of this so-called elitist class of intellectuals and the mainstream media.  Hinduism gained the respectability it so richly deserved, but persistently denied all these years by  the vested interests and the pseudo-secularists, entirely for political reasons which have got absolutely nothing to do with the ground realities. Secularism in it’s pure form is synonymous to Hinduism. No wonder, the class called’ Internet-Hindus’  comprises  of entire  Internet-savvy educated middle-class India, with the people of every religious persuasion proud of being associated with it. And, without exception, they all are extremely happy and delighted with the tag, sorry “Trophy”.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

HINDUISM WITHOUT PREJUDICE

                                         HINDUISM  WITHOUT  PREJUDICE

 

                                                                                                  -SANJOG MAHESHWARI.

 

              Only because the Constitution of India does not give any precise, concise and clear-cut definition of minority’ or for that matter ‘minority community’- either intentionally or by design or just inadvertently (what?) nobody knows for sure- every now and then, one or the other section of citizens, tears itself  off  its original Hindu fold and stakes its claims to the  minority status,  which is more than readily, rather greedily, accepted by the ruling combine for the sake of inflating its vote-bank comprising of thus obligated section(s).  In turn, these sections of citizens, who arrogate to themselves the minority status in connivance with the ruling political class, enjoy: ever inflating kitty particularly of quota /reservation benefits in government jobs and services, and establishing and running educational institutions of their choice, and other favours and privileges generously doled out to them, as quid-pro-quo, by the ruling political combine at the cost of larger national interests.

    The latest group to be so admitted as minority is the Jain community. “Maheshwaris” , reportedly next in the queue, are trying desperately to fit in the loose and lousy ‘minority frame’ in terms of Article 29 of the Constitution. They argue that they have a distinct language- ‘Marwari’ with a distinct script ‘Mudia’ as also a distinct culture ‘Shaivait’ – the one and the only one quite distinct and distinguished community claiming to be descendants from Lord Shiva. The bonanza, however, is generally orchestrated in the run-up of the general elections, for the obvious reasons.

WHAT IS HINDUISM?

    Hinduism arguably is a way of life and living, and not a religion, in the strict sense in which the term ‘religion’ is generally understood and accepted world over. While all the so-called world religions have a distinct identity with their closed, compartmentalized pre-structured formulation, Hinduism is a value-based cultural bouquet adorned by many religious beliefs and practices- all flowers blooming in their individual identity, fragrance and glory.  Thus we see there have been (some still are) the sects/religions like Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivas, Veerashaivas, Aryasamajis, Brahmosamajis, and numerous others coexisting, within a broad all embracing framework without the least calling for a compromise with what their own distinct faith, religious practices, rituals, ways of worship, beliefs, legends cherish or ordain.  Thus they coexisted in the Hindu fold in the millieu of perennial fraternal love for each other since ages..  Thus Hinduism can be defined and described as a cultural ‘Federation of National Religions& Faiths.

STRENGTH WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES & THREATS – SWOT ANALYSIS OF HINDUISM

    While this liberal and elastic arrangement should be looked up to as the strength of Hinduism due to its potent power of assimilation and inclusiveness, sadly turns out to be its weakness;  thanks only to the existing political dispensation that encourages divisive politics of ‘vote-bank and identity. In the quest for power via the ‘vote-banks’, almost every political outfit vies with each other to divide and subdivide the nation in various targeted identifiable independent groups on the basis of religion, community, caste, region, language, culture, backward, dalit, non-dalit and every other conceivable or non-conceivable formulation. This policy of the politicos and political classes  relentlessly pursued all through the last more than six decades is further solidly backed and reinforced by ‘quota/ reservation’ plans for the targeted, identified classes and so-called minorities. Thus this cultural steel structure and the framework called Hinduism which have been bonding the civic society of India since Aryan days is now increasingly getting venerable to the repeated planned attacks on it to weaken, and if possible, dismantle it altogether. United States of America, which once was inhabited by the people of more than a dozen nationalities, several different races, followers of various religious faiths and beliefs, soon became one solid nation, thanks only to their loose federal structure which, at best, is a political replication of our own more than 5000 years old cultural federation, recently came to be known as “Hinduism.”  The proud Aryan legacy which our own political class is bent upon weakening, instead of taking full advantage of it in the larger national interests.  As of now, it is surely and systematically being dismantled by the entrenched vested self-interests of politicos and political outfits.  Brick by brick the framework is being pulled apart.

    The Hindu population is thinning vis-a-vis the Muslim population which is increasing in geometrical progression as against the Hindu increasing in arithmetical progression only, but at the same time, also decreasing with the big chunks of it furiously breaking-off from the parent body to form minority communities. They do so just to get an edge over other communities and gain numerous other benefits and advantages, which come along with the minority status.

HINDUS BREAKING UP

      All Hindu communities crave for the minority, backward or dalit and scheduled caste or scheduled tribe status. And why should they not, if it is politically, socially and economically expedient to do so. For the ruling political class the newly formed vote-banks promise rich dividends in elections? If such a divisive politics is detrimental to the larger national interests, and inhibits national integration, who cares?

ABUSES  OF THE BIGGEST MINORITY (READ MUSLIM) VOTE BANK

              Indian Muslims allow   themselves to be used as a solid vote bank- a floorboard from which to demand limitless concessions in exchange of votes from the much-too-willing political outfits. For very obvious reasons, while the Congress party won’t ever admit that their Muslim-vote bank only had won most of the elections for them so far ever since independence and every time the identity politics yielded rich dividends for the party, the stinking fact stinks sky-high. The related issues of minority,   minority institutions and reservation ( proposed 15% reservation for Muslims in jobs, seats in educational institutions etc. could be seen as the reward proposed to be given to the community in recognition of its king-size contribution in the victory of the  Congress party in the Lok Sabha elections and, also in substantially improving the party’s presence in the states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh etc. leading it to winning the Assembly elections as well in the later two), need to be revisited, reviewed and redefined in the context of larger national interests. The provisions of the Article 29 & 30 of the Constitution have already been put to much abuse in cultivating and promoting the identity and vote-bank politics to the detriment of larger national interests. While any religion-based reservation in an educational institution aided by the State is ultra vireos constitutional provisions, these Articles are constantly misinterpreted by the pseudo-secularists to promote their own entrenched vested interests. The devious minority (read Muslim) vote-bank and identity politics that is inimical to the larger national interests is relentlessly pursued to gain political mileage over the rivals and win elections.

ARTICLES 29 & 30 OF THE CONSTITUTION

    Enough of the divisive politics and balkanization of the nation on communal lines in the guise of safeguarding minority (read Muslim) interests. It is high time now that we rubbished and scrapped Articles 29 & 30 being detrimental to the national integration. They seriously offend  larger national interests in more than one way.  In fact the “Secularism” as enshrined in the Preamble of our Constitution, slams down such a suggestion of dividing nation on communal lines. There is no room for exclusiveness in our colourful cosmopolitan composite culture. Let all political parties contest elections on their own merit instead of resorting to the identity politics to win them.

VOTE-BANK & IDENTITY POLITICS-MOCKERY OF THE CONSTITUTION

              Unfortunately, the vested interests, in an all out effort to appease the so called minority, are hell bent to make a mockery of the Constitution, its secular ideals and circumventing the successive judicial orders and decisions also. Ours seem to be a deeply flawed democracy. While the challenge   before the nation is to combat and liquidate Minoritism as it is an antithesis to our secular ideals and stimulates fissiparous tendencies, politicians and political parties vie with each other for gaining maximum political mileage by practicing the vote-bank and identity politics, which has since been fine-tuned and perfected as an art and science of winning elections. They nurse, promote and consolidate the minority(read Muslim) vote bank to win elections and having won the elections, don’t have the moral strength to interfere with the community’s population-boosting programmes, even when the burgeoning population of the country has been posing the biggest and the greatest challenge ( mother of most of our national problems and maladies of all the times), before the nation as it results in a huge surge of scramble for the severely limited national resources resulting in hunger, poverty, mal-nutrition, suicides etc. for more than 37% of the population below the poverty line and a miserable existence for the next 50%. Thus, as of now, the whole country is fit for living only for the remaining less than 13% rich, mighty and powerful.

    Patting on one's own back in endless self-congratulatory motions, and shouting from every house top  about the marginally increased growth rate only in the Industrial sector, and that too ,entirely  at the cost of farm  sector in a predominantly agricultural economy like India, would look cruelly ironical , illogical,  totally irrelevant and meaningless  to the teeming millions of this country. Why do they talk only in  muted whispers about growth, if any, in the Agricultural sector which only has any meaning and substance in a predominantly agricultural economy? Are they so naive as to not know that the prices of all the essential commodities have been going through the roof only because of the criminal neglect of the farm sector all  through the last several years, in fact, ever since independence?  Sizable population  of Hindus who depended on farming and farm based industries for centuries for their livelihood  had to rush to urban conglomerations and  cities in search of work; the exodus  remains unabated.  

    Polarization of communities into religion-based “majority” and “minority” serves only the political designs of the wily politicos, divides the nation on communal lines, encourages the Minority (read Muslims) to increase its number through rapid senseless reproduction only for gaining undue advantages and concessions for the community from the all too-willing political outfits in exchange of their votes. Who bothers if it leads to the cut-throat scramble for severely limited National resources, so long as the compromise helps win the elections (which it invariably does)? In the process the relations between the various communities are also get stressed and threatened.

              It would be interesting to recall that some time ago, questioned about doing something for the Minority (read Muslims) in Gujarat, the C.M. Narendra Modi aptly observed, “In my Gujarat there is only one community, and it is called Gujarati. So where is the question of doing something for anything which does not exist at all? That is the secularism manifested in its truest form, glory and spirit. Muslims of Gujarat were quick to recognize it and again voted Modi to power, who brought prosperity to Gujarat benefiting all sections of Gujaratis- Muslims of the state included. 

DIVISIVE POLITICS

    In all the elections so far, the Congress Party’s trajectory to the winning post went via the expressed or implied “Muslims having the first right to the National Resources” theory of the party. This divisive approach has been replicated by other players in different forms as well- In several U.P. Assembly elections, Mr.Mulayam Singh experimented with: Muslims +OBC, and Ms. Mayawati with: Muslims + SC/ST combination of the vote-bank with resounding success.  Earlier, late V.P. Singh, then the wiliest cat of the U.P’s. Political jungle, showed the path to his minor aficionados by catapulting himself to the top post on the strength of the formidable vote-bank comprising  of Muslims + SC/ST +OBC votes. Thus in many cases,- U.P and Bihar Assembly elections, in particular,- the Congress Party was forced to kiss the dust by its one time rivals using the very weapon, it had earlier invented and used to the hilt, to win elections. In the process, the loser all the way has been the nation as a whole, and the all-time gainer: the identified community, getting politically stronger by the day, simply by increasing its numerical strength through rapid reproduction. Even the short-term winner- the pro-tempore winning political party, to its great chagrin, may find, but never admit, that all those were it’s spurious victories at the cost of larger national interests-unity and solidarity of the nation.

    In situations like these, where means justify the end, the ‘foul’ becomes ‘fair’ and the only thing that counts is the success; who cares for the ‘principled approach and secularism in its truest form as enshrined in our Constitution? The long term and far bigger National Interests are sacrificed at the altar of pseudo-secularism.

    The unfortunate culture of divisive politics does not end here.  It goes on to spread its poisonous tentacles in yet another vicious manner and form: Demand for bifurcation and trifurcation of the existing states into smaller units, and that too in the name of development.  The local out-of- the- job politicians weave dreams of becoming C.Ms of the smaller units-more the merrier. After all, a C.M. or a M.L.A of a Lilliputian state enjoys all power, pelf, perks, pay, pension, govt. mansion etc. all at par with his counterpart of a big state. The only loser is the nation and the people. The former gets divided and fragmented, and the later having to foot hugely vulgar bills to keep the augmented armies of the politicians and the bureaucrats of the new states, good humoured.  

  While many, if not the most, politicians keep engaged in dividing the country on caste, community, region and religion lines and that too in the name of secularism, Mr. Modi seems to beckon Indians to be more circumspect and consider themselves as Indians first and last. It is not for nothing that the people of India regard Mr.Modi as made of the stuff the P.Ms are made-secular to the core and unambiguously assertive about it.

    If the very concept of minority is completely obliterated from the psyche    of our polity and the society and in its place secularism-as distinct from pseudo-secularism- is ingrained therein then as sure as the day follows the night we will achieve full national integration – perhaps, we can do without a full-fledged Ministry of Minority Affairs at the Centre and/or at the State level and put the money so saved to some better use. By all means let us junk this identity politics and our minority-fixation. It is fraught with serious dangers to the political and economic health of the nation. But the demagogues, across the board, dread the change. For if concepts of minoritism and identity politics are given the go-by, all those who can’t rely on their own merit to get to the winning post, will get marginalized and lose their lucrative jobs. This malady, however, will continue to play havoc with the long term national interests, till we replaced this deeply flawed Westminster type of Parliamentary democracy by the Presidential model of democratic governance- a Hindu prototype of federal political order- dreaded by both Communists and Communalists alike. See, who bells the cat?                                

 

                                                                                                   -SANJOG MAHESHWARI

 




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