Opinion
Congress Cancer, Manmohan Madness
Alone on its age's count the Congress Party is a fit case for cancer case if a bit of symbolism will help us any in arriving at some tangible conclusions.
I say this consciously as I notice the Congress intention to ride on on waves of power to which it has infatuated itself so much meantime that it has altogether forgotten the point of intents and purposes of its motives and actions. It is remarkable how they are already at grooming Rahul Gandhi for Prime Minister's post even though his only qualification to this highest political post of our nation is one dynastic than any distinguished by a particular accomplishment in education, career, politics, letters, economics, philosophy, history and the like which was, by the by, a hallmark of his ancestor Jawahar Lal Nehru. Rahul Gandhi is just a silken soft rich fellow, used to moving in fast cars, living in luxury, grown on power politics feeds who would like to 'serve' the poor people of India! That shows early symptoms of another Congress cancerous tumor.
The already advanced cancer lies of course in Congress sinew and tissue and organ, deep laid.
That it fought for and led Freedom Struggle is a story from its hallowed youth. What youth! Hot bloods, pulsing arteries, stark muscle, India heart pumping at its full force. And it did create moving history which saw not only India win freedom per exalted means of Ahimsa but also opened floodgates of freedom for other oppressed peoples all over the earth. In a certain way the Congress Party led multitudes all over the continents in sounding the death knell of imperialism. That was though Congress youth, high spirited matter of service and sacrifice to nation.
Nothing stays ever the same. If guided by right thought and equal Dharma conditioned Karma, any matter progresses, evolves into its next morph. In the other case, it degenerates and falls from its own grace.
That has been exactly the run of Congress Party post Independence. It has degenerated. Today it is a power hungry monster, not even a pale shadow of its former self. As regards service to nation, well! It makes the nation serve its parochial interests. Rahul Gandhi's projection as future Prime Minister is a case in point. Seen from larger national perspective, the Congress Party has no business to indulge in this open abuse of its privilege. Naturally, anybody and everybody can run for the position. It is more of a matter of spirit than letter of the law. Morality even is like thin breath or as well fragrance upon blooms. It can be felt, not seen!
Original Congress men and women fought for India's freedom so that our nation could blaze its own trail upon history's firmament, a role it knew very well in the past and from which it was steered away by the force of foreign invasion, occupation as indeed long de-nationing subjugation naturally in the wake of its own weaknesses.
Jawahar Lal Nehru led the reborn nation to the best of his ability- it was tremendous effort by all means deserving of our full respect. To err is human. So was Nehru also no exception. His errors- the few that were- verged on blunders, say, Tibet, Kashmir and his one sided regard for Muslim welfare without even making them aware of quid pro quo expected of them, namely to regard free India as their Mother Land as a principle of their lives that stood above their affiliation to Mecca, more so upon subcontinent's totally unjustified partition.
Jawahar Lal Nehru was very much a genius mind, a towering personality, absolutely truthful, in fact exemplary leader who lived by the purity of Man, Karm, Vachan unity.
What followed him is the real cancer story of Congress Party. By seventies the rot was complete. Indira Gandhi was not, like Jawahar Lal Nehru, every citizen's favorite. Her successors tipped the scales way down opening up our land to loot by insiders and outsiders. The very purpose of Independence stood defeated.
Today, it is Manmohan Madness that compounds Congress cancers.
True, they are counted as next world power, Chandrayaan is flying around moon, and a 300 million strong Middle Class is the new locomotive. True is too that development can not occur over night. Progress comes always well phased. All this and so much more is true and quite understandable.
What is not understandable at all is the unpardonable neglect of India's other 700 million strong mass, the bone, marrow and meat of our nation. If any, they are the true nation, not the new Middle Class. It is a matter of differentiation of our nation's vital interests in the present, its line of march for the future.
I attempt to describe the stakes in a paragraph below.
The 21st century human world is a picture of hopelessness really; look at it anyways you like- planet itself stands polluted by White Man's excess, the much touted Western values have brought all the dharm-karm to its knees, of moral and rectitude is no sign far and wide. Most importantly, this world, darkness infested as it is, is in urgent need of light of knowledge in order to straighten its breaking back. As far as I know, in this whole big world, the only nation with capability to redeem Weltseele is India, and no other. America needs no introduction. Canada is but a poor American clone. Britain is a spent force, anyway scarred of its famed discipline and uprightness. France still smells of its cruel colonialism. Germany is scuttled as a nation ever since 1945. Egypt is useless. Greeks are old glory only. Africa is in mess. Middle East is run by rabid reactionaries, Islam itself in much disrepute. China is God knows what! Communism or capitalism or whatever monster. Japan is reduced to a virtual easternmost American fringe. Unless checked, this world is destined for apocalypse. Indian philosophy of life- of famed sanyama and sarvodya- is the lone antidote to world's ills. That is the high stakes.
In order to come true to its redeeming role, India must have its own house in order first. In other words, the nation must be not only true to itself but also effective in bringing about its modern version to the fore in order to master its next historic tasks. Simply put, it must be an India which is its own definition, master of its destiny in the true sense of the term, not as at present hanging on to coat tails of a degenerate West.
Manmohan Madness accrues from their subservience to western model of development. Even so, they follow arch reactionaries like Milton Friedman, Jagdish Bhagwati, not liberated souls like Galbraith in laying down their economic policy, let alone Adam Smith, Keynes, Myrdal and the ilk who have all spoken with one voice against laisser faire capitalism.
At its best, this kind of development will make of India another western type flunkey. The 300 million strong Indian Middle Class is already showing its those 'foreign' teeth: streets are unsafe, schools are home to character corruption, our women folk are raped with impunity, gay and lesbian Indians shame their Indian womb, oligarchy rules in a republic, plutocracy holds the reins, politicians are Haraamzadaaz making mockery of the peoples' mandate to them to rule properly, in line with constitutional letter and spirit. Under all circumstances, the world is seeing the hopelessness of American Democracy in creating upon earth a human paradise. Americans are heathens of the first order, barbaric, savages if we keep in mind we are now into third millennium, our hands and feet already into moon and Mars and Pluto and Neptune.
That is Manmohan Madness of which he himself delivered a strong salvo not so very long ago in Indian parliament as he traded or then bore with trading of votes for cash, slapping Mahatma Gandhi, our nation's father, so crassly in the face.
It is therefore time that Indians stopped in their tracks, made a pause to reflect upon their situation for devising new policy.
That is a stupendous task, easy said than done.
Yet there is no alternative but forge ahead. That is done by dumping Congress Party, such down with cancer, and this Manmohan Madness absolutely.
It is for people to come forward, join hands and work out logistics of next leg of our nation's journey. For example, I do my bit here by writing this piece and putting it to debate and discussion. So must every one in their life's station show up hands and do something that furthers our nation's cause.
It is a dual strong surge once again: first, to put our own house in order in the spirit of Indianness as, for instance, delineated by Vivekananda; second, to set an example to rest world in the true art of living- as is the Vedic wont- so that our planet is saved and our world redeemed.
Since every thing happens for good, Congress Cancer as well as Manmohan Madness is to be seen as no more than templates for our nation's next step into redeeming future.
The responsibility now falls on the shoulders of us common Indians, those on street, not on those ensconced in Lytton's bungalows.
26-Oct-2008
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Dr. Satish Shukla
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