its bulshit articles usal guised under liberal democratic intellectual but it is of wrong and deceitful; assumption . Congress was following its own political strategy with its economic policy without an iota of depending on indian communist. Fact is that except emergency which was supported by CPI that too Indira gandhi would have managed emergency but to to add topping on ice cream , she manage support of many small party . it is fact that many so called journalist and writer do get support and financial assistance from many USA foundation to criticise indian communist and I hope you are not one amongst them. But i pity your abysmal ignorant of congress state capitalism and side by side development of capitalist economy . To day India does have full fledge market driven economy and there are many examples of private sector success story communist parties could never stop this exponential growth of IndiAN ECONOMY . In Fact you are crediting this buffoon what they do not deserve . Example of their fool hardy was to walk out of UPA I on nuclear deal bill in parliament and they lost both credibility and say in government on certain policy matter. All the communist party of India, there is no inner democracy inside party and no free organizational election during their plenary session. why?
if the govt takes over operation of temples, there is a danger that Hinduism will look even more like evangelical Christianity or Hasidic ravers in a few years.
also imho, secularism of the state creates the conditions for individual secularists (who see all religions as distinct but through the same lens)
over time, this leads to more and more secularists and fewer pious practitioners of religions. so it is natural to expect organized religion to be at odds with secularists.
in fact, organized religion reacts to this by more overt "marketing" efforts.
the danger is in the hijacking of less organized/centralized religions by those looking for a mop. these forces of division make a mockery out of one or two pockets of an organic culture and then portray it as the root of all evil, while pointing the finger at another group. if such people dont get laughed out of power, they possess the power and influence to carry out an intellectual genocide (and they are very easily convinced of need to do that in order to retain power)
Reservation, in India, is not a secular law because it can be easily twisted/interpreted to imply that Hindus have/need reservation, while non-Hindus dont. Legalese aside, the proponents of identity politics are in a quandary: majority of the nouveau ruling class of India does not "look" like BC/SC/ST anymore. eventually, this obvious uplifting of these historically discriminated-against groups is going to be brushed under the carpet and UC-looking Indians will be made poster children of various nefarious causes so as to justify a generational dislike of "invaders" and their purported descendants (even if they have to be imported).
The best solution, imho, is to have excess primary school capacity so that every child (and then some) can get a full education. this is not a time to declare capitalism and decree the demise of socialism. it is the time to use socialism to re-invest/re-invent India's schools to first-world standards.
divisive politicians will never support this because it educates the masses and cancels reservation/vote-bank politics. if everyone has guaranteed primary education, there is no need for reservation in education or workforce. one only has to tackle workplace discrimination after that, and than can be done without reservation laws. the sugar daddies of divisive politicians (who are mostly outside India) will never fund or support building better and more public schools in India because it will actually advance India. imho, the debate should be about what is India as a country doing for its underprivileged children instead of being about the merit of reservation, or any party's impact on the most common religion in India. if there are not enough schools, India is failing its future.
eventually, unchecked, this blind opportunistic identity politics can easily lead to Hinduism getting singled out as a 21st century version of the 4th reich.
I liked the structure of the content, vocabulary and wordings. However, the idea of your write-up is flawed. The diagnosis itself is wrong and so the medicine you prescribed will cause harm, rather than cure. Your content looks biased and you did not give examples and facts. You're trying to impose someone's idea as yours without having adequate research or understanding about the subject completely. Nicely written though.
Proportianating failure of liberals ( Non BJP) to Communists.. ridiculous. Not willing to accept strength of BJP, but trying to place the reason on someone else.
I don't see the difference between a secular person and a secular state except semantics. A secular person is one who does not let their personal beliefs interfere in their transactional relationships with people. A secular state is one which does not let the religious beliefs of any section of society interfere with its transactional relationships with its own citizens or outsiders. Both are complimentary. A state where the people are not secular cannot remain secular. A theocratic state where the dominating influence is secular, cannot remain a theocracy. Bangladesh is an example of the latter post Khaleda Zia. That is why I am optimistic about our country. I would say that 70% of our people are secular, by choice or by compulsion. That is why this move towards majoritarianism is a blip in our journey, provided of course we don't turn into a police state post 2024. That election will decide our future.
Excellent piece! IG, SG and their chamchas were a disaster for India's politics and policy. The Communists (except SY) are living in the 19th century. India needs a new, visionary, inclusive leadership.
Can’t agree more! Indira Gandhi was more of a brawn than brain. Her policies and strategies are the outcome of this. Her handling of Khalistan movement and her ghastly end is the result of her ‘bravery’. She was advised to remove her Sikh security guards but she had a false image of herself to protect hence she refused. Less said the better about RG who gives the impression of being more left than the communists. Nehru alone was the most capable and his mixed economy model suited India the best. Instead of progress and improvement we find deterioration in Congress party over the years to the advantage of Modi BJP RSS.
Not being anti-religion . If a majority religion invokes violence and mob lynching whether it has to be condemned or not. If inequality widens because of open market it has to be criticised. Communist in india didn't flourish because of deficiency in the Indian culture which promotes graded inequality..capitalism is the natural partner .those who born in the bottom pyramid has to blame themselves for their destiny. U r article lacks substance.instead of reading rss thoroughly and wasting time, better to read karl marx, ambedkar and periyar.
This brilliant essay has energy and an honesty that makes the words practically shimmer. The immediate task is to reject failed communist ideologies, embrace market based economy, repackage social justice to obviate dire consequences where multiple fault lines have endured. Precis on secular state in India is bonus material. enormous bubble, which RSS supporters claim to be full of righteousness, but is actually inflated with divisive communal politics, anti-people neoliberal policies, false development claims and a deeply patriarchal.
I completely agree with your view. One question: You mention, 'Three very broad areas in which liberals differ from RW Hindus. These are: the need for a secular state, the need to give a more fair deal to people at the bottom of the pyramid, and the need for social justice for the underprivileged.' (I agree with this statement too). Is this based on some kind of research or is this your analysis and conclusion?
its bulshit articles usal guised under liberal democratic intellectual but it is of wrong and deceitful; assumption . Congress was following its own political strategy with its economic policy without an iota of depending on indian communist. Fact is that except emergency which was supported by CPI that too Indira gandhi would have managed emergency but to to add topping on ice cream , she manage support of many small party . it is fact that many so called journalist and writer do get support and financial assistance from many USA foundation to criticise indian communist and I hope you are not one amongst them. But i pity your abysmal ignorant of congress state capitalism and side by side development of capitalist economy . To day India does have full fledge market driven economy and there are many examples of private sector success story communist parties could never stop this exponential growth of IndiAN ECONOMY . In Fact you are crediting this buffoon what they do not deserve . Example of their fool hardy was to walk out of UPA I on nuclear deal bill in parliament and they lost both credibility and say in government on certain policy matter. All the communist party of India, there is no inner democracy inside party and no free organizational election during their plenary session. why?
if the govt takes over operation of temples, there is a danger that Hinduism will look even more like evangelical Christianity or Hasidic ravers in a few years.
also imho, secularism of the state creates the conditions for individual secularists (who see all religions as distinct but through the same lens)
over time, this leads to more and more secularists and fewer pious practitioners of religions. so it is natural to expect organized religion to be at odds with secularists.
in fact, organized religion reacts to this by more overt "marketing" efforts.
the danger is in the hijacking of less organized/centralized religions by those looking for a mop. these forces of division make a mockery out of one or two pockets of an organic culture and then portray it as the root of all evil, while pointing the finger at another group. if such people dont get laughed out of power, they possess the power and influence to carry out an intellectual genocide (and they are very easily convinced of need to do that in order to retain power)
Reservation, in India, is not a secular law because it can be easily twisted/interpreted to imply that Hindus have/need reservation, while non-Hindus dont. Legalese aside, the proponents of identity politics are in a quandary: majority of the nouveau ruling class of India does not "look" like BC/SC/ST anymore. eventually, this obvious uplifting of these historically discriminated-against groups is going to be brushed under the carpet and UC-looking Indians will be made poster children of various nefarious causes so as to justify a generational dislike of "invaders" and their purported descendants (even if they have to be imported).
The best solution, imho, is to have excess primary school capacity so that every child (and then some) can get a full education. this is not a time to declare capitalism and decree the demise of socialism. it is the time to use socialism to re-invest/re-invent India's schools to first-world standards.
divisive politicians will never support this because it educates the masses and cancels reservation/vote-bank politics. if everyone has guaranteed primary education, there is no need for reservation in education or workforce. one only has to tackle workplace discrimination after that, and than can be done without reservation laws. the sugar daddies of divisive politicians (who are mostly outside India) will never fund or support building better and more public schools in India because it will actually advance India. imho, the debate should be about what is India as a country doing for its underprivileged children instead of being about the merit of reservation, or any party's impact on the most common religion in India. if there are not enough schools, India is failing its future.
eventually, unchecked, this blind opportunistic identity politics can easily lead to Hinduism getting singled out as a 21st century version of the 4th reich.
I hope Congress leadership read this.
I liked the structure of the content, vocabulary and wordings. However, the idea of your write-up is flawed. The diagnosis itself is wrong and so the medicine you prescribed will cause harm, rather than cure. Your content looks biased and you did not give examples and facts. You're trying to impose someone's idea as yours without having adequate research or understanding about the subject completely. Nicely written though.
You have written so concisely the disease that has caught up India! Your care & worry for the nation is so obvious, which I too share.
Proportianating failure of liberals ( Non BJP) to Communists.. ridiculous. Not willing to accept strength of BJP, but trying to place the reason on someone else.
Spot on, precise, few words but hell of grey stuff, appreciated.mark my word, given the situation,I am not very optimistic that there is GE in 2024.
I don't see the difference between a secular person and a secular state except semantics. A secular person is one who does not let their personal beliefs interfere in their transactional relationships with people. A secular state is one which does not let the religious beliefs of any section of society interfere with its transactional relationships with its own citizens or outsiders. Both are complimentary. A state where the people are not secular cannot remain secular. A theocratic state where the dominating influence is secular, cannot remain a theocracy. Bangladesh is an example of the latter post Khaleda Zia. That is why I am optimistic about our country. I would say that 70% of our people are secular, by choice or by compulsion. That is why this move towards majoritarianism is a blip in our journey, provided of course we don't turn into a police state post 2024. That election will decide our future.
Good point about secular state/ person, Madhusudan.
Excellent piece! IG, SG and their chamchas were a disaster for India's politics and policy. The Communists (except SY) are living in the 19th century. India needs a new, visionary, inclusive leadership.
Can’t agree more! Indira Gandhi was more of a brawn than brain. Her policies and strategies are the outcome of this. Her handling of Khalistan movement and her ghastly end is the result of her ‘bravery’. She was advised to remove her Sikh security guards but she had a false image of herself to protect hence she refused. Less said the better about RG who gives the impression of being more left than the communists. Nehru alone was the most capable and his mixed economy model suited India the best. Instead of progress and improvement we find deterioration in Congress party over the years to the advantage of Modi BJP RSS.
Not being anti-religion . If a majority religion invokes violence and mob lynching whether it has to be condemned or not. If inequality widens because of open market it has to be criticised. Communist in india didn't flourish because of deficiency in the Indian culture which promotes graded inequality..capitalism is the natural partner .those who born in the bottom pyramid has to blame themselves for their destiny. U r article lacks substance.instead of reading rss thoroughly and wasting time, better to read karl marx, ambedkar and periyar.
Different ....
This brilliant essay has energy and an honesty that makes the words practically shimmer. The immediate task is to reject failed communist ideologies, embrace market based economy, repackage social justice to obviate dire consequences where multiple fault lines have endured. Precis on secular state in India is bonus material. enormous bubble, which RSS supporters claim to be full of righteousness, but is actually inflated with divisive communal politics, anti-people neoliberal policies, false development claims and a deeply patriarchal.
I completely agree with your view. One question: You mention, 'Three very broad areas in which liberals differ from RW Hindus. These are: the need for a secular state, the need to give a more fair deal to people at the bottom of the pyramid, and the need for social justice for the underprivileged.' (I agree with this statement too). Is this based on some kind of research or is this your analysis and conclusion?