Left vs Right - The two sides of emerging India

India is changing, in my previous post fulcrum, I mentioned how the nation is tipped at the razor sharp point of a knife. The ideological divide between left and right is at a point where both are desperately trying to drag the the country in their chosen direction.

Left vs Right, Azadi vs Patriotism, Lal Salam vs Vikaas

Lal Salaam & Azadi are the clarion calls sounded by the students of JNU reinvigorated by the release of the JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar from the Tihar jail, while sabka saath; sabka vikaas remains the motto of Prime Minister Narendra Modi

This is the story of an India in churn, what comes out could be as frothy as a butter or as dangerous as halahala - only time will tell. It is a sign of the changing times, when students gathered in a collage campus can shout slogans for azadi (freedom) and give out lal salaam (revolution) calls while naming the Prime Minister of the country as a faker, poser and a weakling.

This is a calculated approach IMO as the PM has chosen to represent himself as a honest, meritorious and a strongman while leading his party BJP during the general elections held 2 years ago.

In his speech from the JNU hours after he was released, Kanhaiya sounded the call for Azadi, not from India, but in India from issues like corruption, casteism, religionism, poverty, poor infrastructure and a multitude of grievances impacting the country and shackling its growth.

India is experiencing its own form of Arab Spring. The students of JNU have raised the banner of Lal Salaam while the government is waging a war based on Good  Government. The gauntlet has been thrown and ironically by the left and the response is awaited from the right wing ruling party.

The battle is being fought in media channels and social media each side having its own bastion of supporters and quickly apportioning blame on the other for the law and order situation deteriorating in the nations capital. Political parties too have been quick to jump on the bandwagon against the government and the mob mentality running high on emotions is ruling the roost at the moment. There are shrill calls saying Dalit rights have been trampled, Dalits have been excluded...

Kanhaiya has chosen to put his movement as an Ambedkarite socialist movement. Ironical given the man been chosen as the ideological spearhead of a what is essentially a leftist socialist movement was a person who believed in meritocracy over anything. Ambedkar was a giant at a time where the backward castes of the country were suffering extensively. He was a visionary who aspired for a modern, casteless, religionless India striving to grow on the basis of merit and talent.

Much of what Ambedkar stood for has been hijacked for political mileage; the weaker sections of the India continue to remain weak and backward even 66 years after the country's constitution was formed. Meanwhile new rallies are being held every day in different parts of the country asking for quotas or reservations while the meritorious are being held back due to lack of opportunity.

This is a battle of ideology, a battle of leftist socialism with right wing capitalist democracy. While the one side calls for freedom the other has been quick to seize National Pride for itself to retaliate against the other.

The questions raised by Kanhaiya Kumar are valid, his call for azadi from the problems stymieing our countrymen is correct, but his approach is wrong, raising banner of protest does not absolve you of your duties, these are problems which have been present since even before our country was independent, but the answers to these problems has never been forth coming.

The system has to change, but the change has to come within, trying to change the system from the outside would collapse it and lead to anarchy. There are already too many fires burning in the Middle East, Africa and our neighboring countries without us aspiring to burn our house as well.

Mistakes have been made by both sides, both have gone overboard and what was a misdemeanor at the most has snowballed into a big political fight between the government and the students. Sizing the opportunity the opposition has again stalled the house while important legislation like GST is pending which will allow the country to attract investment for the ambitious Make in India scheme.

Only time will tell if this is just another chapter in the political story of India like the Anti corruption crusade which was launched a few years back or something else which changes the social fabric of this country. In the meanwhile all that the citizens of this country can do is watch and pray...

Comments

  1. Well a strong left n a strong right will keep India at d centre.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree to that point, but currently the entire thing is being played out in the media and junta ki adalat whereas it has to be done inside the house both the lower and upper house.

      It is the lack of leaders and ideas in the parliament that these fights are being fought outside it rather than in it.

      Delete
  2. Its not that left didnt try to get the political mileage through ballot.it not only failed in india but everywher else...its afailed ideology...something which even Nehru tried.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Kunal, agree Socialism to a bigger degree depends on people in charge being of fair. We all know people are corrupted by power faster than you can say power.

      Delete
  3. INC doesn't have any agenda to fight is parliament. They are more focussed on the two grounds, one is suicide case & other the Media made Hero. the approach of his campaign is absolutely wrong and they can't justify it. In JNU case, whatever has happened cannot be accepted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two sides to every story Prashant. But we have to stop being so bhavuk or touchy feely about things. India is not so weak that a few rotten apples shouting for her destruction should be a cause for concern. I think all this drama is a way of taking the focus and motivation away from the problems at grassroot level the same problems from which Kanhaiya was asking Aazadi from.

      Azadi muft mai nahi milti dost uske liye kaam karna padta hai. Logon ko muft mai mili azadi ki aadat ho gayi hai.

      Delete
  4. well written...btw, does it ever occur to people why all the hoo-hoopla happens just before election time and then it all suddenly dies down..suddenly the nation is intolerant, and then poof all is well...suddenly people go on an award waapsi spree and then again all is well...really?

    Shubhangi @ The Little Princess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is really a way of manipulating the public to divert attention from things that really matter.

      Delete

Post a Comment