Who the Representatives of People Are? Their ‘Development’, Their ‘Slowdown’, Their ‘Growth’

India is supposed to be the world’s largest ‘democracy’. Democracy, how beautiful the word is, more charming is its meaning – a government of the people, by the people and for the people. But in Indian context, it seems democracy is a government of the elite, by the elite and for the elite. In India, our great ‘economist’ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and by his side Montek Singh Ahluwalia, are on an undaunted streak of so-called reforms, in order to boost the economy out of severe crisis. For poor they say, let the rich develop, some of their money will indeed trickle down to low lying masses. No policy here in our dear country came into being without the consent of big industrialist houses of the Tatas, Ambanis, Birlas, Jindal, Mittal and many such others. This raises a serious question, Who the Representatives of People Are? Who are they supposed to serve – the common masses or the privileged class? The broader policy lines are always meant for serving the big business. When the State wants to implement any such policy a huge propaganda is done via media telling that this policy may hurt one or the other section of working people, but is good for ‘consumers’. And for the ruling class media, the low-income working sections are not ‘consumers’ at all. For instance take into consideration the recent deregulation of petrol prices (accompanied by a price hike in diesel and petrol) is not an isolated decision by the Government but it is part of a broader policy to withdraw State intervention in the pricing of key commodities (such as fuel and fertiliser) in order to give the private sector a free hand. This policy will result in more frequent price hikes and greater profit margins, destabilise the productive activities of small producers in agriculture and industry, and depress the consumption of the masses yet further. The State in interest of the big business and imperialist capital, excludes people totally from their land- scape of growth planning. The Prime Minister says “we must act before people lose confidence in our economy”. The question is who is “we”?   Absurd logic is floated into the people justifying even the most anti-people policies under the garb of ‘reforms’. Newspapers and other media are stuffed with these logics presenting the argument as if you are against these policies, you are against development,  the fundamentalists will even say that you are anti-national, barrier in the path of India as Great Power. Now, let us move to the outright sale of national wealth to foreign companies. Our leaders consistently keep ranting about the need of foreign capital for India’s development. So, in order to fulfill this duty, they have brought many policies to keep the MNCs and TNCs happy, such policies where they are ready to keep India’s interest at stake but can’t harm the interest of their imperialist masters. Not a single day passes without the ranting of India developing as the next superpower, the fastest growing economy, how much truth is involved in this? Lets see!!!  In last few days, each and every of our friends must have heard about FDI in retail. Indian govt. has taken the much awaited decision. Logic is given: farmers will benefit, jobs will be created, growth will be brought about, whole of India will reap its benefits. Well many intellectuals supports the same, so so so? So for instance, take the farmers issue, like the West, corporate retailers will control the entire supply chain of food and farmers will have no place to sell other than to select corporations. This will create monopoly conditions where there is just one or few buyers and farmers have no option but to sell their produce at the price offered. And moreover only the large farmers can reap somewhat benefits promised. Similarly, these decisions which are taken by Indian govt. are under direct pressure from their imperialist  masters which in the present crisis scenario see the growing Indian retail market as a solution. Not only FDI in retail but right from the opening of our economy in 1991, every policy has just created the space for the foreign goods in Indian market. Someday our PM says we are getting this much GROWTH, we are developing and other day he will say, damn, we are in crisis. It seems strange, whose development he is talking about, when has ever the growth in GDP fed the poor and whose crisis is he trying to shoo away? In a country, where in every 30 minutes a farmer is committing suicide, whose growth is the PM referring to. Even more shamelessly the Prime Minister compared subsidies on food given to the poor with those tax exemptions and huge subsidies given to top corporate firms. Lately our ruling class is bent on drying up subsidies for the common masses, logic is that the State is already under a huge deficit so we can’t afford to give concessions, but on the other hand the ever mounting (in terms of money) scams are presenting a completely different scenario. Let us be completely clear that these ‘scams’ are just the methods by which the State gives financial assistance to the private corporate sector. Now let’s have a look at the opposition to the govt. policies by the other parties, BJP, a right-wing  party, which had spoken of economic nationalism,  did not waste much time to take up the cause of liberalisation once it came to power in 1998, and after 2004 elections it immediately started criticising the ideas of reforms as it was hurled back into Opposition. Both the national parties, while gradually crawling towards liberalisation, went on slamming each other over the same saying it was endangering the poor. The Indian Left who is fundamentally opposite to liberalization  used similar hypocrisy during its United Front days. Both SP and BSP, completely opportunist in their approach and on the whole the genuine politics is lost in some stranger tides. The terrible condition of the Indian ruling class polity can be judged from the fact that none of such politicians can speak about the country’s economy, trade and society with facts, figures and confidence. India is probably the only democracy in the world where the intellectuals come from circles so closed and isolated that ultimately they become irre- levant to the country’s needs. People of the country instead of falling prey to such tactics of the ruling class polity, shall struggle for implementation of democracy in its true spirit i.e. of the people, by the people and for the people.