Republic Day: terrorism and development still hding India’s problems
India tomorrow celebrates the 67th Republic Day. Activities are planned across the country despite fear of attacks. For the editor of Mumbai’s diocesan weekly, the “country must be a democracy based on respect of the rule of law,” and rediscover the “multi-religious and multicultural” character of its people.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – India tomorrow marks the 67th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic. Celebrations are planned in all the major cities with the main event in New Delhi.
This year however, the threat of terrorism, including a series of arrests, has spoilt the traditionally joyful atmosphere. Even French President Francois Hollande, who will be the guest of honour, has been the target of personal threats. What is more, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic development policies also play centre stage in the festivities.
Fr Anthony Charanghat, editor of The Examiner, the weekly paper of the Archdiocese of Bombay (Mumbai), stresses how the government’s high-sounding slogans hide the suffering of the Indian people. Indeed, Modi’s plans for a ‘Digital India’ cannot hide the fact that many Indians still live without water or electricity.
For religious and ethnic minorities, the poor and the marginalised, there is a real risk of being further relegated to the edge of society because of policies aimed at attracting investment rather than implementing an ethical form of development. Attacks and crackdown against freedom of thought are still a real possibilities for activists and dissident writers.
Here is Fr Charanghat’s editorial, titled ‘Reviewing our rights as a Republic’.
India is celebrating its 67th year of being a Republic democratic, sovereign Nation. On this occasion, we must also pay tribute to Ambedkar, whose 125th birth anniversary we are celebrating, for his lofty vision of making social equality, social justice and secularism the foundational objectives of the Indian democratic republic. If there is any truth to this claim worth its salt, then our country must be a democracy based on respect of the rule of law. Those at the helm of governance must treat all its citizens equally, whether it be the poorest person or the most powerful politician or VIP.
It is becoming increasingly evident that there are many in India whose right of dissent is being challenged, their voices silenced or their life intimidated. Those in power may be speaking on behalf of some kind of majority in India, but that does not invalidate opposition, or give any one, no matter whatsoever political hue they espouse, the arrogance of denying the rights of a republic people. This would tantamount to intolerance of the other, diametrically opposed to equality.
One crucial benchmark of a true democracy is whether it protects the rights of minorities, especially when the tension is between governing authorities and political minorities or religious minorities, regional minorities or gender minorities. A democracy only flourishes when divergent voices of individuals and professionals in their respective fields of education, healthcare and religion can be freely heard. They can work without fear or favour of unwarranted political interference and official or populist backlash.
The attack on activists, NGOs and other dissenters of development, exclusively economic and not holistic, is unwise, and is damaging to our democratic framework and agrarian culture. People committed to the welfare of marginalised communities, the environment and the plight of our farmers in rural areas find themselves branded as 'anti-national' by nationalists with a completely warped sense of what true national interest is.
The plan of the 'Digital India' campaign as outlined on the Government of India website, is appropriately ambitious, and commendably has the 'empowerment of citizens' at its core. But the potential for disempowerment is also present, as the gap widens between those who have access to internet technology and those in India who still lack water and electricity.
The much hyped heavy investment in digital infrastructure will further widen this gap, and along with it, socio-economic disparities. There is no sign of implementing policies designed to reduce, if not eliminate, the chasm of widening inequality. The Digital India Campaign so far is more concerned with branding, rather than focusing on its substance and costing.
'Make in India' - yet another all-pervasive catchphrase trumpeting India's 'clarion call' to investors is promising – but surprisingly not well thought out. 'Make in India' is not a novel or radical turn-about for the Indian economy the way it is made out to be; it is merely an intensification (more blatant, more brazen and more assertive) of the policy stance that has dominated discourse since the nineties. It represents a significant worsening of the economic marginalisation of the poor and the vulnerable; both if it succeeds, and if it does not.
'Start Up India' campaign is being hailed by young entrepreneurs as a movement to accelerate business driven by technology and IPR, with funds and tax sops to fill in the gaps in our economy. Raghuram Rajan, the head of the Reserve Bank of India, cautions against an obsession to transform India into a manufacturing economy, because he knows that it will not work in the given economic situation, lack of patents, and failure to build up adequate infrastructure like other Asian countries.
We need to discover our own native strengths, develop inherent skills and dedicate the tapestry of the indigenous talents of our multi-religious and multicultural people to build up a vibrant, plural and democratic Republic nation.
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