by Manish Anand
CONGRESS once again is out to lure people in next year mid-term polls in some states and the 2009 Parliamentary polls with the slogan of garibi hataao. The slogan sells and gets people in power, hence the efficacy of the slogan. Unsuspecting half of the population willingly let themselves get fooled by this slogan year after year.
Indira Gandhi gave this slogan in 1971, and since then Congress has always been coming in power to remove poverty (garibi hataao). But poverty stays. It’s not an Opposition party that could be removed by a slogan.
Poverty not only stays but stinks as well. Suicides by farmers in thousands last year, which still continue, though jolted the self-patting economic planners of the nation and mock at the very approach to poverty alleviation.
The cronies of Indira Gandhi had prodded her for such a slogan who knew nothing else to make their master to come in power. The same class, who be default manage the Indian democracy, has again pushed the Indira Gandhi incarnate, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to exploit the slogan again, and possibly get her son, Mr Rahul Gandhi, elected as the Prime Minister of India, which has been the fiefdom of his family.
Is Congress nervous?
The Congress came into power because its predecessor National Democratic Alliance built a mirage of great economic achievements translating into all round prosperity of all Indians. The bubble burst as farmers started committing suicides in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Poor started selling their children for even Rs 50 in Orissa. All claims of NDA of an economic miracle were rank falsehood sold unashamedly by its suave politicians, which were well read into by the people.
The Congress is in the same position after three years of governance. Two years is a very short period to correct the chronic flaw of Indian economy.
Farmers are still committing suicide in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Children are still sold in Orissa. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar buried Congress long back for its utter political exploitation of these two states without bothering to economically better people there.
So, Congress has every reason to be nervous, and that too when the Rahul baba is to be handed over the political future of the Congress.
Early this year the finance minister P Chidambaram had dropped in a shopping mall in Noida with his family to watch a movie in one of its movie place. He was astounded to see so many people shopping. The next day he declared that lots of people are buying, and that shows that India is really growing fast! No finance minister in India unfortunately visits the interior of the nation.
Where is the time from the endless meeting with big corporate heads, representatives of World Bank and IMF, etc. Also, finance ministers are hardly repeated. So, the cool comfort of the South Block besots the minister all the time. And, all news of the finance of India in mess irritates him, calling journalists illiterate and ill-informed.
What ills Indian economy?
Isn’t Indian economy all for the middle men? Profiteering middle class has made the most of the new economy, leaving the lower strata getting deeper and deeper in poverty. Everybody cried get the poor to save money. Grow their incomes. Corporatise farm sector has been the call for the last one decade, but for no result other then of snatching the land of the farmer at throwaway price.
Details are all in public domain about answers to the woes of Indian economy. But a class which comes in power on the basis of sloganeering remains convinced that sloganeering could be milked further. So, nothing to worry if more and more people migrate from rural hinterlands to end up living an 18th century miserable industrial lives, it hardly matters to the political class.
Another election preparation, and again the need to go back to the time tested plank. Garibi hataao with some 20 point programme, which is nothing but fraud on the Indian poor, gets unrolling. Let’s see if the Congress could succeed in fooling people once again.
CONGRESS once again is out to lure people in next year mid-term polls in some states and the 2009 Parliamentary polls with the slogan of garibi hataao. The slogan sells and gets people in power, hence the efficacy of the slogan. Unsuspecting half of the population willingly let themselves get fooled by this slogan year after year.
Indira Gandhi gave this slogan in 1971, and since then Congress has always been coming in power to remove poverty (garibi hataao). But poverty stays. It’s not an Opposition party that could be removed by a slogan.
Poverty not only stays but stinks as well. Suicides by farmers in thousands last year, which still continue, though jolted the self-patting economic planners of the nation and mock at the very approach to poverty alleviation.
The cronies of Indira Gandhi had prodded her for such a slogan who knew nothing else to make their master to come in power. The same class, who be default manage the Indian democracy, has again pushed the Indira Gandhi incarnate, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to exploit the slogan again, and possibly get her son, Mr Rahul Gandhi, elected as the Prime Minister of India, which has been the fiefdom of his family.
Is Congress nervous?
The Congress came into power because its predecessor National Democratic Alliance built a mirage of great economic achievements translating into all round prosperity of all Indians. The bubble burst as farmers started committing suicides in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Poor started selling their children for even Rs 50 in Orissa. All claims of NDA of an economic miracle were rank falsehood sold unashamedly by its suave politicians, which were well read into by the people.
The Congress is in the same position after three years of governance. Two years is a very short period to correct the chronic flaw of Indian economy.
Farmers are still committing suicide in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Children are still sold in Orissa. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar buried Congress long back for its utter political exploitation of these two states without bothering to economically better people there.
So, Congress has every reason to be nervous, and that too when the Rahul baba is to be handed over the political future of the Congress.
Early this year the finance minister P Chidambaram had dropped in a shopping mall in Noida with his family to watch a movie in one of its movie place. He was astounded to see so many people shopping. The next day he declared that lots of people are buying, and that shows that India is really growing fast! No finance minister in India unfortunately visits the interior of the nation.
Where is the time from the endless meeting with big corporate heads, representatives of World Bank and IMF, etc. Also, finance ministers are hardly repeated. So, the cool comfort of the South Block besots the minister all the time. And, all news of the finance of India in mess irritates him, calling journalists illiterate and ill-informed.
What ills Indian economy?
Isn’t Indian economy all for the middle men? Profiteering middle class has made the most of the new economy, leaving the lower strata getting deeper and deeper in poverty. Everybody cried get the poor to save money. Grow their incomes. Corporatise farm sector has been the call for the last one decade, but for no result other then of snatching the land of the farmer at throwaway price.
Details are all in public domain about answers to the woes of Indian economy. But a class which comes in power on the basis of sloganeering remains convinced that sloganeering could be milked further. So, nothing to worry if more and more people migrate from rural hinterlands to end up living an 18th century miserable industrial lives, it hardly matters to the political class.
Another election preparation, and again the need to go back to the time tested plank. Garibi hataao with some 20 point programme, which is nothing but fraud on the Indian poor, gets unrolling. Let’s see if the Congress could succeed in fooling people once again.
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