When the economist PM fails…

VINOD VARSHNEY

Indian PM Manmohan Singh

Among major economies of the world India has clocked the highest price rise in recent years. This has stark implications to various sections of our people. It means 221 million odd households had to shell out Rs 5.8 lakh crores more to meet their needs during the last 3 years. In effect this is a covert tax mainly on the poor and the middle class. 

The above figure has not been trotted out by communists to justify their relentless war on capitalism. It is the outcome of a research done by the global rating and consultancy firm Crisil, which works for national and global companies that  top the  profit makers’ list with turnover running into billions. They are touted as shining examples of successful capitalism, not socialism.

The price rise has been steady during the last three years and, though  it showed  some decline for a few months, there is no sign of a relief any time  soon. While raising the prices of petroleum products much was made out by the spin doctors of the government that it  spent more than 20 percent of  revenue income  from all sources on oil, food, fertiliser and interest subsidies. But Crisil’s research notes that total  Central  subsidy is less  than what people  spend extra due to price rise.

The revelation may embitter, even enrage, the common man. But will it prick the conscience of our economist prime minister who seems worried more about the growth index than the common man’s plight?  He does not care if the high growth curve has been achieved by punishing the common man.  

Every year during the preceding days of  national budget presentation  it is  common  for  white collar employees  in various offices  to speculate and pray  for  some relief in personal income tax. If the finance minister grants even a tiny relief, it makes   banner headlines in newspapers. Whereas the indirect taxation through price rise on common man during the last three years have turned out to be 35 percent, higher than any rich person including Mukesh Ambani has to pay on his income as income tax.

According to the research cited above, if prices increase by just three percent, say from five to eight, the outgo from the common man’s pocket in a year comes to Rs 1.6 lakh crores. This is a huge burden – in fact, invisible, indirect taxation. Common people feel the squeeze, the poorer they are, the more they are crushed. Sadly, they can do little about it except to think about a change in the system.

My dream is the prime minister ensures that prices never rise higher than 5 percent per annum.

(The article was published in the July, 2011 issue of Lokayat)

Who after Manmohan Singh ?

Vinod Varshney

Election is the reigning flavour of the month. Some may disagree and say—no, the malodour from the numerous fresh skeletons that tumble out of the government’s cupboard one after another is the stifling ‘flavour’ of the season. Yet others who may constitute the largest segment may claim that the true flavour of today is cricket mania. Actually the three flavours represent the three facets of India.

Why should elections in just four States and one Union Territory be such a pervasive affair? The ouster of despots and usurpers in north Africa and gulf countries by agitating crowds makes us see the true worth of free and fair elections. Our people seek to dethrone unwanted elements who occupy the seat of power simply by the exercise of popular will--zealous participation in elections-- as happens now in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Assam and Puducherry. There are enough indications that history will be created in West Bengal if Mamta is able to trounce the CPI(M) at the hustings, after 34 years. People will also wait with bated breath for the poll outcome in other States, especially Tamilnadu, to see whether they can dump some of the worst scam-tainted politicians and their henchmen.

Democracy’s many over-riding merits over authoritarian, feudalistic and theocratic systems notwithstanding, we cannot be oblivious of the fact that in India it is being misused and subverted by vested interests and power-brokers with impunity while the common man looks helpless in stopping them. Peaceful and fair elections conducted at regular intervals are, of course, the powerful instrument at the disposal of the people to rein in such public enemies, but they alone cannot provide good democratic governance for the welfare of the people. To ensure that a lot need to be done by people themselves.

And this is my dreamy assumption that people of India will realize their solemn duty to the country and do their utmost to cleanse the system, not just once but incessantly year after year. The opportunity comes their way almost every year by way of elections. For instance, after the current poll, in 2012 we will have elections in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat among others. The following year 9 states will go to the poll. Then it will be turn of Lok Sabha elections which will definitely throw up the question—who after Manmohan Singh.

In fact this grave matter is already the most active subject of whisper in the corridors of power. But my dreamy desire is that people ask ‘what’ after Manmohan Singh, rather than ‘who’ after him, because nobody likes the same canker of corruption continuously carving at the vitals of the nation. Fictitious surveys are being touted as genuine to ‘establish’ the supremacy of one leader and his coterie over others. But people must understand the ramifications of this insidious campaign -- do not be carried away by the pejorative probing..

‘What’ has bigger implications. It implies urgent need for systemic improvements, as for instance, in preventing generation of black money, main cause of the ubiquitous corruption. Total transparency in decision making through better application of technology seems to offer some hope. But my hunch is that without better social and political culture based on strong ethics, any technology would work only as servant of the corrupt.

So far as the question ‘who after ………’ is concerned, there cannot be any ambiguity. People of this great country definitely want a leader who has proper control over the governing apparatus and who has the cerebral ability to know if and where the machine is spluttering and fix it immediately. And they want a ‘leader’, not just a bureaucrat, who can ‘lead’ not just in politics but in all matters-- economic, social and cultural.

The difficulty is we have to choose from the available lot only. That is to say, our choice will have to be confined to Pranab Mukherjee and P. Chidambaram (if the Congress is voted back to power at head of an alliance) or Lal Krishna Advani and Sushma Swaraj ( if the lot falls to the BJP). Alas, only these! Or would there be a dark horse to lead? This dark horse can be only from among the second rung leaders like Nitish Kumar, Narendra Modi, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh, Nitin Gadkari, Digvijaya Singh, and so on. Some of these gentlemen are best kept out of any democratic government.

The problem is we cannot design and create a leader of our choice either digitally or genetically. If it were feasible, the people of India would have created one by mixing the attributes of Jyoti Basu, Sushma Swaraj and Anna Hazare. May the hopeful inculcate the political acumen of Basu, grace and audacity of Ms Swaraj and honesty of Anna Hazare to provide a leader the great India deserves.

(The article was first published in the April, 2011 issue of Lokayat)