A Mind Free Of Prejudices Needed

What began as a legitimate question has become a bizarre and childish pantomime ? the hard core lefties versus Montek Ahluwalia. Shrill cries from the past about that mythical ?foreign hand,? the inability to even hear another view and position, the ?stuck-in-a-groove stance,? the fear of taking on a challenging debate, are all the attributes that virtually made dialogue impossible between groups with differing priorities. One is just curious why the Left is so insecure about its beliefs and its ability to put the delivery systems in place? Why are they so fearful of differing opinions on consultative committees?

Surely we do not want one view in ?committees? because that in itself makes the whole business of ?committee? redundant. And, when they talk about governments controlling the World Bank, ADB and suchlike, it was not long ago that the two major communist parties in India, it was believed, took their instructions from China and the Soviet Union! These are banal arguments that are stuck in some rather pathetic time warp. It is time we moved away from this predictable rhetoric and got down to the business of thrashing out long term solutions for the economic betterment of India and Bharat, for both sides of the coin.

Polarised political parties with their extreme positions on their pet issues, whether the BJP or the radical left, tend to alienate the average constituent because people in this country are intrinsically liberal. They dislike diktats by the chosen few. They have been victims of the we-know-what-is-good-for-you syndrome of the left, right and centre.

Enough of that forgettable past. We have to create our own, new ?ism? by sitting together and addressing the issues with an open mind. Finding the solutions. Otherwise, there is no way forward. Even West Bengal, after 40 years of continuous Left rule, is nowhere near being an egalitarian society that has surmounted basic problems and delivered dignity of living to people across-the-board. In fact, Himachal Pradesh has done far more.

Then we have another unwarranted statement by a senior BJP leader who is also a national leader, suggesting that Hindi as a language embodies the spirit of India. One language does not, by any means, embody the spirit of India, a sub-continent that is multi-lingual and plural in its essence. To even try and tear that fabric would be sacrilegious.

There are languages far older and substantial than Hindi spoken in this country therefore, it is wrong to put one against the other. Leave the cultures of India alone. Do not meddle with its fundamental strength. That is what causes the divisiveness that leads to instability at all levels ? social, economic and political.

Indians find these strident positions unpalatable and when given an opportunity they reject them. It is surprising that political parties have not learned this lesson.

Over the last decade, political pundits were convinced that a two party system in India was over and that coalition politics was here to stay. However, if the many parties carry on the way they are, they will remain relevant only as regional representations and the people will vote differently for the Centre. It is bound to happen when smaller parties are in open disarray ? rampant confusion about what they are, what they believe in.

The largest of them, the BJP, seems to be pulling in many directions ? Uma Bharati in one, Pramod Mahajan in another, and so on. The Ancient Manipulator in the CPI(M) continues to be overactive.

But, despite that, preparing for the future, a turf war seems to have begun between the open-minded Yechury and the unchanging, unwavering ideologue, Karat.

In a changing world, an open mind and constant debate to generate new ideas and strategies as well as solutions, is imperative. Intellectual stagnation, based within the parameters of the past is dangerous. Let us not lose this opportunity to trigger collective change.