Year of anti-people & anti-working class

MODI@365

The one year rule of Modi government is marked by rabid reactionary trends and divisive moves and anti-minority measures. It has proved to be pro-corporate and pro-rich one, harming the interests of working class and farmers. Among his unfulfilled promises – all of which cannot be listed here –glaring ones include failure to bring back black money stashed abroad and to deposit Rs 15 lakh in every family account, no concrete measure to curb rising prices of all essential commodities, no remedy to end child labour, and move to amend the Act to help industrialists and fooling of illiterate masses with Jan Dhan Yojana

Like Hitler’s, gradually the government’s measures and decisions got centred round him, catering to his dictatorial fancies. The only alternative left before all of us is to unleash consistent militant mass struggles to arrest aggressive onslaughts against democracy, personal freedom, individual and collective rights, etc, etc

The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, as it completes its first year of rule on May 26, 2015, has to its credit an unprecedented ignominious record of being an anti-people, anti-working class and anti-farmer one, while at the same time being a pro-corporate and pro-rich one. Also to its credit goes a year of misrule with all attempts being made to divide the people over caste, religion and region along with sinister moves to turn back the clock of history of Sovereign, Socialist, Secular and Democratic Republic of India.

Let us weigh the one-year performance of the Modi government with its own acts and the very measures it took during the period. The six lakh crores of rupees worth concessions given to corporate houses by the Modi government speak for themselves and establish beyond doubt that the darlings of the Modi government – since its advent to power at the Centre, if not earlier – have been the corporate houses and the rich. In fact since its birth, RSS, its affiliates and the political body the then Jan Sangh and now BJP have never been pro-poor masses, including the poor Hindus. The rightist ideology to which it has committed itself never had any concern for the poor and working sections. It did overtime to ensure that coal mines are being e-auctioned for 30 years at a single stretch.

The maiden full Union Budget of Modi’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley did not mince words when it had to further pamper the corporate houses. It went ahead shamelessly to lower the basic rate of corporate tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent. Crocodile tears in the name of the poor and the middle class with all-out moves to extend unheard-of concessions to Adani-Ambani and cos. Mr Modi, hardly a year is over and you stand thoroughly exposed!

The Modi government’s craze for the rich pushed it further to abolish the prevalent wealth tax. The result is that 90 per cent of our population is being forced to pay for the whims and fancies of the 10 per cent who for no legitimate reasons are holding 73 per cent of the wealth of the country. Thus, it can be seen that the rich have grown richer in the one year of rule which has witnessed the fastest growth of some of the corporate houses, especially that of the Adanis.

Rabid reactionary trends and divisive moves

The Sangh Parivar and its affiliates did not wait long after getting elected in the last General Elections to come out in the open with its earlier hidden agenda with the full backing of the remote control from the Nagpur headquarters. All the hopes with which people voted the Modi government to power started getting belied one by one.

Anti-minority slogans

The success in General Elections through consolidation of the anti-UPA-II votes, and bagging only around one-third of the polled votes, but emerging a single-party majority in Lok Sabha – even to the surprise of BJP itself – turned the leaders from top to bottom arrogant. The only exception is L K Advani-Dr Murali Manohar Joshi & company who for factional and personal reasons keep themselves with the anti-Modi camp. It is, however, their internal organisational matter.

However, none of the leaders of the BJP, the RSS and its affiliates could shed his/her arrogance nor could restrain the self from abusive anti-minority outbursts. ‘Ghar Wapasi’ call by Viswa Hindu Parishad and subsequent divisive communal activities in this regard in the name of ‘Love Jihad’ targeted at innocent Muslim youth and the communal carnage unleashed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other sensitive areas are planned moves of the ruling party and its affiliates to create chaos along the breadth and length of the country.

The BJP government and the party want to fish in the muddy waters and push through their hidden economic agenda once the mass attention is diverted through communal disturbances. Its love for Hindus is only a political slogan for an anti-minority posture with a sinister aim for the Hindu vote consolidation. The fascist craze of the leaders of the BJP, the RSS and its affiliates does not spare any of the minority sections of the Indian population. The unwarranted attacks on the Christian churches in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and elsewhere are aimed at spreading insecurity among the minorities and inject a fear psychosis into the minds of minorities, paving way for forcible conversion at a later period.

In order to make the situation more conducive for forcible conversions, the RSS-BJP leaders started attacking historians, writers and journalists — obscurantism of Hitler’s days. The reactionary mindset enabled them to further vitiate everything that is secular and progressive. Hardcore RSS persons were appointed as Governors, heads of organisations like ICHR (Indian Council of Historical Research) and in key positions in other autonomous scientific, cultural and research institutions. Renowned historians like Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib and others are removed the advisory board of ICHR. Subramanian Swamy even gave a call to burn all history books. Writers and artists are being threatened and forced to withdraw their works.

The right to freedom of speech is under attack. Leaders of national movement including Mahatma Gandhi are being defamed. Godse cult is being encouraged. Autonomy of universities, IITs and other institutions of higher learning is being diluted. Also with an aim to create more disturbances, beef was banned in Haryana and Maharashtra, while its neighbouring state Gujarat tops in beef exports. Beef is the one of the main ingredients of food for the poor, Adivasis, Dalits, minorities and OBCs. While the rich can enjoy costly tinned imported beef, the poor Indians are denied local cheap protein.

Modi cannot absolve himself

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is not above all such sinister moves. He cannot absolve himself as he himself was party to the RSS manoeuvres or at times was keeping mum when controversies were raked up by his own persons. He at times even batted for obscurantist ideas and vituperous Hindutva mongerings. In his ‘I am the only saviour’ style, he comes out with Indian mythological stories to prove his claim on the Indian expertise of plastic surgery and so on.

He in fact was spreading superstitions to create a fertile ground for Hindutva onslaughts and for his dictatorial style of functioning as the messiah of Hindus. Modi’s inherent complexes as a person and his fear that opponents inside and outside the party may anytime rise against him made him suspicious of one and all around him. Like Hitler’s, gradually the government’s measures and decisions got centred round him, catering to his dictatorial fancies. He has reduced all his ministers as mere puppets and top senior bureaucrats were told to report to him directly.

Modi toured 18 countries within one year — a notable record indeed — but without the Foreign Minister. What a style of functioning! Things did not end there. He wanted to convert India into a land of Narendra Modi and Nathuram Vinayak Godse by demolishing everything that is really Indian and of Independent India. The first victim of Modi’s ego is the Planning Commission which has been turned into Modi’s Niti Aayog. The next was the rejection of Special Status to states of the North-East, thus making all the States dance to the tune of Modi-run Centre. Competitive federalism later modified as co-operative federalism in Modi’s style of functioning is nothing but ‘Yes, Prime Minister, you are always right.’ Hindutva under Modi is thus nothing but terrorism of all kinds — physical, cultural, religious, casteist and mental.

Out and out against working class, farmers

The concerted moves made to amend the labour laws in the name of reducing their number and to make them more effective were an exercise done with the motive of turning the workers servile and bonded employees. Similarly, the Land Acquisition Bill 2015 aimed at amending the LARR 2013 is to pave way for the smooth seizure of farmers’ land by corporate houses and realtors. He has the audacity to claim that the Land Ordinance is pro-farmer. What a shameless lie! No doubt, one needs guts while occupying such a responsible position to repeat of and on the lies. The meagre allocations to SC/ST, special component plan, reduction in funds for MGNREGS etc., reflect the anti-poor mindset of the BJP.

To sum up, as the Modi government completes its one-year of rule, everything that the BJP and Modi promised during Lok Sabha elections in 2014 still remain a pipe dream. There is no need to list here all the unfulfilled promises. The glaring ones include the government’s failure to bring back black money stashed abroad and to deposit Rs 15 lakh in every family account, no concrete measure to curb rising prices of all essential commodities, no remedy to end child labour, and move to amend the Act to help industrialists and fooling of illiterate masses with Jan Dhan Yojana.

When Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as the government of the people by the people for the people, Narendra Modi reduced it to a government of corporates for corporates by corporates. The only positive thing during the Modi’s one-year rule is passing of the Indo-Bangladesh border agreement. In the light of the above failures, it is not prudent to expect from the Modi government anything pro-people. The only alternative left before all of us is to unleash consistent militant mass struggles to arrest aggressive onslaughts against democracy, personal freedom, individual and collective rights, etc, etc. Let us pledge to defeat Modi manoeuvres against peaceful, secular and democratic life.