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Ramachandra Guha finds ten reasons that are holding India back
New Delhi, IANS:
What's holding India back? What stops India from becoming a 21st century superpower? There are ten reasons, according to author-historian, social analyst and teacher Ramachandra Guha.
Left wing extremism, “the biggest internal threat”, tops Guha's list of 10 hurdles that India has to confront.
“The ten political and social challenges that India has to deal with it are Left wing extremism, religious extremism, corrupt centre, decline of public institutions, growing gap between the rich and the poor, environment degradation, political fragmentation of the Indian electoral system, unreconciled borders, unstable neighbourhoods and apathy of the media,” Guha told a gathering of bureaucrats, diplomats, policy makers, think-tanks, foreign delegates and journalists in the capital Monday.
“India should not try to be a dominant and powerful country, but a less discontented nation,” said the Bangalore-based author of "India After Gandhi". The social analyst listed left wing and religious extremism as the top two impediments in the country's march ahead.
“As Hindus make up 80 percent of the country's population, the threat of Hindu fundamentalism is also as real as the minority backlash. But the greatest internal security threat is perhaps Left wing extremism,” Guha said.
He was addressing an analytical session on “10 Reasons Why India Cannot and Must Not Become a Superpower”, hosted by the Aspen Institute, a policy think-tank. Guha attributed the rise of Naxalism in India to two factors - geographical and social. “In the last nine years, extremism has strengthened and consolidated in the hill and the forest areas of the country because it is easy to conduct guerrilla wars in the hilly terrain,” said Guha, elaborating on the geographical reason.
The social and political factors responsible for the growth of Naxalism were “disadvantage and repression”, the historian said.
“Adivasis do not have an effective political voice, unlike the Dalits whose voices are represented in the public domain. Adivasis in the hills and the forests have lost their land and health and have been displaced by development projects,” Guha said. He added that tribals comprised only 15-20 percent of the country's population.
“In states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the Dalits formed 25 percent of the population. While tribal votes mattered in 50-60 constituencies, Dalit votes played a part in nearly 300 constituencies. However, historically Dalits and Adivasis were equal partners in nation-building,” Guha said. The unrest, coupled with corruption in the centre, compounded the situation, he analysed. “The constraints to energy, talent and initiative were rising in political parties. Jawaharlal Nehru had no desire to make the Congress a family furniture, but post 1970, the party became one,” Guha said. The historian, who is known to be apolitical, said “he was not liked by the Congress, distrusted by the Left and detested by BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)". Pointing to the growing gap between the rich and the poor, Guha used the farmers' suicides across the country as an example. “Tens of thousands of farmers were killing themselves everyday. The vicious cycle of debts that they are trapped in could take generations to redeem. The agrarian distress in rural communities has become endemic,” Guha explained. Along with this chasm between rich and poor is the problem of environmental degradation. “Irrational water pricing has led to rampant exploitation and depletion of ground water. The soil has been contaminated by chemicals and the air is polluted.”
With an apathetic media, unreconciled borders, hostile neighbours and fragmented electoral process, India is a very diverse and complex place. “It is still 80 percent nation and 50 percent democracy,” Guha signed off, quoting from his book, “India After Gandhi”.
Meaningful and thought provoking article fromVeteran Analyst and Journalist Ramachandra Guha.The ten Attributing reasons why India could not become superpoweris acceptable.All the ten reasons can be eradicated only if all the Politicians are consciousness.Wheather it will come true is the question mark.Good article.
K.Ragavan.
Instead of fighting about the history that had happened so many years back which is not relevant to present day circumstances we have to concentrate collectively to reach out the common citizen civic amenities problem such as giving sanitation, water, electricity and good transportation facilities that is required the need of the hour now.All these facilities should be available through out the country without any shortage 24 x 7.India can be superpower if all the development works in the country should be tackled collectively for the common goal without any differences among the people, leaders and regions and religions.If at all we are interested in this we have to do all this collectively.All these things can not be achieved by an individual.Let us see how it will turn out to be.
How can he be a Historian? He has not got a degree in history. He is B.A( Hons) in Economics, followed by a PhD from IIM ( Calcutta) on the political movement of the hill people in Dehradun, where he used to live.
He never wrote anything serious on history but got a lot of contacts in the media and he writes columns in all newspapers on all topics. Thus, he is a typical St.Stephens guy, anti-Hindu, anti-Socialist, anti-Indian pro-Western.
This is the reason all Christian dominated news media are propagating for him.
Maoist movement in early 1970s in West Bengal was created by S.S.Roy with the help of CIA ( admitted by the US Ambassador Monihan) to kill off trade union leaders and CPI, CPI(M).
Similarly today Maoists attack only the CPI(M) but not a single Marwari was killed by the Maoists. The main culprit of Purulia Arms drop case was arrested but allowed to escape to Denmark, his native country. Massive amount of arms were supplied to the Maoists with the full knowledge of the Indian secret service. Ram Guha is talking the usual things. Adivasis are peaceful people; they are not involved in Maoist violence unless some people are provoking them to attack and loot the houses of CPI(M) supporters.
Nehru and Bhagat singh were among the first leaders after Gandhi who who clearly understood the major internal enemy of the people in communal outfits.In a statement to the Press as early as in January 1934 in Allahabad, Nehru had analyzed communalism and the forces behind it. He asserted that the communal organizations exploited the name of religion, that while bravely talking of culture, they did nothing for culture, and that though claiming to be non-political, they functioned politically. He emphasized that the communal leaders knew little about economic issues facing the masses and, avoiding the real issues which may affect their own interests, they diverted peopleās attention to unreal and trivial matters. They thus strengthened the forces of reaction and of British imperialism.
Hindu communalists should top the list.M.K.Gandhi has made hindu muslim unity the hub of our national liberation movement but hindu communalists had begun to divide the movement by making anti muslim mobilization the hub of their activities as early as the first quarter of twentieth century.Actually communalism has no religion.All versions of it help each other to grow.They are the main danger first of all to the community on whose behalf they pretend to fight.The voices defending communals use a very simple trick.They make no difference between hindu communals and hindus in general.But the realty is that sikh extremism caused a big harm to sikhs and muslim extremism is harming muslims.Hindu extremism is a great threat to hindus first of all.All of these are expressions of a phenomenon which is essentilly one.The only difference is on the level of organized mobilization against national unity.From this angle there is no doubt hindu extremism is at the top in derailing our growth momentum.We must not forget the fact that the seeds of two nation theory were sown by RSS leaders and Muslim League found the seedling from them.We are not 80% but 60% nation yet.National sentiment is on the rise these days.Anti nationals of all hues are defensive.Fit time for consolidation!
Hindus gave 30 percent of the land for the exclusive use of Muslims ..and pakistan was created. In the remaining land they have voted for Muslim presidents and chiefministers. Still Muslims want special laws, dont want to practice family planning and ultimately want to takeover the whole country by sheer population attack. Now seculars like Guha can harp all they want..Hindus are not blind.
The two most pressing issues holding India back are
1- Media which lies all the time and hides facts when it comes to Islamic aggression
2- Mulim overpopuilation and infiltration..and the resulting Jihadi attacks.
This left sighted historian Ramachandra Guha is wrong in his perception on India and Indian culture. This spineless historian not blaming the muslim terrorism even though it caused very havoc in every capital of Indian states with bomb blasts and killings of innocent civilians. Such scapegoats are there in the media talking about Hindu extremism to white wash the islamic fundementalistic terrorism. Ramachandra Guha, I request you thank Hinduism for being soft even for its enemies
The greatest factors holding back India from Development is Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Bangladesh & the large Muslim minority in India combined with corrupt politicians of so called pseudo secular parties.
As long as Muslims in India keep listening to the Mullahs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other inhuman islamic societies and mislead their own people and keep betraying this sacred nation nothing can be done.
Hindu Fundamentalism never existed, does not exist now nor will ever come to existence. This is an imaginary topic glorified by the media.
If asking for the rights is termed as Fundamentaliam then every Indian Freedom Fighter needs to be classified as a Fundamentalist or Extremist.
Mr Mahesh , first of all muslims in India are not following any dictator from abroad whether from Saudi , Pak or anywhere else .Secondly muslims have never betrayed India nor will do that .Muslims have equally contributed for the freedom of this nation by sacrificing their blood fightning against the british .Pre-Independence Hindu Muslims rarely had any differences , had a great bonding and trust between each other but unfortunately RSS came and sowed up the seed for two nation theory .Md Jinnah capitalised on that chance .As long as RSS ideology is practised and followed INDIA will be still far behind even competing with under - developed countries .if RSS is truely patriot it will think of economic , socail development rather than dividing the people and nation further .Its spreading the venom of hatred and communalism which our common Hindu brothers are fed up of it , because everyone wanna be happy , live peacefully in life .BJP was not voted in centre bcs HINDU MUSLIM have started again to live like brothers and move forward rejecting all the communal ideas and thoughts ...Thanks !
If not for RSS and other Hindu organizations, Hyderabad in south and West Bengal in the north would f=have been gobbled up as muslim states. Thank God Vallabhai Patel"s prudence saved the debacle.
Mr.Sheeraz Ali khan, Yes I agree with your analysis of muslims being a part of freedom fight pre-independance. But in todays India, In your own words of economic & social development, muslims are not forming a part of it by asking for special previlages under minority community act, even though a recent article in media suggested that the % of muslim population was requested to be decreased in official census report for illogical reasons, just to keep these previlages continuing. I agree that where there are people there will be some antisocial elements, but any action affecting the nations health will be disasterous!!!
As usual the apology of a journalist states "the threat of Hindu fundamentalism is also as real as the minority backlash". Indeed ?! And the lie perpetuates ...
it is always the majority to be blamed. The minority will hide under the rug called backlash.
But what is surprising is this leftist champion has not tried justifying the Maoist violence as backlash also.
Though I cannot call Mr.Ramachandra Guha as biased, his equating Hindus with fundamentalism does not sound convincing. Media is the culprit and has on many occasions shown its true colours against Hindus. I want to ask Guha being Secular what was the need for dividing the country? If Hindus were fundamentalists would they have agreed for this divide at their own disadvantage?
guha is a media hungry moron. the hindu extremism card has been over used and is like a straw man that is raised to browbeat any kind of cultural revival. of course, JNU educated marxist fanatics NEED to mention Hindu fundamentalism if they want any kind of support from the media. i was planning on buying Guhas book, but after reading this non sense, i will not.
There is no hindu fundamentalism which is holding back India. It is the pseudo secularism that is holding back India. Hindus are given raw treatment not only by the Govt but also by the biased media and the so called intellectuals,some of them hindus themselves, who falsely believe that only by hindu-bashing they will be recognized as intellectuals. Media also does not help the cause. While atrocities against other religions are highlighted repeatedly(at the fall of a hat),the atrocities against hindus go unreported. If at all a report is there it is only by a passing reference.
Mr.Guha belongs to this group of intellectuals.
Pity
Left wing extremism, “the biggest internal threat”, tops Guha's list of 10 hurdles that India has to confront.
