JOIN USInequality behind rise of Hindutva: JNU prof
The inequality and cynicism bred by the neo-liberal project have led to the rise of the Hindutva right. A rights-based welfare mechanism is the only way to rescue liberalism, renowned economist Prabhat Patnaik said on Tuesday.
Delivering a lecture on ‘The Retreat of Liberalism in India’, the former professor of Economics at Jawaharlal
National University (JNU)traced the present intolerance towards liberalism to inequality.
“At present, the general cynicism has been channelled against anyone who is associated with the liberalism project. Therefore, the supporters of Hindutva nationalism do not necessarily oppose secularism in itself,” he said.
He said the Indian nationalism as envisioned by the leaders in 1930s differed from the nationalism of European countries which gave way for imperialism.
“The Karachi Resolution of 1931 had laid out a clear agenda where individual development went hand in hand with the development of the nation. However, the neoliberal capitalism failed in regulating the distribution of resources,” he said.
‘A different election’
Stressing that economics was central to politics, he said an agenda where people get benefits as a right rather than as an act of benevolence from the government can capture the imagination of the people. However, he agreed that the 2019 Lok Sabha election, where economic issues were relegated to the background, was an exception and needs a study.
Former education minister B K Chandrashekhar expressed concern over the “national media caving for the right-wing ideology”.
“The only sense of balance is seen in some of the local media. We should have focussed on the growth of local media and encouraged them more,” he said.