National Security: Common sense tells you internal peace is key

Delivering the 4th Ramnath Goenka Lecture in November 2019, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar strongly argued for a recalibration of Indian grand strategy, taking into account the geopolitical transformation that is sweeping the international arena. Understandably, he was proposing to change the mindset with which India should seek to propel herself into global power play to secure our national interests and safeguard our national security. This can only happen if our actions and thoughts, both internally and externally, are in sync. Can India progress by hyphenating internal developments from external projections?

India is the largest democracy in the world. As per the World Bank report of 2021, India’s population is estimated at 1.38 billion and we are set to overtake China as the most populated country in the world next year. India is often defined as the melting pot of a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society. Difference of opinions are natural in a democracy like India. Any vent to violence based on political and religious differences is detrimental to our national interests and national security.

National security is not limited to defending our borders from external aggression or coercive encroachment by an aggressive neighbour like China. It encompasses internal peace, economic progression, infrastructure/industrial development, a cohesive and responsible citizenry, and a host of related facets of the national life. India needs both internal and foreign direct investments for infrastructure/industrial development and technological advancement to keep our economy buoyant and fulfil the Made-in-India mission. This can happen, if there is an atmosphere of internal peace, political stability, and a harmonious environment. The recent cases of unrest, arson and political gamesmanship do not augur well.

The protests against the farm laws, CAA (Citizen Amendment Act), the agaitations against the Agnipath scheme, the incidents of killing of ordinary citizens in Ajmer/Amravati for supporting BJP leader Nupur Sharma on her remarks on Prophet Mohammed, and the protests against TMC leader Mahua Moitra for her remarks on Goddess Kali are indicative of the rising social unrest within India. The WhatsApp forwards moving around on people’s phones are adding fuel to the fire. It is estimated that during the farmers’ agitation, India suffered losses to the tune of Rs 70,000 crore. During the Agnipath agitation, the Indian Railways alone suffered losses of nearly Rs 300 crore. These losses are significant percentages of India’s defence budget outlay.

In a democracy, it is the people who elect the lawmakers, be it for the Parliament or for the state Assemblies. They are elected based on their agenda and ideology as propounded during the campaign period. India being a multi-party democracy, the formation of coalitions is natural in its politics. Breaking a party by horse-trading MLAs and locking them up away in hotels and resorts away from their mother states at the cost of the taxpayers’ money has denigrated democracy in many states. Of late, this has been witnessed in Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, etc. It is leading to instability, poor governance, disturbance of internal peace and economic uncertainty.

During the 2014 election campaign, Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate had promised to bring in transparency in political funding. Till date, it remains a far cry. The introduction of Electoral Bonds in the Financial Bill of 2017 was not what was promised. The Election Commission in its response to the Supreme Court in 2019 stated that both the donors and recipients of Electoral Bonds should be in the public domain to ensure transparency. The case is still pending in the Supreme Court.

According to the Oxfam report of 2021, the accumulated wealth of the top 100 rich Indians hit a high of Rs 57.3 lakh crore in 2021. Between 2020 to 2022, Gautam Adani’s wealth rose from $17 to $81 billion. They are supposedly the job creators. But, intriguingly, during this period, the urban unemployment rate rose to 15%. On the other hand, a number of corporate honchos who were close to the ruling party have fled from India, syphoning away taxpayers’ money by indulging in bank frauds.

It is common knowledge that money power plays a major role in the toppling of governments and horse-trading of MLAs. A large chunk of money for this purpose comes from the corporate houses, the rising oligarchs of India!

The much-touted “fast-rising” Indian economy is reeling under inflationary pressures. The GDP growth, which was earlier pegged at 8.7%, has been scaled down to 6.2% or lower. In the last two years, the Indian Rupee has hit an all-time low against the Dollar, from around 69 in 2019 to Rs 80 to a Dollar in 2022. The Current Account Deficit is on the rise. This, coupled with the rising unemployment rate, lay-offs of over 12,000 workers by the much-celebrated start-up sector, social unrest, and other allied factors are indicative of the slowing down of the economy, which India can ill-afford.

Looking back to Jaishankar’s statement in the early months of the second term of the Modi government that India needs to recalibrate its grand strategy in view of the changing global environment, there is an urgent need to focus on the internal environment to safeguard our national interest and national security. There is a crying need to ensure internal peace and social harmony. India being a democratic country, politicking is an inherent part of the system. Yet, nothing can take priority over the national interest and national security. To ensure that India continues to grow, and our borders remain secure, we, the people, must think before we speak and act. Religious or social frenzy should not take precedence over internal peace, development, and economic progression.