Saturday, May 23, 2009

The Election Results

Sneak peek at an 'eminent historian' viewpoint of the the election results. To be taken with a pinch of salt ;).

"The Indian electorate has once again confirmed the constraints of a bourgeois democracy and its remarkable susceptibility to capitalist conspiracy. It has voted and it is a vote against social equality, against women's liberation, a vote that brings us brushing close to the prospect of American Slavery. The only saving grace is also a vote against fascism.

The biggest setback from this vote is to the rise of an inclusive social reality in India particularly in the northern states. Messiahs of the lower castes, warriors for the poor, and advocates for their rights find themselves defeated on the flimsy issues of governance. In the past 50 years of independence, these are the states that have seen a rise in the status of poor masses and their liberation from the hands of the feudalists and the capitalists. And for the first time, we also have a parameter to help us measure this rise - the combined net worth of the leaders and their families. Where else, but in a socially conscious state can leaders of the lower castes grow this rich, while throwing a boot on the capitalist face. We can use this measure to confidently say, that if efficient allocation of capital leads to growth, efficient distribution of a cut on the capital leads to inclusive growth.

In a fitting reply to the critics, and a proof of good governance most of the free-market fundamentalists have shut shop in this part of the country. Governance should not be growth that roughshods on a section of society but inclusive growth that enriches our measurable parameter. Governance should not focus on moronic restraints like fiscal discipline but be more clearly defined, like the number of times, the word 'comrade' is uttered. It was the responsibility of the people to elect those of our comrades, who like their forbears in the Great Soviet Civilization could direct the nature of this growth. But the people failed.

Governance, is also something that should keep in mind national interest, the national interest of China. This government, unshackled and dictatorial, may be very much on its way to give India a say in the world affairs, something which would not be in the national interest (of China of course).

This vote has also negated all the progress the nation had made in improving the condition of half of its lot - the deprived women of India. It was said that the future of the country is in the hands of the three ladies. And yet, rudely ignoring all the sophisticated psephologists, two of the ladies have seen their power remarkably curtailed. The most frightening loss of perceived power was of Behenji. She had the vision to imagine a makeover for Tajmahal - making it accessible to the common man and not to forget, woman. It was she who, as our comrades in the media report, built, like Mandela's rainbow coalition, a party of Dalits and Brahmins. It was she, who with her lavish birthday parties and her cronies extorting 'donations' for the party turned the male-dominated world upside down. Yet, what do such progressive views get ?

The only gains from this elections have been the distancing from power, of the proponents of that juggernaut of the most imposing and divisive religion in history. They, horrors of horrors, attempted to distort the sacred truth of history books. Theirs was a government that encouraged regressive policies and acts like FRMB Act and Electricity Act. While reducing the government control on infrastructure, they also frittered away legacy businesses of the Government. Some say the companies were loss making, but then, you don't sell family silver because it requires polishing.

While fascism has been stopped in its tracks one can only hope that the bourgeois democracy would not endanger India's social progress. Otherwise, as they say, a people deserve the government they elect."

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