Intro: If one assesses the last couple of centuries, he will come across the undisputed fact that Capitalism and Communism are two ideologies which influenced the mankind most. By 21st century they have turned obsolete. Gandhiji-Deendayal-Lohia theories can fill up the vacuum created by the collapse of the ideology of capitalism and communism.
While concluding the discussion on the motion of thanks on the NDA Government’s agenda as spelt out in President Pranab Mukherjee’s address to the joint session of the parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoking the ideologies of Gandhiji, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Ram Manohar Lohia indicated that his government will go ahead with the ideal of antodaya (the last man in the last row). He said, it is the poor who have the first right to public resources irrespective of cast, creed and religion. “If we don't care for the poor, the people of the country will never forgive us,” he said.
The aversion towards the Nehruvian economic policies was conspicuous between the lines. The PM has asserted that all families will have own house, water, electricity and toilet by 2022. He said, “People need the endorsement of experience to believe this; because, they are used to false and sugar-coated promises coming from the high echelons.”
People have hopes and expectations from Modi, and have given him a clear five year mandate, and expects qualitative initiatives and developments from him. Aware of the trust people have shown in him and his government, with utmost self confidence, PM Modi has assured the people of India that he would submit his ‘progress card’ before them in 2019.
There are reasons to believe he will fulfill his promise because Modi himself has the experience and understanding of bearing harsh realities of life and belongs to the strata of ordinary people who undergo burning hardships to make a living.
Having a spiritual bent of mind, Modi who had set out to become a hermit lived a sanayasis life at a tender age, and after 3 years long spiritual sojourn selected the path of Rashtriya Swaymasevak Sangh, revolutionary movement of Jayaprakash Narayan (JP) and the political philosophy of Bharathiya Janata Party to work for nation’s interest. Therefore, there is every reason to believe that he will fulfill the aspirations of his countrymen.
Janata Party was formed by Bharatiya Jan Sangh, Socialist Party, Indian National Congress (INC) and Swatantra Party to fight Congress in the parliamentary polls of 1977. Under the legendary leadership of JP, the parties had come together to fight the Emergency regime. As a result in 1977 elections Congress party witnessed a scathing defeat and Mrs. Gandhi, and her son Sanjay- the clowns of Emergency regime suffered at the hands of the people of North India.
Congress was routed in that election; it was the first in country’s history, following which, Janata Party came to power with absolute majority. Their ideological base was the logical combination of the ideals of Gandhiji, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Ram Manohar Lohia. But, the JP experiment went on to become a miserable failure very soon. The constituents demerged and disintegrated. Some of them were further split and they took several amoebic formations. And the ideological rendezvous of the idealistic trinity vanished into thin air even before it could acquire national fervour.
Then in 1980 former Jan Sangh men who left Janata Party alongwith some important personalities formed the Bharatiya Janata Party. Mohammed Kareem Chagla, who inaugurated the first BJP conference, was an ardent Gandhian. He was very much interested in the ideologies put forward by Pandit Deendayala Upadhyaya, the foremost ideologue of the Jan Sangh. He was also attracted to Lohia’s socialist concepts based on nationalism and peace. In his very inaugural speech of 1980 in Bombay, he had declared that the future of the country will be handled by BJP and Vajpayee hence it can be thought to be safe.
The first BJP conference had asserted that the country’s economic framework should be based on the Gandhian economic approach and that; it should be the basic ideology of the party.
But, the Gandhi-Deendayal-Lohia philosophies were never discussed after the fall of Janata Party. About 12 years before, this author had interacted with late Arangil Sreedharan, MP Veerendrakumar and P. Paramesh-waran concerning the ‘trinity philosophies’. And, I (the writer of this piece) had started to pen a book on those philosophies, thanks to the precious opinions of the aforementioned personalities. But, it did not go beyond halfway mark.
This time, Modi government’s efforts to dig out the ideological basis of Janata Party, when its debacle is about 35 years old, and link it with several other bunches of thoughts are of course welcome steps.
Leftists are the people who demolished the first non Congress rule. The Janata party’s rule fell down due to the deceit of CPM and their fellowmen and gave a golden opportunity to the Congress for a powerful come back; it is a fact that can never be forgotten.
Gradually, the path shown by Gandhi is turning more and more acceptable, not only to India but also to the whole world: Gandhiji, Deendayalji and Lohiaji endeavoured for the integral development of the humanity, on the basis of Indianness or Bharatheeyatha to uphold the greatness of our culture, tradition and heredity. They believed that both spirituality and materialism were essential for the development of humanity. Their philosophies are relevant beyond time and political boundaries in this world. Our country should be able to merge these philosophies to the maximum possible extent and present it before the humanity as an effective alternative. In this light, the new Government should take initiative for conducting studies in this direction. Such an intellectual linking is a must for making the 21st century ours.
The ‘admission of defeats’ speech made my Dr Manmohan Singh, the then finance minister, on December 18, 1991 in the form of a special submission itself is more than enough to learn that Nehruvian economics was a total disaster.
Dr Singh said in that submission that Indian economy fell apart in the path we followed during the 44 post independence years. He added that the country was facing economic disaster and was in deep crisis.
Dr Singh even expressed the helplessness of the government stating that they alone could not do anything. This speech was later on known as ‘statement of liberalization’. It shed light on the fact that Nehruvian approach was a failure; because, it followed Soviet model instead of following and implementing Gandhian approach with respect to our economic policy.
Narendra Modi’s speech during motion of thanks reflected the voice of a real patriot and a visionary who longs to find out the reason for failures as well as solutions for it.
If one assesses the last couple of centuries, one will come across the undisputed fact that Capitalism and Communism are two ideologies which influenced the mankind most. By 21st century they have turned flops and obsolete. The collapse of these ideologies points out that a man is not perfect with his material prosperity alone.
Gandhiji-Deendayal-Lohia theories can fill up the vacuum created by the collapse of the capitalism and communism. Prime Minister has already paid his respects to these three great souls and has declared them as the guides and philosophers, and has declared that their ideology will shape India in the times to come.
-PS Sreedharan Pillai (The writer is a senior Lawyer in Kerala & Member of BJP National Executive)
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