India for a very long time was divided between the elite belonging to the Lutyens club of the national capital and the rest of the country. These self proclaimed elite class who took pride in going to the clubs of Delhi and trying to influence important decisions in the government had created a closed door arena for themselves which was not open to others. If at all anyone from outside the Lutyens zone ever desired to enter this club, the contours for that were predefined from the roads of Janpath and Akbar road in the capital.
The protectors of this elite regime curated by the select few amongst the country of over 1 billion of population in their self proclaimed supercilious righteousness, behaved oblivion to the fact that they are transcending over the thin line between keeping pride and accepting adamancy in their behavioral pattern.
The nation’s epicenter of political power had become practically unreachable to the common people of this nation. India has invariably taken pride in exhibiting its democratic nature. However, with this elite class holding the navigation of power in the national capital, the concept of democracy benefiting for all had become a mere phrase.
Who so ever managed to cater to the interest of this elite class could very well turn the wind of favors to their direction. For rest, they were only the audience who had the feeling of watching a story of aspirations and ambitions revolving around the same class of people time and again.
A great resonance could be identified in the phrase Lutyens Delhi with that of the British dominated India which had a typical English speaking elite lobby. While we inherited a lot of unwanted things from the British dominance, this elite class was one of the most treacherous things to have taken ahead with us by some people particularly in the limelight during the UPA 1 and UPA 2 tenure, although the roots of which were very deep in the country’s political circle.
The influence of British pattern of dominance on this Lutyens lobby was to the extent that they outright rejected the basic conscious and concept of Bharat. They took pride in calling themselves the elite English speaking population of the new India, the boundaries of which were crafted to suit only their interests.
However, the ascent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi created a massive disruption amongst these cozy clubs of Lutyens Delhi who unwillingly though but were replaced by the true intellects having the experience of grass root level and who could relate to the predicaments of the people outside the radius of Lutyens zone.
With this change in the modus-operandi of the new people in power the frustration of the same is evident. A recent interview where this frustration could be seen was of Sanjay Baru, Media Advisor to Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the forgotten voice of English Journalism Karan Thapar. Baru in his book titled ‘India’s power elite’ have tried to showcase this change within political and bureaucratic circles of Delhi.
In an interview with The Wire, Baru says the new power elite is more provincial, it prefers to use Hindi or vernacular languages. The old elite had been to similar schools and universities, and were members of the Gymkhana or IIC. Baru added that this is the first time the PMO does not have officers who have graduated from St Stephens or JNU.
These statements made by the advocates of Lutyens reflect their mindset on what they think of the deserving people now in power who understands the basic needs of our countrymen.
If Baru’s interview were to be decoded in an alternative perspective what he has conveniently refrained from making a comment revolves around the fact that these very Lutyens failed to provide electricity for the rest of the country for over 65 years since independence.
The Lutyens government or the graduates from Stephens college as bureaucrats failed to ensure that the common man is connected to the banking systems of this nation. Perhaps they were busy issuing financial aid to potential defaulters in future, the lobbying for whom was done allegedly by those sitting in the ICC or gymkhana.
What the advocates of Lutyens who call themselves to be the highly intellect class could not muster their intelligence in ensuring macro and micro level finances for the nation like that of PM Modi and his team. Be it the insolvency and bankruptcy code to introduction of GST to giving a clarion call for Swachh Bharat, the old highly educated graduates could not count these as their achievements.
It is imperative for these self proclaimed elitists to understand that the sentiments and the needs of the country as a whole are not confined to the walls of the privileged enclave of the capital. The people of this nation do not require the alluring phrases of English which can vow the audiences. They require concrete actions on ground as that of the PM Mudra Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Ujala Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana, Jan Dhan Yojana and many more.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team may not represent the English speaking people but even those English speaking people of Bharat are the strong advocates of his policies as they understand merely getting the accent of speaking in English does not necessarily speak for its knowledge.
What is an absolute dismay is that Baru in his interview to Karan Thapar has gone on to compare the impact of Cultural Revolution under Prime Minister Modi to the one that happened under Mao in China. In both instances the aim is to remove if not eradicate vestiges of the old order who may have tried to cling onto power and office, he says.
While Prime Minister Modi lets his work do the talking, what the Lutyens Lobby have perpetually failed to understand is the fact that the people of this nation has no interest in keeping the vestiges which leads them to dark era of emergency, Coal scam, 2G scam, Chopper scam, CWG scam, Adarsh Scam and this list can go on.
The fellow Indians would rather appreciate the vestiges of India registering world records in fastest road construction, all farmers covered under the PM Kisan Yojana, Ensuring pension to farmers, laborers, shopkeepers, Law related to triple talaq, Law for strict punishment against child abuse, historical reduction in corporate tax, delivery of next generation fighter plane to the country, Bodo Peace Accord, Brue-Reang Permanent Settlement, formation of Trust for a grand Ram Temple, decision to revoke article-370, decision to make Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Union Territories, Citizenship Amendment Act and this list can go on.
Having left with no other major controversy at hand, the pseudo secular left liberal lobby of the Lutyens zone in the national capital has now resorted to decrying as Prime Minister Narednra Modi with his developmental reforms have shattered the walls built by them to protect their own interests.
The nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has gathered in union to outcast the British influenced mindset of maintaining the centralized colonies of power. Instead the nation now witnesses a free India with plethora of opportunities in the most transparent and accessible manner.
This disruption in the old elite system by Prime Minister Modi can never be supported by the protagonists of the old elitism. Perhaps this is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to be “Unaccepted by traditional Lutyens but is the most preferred choice of Indians”
(The Author is the Media Head of BJP Maharashtra State)
