“Even when the Communism—which is another name for the dictatorship of the Proletariat—came to Russia, it did not come as something inevitable without any kind of human effort. There was a revolution and much deliberate planning had to be done with a lot of violence and bloodshed, before it could step into Russia. The rest of the world is still waiting for coming of the Proletarian Dictatorship. Apart from this general falsification of the Marxian thesis that Socialism is inevitable, many of the other propositions stated in the lists have also been demolished both by logic as well as by experience” – Dr B R Ambedkar, Writings and Speeches, Vol. III, p. 444Writings and Speeches Vol. 8, Dr Ambedkar Foundation, New Delhi, pp. 236-237
What happened in the proceedings of the XXth Party Congress, the Parliament of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), is unprecedented but not unexpected. The Congress confirmed Xi Jinping as the ‘core leader’, the sole person to lead the party and the Government. His elevation as the peoples’ leader put him on par with the CPC founder Mao Zedong. There would be different kinds of analysis and predictions following these internal developments in China. Instead of leaving it to guesswork, we should follow the history of socialist dictatorships, including Mao, to decode the new Mascot of ‘socialism’.
By eliminating all the challengers by force or constitutional manipulations, in the last five years, Xi Jinping has employed all means to deviate from the ‘collective leadership’ model evolved by Deng Xiaoping. He was never secretive about this intention. Whether policies like the anti-corruption drive or postulates such as ‘Ensuring Party leadership over all work’, it is Xi Jinping’s thoughts on ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era’ all over the place. In the name of people’s democracy, the dictatorship of the party, led by an individual, has been the fundamental characteristic of Communist rule anywhere, and CPC is not an exception. Xi Jinping is replicating the same ploy of building a personality cult in the name of socialism.
Communists have no regard for human rights. From zero-Covid policy to excessive state intervention in economic activities, the life of ordinary Chinese has been miserable. The economic slowdown is evident, and the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative project has not taken any concrete shape. As per the concluding speech by XI, high taxation looks inevitable in the name of ‘shared prosperity’. In such a scenario, the very intent of ensuring ‘political stability’ at any cost seems dicey. Again a typical socialist dictatorial trait of playing with peoples’ lives while selling high dreams of equality and prosperity to fulfil personal ambitions is a distinctive socialist trait.
Internationally, the trust deficit vis-à-vis Xi Jinping’s China is at an all-time low. The entire world witnessed irresponsible behaviour during the initial stage of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent muscle flexing with the international agencies. Global investments in China are in the doldrums, while smaller countries see the Chinese presence as expansionism. To manage the domestic difficulties, socialist dictators opt for aggression outside. Xi Jinping may explore the warpath to project himself as a challenger to the US-led international order. The already unstable world order will undoubtedly face uncertainties during the third term of Xi Jinping. Rogue allies of China, like Pakistan and North Korea, are encouraged by the third term of Xi. The leader’s personal ambitions may push humanity into another Cold War as Stalin and Mao did.
Communist parties never believed in a democratic process or inclusion. For them, gender equality and minority rights are mere tools against liberal democracies. The composition of unveiled politburo and standing committee ratify the same. Xi Jinping will continue to do so in the name of Asia’s century and realising the Chinese dream. People of China will find ways to fight their war for freedom, but democracies like Bharat will have to be vigilant against the new communist despot. Presenting a model AatmaNirbhar Bharat that believes in diversity, juxtaposed to the imposed uniformity propagated by capitalism or socialism, is the civilisational role Bharat will have to take up for the sake of humanity.
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