Stem the rot!

21^st century India is witnessing a trend that has the potential to change the very nature of our polity. On the one hand we have secular civil society activists and, on the other hand, there is the saffron robed neo-nationalist variety; both arrogating to themselves the role of reformers. In fact they have made it bold to suggest to the government of India how the country should be governed.

Over a period of time governance seems to have lost steam. The enthusiasm with which institutions were built by the makers of India’s constitution and sought to be strengthened by the Nehru regime is on the wane now. In fact, the rot had set in during the later years of Nehru’s tenure but it manifest itself in all its ugliness during Indira Gandhi’s regime when institutions were not only sought to be marginalized but also subverted with impunity. Populism became a convenient replacement for honest endeavor to improve the lot of the downtrodden. All sorts of fanciful schemes were launched to give slogans like Garibi Hatao a modicum of credibility. These schemes only ended up in giving a huge boost to corruption even as the national debt soared. Just to give one small example. There was this IRDP Scheme meant for integrated rural development. It was supposed to promote entrepreneurship among individuals and families in the rural areas. They could buy a buffalo or cow and sell milk to earn livelihood or start some cottage industry. However, there were no supporting services like appraisal of the loan seekers’ skills or, for that matter, any facility to help in the marketing of their products and services. The rate of interest on loans under the scheme was around 4%. It gave petty politicians and babus a lot of clout. The end result was “sharing of the booty”. No matter how insignificant the amount may appear today but the sums ranging from Rs. 2500 to Rs. 4000/-, cumulatively, were considerable during the 1980s and even 1990s. Needless to say most of the loans were never returned and Public Sector banks had to pick up the tab for all the loan melas. The banks had no say in the selection of candidates for giving loans. Even the recovery of loans was not really in the bank managers’ hands as they had to defer to the local “people’s representatives”. The RBI turned a blind eye to the colossal waste of public sector banks’ resources. Consequently, while precious resources were wasted in developing entrepreneurship amongst the undeserving the real enterprise – the private sector – was not just starved of funds but asphyxiated by restrictive trade and industrial policies. Eventually, the country was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.

Things were equally bad in various government departments. Unless you had connections in bureaucracy or ministry you could not even get an FIR filed, or obtain a ration card, or avail of proper medical attention in a government hospital… These were, and to a large extent still are, problems at the grassroots level. To make things worse, corruption kept spreading like a contagion in the society. Even for getting a death certificate or a postmortem report one had to grease palms. Complaining to higher authorities was futile.

On the higher plane, too, things had begun to deteriorate. One of the side-effects of the Emergency was that the judiciary began to lose its spine and the majesty of law began to look less majestic. The public image of judges began to take a beating. Today, We are told that the rot is only at the level of lower judiciary – as if that is of any consolation to the common man who has to seek justice from that level onwards. And where do the members of higher judiciary come from? There is any number of judges even today who should not have been anywhere near the hallowed premises of our courts. So what happened to all those claims of self-regulation and internal system of weeding out the corrupt and the inefficient?

As for our legislatures and parliament – the less said the better. Substantive Issues are hardly debated. Every session sees colossal waste of time and public money through all sorts of unjustified disturbances. Violence is no more limited to the verbal – not that invectives should be a part of the political discourse. Cyril Smith, the British Liberal politician, was quoted by The Times dated 23 September, 1977, as observing, “Parliament is the longest running farce in the West End.” Ours is certainly not the longest running farce, but is getting there; unless some serious introspection is done and corrective actions taken.

Moreover, there is a dangerous casualness towards governance related issues. Peoples’ elected representatives are just not interested in running the affairs of the state. They lack vision and a sense of propriety vis-à-vis our institutions, icons and traditions. Today’s politician is arrogant but lacks self-esteem. Otherwise how does one explain the new low in his public behavior? The Leader of the Opposition dancing on the sacred precincts of Rajghat sends out signals that are not exactly elevating in nature, for example. And yet all the BJP leaders have defended this act of Sushma Swaraj and other BJP activists who were ostensibly on fast. Another cause for worry and deep thought is the conviction among our politicians that elections are won to establish and promote dynasties. Feudalism is back with a vengeance, courtesy the holiest of liberal-democratic institutions – our parliament; or, rather, elections to the parliament and state legislatures.

Thanks to the weakening of our institutions – extra-constitutional elements feel encouraged to take over the decision making process relating to the country’s governance related issues. The fault lies not with the entire political establishment that comprises the ruling coalition and the political parties sitting on the opposition benches. One is apparently reluctant to govern and the other leaves no stone unturned to ensure that all governance comes to a standstill. But the rise of civil society is a comparative benign phenomenon. What is worrying is the increasing visibility of the religious variety. Much has been made of the fanaticism perpetrated by the priest fundamentalists belonging to minority communities – and justifiably so. But, the most dangerous trend is the encroachment by the ochre robed babas upon the nation’s political space.

There are many who have welcomed their proactive role as reformer of sorts. But, their political aspirations would become manifest sooner than later. Remember how a Baba had talked in terms of raising an army of his bhaktas? This would certainly encourage elements in other communities to follow suit. India may never become another Lebanon or Palestine but anarchy of gargantuan magnitude would become a distinct possibility. Even if the state manages to preempt this trend our democratic space is liberal enough to accommodate bigots. And this is where the late American journalist HL Mencken’s words become relevant, “The worst government is the most moral. One composed of cynics is often very tolerant and human. But when fanatics are on top there is no limit to oppression”. Be afraid!

It is time to stem the rot, no?

Published in Daily Post dated March 22, 2012