Given the intentional inscrutability and deliberate
obfuscation that the Sangh tends to practice in its communication, it will
never go on record admitting… Sangh vanguard, to put it charitably, practices a
bit of sophistry when they claim that they do not meddle in the political
affairs of BJP. I have observed Sangh for long, often with huge admiration at
their exemplary record of social service and purposeful patriotism but also
with consternation at their prejudiced pronouncements and regression in to some
kind of a secretive, Marathi Brahmin brotherhood.
Denials notwithstanding, Sangh is facing a huge
talent problem. Combined with intellectual atrophy it makes things worse. No
transformational ideas seem to be emerging from their cloistered world. Of
course, as one of my perceptive colleagues at CRI put it, Work-a-day
Hindutva is as imperative and not necessarily inferior but striking the
right balance holds the key. Victimhood narrative will yield diminishing
returns with aspirational middle India …
Sangh unfortunately has not been clear on which
ideological strand it wishes to promote within BJP. Currently it seems to be
leaning towards the mercenary mercantilism variety… Sangh has a unique
opportunity to embrace modernity that it always feared and resented… Sangh has
a historic chance to leave behind embarrassing aspects of its legacy which
included advocating isolationism of mind, fostering fear of modernity and
contempt for politics as an instrument of socio-political change.
We need to mobilise the middle classes and the
youth, who are shunning politics, into meaningful political activity. True
politics is vital to reconcile conflicting interests in society, make rational
choices, allocate resources wisely and enlist public support in
nation-building. At the very least, we need to make ethical politics
sustainable. Education, skills and employment must be at the core of our
governance if we are to end discrimination by birth and poverty. We need to
empower local governments and give people at the community level the
opportunity to make a difference.
We need to address the challenge of short-term
populism versus long-term public good. In a democratic society, there is a
political price to pay for pursuing rational and sound public policies. If our
quest for votes at any cost leads to short-term maximisation and instant
gratification, we will be enjoying tomorrow’s fruits today, endangering the
future. All parties must agree on the role of state in a modern society. No
matter which party is in power, we need a clear sense of purpose and direction
as a society. Parties should provide the platform and politics is the process
to achieve this. It is because politics, which ought to be the solution to the
nation’s crises, has become the problem itself that we are in a quandary.
A Must Read New Book on Friedrich Hayek from Adam Smith's Lost Legacy by Gavin Kennedy - Eamonn Butler:
“Friedrich Hayek: the ideas and
influence of the libertarian economist”
Hayek
showed why socialist economies are made obsolete by their inability to acquire
sufficient knowledge even to produce a simple product by central command,
without creating massive distortions to the production of other goods. Markets
undertake such tasks all the time because they fit well with the dispersed
knowledge shown by visible prices along the interlinked supply chains that make
up competitive market economies. Profit rewards those who discover better ways
of producing what consumers are prepared to pay for. No central
plan, no amount of computational genius, no advanced mathematics, can capture
for a moment the dispersed knowledge or shifting tastes that constitutes what
happens across whole economies. Hayek called the belief among the
Left that it could be done by planners their “fatal conceit”. He
agreed with Adam Smith that market prices gravitate towards but never need to
settle at an ideal balance. Gavin Kennedy Emeritus Professor, Edinburgh Business
School , Heriot-Watt University
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