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| ECONOMICS 2.0 |
| India needs
a liberal party |
| Liberals do not
stand a chance in political parties that get excited
about mafia dons and matinee idols |
| Niranjan Rajadhyaksha |
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The style and substance of
Indian politics was once resolutely moderate and
liberal. This was before the age of mass rallies,
loud slogans and unprincipled coalitions. Most of
our political leaders 100 years ago were liberal
- Dadabhai Naoroji, M.G. Ranade and G.K. Gokhale,
for instance. The original divide in our politics
was between them and their radical critics like
Lokmanya Tilak and Lala Lajpat Rai. The first Congress
split in 1905, at Surat, was because of a clash
between the two groups.
The radicals eventually won, and their aggressive
style has dominated our politics for most of the
20th century - both on the Left and the Right. The
principled radicalism of the early extremists made
way for irresponsible politics of our times. And
liberalism went into decline in our country.
It is time to revive it. Amartya Sen, in a recent
article, has argued that India needs a liberal right-wing
party - a modern version of the Swatantra
Party that challenged Nehruvian socialism in the
1950s and 1960s. Sen's plea is based on partisan
logic. He believes that such a party will woo middle-class
voters away from the Bharatiya Janata Party. But
that is too limited a cause to build a party on.
That said, the essential point is worth pursuing
- the formation of a truly liberal political party.
It should be one that respects individual liberties,
supports a market economy and swears by constitutional
methods. All three are essential if India is to
eventually develop further as an economy and society.
We do not have even one mainline party that believes
in these core tenets of liberalism. They all prefer
the old way of statist meddling, a way that has
ravaged our country and condemned it to poverty.
India's liberals have been reviled over the decades;
often because they were foolish enough to take principled
stands on various issues. Though the first lot in
the 19th century made early critiques of imperial
economic policy, they were condemned as agents of
the Empire, because of their support to the government
on matters of social reform. In the 1930s, the liberals
were swept away by the fervour of Gandhiji's movement.
And the Swatantra Party, led by Rajaji, was time
and again attacked as a tool of rich capitalists
and princes. This party had its own unpopular positions
- it opposed the invasion of Goa in 1962 and the
abolition of the privy purses in 1969. More importantly,
it opposed nationalisation and attempts to collectivise
agriculture. Yet, it won votes. And it was the largest
opposition party after the 1967 elections, with
44 seats.
It's a different country today - emerging out of
poverty, disillusioned with the ability of governments
to solve problems and having a large middle class
with an interest in stability. As the Marxists would
say, this is the social base that can help nurture
a liberal party in India.
Our civil society, institutions and economic freedoms
have survived partly because of the commitment of
leaders like Jawharlal Nehru or A.B. Vajpayee. But
there is another reason. The pulls and pressures
of coalition politics have ensured that nobody has
done anything drastic to the basic liberal nature
of the constitution (though Mrs Gandhi tried to
make it socialist).
But should we continue to rely on the wisdom of
certain leaders and the balance of terror between
different parties for freedom and prosperity? Definitely
not. That's why, I am told, attempts are being made
by liberals to regroup into a political party. There
has not been much success. Sharad Joshi's Swantantra
Bharat Party, an extension of his Shetkari Sanghatana,
for example, has not made much of an impact.
One problem, obviously, is the lack of leadership.
The Swatantra Party was led by Rajaji, who was Gandhiji's
political heir as much as Nehru and Patel were.
There is no one liberal politician today who has
the same stature. There are some liberals who work
away at the fringes of the established political
parties. But do they really have a chance in parties
that get excited about mafia dons and matinee idols?
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