By Justice Markandey Katju
I had written articles critical of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi
A Muslim friend settled in America messaged to me :
I do not disagree with your analysis. However, do you ever object to Modi going to all the temples, using Ram mandir as an election issue, performing a cocoanut ceremony of the new parliament inauguration, calling those naked priests with big tits, and making democracy a mockery “?
I replied :
Modi will do it because that is his communal agenda for getting votes. But Congress claims to be a secular party. Their ‘secularism’ is only skin deep, and is only with an eye for getting Muslim votes.
He wrote back :
So who should Muslims turn to ?
Since this question required a detailed reply I am writing it here.
The basic problems of India are its massive and grinding poverty, record and rising unemployment, appalling level of child malnutrition ( every second child in India is malnourished, many wasted or stunted, according to Global Hunger Index ), almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for the masses, skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, etc
These problems affect not only Hindus but also Muslims, perhaps the latter even more, as the Sachar Committee report discloses.
I submit that none of the present political parties or political leaders in India have any solutions to these massive problems. They have no genuine love for the country, and are only interested in power and pelf.
India has adopted the parliamentary system of democracy, which may sound very rosy, but in fact runs largely on caste and communal vote banks, as everyone knows. Casteism and communalism are feudal forces, which have to be destroyed if India is to progress, but parliamentary democracy.
further entrenches them, as it largely runs on their basis.
So parliamentary democracy has to be replaced by an alternative system with patriotic modern minded leaders determined to rapidly modernise and industrialise the country, raise the standard of living of our people, and give them decent lives. This cannot be done under parliamentary democracy in which our politicians only think of caste and communal vote banks for coming to power.
So the solutions to India’s basic problems lie outside the present system, not within it. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi operate within the system, not outside it, and therefore can achieve nothing.
How that alternative system outside the present system can be created, how much time will it take to achieve, who will be its leaders, etc is imposible to predict.. The patriotic Indians will have to use their creativity and think these out..
Many Muslims only want Modi and the BJP out of power. I am no lover of Modi and the BJP, and in fact I am strongly critical of their communal politics. But in my opinion ousting them will not solve any basic problems of Muslims mentioned above, but will only be going from the frying pan into the fire..
No doubt replacing them by some party or coalition professing secularism will reduce the present atrocities on Indian Muslims, but it will not solve their basic problems of poverty, unemployment, etc There are about 210 million Muslims in India, the vast majority of them suffering from poverty, unemployment, etc, and their problems are the same as that of the vast majority of. Hindus.
The solution to these problems therefore is forming a united front of Hindus, Muslims and others, and launching a powerful united people’s struggle against the present system to achieve the goal of creating an alternative system under which India rapidly progresses. This will no doubt be a long, arduous struggle, in which many sacrifices will have to be made, and with many ups and downs, but there is no other way out.
Installing Rahul or Priyanka Gandhi as the Prime Minister is an inane, superficial idea which will achieve nothing.
