Davos and the Modern World Order — A Global Pushback Against Power Politics
The Call for a People’s Revolution and India’s Place in the World
Justice Markandey Katju contrasts the modern global order seen at Davos with India’s feudal religious politics, warning of stagnation without revolutionary change.
A Tale of Two Worlds
By Justice Markandey Katju
On watching TV and youtube one feels there are really two worlds on this planet, the gulf between the two being gargantuan, and seemingly unbridgeable, unbreachable, and insurmountable.
One is the modern world, reflected in what happened in Davos, Switzerland recently, where Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, and European leaders rebuffed US President Trump over his threat to forcibly conquer and annex Greenland.
Carney spoke of the rupture in the world order, attacking Trump without naming him, saying that the strong ( obviously implying USA ) think they can do what they want
The other world is reflected in the standoff at the Magh Mela in Prayag ( Allahabad ), UP, India between the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, Swami Avimukteshwaranand, and the UP Government authorities, which resulted in physical violence, the latter even questioning the former's very right to be called a Shankaracharya.
Another Shankaracharya ( there are 4 in India ) has demanded an apology from the Chief Minister of UP, failing which he will be guilty of the great sin of cow slaughter, and then a country-wide agitation against the ruling BJP will be launched
The Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand has said that despite his repeated demands the BJP has not banned cow slaughter all over India, which shows that the BJP does not really represent Hindus. He wants the cow to be declared as the 'Rashtra Mata' ( Mother of the Country ).
With elections approaching in several states in India, such an agitation may be damaging to the ruling party, which came to power purporting to represent India's 80% Hindu population, but which may now be hoisted with its own petard, by being branded as anti-Hindu.
The point to be noted is that we are really living in two starkly different worlds (1) the modern world, and (2) the feudal world.
India is largely living in the latter. Issues like building a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya or cow protection are usually given more importance rather than rapidly developing the economy and raising the standard of living of the people, as was done by Chinese leaders after their Revolution in 1949, and which has made China a super power.
Unless India gets transformed into the former by a mighty upheaval, a historical protracted people's struggle, led by genuinely patriotic, modern minded leaders, in which great sacrifices will have to be made, culminating in a people's revolution, which sets up a political and social order under which the country rapidly industrializes, and the standard of living of the people steadily rises, it will continue to be pushed around and exploited by powerful nations.
Till then its voice will really be irrelevant in the world arena, despite tall claims that it has the fastest growing economy in the world, its leader is a 'Vishwaguru', and all that kind of nonsense, claptrap, rigmarole, balderdash, hokum, poppycock, twaddle, and gobbledygook
(Justice Markandey Katju is a former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, and former Chairman of the Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own.)
