Miserable Indian Democracy

Miserable truth behind sky touching claims

By: A. Haq, London

Boastful claim of being crowned as the world’s largest democratic , India is trying to pose to the world through false and misleading propaganda that India is also a fast developing country in Asia and that the living standard of the people is also improving. This is a claim but to whom and for what reason when the facts are far from this impression.

 Star Channel plays of India are also part of the misleading campaign which present the society where people are free from economic tensions and living life of affluence. No doubt India has made enormous macro level economic developments about which she can talk loud. Economic indicators show India making progress in economic and industrial sector. Middle class and upper class is discussed to have made improvement in living style. Increasing foreign exchange reserves and the purchasing power of the masses is also discussed to have grown substantially.

But regretfully the benefits of the economic change in the country have brought no change in the uplift of the masses. The fruit of the success has not reached the common man. Instead huge amounts of billions of dollars are being wasted away on amassing armaments with a view to perhaps contest her position as a major power of the world.

It was mainly due to the economic data and figures that the previous Indian government had raised the slogan of ‘India is shining’. That political government had in a way claimed to have touched the climax but the very next elections exposed the blatant reality and proved that all these slogans were false.

Many Indian scholars are also criticising Indian government claims and opine that such a progress is useless to the public if the fruit of progress and development does not change the lot of the common man. An eminent Economist had said, ‘In the vast sea of poverty building a few islands of prosperity cannot be claimed as success. The true facts of India and Indian Economy are surprisingly even bitter.

According to ‘Economy Watch’ out of 1.25 Billion Indian population 37% are living below the poverty line; but in view of the World Bank the ratio goes to 42%. Though many others believe that the poverty ratio is even greater than these.

It is a country which has also the credit of having world’s richest people like Lakshmi Mittal and Makesh Ambani but on the other hand there are Billions of people who cannot afford two meals a day.

In the poverty stricken states, there are hundreds of peasants who commit suicide because they are unable to pay their loans and accruing interest thereupon.

Mumbai is considered to be the hub of economic and industrial activity and is called the richest city of India. On the contrary it has also the biggest slum named ‘Dharavi’ in it. Approximately 60% of Mumbai comprises of slums where people are living in abject poverty and their estimated population is 70 Lac. India has made these slums also a source of generating money in donations. When foreign tourists visit India particularly Mumbai they also happen to visit these slums to get the eye witness account of the miserable situation. The story of the Hollywood movie ‘Slim dog millionaire’ revolves around the miserable life of the homeless, shelter less people, unwonted kids and destitute in a touching manner. Many Indians have rejected this movie because it has shattered the Indian image of Economic Tiger and exposed truly the living standard of the common man. This realistic movie was acknowledged as the best movie of the year in 2008 and pocketed 8 Oscar Awards.

This miserable situation is not particular with Mumbai alone, the same like condition exists in other cities of India where shelter less people are seen sleeping along footpaths under the open skies. Their kids born on these footpaths and grow young there.

According to UN studies 36.60 Million civilians are without adequate sanitation facilities which means that 1/3 of the total population of India is living life without proper toilet facility.

The economic conditions of Pakistan may be a little bad but not like India in anyway. A notable Indian scholar and Journalist Khashwant Singh writes that he had visited Pakistan many a times but he has never seen anyone barefooted.

Indian poverty level is so bad that it tops the countries where people sell their limbs. The biggest victims of this poverty condition are children. According to a government report every year 2.2 million kids are compelled to undergo child labour. This is also a common spectacle to find unwonted new born kids on heaps of rubbish. Pregnant women their also have the tendency to seek information regarding male or female. In case of a girl-baby most women undergo abortion because a girl is considered to be a burden on the entire family. Besides this countless women are involved in prostitution as well.

In fact Indian economic system is based in injustice and regulated by anti-social traditions. The rich grows richer and the poor, poorer. One of the major reasons is Hinduism and caste system which keeps the lower category people devoid of any rights. Most of the people of India belong to the lower caste people. Muslims over there are also facing worst economic conditions due to ethnic discrimination. The result of all this is going against the system. Maoist Movement is getting stronger day by day in India and so becoming headache for the government.