By
Shameem Faizee
Perhaps never have the
common people waited for the advent of the New Year as this year as they
expected it to be a year of change. It is the change that they expect from the
general elections due in 2019. Actually, people took time to realise the real nature
of the change that occurred as a result of BJP winning the majority in the Lok
Sabha on its own. It was not the ordinary change of power in a bourgeois
democracy. It was not replacement of one bourgeois set up with another.
The formation of the BJP government
under the leadership of Narendra Modi was a definite right-ward shift in the
politics of the country. The new government represented the economic interests
of the corporate capital and through it the international finance capital. It
did serve this economic tribe during the past four and a half years. The
country’s economy has been destroyed to serve the interests of corporate
capital. All positive aspects of economy have been blurred. Unemployment is not
only increasing but job opportunities are getting reduced. Public services like
education, public health, transport, PDS have been privatised. They are
becoming out of the reach of ordinary people.
Right ward push is visible
in all segments of administration. Penetration of Sanghis has become norm. All
dirty means are being used to hasten the process of caste and communal Year of
Change polarisation. The society is really on the verge of chaos and
disintegration. It took time but people have realised the threat continuance of
this rightist, communal and pro-corporate regime poses to the very foundation
of our secular democratic republic. That is the crux of terming the advent of
New Year to be a year of change.
But the ruling group will
do everything to avoid the desired change and prolong their misrule. They first
tried to project as if there is no alternative to the individual. But the
electoral verdicts, not only of the recent assembly polls but the earlier held
by-elections have clearly indicated the people’s mood. Otherwise also, whenever
change in power takes place, it is not on the basis of individual’s
acceptability. It is the policies that have been pursued and alternative that
is projected.
The hollow claim of
fighting corruption has got thoroughly exposed. Even Narendra Modi has started
saying that the corruption charges are not against him personally but against
his ruling dispensation and colleagues. Rafale deal has exposed that there is
no bigger promoter of crony capitalism than the present head of the government.
It is true that the
bourgeois political parties, both regional and national, will like to avoid
taking clear cut positions on basic socio-economic issues as most of them have
swallowed the prescription of economic-neo liberalism. We have witnessed during
the past two and a half decades that most of these bourgeois political parties,
when out of power, come out on streets and even join forces with Left to oppose
the implementation of economic neo-liberal policies. In power, they betray the
people and implement the neo-liberal policies.
This also applies, to some
extent, on their attitude towards growing threat of communalism and casteism.
Some of them even opt for soft Hindutva. This threat has to be realised while
going for an alternative to present communal, casteist, rightist and
pro-corporate capital regime.
It means, change the people
are expecting in 2019 is not of personalities but in the set of policies that
will undo all the destruction present regime has caused during the past four
and a half years. Actually the political course the present regime has taken
since taking over power in 2014 has to be reversed. This cannot be imagined by
going in for rhetoric. Alliances not based on alternative policies will not
serve the purpose. Left does understand the reality as it does not work for
just achieving certain goals in this or that election. It aims at furthering
the course of democratic and socialist revolution.
Hence, if 2019 has to be
really a year of change then people’s consciousness has to be roused. It is not
just creating consciousness but also making people to move on the streets to
fight back the rightist forces and help in building the real people’s
alternative based on alternative policies. The task before the Left is really
challenging but it has to face this challenge. (IPA Service)
The post Indian Masses Are Looking For Real Change In 2019 appeared first on Newspack by India Press Agency.
