[Reader-list] APJ letter

[Rakesh Iyer]

Dear Bipin jee (and all)

Let me clarify certain points and also add further more.

First of all, sorry as I had stated that Kalam jee had chosen
president by the BJP. Yes he is chosen by the electoral college, so I
am sorry about that. Having said that, I can't forget the conditions
under which the BJP decided to support him (his name was first thrown
into the ring by the Samajwadi Party, but nobody talked about that
when the BJP supported him). We had had Godhra and the post-Godhra
pogrom, and a brilliant way of Muslim appeasement was practiced by the
BJP and the then-ruling NDA by introducing his name at a time, when
they were confused about Krishna kant and P.C.Alexander themselves.
(And the Congress further proved it is equal to this task by
supporting his candidature)

Secondly, Bipin jee, I can understand your problem. For you, whatever
supports your point is relevant, rest all is irrelevant. Waise if you
felt my arguments were irrelevant, you should not have replied back at
all. Probably it struck you too strongly. My sympathies in that case.

Thirdly, unlike your belief, terrorism can't be countered with
nationalism (it's like saying that terror can be struck with
counter-terror, remembering Shuddha jee's post here). Terrorism can
only be countered down at the roots. Nationalism is not what its root
is. Israel has been trying to eradicate terrorism since the last 50
years, without success (and Israel is more nationalistic than India).
And now we will have the Modis and Advanis doing the same. Forget the
root cause, you have never even spoken about reforming our police and
judiciary and their functioning to see that at least such cases are
solved at the earliest in a proper manner.

For your kind information, Tagore jee was also against nationalism,
and he even argued with Gandhi about it. (Gandhi had said that
nationalism is ok if it leads to internationalism, Tagore said this is
crap). And we all know what happened to Japan during the Second World
War which it joined in the name of nationalism. Not going far, go and
find about the Hirakud dam oustees who were asked to sacrifice their
land for a 'nationalist' cause.

Fourthly, I am taking this speech into consideration along with his
previous speeches which he made as a president, when he used to say
that India has to be turned into a developed nation by 2020. And in
Bhopal, he even claimed we have to become a superpower (he visited
Bhopal around Independence Day in 2002, if I am not wrong). May be
it's not written in his speech, but looking at the kind of profession
he was in and the goals he has stated, he believes in nationalism like
you, and so such views are not surprising.

My problem is that we all know how the US behaved as a superpower. So
I don't wish to see India doing that.

Fifthly, the US is not just a financial superpower sir. It's a
military superpower too. No nation in the world has got the kind of
arms, and technical superiority in defence arms which the US has,
although other nations are trying to achieve that. It's on this basis
that it undertook a campaign in Iraq, virtually bulldozing all
opposition against this even in the UN. And looking at our record in
other areas, I dont' see any reason why we would behave differently
from them if we were in their position.

Sixthly, the kind of development paradigm we are undertaking today has
to be debated. Neither Kalam nor you have mentioned what is this
development paradigm they believe in. If it's the current paradigm
which has made the US developed, I am against it as it would only lead
to destruction on a global scale involving death of millions of
innocent people and further breeding of terrorism. Therefore, it is
better that we first of all discuss about that rather than tripping
over people voting on development.

Seventhly, if you think people vote for development, go and find out
what that development means for them. Probably you can also be for a
shock, if you find that Dalits in many parts think development just
means that no upper caste man attacks their women. They don't want
education, health or even good roads, they just want security. And
security in itself is development for them! So traditionally in India,
people have voted for development and continue to do so, it's just
that the meaning of development is different for different people.

Eighth. First we should look at ourselves before pointing fingers at
others (Said by Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus Christ, and probably so many
others before I state this here again). The Indian state has unleashed
injustice on so many people, be it through fake encounters, through
prostitution, through lack of implementing prohibition, through
improper governance and massive corruption, through schemes which
ensured mass displacement of people without proper rehabilitation, and
through mechanisms which ensured people didn't get justice at the
proper place at the proper time. Moreover, people have not been able
to lead their lives through dignity as well. What about that? Before
looking at Taliban and Pakistan, let us look at our own state
apparatus.

Ninth. You say that it's not the state's responsibility. I believe it
is. The Indian state destroyed mechanisms and norms which had
developed in our villages on a self-decided basis there itself,
regarding how are the resources to be managed and consumed, how is
agriculture to be carried out, how will water be saved for the dry
summer months, and so on. The Indian state penetrated each and every
area where villages had been governed on a self-government basis, and
now all these areas have seen no development due to massive corruption
and centralization of powers, rather than proper decentralization.

Therefore, it's not me, but the very Indian state, which has accepted
that it's the state's responsibility to provide for its citizens. And
when it fails, I will criticize it, whether you like it or not. If you
think it's wrong, ask the govt. to decentralize the powers and
functioning areas so that villages can manage themselves properly in a
more democratic manner. Would be better for the villagers too.

Moreover, even going by your logic, if industrialization, R & D
development and infrastructure development have to be undertaken, the
policies for these are formulated by the govt, and hence indirectly or
directly, it's the Indian state which is responsible for the plight of
its citizens.

Sir, you have pronounced my ideas as irrelevant. I would not do that.
I respect people's views. So, let others decide whether your ideas are
irrelevant or not. Same for mine as well.

Regards

Rakesh