Socialism Is Back And How?

By Manuwant Choudhary

I have always wondered why in the US politicians run for elections but in India they only stand for elections.

When you run - you move. When you stand - you just stand.

For 60 years our politicians have been standing and so is our economy.
And even when US intelligence says that China-India to be super-powers by 2025, India's politicians just stand.
No word from them.

So with elections round the corner first L.K. Advani stood before India Inc., he said it wasn't fair to his party - the BJP - that India Inc was only talking about global slowdown and not about domestic slowdown because of a `slow' Prime Minister.

Now Sonia Gandhi stands before a Leadership Summit and recalls the `good ole' days when banks in India were nationalised by Mrs. Indira Gandhi and says it was `prudent' to do so..as the world sees now that it is the only way to deal with the crisis.

I first saw that story on ndtv.com but I knew it would disappear.

And lo and behold I was right. A revised version omitted the `bank nationalisatin' part.

The TOI has Sonia on the inside pages (minus the nationalisation) because its a` liberal' newspaper and believes it is actually driving reforms.

But I knew there is one liberal for whom the Sonia `glee' is fodder and so I would get to read the best that can be written on the subject.

Read Sauvik Chakraverti at his blog sauvik-antidote.blogspot.com where he calls upon Mr.S.V. Raju to lead a `jail bharo' andolan since the Mumbai High Court has neglected his Swatantra Party case challenging allegiance to socialism.

He is right when he says todays Indian Express edit should be read. "A return to an era of controls would be calamitous).

But not just Sonia...a bankers union of public sector banks a few days ago called upon the Prime Minister to nationalize all private banks. (they do not mention the 60,000 crore rupees given to govt. banks to bail them out)

The government of India has hiked salaries of all chiefs of PSUs even if they make losses.

The same government which had advised private CEOs should get less pay.

The same government which advises private companies to reduce costs of their products.

The same government which says oil PSUs will not reduce the price of oil because it still makes losses.

The same government which spends thousands of crores in the name of rural employment on wasteful and unproductive work, while farms have no labour.

In Bihar, the government gives triple promotions to doctors with a triple salary hike alongwith arrears.

In Maharashtra, there is coal reserve for just a day. Pune already witnesses a 12 hour power shut-down.

But Enron is ok but private players in the power sector are a no, no.

Will India's liberals stand up? And run......??