Development, Youth and the 2014 Election

Posted by : Sabbir Ahmad Sunday, 10 November 2013

The past and present of Gujarat is enough to say that Mr. Modi can lead India only towards destruction. He can only give us a communal, inhumane, unjust and divided Bharat.

The development story of Gujarat is certainly one among many deceptions created by the media in collaboration with the corporate and the politicians. It’s good that the hypes around Mr. Modi are being refuted in an intelligent manner. It’s definitely going to affect the 2014 elections, but to what extent? That certainly will act as litmus test for many in terms of the hope left in countering communal politics in our country.

The past and present of Gujarat is enough to say that Mr. Modi can lead India only towards destruction. He can only give us a communal, inhumane, unjust and divided Bharat. In spite of these known facts, does the enigma lie in Mr. Modi’s selling point? Or why his party is promoting him so much? Does it have to do with his development strategies or his dictatorial nature or his knack to play communal politics successfully?

As far as the development model is concerned nobody’s way looks different. It’s not only Gujarat but the whole nation where these models have failed miserably. Uttarakhand is a recent example that can never be ignored after the recent (un) natural calamities which shook the whole country.

Why on earth, even after six decades of independence are we struggling with the issues of disparities, exclusion, hunger and violence, and why are they growing day by day?

Have we not applied “development” in the same terms taught by our colonial rulers since our independence? Is it not driven by the principles of “survival of the fittest” and “competition not co-operation”? Our belief about development looks more like a pyramid where bottom of the pyramid (BoP) is considered to be a normal part of the structure. So the thought process is not to break this structure but to let something trickle down from the top to the bottom. Otherwise how will the top remain at the top?

In the subconscious mind of the majority world (so called developing and under-developed nations) the concept of development has been borrowed from modernism. Many among us criticize modernism and its colonial roots but deep inside our heart it is so deeply entrenched that perhaps all our activities show an unknown conformism. That’s the reason we always play catch-up with the so called developed nations and fail in order to play some more to remain under the same vicious cycle. Even after such a long chain of reforms in so many sectors which promised us economic prosperity, look at our ever devaluing currency, increasing poverty and myriads of other disparities.

India is heading towards a youth nation with more than fifty percent of the population falling under 25 years of age. These youths are going to play a decisive role in the future of the country. With 2014 election in close proximity it’s high time for the youth to wake up and start being serious about the future of their land.

Even if we equate development with employment it’s in a grim situation – formal sector doesn’t have jobs for a large proportion of educated youth. Our school prepares us for jobs but our market has no jobs for millions. Interestingly our market says that majority of our educated youth are not employable also. Ultimately the promises of our education and schooling also look false just like the politician’s promises.

So where does the problem lie – our education or our market or both? Why is our market so weak that it doesn’t have enough jobs? Why our markets are always led by few individuals and the masses are enslaved under those few? Why our schools can’t even prepare us for what they promise? Can these issues incite us to develop a youth agenda for 2014 election for our better future at least?