National News Service, Kolkata, 05 October 2004: The leftists in India have always been a case of the bark being worse than the bite. The leftists are limited in power in West Bengal and Tripura through violence and scientific rigging, and in Kerala in alternate elections.
Yet they behave as they are a true representative of all the people in India. It would appear that Goebbels is alive and well and a politburo member of the leftists. His doctrine that if a lie is constantly repeated it becomes the truth has become a mantra for the leftists, but the leftists have probably forgotten that Abraham Lincoln said – You can fool some people for some time, some people for all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time- and Montek Singh Ahluwalia has exposed the leftists for what they are.
The wisdom of having a planning commission can be questioned. The concept of planning is a Soviet era concept that in the erstwhile Soviet Union has proved its futility. In the 57 years of Independence the 5 year plans have only shined by the fact that all the targets have been missed and the poor have become poorer and the rich richer.
In an autocratic State you can think of having five years plans, because the assumption is that the people or doctrine have come to stay, but in a democratic setup it is only natural that different political parties will have different economic agendas, so as different parties come to power why should they be straight jacketed by a plan setup by some other party and philosophy. Most Political parties are thrown out because of their dismal economic record, and this failure to bring about economic parity amongst the people.
The thought that a few so-called experts, bureaucrats and politicians can decide what is the best for a billion people for five years is a farce. This can only be true for imperialists, communists and autocrats of all hues. In a diversified and Country like India with many languages, cultures and aspirations the thought of a few foreign/Indian educated economists, associated people, in Delhi sitting in mindless sessions sipping tea and no doubt tasty snacks, they cannot know the dehumanizing poverty existent in the remote corners and cities of India, if they knew or had the foggiest idea of what to do, India would have been a far more prosperous and happier country.
If any thing is required it is a clear cut goal of what the peoples aspirations are and a yearly plan at the State level, taking into account what the actual resources available are. The larger economies of the world are doing just fine without maintaining such a large planning mechanism.
The dinosaurs were extinct 65 million years ago, and the communist parties and central planning should join them as fossils.
Now coming back to Montek Singh, when he let it be known that he had invited some non-Indians to take part in the consultative committees in the planning commission, the leftists went berserk and started foaming at the mouth. They huffed and puffed and threatened to blow the house down. Montek Singh went coolly off to New York let the leftists blow the steam out, and came back to India. He dissolved all the committees and the Leftists rejoiced at their unprecedented victory.
What they forgot to tell the gullible public is that they had many representatives in the committees such as, Ms Usha Patnaik, Provat Patnaik, Jayoti Ghosh, Chandrasekhar etc. and Montek Singh in one swipe got rid of all of them. He now says he will approach individuals and take their advice. What stops him now from approaching the same non-Indians without the leftists having any say.
One of the reasons why dinosaurs went extinct was that their brains were too small in comparison to their body, it seems the leftists are afflicted with the same problem. The hypocrisy of the leftists know no bounds. The West Bengal communists bring in Mckinsy to advise them on how to run their agriculture, industry etc. They are treated like gods and yet when they are invited in consultative committees of the planning commission they see red.
In this match Montek Singh has won his bout by knockout.
