Dr Raghuram Rajan and Dr Arvind Subramaniam stand by the protesting students
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and many of his party mates were happy to see former RBI
Governor Dr Raghuram Rajan, and the former Chief Economic Adviser Dr Arvind Subramaniam , go back to
where they came from—the USA.
Both the economists had served under the BJP-led government , but the government never
took kindly to their plainspeak:
particularly when they opened up young
minds. Rajan spoke on everything from liberalism to the idea of India, politics
and elections to social issues-- there was no subject he was hesitant to touch without mincing a word.
And Subramaniam made his point using an economic connect to the ills he found needed
addressing .The Swadeshi lobby despised them. And there is every reason to
believe that those who matter in the BJP and the RSS, were indeed insecure on
account of the growing popularity of these two public servants, particularly
among the young.
Both
have a huge following among students in colleges , institutes and
university campuses across the country. Though
teachers at Ivy League universities of the USA, they have visited –and continue
to visit--many Indian universities, interacted with the students and delivered lectures, including convocation
addresses. Many such speeches went viral
when fresh, some have a recall value
today too.
Over
the last two days,Dr Rajan and Dr Subramaniam have spoken up for India, now in the throes of
protests on the streets and violence in the campuses.
The
former RBI Governor in a blog post admits to finding the news coming out of
India “worrisome”. “ When even elite
universities become literal battlegrounds, accusations that the government is
attempting to suppress dissent—even if by apathy rather than design—gain
substantial credibility,” he points out.
Dr Rajan notes “while the identities of the
attackers remain unclear, what is clear is that many of the attacked were
activists, and neither the government-appointed administration nor the police
intervened. And this was in a capital city where everyone is usually on high
alert”.
Looking
at the positive side of the recent events, the former RBI Governor writes that
“ the spirit of our Constitution still burns brightly”.
“When young people of diverse faiths march
together, Hindus and Muslims arm-in-arm behind our national flag, rejecting
artificial divides stoked by political leaders for their own gain, they show
that the spirit of our constitution still burns brightly. When officers of the
administrative service resign their dream jobs because they do not believe they
can serve in good faith, they are living testimony that the sacrifices made by
the generations that got us freedom still inspire emulation. When an Election
Commissioner carries out his duties impartially despite the harassment it
brings upon his family, he asserts that integrity has not been completely
cowed. When some members of the media work tirelessly to get the truth out even
as their colleagues succumb to government pressure, they demonstrate what it means
to be a dutiful citizen of the Republic. And when a Bollywood actress registers
her silent protest by meeting with the victims of the attack on JNU, even
though she puts attendance at her latest movie at risk, she inspires us all to
take stock of what is truly at stake."
His piece is titled “A Resolution for the New Decade”, and Dr Rajan says while it is easy to
blame our leadership, we the public,
also bear a responsibility, and elaborates it thus:
“After all, it was the citizenry that put our
leaders into office and acquiesced in their divisive manifesto, which they have
taken as their marching orders. Some of us were hopeful that they would focus
on the economic agenda. Some of us agreed with their speeches, which scratched
and inflamed our own prejudices. Some of us were indifferent, thinking politics
was someone else’s problem. And some of us feared the consequences of being
critical, as critics were ruthlessly made examples of. At the end of the day,
democracy is not merely a right, but it is also a responsibility—a burden to be
the keepers of our Republic, not merely on election day but on every day.”
His
message to the youth? “In these troublesome times, let us work together to make
India that shining example of tolerance and respect that our founders
envisioned, a beacon once more for a weary world. Let that be our task for the
new decade”
Dr
Subramaniam, the former CEA, has visited
many educational institutions across the country to discuss India’s economy and
explain the annual Economic Survey. He recalls visits to the Jamia Millia, the
JNU, the Aligarh Muslim University and observes that “something has changed over the past few
months”.
He identifies the change too ! "Thugs armed not just with weapons but with
ideological hate have perpetrated unprovoked violence, not only in these
universities but in campuses across India."
Subramaniam
believes the students are being attacked for” exercising their right of expression,
their right to articulate their concerns and opinions about a set of measures
they fear might consign many Indians to second-class citizenship, if not
deprive them of their identity altogether?”. As a pedagogue, his prescription
is clear. Regardless of whether their fears are misplaced or exaggerated, the
youth must be heard in order to understand and address their concerns.
The Prime Minister’s goal of making India a $5
trillion economy would have to be driven by the demographic dividend , and if
universities become war zones, we don’t build human capital, the former CEA
writes in a piece titled, “From
Demographic Dividend to Demographic Wasteland.”
“Indeed,
since building human capital, maintaining social peace and creating strong
institutions are key determinants of long-run development, recent actions
triply undermine achieving sabka saath, sabka vikas.”says the former CEA,
quoting Prime Minister Modi’s favourite slogan.
At a time when the government is struggling to find ideas to give the economy a push, they will do well to listen to their former adviser.
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