Panch Sheel of Swaraj

Indian humanity, divided communally, trivalised ideologically, dollar-dominated economically, politicised pathologically priced out from judicial justice mega-litigatively, has devalued Swaraj, tended to oblige lame-duck President Bush and served the interests of America Incorporated, losing, in the process, our self-respect and self-reliance so far as to sign an obviable and obnoxi-ous nuclear treaty. Prayerfully, the vast masses plead with the pro tem inflexibly firm Prime Minister, do defend us, not the US. Do compassionately consider the Panch Sheel commandments of Swaraj at once since the masses are sinking under asphyxiant inflation! Do break and banish the Iron Curtain between Parties and People, do feel for the have-nots and win back, for Bharat’s sake, Swadeshi and Swaraj.

1. The fatal crisis currently suffocating Indian humanity is the higher than ever inflation—alas, never are people’s survival on peril so poignantly at stake as now. Why be so utterly US-committed, dear Prime Minister of a great country? Let us recall the native’s first Prime Minister telling an earlier American President that India was not an international mendicant. This nuke deal submission is unbecoming and unfortunate and is a bizarre secret. And that from an otherwise clean, fine, humane statesman Dr Manmohan. My patriotic plea is straight. Do jettison this Yankee surrender.

2. Solar, hydel, tidal, wind farm-oriented, geo-thermal are abundant energy resources; plus our coal and nuclear power which, if fully explored and exploited, make us an independent Energy Swaraj nation. Beware of uranium radiation and other thanatologically technological possibilities as well as other horrendous hazards of nuclear power plants, which the US and Russia know at their cost. But US Nuclear Big Business seeks to dump uranium on India, assuming us to be a meek, weak nation. We are a Non-Aligned Power.

3. Moratorium for ten years on new foreign investments and imports on luxuries. Never any more the bankrupting, borrowing impact of foreign automobile business. We must severely restrict more profit-grabbing car factories and insatiably frantic buyers so as to sustain our national economic self-reliance and solvency as a critically democratic mandate. Our neo-colonial financial globalism is a grave danger, a great disaster, a grim despair. Nehru and Indira used Ambassador cars and never allowed insane imports.

4. Immediate harsh enforcement of law prohibiting hoarding and profiteering, black-market pricing and racketeering as was done during the World War II era. Do impose, with powers of summary search, seizure, confiscation and severe sentence these social justice commands under a comprehensive Defence of India Code. No more lawless cornering and anti-social privatisation. Defend the people right now by sharp rationing of all essential commodities and services, petrol and electricity and banish and punish social and economic waste disguised as festivals, political, religious and other with deterrent penalties. We are at war for economic survival!

5. Abolish, demolish or minimise all avoidable expenditure, and expensive perks of Heads of States, Ministers, Judges, Legislators. Also ban alcoholism during festivals, celebrations, and flashy functions, control all five-star establishments, public and private, plus fix fair but moderate boarding and lodging prices, limits on feasts, rents and travel fares. Taboo consumer extravagance and all other showy expenditure on a war footing justified by the present scarcities, poverty pressures and necessitous regard for the right to life in eaglite of the large Indian community. As stated above, an overall Defence of Bharat Code shall be enacted as an Emergency measure and pro tem economy drive. A free nation’s lot is not ‘blood, sweat, toil and tears’ but dignity with austerity, without loot and violence. Survival of Indians, not American Nuclear Deal and bourgeois consumerist profligacy—that is democratic patriotism. All else is anti-national terrorism. To wipe every tear from every eye is our tryst with the destiny of our current generation—not cricket scores and beauty contests and reality shows. The rule of law shall sustain the rule of life. A wall of separation, an iron curtain between politicians in power and people in privation is the cruel social malignancy. The Parties sign away our Freedom through Nuke Deals, Smart City sell-outs and Big Business stratagems. Parties run away from elections and people with opportunist coalitions, and fob off fatal inflation as global phenomenon. Dear Prime Minister, clean, green, simple and straight you are. Do save, not drown, the billion lives whose trustee you, Parliament and the Judiciary are! We must, we can win, our long march to victory, given the will! Therefore, every party, social, religious and regional organisation shall struggle patriotically to tear to pieces the political, communal, economic and every other divisive Iron Curtain.