Perhaps never have the common people waited for the advent of the New Year as this year as they expected it to be a year of change. It is the change that they expect from the general elections due in 2019. Actually, people took time to realise the real nature of the change that occurred as a result of BJP winning the majority in the Lok Sabha on its own. It was not the ordinary change of power in a bourgeois democracy. It was not a replacement of one bourgeois set up with another.
The formation of the BJP government under the leadership of Narendra Modi was a definite right-ward shift in the politics of the country. The new government represented the economic interests of the corporate capital and through it the international finance capital. It did serve this economic tribe during the past four and a half years. The country’s economy has been destroyed to serve the interests of corporate capital.
All positive aspects of economy have been blurred. Unemployment is not only increasing but job opportunities are getting reduced. Public services like education, public health, transport, PDS have been privatised. They are becoming out of the reach of ordinary people.
Right ward push is visible in all segments of administration. Penetration of Sanghis has become norm. All dirty means are being used to hasten the process of caste and communal Year of Change polarisation. The society is really on the verge of chaos and disintegration. It took time but people have realised the threat continuance of this rightist, communal and pro-corporate regime poses to the very foundation of our secular democratic republic. That is the crux of terming the advent of New Year to be a year of change.
But the ruling group will do everything to avoid the desired change and prolong their misrule. They first tried to project as if there is no alternative to the individual. But the electoral verdicts, not only of the recent assembly polls but the earlier held by-elections have clearly indicated the people’s mood. Otherwise also, whenever change in power takes place, it is not on the basis of individual’s acceptability. It is the policies that have been pursued and alternative that is projected.
The hollow claim of fighting corruption has got thoroughly exposed. Even Narendra Modi has started saying that the corruption charges are not against him personally but against his ruling dispensation and colleagues. Rafale deal has exposed that there is no bigger promoter of crony capitalism than the present head of the government.
It is true that the bourgeois political parties, both regional and national, will like to avoid taking clear cut positions on basic socio-economic issues as most of them have swallowed the prescription of economic-neo liberalism. We have witnessed during the past two and a half decades that most of these bourgeois political parties, when out of power, come out on streets and even join forces with Left to oppose the implementation of economic neo-liberal policies. In power, they betray the people and implement the neo-liberal policies.
This also applies, to some extent, on their attitude towards growing threat of communalism and casteism. Some of them even opt for soft Hindutva. This threat has to be realised while going for an alternative to present communal, casteist, rightist and pro-corporate capital regime.
It means, change the people are expecting in 2019 is not of personalities but in the set of policies that will undo all the destruction present regime has caused during the past four and a half years. Actually the political course the present regime has taken since taking over power in 2014 has to be reversed. This cannot be imagined by going in for rhetoric. Alliances not based on alternative policies will not serve the purpose. Left does understand the reality as it does not work for just achieving certain goals in this or that election. It aims at furthering the course of democratic and socialist revolution.
Hence, if 2019 has to be really a year of change, then people’s consciousness has to be roused. It is not just creating consciousness but also making people to move on the streets to fight back the rightist forces and help in building the real people’s alternative based on alternative policies. The task before the Left is really challenging but it has to face this challenge.
Shameem Faizee is a freelance journalist, Views are personal.
