Former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh on Friday wrote a column, expressing concern that the trinity of social disharmony, economic slowdown, and a global health epidemic could rupture the soul of India.
In a column written in The Hindu, Singh said that while the first two factors i.e. social disharmony and economic slowdown are self-inflicted, the coronavirus epidemic comes as an external shock. “I deeply worry that this potent combination of risks may not only rupture the soul of India but also diminish our global standing as an economic and democratic power in the world,” Singh wrote in the column.
Notably, the national capital has witnessed extreme violence over the past few weeks. The death toll in the north east Delhi riots went up to 49 people, which included a head constable in the Delhi police.
Criticising the Centre for not keeping checks, Manmohan Singh also added that “the fire of social tensions is rapidly spreading across the nation and threatens to char the soul of our nation. It can only be extinguished by the same people that lit it.”
The former prime minister also spoke of India’s economic spiral, saying that from being a global showcase of a model of economic development, India today is a strife-ridden majoritarian state that is in economic despair.
“Social harmony, the bedrock of economic development, is now under peril. No amount of tweaking of tax rates, showering of corporate incentives or goading will propel Indian or foreign businesses to invest, when the risk of eruption of sudden violence in one’s neighbourhood looms large. Lack of investment means lack of jobs and incomes, which, in turn, means lack of consumption and demand in the economy. A lack of demand will only further suppress private investments. This is the vicious cycle that our economy is stuck in,” Singh added.
Earlier in the week, Singh had said the slogan of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' was being misused to construct a "militant and purely emotional" idea of India that excludes millions of residents and citizens.
Seizing on Singh's remarks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the closed-door meeting that similar controversies were created over singing 'Vande Mataram' during the freedom struggle. "It is unfortunate and sad that 70 years after independence, raising a slogan like 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' is being depicted as a crime... It is unfortunate that a person who held the post of prime minister is saying so," Modi said, adding that every patriot will be pained at this.
Singh also spoke of the economic implication of the coronavirus scare, saying that the global slowdown will impact India as well. “In such an integrated global economy, the COVID-19 crisis can further slow India’s GDP growth by half to one percentage point, other things being constant. India’s economic growth was already tepid, and this external health shock is bound to make things much worse,” he said.
