Undoubtedly, the former President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was the most respected person in the country. For this alone, he should have been given another term. Dr Kalam was loved and respected by the majority of India’s middle classes. The youth revered him even more. He was one President who spoke more about the future than what had happened and had been done in the past. This was a good thing for the country.
For once, every Indian — Hindu or Muslim — came together on one platform breaking all barriers of caste and community and class. When Dr Kalam spoke of India in 2020, the middle class cheered with him. They felt that India, at last, had the ability to become a super power. Whether it would have been possible for India to become one by 2020 is debatable but the whole country believed Dr Kalam when he said that we had the potential. Middle class homes began comparing themselves with the US. There is nothing wrong with that comparison. In fact, I will go a step ahead and say that India should replace US in both in terms of military and economic power.
But when we say that India can become a super power by 2020, we should know the real meaning of the word ‘super power’. To begin with, we need to understand that the US has its presence all over the world. The US warships have a presence in all the waters. The US Air Force keeps an eye on all the happenings the world over. The US Army can reach any part of the world within 24 hours. The country spends billions of dollars on intelligence gathering. Back home, we don’t have enough money to fill the posts lying vacant in Delhi Police due to shortage of funds.
So, in that sense, for India to become a super power, it will have to allocate millions if not billions of dollars to match the military might of the US. It will need to have a system in place which will ensure that we a presence in each and every nook and corner of the world. For that one needs money, where will this come fromIJ let us look at the country’s middle class that dreams and hopes that one day the nation will become a super power. or at least be placed at par with the US.
The Indian middle class was fuming at the Government when the subsidy on the lPG cylinder was removed. For decades, this class has been using the lPG at half the prices. The middle class has been buying petrol and diesel at subsidised rates for decades. Each time the Government raised the price on either, the middle class should wake up from its slumber and abuse the Government knowing fully well that the prices of crude oil has gone up and that the rupee is being devalued.
My question to the middle class — where does it spend the money that it has been saving for decadesIJ let us take the case of the rupee being devalued. The value of the rupee is falling because we are buying more US dollar than ever before. And why do we need more US dollarsIJ
The country’s middle class which generally comprises of the upper caste, is fond of buying gold. India produces very little gold and hence, we need to import the yellow metal to meet the demand of the domestic market. India, in fact, is the largest importer of the gold. The middle class buys gold in rupees and the Government has to buy the metal in US dollars because its citizens are buying gold.
So is the case of expensive imported cars, gems and jewellery. Indian’s also go on foreign holidays. They send their children to study abroad for which the Government has to buy US dollars. The objection here is not why people are buying expensive items. In fact, it gives me great pleasure that there are so many Indians today, who can afford to buy BMWs, Maybachs, Ferraris and Porches. I love it when a swanky car zips past me. My problem is with people who are morally bankrupt.
Why is it that people who buy cars worth crores don’t complain that the price of a car is highIJ Why don’t they question why the Government has priced these cars at Rs30 lakh or Rs50 lakh. Why is it that people who can afford to buy a car worth a crore want a subsidy on petrol and or dieselIJ Why is it that these people never complain when the price of gold increasesIJ Why do people who can buy gold jewellery worth lakhs want the Government to continue to give subsidy on lPGIJ
I go for morning walks. I the last five years, I have seen air coolers being replaced by air conditioners. I feel happy for these families. This means that their income has gone up and they can now afford to buy an AC. Why can’t these people continue to use air coolers and pay market prices for lPG, petrol and dieselIJ Why do they protest when the Government reduces the subsidyIJ
India’s greatest problem is its middle class that is morally corrupt and has no social character. If there are any roadblocks to India’s rise as a super power, it is the middle class that prevents this from happening. With no money, the nation is not likely to emerge as a power in the next 50 years. It is unfortunate that the middle class is setting a bad example and preventing the rest of the society from walking the path of progress.India’s middle class is morally corrupt