In present century the USA has been coming close to India in military matters starting from 2008 when ‘United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act’ was signed and keeping the containment of China (in Indo-Pacific region) by the West led by the USA in view, India has been made a member of the QUAD by the USA (others being Japan & Australia).
The USA also witnessed the acts of India on and after August 5, 2019 when India abolished special status of J&K (without carrying- out plebiscite in united – J&K as mandated by the ‘Instrument of Accession’ of J&K to India) and converted this State into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh and the Ministers of Government of India (GoI) in a hollow boast in Parliament said that India will retrieve militarily the remaining J&K not only from Pakistan but also (Aksai Chin) from China (which has become life line between two provinces of China namely Xinjiang & Tibet). This incensed China which has gone to the UN & its agencies more than once against it.
While the USA has been doing all these, it is impossible that it did not know the government-made-hopeless economic capacity of India (which now has been highlighted through on-going farmer’s agitation) that about two thirds of India (which is economically unviable) is fully or partly dependent for their livelihood on agriculture. This means that the USA has been not only irresponsible but cruel too, who has put such a burden on India (of containing economic super power China) though India is not in a position to bear this burden.
With the result China has humbled and humiliated India, militarily in early 2020 through incursions in Eastern Ladakh and has further strengthened its military positions in North -East including at Doklam (so-called Chicken-neck from where entire N-E can be cut-off from India). Now after the Chinese supported military coup in Myanmar (already having Chinese supported militia in it, bordering India too), the entire N-E has become further vulnerable for India at the hands of China. This N-E is having 7 States of India with long history of separatist movements and millions of Muslim infiltrators from Bangladesh in Hindu majority India who are already agitated due to ‘Citizen Amendment Act’ in favor of Hindus and also by threatened ‘National Register for Citizens’ which is meant for identifying Muslim infiltrators in India. Hence these Muslim infiltrators too would obviously like to see an independent and separate N-E from India.
No-doubt the present economic plight of two third of India in agriculture sector is mainly due to five reasons :-
(i)- The manufacturing revolution bypassed India because working / laboring class is mainly from the so-called oppressed & backward castes of Hindu order hence their needs are of no concern to powerful upper castes of India which gave utmost importance to service sector (born out of IT- revolution) in which mainly these upper castes of Hindus get employment.
(ii)- Ceiling on land holding & splitting of land through inheritance in three generations, have resulted in very small land holdings which has not only made modern & mechanized farming impossible but (in addition to above factor of manufacturing revolution skipping India) has increased the number of people linked (fully or partly) with agriculture to about two third of India (compared to about 2 % in the USA).
(iii)- These small land holdings have denied to farm – laborers (poorest of the poor in India and mainly from the oppressed & backward castes) the benefit of labor laws like minimum wages etc.
(iv)- India procreated like flies and its population (which was merely about 330 millions at the time of partition in 1947 has added three more USA in it) and is now about 1370 million and which has created immense problems in the present human-rights-friendly age for Indian State, about feeding and providing other basic needs to the people.
(v)- Due to nonremunerative prices of the agriculture produce, hundreds of thousands of farmers have committed suicide in the past more than two decades.
Some people may say, if these problems are created by the wrong policies of the GoI then what the USA has to do with it. But this is a fallacious argument. Because the USA is responsible for making the ‘liberal secular Western democracy’ (being practiced by India) successful against ‘Chinese democracy’ which is attracting the developing world (due to spectacular economic progress achieved by authoritarian ‘Chinese democracy’).
The said economic problems of India could have been easily solved if the GoI recovered the huge State-capital of above Rs 1,000 Trillion (about $ 14 Trillions at exchange rate and about $ 48 Trillions at PPP rate) from tax evaders and other influential people. The USA could have persuaded India to do it (without invoking ‘United Nations Convention Against Corruption’) but it didn’t do so mainly because it wanted to propagate the ideology of exclusive private-capitalism.
It is surprising that the USA gave more importance to civilian matters (ideology) over military matters and did not insist in making its most important strategic & military partner, India economically strong (vis-vis-China) through said huge State-capital of above Rs 1,000 Trillion. It is all the more despicable because the USA forgot that the USA itself has been practicing joint-capitalism which is another name for ‘Americanism’ (which is private-capital + State-capital) by way of generating huge public debt of tens of Trillions of Dollars through fiscal deficit though it is a different matter that the USA has practically squandered this huge State-capital in order to discredit the State-capital & to keep only the private – capital, to matter in the economy the USA
God only knows whether Biden – administration will change the policy of the USA which is absurdly & dishonestly against the State-capital but if it decides to persist in the same irresponsible & cruel policies against India (by overlooking its economic woes which can be easily resolved through said huge State-capital) then at least the present US – administration can keep quiet and may not put hurdles in the path of economic revival of India, by way of the GoI declaring financial emergency (after getting Articles 21 & 360 of the Constitution amended) for addressing the agricultural crisis (highlighted by on-going farmer’s agitation) through comprehensive ‘Public Distribution System’ (PDS) and for solving other economic problems emanating from the paucity of funds
The US Prez Biden ought to know that the time for slow-results-giving homeopathic medicines is over and now Indian economy needs surgery. But unfortunately the Biden – administration is oblivious of the Indian situation which is evident from the statement it has made about 3 controversial farm laws (which is another issue on which farmers are agitating, other being the legally enforceable ‘Minimum Support Price’ the MSP for important agriculture produce) that the USA generally supports such laws which will improve the efficiency of the agriculture sector in India. Obviously the Biden – administration does not understand or does not want to understand the difference between a country like the USA (with only ~ 330 million population) where merely its about 2 % of the population is engaged in agriculture and India (with huge ~ 1370 million population) where its about two thirds of the population is fully or partly dependent for survival on agriculture and where due to nonremunerative prices of the agriculture produce, hundreds of thousands of farmers have committed suicide.
The Biden – administration does not understand this fact too that even by making the MSP legally enforceable [as being demanded by the thoroughly compromised leaders of the farmers, who are doing ‘Noora Kushti’ (fixed match) with the governments as mentioned at https://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/opinion-details/3756 ], the problems will not solve because due to small land holding (up to 4 Hectares) the 99.4 % of farmers have no bargaining power hence they will not get legally enforceable MSP from private players as poor labors are not getting minimum wages from private contractors etc despite ‘Minimum Wages Act, where they give lesser than minimum wages to these poor workers but get their signatures on minimum wages. The Biden administration should know that the only solution to this problem of the agriculture sector is only the said comprehensive PDS.
Therefore it is hoped that the Biden – administration will help India in solving its explosive economic problems (in the agriculture sector highlighted by on-going farmer’s agitation) through the comprehensive PDS by the huge State-capital of above Rs 1,000 Trillions. But if Biden – administration decides to persist in above mentioned irresponsible & cruel policies thus far adopted towards its most important strategic & military partner, India then at least it should keep quiet and should not put hurdles in the path of economic recovery of India through comprehensive PDS by utilizing said huge State-capital for it and for solving other economic problems of India.
Regards
Hem Raj Jain
(Author of ‘Betrayal of Americanism’)
