Dilrook Kannangara

The self-named Cockroach Party” made up of young Indians have taken to the streets. Backed by their participation other youngsters have also joined in waves of protests. They are the largest protests in the world given the sheer size of the Indian population. However, they may not succeed. The reason is ultra nationalism that rules India. This is a weapon that can be successfully unleashed against protestors and any anti-regime elements. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh failed to unleash it as it had by then lost the backing of nationalists.

Although a movement that can topple India’s ultra nationalism can rise up on paper, the current political climate does not support it. Instead, Indian youngsters should focus on demanding independence for their respective historical nations which were forcibly and brutally turned into mere states” within India by British colonial rulers. Reversing this last shackle of British colonialism is the ultimate sign of independence of the people of the landmass called India.

Protests are rampant in Indian states with large economies. The problem is not simply corruption, waste, discrimination, politics, etc. If Maharashtra state for instance pays 33% of India’s tax collection but gets back only 10% of Indian government spend, people in Maharashtra are losing 23% of tax they pay! This is extortion and no right-thinking person would allow their hard work to be wasted on other states that are less productive. If anyone wants to be exceedingly generous, they can do so privately with their private money. There is no need to collectively donate hard earned income from one area to be wasted for the benefit of people in another. Soviet Union was another classic example of this system which failed everyone.

If protestors turn petty protests into nationalist protests for the nation states, it makes use of nationalism, instead of clashing with it. Instead of Indian nationalism, it will replace it with a more meaningful and historically valid, Marathi nationalism, for instance. Marathi nation had a long, prosperous and respectable history until the British tied it to an artificially created union called British India. Had it gained independence from both colonial Britain and colonial India, it would have become a developed nation today and there wouldn’t be any need to protest over jobs, income, education opportunities, etc. All those would be available in abundance to the people in that nation.

Once Lee Kwan Yu was asked if the Mumbai financial center would succeed, at least comparable to other global financial centers around the world. He had no hesitation in saying, no, it will not succeed. The reasons he gave are – India’s ethnic diversity and its federal structure (which is also a necessity in a multi-ethnic nation). China (or Japan, Germany, USE, etc.) does not have this problem.

Simply replacing the ruling party with another party would not fix India’s economic problems. It did not fix Sri Lanka’s problems and Bangladesh’s problems. Indians in productive states have enough opportunities, money, tax collection, exports, etc. The problem is they are not allowed to enjoy what they earn and they are forced to cross subsidize unproductive states. Channeling anger in the right direction is important to win sustainable gains that are not held hostage by a failed and unproductive political and economic system.