15] Socialism in India

What is the Indian model of Socialism is not defined in the constitution but from
Article 43A, which was introduced by the 42 nd Constitutional Amendment (1976) it
is clear that Socialism as envisaged by the Preamble will include participation of
the workers in the management of industry and consequently profit sharing with
the workers.
The Supreme Court in Nakara vs Union of India (1982) had adjudicated that the
goal of Indian Socialism is to have a blend of Marxism and Gandhism, leaning
heavily towards Gandhian Socialism.
The Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization after 1991 economic reforms
have led India to drift away from the concept of collective ownership of means of
production. Yet, Socialism continues to impact the national debate. The following
can be listed as some of the important aspects of Indian Socialism:
Equal opportunities for all.
Reduction of inequalities through state legislation and through state
implemented welfare schemes. Indian constitution has tried to incorporate
protective measures to check the major negative features of capitalism. Child
Labor in factories, mines and other h zardous employment for children below
14 years of age is banned by Article 24 and the Minimum Wages Act 1948 is
in place to ensure security of livelihood of the workers.
Prevention of concentration of wealth in the society through state regulation and
laws.
Public control over important areas of economy. A strong public sector especially
in Heavy Industry and other capital intensive areas.
Focus on Heavy Industries and mechanization.
India tried to implement a programme for land redistribution after banning
Zamindari. Also we tried to implement collectivization of agriculture through
cooperative farming. Under, cooperative farming the peasants voluntarily
organize themselves into cooperatives of farmers by submitting their land for
collective farming. They continue to retain the legal right to the land but
jointly cultivate the land. The cooperative body provides the farmers with
credit, better seeds and fertilizers which otherwise are not affordable for the
individual farmers. But cooperative farming in India was a voluntary drive
unlike USSR which forced the peasants to give up their lands in favor of
collective farms. India was only partially successful as some sections were
suspicious that in time the farmers would lose their land ownership. Also
since Agriculture is a state subject, so different states implemented different
versions of cooperative farming and with different success rates.
Indian Socialism can be termed as evolutionary and reformist.
It focuses on harmony between individual interest and collective interest. We
adopted a mixed economy i.e. an economy with features of both public and
private ownership of wealth. Thus it can be said that India has a socialism
that coexists with capitalism and democracy.
31
www.visionias.in
Vision IAS

Indian Socialism is often referred to as Democratic Socialism. It is

pertinent to note that what is called as Social Democracy in Europe
has more in common with the form of Socialism in India.
The Indian Socialism is inspired by French Revolutions ideas of Liberty,
Equality and Fraternity.
There were many shades in Indian Socialist Movement ranging from
Marxism, Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, Anarchism to
Gandhism.
The major stream before the Stalins Purges was Marxism. In Meerut
Conference the Indian socialists had adopted Marxism as their
creed. But after Stalins Purges the Indian socialists rejected
Marxism because it calls for a violent revolution. This
disenchantment with the violent means made the Indian socialists
adopt Democratic socialism with focus on non-violence and they
argued that Socialism is impossible without democracy.
In 1931 Karachi Session, the National Economic Programme mentioned
Nationalization of key industries and other measures to bridge the
rich-poor divide. Also in the session, the socialist pattern of
development was set as the goal for India.
We adopted command economy through Five Year Plans. In the
Haripura Session (1938), Indian National Congress President S.C.
Bose had setup the National Planning Committee with Jawaharlal
Nehru as its head.
Prime Minister Nehru used the term socialist pattern of society. It can
be argued that Indian Socialism is difficult to categorize and is
unique since:
23 It aims not just for a classless society but also a caste-less
society. Thus we have adopted the policy of reservation to
decrease inequality in the society. It can be said that because of
features specific to our society, we have targeted both type os
inequality-class based (we banned Zamindari) and Caste based
(we banned untouchability and introduced reservation in public
employment).
24 It aims at decreasing poverty, increasing communal harmony and
equitable economic development.
25 Gandhism has an impact on Indian Socialism in form of nonviolence, decentralization of power and specifically the ideas of
Trusteeship and Arbitration. The concept of Trusteeship argues
that the Capitalist is the trustee and he holds wealth only on
behalf of the workers who are the real producers of value in the
economy. Since the capitalist is the trustee, he should take care
of workers interests and work for their welfare. The concept of
Arbitration has been implemented through the Industrial
Disputes Act 1947 which aims at using the method of Arbitration
to reconcile the differences between the capitalist and the
workers.
Critical Analysis of Indian Socialism

India adopted Socialism right after the Independence. Most of the Indian
Freedom movement leaders like J.L Nehru, J.P Narayan and Ram Manohar
Lohia were strong advocates of socialism. Therefore socialistic pattern of
society was declared as one of the goals of planned economy. At that time
India tried to combine democracy with Fabian kind of collective controls
leading to regulations of imports and exports. Curbs on production of
consumer goods and licensing of industrial set-up. Removal of poverty and
attainment of self-reliance were accepted as the two major tasks before
the Indian state. Nehru tried to promote the collective sector by greater
state interference in economic life to mobilise resources and enhance
employment opportunities. However, after 1991, India has liberalized its
economy under the compulsions of globalization.
Post-Independence steps were also taken to nationalise basic industries
like Coal, Steel, Banks and Power. Government also took up programmes
for housing, education, public health etc. But this kind of socialism was
socialistic only to the extent that State redistributed some resources and
therefore, cannot be called as socialistic in the classic sense of the term.
There is no doubt that socialism is necessary but mere provision of
services and government regulations on economy doesnt lead to
socialism. Centralized planning, which has been adopted in India creates a
uniform system of economic development, which does not fully take into
account local variation of individual aspirations. Decentralization of
political power is therefore important to achieve the goals of socialism in
country. It has also
32
www.visionias.in
Vision IAS