The Larger Picture

The media hype over controversial Government legislation is symptomatic of deeper and widespread
issues in Government. Government, not political parties. While the media and civil society endlessly
debate over the legislation- they are missing the forest for the trees.

Government has systematically curtailed individual liberties and freedoms over the years. The pace of
curtailment has been slow but consistent. Regardless of your religion, age, gender, profession and
political preference your right have been whittled and narrowed- not expanded. Even basic things like
being unable to walk in your own city owing to the lack of decent infrastructure and in some cases lack
of safety is nothing less than a subtle erosion of your basic liberties. We were conditioned to ignore the
petty annoyances of Government and put up with tantrums of elected officials only because they served
the needs of society that private individuals were unwilling or unable to address themselves. Hence, the
term “public servant”.

In fact, our fore father insisted on a written Constitution (We did not inherit it from the British since
they have no written Constitution) to ensure that the citizens of India are protected from the over reach
and greed of a Government. It is my personal opinion that that our freedom struggle was not to unseat a
foreign oppressor but to declare a principle that is above any mortal power- the equality of each before
God.

The written Constitution obligates the Government to secure the divine rights of man and, most
importantly, places checks and balances on the Government to ensure that it does not oppress citizens
by impinging on their rights.

The Constitution was drafted and codified to place restraints on the Government and not protect the
private citizens. The last thing our fore fathers wanted was to shift from a foreign oppressive rule to a
domestic oppressive Government.

Indians are a hardy lot. We have progresses despite our Governments. Except for sycophants there are
no voices that credit Government for the success of private Indians. Governments are looked at with
mistrust and seen as a class of Individuals by all and sundry as a class of individuals who have the
power to inflict harm upon the citizenry. Governments are the domain of “private masters” today and
not “public servants”.

Passive resignation and not active participation of the people has allowed the Government to spread its
tentacles wider and deeper into our lives and legitimize the need for further enlargement of the State.

For majority of Indians theft from a fellow citizen is looked at as a far graver offence than theft from
the Government. Theft from another citizen being looked at as an act of appropriating the fruits of
another's labour. Theft from the Government, however, is viewed as a group of rogues having less
money than they did before.
Here is a simple table that says a lot-

Year Per Capita Income (India) Total Receipts (Capital &

Revenue) of the Union
Government
1997 $1,640.00 INR 412,911.50
2018 $7,060.00 INR 8,415,830.64
Growth over 21 Years 330.00% 1938.00%
CAGR 7.20% 14.44%

Note- The above figures are from a single source: the Union Government of India and its publications.
Figures do not include State Government receipts and also do not include Provident Fund money paid annualy
and lying with the Union Government since they are debt owed to the people and not a source of revenue.

In words, the average Indian increased her per capita Income at a rate of 7.2% every year over the last
21 years. Whereas, the Union Government increased its Income at more than double that rate i.e
14.44%.

Did your Government do twice as better as you consecutively for the last 21 Years?

That is an impossibility. The increase in tax revenues of the Government were obviously preceded by
an increase in the output, enterprise and productivity of the private individuals. The State machinery
systematically feeds on the fruits of individual enterprise and labour. For all its rhetoric of wealth
distribution it appears that the Government has been the benefactor of a massive transfer of our wealth
over the last 21 Years.

Is this part of the reason that people join political parties? To profit from such political means?

Unfortunately, we have a section of the Government which believes that their methods of wealth
distribution, subsidies and quotas are the way forward. A section of the citizenry believes that too since
it is they who vote such people into power.

Most officials in the Government are misguided, in my opinion. They are no better than that traffic
policeman assigned to coerce and force private citizens to stop what they were doing with their private
lives for an indefinite period while the convoy of a politician traverses their section of the road way.
The protectee may be a rogue, convicted of crimes against humanity at large or against some private
citizens in particular. That ugly truth is cloaked in the morality conferred by a “democratic election”
and the uniformed policeman kills himself a little bit, slowly, as he raises his hand to salute the convoy.

They have a name for this exercise too. Protocol.

The Way Forward

A systematic and pervasive effort is needed to educate, inform and empower the citizens of our great
nation about their rights. This has to start at the grass roots and more importantly with the schools. The
steps taken today will bear fruit in the next 5 – 10 years as the school going children of today become
eligible to exercise their franchise as adults.

Apart from Education the other pillars of this effort need to be-

I. Media Outreach
II. Litigation
III. Political Influence

It is my desire that all Indians prosper and are treated equally and are able to live fulfilling lives
without the threat of Government powers being used against them.