THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In New India, democracy has been reduced to just an election that’s happening every five years and the Central government does not believe in discussing things, which is the essence of democracy, said political economist and social commentator Parakala Prabhakar.
“Democracy is not just elections. Democracy means a government by discussion. This government does not talk, it does not discuss things. If some say anything, they say they’ve got the mandate to do it,” he said.
Speaking about his book ‘The crooked timber of new India: Essays on a republic in crisis’ at the Kerala Legislature International Book Festival, Prabhakar said the social fabric of the country is being ripped apart by the Central government and if this goes on, then the little whispers and dog whistles that is being heard in India will evolve into open calls from the ramparts of the red fort. Prabhakar pointed out the need to arrest the disturbing trend at the earliest and said “this crooked timber, it can’t be straightened. It should be cut off.”
Citing statistics, he said the economy of the country was in doldrums and the number of people who have fallen into poverty has increased for the first time since the 1990s. He said the economic inequality was on the rise with the number of billionaires rising from 125 to 145 in 10 years. “The people living in poverty are further falling in standard of living, while the middle class is falling into poverty,” he said. He added that the unemployment and inflation rates were worryingly high, while the informal sector is in a deep crisis.
The private investments have come down from 30 per cent in 2014-15 to 19 per cent now as the industries only invest money when they are confident of what’s happening in the country. He said the central government was not implementing its projects with dedication and honesty and their outcome has been dismal.
He was critical of BJP for its exclusionary policy of Muslims and said the saffron party did not have a single Muslim representative in the union cabinet, Parliament and the state assemblies such as UP and Gujarat.
The country is sliding from being a liberal, secular and tolerant state to one having a majoritarian narrative, he added. The Malayalam translation of the book was released during the function by Finance Minister K N Balagopal.
Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who spoke on ‘Literature and Reading’ said contrary to popular notion that reading is dying, it’s in fact thriving aided by evolving methods and gadgets.
He said the biggest transformation that occurred regarding reading is that the books are now approaching the readers, which was not the case a few decades ago. In the last few years, the avenues for education have increased, which resulted in a spurt in reading habits.
With the advent of smart phones, PDF readers, audio books and other modern gadgets, the books became more accessible for the readers, which has enriched the literary landscape, he said.