"LORD LUX Lashes All!" Exclaimed a critic,
in a sarcastic vein, to hint at the fact, that the Finance
Minister T.T.K has grown fat on the profits from the
Soap Agency.
Perhaps, because, T.T.K is not an old guard of the Congress,
he is emboldened to even irritate the masses all over
the country, for, he loses nothing if the Congress fares
very badly at the polls, next time. In fact he may even
turn round and say as he once said that the people are
sick of the tall talks of the Congress party.
His one and only aim today seems to be, to be as ruthless
as possible—unmindful of severe criticism or downright
condemnation—to gather and pile-up before his Master
as much of money as possible.
Pandit Nehru is wedded to the plan! Come, what may,
the plan stays, announces the Pandit—and even his camp-followers
are dumb-founded.
"Fleece—all" seems to be the edict issued
by this master. Fleece all to feed the Plan, for, the
whole prestige of this government rests on the successful
execution of this Plan!!
It happens in history umpteen times, a great man raised
to dizzy heights, gets hold of some fond idea—it grows
in him and with him, becomes part of himself—becomes
a fad as it were, All other thoughts and deeds appear
small and he is imprisoned in a citadel of fad and refuses
to come out of it. Men with lesser eminence or influence
may be forced to reconsider, rearrange but not one who
has gone to a dizzy height. He stands or falls with
that fad.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, a man of extremes and a bundle
of paradoxes has let himself be imprisoned in a citadel
which he himself studiously built up, with no better
material than fervour, and this is the age of planning!
And India should have a Plan! Nay, many Plans!! Huge
dams, factories of colossal dimensions, laboratories,
atomic research centres—all these and many more arise
before his mind, and he wants all!!
Nobody doubts the sincerity and ardour of this great
Man, and just because he is so sincere, he is infuriated
when anyone doubts his planning or decries the methods!
"Know, ye, one and all," announces the Pandit,
that Bharat is destined to occupy the front rank in
the comity of nations.
"Having taken upon myself the task of rebuilding
this ancient land of Bharat, I will spare no pains,
in achieving my object. I warn the weak and the vaccilating
to step aside, and not hinder the onward march of the
men of destiny!"—Pandit Nehru's fervour is surpassed
only by his fury.
Men of his calibre, are wont to suffer no criticism-for,
they are imbued with the idea that the destiny of the
country is twined with them alone! In their enthusiasm
and fervour, to raise the level of the toiling masses,
they even forget the masses, and like the great pyramid
builders, they are unmindful of the tears and blood
of the toiling masses, but feast their eyes with the
sight of the supposed super-structure.
The plan is the Pyramid, for Pandit Nehru! He should
build it—he alone—for none else commands energy enough—talent
enough in build it—for is not the destiny of the country
twined with his owner?
Such, possibly, is the psychology of this great man
and such indeed are some of his utterances.
The hugeness of the Plan fascinates him so much that
he is immersed in an enthusiasm, the meaning of which
cannot easily be understood or appreciated by even his
colleagues.
The Big and Small in the Congress camp, do talk about
the plan—but to hear Pandit talk about it, is to bear
a Highpriest reciting in sonorous voice the shape of
things to come.
This great task—this colossal undertaking—this resurrection—this
great pilgrimage—these are some of the terms used by
Pandit Nehru, when talking about the plan and he seems
to think that he is ordained by the Almighty to acheive
this Alexander the Great, Napolean and many others had
such fervour, and they all were very definite, their
mission needed all the sympathy and support that a whole
nation can muster. And when one dared to question, they
frowned and pounced upon him with ruthlessness. They
were not cruel by nature, but their fervour drove them
even to employ cruel methods for safeguarding their
sacred mission.
Hence, it is, that while we the ordinary folk, are oppressed
by the high-handed taxation measures of T.T.K., Pandit
Nehru, wonders, how and why, the people are not able
to understand and appreciate the Plan!
They murmur about these taxes—as if they are ends in
themselves—they are means to the end—the great Goal—the
Plan! Should not the people tighten their belt, suffer
some hardships even, for the sake of a Greater India!!
How small-minded these people are!! They complain that
their sugar is being taxed, forgetting that if only
they suffer these taxes, the plan is bound to succeed
and when it succeeds, milk and honey will flow in abundance,
poverty will be driven out, and there will be plenty
and and prosperity!! Let us remain in the dark for sometime,
for, the dawn is certainly coming!
Because of his fervour, Pandit Nehru is transformed
as it were in a different being altogether—his language
attains a mysticism, ununderstandable by the people!
And from such a summit, he almost sneers at one and
all if they but question him or his method.
But 'facts' are hard task masters and a refusal to face
facts is by no means prudent even for the Pandit.
The country has seen the First Five Year Plan!—And we
have not attained the elementary objective, self —sufficiency
in the food front.
We have had in parts—Grow More Food Campaign— Vana Mahothsavas—and
the like—and after all these, we are even today faced
with scarcity of food, and soaring prices!
We spent crores of rupees over the Grow More Food Campaigns,
and it is an irony of fate, that after the Remarkable
Victory, which we announce to the world, we are now
face to face with the Eat Less Campaign of Dr.B.C.Roy
of Bengal!
There is a woeful lack of many of the commodities that
go to make life tolerable and comfortable.
The price structure like a Zig-Zag puzzle, defies all
pundits of finance
Unemployment looms large!
Exports have dwindled and our Sterling Reserves, which
recently stood at Rs. 490 crores are rapidly evaporating
at the rate of Rs, 20 crores per week.
And after this record, why rush up with the Second Plan
more ambitius than the First? Is it to screen the failure
of the First Plan!
(Homeland
: 09-06-1957)