அறிஞர் அண்ணாவின் கட்டுரைகள்


Lord 'Lux' Lashes All (1)
Fleece All—Feed the Plan !

"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)