The denial of eggs to school-kids is the perfect emblem of Hindutva modernity. This isn't the conservative modernity of late developers (Germany, Japan, China). It is not built upon elevating & mobilizing the whole mass of the population in a project of national development. 1/n
On the contrary, the whole point of Hindutva modernity is to keep the mass of population in its place: segregated & subservient to a pathological elite. Conservative elites of imperial Germany & Japan were also wary of modern mass politics but not allergic to collective potential
of the people. They understood that most important resource base of any nation were its people, who were given best possible level of education & nutrition. What Hindutva has eagerly learnt from their developmental paths is rejection of some facets of Western liberal democracy.
But there is no conception of building up our own kind of developmental bureaucracy, industrial policy, scientific-tech autonomy or public education. Hindutva-addled Middle Class Uncles think the way to Singapore is to keep drilling down on the persecution of poors & minorities
Beyond that Hindutva provides no roadmap of national development. In effect it throws its full weight behind status-quo Manmohan-Montek path of being the best IMF pupils. The way Modi mentions 'whole of government' approach fr conducting RENEET is enough to know they have no clue
For our ruling class ideologues, there is no alternative beyond wagging your tounge for FDI & climbing Ease of Doing Bizness charts.
Or commit to any other made-up rankings & To-do-reform lists they make sub-Saharan Africa & South Asia do, and then judge like Anglo headmasters.
Or commit to any other made-up rankings & To-do-reform lists they make sub-Saharan Africa & South Asia do, and then judge like Anglo headmasters.
Hindutva proponents have no problem if India does not achieve the basic level of industrialization & urbanization required for a decent modern existence. Its okay if most people remain stuck on dwindling unproductive farms or are pushed to slave away in service-sector gig work.
That is perfect for urbane Hindutva proponents (all of whom come from the top 5% crust served by this service sector slave economy).
It does not bother them that our biggest cities like Delhi are full of people living near open nullahs or garbage dumps.
It does not bother them that our biggest cities like Delhi are full of people living near open nullahs or garbage dumps.
No pangs of guilt or solidarity over our such pathetic poverty, just occasional shame when their videos are seen by white people on the internet. One reason why Hindu-Right reactionary modernity has no real roadmap of national development is bcoz it has no great power ambitions
Unlike imperial Germany/Japan or contemporary China, 'emerging' India has no appetite to hold its own against reigning superpowers, let alone to command its own distinctive voice & decisive weight on global politics. That wud require building a world-class defence industrial base
The only ambition of our deformed Hindutva-fied modernity is to keep the bottom caste-class majority in their place, and to persecute minorities for some abstract ideological fulfilment. That is it. There is nothing more to it, as should have been clear after twelve years of this
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