Defence Daredevilry

Adani Aerospace Defence

Comments are no part of COUNTERCURRENTS.ORG repertory.But I am risking a chance on the ground that Ramakrishnan’s eye-opening article on India’s shift to a defence-dependant economy needs greater attention from sober citizens with genuine concern for the future of our society and nation.

The big shift to a defence-related economy is definitely going to trigger tectonic shift in the psychology of Indians.To drum up the greater and greater need for defence allocations with the destined drainage of funds for agriculture and food security,employment generation and social welfare,and strident calls for ‘sacrifice for the nation’ the powers that be will further introduce a stirring roll of drums to inflate fears of attacks from enemies inside and outside and generate hysteria for a nation glowing with military pride and goose-stepping discipline.

This kind of self-hypnotising credo is quite akin to the inherent militarism,pride in machoist violence and admiration for drills as instrument of character-building prevalent in Hindutva groups.’Theirs not to reason why,theirs but to do and die!’

Since opportunity to satiate this craving for disciplined savagery in wars may be limited by circumstances,there will consequently be urgent need for periodic blood-letting.Bluntly speaking there may be periodic riots and pogroms with the government habitually looking away.An exact replica of the Nuremberg model,with Aatmanirbhar blazoned across it.

The bonanza for daring private sector firms along with the contagion of rampant corruption,cronyism and moral decay,the eclipse of human values, will keep the environment throbbing.

The infectious fascination for Netanyuhu’s Israel,its dependence on mass hysteria,religious bigotry and financial corruption,and close links with defence industries and surveillance networks is yet another sign of the shape of things to come.

One salutary lesson for all outside the charmed circle of converts is the coincidence with Anerican militarism and commitment to global conflict. She will definitely be the main source of ‘defence’ finanance and advanced technology for this peculiar brand of foreign-dependent ‘Aatmanirbhar’. Ideologically too they will share the same space and the same craze for military promotion of ‘democracy.’

Ramakrishnan rightly questions the opposition’s pliant role in tamely swallowing this spiel of national dangers and external threats.They should watch their steps and counsel equal commitment to diplomacy. True that in the highly tension-ridden and conflict-prone world today a country must be sufficiently armed to defend itself,but it will be folly to succumb to the war-hysteria that can only aid the plans of designing evil forces.The budget must also work and work primarily to save the people from hunger,disease and despair.

Hiren Gohain is a political commentator

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