Check the Left

Varying Communism

8226; I completely agree with the views expressed in the article. The Emergency is considered one of the darkest period in India8217;s post-Independence history, not only politically but also economically. The Congress Party has also accepted that Indira Gandhi too admitted that Emergency was a grave mistake. But what has the Congress done to heal the wounds inflicted upon the nation by their selfish mistake. Many Acts passed during Emergency still remain intact, serving as potholes on the path of India8217;s development.

The Communists in India seem to follow two separate kinds of Communism 8212; one that is practised in China and West Bengal and the other that they want the rest of India to follow. The reason: their progress lies in our backwardness.
Vivek Laddha

Blinkered vision

8226; Your question about why Indians did not react to the Emergency from the economy angle is interesting. The pre-Independence generation of Indian politicians and intellectuals never had a chance to think about economy in a global sense. There was a strong influence of Gandhian thoughts, which was probably right for those times. After Independence, while being influenced by those thoughts, we were not happy with the anti-India stance of the Western world. On the other hand, we were blinded by the apparent success of Communism on all fronts, including on the economy. Nehru, though a Socialist, imposed the Communist economic model on India.

Later, the Congress8217; propaganda in favour of the Socialist economic model, our dissatisfaction with the behaviour of the Capitalist world and other similar factors made the public close their minds to whatever was happening in the other economic worlds. But after the Congress started to lose political ground, some started looking beyond Socialism. And so began the changes.
Sadashiv S Apte

Socialist time warp

8226; I had the opportunity to undergo a month8217;s training at Prague in 1978. Even before that, I was exposed to Communism as a way of life as I lived for two years 8212; 1964 to 1966 8212; in the then USSR. Before my visit, I was impressed by the Communist philosophy of providing the basic 8216;8216;roti, kapada, makan8217;8217; to all. But once I started living there, I understood that one did not even have the freedom to choose one8217;s profession. Meanwhile, in India, our so-called Socialist ideals kept the country behind by 30-40 years. We had to wait for years for simple things like a telephone connection, or a scooter, or even a car.
A G Patil