Gandhian socialism as the economic policy
BJP’s interest in Indian culture and tradition moves it towards Gandhian thinking in a selective manner. It occasionally talks of Gandhian socialism though the other political parties project its image of being against Gandhian principles due to its association with RSS. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi the manifesto says how the English efforts to destroy traditional education system in India made it more illiterate between 1870 and 1931, and how when Britishers left India, “the economy was completely shattered and India’s share in world manufacture, trade and GDP declined further. Even after 62 years of Independence, India’s share in world market remains less than one per cent.” It quotes Thomas Babington Macaulay to justify the claim that the Britishers destroyed India ecucationally and culturally.
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I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such high caliber, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self esteem, their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation. |
Initially, BJP’s philosophy was produced by Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya (1965). In Integral Humanism, he said that “Swadeshi” and “Decentralization” summarize the economic policy suitable for India. He also said that society should guarantee to all members minimum requirements for maintenance and progress. Full employment must be the guaranteed. The ownership, state, private, or any other, must be decided on a pragmatic basis, consistent with Indian culture.
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