REWIND

New Delhi, 5 October 2023

Cleansing Public Life

GANDHIAN APPROACH NEEDED

By Inder Jit

(Released on 4 October 1996) 

Mahatma Gandhi was remembered once again on October 2, his birth anniversary. Top leaders and many others in New Delhi visited the Rajghat and paid floral tribute to him. Almost all of them publicly swore by him. Few, however, cared to pause and ponder to do what is needed badly: some honest heart-searching. How would Bapu have reacted to the present state of unabashed corruption and criminalisation of politics in the country. Equally importantly, how would he have viewed the all round debasement of character and values? The Mahatma wanted free India to be united, secular and casteless. Yet after 50 years of freedom we are more disunited, more communal and more caste-ridden today than in 1947.

In retrospect, Acharya Kriplani seems ever so right. Some 25 years ago, he had drawn Parliament’s attention to a book by Ritwik Ghatak in which he had called Gandhi “the son of a pig”. He wanted the book banned. But nothing came of his effort. Instead, Ghatak was given a Republic Day Award. Greatly saddened, the Acharya bluntly stated, “Before independence, I used to think that the British were the most hypocritical people... They were in India for the good of the people... But, after independence, have come to realize that we Indians are the most sanctimonious humbug throughout the world. We call a person the father of the nation. But we do not mind his being insulted after his death.”

India would not be in the big mess in which it finds itself today if only we had gone by the Mahatma’s earthy advice, sadly, our ruling classes today prefer western ideas and ideologies more than ever before. They unwisely ignore our background, temperament and genius--- and the fact that over the past few decades some of the top thinkers of the West like Arnold Toynbee, J.B. Priestly, W.W. Rostow, Johnn Kenneth Galbraith, Gunnar Myrdal have appreciated Gandhi's ideas and even veered round to the Mahatma’s view: nations are not built with brick and mortar or Gross National Product (GNP), but the quality and character of its people. (Prof Rostow and others have accepted the view that the “quality of life” as emphasised by Bapu, is infinitely more important than continuous growth in GNP or high consumption.) Gandhi, therefore, gave top priority to building our national character debased by centuries of slavery. But we have lost all we gained in the rat race for material progress.

Our troubles have mainly arisen from the vulgar and ostentatious lifestyle of most Ministers and their close friends, many MPs and MLAs and their brood. It was not without reason that Gandhi sternly advocated a simple, austere life for the Ministers. He knew that given the chance our Ministers would turn into Maharajas. This, alas, has happened in most cases, creating no end of problems and political instability. Every party worker today wants to become an MLA or MP and next a Minister. No other vocation yields bigger and quicker returns. Consequently, there is a reckless struggle for office in which no holds are barred.Ends now justify the means. Honesty was once the best policy. It has ceased to be so today. Self is shamelessly placed before principles. Corruption and greed are rampant. Truth is at a heavy discount.

Even a cursory glance at what the Mahatma wrote over the years yields rich fare. Of particular interest and relevance today are his views on the approach to the formation of ministers and the manner in which minister should conduct themselves. In the Harijan of August 7, 1937, Gandhi wrote: “It would to decidedly wrong to create ministership for the sake of conciliating interests. If I were a Prime Minister and I were pestered with such claims. I should tell my electors to choose another leader. Those offices have to be held lightly not tightly. They are or should be crowns of thorns, not renown… It would be tragic if self-seeking and misguided zealots were allowed to impede the progress by imposing themselves on Prime Ministers. If it was necessary to have assurance from those who have ultimately to clothe ministers with authority, it is doubly necessary to have assurances of understanding of loyalty beyond suspicion and of willing obedience to discipline.”

Gandhi was clear about the “acid test” for the appointment of minister, oneissue over which there has considerable controversy over the years. “The choice”, said he, mustcommend itself to the members of the party to whom the Prime Ministers owe their nomination. No Prime Minister can for one moment impose a man or a woman of his choice on the party. He is chief because he enjoys the full confidence of his party as to ability, knowledge of persons and other qualities that mark out one for leadership.” He wanted the ministers and the legislators, for their part, to be “fearless” in the performance of their duty. “They must always be ready to risk the loss of their seats or offices”, he wrote in the Harijan on April 4, 1936. Offices and seats in the legislatures have no merit outside their ability to raise the prestige and power of the Congress. And, since both depend upon the possession of morals, both public and private, any moral lapse means a blow to the Congress. This is the necessary implication of non-violence.”

The Mahatma virtually outlined a code of conduct for the ministers in his writings in the Harijan from 1938 to 1948. He wanted the ministers to be watchful both of their personal and public conduct and said that “they have to be, like Caesar’swife above suspicion in everything.” Offices must be held in the Government“in the spirit of service without the slightest expectation of private gain ---for themselves or for their relatives or friends.” There is a beauty and an art in simplicity, he said. “It does not require money to be neat, clean and dignified. Pomp and pageantry are often synonymous with vulgarity.”As a practical man, Gandhi did not rule out appointments in the Government of those who were close to the ministers or were related to them. Said he: “If the relatives or friends get any appointment, it must be only because they are the best among the candidates, and their market value is always greater than what they get under the Government.”

Briefly, Gandhi also made the following suggestions: 1) Ministers should not live as“sahib log” nor use for private work facilities provided by the Government for duties. 2) Ministers should not be sensitive (to public criticism). They should takein good part even carping criticism. “The critics expect much more from these chosen servants of the people than from others in the way of simplicity, courage, honesty and industry.” 3) Ministers are of the people, from the people. Let them not arrogate to themselves greater knowledge than those experienced man who do not happen to occupy ministerial chairs. 4) People often think nothing of not keeping a promise made, it must be kept at all costs. 5) The ministers are the people’s servants. They can do nothing against the express wishes of the people. “They will not stay in office a day longer than the people wish.”

Tragically, the Mahatma was snatched away before he could get free India’s new rulers to accept and practise his ideas. Sardar Patel, according to JP, kept a watchful eye on the Congress organisation, Congress ministers and also on ministers’conduct during his tenure and “cleaned up with an iron hand whatever corruption he found.” Nehru held to the tradition for years. But because he did not have the same hold over the Congress organisation as did Sardar he “turned a blind eye to the proliferating opportunism, immorality and corruption.”Not that he liked them, JP clarified. But he often condoned “unethical conduct on the plea that if one was a capable worker or an able administrator his other faults should be overlooked.” Lal Bahadur, during his spell of prime ministership, strove to remove those who were known to be corrupt. But India lost him within a short period --- before he could curb rampant defections, power of money and rabid casteism, which have become the bane of our national life.

Little has been done thereafter to cleanse public life, establish healthy democratic norms, rebuild character and uphold basic values. On the other hand, matters have greatly worsened, touching a new, disgraceful low in recent years. Our leaders today decline to go by Gandhi’s ideas and advice on the plea that times have changed. But, in doing so, they forget that they cannot fool all the people all the time. Our people are now alert and watchful and judge the leaders not by what they say but by what they do. The answer, therefore, lies not merely in remembering the Mahatma superficially. A new style and outlook needs to be initiated at the top. As the Gita says: “Whatsoever a great man doeth, that other men also do. The standard he setup, by that the people go.”All in all, it is time, indeed, to think afresh --- and make a new beginning. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)