Bikash
Choudhury
Once
upon a time India shared 25 % of Global trade and now it runs a current account
deficit; there was a time, Global traders were vying for a piece of trade in
India and that led to the discovery of
marine way to India from Europe; while currently India struggles to
attract Foreign Direct Investment. If we turn the pages of History, we find a
small Island Nation imposing its Political wills over half of the World by
virtue of its Political Unity and Leadership. There is an opportunity for
India; it is now or never. The civilization conflict and Global defense
expenditure is taking a heavy toll on Global economy. India could take its
diplomatic acumen to the World and change the agenda from ‘conflict to collaboration’
from ‘senseless violence & war to peace & development’. That
should put India as the “Conscience Keeper of the World” and at the same time
release substantial resources from conspicuous consumption to developmental
expenditure not only in India but all across the World and could put a brake to
Global slow down with huge benefit for India in terms of demand for its goods and
services; apart from helping India to straighten a few rough edges in South
Asia and beyond. Along with this if India could find simple solution that
exists for its problems on “bijli, sadak, panni and its sahhar”. India could
return to double digit growth if it promises to develop its top 50 cities into
Global standards; and resources will never be a constraint; but, the Mindset
could- India is free but not independent or independent but not free. Some
thing some where has chained us; the Governance model that we inherited from
British Empire was designed to “collect and dispatch” and that system
continues even today. Senior Ministers in union Govt. admit in public that “in
Govt. left hand does not know what the right hand is doing”. This is not an
insurmountable problem for India to deal with; a simple solution for this could
be to allow the “bottom of pyramid in Govt. to think and act with reasonable
checks and balances”. This calls for National Political Unity at the top on
supreme National Interest and a bold Leadership. Precisely, that is the ‘raison
d’etre’ of ‘Forum for Political Unity of India Foundation’ which dream of a
“Sampurna Bharat and Samparna Bharat” and wish to pursue National Political
Unity on Basic Issues, Challenges and Concern of the Country by engaging
Political Parties at National Level and in States to Develop a common agenda
for the Nation, collaborating with eminent persons from all walks of life to
engage Govt. at the Centre and States to shape the policies of the Nation and
States to bring synergies needed and priorities adhered and to build and shape
a “Younger Leadership” through Professional Training and Academic Partnership.
A time will come when “the Kohinoor and our Peacock Throne would return to India
without asking. Come and join us to shape the ‘India’ of our dreams.