INDIA, THE GLOBL ECONOMIC & POLITICAL POWER OF 21st CENTURY

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.