The vision of late President APJ Abdul Kalam, ‘Developed India by 2020’ could have been a reality if he was still in office alongside the same regime of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s NDA Government that has nominated him to the top post fifteen years ago. Today. and three years from now there will be no drastic changes in the country as it was fifteen years ago. But had the missile man of India retained complete control of this mission, without any doubt this mission would have flown like rockets in the timeline and targets that he had determined to accomplish. But as of now only supernatural and miraculous intervention can make it happen. Or else this vision will remain in paper as part of history and a dream for everyone to imagine.
A superpower nation and developed India are two contrasting terms here but in fact they are the two sides of the same coin. Development or a developed country is meaningless if there is insufficient strength and power to protect itself and even when it does, the status ‘developed’ continues to sustain itself in the continuum. What made Kalam to spell out the vision so convincingly in those days is something that the citizens of this country should carefully introspect and reasonably analyze. A person like Abdul Kalam will not make statements that are not relevant and unachievable. He had perfectly sensed the possible potential because the political environment at that time was very much conducive to launch this ambition as the then BLP led NDA Government was sensitive and somewhat liberal in this aspect. And had there been a continuity of governance and determination to pursue the objective robustly from that time, this dream perhaps would have turned into a reality.
Having said this, we should also understand the ingredients that make a country a superpower and a developed nation. The yardstick to measure a superpower is strictly from the conventional military strength and capability. Merely possessing nuclear warheads like North Korea to threaten others is outrageous! Such actions make North Korea an outlawed nation. Setting aside the nuclear option, superpower countries are self-reliant in military and defence systems, not depending on friends or allies. These countries have the capacity and capability to produce and supply the most advanced and sophisticated military equipments, artilleries, fighter jets, carriers, etc. Recently we saw China’s plan to create a world class military unit thereby making that country acquire the fastest striking force in the world. But for India as of now, it has to depend on other countries for its military supplies. When India is the largest importer of arms in the world, what does this mean? This reflects the state of volatility in defence preparedness. Therefore, it is for this reason that India has to spend heavily on the defence sector where the expenditure towards this cause has to be incurred from the revenue generated within the country and mostly from tax payers. Becoming self-reliant in this regard will take some more decades and until that time, citizens have to bear the burden in generating revenue to accrue the national exchequer for defence spending.
A developed nation on the other hand is dominated by the amount and number of assets such as world class infrastructures and increasing value of the total GDP with lesser numbers of liabilities to maintain. On the contrary, India is constantly facing provocation from neighboring countries, therefore, the efforts to tackle economic issues and challenges has been greatly affected and diverted. The situation is further aggravated by the political and social infighting within the country in many fronts including the unexpected rise of radicalism and religious fanaticism. The house that keeps fighting among itself will not stand. This has further come to light by the initiative and thought to replace intellectual brains by spiritual brains in most of the key constitutional positions. This new concept of brain drain in our country is very dangerous.
Economically, our country is not self-reliant and many are leaving the country to seek better opportunities elsewhere. But if the door outside is shut as happened recently when USA modified the work permit or visa for outsiders, again India will suffer due to the increasing number of unemployment. The problems are numerous and we can continue this unending debate. It is therefore appropriate for the government at the Centre to look deep into these issues by harnessing the synergies and potentials of all sections of the population in this great diversity.
If the NDA Government is serious about making India a developed nation and one among the top superpowers in the world, it should first remove hatred within its own citizens. How can it be possible to conquer others when we are creating enemies within ourselves? If one section of community outnumbers others, it does not imply that they have the predominant right in the country to alienate others just because they are not alike in appearance and belief. Only wild animals think in this manner. Human beings go by the enlightened logic and reason to survive. Therefore, the idea to impose anything on the people which goes against their practice and belief will certainly deteriorate the scope of building a strong and powerful nation in the years ahead.
Let the BJP led government proves itself by the wisdom of its intellectual cadres rather than be forced or compelled by cadres who could malign and thereby alienate section of the population from the nation-building ethos. The Prime Minister on Saturday said that Earth Day is an occasion to reiterate a firm resolve to keep the planet clean and green. He said, “it is our duty to live in harmony with the plants, animals, birds we share the Earth with and we owe this to our future generation” (Economic Times 23rd April 2017). If we can live in harmony with plants, animals, birds, then why not Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and others live in harmony among themselves?
India needs transformation in education, social and robust industrial growth with global outlook and demand. When one-third of the population almost the size of the entire population of USA are staggering under poverty, the dream and efforts to make India developed is very challenging. But when there is peace and harmony where people can pursue their dreams and creativity peacefully, no challenges are too big that they cannot be overcome. It is therefore, highly advisable for people from all faiths to keep their religious sentiments very low and not to be bothered by the actions of others. Because true religion is not only about respecting God but it also means respecting fellow humans.