Futuristic Regression: Sustainable Retreat from Development
Posted on 08/06/2024 (GMT 17:21 hrs)
I. Introduction: Implications of the Lok Sabha 2024 Result
After the declaration of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections Result on 4th June, 2024, we reflected on the fact that the electoral mandate has totally destroyed the invincible, autocratic, authoritarian, one-man army paper-tiger mode of Mr. Narendra Modi. The election result has made the image-making process of (spectacle) Modi a futile enterprise. No one single party has got the absolute single majority this time, thus paving way to the materialization of the Article 1 of the Indian Constitution: India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states.
This election has led to the emergence of this federal plurality of diverse regions with localized concerns instead of running after a monolithic “one-party, one-man, one-nation” project. Hence, it is indeed a huge moral setback for the fascist BJP, making it a very subservient power acting at the mercy of its allies. Far from getting even close to a majority, the BJP has fallen radically short of its projected numbers. This has done away with the BJP’s hitherto held vainglorious pride.
This is thus a huge achievement on the part of the democratic, progressive and liberal forces operating at the heart of the Republic of India in their efforts to protect and uphold the core constitutional values against religious extremist onslaught. This election result has saved the Constitution of India from walking into the dreary path of degenerative destruction. It has stood in defence of an India of many religions, regions, castes, genders, as one that generates myriad voices of dissent and discourse. This election result has gifted us with a really strong Opposition, whose task shall now be to check and balance the power-relations of the political executive and hold the latter constantly accountable to the needs and demands of the common citizens of India. From now on, the BJP can no longer authoritatively impose its decisions without parliamentary debate. It can no longer jail people as per its whims, or scrap opposition MPs as per their wishes. This itself is a praiseworthy substantial achievement on the part of those, who have worked hard for all these years to shatter the image of MoShah’s (Modi-Shah) BJP.
II. The Question of ‘NOTA‘
In this case, it would be interesting to note the following:
“As many as 63,47,509 voters pressed the NOTA button“, out of the absolute number of voters standing at around 642,000,000 or 64.2 crores out of 968,800,000 or 96.88 crores, i.e., 0.99% out of the 65.79% of total voter turnout out of the total voter population of 96.88 crores voted for NOTA.
| TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED VOTERS, 2024 | TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTER TURNOUT | TOTAL NUMBER OF VOTERS WHO ABSTAINED FROM THE ELECTORAL PROCESS | THOSE WHO VOTED FOR NOTA |
| 968,800,000 | 642,000,000 | 32,68,00,000 | 63,47,509 |
Source: Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Constituencies with the highest number of NOTA votes VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 5th June, 2024 ©Deccan Herald)
Two lakh plus NOTA votes in Indore: Why NOTA was introduced, its consequences VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 5th June, 2024 ©The Indian Express)
Lok Sabha election results 2024: NOTA votes rank 3rd in 24 of 25 seats in Gujarat VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 6th June, 2024 ©The Indian Express)
NOTA votes dip nationally, increase in northeast VIEW HERE ⤡ (As reported on 7th June, 2024 ©The Hindu)
As evident from the above data, out of the voter population of India, despite the small percentage, has preferred no political party at all, ventilating the ethos of the non-partisan libertarian politics, reflecting their loss of faith in contemporary functioning of regimented democratic order. If we have to believe the representation of numbers given by the biased ECI to be true and accurate, the same has to be taken seriously. We must also keep in mind that there are incidents of booth capturing, false voting, rigging, manipulation by the ECI itself etc., that make these numbers vary. It is also to be noted that a new fifth pillar of democracy has emerged, i.e., the social media. Despite fake news, morphed deep fake endeavours, some non-Godi media independent Youtubers have successfully presented the real stories of the Indian democracy, or otherwise, autocracy.
The necessity of NOTA lies in the fact that if it somehow reaches two-third majority, the “Right to Recall” could be brought to the fore in order to ensure accountability and direct democratic participation of the masses in the political process, instead of delegating absolute power to a few individuals once and for all. Along with this right, there also has to be scope for Proportional Representation instead of the First-past-the-post/plurality system of elections, since the latter contributes to hasty inductive claims in which the 36% minority party claims itself to be the majority “all” by suppressing the voices of the rest of the 64%. This is a strange tyranny of the non-majority majoritarianism that is characteristic of present-day representative democracy in India.
This discussion thus is in consonance with the essence of a dynamic PARTYLESS democracy that never reaches political stagnancy or political lag. This shall be explored in the course of discussing our demands consequently.
Now, a crucial factor to be heeded before any political consideration is: other than the question of participatory partyless democracy, one also has to take into account the facticity of the CLIMATE CRISIS, a glocal (global+local) occurrence that is affecting every sphere of species-activity on this planet. Not even one single political party in India is seriously concerned with this climate issue as such in terms of long-term planning or emergency formulations. Without talking about the mitigation of the climate crisis, a contemporary democracy cannot sustain for long, given that the very foundation of survival is being undermined at each step that we take. We have to talk of discarding developmentalist projects in favour of a more harmonious balance with the natural world in all its possible dimensions. India’s coastal-line, India’s current heatwave conditions, changed ocean currents, the increased frequency of mega-disaster events etc., bring this climate factor to the very forefront that must precede all our discussions.
We have recently discussed this here:
III. Considerations and Demands of Once in a Blue Moon Academia (OBMA)
This brings us to the listing of the major demands of OBMA, given the current state of the transformed political landscape in India:
A) All existing political parties must bring the Climate Agenda at the central focus instead of running after developmentalist projects. We need a sustainable retreat from such a developmental paradigm as preached by WB-IMF-WTO. There has to be the deployment of disaster management teams to confront such catastrophic conditions as well as policies for ensuring living-spaces for the increasing number of internally displaced climate refugees.
B) We must legalize NOTA to effectuate the partyless democratic order in the long run. Until the same is achieved, proportional representation must be made present to give equal representation to all voices in the manner of free, pluralistic exchanges.
C) We must reject the debt-ridden economy that relies on doles etc., since it is unsustainable at its core. In this, we must make efforts to glide towards the moneyless society.
D) We must stand in defence of a decentralized, federal, non-violent social order that does not concentrate power-usages, uses low-intensive energy-sources (without being a servant of energy), utilizes local resources, has no mega-industry and is essentially small scale.
A cooperative society will be established keeping in mind the Gandhian and Tagorean concept of “samavaya” in the context of de-centralized local resource-based economy. A Cooperative Bank will be established where one can minimize the use of money-based system by condemning “riba” as it is found in Islamic Literature and Sufism.
To establish a green self-reliant village without:
- Pesticides and chemical fertilizers in case of producing food; following the footsteps of permacultural/natural farming procedures, as exemplified in India by Vandana Shiva’s Bija Vidyapith, Bhaskar Save’s efforts and others.
- High-yielding varieties (HYV) and Genetically Modified (GM) seeds in case of producing food;
- Anti-green architecture;
- Anti-green toxic factory-produced textile industry;
- Fossil fuel-based energy usage, which leads to the emergence of energy-slaves.
E) The ill-conceived, multiple-times amended “Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code” (IBC, 2016, amended 35+ times within five years ⤡⤡) must be scrapped with immediate effect because it aids crony business tycoons and commits financial abuse of citizens through massive haircuts by means of its contradictory, incoherent provisions.
F) The arbitrary nature of the GST must be overcome through a uniform, planned implementation of the same. As for example, government has imposed huge GST on the Health Insurance. Why? Experiences of P(l)andemic⤡ had showed Indians the sorry state of the irresponsible governmental health sector vis a vis profit-making business of the private players. If the government cannot serve the cunningly crafted sick society (in the both senses of denotation and connotation), why do they take taxes in the case of health?
With regard to the alternative eco-space/green village discussed before, there shall be a journey from sick-society to health-sustaining society: to avoid medical nemesis, the emphasis will be on the community health, holistic health and to encourage a life without medicines. A Medicinal Plant Garden will be the part of this programme.
G) In a declared Socialist nation like India, there must be no stock markets or “Dalal Streets”.
H) Superrich willful defaulters must be caught and their property must be seized to create a repertoire of debt bank to repay the external debt and the victims of financial abuses due to abrupt bankruptcies. Though there are many sources of repaying the money⤡, the crony government is reluctant to perform that for the sake of enriching their party funds⤡.
I) From the perspective of Green Capitalism, in the MNC-controlled world, the concept of Green Banking and stress on Environmental Social Governance/ESG Funds should be introduced. No anti-green project shall be encouraged by the banks as financial institutions until the moneyless society is materialized where banks shall be rendered unnecessary.
J) If the “ruling” party prefers to promote a system of governance that upholds living in the way of dying, and dying in the way of killing — active euthanasia should be legalized for individuals to exercise the right to their own body in economic and ecological conditions unfit for survival.
Legalizing Active Euthanasia in India VIEW HERE ⤡
K) It shall be one of the aims of the eco/green-village space depicted earlier to:
Establish a deschooling society for the children where:
- To establish a deschooling society for the children where:
- The banking concept of “education” will have no place, which is one-way traffic (teachers are transmitting knowledge and the students are passive receivers). Participants will learn with the help of mentors without being suffered from degree-disease;
- There is no question of being alienated from the so-called binary of nature and culture as it is found in the mainstream education system. Both the human and non-human neighbors of the participants are to be dealt with empathy;
- Optimum utilization of the Online Study Materials, Tutorials and Virtual Classes, keeping in mind the scarcity of metals used in electronic gadgets and their spurious non-biodegradable features along with radiation.
- For the 18+ persons, self-made syllabus will be encouraged along with compulsory training in socially necessary labour that includes natural farming/permaculture, gathering, animal domestication, fishing, manufacturing clothes with handlooms (without using toxic dyes) etc.
They will compulsorily be trained in the following four disciplinary technologies:
- Survival Skills
- Disaster Management Techniques
- Learning Hunting-Gathering Skills for survival-ends alone (not for entertainment or pleasure) without at all adversely diminishing species populations
- History of Science (both Natural/Physical and Social Sciences)
- Philosophy of Science including Research Methodology (both Natural/Physical and Social Sciences)
Apart from these, a self-made syllabus for oneself will be encouraged for each and every participant. No designation of “teacher” or “Professor” will be there as the society will be emphasizing on the role of “facilitator” or “mentor”.
From 2004 to 2010, Krishna Kumar was the Director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an apex organization for curricular reforms in India. He adopted the model of Eklavya Foundation, based in Madhya Pradesh, which is in itself a living example of deschooling society. Mention must be made to the Swaraj University, Rajasthan, that upholds skill-based learning instead of formal pedagogy.
For more details, please visit: DRAFT ON THE PROPOSED PROJECT: ĀTMADIPA VIEW HERE ⤡
L) No religious practices are to be held within the premises of the alternative cooperative eco-social space to reach the concept of manavagotra/homo sapiens sapiens/species being. A Vipassana Meditation Centre will be established in its place for searching the relationship between the self and the other.
IV. Conclusion
In Conclusion, a poster shall speak a thousand words for us to encapsulate our demands:
Once in a Blue Moon Academia 