At the heart of Rahul Gandhi’s agenda is the call for an “X-ray” of Indian society — to expose and redistribute wealth. (PTI Photo)
AS INDIA STANDS at the cusp of significant socio-economic transformations, Rahul Gandhi’s recent speeches and the Congress’s manifesto suggest a turn towards an era many thought had passed. They echo the grand socialist experiments of the 20th century that promised much but delivered little.
Rahul Gandhi’s approach, which envisages extensive socio-economic surveys and caste censuses, seems less about fostering unity and more about seeking fault lines and sowing division.
During the Congress manifesto launch rally in Hyderabad, he advocated for an intrusive socio-economic and caste census to dissect society for resource redistribution. This approach dangerously aligns with Maoist doctrines of “struggle and transformation”, which historically led to catastrophic outcomes such as China’s Great Leap Forward and the economic disarray in Venezuela under socialist policies. The manifesto pledges to implement nationwide socio-economic re-engineering based on caste data similar social engineering experiments have repeatedly failed across the globe. Such measures threaten to push India into economic and social chaos, driven by an ideological zeal that ignores the complex array of factors at play within a modern economy. By relying on bureaucratic diktats to realise social outcomes, such measures end up exacerbating the problem. Rahul Gandhi’s emphasis on redistributing institutional power during his appearances in Biaora and Bhandara risk embedding economic policy within a narrow communal context.
At the heart of Rahul Gandhi’s agenda is the call for an “X-ray” of Indian society — to expose and redistribute wealth. This seemingly progressive rhetoric mirrors dangerous historical precedents. These strategies are not just about wealth distribution; they are about reallocating power along caste lines, a move that could entrench divisions rather than erase them. To repeatedly tout a societal X-ray reflects the scorched earth politics of the Congress that seeks to expose Indian voters to political radioactivity. The purported targets of this “X-ray” are India’s myriad wealth creators.
In their eagerness to demonise wealth creators and to weaponise wealth redistribution, the Congress and Rahul Gandhi seem to have forgotten the basic tenets of economics.
With irresponsible talk of a societal X-ray, Congress and Rahul Gandhi are willing to fritter away India’s demographic dividend by sacrificing and jeopardising the economic prospects of an entire generation. This radioactive politics of redistribution goes beyond merely scorching the political ground, for its fallout will scar an entire generation, breeding lingering discontent. Early indicators are already visible with irresponsible promises being made by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress on cash transfers to the youth who spend their time “watching reels on Instagram and YouTube”. Rather than motivate India’s youth towards acquiring skills, building capacity and aspiring to create value through their industry and entrepreneurial spirit, the redistributive mindset of the Congress and its scion seems set on scarring this generation with entitlements.
One must not be surprised if the radioactive logic of India’s principal opposition party one day seeks to even “X-ray” the social media activities of India’s youth in its toxic pursuit of vulnerable entitlement seekers. The wisest course for India would be to shield the society from this kind of radioactivity before societal “X-rays” are weaponised and competitive politics indulges in a nuclear arms race of sorts.
India needs policies that foster inclusive growth, not those that gamble with its future by stirring up societal divisions. It is crucial for voters to critically examine these regressive proposals, which flirt dangerously with outdated and failed economic doctrines. This scrutiny is essential to prevent the scorching of our society along economic and caste lines — a scenario detrimental to our national ethos of unity in diversity. As we debate the path forward, let us choose strategies that build, not those that break. India’s strength lies in its diversity, and its future should be built on policies that recognise and harness this, rather than those that attempt to redistribute it through the lens of outdated ideologies rooted in politics of “X-ray” surveys and a radioactive census.
