Bastian Steuwer in FRONTLINE, 14 August 2024 where the title reads ”Two myths about the Indian middle class” .… segment of article here because the buggers in FRONTLINE want a subscription …. My response here is a form of THUPPAHI protest
They [i. e. the middle class] sustain a politics which does not disturb the position of the privileged few and deflects the focus from larger issues of economic justice.
The first myth is in invoking the “middle class” as synonymous with income taxpayers, investment gains, and so on. Promoting policies for the middle class, the ordinary Indian, or the common man naturally enjoy broad support….. Photo Credit: Rajanish Kakade
Politics is about who gets what.
This definition of politics goes back to the 1930s political scientist Harold Lasswell ,but continues to be relevant. In the early days of the Indian republic, a rhetoric of equality prevailed. B.R. Ambedkar warned that political democracy is in danger as long as social and economic life displays large inequalities. The Congress party spoke the language of socialism and equality and the main opposition parties were the socialists and the communists. The rhetoric of equality was betrayed in practice. India failed to build the infrastructure of a welfare state. Universal healthcare and even universal schooling were dismissed as pipe dreams.
Nowadays even the rhetoric of equality has disappeared. In the last Lok Sabha election campaign, both major political parties distanced themselves from any talk about the redistribution of wealth. The debate before and after the Budget scarcely focussed on ideas of equality. Instead, the government, the opposition, and much commentary in the media appealed to the middle class. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated her ambition as providing tax relief to the middle class. The opposition attacked the government on this ground claiming that the Budget was overburdening the salaried middle class. The business media, too, focussed on the tax burden of the middle class.
.……. Frontline’s DEMAND of a subscription is a travesty for any agency that provides its services free. So — this item is a form of protest. I think Muralidhar Reddy will be churning in his grave.
