How ‘Socialist’ is our Republic

I wonder how many of you have seen visual clips of Barack Obama traveling. Well..it is a very small observation but a significant one. Many a time he carries his own bag/suitcase.

You might ask so what! Have you ever seen any Indian politician carrying his/her luggage? I have never seen even a Panchayat politician doing his own stuff forget about MPs. They are always surrounded by their supporters who are eager to do anything for them. (There is a special word in Hindi for them ‘chamcha’.)

Post-independence India remained obsessed with socialism, so much so that we added the word ‘Socialist’ in the preamble of our constitution. (42^nd Amendment, 1976). If only we would have practiced a little!

And how are socialists doing currently? Well…there are hardly any, though some political parties claim to be. They have shifted from socialism to caste based politics. The most ironic moment was one when a party named as ‘Samajwadi party’, after aligning with the current government prioritize favor for its biggest corporate ally.

So while we aspired for socialism (social and economic equality) we drifted away from it in course of time. Now no one even bothers to talk about this forget practicing. Sad demise of a noble aspiration!!