Adversaries all around

Fighting a war on two fronts has never been easy-a peep into history and the course of World War-II is all that one needs to realise this. If there was one reason why Germany’s conquests ended in a disaster with Hitler forced to end his life in a Berlin bunker, it was his adventuristic decision to fight a two-front war by taking on Britain, France and the USA on the western front and on Russia on its eastern borders.

The treacherous Russian snows and the might of the Russian army ensured Hitler’s army beat a hasty retreat finally ending in an ignominious defeat for the Nazis in 1945.

The times may have changed but the realities of war have not. So if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has vent his spleen on the BJP led Central government for devising a foreign policy which has brought China and Pakistan together on our northern borders, he has a point which many may tend to agree with.

Over the years, the two nations have stitched up a formidable alliance and any move by India against Pakistan, inevitably draws murmurs of disapproval from ‘big brother’ China which has played a crucial role in building up Pakistan’s military might.

So have we erred in our foreign policy formulations and failed to strike a much needed balance in our ties with our neighbours, instead creating adversaries all around? Shouldn’t the strategic goal be to keep China and Pak separate so that we do not have two enemy nations breathing down our necks and forcing our rulers to devote a big chunk of budgetary resources for defence?

Peace demand a price and the price we have to pay for economic growth is build harmonious ties with our neighbours so that valuable funds can be set aside for the betterment of those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder.

And this brings us to the second point raised by Mr Gandhi in his reply to the President’s speech in Parliament- the issue of ‘two Indias’ and this is definitely not something the BJP led NDA can solely be slammed for. Over the decades after Independence, national wealth has no doubt grown but the major share of goodies have been cornered by a few. And if 10 people have more wealth than 40 per cent of Indians as Mr Gandhi claims, our growth strategies definitely need a relook.

But the Congress which ruled the country for the most part after 1947, has to equally share the blame for this with most of its schemes for the upliftment of the poor, reaching nowhere. In shanties and slums in cities and villages, where thousands live and eke out a livelihood, not much has changed from the days of the British Raj. Our granaries may be bursting at the seams and our exports may be zooming but the divide between the rich and poor is growing deeper and made worse by the pandemic.

Priorities have to change and If policies are not tweaked with the poor in mind, any ruler, however powerful he may seem, is sure to bite the dust when the time comes.