Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Say big ‘no’ to brutal capitalism – opt for socialism' that was published in Newsband

Say big ‘no’ to brutal capitalism – opt for socialism

The victims of capitalism have always been the disadvantaged sections of society. Marx and Friedrich Engels laid the formulations for the theory and practice of scientific socialism. They strove for the liberation of humanity from all forms of discrimination and exploitation.

In the present election campaign to the Lok Sabha, the Left parties have been raising several ideological and political questions in order to save the Republic of India so that it ensures a dignified life to all the people and empowers them in every respect.

The presence of class conflict in society and the vulnerabilities of the disadvantaged are a creation of capitalism itself. Liberalisation of the economy   led to unprecedented concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. Crony capitalism was soon making fast inroads into the policymaking coteries of India.

In a recent study, India was named as the second most unequal society in the world. According to Credit Suisse Research Institute’s Global Wealth Report, 1% of the Indian population owns 51.5% of the wealth in the country, and the top 10% own about three-fourths of the wealth. On the other hand, the bottom 60%, the majority of the population, own 4.7% of the total wealth.

Public education and health are the worst hit by capitalism. In a country like India, which is plagued with social problems such as widespread poverty, a deepening agricultural crisis, a very high unemployment rate, and abysmal health indicators, socialism and not capitalism is the answer.

In India, in this election season, real issues of the people are considered secondary to vague appeals of nationalism and national security. The ruling elites of India favour improvement in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ to improvement in the Human Development Index. India is doing badly on many parameters — nutrition, peace, human development, and press freedom — ensuring that people live a decent life is subordinate to ensuring that business becomes easier for crony capitalists.

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles where oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another. It is the duty and the responsibility of socialism to carry on that struggle for humanity, and to bring politics back to where it belongs — to the people. Only by saying a big ‘no’ to brutal capitalism, social justice can be achieved.