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Good economics is good politics, but democracy is not just about bread and butter issues alone, asserted former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
Vital issuesAt a panel discussion following the recent launch of his book Standing Guard – A Year in Opposition organised by the Madras Management Association, he said social issues such as intolerance, minorities’ security, and freedom from fear, are as vital to democracy as economics, responding to a question on whether development has taken a back seat in political debate.
It would be an elitist approach to be dismissive of such debate.
There are 500-600 million people to whom these issues matter, he said.
Yes, good economics is good politics and the Congress-led UPA government had proved this in 2004 when it edged out the BJP by a few seats and five years later gained 60 seats to be re-elected, he said to the panel comprising Mukund Padmanabhan, Editor, BusinessLine ; GC Shekhar, Associate Editor, The Telegraph ; R Raghuttama Rao, Managing Director, ICRA Management Consulting Services; and T Shivaraman, President of MMA.
Chidambaram emphasised that governments must “listen to critics and respect critics”. People vote for one set to govern and the other to stand guard as the Opposition, which also explains the title of the book ‘Standing Guard’. He had hoped to write mainly on economics but over the last one year the “narrative has changed dramatically to the misfortune of India’s people”.
The year had begun with a focus on development, growth, job generation and infrastructure building but had ended differently.
Change in narrativeFrom development the focus shifted to intolerance, from cooperation to confrontation from welfare and security of all to a deep sense of insecurity and fear among large sections of the people.
Chidambaram said people should reflect on how the narrative has changed.
Dissent and debate are the essence of democracy, he said. Democracy is the only system in which a large and complex country like India can prosper.
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