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As an amateur but skilled economic analyst and a certified Master Black Belt Lean6Sigma expert, I deeply entrenched in the dialectics of improvement and efficiency, one cannot help but view the economic landscape through a critical lens, especially when it pertains to the stewardship of a nation's wealth. The BJP, which currently holds the reins of India’s ruined central government, often touts the country's robust Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth as a testament to its economic fortitude. However, from an economist’s perspective, this narrative requires dissection beyond surface-level aggregates to address the stark contrast with GDP per capita — a measure that provides insight into the equitable distribution of economic gains among the populace.
GDP as a metric fails to capture the distributional aspects of economic growth. India's GDP ranks high globally, a fact that is brandished with pride, suggesting a strong economic trajectory. Yet, this figure is a mirage obscuring the view of those whose hands till the soil but whose brows remain furrowed with hardship. With a colossal population, India's GDP per capita — an average income per person — tells a more sombre tale. It is a figure that, when viewed through a socialist lens, highlights the gross inequalities that pervade the subcontinent.
From my standpoint, the essence of a nation's strength lies not in the wealth it accumulates but in how it allocates this wealth. Here, the BJP's narrative falters, as the per capita figure reveals the inequitable distribution of India's economic growth. Millions still grapple with poverty, inadequate healthcare, and subpar education systems, while a small section of society enjoys the fruits of the GDP. It reminds us the recent election bond scam!
The critique extends beyond mere economic metrics to the very ethos of governance. The claim of national strength peddled by the BJP is scrutinised against the anvil of social justice, where it is found wanting. The gap between the haves and have-nots widens, and the mantra of progress sounds increasingly hollow to those in the penumbra of prosperity.
To some, this discourse might seem an indictment of progress; to others, it is a clarion call for introspection. Can a government truly claim to be successful if its booming economy does not translate into the upliftment of its entire populace? From the purview of socialist ideology, which emphasises collective welfare, the BJP’s narrative on India’s economic strength is a half-told tale, skimming over the chapters of disparity and social struggle.
We truly need to implore a re-evaluation of what it means to be powerful in an economic sense. True strength, from this vantage point, is reflected in a nation's ability to forge an equitable society where prosperity is not an exclusive garden but a field that blooms for all. The BJP government's economic narrative must reconcile with the lived realities of India's people, where numbers in a report translate to nourishment on the plate, education in the mind, and wellbeing in the body. Only then can we claim, with empirical and moral certainty, the title of a strong nation.
