Established 1946 1 Pages 20 Price : Rupees Five

Vol. 74 No. 45 Amit Shah’s NRC Plan Decoded December 1, 2019 Siddharth Varadarajan The Constitution as a Living Document Nandini Sundar In speech after speech, Union of dividing the Indian people on the How Far Have We Deviated From the home minister Amit Shah and other basis of religion. Ideology of Our Constitution? Sangh Parivar leaders like Mohan That is why leaders like Amit S.V. Narayanan Bhagwat have been insisting that Shah are trying to scare Muslim Finance Ministry Rejected RBI's Dissent on Electoral Bonds no Hindu will ever be deported from citizens and make them feel insecure Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar when their plan to create a about their place in their own What Policies Can India's Corporates National Register of Citizens (NRC) country, while telling Hindus that Buy With Half a Billion Dollars? is enforced across the country. this country really belongs to them Raghu Karnad At a political rally in Kolkata and reassuring them that they will Pathetic State of Economy: on October 1, Shah said, “I want never have to fear their citizenship Modi Govt Hides Data Prabhat Patnaik to assure all Hindu, Sikh, Jain, or devotion to the country being Buddhist and Christian refugees questioned. Jharkhand: Where Is the Mineral Wealth Going? that you will not be forced to leave This kind of politics goes Subodh Varma India by the Centre. Don’t believe against not just the letter and spirit Global Climate Disaster: rumours. Before NRC, we will bring of the Constitution but marks a Science is Screaming the Citizenship Amendment Bill, potentially dangerous turn—even Jake Johnson which will ensure these people get by the violent track record of Capitalism versus Life on Earth Indian citizenship.” Hindutva organisations. But beyond Ian Angus Now, if—like me—you were that, Shah’s reassurance to Hindu Editor : G. G. Parikh brought up on the values of the refugees, and those who care only Indian Constitution, you would for them, rests on a gigantic fib. Associate Editor : Neeraj Jain likely be scratching your head and Ever since the 2014 Lok Sabha Managing Editor : Guddi asking how on earth a minister could election, when Modi and the speak like this. Granted, he is talking (BJP) first Editorial Board : about refugees and not Indians, but began playing dangerous communal B. Vivekanandan, Qurban Ali, by what canon of morality, law or politics over India’s laws governing Anil Nauriya, Sonal Shah, tradition is it okay for the home foreigners and citizenship, the Amarendra Dhaneshwar, minister to say India will welcome government has moved swiftly Sandeep Pandey any and every kind of refugee as to segment and eventually even long as they are not Muslim? segregate the country’s residents on D-15, Ganesh Prasad, The fact is that all this talk of the basis of religion. Let us be very Naushir Bharucha Marg, refugees and immigrants is classic clear about this monstrous reality: if Mumbai - 400 007. dog-whistle politics, and is an we take Amit Shah’s words at face Email : [email protected] integral part of the Narendra Modi value, the only people without the Website:www.janataweekly.org government’s overarching strategy requisite documentation who will 2 JANATA, December 1, 2019 actually face deportation once an rightly so—including those who are in accordance with the Constitution NRC-type exercise is run across undocumented. Yet when it comes to and the law, without fear or favour, India will be Muslims. the fate of undocumented migrants affection or ill-will.” India has more than 1.3 billion in India, we behave just as horribly Shah’s plan hinges on residents, the overwhelming as the worst racists in the West. communalism, fear and division majority of whom are citizens. A Just look at the language that the but also on a lie. This is because the tiny, tiny fraction of the country’s government, the media and even the government’s plan to accommodate population comprises foreigners. courts use to describe undocumented Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain and Most of them are probably long-term migrants: we call them “infiltrators”. Christian refugees from Bangladesh, residents and it is safe to assume the An infiltrator conjures up the Pakistan and Afghanistan has a cut- majority do not have proper entry image of a man with a gun coming off date and that date is December or residence documents because to kill people. But an undocumented 31, 2014. successive governments simply migrant is someone who crosses a In 2015 and 2016, the never bothered to create a rational border in order to make an honest government amended the Passport migration and refugee policy. Of day’s wage. Now, we have Amit (Entry into India) Rules and the these, the largest single group are Shah calling Bangladeshi migrants Foreigners Act rules to declare that of Bangladeshi origin, but there ‘termites’ and promising to drive migrants belonging to those specific are also people from Tibet, Sri them out of India. It is not clear religions from these three countries Lanka, Myanmar, Afghanistan and where he intends to send those would never be considered “illegal Pakistan, most of whom have been whom his government is able to immigrants” in law provided they living in India for years and have identify; into the Bay of Bengal came to India before December 31, children who are full-fledged Indian perhaps? Because Bangladesh has 2014. The proposed Citizenship citizens. said repeatedly that it does not Amendment Bill will make it Labour migration is a fact of believe the people India wants to easier for these same groups to life, in South Asia and around the deport are Bangladeshis and thus acquire Indian citizenship, but world, and is a product of underlying will not accept them. That is why again provided they came in before economic dynamics in which labour Modi has been forced to reassure December 2014. shortages are actually transmitted Sheikh Hasina that she need not The carve-out for all religions from region to region. For example, worry about the NRC and External except Islam, the limited geographic economic opportunities in North Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has scope of the move and the cut- America lead to Punjabis migrating said the consequences of the exercise off date are proof of not just the out of India. Biharis then come is and will remain an internal matter government’s communalism but to Punjab to work the farms. But for India. total insincerity and dishonesty as this means there are less Biharis The NRC process has already well. available to work in West Bengal turned 1.9 million into virtually If India wants to adopt a and Delhi, which pulls workers in stateless people. Now Shah wants genuinely humanitarian policy from Bangladesh. Like Indians, to compound the problem that has towards refugees from neighbouring Bangladeshis also migrate to the arisen in Assam by replicating this countries, it should open its doors to West, leading to skill shortages dangerous exercise in West Bengal all victims of religious persecution back home. A few years ago, the and other parts of India. Since and not just non-Muslims. This World Bank published data that many Hindus have also ended up means Hindus from Bangladesh or Indians working in Bangladesh had in this excluded list, the home Pakistan should be welcomed, but remitted $3.7 billion back home that minister is busy reassuring Hindus so should Ahmadiyas, Hazaras or year—roughly half the amount that in Bengal and elsewhere who fail to anyone else. Bangladeshi workers in India send produce the proper papers that their Second, either you have a policy home each year. Indianness will not be in doubt. This for the neighbourhood or you don’t. Now India and the Indian people assurance is a blatant violation of Why are Modi and Shah being are very sensitive to the mistreatment his oath of office that obliges him humane to the religiously persecuted of Indian migrants worldwide— to “do right to all manner of people from just Bangladesh, Afghanistan JANATA, December 1, 2019 3 and Pakistan? Why not Myanmar new citizenship amendment for Bangladeshi, even Hindu ones— and Sri Lanka? By what logic is the Hindus persecuted in Pakistan or and using the citizenship and NRC government excluding Rohingya Bangladesh since 2015 who fled process to polarise the whole country Muslims fleeing persecution in to—or want to flee to—India? and consolidate their Hindu vote Myanmar, or Tamil Muslims The reason Narendra Modi and bank. and Hindus fleeing violence or Amit Shah have no place for them This is the ugly politics which persecution in Sri Lanka, should is because they love power more Shah is engaging in; it should surprise the situation (heavens forbid) ever than they love refugees, even Hindu us that this politics requires the use worsen there? ones. They know that if they were of ugly, vulgar words like ‘infiltrator’ Now Shah and his apologists to scrap the cut-off date—which and ‘termites’. Depending on how will likely scoff at these objections already violates the 1971 cut-off date desperate the BJP is to divert the because—as their guru Mohan stipulated in the Assam Accord— attention of voters away from the Bhagwat reminded us recently— voters in Assam will surely throw real issues, the NRC exercise could India is a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and must the BJP out of power there. be used to polarise India in ways we therefore open its doors to Hindus So how do you “appease” cannot even imagine. who have nowhere else to go, while Assamese sentiment while also Sadly, as of today, no one—not Muslim refugees have dozens of appealing to Hindu sentiments in even the Supreme Court—seems Muslim countries to seek refuge the rest of India? Modi and Shah willing to stop them. in. This is, of course, idiotic but if calculated that the 2014 cut-off date their heart really bleeds for Hindu would help them strike a balance (Siddharth Varadarajan is journalist, refugees, why do they have a 2014 between appealing to Assamese political analyst and academic. He is cut-off date? sentiment—which is fiercely against a Founding Editor of The Wire. He Why is there no space in their giving Indian citizenship to any was earlier the Editor of The Hindu.)

The Constitution as a Living Document

Nandini Sundar

The republic has never felt more In the last couple of years, fraternity as well. For secularism endangered than it does at 69. When the ABVP, supported by pliant is nothing but the equality of all Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde university authorities, has stopped religions in the public sphere and let slip the public secret that the BJP/ several campus events which fraternity across religions and caste RSS government is here to change explicitly set out to celebrate the as practiced by individuals in their the constitution, the problem is not constitution or Indian democracy, public and personal capacities. that the constitution cannot and such as one at the Delhi School should not be changed, but what of Economics in August 2017 and Authoring the constitution direction that change will take, and another at Allahabad in September The constitution has never whether it will destroy the very basis 2017, titled Jashn-e-Samvidhan. been a frozen document, and it of the republic or strengthen it. It is only an organisation which has always had multiple authors. Justice, liberty, equality, is itself deeply anti-national and Notwithstanding the sterling role fraternity—these progressive anti-democratic that can object to played by the drafting committee values in the constitution are the others celebrating the constitution and Babasaheb Ambedkar, the last defence of the republic. It is or democracy. constitution as it exists today is a clear, however, that these are not If people are to be reduced to product of interactions between values shared by the RSS from the their caste or religious identity, as three elements: the text, the courts moment of its inception and that Hegde, the Karni Sena, and various and above all, ‘the people’. indeed, the RSS regards these as an other fronts of the RSS want, it is Even at the time it was obstacle to realising its own vision not only the term secularism which framed, the text was not a closed of the country. will go, but equality, liberty and document. There were at least 4 JANATA, December 1, 2019 four elements that informed the current assemblies, and its hallowed Constitution or the Oxford Handbook making of the constitution—existing status in the country’s history should of the Indian Constitution, has administrative provisions such as not blind us to the fact that real focused on the landmark judgments those embodied in the Government individuals and not mythic heroes by which the courts have interpreted of India Act of 1935, internationally populated it. and extended the constitution. accepted constitutional principles, The final shape the constitution In particular, we recall with the ideals of the freedom struggle, took was often weaker than it could a sense of relief and gratitude the including universal adult suffrage, have been, and this is very visible in outcome of the 13-judge bench and the events that were taking place the 5th Schedule, where the original which decided Kesavanand Bharati in a country slowly emerging out proposal gave far more power to upholding a ‘basic structure’ to of World War II, famine and above the Tribes Advisory Council than the constitution, or the several all, Partition. As the chronicler of it currently has (where the council PILs which have extended the the constitution, Granville Austin, can only consider matters referred Right to Life to life with dignity. famously wrote, “Fundamental to it by the governor). In response But the constitutional statements rights were to be framed among to Jaipal Singh’s demand that the of the courts, as we all know, are the carnage of fundamental wrongs.” powers of the Tribes Advisory themselves a medley of factors. At one level, the similarities with Councils be preserved, K.M. Munshi The most important, perhaps, the 1935 Act make the constitution declared that the tribes could not be is the text of the constitution itself, appear almost pre-ordained. But the allowed to advise on questions of which in principle at least, shapes final product came out of sometimes law and order or forests. judicial activism. The caste, class and deeply-contested arguments between But those are precisely the issues gender backgrounds of the judges deeply-opposed individuals. that have subsequently agitated matter, even though in India we have Not every shade of opinion was adivasi movements. Had Jaipal relatively little information on how equally represented, especially the Singh’s suggestion to use the term these influence their judgments, at Communists, and the franchise on adivasi in the constitution not been all levels of the judiciary, not just the basis of which members were rejected, we would not have had the Supreme Court. At the same elected was less than 30% of the absurd judgments like the one in time, there is a certain kind of adult population. Prem Mardi vs Union of India, 2015, common habitus that professional Chauvinism was rife, for where the judge rejected the demand training develops in them. The text instance, when Shri R.V. Dhulekar to ban MSG 2 for glorifying the of the constitution and a certain declared that he would only speak killing of adivasis on the grounds professional fidelity to interpreting in Hindi as “People who do not that the constitution did not mention its spirit means that judges often know Hindustani have no right the term adivasi anywhere. go beyond their background in to stay in India” or when Muslim The constitution makers had remarkable ways. members were heckled, for example, much to answer for, including The recent judges’ press on their demand for proportional the neglect of villages. But what conference was such a remarkable representation. The great adivasi is equally amazing is how much event, precisely because of the leader Jaipal Singh was taunted about they got right, especially in terms psychological hurdles that judicial his elite lifestyle, and simultaneously of fundamental rights, universal professionalism imposes. If judges accused of being parochial, forcing suffrage and a host of other features. who are trained to be silent start him to list the multiple languages And where they missed out, the speaking, we must assume that he could speak and the tribal areas citizenry has intervened to expand things are seriously amiss for them he had visited. Women like Sarojini the constitution in meaningful to have taken this step. Finally, the Naidu were courteously infantilised, directions. court’s contribution to shaping the but also managed to turn the tables constitution depends heavily on the on their male colleagues. The courts kind of cases that are brought before In all, the constituent assembly Much of the work on the them, even though there are also was just as much as a space of Constitution, such as Granville many instances of lawyers (and even conflict and collegiality, as many Austin’s Working a Democratic judges) mobilising petitioners when JANATA, December 1, 2019 5 they want certain principles argued. the making. As Ranabir Sammadar points And this is where the people When Dalit groups memorialise out in an essay titled “Sovereignty come in—for without petitioners to their caste histories as in Bhima and the dialogic subject”, when bring a complaint against Aadhaar, Koregaon, youth are rounded up governments say that they will talk against Section 377, for the right and arrested for having taken part, to insurgents in the Northeast or to food, or for the freedom of compared to the kid gloves with Kashmir only “within the framework expression, the judges would have which dominant castes are treated. of the constitution” they tend to no occasion to exercise their craft. When it comes to the constitution, forget that the constitution is not just Rohit De’s work on the early years however, it is important to remember a set of administrative provisions but of the Supreme Court provides a that the goal of Dalit or adivasi also embodies the spirit of dialogue. fascinating glimpse into how people mobilisation is usually towards The year 1950 cannot and does not engaged with the constitution and greater equality. represent a closure on what can transformed it. It is true that often On the other hand, when or cannot be discussed, since the the courts are closed off to the poor, traditionally dominant communities constitution is a living document. but citizens have a responsibility take umbrage at imagined slights or Ultimately, the only thing that to try and force the judiciary and demand reservation for themselves, is not negotiable in the constitution legislature to attend to sections of they do so in order to perpetuate is the hope for justice, equality, the public or take up issues that inequality. Not all mobilisations liberty and fraternity. A party or a they would not otherwise have cared are, therefore, in keeping with the government which comes to power about. values of the constitution, but the swearing on the constitution but constitution has grown because all does not share this vision, and The people of these issues have been debated. which believes in the supremacy The role of ‘the people’ In some respects like the Citizenship of one religion or one language, is in preserving and extending the Act, which now makes citizenship not only committing perjury, but is constitution, however, goes far conditional on having an Indian profoundly anti-republic. beyond bringing cases to court, or parent, rather than on birth alone, electing representatives once every the constitution has actually shrunk (Nandini Sundar is a Delhi-based five years. While the ideologies from the vision of its founders. sociologist.) and programmes of successive governments are clearly important to the functioning of the constitution, How Far Have We Deviated From the Ideology through the various amendments of Our Constitution? they have brought in (land reform, abolition of privy purses, 73rd S.V. Narayanan and 74th amendment etc.), in the end, they seek legitimacy for their Constitution day on November The Constituent-Assembly changes in the name of public 26, similar to other days of national debates show the commitment opinion. importance, has become another of its members in giving life to The ‘public’ is clearly not day of ritualistic celebration without the idea of India in an inclusive homogenous, and while corporates much critical introspection. manner based on the principles of can quietly get an SEZ act passed, The significance of constitution social justice and democracy. The other citizens have to struggle for day is not in the explicit ritualistic unique nature of Indian nationalism, years to get an act on the Right reverence to the supreme legal as highlighted by historian to Information, or the Right to document, but in critical introspection Ramachandra Guha, is not based Education. Some states are almost of our progress in fulfilling the on any single religion or language, basic ideology of our constitution. as in European counterparts. That handed over to their elites on a The constitution makers’ clarity of shows the inclusive nature of platter like Chhattisgarh, while thought in creating a just society Indian nationalism overcoming the others like Jharkhand, Uttarakhand is clearly reflected in the founding conflicting social identities to create and Telangana have been long in philosophy of our constitution. a political citizenship for the overall 6 JANATA, December 1, 2019 development of the nation. The and inalienable rights of every 40% from 5% to less than 4%. constitution and its ideology have citizen. Justice—social, economic The Report on Fifth Annual laid a strong foundation for such and political—lays the foundation Employment-Unemployment an inclusive nation respecting the for other principles of equality and Survey (2015–16) by the Ministry differences and strengthening social liberty to be realised in an effective of Labour and Employment, showed justice in the newly independent manner. Justice not only gives that at the all-India level, around nation. equal opportunities but also means 77% of households did not have positively treating unequals in an a single regular/salaried person. Ideology of the Indian constitution unequal manner to create equality. More than 67% of households had Ideology could be defined as a This basic social liberal ideology an average monthly earning that did set of ideals or beliefs, which forms laid a strong foundation for all not exceed Rs 10,000. Within the the basis of the economic or political positive discrimination intervention labour force, more than 71% were system. Ideological beliefs not only by the government. The protection of not eligible for any social security give hope for a better society, but individual rights along with social benefits. Only 1.8% of labour also recognise/accept the existing justice can be understood clearly force in India earned more than Rs inequalities in society for its people from the preamble of constitution. 50,000 a month and 0.2% earned to introspect about their progress in more than Rs 1,00,000 a month. the future. Inequality This data shows the vulnerability Even though our constitution Persistent and increasing and inequality among the working is a lengthy document, its ideology inequality in a society shows that the population of India. is well entrenched in its preamble, principle of economic justice failed revealing the nature of the newly to realise its objectives. Further, the Global Hunger Index independent nation. The ideology in denial of economic justice extends India occupied the 100th position the preamble not only declares our its influence in denying justice in in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) freedom, but lays a strong foundation the political and social domain as we 2017, out of 119 countries. In Asia, for a society based on equality, witness in our contemporary India. only Afghanistan and Pakistan are justice and liberty. The Objective According to Thomas Piketty behind us. The report further stated: Resolution moved by Jawaharlal and Lucas Chancel in their research “At 31.4, India’s 2017 GHI score Nehru in 1946, which was adopted paper titled ‘Indian income is at the high end of the ‘serious’ by the Constituent Assembly in inequality, 1922–2014: From British category, and is one of the main 1947, is almost reflected in the Raj to Billionaire Raj?’ income factors pushing South Asia to the preamble of the Indian constitution. inequality is at its highest in the category of worst performing region It clearly lays down the path to be last 100 years in India. The top 1% on the GHI this year, followed taken by the future Indian state to had around 21% of total income closely by Africa South of the create a strong, united and inclusive in 1930s, which reduced to 6% in Sahara.” country, eliminating all forms of 1980s and again reached 22% by The shocking aspect of the discrimination. 2014—reaching the highest level. hunger index is that we were at The principles of justice, equality The period after the 1980s, when the 55th position in 2014 and now and liberty, along with secularism, we starting adopting a neoliberal we are at the 100th position within form the core components of the political economy (officially in three years. The worrying aspect is ideology of the Indian Constitution. 1991), the income share of the bottom that the totalitarian regime of North The founding fathers of our 50% reduced considerably and the Korea and war-ravaged Iraq are constitution envisaged an egalitarian top 1% increased consequently. ahead of India in the index. The high society based on such ideal principles, Further, according to Anand malnutrition level among children, but does our contemporary reality and Thampi, in ‘Recent trends in women and other vulnerable groups really reflect these values? Wealth Inequality in India’, the contribute towards our declining top 1% of India had 28% of the position in the GHI. This further Reality check country’s wealth by 2012, which was shows how economic and social The founding principles of our an increase of 11 percentage points justice is being denied to a majority constitutional ideology are mutually since 1991. The same period saw the of the population, violating the basic interdependent, making it indivisible decline of the share of the bottom ideology of our constitution. JANATA, December 1, 2019 7

Discrimination against minorities the institutional support system and social justice in the form of social The Sachar Committee report for Muslims. This is against the liberalism, is slowly being defeated (2006) on the social, economic and foundational ideology of justice in as we have already deviated from it educational status of the Muslim the Indian constitution. considerably. The ‘justice’, ‘liberty’ community in India revealed the and ‘equality’ in the preamble are institutional discrimination Muslims Privatisation of educational slowly losing relevance and have face in India. The literacy rate of institutions become mere ritualistic words for Muslims was far below the national The constitutional ideology the ruling class during times of average and only one out of 25 in mixing social justice with individual celebrations like constitution day. undergraduate and one out of 50 in liberties came under threat after Critical introspection clearly shows postgraduate courses in ‘premier we formally adopted the neoliberal how we have failed miserably colleges’ were found to be Muslim. political economy in 1991. The to live up to the expectations of Muslim representation in Civil state slowly started moving away our founding fathers. The further Services was around only 3%. from positive intervention through weakening of constitutional values Muslim children are in greater risk the creation of support systems for is going to threaten the idea of India of being underweight or stunted vulnerable groups. Privatisation of that evolved from a complex mix of compared to other communities. the public sector has excluded the cultures, religions, regions etc, with Banks in Muslim areas are hitherto deprived communities from social justice, secularism, liberty and marked as ‘negative’ or ‘red’ the benefits of social justice. equality as its core principles. zones indicating that giving loans Table 1 shows the surge in private is not advisable—limiting their institutions of higher learning in (S.V. Narayanan is an independent institutional support. Poverty among India between 2011 and 2017. Since policy analyst.) Muslims is high and even basic private educational institutions do facilities like post offices were not not follow the system of reservations, Articles Put on Janata Blog operational in Muslim areas. Such a majority of minority, SC/ST and Last Week (Nov. 24, 2019) institutional discrimination has kept Muslim students are excluded from the Muslim community vulnerable, any meaningful participation, thus 1. P.C. Joshi, “Gandhi-Nehru causing them to turn to religious defeating the whole ideology of Tradition and Indian support systems. social justice as envisaged in the Secularism” The professor Amitabh Kundu Constitution. 2. Arjun Sengupta, “Nehru and committee, formed in 2014 to Indian Socialism” review the implementation of Sachar Need for course correction 3. Harsh Mander, “The Ayodhya Committee recommendations, did The founding ideology of the Judgment in India’s Enveloping Darkness” not find much improvement in constitution, combining liberalism 4. Nishrin Jafri Hussain, “Bless Us, Abba!” Table 1: Percentage of Private Institutions of 5. Abhishek Kumar and Harshvardhan, “Phool Higher Education – All India Walon Ki Sair: A Festival of Communal Harmony among Year University Colleges / Stand-alone All Hindus and Muslims” Recognised institutes institutions 6. Bharat Dogra, Madhu Dogra institutes and Reshma Bharti, “Women 2011-12 29.25 72.58 78.73 60.19 Who Sacrificed Their Life In The Freedom Movement” 2012-13 31.86 73.77 76.91 60.85 7. Nino Pagliccia, “Bolivia and 2013-14 33.19 74.59 75.66 61.15 Venezuela: Two Countries, But 2014-15 35.36 76.09 75.07 62.17 Same Hybrid War” 8. Zoe PC, “Bolivians Bravely 2015-16 36.47 76.69 75.18 62.78 Fight Back Against Coup: “We 2016-17 38.74 76.86 74.44 63.35 Are Going to Resist Until the Source: All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) – 2011 to 2017 Last” 8 JANATA, December 1, 2019 Finance Ministry Rejected RBI's Dissent on Electoral Bonds

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

The Reserve Bank of India’s has the possibility of misuse, more In his response to the governor’s (RBI’s) repeated warnings on the particularly through use of shell letter on September 24, 2017, electoral bond scheme in bearer companies. This can subject the secretary of the Department of form having the potential to RBI to a serious reputational risk Economic Affairs in the finance increase black money circulation, of facilitating money laundering minister, Subhash Chandra Garg, money laundering, cross-border transactions.” wrote, “RBI’s suggestion on issuance counterfeiting and forgery were The RBI governor also stated that of EBs in electronic (demat) format ignored by the Centre as it was more “given that the major objective of the only with the bond holders sharing keen on protecting the identity of EB Scheme is to provide anonymity unique identifier with the political donors, the Ministry of Finance’s to persons making a contribution party may take away a key feature of responses to right to information to political parties, we believe that the scheme to protect the identity of queries has revealed. this can be better achieved if EBs the donor from the political parties. In response to applications are issued in electronic form (demat The donors may apprehend that the around the electoral bond scheme form), with the Reserve Bank as the system may not be able to ensure filed by RTI activist Anjali depository, rather than as a physical secrecy of identity of the donor.” Bhardwaj, the ministry has released scrip.” Conveying the Centre’s the correspondence between the RBI He said, “apart from avoiding intent, the secretary added, “the and the Centre. These clearly show the use of EBs for money laundering, Government, therefore, considers how the Centre went ahead with this arrangement will be more secure that issuing bonds in physical bearer a “bearer” electoral bond scheme, and will also reduce the cost, as the bond form, as approved earlier, as announced in the Union Budget need for printing security features in needs to be the mode of issuance of 2017-18, regardless of the concerns obviated. Moreover, this will be in electoral bonds.” He also urged the raised. the fitness of things given the larger RBI governor to “urgently send” the While HuffPost India broke the objective of digitalisation that the draft notifications of the Electoral story of how the RBI objected to government is pursuing.” Bond Scheme as per the structure the electoral bonds scheme earlier On the need to issue electoral forwarded to RBI on August 30, this week, documents provided by bonds in demat form, Patel further 2017. Bhardwaj give further details on the explained that these “will be akin Thus, it is clear that the contours back-and-forth that took place. to a central-bank floated ‘digital of the scheme had been firmed up by currency’ that would obviate the the Centre earlier itself. RBI: Electoral bonds will promote need for any other entity to issue money laundering such instruments. At a later state, and RBI: Increased risk of forgery, A look at the communication if so desired, such EBs can pave the cross-border counterfeiting between then RBI governor Patel way for fully transparent electoral In a follow-up letter, dated and then finance minister Arun funding, viz., Reserve Bank as the September 27, 2017, Patel again Jaitley reveals that the government custodian would record the payer wrote to Jaitley asking that the repeatedly ignored concerns raised of money in the transaction, who is government “revisit its stance on by the central bank around the the effective contributor to electoral issuing EBs in scrip form”. He also scheme. funding.” conveyed to the minister that the On September 14, 2017, Patel in However, Patel’s concerns and Committee of the Central Board (of a letter to Jaitley clearly spelt out his advice clearly failed to move the the RBI) suggested that the bank concerns. He wrote: government. “advise the central government, in “We are concerned that the issue our fiduciary capacity, to reconsider of EBs as bearer instruments in the Govt: Bearer bonds will ensure the idea of issuing EBs in the form manner currently contemplated secrecy of donor of physical scrips in view of the JANATA, December 1, 2019 9 likely unintended consequences that “this would expose the government would have ‘serious repercussions/ it could result in”. and RBI to adverse public criticism impact on the transparency aspect of Patel noted that the Committee and consequent loss of goodwill for political finance/funding of political flagged certain issues. It felt that both.” parties’. “issue of EBs in scrip form is Despite the concerns and red “The Commission had then fraught with serious risk of money flags raised, the Centre stood its termed the scheme a ‘retrograde laundering as consideration for ground. On October 5, 2017, Garg step’ and argued that non-disclosure transfer of scrips from the original wrote to the RBI governor saying, of donor identity and clauses would subscriber to a transferee and “it has been decided that issuance allow for shell companies and foreign thereafter, till it is eventually given of such bonds would be in the form entities to fund and influence Indian to a political party for encashment, of physical bearer bond form only. political parties and elections. will be paid in cash.” Your views and suggestions have “Then, in April this year, the EC The panel cautioned that “this been duly considered and this is the also told the apex court that it was will leave no trail of the transactions final decision of the Government.” opposed to the veil of anonymity and in the process of providing associated with such bonds. The anonymity to the contributor to the Editor’s Note: In another article Election Commission maintained political party, anonymity will be published in the Wire, Gaurav that it wanted transparency in provided to several others in the Bhatnagar notes that the Election political funding and that disclosure chain of transfer of the EBs” and that Commission too had raised concerns of the identity of the funders as well “this can render the scheme to abuse regarding the electoral bond scheme. as the recipients was essential for by unscrupulous elements.” He writes: democracy. ‘People have the right to Another major concern raised “The Election Commission know about the antecedents of their by the RBI committee pertained to had in 2017 filed an affidavit in representatives and the political national security. It cautioned that the Supreme Court in which it party that candidate represents,’ it “EBs in scrip form could also be criticised the electoral bond scheme. submitted. exposed to the risk of forgery and Its argument was that electoral cross-border counterfeiting besides bond project and removal of caps (Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar is Deputy offering a convenient vehicle for on the extent of corporate funding Editor at The Wire.) abuse by `aggregators’.” In this regard, the panel said, What Policies Can India's Corporates Buy With “one of the major positives arising Half a Billion Dollars? out of the demonetisation was that cash lying outside the formal Raghu Karnad economy has been brought into the banking system”. Between the years 2005 and On May 5, the State Bank But, it said, while “public at 2018, the world’s five largest tech of India responded to a Right to large endured serious physical firms—Amazon, Apple, Google, Information request from activist and other kinds of inconveniences Facebook and Microsoft—grew Vihar Durve, disclosing the value only because they saw this as a to dominate global business and of electoral bonds issued just prior concerted effort to deal with the media, and firmed their grip on to the general election. black money hoarders,” the EB global markets and on lawmakers. In March and April of 2019, scheme could undo the good. “The According to Forbes, the ‘Big Five’ respectively, Rs 1365.68 crore and moment the proposed scheme of collectively “spent half a billion Rs 2256.37 crore were transferred EBs in scrip form is operationalised, dollars lobbying [the US] Congress” to political parties, with no taxes the possibility of that helping over those 13 years. levied. black money to be laundered will In India, anonymous political Since 2017, electoral bonds surely be highlighted in various donors spent a similar amount—Rs have allowed donors—including quarters.” 3,622 crore, or $514 million—in just subsidiaries of foreign firms—to The panel also cautioned that two months, March and April 2019. remain anonymous, regardless of the 10 JANATA, December 1, 2019 scale of their donation. was a period when genetically- AT&T and the National Finance minister Arun Jaitley modified crops loomed large in Cable & Telecommunications recently argued that electoral bonds US policy debates. Association (NCTA)— allow citizens to support a party or l Between 1998 and 2008, half a collectively spent $572 million candidate, using white money, and billion dollars was the average on lobbying over the nine without fear of repercussions. But annual lobbying spend by the years leading up to 2017. This the trade-off for this freedom is the entire US financial services was during the height of the loss of any public oversight of who sector, according to a consumer States-side political debate on is funding elected leaders. report. Only one third was in regulatory oversight and net In Jaitley’s view, donations actual political contributions; neutrality. have to be enabled as democratic the other two-thirds were spent In all these cases, massive freedom. But evidence suggests on paid lobbyists. This was a lobbies—comprising the largest that these donors are not regular period when banks and financial corporations in the world—have citizens. In a prior period, 99.8% firms defeated regulations and poured money into political coffers, of the value of electoral bonds oversight, maintaining a free run over a course of years, to reach a were issued in denominations of of illegal or unethical practices, total spend in the range of half a Rs 10 lakh or one crore, according which culminated in the 2008 billion dollars. to the Association for Democratic financial crisis and global In India, however, entities have Reform. Large donations usually recession. deluged politicians with funds on represent lobbying, quid pro quos l Between 2012 and 2014, this scale over just two months. And or a transaction within a cycle of six hundred companies with Indian citizens are denied the right institutionalised corruption. interests in US food and agri- to know who those entities are, or to Data is not yet available on who biz—including Exxon, DuPont understand what they are hoping to received what share of the half- and Monsanto, as well as get in return. billion-dollar deluge just before the banks and the US Chamber of election. But in a prior period, FY Commerce—collectively spent (See also: Divya Guha, “India's 2017–18, 98% of the value of all half a billion dollars to influence Shadow Lobbies: How Business electoral bonds issued went to the the US Farm Bill (which sets Captured the Government”, ruling BJP. food and agriculture policy published in Janata Blog this week So how much is half a billion and dictates a trillion dollars in - Editor.) dollars worth, in political terms? We government spending). have seen that it is comparable to 13 l The largest telecom firms in (Raghu Karnad is a Contributing years worth of US lobbying by the the US—Comcast, Verizon, Editor at the Wire.) ‘Big Five’ in tech. Here are a few other revealing Pathetic State of Economy: comparisons in the US, about the scale of corporate influence and Modi Govt Hides Data control sought in exchange for half Prabhat Patnaik a billion dollars: l Between 1999 and 2009, the The National Statistical Office per month (at 2009–10 prices). combined lobbying expenditure (NSO) has decided not to release An actual drop in per capita of the 50 largest US agro and the quinquennial survey data on consumer expenditure is an food patent-holding firms, consumer expenditure for 2017–18. extremely serious matter. Such a plus top biotechnology and This is because these data, leaked by drop has occurred for the first time agrochemical trade associations, The Business Standard (November in over four decades; the previous was $572 million—over the 15) show a drop of 3.7 per cent in occasion when a drop had occurred full decade. This estimate was real per capita consumer expenditure was in 1972–73, when a poor harvest published in a report by the NGO between 2011–12 and 2017–18, had combined with the first oil Food and Water Watch. This from Rs 1,501 per month to Rs 1,446 shock by OPEC to push up inflation JANATA, December 1, 2019 11 and to squeeze drastically the real that its ratio in total population liberal policies. This is evident if we purchasing power in the hands of did change over a short period), compare the figures for 1993–94 and the people. Those however had then we find that, deflated by the 2011–12 (both quinquennial survey been erratic disturbances: either consumer price index for rural India, years). This magnitude must have external factors (OPEC price-hike) the per capita real income of the got a further sharp upward push in or episodic factors (poor harvest) agriculture-dependent population 2017–18. for which the government could not declined slightly between 2013–14 It is typical of the Modi be held responsible, though it could and 2017–18. Since the agriculture- government to suppress these data of course be faulted for the way it dependent population also includes on consumer expenditure, which it handled these disturbances. the landlords and the agricultural finds uncomfortable. It had done the In 2017–18 there are no such capitalists, who have a large share same with employment data before erratic disturbances outside of the despite being few in number and the Lok Sabha elections, which government’s control. The only whose incomes could be safely had shown an unemployment rate disturbances that had shaken the assumed not to have fallen over this higher than ever before in the last economy during the 2017–18 survey period, the decline for the bulk of the 45 years; but these data at least were period were the demonetisation of rural population, the working people officially released afterwards. With currency notes and the rolling out of rural India, must have declined regard to the consumer expenditure of the Goods and Services Tax, for even more sharply. (And even if the data however it has decided not to both of which the Modi government ratio of the agriculture-dependent release them at all. It will wait till was solely responsible. population in total population is 2021–22 for the next quinquenninal To be sure, these disastrous assumed to have fallen over this survey, by which time it would have decisions alone cannot explain period, the fall could not have suitably modified the method of the fall in per capita consumer been large enough to negate this data collection to ensure that it gets expenditure. The incidence of the fall conclusion). The same conclusion a prettier picture, before it comes has been particularly sharp in rural holds if we change the terminal out with any figures on consumer India where per capita expenditure date from 2017–18 to 2016–17, expenditure. has declined by 8.8 per cent between i.e., before demonetisation could The argument it has advanced 2011–12 and 2017–18, compared to have had any impact. It follows that for suppressing the consumer a rise, though by a mere 2 per cent, whatever impact demonetisation expenditure data are quite absurd: in urban India between these dates. (and the GST) had was superimposed the “data quality” according to it is And in rural India signs of distress upon an agrarian economy already poor. But this is a matter that could had been visible for quite some time, in distress because of the neo- have been left to the researchers quite apart from demonetisation and liberal policies being pursued and the public at large, instead of GST. The latter in short acted on an by successive governments, and being decided by a set of bureaucrats already distressing situation to make pursued with particularly ruthless and hand-picked “experts”. The it more distressing; but it is not as if single-mindedness by the Modi government could have just released the situation was tolerable otherwise. government. the data and taken the stand that The clearest proof of this The decline in food expenditure not much should be read into them comes from production data. has been especially sharp, by as because of poor “data quality”. The government is claiming that much as 10 per cent in per capita In fact when the quinquennial production data run contrary to the terms between 2011–12 and 2017– survey on consumer expenditure data on consumer expenditure, but 18 in rural India. This must have in 2009–10 showed a substantial this is a false claim. If we take the increased the magnitude of poverty increase in poverty compared to current price net value added in quite significantly. Contrary to 2004–05, the government of that “agriculture and allied activities”, official claims, the magnitude of time ordered a fresh large sample which is the source of all incomes poverty which is defined with survey in 2011–12. The argument derived within this sector, and divide respect to a calorie norm in India advanced was that the 2009–10 it by the agriculture-dependent had been rising both in urban and in survey could not be taken seriously population (estimated by assuming rural areas over the period of neo- because it had been carried out 12 JANATA, December 1, 2019 during a drought year; but that the statistical system that the country conformity with the unemployment did not prevent the government of had built up so painstakingly under data mentioned above. They are in the time from releasing the data the leadership of Professor P.C. conformity with the agricultural for 2009–10. And indeed 2011– Mahalanobis, when Jawaharlal income figures mentioned above. 12, which was a good crop year, Nehru was the Prime Minister. They are in conformity with the showed a substantial increase in The National Sample Survey that massive downturn that the economy per capita consumer expenditure Mahalanobis had set up was the is experiencing at present, when not compared to 2009–10, though it largest sample survey in the world, a day passes without some fresh did not negate the conclusion about a source of information unparalleled news appearing about its miserable a rising trend of poverty (in terms anywhere in the third world, a performance. The fact that the sales of calorie deprivation) in the neo- matter of pride for the country, of even simple consumer items like liberal period. and an immensely valuable input biscuits have been falling of late is in In fact this is the first time that for research. To muck about with conformity with the absolute decline the data thrown up by an official it, to destroy this valuable source in per capita consumer expenditure. statistical survey have been entirely just so that the hollowness of the When the nation is in the grip suppressed, with all the expenditure government’s claims about its of a severe economic crisis, instead undertaken for the survey going “achievements” is not exposed, of using every bit of available down the drain. For a government constitutes an instance of criminal information to understand the to waste so much of the nation’s callousness. crisis, the Modi government is resources, by commissioning a The government argues that suppressing valuable information. survey whose results are then the consumer expenditure data are This is the measure of its seriousness suppressed, just because it does not in keeping with other official in overcoming the crisis. not want its hype about ‘acchhe indicators, and that this is the basis of din’ destroyed, shows a level of its argument that the “data quality” is (Prabhat Patnaik is Professor megalomania that is unimaginable. poor. But these data are completely Emeritus at the Centre for Economic What is even more worrying is in conformity with what one gleans Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal that its megalomania would destroy from all other sources. They are in Nehru University, New Delhi.)

Jharkhand: Where Is the Mineral Wealth Going?

Subodh Varma

According to various estimates, the country ranking low on various way for big mining companies. Jharkhand has 40% of the country’s economic and social indicators. Thus mining became an activity mineral resources. It has 27.3 per cent It was thought that after the state that was hostile to the people. They of India’s coal reserves, 26 per cent was carved out of Bihar in 2000, were evicted, turned into serfs, of iron ore, 18.5 per cent copper ore, development will take place. But forced to migrate, or survive in besides having deposits of uranium, that also doesn’t seem to have inhuman conditions. This naturally , bauxite, granite, limestone, happened. Why? led to resistance to mining and all silver, graphite, magnetite and the problems that follow. dolomite. It also has large quantities Disastrous Model Besides this, the other major fault of stone, limestone and sand. Almost The main reason for this is that in policy lay in handing over mines 20% of the state’s revenue arises mineral resources were seen by the to private entities. The contradiction from mining activities. political rulers as something that has with people intensified as 3,963 But despite this abundance, and to be appropriated, or rather seized, lessees and 6,647 dealers took over despite mining having started as and sold off. The people living on mining and trading operations in far back as the first decade of the those lands were mostly seen as the state. These were unscrupulous 20th century, Jharkhand continues encumbrances—obstacles that had operators with only one objective— to be one of the poorest states in to be duped or coerced into giving to make profit, come what may. As a JANATA, December 1, 2019 13 result, the distance between mineral Chart: Jharkhand: District Mineral Foundation Fund, resources and people became even 2016–19 (Rs crore) greater and the relations even more fraught. Some may argue that the state government does earn royalties and fees from leasing out the mines, so what is wrong with this model? The answer is very simple: the state government (this one and previous ones) has fixed the game in such a way that only a small amount of royalties and other fees finally accrue to it, leaving the operators with huge profits. As it is, royalty rates are low and mostly levied on pit mouth prices or even cost of result from the rather low level of all the projects sanctioned till date in production prices for captive mines. mineral extraction because of not Jharkhand—some 25,000 odd—are Even the CAG has castigated the taking the people in confidence and still in progress! In three years not a Jharkhand state government for non- hence facing resistance to mining. single one has been completed. or short levy of royalties by applying Meanwhile the state’s inhabitants incorrect rates, under-estimating District Mineral Fund Sham continue to get ground down in production, not penalising late In 2016, the Modi government abject poverty, face joblessness and payments etc. announced that in order to plough the state has reported some of the As a result, the richest mineral back some of the profits that mining most shocking numbers in terms of state is earning a paltry sum activities generate, the mining malnutrition, even starvation deaths. from various fees it charges from operators will have to pay 10% of The coming elections may see the companies that are exploiting the the royalties to a trust set up in each BJP state government dislodged, minerals and selling them off for district. It was called the District going by the widespread discontent, big profits. According to the latest Minerals Foundation (DMF). The but a deeper relook is necessary at Budget presented by the BJP ministry funds thus collected would be used the mining and mineral policy if the that rules Jharkhand, in 2018–19, Rs for such development work like people are ever to get the benefit of 6,783 crore was the revenue (revised providing piped water supply to these resources. estimate) accruing to the Mines communities, building roads and Department from various fees and toilets, and so on. (Subodh Varma is a senior rents. In 2019–20, the Budget hoped The chart reveals the fate of this journalist.) program—called Pradhan Mantri to collect Rs 8,042 crore. In addition, sand extraction yielded revenue of Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana or PM Janata Subscription Mining Sector Welfare Programme. Rs 299 crore in 2018–19 and was Annual Rs. : 260/- Remember, the state has been ruled expected to yield Rs 362 crore in the Three Years : 750/- current year. by BJP since 2014, so there is These are paltry sums, nowhere complete political convergence Demand Draft / Cheque near the actual final sale value of with the BJP led central government on Mumbai Bank in Delhi. No questions of any minerals that are being relentlessly in favour of extracted from the land in Jharkhand. dissonance. As you can see, just 24% Partly, they reflect the clout of of the funds thus collected have been Janata Trust D-15, Ganesh Prasad, mining industrialists who keep used for the ‘developmental work’. Clearly, the whole thing has Naushir Bharucha Marg, such rates low by pressurising the Grant Road (W), Mumbai 400 007. government. But partly they also turned into a macabre joke. It seems 14 JANATA, December 1, 2019 Global Climate Disaster: Science is Screaming

Jake Johnson An alarming United Nations nearly sufficient to bring about the UNEP's executive director, said report released this week said global widespread changes needed to avert in a statement. "This shows that temperatures are on track to rise as climate catastrophe. countries simply cannot wait until much as 3.2°C by the end of the According to the report, the end of 2020, when new climate century, meaning only drastic and produced by an international team commitments are due, to step up unprecedented emissions reductions of leading scientists and researchers, action. They—and every city, region, can stave off the most devastating greenhouse gas emissions must business, and individual—need to consequences of the climate crisis. begin falling 7.6 percent annually by act now." The annual Emissions Gap 2020 to prevent global temperatures Anderson added that only "major report from the UN Environmental from rising more than 1.5°C by transformations of economies and Program (UNEP) warns that nations' 2030. societies" will be enough. commitments under the Paris climate "Our collective failure to act accord—from which US President early and hard on climate change (Jake Johnson is a staff writer for Donald Trump began formally means we now must deliver deep Common Dreams, a nonprofit, US- withdrawing this month—are not cuts to emissions," Inger Andersen, based, news website.) Capitalism versus Life on Earth

Ian Angus

These sentences are from a Joint Chiefs of Staff. The authors Planetary Boundaries recent report on the consequences are senior officials of the U.S. Army, Climate change is the most of climate change: the Defense Intelligence Agency, extreme example of the crisis, Sea level rise, changes and NASA, and it was published but it is not the only one. Earth in water and food security, and by the United States Army War System scientists have identified more frequent extreme weather College. nine planetary boundaries—global events are likely to result in the Their report recommends environmental conditions that migration of large segments of strengthening the U.S. military, define “a safe operating space for the population. Rising seas will already the biggest war machine humanity.” Crossing any one of those displace tens (if not hundreds) of on Earth, to protect the U.S. thresholds could have deleterious millions of people, creating massive, empire from the consequences of or even disastrous consequences enduring instability.…Salt water the environmental chaos. They for civilization. Seven of the nine intrusion into coastal areas and call for a “campaign-plan-like critical planetary boundaries are changing weather patterns will approach to proactively prepare close to or already in the danger also compromise or eliminate fresh for likely conflict and mitigate zone. water supplies in many parts of the the impacts.” As we know, when Such research leads irresistibly world…. A warming trend will also the U.S. military embarks on a to the conclusion that modest reforms increase the range of insects that campaign, the result is always and policy shifts are not enough. We are vectors of infectious tropical devastation and destruction for the confront not individual problems diseases. This, coupled with large poor and oppressed. that can be tackled separately, but scale human migration from tropical As this report shows, the U.S. an interlocked set of disruptions nations, will increase the spread of Army, unlike the U.S. president, of Earth’s life support systems. infectious disease. knows that climate change is real, Fundamental natural processes that Many reports have made and that the consequences may be have evolved over millions of years such points. What makes this catastrophic. The generals recognize are being shattered in just a few one significant is that it was that something has gone terribly decades. commissioned by the Pentagon, by wrong in the relationship between Radical remedies are obviously the General who is now chair of the human society and the Earth. required, but we won’t find a cure JANATA, December 1, 2019 15 unless we identify the underlying to conclude that the only way to slow and grandchildren to live in a clean, cause, the systemic disease that is or reverse the pillaging of Mother environmentally sustainable world. attacking our planet. Earth is to slow or reverse population But as major shareholders and growth. More people equals more executives and top managers they Why Growth? stuff; so fewer people would equal act, in Marx’s wonderful phrase, Many environmentalists identify less stuff. as “personifications of capital.” the underlying problem simply That claim is fatally undermined Regardless of how they behave at as growth. And indeed, as many by fact that the countries with home or with their children, at work books and articles show, the drive to the highest birth rates have the they are capital in human form, extract, produce and grow ever more lowest standard of living, own the and the imperatives of capital take stuff is filling our rivers with poison least stuff, and produce the least precedence over all other needs and and our air with pollution. Oceans pollution. If the poorest 3 billion values. When it comes to a choice are dying, species are disappearing people on the planet somehow between protecting humanity’s at unprecedented rates, water is disappeared tomorrow, there would future and maximizing profit, they running short, and soil is eroding be virtually no reduction in ongoing choose profit. faster than it can be replaced—but environmental destruction. As a case in point, consider the growth machines push on. The other common explanation the nitrogen oxide gases, nitrogen Corporate executives, for the constant promotion of growth monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, economists, bureaucrats and is that we have been seduced by a which are produced by burning politicians all agree that growth false ideology. The drive for growth petroleum fuels, especially by diesel is good and non-growth is bad. has been described as a fetish, an engines. They don’t get as much Unending material expansion obsession, an addiction, or even media attention as carbon dioxide, is a deliberate policy promoted a spell. Greens often use the term but they are powerful greenhouse by ideologues of every political growthmania. gases, and they are directly harmful stripe, from social democrats to Such accounts present the drive to human health. They cause throat conservatives. When the G20 met for growth as a choice that politicians and lung diseases, and they increase in Toronto they unanimously agreed and investors make, under the the severity of diseases such as that their highest priority was to influence of a bizarre obsession. asthma. “lay the foundation for strong, As British socialist Fawzi Ibrahim In 2009, regulators in Europe sustainable, and balanced growth.” says, this and North America introduced strict The word growth appeared 29 times “must be the first time in history limits on automobile nitrogen oxide in their final declaration. that a necessity has been described as emissions. All automakers had to Uncontrolled growth is clearly a a fetish. You might as well describe submit their cars for testing. That central issue, but that raises a further fish having a fetish for water as was a big problem for the world’s question—why does it continue? capitalism having a fetish for growth. second largest automobile company, Why, in the face of massive evidence Growth is as essential to capitalism Volkswagen, because much of their that expanded production and as is water to fish. As fish would die profit came from vehicles with diesel resource extraction is killing us, without water, so would capitalism engines that did not meet the new do governments and corporations drown without growth.” standards. keep shoveling coal for the runaway Growth ideology doesn’t cause But, as we are often told, growth train? perpetual accumulation—it justifies capitalism encourages innovation. In most environmental writing, it. Uncontrolled growth is not the Just in time, VW announced that its one of two explanations is offered— root cause of the global crisis—it engineers had solved the problem. it’s human nature, or it’s a mistake. is the inevitable result of the profit They had invented technology The human nature argument is system, of capitalism’s inherent that fully met or exceeded the central to mainstream economics, drive to accumulate ever more new standards. They promoted which assumes that human beings capital. it very heavily under the slogan always want more, so economic “Clean Diesel,” and it was hugely growth is just capitalism’s way of Personifications of capital successful. Between 2009 and 2016 meeting human desires. For our As individuals, the people Volkswagen sold over 11 million species, enough is never enough. who run the giant polluters Clean Diesel cars worldwide. That view often leads its proponents undoubtedly want their children That’s pretty impressive—a 16 JANATA, December 1, 2019 giant corporation was doing well must deliver. commodities are produced than can by doing good, making huge profits A person who is unwilling to be sold. The result is a crisis in which while protecting the environment put the needs of capital first is not immense amounts of wealth are and human health. likely to become a major corporate destroyed. Individual corporations Or so it seemed. executive. If the screening process can and do go out of business in such In 2016, thanks to investigations fails, or if a CEO has an inconvenient situations, but over the long term, the by some dedicated engineers, we attack of conscience, he or she will drive for profit, to accumulate ever learned that Clean Diesel was a hoax. not last long in that position. It has more capital, always reasserts itself. Volkswagen had not invented new been called the ecological tyranny emissions technology. Volkswagen of the bottom line. When protecting That is the defining feature of the had invented software that cheated on humanity and planet might reduce capitalist system and the root cause the tests. When the software detected profits, corporations will always put of the global environmental crisis. that a test was being conducted, profits first. Mass opposition and public pressure it reduced the engine’s power and Capital has only one measure can slow down or hinder the drive to performance. Under laboratory of success. How much more profit expand more and faster, but it will conditions, VW’s Clean Diesel was made in this quarter than in the always reassert itself in some form. cars met the emission regulations. previous quarter? How much more On the road, they emitted up to 40 today than yesterday? It doesn’t Metabolic rifts times more nitrogen oxide than the matter if the sales include products The anti-ecological results of legal limit. spread disease, destroy forests, such a system were first analyzed Senior executives have been demolish ecosystems, and treat our in the nineteenth century, when the fired and the company has paid water, air, and soil as sewers. It all productivity of English agriculture heavy fines, but that’s after the fact. contributes to the growth of capital, was in decline. Seven years of Volkswagen pollution and that is what counts. In the mid-1800s, the German and seven years of big Volkswagen Each corporation seeks to scientist Justus von Liebig showed sales illustrate two fundamental ensure that its products produce that in its natural state, soil provides characteristics of capitalism— an attractive profit on invested the essential nutrients that allows short-term gains are always more capital. A corporation with lower plants to grow, and replenishes important than long-term losses, and costs or more attractive products nutrients from plant and animal profit is always more important than can drive its competitors out of waste. But when crops are produced protecting human health. business. There is constant pressure for distant markets, as they Volkswagen’s owners and to expand physically, financially and increasingly were in 19th Century executives are personifications of geographically. England, soil fertility suffers because capital, and capital must grow, no If nothing stops it, capital will food waste and excrement do not matter who gets hurt. try to expand infinitely, but Earth return to the soil. Liebig called this is not infinite. The atmosphere and a robbery system, because nutrients Machines for accumulation oceans and forests are finite, limited were being stolen from the soil and The reason is very simple, resources, and capitalism is now not returned. although its implications are complex pressing against those limits. Karl Marx studied Liebig’s and profound. Big banks and money Capital must grow. A zero- work carefully. He seized upon funds and multimillionaires invest growth capitalist economy simply the then-new scientific concept in corporations like Volkswagen cannot exist. As Marx wrote, the of metabolism, of biological and in order to get more money back. historical mission of the bourgeoisie physical cycles that are essential They really don’t care if Volkswagen is “accumulation for accumulation’s to life, and made it central to his makes cars or clothes and candy sake, production for production’s analysis of the relationship between bars, so long as they get a return on sake…. production on a constantly humanity and nature. He viewed their investment. increasing scale.” the shift away from using human Corporations are giant social Of course, the fact that capital manure as an important example of machines for turning capital needs to grow does not mean that it capitalist society’s alienation from into more capital. That’s what always can grow. On the contrary, the natural world on which human shareholders expect and want, and the drive to grow periodically life depends. that’s what managers and executives leads to situations in which more Marx integrated Liebig’s JANATA, December 1, 2019 17 explanation of the soil exhaustion hormones, and chemical feed have participate, not as sideline critics, crisis into his historical and social enabled factory farms to produce not but as activists, builders and leaders. analysis of capitalism, concluding just more meat, but more meat faster. And at the same time, we need that “a rational agriculture is The suffering of the animals and the to find the best ways to patiently incompatible with the capitalist quality of the food are secondary explain how those struggles relate system,” because the imperatives of concerns, if they are considered at to the larger fight to save the world capitalist growth inevitably conflict all. from capitalist ecocide. with the laws of nature. But most natural processes As Simon Butler and I wrote in He described the separation cannot be manipulated that way. Too Many People?, of humans from food production, Nature’s cycles operate at speeds that “in every country, we need this break in an age-old nutrient have evolved over many millennia— governments that break with the cycle as “an irreparable rift in forcing them in any way inevitably existing order, that are answerable the interdependent process of destabilizes the cycle and produces only to working people, farmers, social metabolism, a metabolism unpleasant results. the poor, indigenous communities, prescribed by the natural laws of Fertile land is destroyed, forests and immigrants—in a word, to the life itself.” are clear-cut, and fish populations victims of ecocidal capitalism, not its Marx’s analysis of nineteenth- collapse, all because of what Istvan beneficiaries and representatives.” century British agriculture provides Mészáros calls the incurably short- Such governments will have the theoretical starting point for term horizon of the capital system. two fundamental and inseparable what is now known as metabolic There is an insuperable conflict characteristics. rift theory, which is used by many between nature’s time and capital’s First, they will be committed radical ecologists to analyze and time—between cyclical processes to grassroots democracy, to radical understand modern environmental that have developed over hundreds egalitarianism, and to social crises. of millions of years, and capital’s justice. They will be based on The concept of metabolic rift need for rapid production, sale, and collective ownership of the means expresses society’s simultaneous profit. of production, and they will work dependence on and separation from The metabolic rifts that Liebig actively to eliminate exploitation, the rest of nature. Like an auto- and Marx knew of and wrote about profit and accumulation as the immune disease that attacks the body were initially local or regional, driving forces of our economy. it dwells in, capitalism is both part of but they have grown along with Second, they will base the natural world and at war with it. capitalism. Colonialism extended their decisions and actions on It simultaneously depends upon and the damage by transporting products the best ecological principles, undermines the Earth’s life support and nutrients from distant places. giving top priority to stopping systems. Since the middle of the 20th anti-environmental practices, to century, capitalism has caused restoring damaged ecosystems, An incurably short-term horizon unprecedented changes in the and to reestablishing agriculture Capital’s ecologically entire biosphere, Earth’s lands, and industry on ecologically sound destructive impacts are driven not forests, water, and air. In its endless principles. just by its need to grow, but by its search for profits, it is massively Such a profound transformation need to grow faster. The circuit from disrupting and destroying Earth’s will not just happen. In fact, it will investment to profit to reinvestment life support systems—the natural not happen at all unless ecology has requires time to complete, and the processes and cycles that make life a central place in socialist theory, longer it takes, the less total return itself possible. Metabolic rifts have in the socialist program, and in the investors receive. Competition become metabolic chasms. activity of the socialist movement. for investment produces constant In short, in the 21st century, pressure to speed up the cycle, to Ecosocialist revolution socialists and greens must be go from investment to production That’s why the environmental ecosocialists, and humanity needs to sale ever more quickly. crisis can’t be just a talking point an ecosocialist revolution. That’s why it took sixteen for socialists—it’s a planetary weeks to raise a two-and-a-half emergency that we must treat as (Ian Angus is a socialist and pound chicken in 1925, while today a top priority. We need to initiate ecosocialist activist in Canada. He chickens twice that big are raised and join struggles for immediate is editor of the ecosocialist journal in six weeks. Selective breeding, environmental aims. We need to Climate & Capitalism.) 18 JANATA, December 1, 2019

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