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| When we travel abroad it is interesting to compare the issues that engage the people and leaders of various countries at that point of time. |
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| In the US the biggest preoccupation of George Bush and the American people at present is the threat of terrorism. It is very dramatically brought home as one travels in the country. Airport security is tighter than ever. |
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| Everyone including old ladies and little children have to take off their shoes for being x-rayed. Coats have to be put through the scanner. People have accepted this additional hassle. In the UK they are preoccupied with the death of Dr. Kelly, the resultant dispute between BBC and the government, and the credibility of Tony Blair. |
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| When one returns to India the biggest preoccupation of the Prime Minister and the ruling party seems to be Ayodhya. It has graduated from an emotive electoral issue to the status of a priority cause. |
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| The pledge made by the Prime Minister at the cremation of Paramhansa highlighted this. In a country which has 300 million people living below the poverty line and whose economy is crawling at under 5 per cent annual growth, despite its definite potential to grow at about 7 per cent to 8 per cent, it is a bizarre choice of priorities! |
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| We wasted the first 40 years after our independence under the leadership of Nehru and his disciples chasing the shadows of socialism, self-reliance and the public sector. Our political platform was the so-called non-aligned movement with a dubious collection of anti-West forces. |
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| It was only in the last decade of the 20th century that we seemed to have woken up to the fact that while we were chasing economic and political mirages the world had moved on, even in our backyard of South-East Asia. |
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| Are we going to waste another three or four decades of the 21st century chasing the call of Ayodhya? If we do so, the verdict of the next generation will be harsh. To the billion people of India does it matter whether a temple or a mosque is built in Ayodhya or anywhere else? We have enough temples, mosques and churches. |
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| For most Indians outside the Hindi belt Ayodhya has remained a part of the holy scriptures. What really matters to most people is whether jobs are being created for the 10-million young people who are entering the work force every year; whether the education and healthcare are available; whether corruption which has its roots in our electoral process is minimised. |
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| Ultimately our progress will depend on the rate of growth of the economy. If Indian economy could grow at its potential of 7 to 8 per cent per annum we could double our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in a decade i.e. by 2013, which is not very far! One wishes that the Prime Minister could dream and talk about this, not about another temple! |
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The route to achieve 7 to 8 per cent growth is not very difficult as has been very clearly spelt out in the book on
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