There is increasing "ignorance of ideologies" and "de-intellectualisation of politics" in India, says former Union minister S Jaipal Reddy, noting that the young today can't tell the difference between socialism and communism, or socialism and democracy.
Interest in the intellectual aspects of politics is "almost finished", the veteran politician said ahead of the launch of his book "Ten Ideologies: The Great Asymmetry between Agrarianism and Industrialism" tomorrow.
"They (the young) don't know how socialism is different from communism. They don't know how democracy is different from socialism. I am not bothered about wrong ideology or right ideology, I am bothered about the increasing ignorance of ideologies and the de-intellectualisation of politics," Reddy told PTI in an interview here.
The Congress leader said his idea behind the book was to rekindle the interest in the intellectual aspects of politics.
"Does anybody talk of socialism, does anybody talk of inequality. Does anybody talk of fundamental need of human freedoms, except in the immediate context?" the 76-year-old asked.
Asked if the 2019 general election will be a battle of ideologies, Reddy said "it is undoubtedly a battle of ideas".
But for it to be an ideological battle, it must be based on economic and social vision.
"The fight seems to be between extreme religious nationalism and a moderate modern nationalism," he said.
In his view, the definitions of nationalism had undergone a "perverse change".
On which ideology has been dominant in India over the years, Reddy said there have been different ideologies in India but never have they been carried to extreme limits.
Due to the overarching moral leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, India has always believed in modern moderation, Reddy said.
"Generally, Indian ideologies have been divided between moderate rightists and moderate leftists," he asserted.
The former Union minister also stressed that right wing should not be confused with religion-inspired nationalism.
In his book "Ten Ideologies...", Reddy presents an overview of world history and studies the four great movements that laid the foundation of the industrial revolution -- the renaissance, humanism, protestant reformation, and the scientific revolution.
He points out that these movements were themselves influenced by the legacy of China, India and West Asia.
According to the former minister, ideology seems to have become irrelevant.
If social ideologies are extinguished, he believes, primordial cultural identities on religion, race or nation will resurrect themselves, thereby fragmenting society further.
In the book, Reddy discusses 10 major ideologies that shaped the world -- nationalism, democracy, liberalism, capitalism, evolutionary socialism, revolutionary socialism, feminism, environmentalism, nuclear pacifism and globalism.
"All these ideologies have something to do either with economic ideologies or social ideologies. None of the 10 ideologies I have talked of (in the book) are based on religion," he said.
Reddy was Union minister for Information and Broadcasting in the I K Gujral cabinet in 1998. In 1999, he returned to the Congress party after 21 years.
In 2004, he was re-elected to the 14th Lok Sabha and served as Union minister for Information and Broadcasting and Union minister for Urban Development in the United Progressive Alliance-1 government.
In 2009, he was re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha and was Union minister for Urban Development and Union minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas.
He also served as minister in the ministries of Earth Sciences and Science and Technology from October 2012 to May 2014.
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