Manu Gandhi and Ambedkar and other Essays

This volume of essays by Madhu Limaye deals with five subjects of great topical interest. The rise of several groups claiming to be the inveterate opponents of the hierarchical order and champions of social justice consider it necessary to attack the Mahatma as a Manuvadi and postulate an irreconcilable conflict between Gandhi and Dr. Ambedkar. The author convincingly shows that while the two started at opposite ends both worked towards the same goal of an egalitarian society. The second part discusses the question of Gatt in all its aspects. It criticizes the communist worship of obsolete dogmas, the Socialists’ habit of repeating old slogans and the contradictions in the BJP’s economic policy. The main thread of the argument is the need to create a work ethos and encourage innovation and enterprise in all sectors of the economy. The third part deals with the current constitutional, parliamentary and political controversies. The longish piece on the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Stock Market Scam gives a historical background of the struggle against corruption and emphasizes on the imperative of enforcing accountability. The fourth part deals with the current relations of political forces and provides the framework for assessing the election prospects of the main parties-the Congress, the Janata Dal, the BJP and the regional parties like Telugu Desam in the forthcoming elections. The last part takes up the problem thrown up by disintegration of the Sovietised Eastern Europe, Yugoslavia and, above all, the USSR itself. In the final piece the author calls for a redefinition of the Russo-Indian relations on a pragmatic basis. Altogether a varied and appetizing fare.