In Nazi Germany, there was a dreaded organization, known by its abbreviation SS. Denoting Schutzstaffel (German: ‘Protective Echelon’), they were “the black-uniformed elite corps and self-described ‘political soldiers’ of the Nazi Party,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica. It was responsible for some of the most horrendous crimes against humanity. India has its own SS, not an organization but the Siamese twins of ideologies—socialism and Swadeshi.
Socialism has been so discredited all over the world, including in our country, that only the intellectually regarded and, ironically, top intellectuals can still believe in it. The regimes under socialists and their siblings, communists, killed more than 100 million people all over the world in the last century. And yet the Chinese Communist Party is not satisfied; it is determined to increase this figure.
In India too, socialism proved to be the biggest bane after Independence. For instance, in the 1950s, per capita income of India and of South Korea was almost same; now, South Korea’s per capital income is over 15 times than India’s. Even though India removed some key socialist features from economic policy, thus boosting growth and development, the meretricious charms of socialism continue to seduce policy and decision makers. Much to the chagrin of people.
In the time of coronavirus, the socialist mindset, in conjunction with Swadeshi thinking, has proved to be lethal. The Narendra Modi government decided to place a price cap on the vaccines to be used in the country. At the same time, Swadeshi tyrannosauruses ensured that no foreign companies could sell their vaccines in India. To make the matters worse, the government indulged in mindless and dangerous global PR exercise: till a few weeks ago, India had exported about 6 crore jabs, whereas only half of these were used in the country.
Price caps and other controls—the hallmarks of socialism—invariably result in shortages; this time was no exception. So, the government came up with the shocking statement that the shots will be given to those who need them not to them who want them. The Modi regime also entered into a word war with the Maharashtra government over the latter’s accusation that there was a shortage of vaccines.
In a nutshell, our SS are responsible for the steep second corona surge. India, which is a huge vaccine hub, is suffering because our political masters are wedded to the murderous ideologies of socialism and Swadeshi.