True freedom comes from anonymity.

Delivering the annual lecture at Lit for Life, noted historian Ramachandra Guha said that India has become an "election-only democracy". He said the same thing in an article in December last year. Being a liberal his most stringent criticism is for the present government of the BJP, which he blames for an intolerance to criticism. Unfortunately, Mr Guha has a habit of concentrating on the present government or going back to Gandhi and Nehru when, as a historian, he should be evaluating the period in between to tell us how India, its society and politics have evolved. Glossing over the Emergency, Bofors, Narasimha Rao's handling of the crisis of 1991 or the Mandalisation of society, which is leading to demands for reservations from Patidars in Guajarat, Jats in Haryana and Marathas in Maharashtra, means that his speech is reduced to name-calling. Guha is right in saying that we are not completely independent but not the reason why. He should find out what Nehru and Gandhi signed with the British which has allowed Pakistan to repeatedly send terrorists to kill our citizens. How can a Paki Minister threaten to use tactical nuclear weapons against India without fear of retaliation? If we had built a wall separating the 2 countries, as we are going to do at long last, and cut off all links we could have prevented so much bloodshed over the last 69 years. Study how the poison of Mandal Commission has been used by politicians to divide Hindus to win elections. The glib answer is that it has helped a few in the lower castes to achieve wealth but perhaps caste would have been forgotten by now if education had been improved, high quality infrastructure built and world class industries established. Even today 15.2% of citizens are undernourished and 38.7% of under-five children are stunted. Mr Guha should study how the extreme genuflecting sycophancy of the Congress has led to the conversion of political parties into criminal enterprises, controlled by a supremo who seeks to pass power down to his progeny. He regrets the demise of the Congress and predicted that the BJP will become like it, forgetting that the Prime Minister has no family and so no reason to accumulate illicit wealth. A strange coalition of leftists and west-loving elites have controlled all discussion and education in India till now but right-wing intellectuals are getting their voices heard at long last. Instead of concentrating on Gandhi Mr Guha should study how politicians are converting India into a police state by stressing on a completely digital society and forcing everyone to use a biometric identity for routine transactions. No use telling stories about the past. Use your knowledge to bring true freedom.