Not, the illiterate, but the educated illiterate a burden on the country

By abhay mokashi

​​​​​​​Union Home Minister Amit Shah has come under fire from various sections of the society for his comment on the illiterate in the country, but his critics have overlooked a truth in his statement. In an interview to a television channel, Shah said that an illiterate person is a burden on the country and continued, “… (the illiterate person) does not understand the rights and duties given in the Constitution. How can such a person become a good citizen?”

How true that many in the country, whether literate or not, are neither aware of their rights nor their duties, given by the Constitution. If the public at large was aware of the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy, people would have been on the streets against Narendra Modi, Shah and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the way people have come out to protest against the wrong-doings of their leaders in different countries in the world.

Thanks to the belief that it is a mai-baap sarkar and the belief in the karma theory, people did not press for their Right to Life, when the government failed miserably in saving lives of COVID patients, as they gasped for breath and there was great shortage of oxygen and medicines all over the country, during the second wave of COVID 19. The patients and their relatives suffered silently, because they did not know their rights, as pointed out by Shah.

The others, who were not directly, affected by COVID or the lack of oxygen and medicines, did not realise their duties towards their fellow citizens and hence they did not question those in power.

The day people realise their rights and duties, the likes of Modi and Shah will not be able to remain in power.

It is a shame that millions are still illiterate in the country. There are not enough schools in the rural areas and where schools exist, often teachers are missing and educational aids are wanting.

According to the 2011 census, the literacy rate at the national level was 72.98 per cent, with the rate being 64.63 per cent and 80.88 per cent for the female and male population respectively.

The figures for the Scheduled Castes in 2011 were 66.07 per cent and 56.46 per cent and 75.17 per cent respectively for female and male population. It was still lower for the Schedule Tribes with the figures being 58.95 per cent (overall), 49.36 per cent (females) and 68.51 per cent (males). The literacy rate among Muslims and the members of the Other Backward Class (OBC) is also low.

In Gujarat, the home state of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, the literacy in 2011 was 78.03 per cent.

Thus, according to Shah, over 19 per cent of the national population, is a burden on the country. Given the style of operation of the BJP and the RSS, it can be expected that through the social media and the mainstream media under the BJP’s control, this thought of Shah will be hammered on the minds of the masses, making them believe that the illiterate people are truly a burden on the country. This will result in hate speech and will end in hate crimes. It will not be surprising if this leads further exploitation of the society and to attacks on it.

Amit Shah’s statement has to be seen in the context of how Hitler made the masse believe that Aryans were of a superior race and the Jews a burden. The rest is history. Of course, it will not be possible to have gas chambers to eliminate the illiterate, but other means could be used to wipe out the illiterate. Majority of the illiterates are SC, ST, OBC and Muslims and these sections of the society are already being discriminated against. Many of them are also poor and that adds to their woes. Various decisions of the Union Government have already made life of the poor, miserable.

In many parts of rural India, men and women have been taught to write their names or to sign, but that does not make them literate, since to be literate, a person has to be able to read and write with understanding. 

Given this definition of literacy, the country has a larger number of educated illiterates. They are the ones, who have good qualifications, but are not aware of their duties or the duties of those in the government, towards the masses. They are also the ones, who fail to understand that most of the information fed to them on the social media or through mainstream media is fake.

Shah’s statement should be an eye-opener for the tribals, the backward classes and all those who believe in true democracy and a welfare state. What Shah said should not be taken lightly, as a dangerous situation is lurking on the country.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has always been known to be pro-rich and pro-upper caste and has been described as a capitalist party by the left in the country. What Shah said is a part of the strategy to create contempt for the illiterate, making members of the public, especially the BJP-RSS cadre, believe that the illiterate are a burden on the country.

It cannot be forgotten that though illiterate, they contribute to the state exchequer by way of taxes. As such they subside the education of millions in the country, who take basic and higher education in institutes run on public funds. So they cannot be termed as a burden on the country.

Shah should remember that those who have cheated public sector banks, some of them having fled the country, are the real burden on the country, though they are not illiterates.

The other section, which is a burden is that which spreads hatred, provokes violence and participates in such acts.