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Indian Civil Servants, Economists More Leftist Than Political Parties: Amitabh Kant
India's G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant
India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant stated on Saturday (14 December) that civil servants and economists in India tend to lean further Left than the country’s political parties.
While speaking at the launch of the book The Nehru Development Model, authored by Arvind Panagariya, Chairman of the 16th Finance Commission, Kant praised Panagariya for his strong advocacy of free markets.
“I have the greatest regard for Dr Panagariya for the simple reason that he is one economist who believes in free markets. He’s got an absolute conviction about free trade and he believes in free enterprise and there are very few economists like him in India," Kant said.
“I have been a long-time believer that it will not be possible for India to grow at a high rate for a long period of time without free enterprise and many of the things that I pursued in my career were born out of many of his readings,” Kant said.
Reflecting on his experience in government roles, Kant observed a strong Leftist inclination among Indian civil servants and economists.
“I have been a believer that if India has to grow rapidly at high rates, you need to really dismantle many of the things..,” he said.
Discussing the legacy of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Kant acknowledged its multifaceted nature.
“I would also like to say that while Nehru’s legacy is undoubtedly complex, yet his vision had laid the groundwork for many of India’s achievements in education, science and technology… To my mind, these investments in human capital have yielded long-term benefits. Moreover, Nehru’s commitment to secularism and pluralism has influenced India’s constitutional framework and democratic discourse, but on the economic policy front, there is much to talk about, and that legacy is highly debatable," Kant said.
