iamanaussiemavrick:
I've mentioned this on another thread before, but it might be helpful in this context, too.
Please keep in mind that after 1945, Japan was a pile of rubble. Korea, after the Korean War in the fifites, was a pile of rubble. Malaysia did not become independent until 1957! Thai people in the fifities used to go to Rangoon (!!!) for upmarket shopping. In the late 70s, China was 20 years behind India. Almost every country in Asia started out from a pretty low base in the second half of the 20th century.
So, saying that India has enjoyed its freedom for only some 60 years is - perhaps unintentionally so - a damning statement. It's nice to be the world's greatest democracy - but in the case of India, it does not appear that the average person's (and thus the majority's) needs are being properly addressed by what is supposedly universal suffrage. How about safe drinking water for everyone? How about a safe and reliable public transport system? How about 24/7 electric power for everyone? I am reasonably sure that this is what the average voter wants - but in the last 60 years still has not been provided with.
It's nice to have a nuclear bomb, but other countries without nuclear and rocket scientists have managed to build a far more liveable place for their citizens in the last 60 years - starting more or less from the same low point.
Slogans such as "India shining" are nice - but there has to be substance to support them.