Letters: Don't forget the middle class

Shubhashis Gangopadhyay’s article “Pay the price of honesty” (July 28) does not go far enough since it doesn’t talk about the stellar role the middle class plays in getting a system to perform better, however marginally. Take a simple example: at each CNG station in Delhi, long lines, mostly of auto and tempo drivers, are a common sight. We don’t see anything similar outside petrol or diesel stations. Why? Because the middle class uses petrol and diesel and would kick up an unbelievable shindy if these fuels were in short supply. Journalists and television news anchors, also middle-class, would spout contempt, leading to quick corrections; but not a word is heard on CNG supply.

In a nutshell, only the middle class can establish benchmarks and demand standards. And only the middle class can pressure systems to perform. When the service structure has a secular coverage, the assertiveness of the middle class also benefits the not-so-well-informed and less empowered sections. This is even more relevant in a monopoly government structure where inducing internal steps – and not market forces, as in the private sector – is the only way to correct shortcomings and aberrations. Co-opting the middle class may, therefore, be collateral expense but one that ensures quality across the board.

Gopi Gopalakrishnan New Delhi

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