If Merit is elitist, then let's forget about those 9% growth rates and a high morale.
Let us replace all the dieties in our temples with symbols of mediocrity.
You name it. We're mediocre. Our cricket team buckles under stress, the less said of indegenous research the better, all our automobiles are designed abroad. Pointing out to excellence as elitist certainly has some votes, but the long term repercussions are quite scary.