Remembrance has become a national hobby. Earlier, it was a Government prerogative. From Pandit Nehru to Babu Jagjivan Ram and Chaudhury Charan Singh, not to speak of Birsa Munda, Tiruvalluvar, Subramaniam Bharatu, G V Mavalankar and umpteen others, the Government would dutifully remember their birth and death anniversaries, garland their statues dirties through the year by pigeons and pay floral tributes before their freshly polished portraits in Parliament. Every state, every community, every political party has to be satisfied. The Lok Sabha Secretariat would religiously publish their pen portraits carrying the same grammatical and typographical errors carried over the past decades (it’s a sin to fiddle with legacies).
Much before Akshardham and now the Commonwealth Games village, the banks of Yamuna were usurped by these departed souls for the benefit of the love birds in the capital who find peace (and other incidentals) in thesespacious memorials. We also have a Chief Minister, known for receiving lavish birthday gifts, who decided to inflict her memory on her people by installing larger than life statues of herself across the state.
It was but natural therefore, that the media too has joined the bandwagon. In the past couple of months, we have seen the 25th anniversary of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the anti-Sikh carnage across North India, the first anniversary of 26/11 etc and now December 6, the day the disputed structure was demolished in Ayodhya 17 years ago.
As usual, there will be pandemonium in Parliament. On a revival drive after the Ferozabad defeat, the Samajwadi Party will raise a hue and cry; to re-establish its Hindutva credentials, the BJP will stage a walkout; Congress spokespersons Manish Tiwari and Abhishek Singhvi would be on all television channels tearing apart the ‘communal’ face of the Jinnah-smitten BJP. Communal and secular outfits would stage demos at Jantar Mantar followed by dosa and idli at the popular stall there. Barkha Dutt would have a ‘We the People’ programme based on it and Sagarika Ghose a ‘Face the Nation’ and of course Arnab Goswami would play it out 24X7/. India TV would interview the ghosts of the post-1992 riots and Syed Shahabuddin and Praful Goradia would be at each other’s throat on different television channels simultaneously.
This year, both the media and the political class have a new whipping boy – the report of the Liberhan Commission.
It is most unfortunate that a golden opportunity to debate on issues as varied and as significant as secularism, communalism, appeasement et al turned into a slanging match to score political brownie points, by the Congress to divert attention from spiraling prices, telecom and Koda scam and problems faced by sugarcane farmers; by the main Opposition BJP to revive its fortunes and regain lost Hindutva grounds and by the Samajwadi Party to regain the Muslim vote bank after its short-lived dalliance with Kalyan Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh when the demolition took place.
If you don’t like the message, shoot the messenger, seems to be the policy adopted by our political class. The emphasis was more on how the report leaked rather than the contents of the report. At stake is the credibility of such inquiry commissions, which was given three months time and submitted a dud report 17 years later and after sending crores of rupees. Justice delayed is justice denied. And are we any wiser?
Let us face it. As of now, rebulding a mosque at the same place after removing the makeshift temple would be catastrophic, so would be building a grand temple over the rubbles of the mosque there. Moreover, neither the Hindus nor the Muslims seem to be obsessed with the issues as is being made out both by leaders of the VHP and the Babri Masjid Action Committee. They want to move on. Their priorities have changed. They are bothered more about bread and butter issues, in this era of recession and rising prices.
Let the status quo remain till both the communities arrive at a mutual understanding to resolve the issue. Time is a great healer and this wound too shall be healed, sooner or later.
And let not the BJP and Samajwadi Party seek to gain political mileage and inflame communal passions. They should not and they cannot. Talking about such issues would be just being out of sync with a resurgent, modern, young India. BJP should not forget the damage done by one speech of Varun Gandhi. They won Pilibhit but lost India. Let them not lose India once again for Uttar Pradesh.
The Muslims have seen through Mulayam’s game plan too. Ferozabad was only a trailer.
And yes, let not the Congress party rejoice over the divisons within Opposition ranks. Sugar cane farmers brought together the Opposition before the Liberhan report and the ‘Aam Admi’ can do an encore if the prices of pulses and other essential commodities continue to hit the roof.
We should remember these events not to deepen our wounds further but to introspect what went wrong and to ensure we don’t repeat them. The Muslims cannot be wished away, the Hindus will remain idolators, India will never become a Hindu Rashtra nor will the days of Mughal glory return. So, why not accept these harsh realities and work together for our tryst with destiny. Let a Hindu batsman break all cricket records as a Sikh Prime Minister is feted around by a US President while a Muslim musician bags the Oscars and a Christian Bollywood Hunk rides into every Indian heart on his bike. This would be the ultimate tribute on 6/12. Jai Hind!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Remembering 26/11
It’s one year since those horrific terror attacks in Mumbai. Pictures of a burning Taj Mahal hotel near the Gateway of India and NSG commandos slithering down from choppers to rescue the trapped hostages and eliminate the enemies of the nation shall remain etched in Indian public memory for a long time to time. First anniversary is certainly a time to pay homage to the victims and tributes to the brave hearts who died fighting to save Mumbai, Mumbaikars and India.
Yet, anniversaries are also solemn occasions to engage in self-introspection as to what all lessons we learnt from the past to ensure that such crimes do not occur in the future. Reams have been written about the efficacy (or inefficiency) of our police and intelligence machinery, the loopholes therein and the possibility of similar attacks.
Nevertheless, one must give full credit to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for ensuring that no major terror strikes took place thereafter. But that is no reason to celebrate, While Pakistan-backed terror attacks may have abated, due to increased vigilance and partly due to the international pressure on Islamabad, Naxalite attacks have increased manifold. Terrorism is terrorism. Let us not segregate it. Killing of innocents is unacceptable in a civilized society. There are democratic means of protests, howsoever genuine the grievances are.
If the Naxalite problem can be justified on the plea that the tribals face genuine problems, when we condemn terrorism, do we mean to say that the people in Kashmir are not facing problems? The million dollar question is whether in a civilized and democratic polity, is violence the answer to problems people face and the answer is an emphatic NO.
Coming back to Mumbai, television shots have shown us the miserable conditions in which policemen guarding the prestigious Gateway of India are living. Few sophisticated weapons and automobiles cannot do what motivated men can. While machines are important, the men behind the machines are more important. A demotivated security force with all the security paraphernalia just won’t be able to deliver.
Equally important is what Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari pointed out at a recent International Conference of Jurists on Terrorism in Delhi. He described corruption as the gravest threat to national security. Let us not treat anyone as holy cows. Let us accept that corruption exists not only among politicians and bureaucrats but also among our security forces personnel. There are black sheeps deployed along the nation’s porous borders who won’t blink an eye selling the nation’s security for a price. All the terrorists, their sophisticated weapons and the loads of counterfeit currency gaining free access into the country is certainly not reflective of the competence of the anti-India forces alone. Rather, they speak volumes of the incompetence and corruption among the people entrusted with guarding the nation’s frontiers and maintaining law and order across the country.
As they say, one bad fish can spoil the entire pond. Let us draw out an action plan to weed out such corrupt and anti-national elements from our patriotic forces. The war against corruption has to be an integral and inalienable part of our war against terrorism.
Last but not the least, has the media learnt any lessons? Again, an emphatic No. We only slammed those who dared to criticize us, such as the Naval Chief. We have become so touchy and hypersensitive that we consider even a mild criticism as an assault on freedom of speech and expression. This is another threat to democracy and free speech and exposes the double standards of Indian media, among the free-est, if one may describe so, in the democratic world. Carrying live commando operations, to the advantage of the enemy, was nothing short of irresponsibility. It only reminded one of the Himalayan blunders committed by some of our television journalists during the Kargil conflict wherein they exposed our forces to enemy fire, just for the sake of exclusive shots. Sad that instead of being condemned to the dustbins of the profession, they went on to acquire the halo of Christian Amanpour of Indian media.
The scare the Indian media created following the outbreak of H1N1, which happened after the Mumbai attacks, showed that we have not learnt any lessons. They succeeded in shutting down Mumbai, its markets, malls and movie halls, something Ajmal Kasab and his accomplices could not. More people have died of Dengue in Delhi alone over the past couple of months than the people killed by H1N1 across the country put together.
It’s high time the media too did some introspection. While pointing a finger at others, it must remember that three fingers are pointed inwards. As an eminent thinker said, you may disagree with me but I shall defend your right to disagree.
Let us all pledge to be a little less corrupt, a little more patriotic, a little less talkative and a little more hardworking. That would be the real tribute to the martyrs of Mumbai, not just candlelight and flowers.
Yet, anniversaries are also solemn occasions to engage in self-introspection as to what all lessons we learnt from the past to ensure that such crimes do not occur in the future. Reams have been written about the efficacy (or inefficiency) of our police and intelligence machinery, the loopholes therein and the possibility of similar attacks.
Nevertheless, one must give full credit to Union Home Minister P Chidambaram for ensuring that no major terror strikes took place thereafter. But that is no reason to celebrate, While Pakistan-backed terror attacks may have abated, due to increased vigilance and partly due to the international pressure on Islamabad, Naxalite attacks have increased manifold. Terrorism is terrorism. Let us not segregate it. Killing of innocents is unacceptable in a civilized society. There are democratic means of protests, howsoever genuine the grievances are.
If the Naxalite problem can be justified on the plea that the tribals face genuine problems, when we condemn terrorism, do we mean to say that the people in Kashmir are not facing problems? The million dollar question is whether in a civilized and democratic polity, is violence the answer to problems people face and the answer is an emphatic NO.
Coming back to Mumbai, television shots have shown us the miserable conditions in which policemen guarding the prestigious Gateway of India are living. Few sophisticated weapons and automobiles cannot do what motivated men can. While machines are important, the men behind the machines are more important. A demotivated security force with all the security paraphernalia just won’t be able to deliver.
Equally important is what Vice-President of India Hamid Ansari pointed out at a recent International Conference of Jurists on Terrorism in Delhi. He described corruption as the gravest threat to national security. Let us not treat anyone as holy cows. Let us accept that corruption exists not only among politicians and bureaucrats but also among our security forces personnel. There are black sheeps deployed along the nation’s porous borders who won’t blink an eye selling the nation’s security for a price. All the terrorists, their sophisticated weapons and the loads of counterfeit currency gaining free access into the country is certainly not reflective of the competence of the anti-India forces alone. Rather, they speak volumes of the incompetence and corruption among the people entrusted with guarding the nation’s frontiers and maintaining law and order across the country.
As they say, one bad fish can spoil the entire pond. Let us draw out an action plan to weed out such corrupt and anti-national elements from our patriotic forces. The war against corruption has to be an integral and inalienable part of our war against terrorism.
Last but not the least, has the media learnt any lessons? Again, an emphatic No. We only slammed those who dared to criticize us, such as the Naval Chief. We have become so touchy and hypersensitive that we consider even a mild criticism as an assault on freedom of speech and expression. This is another threat to democracy and free speech and exposes the double standards of Indian media, among the free-est, if one may describe so, in the democratic world. Carrying live commando operations, to the advantage of the enemy, was nothing short of irresponsibility. It only reminded one of the Himalayan blunders committed by some of our television journalists during the Kargil conflict wherein they exposed our forces to enemy fire, just for the sake of exclusive shots. Sad that instead of being condemned to the dustbins of the profession, they went on to acquire the halo of Christian Amanpour of Indian media.
The scare the Indian media created following the outbreak of H1N1, which happened after the Mumbai attacks, showed that we have not learnt any lessons. They succeeded in shutting down Mumbai, its markets, malls and movie halls, something Ajmal Kasab and his accomplices could not. More people have died of Dengue in Delhi alone over the past couple of months than the people killed by H1N1 across the country put together.
It’s high time the media too did some introspection. While pointing a finger at others, it must remember that three fingers are pointed inwards. As an eminent thinker said, you may disagree with me but I shall defend your right to disagree.
Let us all pledge to be a little less corrupt, a little more patriotic, a little less talkative and a little more hardworking. That would be the real tribute to the martyrs of Mumbai, not just candlelight and flowers.
Monday, November 9, 2009
'Bhasmasuras' of Indian Politics
Finally, the political crisis in Karnataka appears to have blown over with a ‘dictatorial’ Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa succumbing to the demands of rebel MPs led by Bellary’s (in) famous Reddy brothers, after an emotional outburst on television. With his wings clipped, the Chief Minister presented a rag-tag compromise as a memento to party stalwart L K Advani on his 82nd birthday in Delhi. In the process, he had to ‘sacrifice’ not only his close aides such as Minister Shobha but also loyal bureaucrats like Baligar.
While the emergence of the Reddys, mining barons who have wreaked havoc with their mining activities on the Andhra-Karnataka border, as political heavy weights influencing the fate of democratically elected Governments is a matter of serious concern for one and all, the development should also open the eyes of political parties like the BJP, which swear by morality and ethics, to the follies of aligning with such elements in their blind pursuit of power.
All said and done, it was the Reddy brothers, who facilitated the formation of the first saffron Government south of Vindhyas, by luring away legislators from the opposition Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) and it was but natural that they would extract their pound of flesh. The days of freebies and free lunches are over, so are convictions and ideological commitments in politics. Politics has become a marriage of convenience and power has become an end in itself and no more a means to serve the masses.
In Indian mythology, we have the story of Bhasmasura, the demon who obtained from Lord Siva the power to turn anyone into ashes by just keeping his hand over them and then turned against the same divinity to try his hand out, literally. In the West, we have the famous story of Frankenstein.
But then grooming monsters are not new to us in Indian politics. Wasn’t it the Congress party which groomed Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale with the vested interest of belittling the Akalis. The Sikh militancy, the Operation Bluestar, the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the unfortunate riots that followed it are too deep scars etched in our national memory. So is the case with the LTTE, which ultimately devoured a promising national leader.
Examples galore both domestically and internationally. The US is paying the price to date for raising the Mujahideen in Afghanistan while Pakistan is today at the receiving end of Taliban, the Islamic student militia, which it sustained and nourished for decades.
The decline of the BJP has little to do with either Hindutva or Jinnah. They are at best excuses. For a party that projected itself as ‘different’, the nemesis has its origins in the umpteen compromises it made for the sake of power. In its pursuit of power, the party threw to the winds all norms of propriety and ethics and colluded with the most corrupt.
Soon, the façade fell of and the people, who were looking for an alternative to the five-decade long rule of the Congress party, realized they were being led up the garden path by a poor copy cat of the very same party they were planning to boot out for good. If corruption and compromise are the hallmarks, then why not the original, they asked and voted back the Congress for a second consecutive term.
From the Tehelka tapes to the cash for questions and MPLAD scam, BJP leaders and MPs ruled the roost and established new benchmarks in political debasement - from a national President taking Rs One Lakh on camera to an MP being sold for Rs 5,000/- for a parliament question. The compromise with the Reddy brothers will add another inglorious chapter to the party’s long list of unpardonable compromises for the sake of sticking on to power. After all, wasn’t this the party which aligned with Jayalalithaa after organizing nation-wide protests against the arrest of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi by her Government? If BJP intends to restore its credibility and regain the confidence of the Indian people, it will have to live up to its ‘PROMISES’ and end once for all, the tendency to ‘COMPROMISE’.
While the emergence of the Reddys, mining barons who have wreaked havoc with their mining activities on the Andhra-Karnataka border, as political heavy weights influencing the fate of democratically elected Governments is a matter of serious concern for one and all, the development should also open the eyes of political parties like the BJP, which swear by morality and ethics, to the follies of aligning with such elements in their blind pursuit of power.
All said and done, it was the Reddy brothers, who facilitated the formation of the first saffron Government south of Vindhyas, by luring away legislators from the opposition Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) and it was but natural that they would extract their pound of flesh. The days of freebies and free lunches are over, so are convictions and ideological commitments in politics. Politics has become a marriage of convenience and power has become an end in itself and no more a means to serve the masses.
In Indian mythology, we have the story of Bhasmasura, the demon who obtained from Lord Siva the power to turn anyone into ashes by just keeping his hand over them and then turned against the same divinity to try his hand out, literally. In the West, we have the famous story of Frankenstein.
But then grooming monsters are not new to us in Indian politics. Wasn’t it the Congress party which groomed Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale with the vested interest of belittling the Akalis. The Sikh militancy, the Operation Bluestar, the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the unfortunate riots that followed it are too deep scars etched in our national memory. So is the case with the LTTE, which ultimately devoured a promising national leader.
Examples galore both domestically and internationally. The US is paying the price to date for raising the Mujahideen in Afghanistan while Pakistan is today at the receiving end of Taliban, the Islamic student militia, which it sustained and nourished for decades.
The decline of the BJP has little to do with either Hindutva or Jinnah. They are at best excuses. For a party that projected itself as ‘different’, the nemesis has its origins in the umpteen compromises it made for the sake of power. In its pursuit of power, the party threw to the winds all norms of propriety and ethics and colluded with the most corrupt.
Soon, the façade fell of and the people, who were looking for an alternative to the five-decade long rule of the Congress party, realized they were being led up the garden path by a poor copy cat of the very same party they were planning to boot out for good. If corruption and compromise are the hallmarks, then why not the original, they asked and voted back the Congress for a second consecutive term.
From the Tehelka tapes to the cash for questions and MPLAD scam, BJP leaders and MPs ruled the roost and established new benchmarks in political debasement - from a national President taking Rs One Lakh on camera to an MP being sold for Rs 5,000/- for a parliament question. The compromise with the Reddy brothers will add another inglorious chapter to the party’s long list of unpardonable compromises for the sake of sticking on to power. After all, wasn’t this the party which aligned with Jayalalithaa after organizing nation-wide protests against the arrest of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi by her Government? If BJP intends to restore its credibility and regain the confidence of the Indian people, it will have to live up to its ‘PROMISES’ and end once for all, the tendency to ‘COMPROMISE’.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
On Odisha and Odiya
Shakespeare had once famously remarked that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Yet, naming roads and buildings after their favourite leaders and renaming cities and towns or de-anglicizing them continues to be a fashion among our ruling class. After Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Uttarakhand now comes Odisha. Even the language has been renamed Odia.
Undoubtedly, referring to one’s state and language in one’s own style does give a sense of pride, even if it happens to be tongue twister like Thiruvananthapuram as against the speaker friendly Trivandrum. Yet, it has to be ensured that this pride does not lead to linguistic fanaticism and quest for purity which has robbed languages such as Hindi and Urdu of its richness and beauty. The zealots failed to realize that a loud robust ‘Hoshiar’ is far more potent to keep the jawan alert rather than a timid ‘satark’ and a ‘Pradhan Mantri’ evokes much more respect than a ‘Wazir-E-Azam’, which sounds more akin to Sharbat-e-Azam.
Moreover, it is the development and inclusive growth and progress of the people of Odisha that should make one really proud than just the way the state’s name is pronounced.
Linguistic Purity
Former Minister Shahnawaz Hussein, who was recently in news for being denied and later granted visa by the United States, once recalled how as Minister for Food Processing (in the NDA Government), he was referred to by an Urdu purist at a conference as Wazir-E-Riyasat-Band Dabba.
Undoubtedly, referring to one’s state and language in one’s own style does give a sense of pride, even if it happens to be tongue twister like Thiruvananthapuram as against the speaker friendly Trivandrum. Yet, it has to be ensured that this pride does not lead to linguistic fanaticism and quest for purity which has robbed languages such as Hindi and Urdu of its richness and beauty. The zealots failed to realize that a loud robust ‘Hoshiar’ is far more potent to keep the jawan alert rather than a timid ‘satark’ and a ‘Pradhan Mantri’ evokes much more respect than a ‘Wazir-E-Azam’, which sounds more akin to Sharbat-e-Azam.
Moreover, it is the development and inclusive growth and progress of the people of Odisha that should make one really proud than just the way the state’s name is pronounced.
Linguistic Purity
Former Minister Shahnawaz Hussein, who was recently in news for being denied and later granted visa by the United States, once recalled how as Minister for Food Processing (in the NDA Government), he was referred to by an Urdu purist at a conference as Wazir-E-Riyasat-Band Dabba.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
An Agenda for the New State Governments
Now that the first Assembly elections after the last Lok Sabha elections are over, the outcome in Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra clearly shows that the honeymoon period of the UPA is still on. While poll analysts and observers would get into the usual voter share and percentage calculations, the fact remains “Joh jeeta wo Sikandar” Critics of the Congress have attributed the party’s victory to a divided Opposition while the BJP has sought to hide its defeat by blaming the Electronic Voting Machine describing it as the ruling party’s Election Victory Machine. Had that been the case, the Congress could have easily engineered a landslide for Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Haryana. Howsoever hard it may try to convince the people that the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena was backed by the Congress, the Opposition will have to concede that it was Bal Thackeray’s a la Dhritrashtra decision to anoint his politically novice son over his winnable and hugely popular nephew that is at the genesis of the problem. And if Congress has taken advantage of this split, then that is what politics is all about. What other qualification does Maneka Gandhi or her son Varun have to justify their positions in the BJP except for their surname ‘Gandhi’.
The fact remains that an incumbent Government has been returned to power for the third consecutive term in Maharashtra and for the second tenure in Arunachal and Haryana. Certainly, the Government might have done something for the people to gain their confidence for the first time. Say, the Prime Minister’s Vidarbha package, the NREGS with all its shortcomings and the fact that the Government acted swiftly, replaced the Chief Minister in the state and the Home Minister at the Centre and ensured that there has been no major terror incident any where in the country after the November 26 Mumbai attacks last year. The infighting within the BJP’s top leadership has disillusioned the people no end with the saffron party, the Shiv Sena had nothing new to offer except the parochial Maratha Manoos slogans, whose patent is now with Raj Thackeray. The people are increasingly getting fed up with the negative agendas of the political parties. They want the Opposition on the streets in their neighbourhood to fight for them and not fighting amongst themselves on television and print media.
Having retained the people’s mandate, the Congress too should not rest on laurels or past glory. They will have to deliver. More than anything else, in Maharashtra, the Government should put an end to the spate of suicides, which refuses to abate even after the announcement of special economic packages. Where is the money being spent? Is it reaching the needy and deserving or are the middlemen making hay while the sun shines? What about agricultural infrastructure and remunerative prices? What about private, non-institutional loans taken from money lenders at a much higher interest rate for purposes other than agriculture yet equally important such as education and marriage of children? The suicides are a blot on our existence as a civilized welfare state. It is a cruel joke and mockery on the very idea of a super power India. It is the fodder on which violent movements like Naxalism sustain.
Secondly, the Congress-NCP Government should rein in the burgeoning strength of the likes of Raj Thackeray and their lumpen elements. The way people from North India were beaten up and a noted film director was forced to change even references to the city as Mumbai as against Bombay virtually at stick point, is a sad and sorry comment on the state of affairs in Maharashtra. While it is true that local talent, where available should be given the fullest opportunity, no civilized state can allow its citizens to be beaten up for seeking a dignified life and means of livelihood. Moreover, Congress should also establish beyond doubt that it had no secret understanding with the MNS by going tough against any anti-national and illegal action by Raj and his goons. Not that there are no other problems, but these two are foremost.
As for Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda was saved by a whisker. His Haryana No 1 was more like NDA’s ‘India Shining’, more on hype, less on substance. Again, like NDA’s disastrous 2004 experiment, an overconfident Hooda went to the hustings, several months in advance. Spending crores on advertisements and propaganda without work at the ground level is the best recipe for defeat. The ever increasing labour unrest, lawlessness of caste Panchayats and the ever widening sex imbalance are major areas of concern for the state.
Last but not the least, Arunachal. Both the voting percentage and the vote was for India and against China. The people want to be part of India. But that patriotism should not be taken for granted. They also want development. Both the Centre and the re-elected state Government should ensure that not a single youth would ever feel that he or she would be better off in China than India. We cannot afford another Kashmir on our North Eastern frontier.
The fact remains that an incumbent Government has been returned to power for the third consecutive term in Maharashtra and for the second tenure in Arunachal and Haryana. Certainly, the Government might have done something for the people to gain their confidence for the first time. Say, the Prime Minister’s Vidarbha package, the NREGS with all its shortcomings and the fact that the Government acted swiftly, replaced the Chief Minister in the state and the Home Minister at the Centre and ensured that there has been no major terror incident any where in the country after the November 26 Mumbai attacks last year. The infighting within the BJP’s top leadership has disillusioned the people no end with the saffron party, the Shiv Sena had nothing new to offer except the parochial Maratha Manoos slogans, whose patent is now with Raj Thackeray. The people are increasingly getting fed up with the negative agendas of the political parties. They want the Opposition on the streets in their neighbourhood to fight for them and not fighting amongst themselves on television and print media.
Having retained the people’s mandate, the Congress too should not rest on laurels or past glory. They will have to deliver. More than anything else, in Maharashtra, the Government should put an end to the spate of suicides, which refuses to abate even after the announcement of special economic packages. Where is the money being spent? Is it reaching the needy and deserving or are the middlemen making hay while the sun shines? What about agricultural infrastructure and remunerative prices? What about private, non-institutional loans taken from money lenders at a much higher interest rate for purposes other than agriculture yet equally important such as education and marriage of children? The suicides are a blot on our existence as a civilized welfare state. It is a cruel joke and mockery on the very idea of a super power India. It is the fodder on which violent movements like Naxalism sustain.
Secondly, the Congress-NCP Government should rein in the burgeoning strength of the likes of Raj Thackeray and their lumpen elements. The way people from North India were beaten up and a noted film director was forced to change even references to the city as Mumbai as against Bombay virtually at stick point, is a sad and sorry comment on the state of affairs in Maharashtra. While it is true that local talent, where available should be given the fullest opportunity, no civilized state can allow its citizens to be beaten up for seeking a dignified life and means of livelihood. Moreover, Congress should also establish beyond doubt that it had no secret understanding with the MNS by going tough against any anti-national and illegal action by Raj and his goons. Not that there are no other problems, but these two are foremost.
As for Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda was saved by a whisker. His Haryana No 1 was more like NDA’s ‘India Shining’, more on hype, less on substance. Again, like NDA’s disastrous 2004 experiment, an overconfident Hooda went to the hustings, several months in advance. Spending crores on advertisements and propaganda without work at the ground level is the best recipe for defeat. The ever increasing labour unrest, lawlessness of caste Panchayats and the ever widening sex imbalance are major areas of concern for the state.
Last but not the least, Arunachal. Both the voting percentage and the vote was for India and against China. The people want to be part of India. But that patriotism should not be taken for granted. They also want development. Both the Centre and the re-elected state Government should ensure that not a single youth would ever feel that he or she would be better off in China than India. We cannot afford another Kashmir on our North Eastern frontier.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Naxals, the Taliban Way?
NAXALS, THE TALIBAN WAY?
After Lalgarh and the sensational attacks in Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the country, the naxalites have struck once again beheading an intelligence officer, the "Taliban" way. As expected, there was a hue and cry with the media dubbing them as the Indian Taliban and both the state and Central Governments vowing to exterminate the ultra left ultras, once and for all. Yet, the million dollar question is who will tie the bell around the cat’s neck? Equally important is the question how to tie the bell. At the end of the day, the Naxalite network is growing by leaps and bounds, with many an intellectual covertly and overtly supporting them.
Is Salwa Judum the answer? Is Naxalism merely a law and order problem? If we can sit across the table with die hard separatists in Kashmir, can’t we talk to our own boys in the backyard? What are the factors attracting a whole lot of youth to embrace the arms rightly or wrongly to achieve their idea of justice? Is it just adventure or the ever widening social disparities and inequities inherent in Indian society that’s motivating them? Is it a popular response to the rampant corruption and the inherent drawbacks in our system that has failed to respond to the aspirations of our marginalized and underprivileged people?
There are arguments and counter arguments. A senior police official from Chhattisgarh told me that the state is unable to carry out any development work as the naxalites blow up schools, bridges and hospitals meant for the people and therefore the only way out is to eliminate them first and thereafter, take forward the development tasks. Logical, eh?
But the answers are not that simple. Let us accept that there is widespread disenchantment and disillusionment with the system and call it psychological exploitation or whatsoever, a sizeable section of the tribals and other marginalized have come to the conclusion that only a recourse to arms may deliver them from the manifest problems.
Therefore, it becomes essential that apart from breaking the back of the naxalites physically, the state must make earnest efforts to reach out to the marginalized people and win back their confidence. Let these sections also be part of the 21st century super power dream we all see. Let them also get a place in the Indian sun, if not the moon.
After Lalgarh and the sensational attacks in Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the country, the naxalites have struck once again beheading an intelligence officer, the "Taliban" way. As expected, there was a hue and cry with the media dubbing them as the Indian Taliban and both the state and Central Governments vowing to exterminate the ultra left ultras, once and for all. Yet, the million dollar question is who will tie the bell around the cat’s neck? Equally important is the question how to tie the bell. At the end of the day, the Naxalite network is growing by leaps and bounds, with many an intellectual covertly and overtly supporting them.
Is Salwa Judum the answer? Is Naxalism merely a law and order problem? If we can sit across the table with die hard separatists in Kashmir, can’t we talk to our own boys in the backyard? What are the factors attracting a whole lot of youth to embrace the arms rightly or wrongly to achieve their idea of justice? Is it just adventure or the ever widening social disparities and inequities inherent in Indian society that’s motivating them? Is it a popular response to the rampant corruption and the inherent drawbacks in our system that has failed to respond to the aspirations of our marginalized and underprivileged people?
There are arguments and counter arguments. A senior police official from Chhattisgarh told me that the state is unable to carry out any development work as the naxalites blow up schools, bridges and hospitals meant for the people and therefore the only way out is to eliminate them first and thereafter, take forward the development tasks. Logical, eh?
But the answers are not that simple. Let us accept that there is widespread disenchantment and disillusionment with the system and call it psychological exploitation or whatsoever, a sizeable section of the tribals and other marginalized have come to the conclusion that only a recourse to arms may deliver them from the manifest problems.
Therefore, it becomes essential that apart from breaking the back of the naxalites physically, the state must make earnest efforts to reach out to the marginalized people and win back their confidence. Let these sections also be part of the 21st century super power dream we all see. Let them also get a place in the Indian sun, if not the moon.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Facing the Nature's Wrath
Our mythology makes several references to ‘Pralaya’ or the deluge which would swallow the entire universe. The recent devastating floods in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh besides parts of Maharashtra and Goa appeared to be a trailer of that. Some of the television shots reminded one of the Biblical Noah’s Arc, carrying human beings and animal species.
The depression over the Bay of Bengal triggering the rains unprecedented in almost a century was beyond any Government’s control. It was a natural disaster, nay calamity, nay catastrophe. But could the immense losses to human and animal life and property have been reduced is the million dollar question. One does not wish to cast any aspersions on any Government – the BJP in Karnataka or the Congress in Andhra Pradesh but once the water recedes and life returns to normal, one must take into account these factors lest there be a repetition next year around. If it was due to climate change on account of global warming, nature’s fury will unleash once again but we cannot afford to lose our people and their properties. Already over 200 people have been killed and property worth thousands of crores devastated. Lakhs have been rendered homeless and livelihoods of millions have been snatched away.
Janata Dal (Secular) Supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has alleged that the Karnataka Government did not act despite the warnings given by the Meteorological department a week back. Was that the case? If so, why we remain unprepared despite the existence of agencies to manage natural disasters, established in the aftermath of earthquakes and Tsunamis in the past? Or are these organizations only on paper with their only job being to insert some awareness advertisements in the newspapers and organize some mock drills for the media?
The previous NDA Government had embarked on an ambitious programme for inter-linking of rivers, which was touted as the ultimate panacea for the recurring floods and droughts which occur simultaneously over the Indian subcontinent. MoUs for a couple of such projects were signed even during the initial years of the previous UPA regime. But after Rahul Gandhi’s statement describing it as an environmental disaster, Ministers are unwilling to even touch the idea with a fork.
The need of the hour is to examine the proposal comprehensively by experts including some from abroad, if necessary, so that a long-term solution can be found to these recurring floods which destroy within days all the good work done over the decades.
Desilting of rivers, canals and other storage spots, creation of a strong drainage and sewerage system in the small towns and rural areas, afforestation etc are some of the measures that can be regularly undertaken to minimize the impact of such floods.
A flood insurance scheme, which would ensure that the affected persons are able to gather the lost threads of their lives without much difficulty, is something that both the Centre and the states should ponder over.
However, at the moment, the utmost priority should be to rehabilitate the affected people and provide maximum relief to them and for once, let there be no politics over it. Let us stand as one man and face it.
The depression over the Bay of Bengal triggering the rains unprecedented in almost a century was beyond any Government’s control. It was a natural disaster, nay calamity, nay catastrophe. But could the immense losses to human and animal life and property have been reduced is the million dollar question. One does not wish to cast any aspersions on any Government – the BJP in Karnataka or the Congress in Andhra Pradesh but once the water recedes and life returns to normal, one must take into account these factors lest there be a repetition next year around. If it was due to climate change on account of global warming, nature’s fury will unleash once again but we cannot afford to lose our people and their properties. Already over 200 people have been killed and property worth thousands of crores devastated. Lakhs have been rendered homeless and livelihoods of millions have been snatched away.
Janata Dal (Secular) Supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has alleged that the Karnataka Government did not act despite the warnings given by the Meteorological department a week back. Was that the case? If so, why we remain unprepared despite the existence of agencies to manage natural disasters, established in the aftermath of earthquakes and Tsunamis in the past? Or are these organizations only on paper with their only job being to insert some awareness advertisements in the newspapers and organize some mock drills for the media?
The previous NDA Government had embarked on an ambitious programme for inter-linking of rivers, which was touted as the ultimate panacea for the recurring floods and droughts which occur simultaneously over the Indian subcontinent. MoUs for a couple of such projects were signed even during the initial years of the previous UPA regime. But after Rahul Gandhi’s statement describing it as an environmental disaster, Ministers are unwilling to even touch the idea with a fork.
The need of the hour is to examine the proposal comprehensively by experts including some from abroad, if necessary, so that a long-term solution can be found to these recurring floods which destroy within days all the good work done over the decades.
Desilting of rivers, canals and other storage spots, creation of a strong drainage and sewerage system in the small towns and rural areas, afforestation etc are some of the measures that can be regularly undertaken to minimize the impact of such floods.
A flood insurance scheme, which would ensure that the affected persons are able to gather the lost threads of their lives without much difficulty, is something that both the Centre and the states should ponder over.
However, at the moment, the utmost priority should be to rehabilitate the affected people and provide maximum relief to them and for once, let there be no politics over it. Let us stand as one man and face it.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Salaam Bureaucrat
SALAAM BUREAUCRAT
That bureaucrats have been and continue to be at the receiving end of politicians is an established fact, only that Home Minister P Chidambaram was honest enough to admit recently that they (he was referring only to police officials) are kicked around like foot balls. Apart from transfers and punishment postings, we have been witness to even some officials being killed brutally if they do not shell out money for the birth day celebrations of some politicians and the entire nation saw on television how an Andhra MP from Mr Chidambaram’s own party thrashed a bank official over some loan issue.
It is equally an open secret that some bureaucrats crawl even where they are expected only to bend. Top ranking officials singing paeans for people in power and even putting loads of pastry into their hungry mouths during birthday celebrations are not uncommon sights. Political connections are used to get transfers, postings and even promotions, not to talk of other sundry favours for spouses, children and others ranging from admissions to foreign trips and business contracts.
Yet, one does come across exceptions in this mutually exploitative and opportunistic relationship. We do find bureaucrats like Kiran Bedi, who don’t mind taking even the Prime Minister to task when it comes to following rules (remember Crane Bedi).and going on to win the prestigious Magsaysay Award for turning a punishment posting (Tihar Jail) into a wonderful opportunity (ashram). Yes, finally she did resign over not being appointed as the Delhi Police Commissioner. But, the fact also remains that the people remember Bedi (she is now on popular television shows) more than any other city police chief.
It is in this context that one remembers the comparatively low profile, soft spoken and affable bureaucrat Satish Chandra who passed away in Bengaluru recently. He was Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office during the 10 month tenure of H D Deve Gowda.
The proverbial dark horse that he was, a shell shocked Gowda found himself all alone in the corridors of power in Delhi when he was catapulted to the nation’s highest office by destiny. Having been a seasoned politician in Karnataka, Gowda knew too well the importance of a friendly bureaucracy if he was to prove his detractors and critics wrong.
He approached Chandra, who was Chief Secretary of the state when he was the state PWD Minister. Chandra initially refused but after much persuasion relented and guided Gowda through an eventful and tumultuous ten months. Though the bad press he got projected Gowda as a sleeping, mumbling rustic, the first ever package for North East, the signing of the Mahakali Treat with Nepal, the Ganges water sharing agreement with Bangladesh, the resolution of the Tehri dam issue, the announcement of Uttarakhand state and the first railway link to Kashmir, the negotiations with Naga insurgent groups etc also took place during the period thanks to the Janata Dal leader’s vision and free hand given to Chandra, T S R Subramanian and their team of bureaucrats.
Chandra, who briefly became the Governor of Goa, became a recluse after he succumbed to Parkinson’s Disease and to some extent even Alzheimer’s. Gowda made repeated attempts to meet him but he declined on grounds of protocol. After much persuasion, Gowda hosted Chandra and his wife at his residence and as they were leaving presented them with fruits and dress material. Chandra accepted only the fruits.
And much against Chandra’s will for a quiet funeral, a grateful Gowda made all arrangements when his Man Friday passed away. He got the issue raised in the Karnataka legislative council and forced the BJP run state Government to extend full state Honours to the late bureaucrat and Governor. The former Prime Minister spent the whole night weeping besides Chandra’s mortal remains and even organized a memorial meeting.
In a rare tribute by a politician to a bureaucrat, Gowda described Chandra as his “friend, philosopher and guide.”
“I owe him to a great extent whatever achievements are attributed to my government. I must also give him full credit for ensuring that the United Front Government remained scandal free and its image unsullied”, Gowda said.
Neither did Gowda treat Chandra like a foot ball nor did the latter seek or accept any favours from him. It was a relationship of trust and understanding in the larger interests of the nation by two important pillars of our democracy – legislature and executive.
That bureaucrats have been and continue to be at the receiving end of politicians is an established fact, only that Home Minister P Chidambaram was honest enough to admit recently that they (he was referring only to police officials) are kicked around like foot balls. Apart from transfers and punishment postings, we have been witness to even some officials being killed brutally if they do not shell out money for the birth day celebrations of some politicians and the entire nation saw on television how an Andhra MP from Mr Chidambaram’s own party thrashed a bank official over some loan issue.
It is equally an open secret that some bureaucrats crawl even where they are expected only to bend. Top ranking officials singing paeans for people in power and even putting loads of pastry into their hungry mouths during birthday celebrations are not uncommon sights. Political connections are used to get transfers, postings and even promotions, not to talk of other sundry favours for spouses, children and others ranging from admissions to foreign trips and business contracts.
Yet, one does come across exceptions in this mutually exploitative and opportunistic relationship. We do find bureaucrats like Kiran Bedi, who don’t mind taking even the Prime Minister to task when it comes to following rules (remember Crane Bedi).and going on to win the prestigious Magsaysay Award for turning a punishment posting (Tihar Jail) into a wonderful opportunity (ashram). Yes, finally she did resign over not being appointed as the Delhi Police Commissioner. But, the fact also remains that the people remember Bedi (she is now on popular television shows) more than any other city police chief.
It is in this context that one remembers the comparatively low profile, soft spoken and affable bureaucrat Satish Chandra who passed away in Bengaluru recently. He was Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office during the 10 month tenure of H D Deve Gowda.
The proverbial dark horse that he was, a shell shocked Gowda found himself all alone in the corridors of power in Delhi when he was catapulted to the nation’s highest office by destiny. Having been a seasoned politician in Karnataka, Gowda knew too well the importance of a friendly bureaucracy if he was to prove his detractors and critics wrong.
He approached Chandra, who was Chief Secretary of the state when he was the state PWD Minister. Chandra initially refused but after much persuasion relented and guided Gowda through an eventful and tumultuous ten months. Though the bad press he got projected Gowda as a sleeping, mumbling rustic, the first ever package for North East, the signing of the Mahakali Treat with Nepal, the Ganges water sharing agreement with Bangladesh, the resolution of the Tehri dam issue, the announcement of Uttarakhand state and the first railway link to Kashmir, the negotiations with Naga insurgent groups etc also took place during the period thanks to the Janata Dal leader’s vision and free hand given to Chandra, T S R Subramanian and their team of bureaucrats.
Chandra, who briefly became the Governor of Goa, became a recluse after he succumbed to Parkinson’s Disease and to some extent even Alzheimer’s. Gowda made repeated attempts to meet him but he declined on grounds of protocol. After much persuasion, Gowda hosted Chandra and his wife at his residence and as they were leaving presented them with fruits and dress material. Chandra accepted only the fruits.
And much against Chandra’s will for a quiet funeral, a grateful Gowda made all arrangements when his Man Friday passed away. He got the issue raised in the Karnataka legislative council and forced the BJP run state Government to extend full state Honours to the late bureaucrat and Governor. The former Prime Minister spent the whole night weeping besides Chandra’s mortal remains and even organized a memorial meeting.
In a rare tribute by a politician to a bureaucrat, Gowda described Chandra as his “friend, philosopher and guide.”
“I owe him to a great extent whatever achievements are attributed to my government. I must also give him full credit for ensuring that the United Front Government remained scandal free and its image unsullied”, Gowda said.
Neither did Gowda treat Chandra like a foot ball nor did the latter seek or accept any favours from him. It was a relationship of trust and understanding in the larger interests of the nation by two important pillars of our democracy – legislature and executive.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Bhai-Bhai or Bye-Bye
Bhai-Bhai or Bye-Bye?
One vividly remembers how the Indian media tore apart the then Defence Minister George Fernandes when he dared to term China as India’s enemy number one. Recent incursions by Chinese troops all along the Sino-Indian border, Beijing’s proximity to Pakistan, its increasing presence in Nepal, statements by its think tanks supporting India’s balkanization are all indicators of the Dragon’s plans to contain India at any cost.
Poor Fernandes, whose residence has been a refuge for Burmese and other students, was too well aware of our neighbour’s not so friendly intentions. Yet, we continue to be in the denial mode like the pigeon who wishes away the cat before it by simply closing its eyes. We have seen the plight of the Tibetans. We have experienced the Chinese betrayal in 1962. Yet, we refuse to learn. We still have not facilitated easier access to our border outposts, we still do not have effective monitoring and surveillance mechanisms in place.
We forget that those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.
One vividly remembers how the Indian media tore apart the then Defence Minister George Fernandes when he dared to term China as India’s enemy number one. Recent incursions by Chinese troops all along the Sino-Indian border, Beijing’s proximity to Pakistan, its increasing presence in Nepal, statements by its think tanks supporting India’s balkanization are all indicators of the Dragon’s plans to contain India at any cost.
Poor Fernandes, whose residence has been a refuge for Burmese and other students, was too well aware of our neighbour’s not so friendly intentions. Yet, we continue to be in the denial mode like the pigeon who wishes away the cat before it by simply closing its eyes. We have seen the plight of the Tibetans. We have experienced the Chinese betrayal in 1962. Yet, we refuse to learn. We still have not facilitated easier access to our border outposts, we still do not have effective monitoring and surveillance mechanisms in place.
We forget that those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
An Absurdity Called Austerity
‘E-Cow-Nomics’ screamed Amul’s latest satirical advertisement making a pun of Junior Minister Shashi Tharoor’s uncharitable Twitter references to economy air passengers as “cattle class”, days after he was forced to vacate his plush suite in the Taj Mansingh, where he was staying in the absence of privacy and a gym in Kerala House.
The austerity fad seems to spreading like a pandemic, sort of H1N1, with no one including the Royal Gandhis escaping from its clutches. While his expression of solidarity with the ‘Aam Aadmi’ saved a meager Rs 445, it will cost much more for the Indian tax payer to repair those windowpanes broken by some wayward boys of Haryana (some television shows identified one of the stone-throwing boys as Varun Gandhi, little knowing that his expertise lies somewhere else – Just remember the Pilibhit speech).
Rahul’s Discovery of India was preceded by his mother’s equally fascinating journey to Mumbai not to talk about the circuitous route taken by our Foreign Minister S M Krishna to reach Belarus and other places to save some money for the country. The Vokkaliga stalwart was not even allowed to rest in peace at his Maurya Sheraton suite and was forced to vacate it by people who apparently didn’t know that he was the father-in-law of the owner of Café Coffee Day.
This whole exercise or enactment of this farcical and absurd horse play began when the Indian Express broke the story about these two Ministers leading a royal life in a country of the poor, downtrodden, Dalits, underprivileged, religious, linguistic and sexual minorities.
If that be the criterion, why on earth should we be hosting the Commonwealth Games. After all, you cannot blow away the wealth of the common man even if it has been named ‘Commonwealth’. We need more schools than stadia, more hospitals than velodromes, more houses than Five star hotels and games villages.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda never used to claim any of the free bus passes or railway coupons he was entitled to as an MLA. In fact, even today, he travels by his own car and stays in a bungalow lower in category than the one to which he is entitled.
One may have sharp differences with the man on his politics, but when it comes to leading a simple life, you just cannot beat the man who wears bathroom slippers to the Parliament and lives on a staple diet of Ragi balls (Muddae) and sambar.
Even in the UPA, we have leaders like A K Antony, whose wife used to travel to her office by bus when he was the Chief Minister of Kerala, Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge who stays in a room at the Karnataka Bhavan and the indefatigable Mamata Banerjee, who even goes to Parliament on Railway Budget day in a friend’s car sans any security cover and is caught in a traffic jam. Even when he was the country’s Defence Minister, the gates of George Fernandes’ residence on Krishna Menon Marg always remained open (one reason why the Tehelka team was tempted to enter and catch Jaya Jetlie unawares). We can recount several such instances from the past.
In the land of Gandhi, I mean the Mahatma, austerity has to be an integral part of life. In fact, it is the ordinary Indian’s inclination towards savings and an austere life that has seen us through the worst of recession.
The Congress stage managers must realize that the ‘Aam Aadmi’ does not travel even the economy class or chair car. At the best, a lower middle class family may travel by a low cost carrier once in a blue moon. Therefore, if at all these leaders and ministers have to travel, let them book their cheapest available tickets through travel portals like ordinary folk and travel without any frills.
Secondly, let these leaders not trivialize the very concept of austerity. If a senior political leaders does not keep well and needs more legroom at his or her age to travel comfortably, even the media should not grudge it. As private citizens, we also look for our basic comforts. Being a politician is not a crime. We don’t mind our elected representatives being looked after well, so long us as they also look after us well.
In countries such as United States, several facilities are extended to elected representatives to enable them to function smoothly and independently. A newly elected Corporator was complaining to me recently that he was finding it difficult to even offer a cup of tea to the scores of constituents who come to him daily with problems. In fact, some newly elected MPs from adjoining states who were allotted rooms in Hotel Samrat temporarily after the recent Lok Sabha elections vacated it after they found it beyond their means to entertain constituents.
Coming back to Gowda, he recently contributed 20% of his annual salary to the Prime Minister’s Famine Relief Fund, keeping in view the flood and drought situation in different parts of the country. And the princely sum amounted to Rs 38, 400/-. That being the case, isn’t it high time, we take a look at the salary structure of our elected representatives and devise mechanisms that would ensure that they are not forced to take favours to do their work properly. In fact, a hike in their salaries and allowances would give us better returns in the long run rather than short-term and short-sighted absurd austerity measures.
The austerity fad seems to spreading like a pandemic, sort of H1N1, with no one including the Royal Gandhis escaping from its clutches. While his expression of solidarity with the ‘Aam Aadmi’ saved a meager Rs 445, it will cost much more for the Indian tax payer to repair those windowpanes broken by some wayward boys of Haryana (some television shows identified one of the stone-throwing boys as Varun Gandhi, little knowing that his expertise lies somewhere else – Just remember the Pilibhit speech).
Rahul’s Discovery of India was preceded by his mother’s equally fascinating journey to Mumbai not to talk about the circuitous route taken by our Foreign Minister S M Krishna to reach Belarus and other places to save some money for the country. The Vokkaliga stalwart was not even allowed to rest in peace at his Maurya Sheraton suite and was forced to vacate it by people who apparently didn’t know that he was the father-in-law of the owner of Café Coffee Day.
This whole exercise or enactment of this farcical and absurd horse play began when the Indian Express broke the story about these two Ministers leading a royal life in a country of the poor, downtrodden, Dalits, underprivileged, religious, linguistic and sexual minorities.
If that be the criterion, why on earth should we be hosting the Commonwealth Games. After all, you cannot blow away the wealth of the common man even if it has been named ‘Commonwealth’. We need more schools than stadia, more hospitals than velodromes, more houses than Five star hotels and games villages.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda never used to claim any of the free bus passes or railway coupons he was entitled to as an MLA. In fact, even today, he travels by his own car and stays in a bungalow lower in category than the one to which he is entitled.
One may have sharp differences with the man on his politics, but when it comes to leading a simple life, you just cannot beat the man who wears bathroom slippers to the Parliament and lives on a staple diet of Ragi balls (Muddae) and sambar.
Even in the UPA, we have leaders like A K Antony, whose wife used to travel to her office by bus when he was the Chief Minister of Kerala, Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge who stays in a room at the Karnataka Bhavan and the indefatigable Mamata Banerjee, who even goes to Parliament on Railway Budget day in a friend’s car sans any security cover and is caught in a traffic jam. Even when he was the country’s Defence Minister, the gates of George Fernandes’ residence on Krishna Menon Marg always remained open (one reason why the Tehelka team was tempted to enter and catch Jaya Jetlie unawares). We can recount several such instances from the past.
In the land of Gandhi, I mean the Mahatma, austerity has to be an integral part of life. In fact, it is the ordinary Indian’s inclination towards savings and an austere life that has seen us through the worst of recession.
The Congress stage managers must realize that the ‘Aam Aadmi’ does not travel even the economy class or chair car. At the best, a lower middle class family may travel by a low cost carrier once in a blue moon. Therefore, if at all these leaders and ministers have to travel, let them book their cheapest available tickets through travel portals like ordinary folk and travel without any frills.
Secondly, let these leaders not trivialize the very concept of austerity. If a senior political leaders does not keep well and needs more legroom at his or her age to travel comfortably, even the media should not grudge it. As private citizens, we also look for our basic comforts. Being a politician is not a crime. We don’t mind our elected representatives being looked after well, so long us as they also look after us well.
In countries such as United States, several facilities are extended to elected representatives to enable them to function smoothly and independently. A newly elected Corporator was complaining to me recently that he was finding it difficult to even offer a cup of tea to the scores of constituents who come to him daily with problems. In fact, some newly elected MPs from adjoining states who were allotted rooms in Hotel Samrat temporarily after the recent Lok Sabha elections vacated it after they found it beyond their means to entertain constituents.
Coming back to Gowda, he recently contributed 20% of his annual salary to the Prime Minister’s Famine Relief Fund, keeping in view the flood and drought situation in different parts of the country. And the princely sum amounted to Rs 38, 400/-. That being the case, isn’t it high time, we take a look at the salary structure of our elected representatives and devise mechanisms that would ensure that they are not forced to take favours to do their work properly. In fact, a hike in their salaries and allowances would give us better returns in the long run rather than short-term and short-sighted absurd austerity measures.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
NEIGHBOURHOOD WOES
Two Indian priests at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu were at the receiving end of the Maoist ire in Nepal recently. The incident is not an isolated one. Ousted from power, the Maoists have found India to be favourite whipping boy to stoke Nepalese sentiments and project the existing regime as an Indian stooge. Wittingly or unwittingly, the Maoists are falling into the trap of the Chinese, who are slowly but steadly increasing their presence and influence in the Himalayan state.
While one appreciates the Nepalese concerns over India’s alleged ‘big brother’ attitude, one would also expect them to look at and ponder over the fate of their Tibetan brethren, who have been reduced to a minority in their own country by the Han Chinese.
The Maoist attack on Indian priests is not an attack on India but an assault on Nepal’s own culture and traditions. The sooner the Nepalese realize it, the better for them.
While one appreciates the Nepalese concerns over India’s alleged ‘big brother’ attitude, one would also expect them to look at and ponder over the fate of their Tibetan brethren, who have been reduced to a minority in their own country by the Han Chinese.
The Maoist attack on Indian priests is not an attack on India but an assault on Nepal’s own culture and traditions. The sooner the Nepalese realize it, the better for them.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
YSR Death : Need for a balanced approach
| At least 60 persons either committed suicide or died of shock after hearing the news of Chief Minister YSR Reddy's death in a chopper crash. The deaths have been reported from Guntur, East Godavari, Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Prakasam, Medak, Nalgonda, Karimnagar and Kadapa, according to reports on Telugu television channels. Shocked by the spate of suicides, son Jagan Mohan Reddy appealed to the people not to resort to such extreme steps. "Due to such acts (suicides) my father's soul will not rest in peace. He had an ever-smiling face and worked for uplift of the poor. They (people) should not resort to such acts," an emotional Jagan said. Unfortunately, the media's hype projecting YSR's death as a catastrophe for the state too has contributed to this trend. While YSR was certainly a popular Chief Minister, he was not above board. The media should have covered him objectively including allegations of massive corruption against him and his family. The media lost its sense of balance. At a time when we are broad minded and liberal enough to analyse the actions of even the father of the nation and leaders like Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel, why not objectively look at YSR? He was not God. Neither did he have the charisma of Prakasam or NTR. The media should not get carried away and mislead the gullible people. There is life beyond YSR both for Andhra and Congress. His death is undoubtedly a tragedy but let us not indulge in hipocrisy. Let not political crooks take advantage of this emotional and sensitive situation. |
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Both Jaswants book and BJPs action lack credibility
After Balraj Madhok, K N Govindacharya, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh comes the latest oustee from BJP Jaswant Singh. But unlike others who were shown the door for pointing fingers at the partys top leadership, the MP from Darjeeling got the boot for criticizing a Congress leader, who died several decades back. Ironically, as the former BJP leader himself pointed out, it was during the tenure of Sardar Patel that BJPs parent organization RSS was banned for the first time following Mahatma Gandhis assassination. Advani later claimed that Sardar acted under Nehrus pressure, forgetting that it was Iron Man Patel and not the sartorial (Shivraj) Patil who could have been pressurised. It is also ironical that the Kangaroo Court was presided over by Advani, who committed the original sin of calling Jinnah secular.
Singhs expulsion appears to be an exercise in isolation and has little to do with either the partys poll fiasco or a serious introspection. Singh had earned the ire of the Advani camp for questioning the link between Parinaam (poll results) and Puraskar (rewards) indirectly hitting out at the likes of Arun Jaitley, the partys Chief Poll Strategist who was promoted as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, succeeding Singh.
Singh too has the dubious distinction of not only escorting dreaded terrorists to Kandahar in lieu of the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight but also making unsubstantiated allegations in his earlier book about a mole in former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Raos office, not to talk about providing opium-laced drink to guests and distributing cash to voters. Thus, both Jaswants book and BJPs action against him lack credibility.
(Same views has been published in the latest issue of 'Sunday Indian')
After Balraj Madhok, K N Govindacharya, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh comes the latest oustee from BJP Jaswant Singh. But unlike others who were shown the door for pointing fingers at the partys top leadership, the MP from Darjeeling got the boot for criticizing a Congress leader, who died several decades back. Ironically, as the former BJP leader himself pointed out, it was during the tenure of Sardar Patel that BJPs parent organization RSS was banned for the first time following Mahatma Gandhis assassination. Advani later claimed that Sardar acted under Nehrus pressure, forgetting that it was Iron Man Patel and not the sartorial (Shivraj) Patil who could have been pressurised. It is also ironical that the Kangaroo Court was presided over by Advani, who committed the original sin of calling Jinnah secular.
Singhs expulsion appears to be an exercise in isolation and has little to do with either the partys poll fiasco or a serious introspection. Singh had earned the ire of the Advani camp for questioning the link between Parinaam (poll results) and Puraskar (rewards) indirectly hitting out at the likes of Arun Jaitley, the partys Chief Poll Strategist who was promoted as the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, succeeding Singh.
Singh too has the dubious distinction of not only escorting dreaded terrorists to Kandahar in lieu of the passengers of the hijacked Indian Airlines flight but also making unsubstantiated allegations in his earlier book about a mole in former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Raos office, not to talk about providing opium-laced drink to guests and distributing cash to voters. Thus, both Jaswants book and BJPs action against him lack credibility.
(Same views has been published in the latest issue of 'Sunday Indian')
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