Friends, Indians, countrymen, lend me your ear (or should I say eye)
I come to bury Democracy, not to cry over it
Not all men have the courage to live and die with conviction
Manmohan Singh rules sitting on the corpse of the Democracy,
So let it be with Democracy ... The noble Dr. Manmohan Singh
Hath told you he has never done anything wrong:
That he did not appoint the tained CVC,
And I wish we had questioned Manmohan Singh years ago ...
Here, under leave of Manmohan and the Congress,
For they are an honorable lot
So are they all; all non-corruptible people
Come I to speak when integrity of head of nation has been questioned...
Multiple times on 2G and CWG:
But Manmohan Singh says that he has done no wrong;
And he is an honest man….
He hath brought many ministers like Raja, Vilasrao, Kamalnath, Pawar,
To gather monies, his party and allies have filled their coffers with
Does this Dr Manmohan Singh look so clean?
When the people needed answers, Manmohan Singh gave helplessness:
A Prime Minister has to be made of sterner stuff
Yet Manmohan Singh says he is no to be blamed;
And Manmohan Singh is an honest man.
You all did see that on the sacred floor of Parliament
Manmohan Singh and his men bought and sold MPs like cattle
They bought votes and subverted media to stay in power
Yet Manmohan Singh says he is not to be blamed;
And, sure, Manmohan Singh is an honest man.
I speak not to disprove of whatever Manmohan Singh had done in past,
But here I am to speak what I do know now.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
But now what makes you mourn that love for him?
O my mother nation! You are held ransom by vested interests,
Manmohan Singh and his men have lost their reason…. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Democracy,
And I must pause till it come back to me.
Note - For the uninitiated, this is a remake or a rehash of the original "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" speech by Mark Antony from Julius Caesar. Tried to adapt it to the current act of treason from a so-called clean, honest, gentleman PM. Its time nation asks Manmohan Singh "Et Tu, Dr Singh"
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Unaccountable Governance
Today India faces a trust deficit and the person who comes to mind is an extraordinary gentleman called Morarji Desai. When Morarji Desai government went into minority, someone in his cabinet prepared a list to be given to the Speaker and the President. The list contained some names who had not yet declared support. Morarji Desai immediately took responsibility for this and said he would retire from public life. Such is the character needed to lead in a democracy. Does this not make Manmohan Singh look like a pygmy? Anything comes up and he says he does not know. Be it 2G scam or CWG or CVC appointment or the latest re-release on cash for vote scandal. He and Sonia Gandhi have hid behind a media created halo and escaped any kind of accountability.
Like never before India has a weird form of governance today. The person who is the PM has no authority and shies away from taking accountability on anything. He has a super PM who enjoys all the power but is never questioned. Then his cabinet is full of members who he hasn’t himself chosen as he had to practice ‘coalition dharma and so his cabinet colleagues are answerable to their respective leaders and fight amongst themselves. Then there is super kitchen cabinet which forms the policies for the government but has no constitutional authority. The NAC as the kitchen cabinet is called is a group of Super PM Sonia Gandhi’s ‘Kitty Party Friends’ and they have been given the power by her to overrule the PM while drafting the policies. Does this in any way sound like a democracy to you? Where does the accountability here lie and who will take the whip if anything goes wrong? No answers whatsoever from the ruling dispensation. Look at this funny irony. While NAC credits itself for bringing in Right to Information to improve transparency, NAC and Sonia Gandhi both are out of the purview of the RTI.
Accountability of the various institutions is the strong base on which a democracy thrives. And being accountable is a trait that is generally held by individuals or a group of such individuals. It is not a trait which can be thrust upon any person. So if accountability is not a value which an individual or an organization possesses, there is no way that it will take responsibility for any action or inaction. If this is someone who proves this in recent times, it is Indian PM Manmohan Singh. But it would be unfair to blame him alone for this because lack of accountability is an organizational disease in Congress. Except a few exceptions like Lal Bahadur Shastri, Madhavrao Scindia, rarely has one seen Congress leaders taking responsibility until and unless it is thumped on them from the High Command which is the Gandhi family.
If we go into history and see the early years after India’s partition, one can see how Jawaharlal Nehru ran the government like a dictator and surrounded by his coterie. Hardly anyone in modern India would have messed up on various policies as Krishna Menon but never was he questioned nor was he removed. Even after China debacle, when opposition asked for him resignation, Nehru used the old trick of ‘I would resign too’ to blunt the resignation demand. It’s just sad that India never got to learn the lessons from Nehru and Menon’s mistakes as they thwarted attempts for facts to be brought up. Jawaharlal Nehru in his entire tenure was averse to taking blame for any mistakes. Infact as one of his biographer Walter Crocker’s said in his books – Nehru was averse to answering questions from colleagues and subordinates as he thought they could not match up to his intellectual levels and he had no time for fools. What Nehru did not realize was that such feudal arrogance in initial days of Indian democracy would set a bad precedent.
The precedent that Nehru set was followed by Congress at times with more stubborn and arrogant behavior. Indira never apologized to the nation for the murder of democracy and the excesses the countrymen faced during the emergency. She went about her PMship with a total disdain for counter questions or oppositions. She went on creating Frankensteins like Bindranwale, illegal Bangladeshis and corruption but she never felt the need to tell why was she doing what she was doing. When confronted her answer was always “Foreign hand trying to destabilize India”. Stalwarts like Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee all were at some or the other point in time called Foreign Agents by the Congress just to silence opposition.
Then came her son Rajiv Gandhi who possibly broke all the records in Parliamentary democracy by lying blatantly in Parliament. When confronted by the corruption over Bofors, Rajiv Gandhi lied in the Parliament that any kickback was paid. His bluff was soon called by brave journalists’ like Arun Shourie. But the man never felt remorse for lying to the Parliament. Nor did he ever feel remorse for presiding over the largest genocide this country has seen post partition. He infact justified it in his famous words about the tree and earth shake. Rajiv Gandhi carried on his activity of subverting constitution with a dangerous mix of communal politics. Be it Shah Bano case or the elections in Assam and Meghalaya. He tried to alter the Indian constitution on basis of religious vote banks. And he did that by riding on a brute majority. Who can forget his actions of IPKF or the dreaded rigged elections of Jammu and Kashmir? There was a scope for course correction or introspection in his politics and policies.
The curse continues today with Sonia Gandhi ruling India but without any form of accountability to either people of India, parliament or to constitution. The indications are that her son Rahul Gandhi is keen to continue the same trend by his continuous refusal to take up ministerial post but by constant meddling in important affairs of the ministry. How long will India have to play slave to such feudal mindset. When will the patience get over and tough questions asked of the Nehru Gandhi parivaar? Will we continue to remain a colony even after 6 decades of independence? The choice is with the people. Raise your voice and ask uncomfortable questions, answers for which have never been given to you so far.
Like never before India has a weird form of governance today. The person who is the PM has no authority and shies away from taking accountability on anything. He has a super PM who enjoys all the power but is never questioned. Then his cabinet is full of members who he hasn’t himself chosen as he had to practice ‘coalition dharma and so his cabinet colleagues are answerable to their respective leaders and fight amongst themselves. Then there is super kitchen cabinet which forms the policies for the government but has no constitutional authority. The NAC as the kitchen cabinet is called is a group of Super PM Sonia Gandhi’s ‘Kitty Party Friends’ and they have been given the power by her to overrule the PM while drafting the policies. Does this in any way sound like a democracy to you? Where does the accountability here lie and who will take the whip if anything goes wrong? No answers whatsoever from the ruling dispensation. Look at this funny irony. While NAC credits itself for bringing in Right to Information to improve transparency, NAC and Sonia Gandhi both are out of the purview of the RTI.
Accountability of the various institutions is the strong base on which a democracy thrives. And being accountable is a trait that is generally held by individuals or a group of such individuals. It is not a trait which can be thrust upon any person. So if accountability is not a value which an individual or an organization possesses, there is no way that it will take responsibility for any action or inaction. If this is someone who proves this in recent times, it is Indian PM Manmohan Singh. But it would be unfair to blame him alone for this because lack of accountability is an organizational disease in Congress. Except a few exceptions like Lal Bahadur Shastri, Madhavrao Scindia, rarely has one seen Congress leaders taking responsibility until and unless it is thumped on them from the High Command which is the Gandhi family.
If we go into history and see the early years after India’s partition, one can see how Jawaharlal Nehru ran the government like a dictator and surrounded by his coterie. Hardly anyone in modern India would have messed up on various policies as Krishna Menon but never was he questioned nor was he removed. Even after China debacle, when opposition asked for him resignation, Nehru used the old trick of ‘I would resign too’ to blunt the resignation demand. It’s just sad that India never got to learn the lessons from Nehru and Menon’s mistakes as they thwarted attempts for facts to be brought up. Jawaharlal Nehru in his entire tenure was averse to taking blame for any mistakes. Infact as one of his biographer Walter Crocker’s said in his books – Nehru was averse to answering questions from colleagues and subordinates as he thought they could not match up to his intellectual levels and he had no time for fools. What Nehru did not realize was that such feudal arrogance in initial days of Indian democracy would set a bad precedent.
The precedent that Nehru set was followed by Congress at times with more stubborn and arrogant behavior. Indira never apologized to the nation for the murder of democracy and the excesses the countrymen faced during the emergency. She went about her PMship with a total disdain for counter questions or oppositions. She went on creating Frankensteins like Bindranwale, illegal Bangladeshis and corruption but she never felt the need to tell why was she doing what she was doing. When confronted her answer was always “Foreign hand trying to destabilize India”. Stalwarts like Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Atal Bihari Vajpayee all were at some or the other point in time called Foreign Agents by the Congress just to silence opposition.
Then came her son Rajiv Gandhi who possibly broke all the records in Parliamentary democracy by lying blatantly in Parliament. When confronted by the corruption over Bofors, Rajiv Gandhi lied in the Parliament that any kickback was paid. His bluff was soon called by brave journalists’ like Arun Shourie. But the man never felt remorse for lying to the Parliament. Nor did he ever feel remorse for presiding over the largest genocide this country has seen post partition. He infact justified it in his famous words about the tree and earth shake. Rajiv Gandhi carried on his activity of subverting constitution with a dangerous mix of communal politics. Be it Shah Bano case or the elections in Assam and Meghalaya. He tried to alter the Indian constitution on basis of religious vote banks. And he did that by riding on a brute majority. Who can forget his actions of IPKF or the dreaded rigged elections of Jammu and Kashmir? There was a scope for course correction or introspection in his politics and policies.
The curse continues today with Sonia Gandhi ruling India but without any form of accountability to either people of India, parliament or to constitution. The indications are that her son Rahul Gandhi is keen to continue the same trend by his continuous refusal to take up ministerial post but by constant meddling in important affairs of the ministry. How long will India have to play slave to such feudal mindset. When will the patience get over and tough questions asked of the Nehru Gandhi parivaar? Will we continue to remain a colony even after 6 decades of independence? The choice is with the people. Raise your voice and ask uncomfortable questions, answers for which have never been given to you so far.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Weakening Social Democracy
Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of USA once famously said “Democracy is not so much a form of government as a set of principles”. So true and when the same principles come under strain, there is no governance and finally no democracy. While India proudly calls itself the 2nd largest democracy (or the largest in terms of populace) in the world, India has had to face many such threats to its principles. If in 70s the threat came in form of corruption, lack of accountability, nepotism and dictatorship, the threat in later decades came from rise of separatist sentiments and rise of religious and casteist fundamentalism. The latest threats have been on principles of social harmony and concept of India as a nation and all Indians as citizens.
Never was this threat as obvious as in the month of January 2011. The last ten days of Jan 2011 showed such events unfold that one wondered if they are just aberrations or slowly becoming the rule in this country that preaches social harmony and worships Motherland.
When Maulana Ghulam Vastanvi became the VC of Deoband, there was a sense of happiness not only in Muslim community but outside it too. Maulana Vastanvi is seen to be the moderate and progressive face of the Muslim community and this was highlighted across the spectrum when his appointment became public. His work in field of education, especially in modernising education, was seen to be a revolutionary. So when he took over charge at Deoband, one felt this might bring change the largest educational institution for Muslim students, which has been mired in controversies over fatwas and at times outdated views. But suddenly Maulana Vastanvi has to face music from Deoband, other Muslim clerics and also the media and so-called civil society. What did he do to warrant a complete negative reaction and calls for his removal? Why did media treat him like a culprit inspite of his achievements and wish to take the Muslim community forward? Well, Maulana Vastanvi in an interview after his appointment said that “while law should take it’s own course in case of Gujarat riots, it’s time Muslim community moves on and sees the development made in Gujarat which has benefitted the Muslim community in a large way.” What was wrong with this statement that everyone suddenly started gunning for Maulana Vastanvi? To a rank outsider, this statement is a mature statement which augurs well for the community and the country. Well, it seems disappointing that a section of the country is not ready to move on though the people of Gujarat specially the Muslims have moved on and reconciled with Narendra Modi and Gujarat government. Is it not pure bias to ignore the fact that Gujarat Muslims are the most progressive, prosperous and educated than their community brethren from other states. Is it a crime if someone states this obvious fact? While the fate of Maulana Vastanvi’s resignation will be known only after the Shura meeting on 22nd Feb 2011, just the fact that his statements have generated so much anger in the community is disturbing. It seems a section of the Muslim community, clerics and leadership aided by the pseudo-secular elements do not want the Muslim community to come out of it’s ghetto identity. They might as well have a radical, dyed in the past Maulana lead their students rather than a person who has shown how progressive education benefits the cothe mmunity. This is a danger sign to the democracy and social fabric. When you have one section of the society which has not progressed at a speed comparable to other sections, anger will grow and hurt the country very badly.
Another event which took place the same time was one concerning judiciary. Recently Supreme Court upheld the life sentence given to Dara Singh for the murder of Graham Staines and his two minor sons. The murder was a gruesome act and it got the punishment that it deserved. While upholding the earlier sentence given by the High Court, Supreme Court also went into the circumstances and the background of the dastardly act. As an observation the court also said "It is undisputed that there is no justification for interfering in someone's belief by way of 'use of force', provocation, conversion, and incitement or upon a flawed premise that one religion is better than the other." In no way does this remark condone the act done by Dara Singh and others. All it says is that conversion is a stigma and a problem one has to identify. Immediately the Christian communities and the civil society were up in arms. Noise was generated about how SC was justifying Staines’ murders when the fact was far from it. A few days after the judgment, the SC expunged the observations. Brings us to the question – Is it communal to question the act of conversion? Isn’t it a fact that conversions are causing tremendous strain to the society especially in tribal India? If questioning and opposing conversion is communal, then Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Swami Vivekanand and Mahatma Gandhi all stand guilty as communal. Why is the Christian community not stopping their evangelists, their clerics from indulging in this heinous crime? Conversions and opposition to it has seen a lot of bloodshed in the past and double standards in addressing the root causes will only increase the violence. We cannot have a society wherein Swami Paramanand’s gruesome murder has to be ignored and at times even welcomed (A Christian cleric Father Emmanuel of Delhi on Times Now actually stated that Swami Paramanand was murdered because of his ‘communal activities’). Lack of tolerance towards the views of judiciary from a community is not a great sign for the democracy.
As the proverbial last straw on a camel’s back, the final act of endangering our democratic principles came in form of the high-handedness with which Central Govt and State Govt of Jammu and Kashmir behaved with fellow Indians and patriots to stop the Ekta Yatra and hoisting of tricolor at Lal Chowk. When was the last we heard, trains being stopped and made to return under cover of darkness? When was the last your bags were checked and were having Tiranga was an objectionable act? When was the last young men and women had to face lathis for having tricolor in their hands? Ever heard of a country where Leaders of Opposition are under arrest on a National Day? Sounds like emergency? And all this use of force and preventive measures for what? To stop hoisting of Tiranga at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Constitution allows anyone to hoist the national flag anywhere as long as it is not infringing on someone’s private property. And Lal Chowk is as much a part of India as Chandni Chowk in Delhi or Nana Chowk in Mumbai is. But under pressure from separatists like Yasin Malik, the Omar Abdullah government not only buckled but went one step ahead in playing appeasement politics. And appeasement of whom? The group of people who take pride in showing Pakistani flags and hoist them at Lal Chowk at every possible opportunity. Many were injured and arrested as the Central and State government resorted to extra-constitutional methods.
When seen alone, the above three incidents look like small incidents in overall picture of democracy and governance. While the episode on Dara Singh judgement is about lack of tolerance and contempt of judiciary, the Vastanvi episode is a clear case of someone’s right to speech being questioned and the Tiranga episode is an infringement on right to national identity and right to visit any part of India lawfully. But when you put all the three together, we get a picture where radicals in minority communities are encouraged by government, so-called civil society and media to violate the spirit of our constitution and insult the basic tenets of democracy. This is a danger in the longer run and can destabilize the country if steps aren’t taken to stop it right now.
Never was this threat as obvious as in the month of January 2011. The last ten days of Jan 2011 showed such events unfold that one wondered if they are just aberrations or slowly becoming the rule in this country that preaches social harmony and worships Motherland.
When Maulana Ghulam Vastanvi became the VC of Deoband, there was a sense of happiness not only in Muslim community but outside it too. Maulana Vastanvi is seen to be the moderate and progressive face of the Muslim community and this was highlighted across the spectrum when his appointment became public. His work in field of education, especially in modernising education, was seen to be a revolutionary. So when he took over charge at Deoband, one felt this might bring change the largest educational institution for Muslim students, which has been mired in controversies over fatwas and at times outdated views. But suddenly Maulana Vastanvi has to face music from Deoband, other Muslim clerics and also the media and so-called civil society. What did he do to warrant a complete negative reaction and calls for his removal? Why did media treat him like a culprit inspite of his achievements and wish to take the Muslim community forward? Well, Maulana Vastanvi in an interview after his appointment said that “while law should take it’s own course in case of Gujarat riots, it’s time Muslim community moves on and sees the development made in Gujarat which has benefitted the Muslim community in a large way.” What was wrong with this statement that everyone suddenly started gunning for Maulana Vastanvi? To a rank outsider, this statement is a mature statement which augurs well for the community and the country. Well, it seems disappointing that a section of the country is not ready to move on though the people of Gujarat specially the Muslims have moved on and reconciled with Narendra Modi and Gujarat government. Is it not pure bias to ignore the fact that Gujarat Muslims are the most progressive, prosperous and educated than their community brethren from other states. Is it a crime if someone states this obvious fact? While the fate of Maulana Vastanvi’s resignation will be known only after the Shura meeting on 22nd Feb 2011, just the fact that his statements have generated so much anger in the community is disturbing. It seems a section of the Muslim community, clerics and leadership aided by the pseudo-secular elements do not want the Muslim community to come out of it’s ghetto identity. They might as well have a radical, dyed in the past Maulana lead their students rather than a person who has shown how progressive education benefits the cothe mmunity. This is a danger sign to the democracy and social fabric. When you have one section of the society which has not progressed at a speed comparable to other sections, anger will grow and hurt the country very badly.
Another event which took place the same time was one concerning judiciary. Recently Supreme Court upheld the life sentence given to Dara Singh for the murder of Graham Staines and his two minor sons. The murder was a gruesome act and it got the punishment that it deserved. While upholding the earlier sentence given by the High Court, Supreme Court also went into the circumstances and the background of the dastardly act. As an observation the court also said "It is undisputed that there is no justification for interfering in someone's belief by way of 'use of force', provocation, conversion, and incitement or upon a flawed premise that one religion is better than the other." In no way does this remark condone the act done by Dara Singh and others. All it says is that conversion is a stigma and a problem one has to identify. Immediately the Christian communities and the civil society were up in arms. Noise was generated about how SC was justifying Staines’ murders when the fact was far from it. A few days after the judgment, the SC expunged the observations. Brings us to the question – Is it communal to question the act of conversion? Isn’t it a fact that conversions are causing tremendous strain to the society especially in tribal India? If questioning and opposing conversion is communal, then Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Swami Vivekanand and Mahatma Gandhi all stand guilty as communal. Why is the Christian community not stopping their evangelists, their clerics from indulging in this heinous crime? Conversions and opposition to it has seen a lot of bloodshed in the past and double standards in addressing the root causes will only increase the violence. We cannot have a society wherein Swami Paramanand’s gruesome murder has to be ignored and at times even welcomed (A Christian cleric Father Emmanuel of Delhi on Times Now actually stated that Swami Paramanand was murdered because of his ‘communal activities’). Lack of tolerance towards the views of judiciary from a community is not a great sign for the democracy.
As the proverbial last straw on a camel’s back, the final act of endangering our democratic principles came in form of the high-handedness with which Central Govt and State Govt of Jammu and Kashmir behaved with fellow Indians and patriots to stop the Ekta Yatra and hoisting of tricolor at Lal Chowk. When was the last we heard, trains being stopped and made to return under cover of darkness? When was the last your bags were checked and were having Tiranga was an objectionable act? When was the last young men and women had to face lathis for having tricolor in their hands? Ever heard of a country where Leaders of Opposition are under arrest on a National Day? Sounds like emergency? And all this use of force and preventive measures for what? To stop hoisting of Tiranga at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Constitution allows anyone to hoist the national flag anywhere as long as it is not infringing on someone’s private property. And Lal Chowk is as much a part of India as Chandni Chowk in Delhi or Nana Chowk in Mumbai is. But under pressure from separatists like Yasin Malik, the Omar Abdullah government not only buckled but went one step ahead in playing appeasement politics. And appeasement of whom? The group of people who take pride in showing Pakistani flags and hoist them at Lal Chowk at every possible opportunity. Many were injured and arrested as the Central and State government resorted to extra-constitutional methods.
When seen alone, the above three incidents look like small incidents in overall picture of democracy and governance. While the episode on Dara Singh judgement is about lack of tolerance and contempt of judiciary, the Vastanvi episode is a clear case of someone’s right to speech being questioned and the Tiranga episode is an infringement on right to national identity and right to visit any part of India lawfully. But when you put all the three together, we get a picture where radicals in minority communities are encouraged by government, so-called civil society and media to violate the spirit of our constitution and insult the basic tenets of democracy. This is a danger in the longer run and can destabilize the country if steps aren’t taken to stop it right now.
Friday, January 28, 2011
The age of digital intolerance
A storm has been brewing on the digital world specially the twitter for a long time. What would have started as a one-off case is now being seen more as a pattern. Actually not even a pattern but a methodical madness. It's been seen increasingly that people from the so-called 'right wing' have been getting into ugly scraps with media people, analysts and others. Some call this group as Internet Hindus and others call them RSS Storm Troopers. I object to both because both are highly biased and grossly generalised. So let's call them Right Wing Twitterati for simplicity.
B Raman, ex-civil servant and one of the leading analysts in the country, recently wrote this piece after his showdowns with the RWT - ramanstrategicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/01/hindutva-storm-troopers.html . Why has the digital world come to a point where a senior person has to write such an article. Let me make it clear that one ideological grounds, I have nothing common with him. I disagree with most of his analysis and am sure he too would never be comfortable with the ideological spectrum I represent.
It;s not only about B Raman but Sagarika Ghose, Barkha Dutt, Ranvir Shorey, Nikhil Wagle and many others have had their fights in the past. To be honest many of them actually enjoy provoking and then crying 'victim'. If you actually see the tweets from some of the people mentioned above, you will realise they have indulged in greater intolerance and provoked people. And when people have responded, they have gone on to brand the reaction as right wing attack. While I have no love lost for any of the people mentioned, I do feel that the RWTs are giving them a chance to brand them. If one stops for a minute and thinks, one will realise that Manish Tewari has been one of the most abusive people on the twitter. But his language was never questioned and nor was it called the Slave Brigade Crusade. Why the double standards on same problem? The people who are the Crybabies have to introspect and answer that. People like Sagarika, Wagle, Barkha, Nidhi should also respect the digital medium. On TV they were the kings and the queens, people had to lap up whatever they offered. But on digital world, they are nothing more than commoners. So when Sagarika calls someone a right wing jerk, she sould be ready to be called a media concubine. Similarly if Barkha questions someones integrity, she has to take the Radia potshots and Barkha should remember that the first case of online intolerance is creditted to her. No guerilla warfare please. Its the crazy internet jungle.
Coming to the RWTs, I have always maintained that RSS suffers the most from its fringe elements because already biased media loves to potray the loonies are the rule rather than exceptions. In one twitter exchange with Nikhil Wagle I asked him if he thinks RSS is all fanatics or would he also recall people like Atalji, Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhideji, Rambhau Mhalgi.. all great thinkers and people with extraordinary integrity. When RSS has lakhs of such noteworthy people, why should we give our opponents the chance to strengthen their biases and remember us only for anarchy? RWTs have to understand that you never win an argument by shouting, you win it by sheer strength of your content. Arun Jaitleyji famously says if your message is powerful, no one will ignore it. So rather than getting personal or abusive, letshave the right amount of ideological conviction and reason in our tweets. As far as frustrations and anger over biases goes, I will use one of the lines I like in life - Gussa badi kameeni cheez hain, sahi waqt pe istemaal hua to kamaal nahin to sirf bawaal.
And what do I tell to people like Mr. Raman or Sagarika or Barkha or Nikhil Wagle? Well, just one thing, the RWTs are not some aliens. They are a passionate, patriotic bunch of our own people. We talk about Aman ki Asha and Global Village but if we cant co-exist with our own people inspite of ideological differences, then we all are equally intolerant. And it wont be long bfore this intolerance reaches the real world too.
B Raman, ex-civil servant and one of the leading analysts in the country, recently wrote this piece after his showdowns with the RWT - ramanstrategicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/01/hindutva-storm-troopers.html . Why has the digital world come to a point where a senior person has to write such an article. Let me make it clear that one ideological grounds, I have nothing common with him. I disagree with most of his analysis and am sure he too would never be comfortable with the ideological spectrum I represent.
It;s not only about B Raman but Sagarika Ghose, Barkha Dutt, Ranvir Shorey, Nikhil Wagle and many others have had their fights in the past. To be honest many of them actually enjoy provoking and then crying 'victim'. If you actually see the tweets from some of the people mentioned above, you will realise they have indulged in greater intolerance and provoked people. And when people have responded, they have gone on to brand the reaction as right wing attack. While I have no love lost for any of the people mentioned, I do feel that the RWTs are giving them a chance to brand them. If one stops for a minute and thinks, one will realise that Manish Tewari has been one of the most abusive people on the twitter. But his language was never questioned and nor was it called the Slave Brigade Crusade. Why the double standards on same problem? The people who are the Crybabies have to introspect and answer that. People like Sagarika, Wagle, Barkha, Nidhi should also respect the digital medium. On TV they were the kings and the queens, people had to lap up whatever they offered. But on digital world, they are nothing more than commoners. So when Sagarika calls someone a right wing jerk, she sould be ready to be called a media concubine. Similarly if Barkha questions someones integrity, she has to take the Radia potshots and Barkha should remember that the first case of online intolerance is creditted to her. No guerilla warfare please. Its the crazy internet jungle.
Coming to the RWTs, I have always maintained that RSS suffers the most from its fringe elements because already biased media loves to potray the loonies are the rule rather than exceptions. In one twitter exchange with Nikhil Wagle I asked him if he thinks RSS is all fanatics or would he also recall people like Atalji, Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhideji, Rambhau Mhalgi.. all great thinkers and people with extraordinary integrity. When RSS has lakhs of such noteworthy people, why should we give our opponents the chance to strengthen their biases and remember us only for anarchy? RWTs have to understand that you never win an argument by shouting, you win it by sheer strength of your content. Arun Jaitleyji famously says if your message is powerful, no one will ignore it. So rather than getting personal or abusive, letshave the right amount of ideological conviction and reason in our tweets. As far as frustrations and anger over biases goes, I will use one of the lines I like in life - Gussa badi kameeni cheez hain, sahi waqt pe istemaal hua to kamaal nahin to sirf bawaal.
And what do I tell to people like Mr. Raman or Sagarika or Barkha or Nikhil Wagle? Well, just one thing, the RWTs are not some aliens. They are a passionate, patriotic bunch of our own people. We talk about Aman ki Asha and Global Village but if we cant co-exist with our own people inspite of ideological differences, then we all are equally intolerant. And it wont be long bfore this intolerance reaches the real world too.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Yes for Tiranga
Very rarely has a 26th January been watched with the such anticipation. And why not? This year the Republic Day is watched not for the show, the pomp and the dazzle in New Delhi but the action in far -off Lal Chowk in Srinagar. Isn't it a tragedy that the day when India celebrates it constitution, some youth will be facing police and their water canons, tear gas shells, lathis, maybe bululets too, just to exercise a right which Republic of India gives them. And the right is to hoist Indian Tricolour at any place on Indian soil as long as it is clean and respectable towards the flag.
Media has ,as always, gone ahead with its own biases in lambasting BJP and its youth wing for the Ekta Yatra. But no body so far has questioned why has BJYM taken out the yatra. The answers are not too far to find out. In last few years, Kashmir valley has been held hostage by an unholy nexus of seperatists, media and social activists. They at no point of time have lost an opportunity to spit at India or anything remotely Indian. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Arundhati Roy, Gautam Navlakha, Barkha Dutt, Nidhi Razdan are some of the people who seem to be running a campaign against Indian interests in the state. And in each occasions, the government of India has been surrendering. Be it during Amarnath Land Row or the action against stone pelters or troop reduction or the removal of AFSPA. The continous kid glove treatment to the seperatists in valley has not gone well with the other population of the state. That's why you saw unprecedented crowd at the Kashmir conclaves organised by BJP. More and more nationalists forces are slowly realising the dangers of seperatism. They have been wanting to enter the mainstream but have been held back by a handful of seperatists. This yatra is to connect the rest of India with this nationalist part of the state.
And this is precisely why the J n K government as well as Central Government and the seperatists are afraid of this yatra. Imagine a CM who sat silent when Srinagar burnt or was under stone fire, now spewing fire and wanting to stop the yatra. The yatra is to tell him , not to take the nationalist side too lightly.
Looking at the slew of steps taken in recent past, one thing is obvious, you will face no fire if you are a seperatist and want to spread anti-India venom. This and recent statements by Pak diplomats on how Pakistan was close to a deal with the UPA government, one can imagine Government at both central n state giving major concessions to the seperatists. This yatra is also to warn the government from any such surrender. This is precisely the reason, first voice against the yatra came from seperatists leader Yasin Malk. After he protested, NC, PDP and Congress joined the fracas to further their bogus secularism.
In current scenario, it would be prudent if the governments do not indulge in competetive seperatism and allow the youth to hoist national flag at Lal Chowk, the same place where seperatists furled Pakistani flag during recent strife.
Media has ,as always, gone ahead with its own biases in lambasting BJP and its youth wing for the Ekta Yatra. But no body so far has questioned why has BJYM taken out the yatra. The answers are not too far to find out. In last few years, Kashmir valley has been held hostage by an unholy nexus of seperatists, media and social activists. They at no point of time have lost an opportunity to spit at India or anything remotely Indian. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Yasin Malik, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Arundhati Roy, Gautam Navlakha, Barkha Dutt, Nidhi Razdan are some of the people who seem to be running a campaign against Indian interests in the state. And in each occasions, the government of India has been surrendering. Be it during Amarnath Land Row or the action against stone pelters or troop reduction or the removal of AFSPA. The continous kid glove treatment to the seperatists in valley has not gone well with the other population of the state. That's why you saw unprecedented crowd at the Kashmir conclaves organised by BJP. More and more nationalists forces are slowly realising the dangers of seperatism. They have been wanting to enter the mainstream but have been held back by a handful of seperatists. This yatra is to connect the rest of India with this nationalist part of the state.
And this is precisely why the J n K government as well as Central Government and the seperatists are afraid of this yatra. Imagine a CM who sat silent when Srinagar burnt or was under stone fire, now spewing fire and wanting to stop the yatra. The yatra is to tell him , not to take the nationalist side too lightly.
Looking at the slew of steps taken in recent past, one thing is obvious, you will face no fire if you are a seperatist and want to spread anti-India venom. This and recent statements by Pak diplomats on how Pakistan was close to a deal with the UPA government, one can imagine Government at both central n state giving major concessions to the seperatists. This yatra is also to warn the government from any such surrender. This is precisely the reason, first voice against the yatra came from seperatists leader Yasin Malk. After he protested, NC, PDP and Congress joined the fracas to further their bogus secularism.
In current scenario, it would be prudent if the governments do not indulge in competetive seperatism and allow the youth to hoist national flag at Lal Chowk, the same place where seperatists furled Pakistani flag during recent strife.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Corruption, Institutions and Congress
31st December 2010, Income Tax tribunal passed a long pending order nailing the people (including Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi's close friend O Quattrochi) who allegedly received kickbacks in more than 2 decade old Bofors case. This was the apt end to the year 2010 which for India could easily be called the Year of Scams and Inflation. And ironically the institutions who should be the guard and the watchdogs against corruption are turning out to be the failed pillars of democracy.
Corruption has always been an issue in India since independence. Old timers do talk about how then Finance Minister was forced to resign when allegations of corruption were made against Krishnamurti in 1950s. Then PM Nehru had to face pressure and criticism from leaders across political spectrum including his son in law Firoze Ghandy. Then came the era where Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi made corruption a part of routine life in Indian society. Aided by the license raj and the brute majority that Congress enjoyed, corruption found its way right from the corridors of governance to the common officials on the ground. It took a massive movement by Jayaprakash Narayan alongwith RSS to awaken the entire nation to the dangers of corruption and nepotism. For the first time, Congress looked beatable in Indian politics.
But lot has changed since then 9including method and scales of corruption). In later years, Indian democracy found a few new institutions to work with existing institutions for a clean governance. Alongwith the courts, now we had CVC to keep a vigil on various departments. Media which played a stellar role in the Bofors corruption campaign gained more teeth with infusion of 24 x 7 TV channels. Common sense would have said that with this corruption should have come down.
But the year 2010 has clearly showed how corruption instead of reducing has taken epic proportions. Adarsh scam, CWG scam, 2G scam, the daylight wheat robbery, the sugar scam, Lavasa and many more were unearthed in the year. While involvement of ruling politicians was a given thing, these scams brought in new players right from media Tzars (and Tzarinas) to corporate head honchos to lobbyists to bureaucrats to defence forces to judges to vigilance office. For a moment it seemed, this was a well-oiled unit given protection at the highest level.
If one looks at it closely, it seems Congress has learnt a lesson or two from its Bofors and Narsimha Rao days. While it was as corrupt then, it also used to be regularly caught on the wrong foot because of the various institutions mentioned above. So one guesses that when it came back to power in 2004 as UPA 1, it made a systematic process to weaken the institutions. A case in point is the misuse of CBI in last 6 years. The only case where CBI was seen to be swift was in the Amit Shah where it acted as if it was under pressure to treat a state Home Minister like a petty pickpocket. Compare that to the lethargy shown in CWG or 2G scam. One has been hearing daily since 2 months on how Kalmadi, Raja, Radia etc will be caught in a day or two but nothing has happened. The slow pace has helped the accused to ensure papers are not found easily. Same CBI has been periodically used against Mayawati, Laloo, Mulayam for political benefits at time of crisis. While no one had any doubts about CBI being a Congress pawn, recent IT Tribunal notings make this fact known universally. If an institution is facing a crediblity crisis, the government in a normal circumstances would ensure a person with impeccable credentials is brought to lead it and that means the person is selected by those who have set high standards or integrity. But this is not what Congress did. They brought in Thomas as the Chief Vigilance Commisioner. Thomas faces charges in a graft case in Kerala and is also under scanner for his tenure in Telecom Ministry when 2G Scam happened. his appointment was against the wish of Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj. Why this departure from a regular practice where CVC has to be selected with approvals from PM, Home Minsiter and Leader of Opposition? Now the same tainted CVC was given the task to select the new CBI Director. The entire episode shows that Congress is keen to kill the neutrality of investigating and vigilance agencies for fear of being caught red handed.
If there have 2 institutions on whom Indians have place greatest faith, it is the court and the media. But Congress has ensured that these two are made an integral part of their Loot India campaign. Ex CJI Balakrishnan is one person who sat over some of the most controversial economic and business decisions in his tenure. The doubts raised by his colleagues and ex- CJIs on his behaviour and integrity are serious. The fact that his kins have increased their wealth manifold during his tenure is enough to make any person smell a scam. Add to his kin's involvement with a political party and it clearly raises questions over his political neutralilty too. Rather than making such a person leave public life and enquire against him, the Congress in centre has gone ahead to make him the chairperson of National Human Rights Commission. And media is silent in all these acts of ommision and commision. Similarly Congress has ensured many retired and tainted bureaucrats are given such positions after their tenure is over. Ramamnand Tiwari and Subhash Lalla in Maharashtra are similar examples of tainted babus getting plum posts after retirement. Its like asking a thief to keep a vigil on his theft and others wrong doings too.
So far there were a few whispers about the mainstream media being a party in crime with the Congress but the leaked Radia tapes proved that they are a part and parcel of the government and the party. How else can one explain renowned journalists like Vir Sanghavi and Barkha Dutt lobbying for the man who is said to have been the kingpin of the 2G scam? If media is not doing its job of being a watchdog, where can a common Indian look to.
Many skeptics will ask "but how will this affect a common man". Well, this affects the common man the most. Imagine the money Indian economy lost due to 2G and CWG scams. The same money could have been used for schemes for those below poverty line or to reduce the pressures of inflation. The food inflation which is making 2 meals a luxury for a poor man could have been avoided had the government and its institutions not allowed the wheat, the sugar and now the onion scam to happen. Every paisa that is taken away in an act of corruption is a paise on which the aam aadmi has the first right. But this has gone missing to PM Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi or the "PM in waiting" Rahul Gandhi.
But all is not lost. The fact that, inspite of most institutions not playing their part fairly, so many scams were unearthed and the government was pushed to the corner to explain, is heartening. This means that there are elements in media, bureaucracy and judiciary which are not ready to be the slaves of the Gandhi dynasty and care for the country. It is time where people of this country have to revolt against the tenure of corruption which has made life impossible for a common man.
Corruption has always been an issue in India since independence. Old timers do talk about how then Finance Minister was forced to resign when allegations of corruption were made against Krishnamurti in 1950s. Then PM Nehru had to face pressure and criticism from leaders across political spectrum including his son in law Firoze Ghandy. Then came the era where Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi made corruption a part of routine life in Indian society. Aided by the license raj and the brute majority that Congress enjoyed, corruption found its way right from the corridors of governance to the common officials on the ground. It took a massive movement by Jayaprakash Narayan alongwith RSS to awaken the entire nation to the dangers of corruption and nepotism. For the first time, Congress looked beatable in Indian politics.
But lot has changed since then 9including method and scales of corruption). In later years, Indian democracy found a few new institutions to work with existing institutions for a clean governance. Alongwith the courts, now we had CVC to keep a vigil on various departments. Media which played a stellar role in the Bofors corruption campaign gained more teeth with infusion of 24 x 7 TV channels. Common sense would have said that with this corruption should have come down.
But the year 2010 has clearly showed how corruption instead of reducing has taken epic proportions. Adarsh scam, CWG scam, 2G scam, the daylight wheat robbery, the sugar scam, Lavasa and many more were unearthed in the year. While involvement of ruling politicians was a given thing, these scams brought in new players right from media Tzars (and Tzarinas) to corporate head honchos to lobbyists to bureaucrats to defence forces to judges to vigilance office. For a moment it seemed, this was a well-oiled unit given protection at the highest level.
If one looks at it closely, it seems Congress has learnt a lesson or two from its Bofors and Narsimha Rao days. While it was as corrupt then, it also used to be regularly caught on the wrong foot because of the various institutions mentioned above. So one guesses that when it came back to power in 2004 as UPA 1, it made a systematic process to weaken the institutions. A case in point is the misuse of CBI in last 6 years. The only case where CBI was seen to be swift was in the Amit Shah where it acted as if it was under pressure to treat a state Home Minister like a petty pickpocket. Compare that to the lethargy shown in CWG or 2G scam. One has been hearing daily since 2 months on how Kalmadi, Raja, Radia etc will be caught in a day or two but nothing has happened. The slow pace has helped the accused to ensure papers are not found easily. Same CBI has been periodically used against Mayawati, Laloo, Mulayam for political benefits at time of crisis. While no one had any doubts about CBI being a Congress pawn, recent IT Tribunal notings make this fact known universally. If an institution is facing a crediblity crisis, the government in a normal circumstances would ensure a person with impeccable credentials is brought to lead it and that means the person is selected by those who have set high standards or integrity. But this is not what Congress did. They brought in Thomas as the Chief Vigilance Commisioner. Thomas faces charges in a graft case in Kerala and is also under scanner for his tenure in Telecom Ministry when 2G Scam happened. his appointment was against the wish of Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj. Why this departure from a regular practice where CVC has to be selected with approvals from PM, Home Minsiter and Leader of Opposition? Now the same tainted CVC was given the task to select the new CBI Director. The entire episode shows that Congress is keen to kill the neutrality of investigating and vigilance agencies for fear of being caught red handed.
If there have 2 institutions on whom Indians have place greatest faith, it is the court and the media. But Congress has ensured that these two are made an integral part of their Loot India campaign. Ex CJI Balakrishnan is one person who sat over some of the most controversial economic and business decisions in his tenure. The doubts raised by his colleagues and ex- CJIs on his behaviour and integrity are serious. The fact that his kins have increased their wealth manifold during his tenure is enough to make any person smell a scam. Add to his kin's involvement with a political party and it clearly raises questions over his political neutralilty too. Rather than making such a person leave public life and enquire against him, the Congress in centre has gone ahead to make him the chairperson of National Human Rights Commission. And media is silent in all these acts of ommision and commision. Similarly Congress has ensured many retired and tainted bureaucrats are given such positions after their tenure is over. Ramamnand Tiwari and Subhash Lalla in Maharashtra are similar examples of tainted babus getting plum posts after retirement. Its like asking a thief to keep a vigil on his theft and others wrong doings too.
So far there were a few whispers about the mainstream media being a party in crime with the Congress but the leaked Radia tapes proved that they are a part and parcel of the government and the party. How else can one explain renowned journalists like Vir Sanghavi and Barkha Dutt lobbying for the man who is said to have been the kingpin of the 2G scam? If media is not doing its job of being a watchdog, where can a common Indian look to.
Many skeptics will ask "but how will this affect a common man". Well, this affects the common man the most. Imagine the money Indian economy lost due to 2G and CWG scams. The same money could have been used for schemes for those below poverty line or to reduce the pressures of inflation. The food inflation which is making 2 meals a luxury for a poor man could have been avoided had the government and its institutions not allowed the wheat, the sugar and now the onion scam to happen. Every paisa that is taken away in an act of corruption is a paise on which the aam aadmi has the first right. But this has gone missing to PM Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi or the "PM in waiting" Rahul Gandhi.
But all is not lost. The fact that, inspite of most institutions not playing their part fairly, so many scams were unearthed and the government was pushed to the corner to explain, is heartening. This means that there are elements in media, bureaucracy and judiciary which are not ready to be the slaves of the Gandhi dynasty and care for the country. It is time where people of this country have to revolt against the tenure of corruption which has made life impossible for a common man.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Is there a shift in BJP-Muslim community relationship?
Last 3 months, there were a few elections which took place. While one was the Bihar elections which was prominent and known to all. The other was the civic elections and elections to local bodies in Gujarat. Though both these elections differed in issues, players and even agendas, some notable commonalities were:
Both the states voted overwhelmingly in favour of the ruling party and decimated the opposition
Both the states voted on the plank of development
For the first time in its history, the percentage of Muslim vote for BJP rose above 15pc.
While the first two points have been debated many a times specially with regards to Gujarat, one has to take the thrid point very seriously since this has national resonance. What has changed that Muslims and even other minorities have voted in large numbers for the man so far villified by the media and others as a "merchant of death" and "enemy of the minority".
Muslims in Gujarat have clearly demonstrated that they do not agree with what the media and other activists say about BJP in general and Modi in particular. After years of systematic villification and demonising campaign, Muslim community and BJP showed clear signs of reconcilliation and the results were for all to see.
To start with BJP won the Kathlal bye-election. Interestingly BJP had never won this assembly and Congress had lost it only twice (and both times to a third party). This assembly segment has a large number of Muslim voters and these votes decide the winner and the loser. The margin by which BJP won the seat clearly showed that Muslims voted wholeheartedly for the BJP candidate. Then in the civic body elections, BJP swept all the 6 main city civic bodies. Out of these 6 atleast 3 (Ahmedabad, Vadodra, Surat) had sizeable Muslim population. Not only did BJP sweep across the non-Muslim dominated seats, but also swept the seats in Muslim dominated areas. The victory of Muslim candidates on BJP tickets proved that there is a churning happening both at the voter and the local leadership level. The third and final proof of the change occured during the elections to zilla parishads, nagar palikas and the panchayats. The events in Godhra gave a clear signal that no more can Muslims be used a vote bank by just raising fears of BJP. 17 Muslim councillors who were elected, ensured that a BJP Mayor was elected. Apart from this, there were a number of minority candidates (both Muslim and Christians) who contested as BJP candidates were elected. That was the reason BJP swept the local polls including in minority dominated areas.
So what has changed since those distrubing days of March 2002. The biggest change is that Muslims have stopped believing the fictional works of media and other activisits be it social or political. They are seeing the development of the state. Earlier their leaders used to just lament about lack of development in Muslim areas e.g. in Juhapura or Kalupur in Ahmedabad. Narendra Modi has changed that. He has taken development right to the doorstep of the common man, be it Hindu or Muslim. This has affected the Muslim phyche the most and in a very positive manner. While cynics and critics never give him credit, one has to see and believe how the growth in Gujarat is inclusive and does not discriminate on basis of religion, caste or creed. A welcome change for the masses specially the minorities from the days of just appeasement and no development practised by the Congress. Skeptics still are not ready to accept this reconcilliation. But they don't get the fact that such a sweeping victory is possible only if all sections of the society vote for you.
Just around the same time, Bihar elections also proved the same. BJP won most of the Muslim dominated seats in there. While people give credit to Nitish Kumar for this, they tend overlook the contribution of BJP state unit specially the Deputy CM and Finance Minister Sushil Kumar Modi. As FM, Sushil Kumar Modi ensured that the development work is spread across various regions and cuts across the traditional caste and religion lines. And the result is for everyone to see.
The silent performer that he is, BJP President Nitin Gadkari deserves a lot of credit for this change. His diktat that HC Verdict on Ayodhya be taken calmly without any extremes ensured that the chest beating loonies in the party did not do anything that could make the Muslim community feel insecure about. The calm and mature reaction to the verdict ensured that. To many who are not completely aware of Nitin Gadkari's track record, he as Party President of Maharashtra had worked hard to expose the government on Waqf property scam. He was in forefront of the opposition to the shameless loot of Waqf properties by the Congress-NCP government. At a time like Ayodhya verdict India and specially BJP needed a man who could ensure that tempers or excitement do not go out of control and Nitin Gadkari ensured that.
Now what do these election results mean to national politics in general and BJP in particular? In general, this will ensure that no party can take Muslim votes for granted and continue to appease it while keeping them away from development benefits. This will also ensure a dirty fight amongst the 'secular' parties to stake claim to Muslim votes and that could result in some of them playing right into the hands of the radicals. For the BJP, this is a clear statement that development politics pays handsome reward if it is inclusive. It brings BJP closer to the minorities. In the past while BJP would just discount the votes of minorities, now it knows it can get a good part of it. And this will ensure that radical right loonies are kept on tight leash and not allowed to vitiate the relationship between the two community. Last but not the least, if this process of reconcilliation continues the way it is, there would be a time soon that BJP will no longer be a political untouchable and will be able to dream of coming to power on their own.
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