Month-In-Perspective

MAHARASHTRA: There was this over 1000 words article on the seamier side of Sharad Pawar, the Maratha strong man appearing in a national magazine. Most media houses, whether print or electronic has never taken on Pawar and his network, for whatever reasons. But all know that Sharad Pawar is a machinist, and yet no media directly took him on in passing a value judgement on the man. He is a politician, who is there only for his friends, relatives and cronies. Ask P.Sainath he will tell how many farmers have died, and Pawar, as Union Minister for Agriculture, may never know the exact number. Even if he is told about it, he would never bother. Thus, he is there for rich farmers, sugar co-operatives, industrialists, businessmen and real estate developers, all of whom fund his NCP. Lavasa City of Hindustan Construction Co. off Mumbai Poona Road is a standing testimony of what he is capable of doing. His daughter was the shareholder/director, courtesy sweat money! Poor Shashi Tharoor had to quit his Union Ministry for a similar case of sweat money involving IPL and his wife. Lavasa still does not have clearance from Union Ministry of Environment. It was during his Chief Ministership of Maharashtra, a plot was hatched to kill Nusli Wadia of Bombay Dying by Ambani of Reliance. Even an RIL director was briefly arrested. Nobody knows what happened to the case. There are stories floating that criminal fugitive Dawood Ibrahim’s tele number was found in the tele bill of Pawar. But it remained a story, like many other stories which didn’t see the light of the day.

The latest article dwells into the files in Maharashtra government, which are reportedly not moving. Unfortunately for Pawar, those files belong  to some of his friends and cronies, which fortunately for the state, the CM, Prithviraj Chauhan, is not clearing  for some valid reasons. So frustrated Sharad Pawar was, he reportedly used uncivil language while asking “whether their hands get paralysed at the time of signing files?” The article informs “Nobody takes on Pawar and his network. That has been the unwritten rule of Maharashtra politics for over three decades. Even BJP and Shiv Sena followed this rule. So at long last, it looks there is somebody, with a cleaner slate, dared to take the Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar. Hope success attends to Prathviraj Chavan in his cleaning up measures. No wonder, Pawar is cosying upto 3rd front to keep his options open, as another report informs about his presence at a convention sponsored by LEFT parties in Delhi.

The latest Anna and Arvind tussle in public, is certainly a bit of dampener for AAP, and is most unwanted and unwarranted. The election to the Delhi Assembly is only days away and the publication of CD made some 12 months ago, most definitely indicate a method in madness. Somebody is playing dirty. It has to be somebody who is getting hurt by the surge of AAP in Delhi’s by-lanes. So, it is either the Congress or the BJP’s dirty tricks department that is desperately raking up issues, which are apparently settled. And you have this hyper journos like Arnab Goswami, screaming at his news hour interlocution, as if its ‘Eurekha’. Why is he like this? is difficult to surmise. Is he with the truth or only looking for sensation mongering!

From the visuals and the statements coming from both Arvind Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav, have shown the pain and disappointment at the latest development from Ralegan Siddi. On their part, they have tried to say in many words that they are open and have never misused either the fund or Anna’s name in their political aspirations. With due respects to Anna, it will do good to the public cause, by accepting statements of both Kejriwal and Yogendra Yadav, for their sincerity and apparent honesty in coming clean on the whole issue, including their demand for an investigation by Justice Santosh Hegde, who was earlier part of Anna’s Anti Corruption movement and like Anna, he too did not subscribe to the new political party being the solution to the sagging anti corruption movement.

Anna, in his own interest of being fair and square, should refrain from being used by vested interests which are opposed to likes of Kejriwal and his AAP. Kejriwal, Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan represent hope in a hopeless cesspool of muck in India’s political landscape. They may not be able to do all that they want to do, but there is no lack of honest intention to do it. It is fervently hoped that someday Anna too would join the AAP, which will only help a much larger cause. In fact even if he announces his support, so late in the day, but before the Delhi Assembly election, it is sure to make a very positive impact on the future of this latest entrant, AAP. Hope it happens. 

There was this report “British couple attacked by junkie in Dadar”. Of course, on the face of it, the news is disturbing. In a county where peaceful co-existence is the philosophy of life, it is very important that nobody attacks physically anybody else, more so if somebody is a  guest. ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ is our national dictum, and this British couple are travelers wanting to experience the ‘Idea of India’. In all fairness they should feel always secure. That they were attacked physically is certainly a bad news. But, there are details, of why it has happened, which also need our attention and an evenhanded approach in tackling it. 

A junkie is a drug addict and it is to be appreciated that he was sitting alone without causing any trouble to anybody. He may be a menace at times, but rarely he disturbs anybody. It is true he is ruining himself, may be  a problem, an Issue of  Concern, to his family and friends. May be he ends up as a liability to the society. He may even become violent, that’s when he becomes a law and order issue. 

But in this particular case, the lady in question, whom he pushed and she fell on the ground, and he wanted to pull the camera from her hand, herself can be blamed for the incident. She photographed the guy, who was quietly sitting in a corner. She had no business to photograph him. She proved to be an intruding type of guest, which she had no business to be. He had every right to protest, of course without being violent. Thus the blame can be on the British couple for transgressing his privacy. She should have asked his permission before taking his photograph. So what, he is a drug addict? Can U deny him his human right because he is a junkie?

GOA:  Tehelka in Hindi/Urdu means turbulance. Indeed when  Tehelka came, in its snooping avatar it did cause lot of turbulance in the corridors of power, especially in New Delhi. Then it appeared, it had a one point programme of fixing BJP and its functionaries and associates. They partly succeeded in mudslinging, rightly or wrongly, but their principal target George Fernandese, the then Defence Minister, they couldn’t besmirch his reputation, however best they tried to destroy his integrity. But their snooping business continued. They got into print media with the financial help of some corporate houses, probably with some political support of those who are opposed to BJP. With the kind of financial/political support, they succeeded in roping journalists to write for them. By any standard, they appeared successful in its reach. It built up a fair reputation for incisive writings. But philosophy remained chasing truth with sensation, since sensation had more buyers. They packaged it nicely and it was making its presence felt. They started going places. Success sometime makes people become over confident. That’s precisely what happened to Tarun Tejpal the editor-in-Chief. His name is Tarun which means youth, which he is not anymore. But then, like Jeevan, a Hindu villain of the yore, had said long ago, “Bandar kithna bhi bhooda ho, Gulati maarna nahee bhulta”. That is, “Monkey however old, never forgets to roll upside down”.

Thus, the over confidence led this not so ‘Tarun’ Tejpal, the Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka, to mouth “a bad lapse of judgement”, after he was accused of sexual assault by one of his young lady staff. On 22nd Nov., newspapers carried the story “Police probe rape charge against Tehelka editor”. Although the entire details of the attack is not available for public consumption, two statements of the victim in an email to the managing editor of Tehelka, also a lady, exposes the depravity of the attacker. According to the victim, it was not a “drunken banter” as claimed by Tejpal. ‘Banter does not involve forcing yourself on someone’. She had reportedly written. The report left things for imagination. Probably after having committed the transgression he said “Well this is the easiest way for you to keep your job”. Thus it appears a clear case of sexploiting a hapless junior staff, a heinous act by any standard.

Reportedly, the perpetrator has unconditionally apologized for the crime and the management of the paper is trying some tricks like penance etc to get over the murky situation without the intervention of legal eagles. However like Brinda Karat has reportedly observed “Jail is the best place for Tejpal’s atonement”, looks the right thing to happen, then it would be truly Tehelka coming home to roost.

UTTAR PRADESH: Speaking to the media early last month, Mulayam Singh Yadav has reportedly informed that the “Third Front will form the next government at centre”. He reportedly appeared confident. Some 17 regional parties had reportedly met in Delhi in preparation for the ensuing election in April 2014, and the UP strongman thinks that he is the kingpin and has an important role in getting these 17 parties work as a unified force. In this evolving scenario of desperate parties coming to-gether only to get into power at Delhi, Mulayam is pushing that he will be their leader, in other words, he is dreaming of being the Prime minister of India. Sometime in May this year, Business Line, from The Hindu, had reproduced what their journos had overheard in the Delhi’s corridors of power, where they had travelled down the memory lane in the making of India’s Prime Minister. They had ascribed certain adjectives to describe the persona, e.g. ‘Nehru proved that a rich man can become the country’s Prime Minister, Shastri proved that a poor man can become PM’, and came down among others to Deve Gowda and Manmohan Singh. ‘Deve Gowda proved just anybody can become the Prime Minister, while Manmohan Singh proved that India does not need a Prime Minister,’ were the take of the interlocutor. 

Thus, probably Mulayam Singh Yadav is hopeful of filling the gap left by Manmohan Singh, since anybody can become the Prime Minister like Deve Gowda. The question therefore is, if Deve Gowda can be the Prime Minister, whom Lalu Prasad Yadav had famously called Nikamma (meaning-useless), why not Mulayam.

So, its wishing all the best for SP Supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, for his day dream, since he feels his party will win all 80 seats of Uttar Pradesh and will emerge as a kingmaker.

GUJARAT: Here comes another P.M. in waiting for the main opposition party BJP, Narendra Damodar Modi. He has been travelling all over India, well before time, giving people only hopes and rhetorics. Fortunately for him and his party, people have been lapping up all he said with resounding applause, and numbers have always been in lakhs. And believe it or not, he is the only politician who commanded a price for his public election address. Of course with the gift of the gab, he has been able to live with his controversial past which continues to haunt his present. However, since, despite his being unwelcome to United States, he has appeared on TIME cover. That by any standard is a climb-down for U.S., and plus for Modi. That was purely on the Gujarat development story he has been able to sell. And no wonder global investment banker GOLDMAN SACHS (GS) came calling to greet him. The 18 page report by GS “Modi-fying our view: Raise India to Market weight”, suggested a likely victory of Modi led BJP would enhance investor sentiment and would be business friendly. Expectedly Congress was irked by the over enthusiasm of the American Banker and hence asked them to be in banking rather than in political kite flying.

KERALA: Replying to an RTI query, Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services in Kochi informs: that there are about 40% of persons held in prisons not guilty of any crime, in other words, they are all innocents. This is the situation in Kerala, supposedly one of the better administrated state with higher Human Development Index (HDI). In other states, it may be worse than that.

According to Joy Pushpan, the state information officer of Prisons and Correctional Services, many innocents have landed behind bars because of circumstantial evidence against them, then there are volunteers working for political parties and other organizations undergoing jail term on behalf of culprits who are probably with power or connections or both. Another startling disclosure was that about 100 under trials are mentally challenged and therefore there is no doubt of their being innocents, but are still being held in prisons across the state.

The above picture can only be a tip of the ice-berg. There should be a comprehensive study of such situation to understand the kind of set up we are living in as a ‘civilised’ society. An All-India study can throw up very disturbing statistics to make the authorities - the executive, the politicians – the legislature and the legal fraternity – the judiciary, to sit up, take serious note and ponder. Media, instead of sensationalizing issues must try to educate and sensitise these three sectors of democratic governance to make a more humane, sensitive and responsive legal provisions and apparatus to serve the aam aadmi, the helpless hapless masses of the country. It is these faceless multitude who suffer in the hands of police and the system, because neither they have the power of money nor the physical strength to endure, since both good food and good medicine are beyond their reach. Will this happen? is a question asked umpteen times on these pages, but still devoid of answer. This is Yeh Mera India.

NEW DELHI: The speech rallies of BJP Prime minister candidate, Narendra Modi, has drawn lot of flak from opposition politicians, rightly or wrongly. Among these opposition politicians, are also the one’s who too are dreaming of becoming the Prime minister of world’s largest democracy.

Yes, it’s a free country, all are entitled to dream, and why not? 

Long years ago, when Indira Gandhi was assassinated Pranab Mukherjee too dreamt of being the PM of the country. So was Sharad Pawar, too had this unfulfilled ambition. LK Advani was another, who along with likes of Sushma Swaraj had to accept Modi, due to “public demand”. Now comes Mulayam Singh Yadav having day dreaming of some 3rd front coming to power so that he will lead the pack.

Of course, of all the people, when Deve Gowda became the Prime Minister at New Delhi, there were suddenly many contenders saying , ‘’if Gowda can be PM so do I’. 

However it is very interesting to note what Bene Prasad Yadav, a Union Minister observing “He (Mulayam Singh) is dreaming about becoming the PM. But he is not even fit enough to get a sweeper’s job in the PM’s residence”. Indeed it is a very unkind barb, but shows the level of aspirants to the hallowed job in New Delhi. 

Yes, reportedly “EC asks Centre to ban opinion polls from the date of notification”. This was the headline in the print media. So the election managers of this country do not want opinion polls, or rather public opinions, about their preferences prior to the actual polling.

For over a month, the issue of the relevance and desirability of psephology was being debated in the electronic media by political representatives. We all know election to 5 states are round the corner, so also the Loksabha election due in April next year. It is a well known fact that all are keen to know where do they stand with the electorate, especially when elections are round the corner. Cutting across party line, so also the general civil society, the interest in knowing the shifting fortunes of all political players, is a very common phenomenon, just about anywhere in the world, more so in the largest democracy in the world.

Reportedly parties favouring a ban include, the Congress, the BSP, the SP, the Janata Dal (U), the AIA-DMK, the DMK and the DMDK. While last three parties are from Tamil Nadu, other three parties are from north confined to UP and Bihar. Among the national parties only Congress seems to be against the opinion poll. 

Of course, it is true that in 2004, all parties wanted ban on opinion polls. Reportedly they had all unanimously agreed that results of opinion polls should not be disseminated during the period starting from the date of notification to poll completion.

It is also true that this time round BJP,the main national opposition party, is conveniently opposing the ban, because it suits the circumstance that the party is in. 

Besides it is true that legal luminaries too are divided in their view about the constitutionality of the EC move. If Soli Sorabjee , the former AG in NDA regime, observed that ‘ a ban on opinion surveys would not stand judicial scrutiny as it would violate the fundamental right of free speech’ while the present AG Goolam Vahanvathi has backed the ban. This divergent view may be, only to be expected, since, like a paper opined that “Lawyers can interpret the law depending on who their client is”. However, it appears a case of party in power pushing its cause. The recent such polls have reportedly revealed that the Congress may not do well. With a logical notion that such surveys can influence fence sitters or floating voters, it can truly influence the final outcome at hustings, is not entirely misplaced. But the fact remains that a ban on opinion polls would not stand judicial scrutiny as it would violate the fundamental right of free speech. 

When on July 11, the newspapers and electronic media headlined that ‘being imprisoned or in police custody for a crime will disqualify a person from contesting poles’, the whole nation said “Cheers to Supreme Court”. This order of the Supreme Court did puncture the politician’s ambition to go on and on, with impunity. For once at least, the aam aadmi will have some better choices of cleaner men and women. Most political parties had sleepless nights. The party in power even applied for a review petition, along with an amendment in the Representation of Peoples Act, opening up an escape route that since ‘the name of the person being in electoral role shall not cease to be an elector’.

And believe it not, all the euphoria of general public came crashing, when the apex court accepted the amendment saying “Jailed persons can contest polls”. Indeed it is a sad development for India and Indians. Isn’t it a reasonable desire of people, the aam aadmi, the law abiding, taxpaying voters to expect the nation to be ruled by clean politicians? So what is the government doing in ensuring this minimum expectation? Going to court to protect criminals! and courts joining them in ensuring that criminals shall continue to have their shelf life! 

This amendment truly knocks the bottom out of the argument that only persons with clean record should contest elections. With this amendment how would or how could anybody hope to have clean politics?! This has only further encouraged the criminalization of politics. Like a reader puts it “One simple amendment has put the whole clock back and consequently open the floodgates to criminals.

As we are approaching the next Loksabha election this is a very disappointing development. Hope, other restrictions do come to control criminalization of politics in the not so distant a future.    

A New Delhi date lined news informed “Won’t allow Hindu version of Taliban to succeed”. Attributing the above statement to Digvijay Singh of Congress, it only exposed how politicians have tried to keep the society divided and media only played a second fiddle. In a larger socio/political scene, fundamentalism and its related violence is something which should be discouraged and put down with an iron hand wherever/whenever it is necessary to use force. It surely should not have any sectional or religious bias, either in reported statements or any action on the ground.

Taliban, is a rigid Islamic way of life. All are free or should be free to practice, what they want to, in their private life. But the word Taliban became controversial and even repugnant because of the violent enforcement of rigid rituals. Humans, being what they are, some fell in line and some rebelled, and those who rebelled had to pay with their life. If this rigid application of certain way of life had confined to one small area, problem could have remained localized. Unfortunately they went around propagating their rigid practices and any opposition was ruthlessly and violently forced into submission or annihilated.   

It is an accepted argument, that in every set of people, there are those who accept anything new, for their own reasons, but there will always be people who do not like any force and hence resist. But it is those who are amenable to these rigid code of life, who are generally unreasonable and therefore intolerant, who have created problem for those who despite differences in their way of life opted for co-operative co-existence. Hence, in most parts of the world, Taliban, as a way of life is not opted and practiced. But because of the violence involved in the practices of Talibanis, it earned notoriety. Malala Yousuf Zai is a classic example, how one of their very own refused to fall in line. And fortunately for herself and the world, she survived very remarkably to tell her story to the world at large. The entire civilized world celebrated her global recognition.

Coming to politicians like Digvijay Singh, we need to tell that he should restrain from using the word Taliban in an Indian context. Intolerance among human beings has its origin in the idea of superiority. Humans, being what they are, intolerance is a human attribute. Hindus too therefore, at least some of them, are  intolerant, but surely they are not as violent and uncompromising as Taliban. Or else this country of 1200 + million people with 80% of them being Hindus, couldn’t have survived as a pluralistic state. Hence for politicians like Digvijay Singh to bring Taliban in an Indian context is not only misplaced, illogical but clearly mischievous and diabolic. Necessarily media must take an unequivocal stand in maintaining social coherence by underplaying or even ignoring such politicians.

WORLD: As usual Pakistan is always in the news for wrong reasons. The report “US has murdered peace in Pakistan” was sequel to the killing of Hakimullah Mehsud by the drone attack by US forces from across Afghanistan. The report was an accusation by the Pakistani leadership which reportedly complained that “drone attack in North Waziristan was not about the killing of an individual but the murder of peace in the region”. Reportedly a 3 member team of ulemas was to visit Islamabad to discuss the peace talks between Taliban and the new government of Nawaz Sharif. Clearly upset with the latest killing, Islamabad summoned US ambassador Richard Olson to lodge a strong protest stating that this killing will have negative impact on the proposed talk with Taliban.

There is no doubt that killing of Taliban’s top leader shall surely have angered Taliban, who have reportedly vowed to take “unprecedented revenge” for the killing of their leader. What is causing concern for Pakistan is the allegation by Taliban leadership that Pakistan too is involved in this attack in North Waziristan. Thus, the worry of Pakistan is quite understandable. They are indeed in a no-win situation. But who is responsible for this unenviable situation that Pakistan finds itself to-day? This whole policy of causing “thousand cuts” to India, so that India will bleed forever, of Zia Ul Haq, has at last coming home to roost. The  monster, it has so generously encouraged within its society has come back to haunt. Pakistani leadership must necessarily need to realize that hatred will only bread hatred. It will never win the day. Despite causing intermittent problems some of them very grave, to Indian socio-political fabric, it has failed to cause any serious rupture in our pluralistic social structure. But irritations are there, which are truly speaking, road blocks for possible friendship. Pakistani leadership need to realise that it does not pay to be hostile to a well meaning neighbour.

There was this report “Teacher in Abu Dhabi School defend accused in rape case”. 

On the face of it, it sounded rather bizarre, how can anybody defend an accused in a rape case, that too in a police state like Abu Dhabi in the UAE? The truth probably is, the accused, a 56 year old Gangadharan, is innocent.

It was a case of alleged rape, of a 7 year old girlchild. Reportedly the accused is facing death sentence, who has worked in the same school for the last 32 years. For over 3 decades if he didn’t have a record of any bad behavior, it may be difficult to believe the story. But, the mother of the child, along with the father had made the allegation of the physical attack on the child. Were they settling some score or the case may be having some civilizational profile?! 

With the emergence of new testimony by four teachers, it looks the justice may after all, come to this Keralite Indian. It could be a case of bad blood being exploited by some locals and chances were that this Gangadharan’s case could have been an open and shut case in the absence of any counter testimony. But the courage of 4 teachbers need to be appreciated, especially in the atmosphere that is generally prevalent in Arab world, who intervened to speak on behalf of the alleged accused. Hope this Gangadharan leaves the Abu Dhabi prison with no harm and his honour intact. 

The world will hopefully be a better place. The historic agreement between the West, led by US and Iran has put behind them the bitterness of 34 years, since both countries have ceased their diplomatic relations from 1979. Of course, by any stretch of imagination, it was a minor step foreword, but a step in the right direction. The agreement will certainly not be to the satisfaction of Iran, but having suffered 3 decades of sanctions and isolation, this consensus shall surely pave way for a far reaching positive development.

Of course John Kerry, the US Secretary of state has single handedly led most part of the discussion with the Iranian delegates, but fact remains, it was the earnest desire of President Obama that there is indeed a breakthrough in the impasse of over 3 decades of ice. President Obama needs to be congratulated for his courage of conviction, in standing upto the pressure from both Saudi Arabia and Israel besides Republican politicians and the Jew lobby in the US. Both Israel and Saudi wanted no agreement with Iran. “This agreement is a historic mistake” was the response of Netanyahu of Israel.

But surely the world realizes the importance of such an agreement and its sustanance beyond the 6 months period. Idea should be that in this global village all should co-exist as one family, taking into consideration the peculiar need of every group for a decent existence of the entire human society. Obama is qualified for that job. Hope all help him do it.