MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE

TAMIL NADU: Devoid of DMK/AIDMK political tu tu-mai mai -, and since Pose garden is quite with the Tamil Nadu queen Jayalalitha confined to home, not much news is emerging from Tamil Nadu. However, an incident that took place or did not take place in an Engineering Deemed University College landing up  in Madras High Court suddenly catapulted Chennai into a bit of controversy. “No ramp walks on campuses, rules Madras High Court” was a print media news, the other day. Anna University College of Engineering had conducted a fashion show with the help of corporate houses. Big money prizes were announced but not given to winners. A mother of an aggrieved student went to court claiming compensation from the college. But Justice Sivagnanam, while refusing to grant compensation, questioned the whole idea of these decadent fashion shows and what purpose would such shows serve?

It’s a good question and all serious educational institutes must address.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) these days is operating from Chennai. Because this is where the earlier boss of the BCCI lives and works. Hence, his looming shadow in the newly elected body to manage the murky affairs of BCCI shall continue to be there, court diktat or no court diktat. Court had said N. Srinivasan, the owner of Madras Cement and owner of IPL franchisee CSK (Chennai Super King), cannot contest for the post of President of BCCI. But the newly elected president the 74 year old Jagmohan Dalmiya is Srinivasan’s friend-in-need, now friend-in-deed.  So it’s a case of you scratch my back I scratch yours. This is another way of cocking-a-snook at judiciary.

Dalmiya was brought in earlier too at the instance of Srinivasan post IPL spot-fixing scandal as a stop gap arrangement. So, they have the interest of both in their heart. Septuagenarian Dalmiya is more than happy to play the ball for Srinivasan. Its big bucks in BCCI, and ‘some part will come to me too’ must be the Dalmiya logic, besides the high flying crumbs of office. Thus to say that BCCI is there to protect and promote cricket is a huge humbug and a hogwash. It is like service organizations, like Lions, Rotary etc. They too serve, but serve themselves more and dole out a small portion for others. Similarly in this cricket crazy country, the game will have huge following, and not many will break their head as to what happens to BCCI and its revenues, as long as its an enjoying cricket. But since, its earnings are from public domain, why should the enjoyment of earnings, which is free of income tax, should be left to a group of individuals, who among themselves decide the quota of the loot, to take home!? Its time BCCI is disbanded and made into a corporate entity where the interest of cricket players and cricket lovers are protected and promoted in the larger interest of the game, with inbuilt checks and balance against financial skullduggery. 

TELENGANA: Except Chief Minister Chandrasekhar, for his controversial remarks against Andhra Pradesh & centre nobody was making any news from Telengana. And comes the controversial M.P Asaduddin Owaisi with one of the most sensible talk by any Muslim leader in recent times. He is generally known to be a person always fishing in troubled communal waters and talking absolute rubbish. But this time round, he certainly had some pearls of wisdom for Muslim youth. “Best Jihad”, he told the confused youth “is that India’s educated Muslims give time to eliminate poverty from their ranks. Some youth search the meaning of Jihad in Google and they see only Hafiz Saeed, who is the biggest enemy of the country”. Responding to the attempts of Muslim youth to join ISIS, “You can’t break the law of the land. Why you want to go to Iraq or Syria? There are many evils in your neighbourhood, work to eliminate them” he has reportedly remarked. According to him “ISIS is a bunch of bloody murderers and rapists. They are killing people in the most brutal way by cutting their heads. They also burnt people alive. They are enemies of Islam. They have to be condemned”.

By any account this is the most emphatic denunciation of ISIS and its ways besides asking the Muslim youth to be socially responsible for the betterment of the community. By hindsight, it can be safely said, should the community take his advise seriously, there may not be any need for Sachar Committees and reservations. And days of police mindset of any terrorist being only Muslim will surely be over. Asaduddin Owaisi’s (AO) address need to be greatly publicized for the larger good of not only Muslims but also of India in general. Two cheers to AO.

MAHARASHTRA: In January 2010, Satish Shetty from the coastal districts of Karnataka, whose family is settled in Talegaon near Pune in Maharashtra was hacked to death. Satish was an RTI activist and was of immense help to local people in their day to day dealing with government department. Through one of his RTI application he had obtained details of some properties – 1100 Acres – which were fraudulently recorded in the land registry in favour of a friend of present union minister Nitin Gadkari. Reportedly this friend’s company Ideal Road Builders (IRB) had allegedly extended huge unsecured loan to the minister’s company. Satish Shetty lodged a complaint with authorities in Pune over this massive land grab. Just months after this complaint, he was killed outside his home.

Satish Shetty was a person who lived for Marathi Maanoos, died for Marathi Maanoos and ironically killed by Marathi Maanoos.

After over 4 years, CBI finding itself under huge political pressure filed a closure report in Aug. 2014.

But truth has its own way of coming into open. Suddenly an audio tape is surfacing to tell that one of the CBI officer publicly admitting that he is not being allowed to arrest anybody in the death of Satish Shetty. In a conversation with Mr Sandeep Shetty, the brother of Satish Shetty. Mr S P Singh, the investigation officer of CBI is heard saying in the tape that he is under tremendous pressure from the top CBI bosses who wanted the investigation stalled, and that money has changed hands between CBI officers and those who were responsible for the killing of Satish Shetty.

In the light of CBI closure report, and with the help of the audio tape, Sandeep has moved the court and Bombay High Court has directed the CBI to reinvestigate. Now that the CBI is under the new government and Nitin Gadkari is a senior member of the party in power, will there be justice to the soul of Satish Shetty? We have to wait and see.

UTTARPRADESH: More often than not, UP makes news for all wrong reasons. 28 years ago in 1987 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) on May 22, after a curfew was imposed in Meerut city, reportedly took some 65 men in a truck soon after the Friday prayers at the Hashimpura mosque. 42 of them didn’t come back. A few days later reportedly their bodies were found in Ganga canal in Ghaziabad district. They were allegedly killed by PAC.

And it took almost 28 years, to fix responsibility or not to fix responsibility for the most inhuman annihilation of these men. 

On 21st March Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal from Delhi trial Court, freed all 16 policemen who were accused in the 1987 massacre. Reportedly judge expressed deep anguish over the killing and his helplessness in not been able to conclude conclusively to establish the guilt of policemen accused of the kidnapping and subsequent murder.

It is not merely a case of justice delayed but also a case of justice denied so very comprehensively by the inept system that goes by the name of governance. Indeed its been a travesty of justice to the victims and their families, who waited for almost three decades to have the last word on this sorry slice of India’s contemporary history. Where will the family of those killed go from here? It’s a question staring so blankly at these victims of time and circumstances. 

Reportedly it took some 9 years to file a charge sheet, by which time surely the PAC has covered its exposed track. In 2002, the case was transferred to a Delhi court and it took another 4 years to file charges. Nine years later, in 2015, all 19 accused were let free due to lack of sufficient evidence and the inability of the witnesses to identify the accused.

Under the circumstances, except, the PAC, and the UP administration of that time, nobody else can be blamed for this absolute miscarriage of justice. It is indeed a shame for all those who helped this denial of justice to those who appeared at the mercy of the system. If an average Muslim looks at the future blankly, can he be blamed after this March 21, judgement of justice Sanjay Jindal?!

NEW DELHI: ‘India’s Daughter’ the documentary by British film maker Leslee Udwin, did shock the conscience of the nation, at least immediately post its first exhibition through NDTV. Expectedly there were hues & cries all across the political spectrum so too to an extent, the civil society. Political establishment at the centre reacted rather instinctively without any cold application of logic. They banned the exhibition of the documentary.

Of course the reaction was apparently over the alleged glorification of one of the rapist. The documentary film was the result of a series of interview Ms Udwin had taken of convicts lodged in the high security Tihar Jail. She had interviewed seven convicts, 3 from the Nirbhaya rape case and 4 other convicts.

Obviously, as claimed by the producer of the documentary, there were enough paper works completed for the permission needed for the interview of the convicts. But may be there was no clarity on the purpose of the interview. Of course studying such cases for the purpose of policy initiative for handling cases as horrendous as Nirbhaya case is certainly a need. Such studies could be made available to the authorities, NGOs involved in social initiatives, women’s group, civil society forums and public at large. But a graphic presentation of the issue, as terrible as Nirbhaya, is an eminently debatable issue. The film maker could have been explicit about her purpose, and should have presented it before the jail authorities and home ministry officials, before it was made public. Was it an attempt at instant fame and fortune is something we may have to dwell. Of course media, as usual is up against the ban without being objective. Both the media and the political establishment could be accused of knee jerk reaction, which were in the larger interest, avoidable.

The obnoxious straight faced remarks by one of the accused blaming the victim, once again ignited the public protest and debate. Whole lot of women’s groups naturally protested against the film. Of course, everybody could have handled and responded differently for the larger good. Sadly that didn’t happen.

From sublime to ridiculous, is how the remark of former Press Council Chairman Justice Markandeya Katju can be dismissed. 

Always trying to be in the limelight by making all kinds of remarks especially after he became the chairman of PCI, after his stint as the Supreme Court Justice, Justice Katju has been a bit maverick.

His recent remark on his blog that, Mahatma Gandhi was a British Agent and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose a Japanese Agent, did raise completely avoidable hackles. While it may be irrelevant as to the context of his remark, his observation is certainly very unbecoming of a Supreme Court Justice. Loksabha, which unequivocally condemned his blog remarks, should put it on record the nations outrage on this shameful and despicable use of words for the country’s two most revered icons and explore if any law of the land can be invoked against him for his wilful disparaging remarks on Mahatma. 

Emergence of AAP as a power to reckon with, with about 96% winning seats in Delhi, was justifiably tom-tommed as a game changer, a turning point, in Indian politics. Would it really be so? Or would that too go the way of other political parties? 

The recent removal of two, of nations best known conscience keepers, from the all important PAC (Political Affairs Committee) of AAP has severely dented the newest political sensation, in the public perception. There are all kinds of interpretation to the turmoil the AAP is going thru’. Some say it has no ideology. Some say it’s a group of activists who saw the political opportunity and jumped into the fray. Some say, its birth has not been through the normal process. Some say it is somewhat like Janata Party of 1977 and hence can fall apart, if individual ambition is not made subservient to the larger cause. None of the above description is wrong. There are elements of truth in all of them. But one thing is very clear as the sun in the day time. It is an answer to the multitude of Indians looking for a change in the otherwise corroded political landscape that India presents to-day. If the wiping out of Congress has indicated the absolute non-relevance of the party, the dissimation of BJP is a warning for them to mend their ways. Therefore AAP as a concept of political doctrine must survive at all cost.

Arvind Kejriwal, who has been seen as the central figure in the evolution of AAP, need to recognise that there are hundreds, if not thousands, who have given their utmost for the establishment of AAP. Hence, he necessarily need to walk the talk, that he is a humble AAP worker. Let not one’s ambition mock the hard labour of all else.

In the disturbed scenario, a rational sense of proportion has to win for the larger good. Issue is not AK vs YY & PB, issue is India of to-morrow. Has he forgotten his own words when he took oath for the second time when he called upon party members to eschew arrogance during his speech after being sworn in. It is pertinent to quote columnist Amulya Ganguli who said “The remarkable success in Delhi has bolstered Kejriwal’s innate authoritarianism and made him reluctant to share the spotlight with others like Yadav and Bhushan who are his co-equals in being articulate and intellectually sharp” Is AK “power hungry” as Anna said in the past! Some kind of a rapprochement appears to be in the air. Arvind Kejriwal must necessarily allow maturity to prevail, and should rein in those who initially      orchestrated the ouster of the duo.

This is not an issue of last month, but of one before that. It is here for its relevance than anything else. The historic victory of AAP in Delhi, is into the pages of political history of India. To say it is ‘unprecedented’ is to accept that there are not many words to describe the level or degree of its success.

We are all aware, how the currently the biggest political party had gone to town to tell the world that the loss in Delhi is not a referendum on its topmost leader Narendra Modi. Could that have been called the “height of sycophancy"? Well, it may be so. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is the most powerful BJP man in the country, his ministers are at his beck and call. How on the earth they can blame him for the loss of Delhi election? It is indeed a referendum as termed by Shotgun Sinha a BJP leader of some name and fame. He had the 'courage' to say so, only because he has nothing to lose. He is not going to get any position under Modi. And being from Bihar, he is in ever demand for some nuisance value, not because of any contribution in public life. He is a typical politician opportunist, working only for himself, his family and may be even his cronies. But Bihar being what Bihar is, where Chaara Ghotala hero Lalu Prasad flourishes people like Shotgun would have some vote catching ability. Since Bihar shall be going for election in the near future, Narendra Modi may have to put up with likes of Shotgun. Indeed politics does have strange bed fellows.

One of the sillier decision of Narendra Modi has been the appointment of Smrithi Irani, as HRD minister. 

There were so many well qualified candidates in BJP, who had won as MPs, but why Modi chose Ms. Irani baffled just about everybody. Except some expression of surprise by some media houses and media men and women, there were no meaningful opinions expressed in the public space Ms. Irani, who is supposedly just a XII pass, simply isn’t a right candidate. With her age and experience in public life, was she ready to be a cabinet minister? is another moot point.

Right from beginning, conscious of her inadequate educational background, she kept poking her nose in the institution of higher learning like IIT etc. Remember Dr Ramadoss, the Health Minister in UPA I, who used to interfere in the administration of AIIMS and made the life of its director, an eminent cardiologist, miserable. Dr Ramadoss was only an MBBS and wanted to show his power. Similar is the case of Ms. Irani. Due to her inept handling of issues IIT Delhi director Shergaonkar had resigned, and now comes the news of Anil Kakodkar quitting the IIT, Bombay, as its Chairman of Board of Governors. Kakodkar is the former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission and an eminent Nuclear  Scientist by his own right.

Of course some signal is coming that Ms Irani may not last in HRD ministry, since she has been dropped by the BJP president from BJP’s National Executive Committee. Sooner she is replaced as HRD minister, the better. 

JAMMU & KASHMIR: In recent times, the state has been in the news, some right, some not so right and some for patently wrong reasons. When, for the first time, post assembly election, two unlikely political partners came to form the popular government in J & K, there were many valid questions, as to the credibility and longevity of this association. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and BJP were the unlikeliest parties to come together to form a co-alition government for both historical and political reasons. It took pretty long time of over 2 months after the election result, for both these parties to come to-gether with a common minimum Programme (CMP). After lot of uncertainty the coalition government came into existence on 1st of March. While we at I &C wishes this co-alition a full 5 year term with meaningful development, the question has already started coming up,  if it will last at all! The praise from CM Mufti Mohd. Sayeed while taking oath in the presence of PM Modi, about this ‘co-operation’ of Pakistan and separatists in the smooth conduct of elections in J & K, has indeed been an embarrassment to start with. Of course BJP, managed to contain its sense of outrage, whether it was not to rock the coalition at the first step itself or for power, it was not clear. Then comes the noise about the handing over of mortal remains of terrorist Afzal Guru from PDP MLAs. And then on March 7, in just one week of the co-alition govt., Mufti ordered the release of political prisoners with separatist hardliner Masarat Alam to be the first to be out of jail. There was an understandable outcry all over the country. BJP and its Prime Minister were taken completely off guard at this anti-national move of pandering to the separatists. Congress slammed it as “continuous adventurism’ of the PDP. Alam was arrested during the 2010 stone throwing unrest, for inciting youth in which112 Kashmiris were killed. Clearly Alam was not a political prisoner. But apparently Mufti had done some homework with some sinister design. After crying hoarse there appears to be some uneasy peace. While BJP certainly will not be anti-national in its dealing with J & K issue, BJP must make it clear to the nation, how are they going to handle PDP programme of mollycoddling Kashmir separatists, who get their inspiration from across the western border.

WORLD: “Never try to cover child abuse” was a veiled warning reminding the catholic clergy the world over, of their duty that “Families, all over the world need to know that the church is making every effort to protect their children”.

Pope Francis, the straight faced and straight talking and walking is a gift to the contemporary Christian world. There hasn’t been any like him in the recent past, concerned truly about the welfare of the humanity in general and catholics in particular.

Reminding the clergy about their duty to stamp out abuse of children in the care of church despite the fear of scandal, Pope Francis has demanded “close and complete” co-operation with the Pontifical Commission for Protection of Minors. which he has established at the Vatican. He was writing to the heads of national bishops’ conference and religious orders.

Mincing no words he wrote “Priority must not be given to any other kind of concern, whatever its nature, such as the desire to avoid scandal, since there is absolutely no place in ministry for those who abuse minors”. 

From the beginning, one issue Pope Francis took up vigorously is the cause of childern abused within the precincts of church, which has been for different reasons was not taken up seriously by Vatican. Hope, as Pope Francis says “Families could turn to church with confidence”.  

By far, the worst place in the world for minorities is Pakistan. This has been so, ever since the creation of this country. 

The atrocities of both majority civil society and their police against minorities, is not just limited to religious minorities, but also their own Muslim minority denominations as well as linguistic minorities. Their despicable blasphemy law has made life difficult for all and sundry, including their own members from the majority community. Indeed Pakistan is the most violent country in the world.

The recent bomb blast in two churches in the predominantly Christian area of Lahore where some 20 were killed on the close heels of the torching of some 100 Christian houses in an area known as Joseph Colony. This was sequel to an allegation of blasphemy against a Christian man.

The world led by US, which is making a hue and cry about some petty vandalizing of churches in India by some stupid religious bigots has not much to say, on this most inhuman society just across the western border of India. Where is this New York Times, which made a huge noise about the so-called silence of Indian Prime Minister on this vandalism?

Of course the double standard by international community and their media friends is the biggest stumbling block in the growth of equity in the treatment of humans of different races and religions the world over. There has to be stronger and unequivocal response from global powers for Pakistan to fall in line to protect their minorities.