MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE

KARNATAKA: Ministers like most politicians are known for their kneejerk reactions, without applying the gray matter.

There were two reports in the print media in the last few days. R.V Deshpande, the Industries minister in the Karnataka government has gone to the press saying that the proposed raise in the age limit of government staff for retirement, shall not affect the future employment generation in the state.

The government in Bengalooru had proposed to increase the retirement age of government employees from 60to 62. That is if there were a 1000 staff to retire at the month end, they would retire 24 months later. After retirement, there will be assessment of the need to refill the vacancy. We are all aware about the productivity of the government staff. Of the 100 staff only 30to 40 shall be working, some at full potential and some below full potential. At least 50 shall be dead wood. So the replacement, as and when it will happen, depend upon the bureaucracy and the political leadership of the day/month/year. Hence 100 retired may not be replaced by 100. But there will be some fresh appointment, may be 25% to 50%. To that extent, by extending the period of retirement by 2 years, you have delayed fresh recruitment. Now this linear mathematics or arithmetic is apparently beyond the understanding of Industries minister Deshpande. Of course this move could be an election ploy as well.

And comes the Union Women & Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi. Reportedly she has suspended the agency behind baby Sherin’s adoption. Baby Sherin Mathews was adopted by an Indian couple in the U.S. She died in the custody of her adoptive father Wesley Mathews, who tried to force- feed her at an unearthly hour of 2.00 am in their home in Dallas, U.S, and fabricated a story of child having gone missing. The police in U.S ruled that Sherin died of ‘homicide violence’ and got father Wesley Mathews arrested. Now what is the responsibility of the adoption agency in this death of a 3 years old innocent child? Adoptive parents are assessed and processed on the basis of their being normal human beings with sufficient resources in their command without any physical, psychological or mental disability. Once these criteria are cleared they become legally eligible. Normally children are given in adoption during their age in months only-after 3 months but before 12 months- at which time adoptive parents become fond of the infant. After sometime, may be the adoptive father of Sherin, Wesley Mathew developed some dislike of the child and one sad night decides to get rid of the child. Certainly what happened to baby Sherin is bad. But what is the fault of the adoption agency? By suspending this agency the Union Minister forbade and denied many innocent lives being given away in adoption to citizens of countries like the U.S with better Human Development Index. That’s the reality. When will our political class understand the finer details of man management?    

KARNATAKA: Something is seriously not right with this man Ananth Kumar Hegde, the Union Minister for Skill Development. He seems to be walking in and out of controversies at regular intervals.

It was only the other day he had apologized in the Lok Sabha for making some controversial statement on secularism and secularists.

Now he is back with “intellectuals and progressive writers are opportunists as they write to get benefits from the government”.

Generally writers who have some leftist leanings looking for welfare of marginalized are called progressives. Of course it is debatable, what kind of progress they are talking about. It is basically a media creation.

However, the minister Hegde is simply not the right person to comment on them. He is clearly reading without books.

He is holding a very responsible ministry. Skill development is one of the most important aspects of employment, in a scenario where we create unemployable graduates. We are not hearing any news on what he has been able to do with his ministry in the development of skills among our youth. But he is the news too often for wrong reasons.

Prime Minister Modi must have had some inputs regarding his ability to hold such an important portfolio. But the way things are being reported in the public space about minister Hegde’s shenanigans, Prime Minister in all probability pull him up for non-performance and for being a motor mouth. Such ministers are surely an avoidable headache to be dumped in the larger interest of governance.    

UTTAR PRADESH:  Shia Central Waqf Board Chairman Wasim Rizwi has reportedly written to the Prime Minister and to the U.P chief minister, to ‘abolish madrasa boards across the country and reorganize them as schools with a common secular education policy under different state education boards’. Prima facie there is a point in what Rizwi says. But, reportedly he has claimed in the letter that ‘madrasas were producing more terrorist than civil servants’.

Now this sounds little dicey. Rizwi is a Shia and most madrasas are run by Sunnis and therefore reference about terrorists in madrasas is likely to cause disquiet among Sunnis.

According to Rizwi, religious education should be kept optional in newly reorganized madrasas as regular schools with common education policy. He also stated in the letter that all unregistered madrasas should be immediately shut down.

Being clearly critical of madrasas Rizwi was reported to have said to the media that ‘The primary reason for illiteracy and backwardness among Muslims revolve around the four corners of madrasas”.

Clearly this letter addressed to both Prime Minister Modi and UP Chief Minister Adithyanath shall lead to some socio-political pyrotechs with both clergy and politicians taking potshots at PM/CM so also Rizwi.

While it is an explosive issue it is also sensitive.

Therefore it is very important that government handle the letter rather carefully. It must invite liberal Muslim intellectuals and Muslim political leaders with an open mind for a debate with Wasim Rizwi, the letter writer, being part of the debate. Only then take a stand on the letter by the Shia Central Waqf Board Chairman Rizwi. 

PATNA: Most Indians, in the know of things, are privy to the news that Lalu Prasad Yadav, the RJD boss, former Union Minister &former Chief Minister of Bihar was sent to the central jail in Patna on 23^rd December 2017. He was convicted in the infamous case of ‘Chaara Ghotala’ or fodder scam, involving thousands of crores of rupees. But strangely before Lalu could even land in jail, his long time cook and his personal attender were already in jail, crime or no crime, to receive their master inside the jail! So, wherever Lalu goes, his faithful attenders will be in attendance to their master. What more can a convict ask for!

But how did they land there in the jail? On what charges? With FIR a without FIR!

Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav, prisoner no: 3351 was lodged in the upper division ward of the jail. He was provided with a wooden bed, a T.V. set with only Door Darshan channel and some Hindi news papers. But he was also provided, according to the report, a personal cook. This could be terms of imprisonment, since he is a former union minister and also the former chief minister of the same state, and state was supposed to have provided. But Lalu made the work of jail administration so much easier by having his own cook.

According to the media report, these two aides of Lalu, Madan Yadav, the cook and Laxman Mahato had walked up to the judicial magistrate and were taken into custody. To makes it authentic, Lalu had probably organized one Sumit Yadav, a Yadav clan man, to complain that Madan and Laxman assaulted this Sumit Yadav and snatched his `10,000/- Rest, with some skills, they managed to be inside the prison in time to receive their Boss. What do we call this? Banana republic! Jungle Raj! or Lalu Raj! This is another dimension of Yeh Mera India.        

NEW DELHI: Ashwini Upadhyay, a self claimed BJP member and an advocate in the Supreme Court has petitioned, Bar council of India asking the national lawyers body ‘WHY NOT ADVOCATES WHO ARE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT OR LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY BE BARRED FROM PRACTICING LAW?

It’s a good question and the lawyers’ body has to respond. But is there a case? Indeed all those lawyers, who are also known as advocates, who are members of parliament or state assemblies should not be allowed to practice law. As Ashwini Upadhyay says, “we don’t need part time legislators, we need dedicated parliamentarians’.

An MP or an MLA is paid salaries, avail privileges and perks worth lakhs of rupees is a public servant within the legal definition and is therefore by practicing law, is serving two masters for pecuniary benefits. There is absolutely no ambiguity in this line of argument.

Vested interest lawyers, who want to have the cake and eat it, too are opposed to the idea of giving up legal practice. Some Loksabha members think, its alright for Rajya Sabha MPs to be barred, and not Loksabha members, by citing doctors, CAs, Engineers etc are not being questioned like this for their duel role as MP/MLA.

But clearly a lawyer’s job is not similar to any other professional. It involves litigation, where one of the parties can be government. An MP may be fighting a case for a client but may be against government which pays him salary & perks.

Clearly there is conflict of interest. Of course, lawyers being lawyers will never give up the lucre of the profession and the privilege that goes with being an MP or an MLA.

What with people like Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and there are others who clearly want the status quo to continue!  

WORLD: How many in India would have heard the story of tender aged 3 year old Sherin Mathews from Kerala is unknown. But ever since the story of missing Sherin in Dallas, US, reported in the media in mid October last year, it was being followed earnestly by this writer. In the cacophony of non-stop mudslinging in the social media by professional drain inspectors looking only for garbage they had no time for this innocent flower’s life snuffed out from her tender body by that inhuman father Wesley Mathews.

Two months down the line, after baby Sherin was buried on 31^st October, at the Turrentine-Jackson-Marrow Funeral home, the community in Dallas decided to hold a memorial in memory of Baby Sherin Mathews at an inter-faith ceremony at the cemetery Sherin was buried.

A granite bench engraved with 3 year old Sherin’s name with an epitaph “A life that touches others’ goes on forever”, was placed at the Restland Funeral Home in Dallas.

Reportedly, community members gathered in large members, despite chilly weather, to honour the short life of Sherin, had their eyes swelled with tears during an hour long ceremony. Holding back her tears, memorial organizer Shari Block reacted, “She is going to live in our hearts forever and it really means a lot to have a place for the child most of us only knew her from afar, but with her tragic loss, those who mourn Sherin needed a place to grieve”.

For the record Sherin was adopted from an orphanage in Bihar by Wesley Mathews, an IT professional from Kerala and his wife Sini Mathews, a qualified nurse. According to Wesley on 7^th October he left the child alone under a tree outside their home in Richardson at 3 a.m. as punishment for refusing to drink milk, and complained to the police that Sherin went missing from there. On 22^nd October her body was found in a culvert under road, nearly a kilometer away, in neighbouring Dallas.

Leaving a 3 year old child unattended at an unearthly hour of 3 a.m. outside her home alone is an unpardonable violence by itself. Hence Wesley Mathews, the adoptive father was arrested and released later. But re-arrested again, when he confessed to have tried to force feed the milk to child Sherin and she choked. Wesley had told the police that Sherin choked to death after he “physically assisted” her in drinking milk.

After having initially charged with first degree felony now he is indicted for murder by the grand jury and his wife, the foster mother of Sherin, Sini Mathews is charged with abandonment. Reportedly autopsy showed that Sherin died of ‘homicidal violence’. While the murder charge could carry death sentence, abandonment will lead to imprisonment from 2 years to 20years in prison.

We join the community in Dallas in praying for the departed soul of Baby Sherin Mathews to Rest in Everlasting Peace.      

WORLD:

There was this report datelined Santiago in Chile “Pope seeks forgiveness after sex abuse row”. Pope Francis the temporal head of Catholics the world over, according to information available, is one of the finest Pontiffs the Vatican had. He is kind, gracious with high standard of moral integrity.

Addressing top Chilean leadership in Santiago, Pope Francis had reportedly stated, “I feel bound to express my pain and shame at the irreparable damage caused to children by some ministers of the Catholic Church in Chile. I am one with my brother bishops, for it is right to ask for forgiveness and make every effort to support the victims, even as we commit ourselves to ensuring that such things do not happen”. Pope Francis is absolutely right in feeling bad about the incidents of moral turpitude within the portal of Church, especially since all these involved in the sexual scandal, whether men or women-have vowed to be celibate and above mortal desire of proximity or attraction of the opposite sex. Indeed all those who got involved in such incidents of sexual abuse have broken the solemn vow they took when they got into priesthood.

However, it is fairly known that scandal involving Christian clergy in sexapades in not uncommon. But can these men and women be blamed for the acts of so-called moral turpitude?

Roman Catholic churches have ordained that men and women who go through the seminaries for years have to refrain from getting married, which means, they have to remain away from worldly sexual relations.

It is known everywhere, that those who get into religious order have different reasons for electing to be a priest, mullah or a swamy. Only a small % is truly moved by service to God and service to man. Large majority of them have joined these orders for reasons other than spiritual. They need to go through life until the day of reckoning.

Hence, for some, it is the easy life, not having to work for a living and the scope for discreet activities within their life of socio-spiritual involvement with devotees, followers of faith so also contact with opposite sex. We have heard of stories of sleaze & sex involving priests, nuns, swamis and mullahs.

While financial bungling is bad and therefore has to be made accountable, the sexual adventures have to be, perforce, looked into through a different prism. Sex is a very normal and natural activity of a living being. Any attempt to deny it can lead to looking for avenues of gratification without the knowledge of others. Instead of branding them as immoral, they have to be allowed to marry. This will greatly reduce such incidents in churches and temples. Of course there are religious orders which permit marriage which are good and sensible. It is time for Roman Catholic Church to rethink about allowing their priests and nuns to marry. Of course, abuse of vulnerable children should be an absolute NO. Churches have a long history of abuse of children. Instead of asking for forgiveness, such pedophiles should be subjected to criminal laws of the land. Only then may be some sense may prevail.

WORLD:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s (BN) visit to India was a huge success by any stretch of imagination. The personal chemistry between Indian PM Narendra Modi and the visiting Israeli PM was to be seen to be believed. They appeared more as chums rather than heads of state having a formal meet. Israeli PM came on a weeklong trip to India. Before the trip reportedly BN had described the relationship with India as a “marriage made in heaven”.

It certainly looked that way; the way two leaders displayed the bonhomie between them despite the deal to buy 8000 anti-tank guided missiles with state owned Rafael was called off, so also India had voted against the US sponsored resolution on Jerusalem. It clearly showed the priorities that both leaders had, were more important than one or two issues of differences.

However, the multiple agreements that two countries have signed was a clear indications of mutual national interest and ground realities. The geo-political situations, the pulls and pressures, have been the considerations for these agreements. Among the pacts signed are in strategic areas of defense, security and counter terrorism, sharing of intelligence on terror related issues etc. This was unlike any other country, where trade and commerce play a bigger role than any other issues. This is a clear departure and signals that from now on co-operation between our two nations will see better and speedier growth than in the past. 

Looking back to the history of both countries, with contemporary history of seven decades, it was only in 1992, that India opened its chancery in Tel Aviv under the pragmatic leadership of PV Narasimha Rao. From then on it has seen a steady upgradation of our bilateral relations. However it is only now, since the emergence of Narendra Modi that this bilateral bonding took an entirely speedy movement and reached an unparalleled level.

While, it is true that this new heightened relationship is good for both countries in their existential matters, it is also important to remember our commitment to the Palestinian cause. India under PM Modi must exert to restart, continue and conclude a peace agreement for the mutual co-existence of both Israel and Palestine as neighbours respecting each other’s identity, so also try to reverse the decision to make Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. As already agreed internationally, Jerusalem should be available for both Israel and Palestine. Hope the new bonhomie between the leaders of both countries lead to lasting peace in the Middle East.     

HARYANA: Manoharlal Khattar, the CM of Haryana has been in the news for a few controversial reasons.

He had no political background. Since he is supposedly an honest man, PM Modi thought of giving him the CM position in Haryana. Prima facie, there is nothing wrong in this approach. But mere honesty without administrative capacity a Chief Minister of a state can be square peg in a round hole.

Jat reservation issue, the problem involving Gurmeet Ram Rahim of Dera Sacha Sauda and his conviction and the riot that followed by his followers have already tried & tested the capability of CM Khattar. He has certainly did not come out with flying colours. To call him inept and incompetent may be very harsh. But things have not improved. Infact it has degenerated in recent days with five incidents of assault on girls in as many days have seriously raised questions about CM Khattar’s ability to handle the administration.

Prime Minister Modi need to intervene to see what is the problem with Haryana administration.

But what is highly disturbing and questionable is the reported summons by the BJP party president asking CM Khattar to see him in Delhi.

It should have been the state governor who should have reported the law and order issue to the Prime Minister and appraised about the situation in the state. And PM in turn should have called CM Khattar to give the account of situation in the state. Instead party president calling a state CM to give the account is unheard of. May be party president Shah is doing this at the behest of PM Modi. But is it right? Wouldn’t such maneuvering affect the morale of Chief Minister to even routinely perform?!              

NEW DELHI:  A print media report “SC angered over criticism that it is trying to run the government”, made an interesting reading.

At the outset, it can be safely said that the Supreme Court, as the supreme custodian of citizens’ interest in a democratic polity has no right or can we say feel ‘uncomfortable’ or getting angry. As a friend philosopher and guide to the citizenry, it has to maintain its sense of equanimity.

Dwelling over the matter relating to the provision of shelter to the urban homeless in Uttar Pradesh, where reportedly facilities were available only for 7000 while the requirement is for 1,80,000, which is clearly, if true, is below 4%.

Reportedly an angry bench of Justice Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta took the government to task. “If you people cannot work, say so, that you are not able to do it”, was the exasperated remark of the bench, while stating ‘We are not the executive. You do not do your work and when we say something, we are criticized by everybody in the country that we are trying to run the government’.

According to the court, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) has been in existence since 2014, but the UP government did virtually nothing about it.

It is true that welfare programmes are launched by all governments like Robert Lynd’s ‘Good Resolution’, “An April of virtue with no September following”. Promises are made with all the fire and performance or delivery was like dying amber. Reportedly a ‘Vision Document’ prepared in 2011, had a census of these homeless in UP at 1.8 Lakh as the number in urban U.P who needed the shelter. A programme shelter construction follows in 2014 and even as 2017 is over, only less than 4%, is the rate of performance. Thus performance is almost non-existent. This is the story of our governance, always short on delivery, for most of post independent years. Hence, as a custodian of public interest, the Apex Court, the ultimate arbiter, is naturally upset and keep pulling the government over the coal, for non-performance.

But then, in their over enthusiasm, Apex Court has crossed the Laxman Rekha between the Executive and the Judiciary number of times. On 15^th December 2016, Supreme Court declared that on 31^st March 2017 “Highway liquor vends must close”. The order to ban liquor vending on highways resulted in huge uproar among all stake holders, including a million of those who were rendered jobless by the closure of thousand of such outlets across the country, besides huge financial loss to hotel owners and state in the form of excise duty etc. Besides, regulation of sale and consumption of liquor is purely a policy matter, how the apex court in its wisdom thought that it is the right of the court to take the call!

Yes, while it is true that government need to be pulled up continuously over lack of performance, it is also true that many a time the top court has exceeded its brief by intervening in policy matters, which is clearly the role of executive. Judiciary need to circumspect and control this tendency in the larger interest of our democratic polity.  

MAHARASHTRA: Sometime it does happen that compound wall erected to protect the grassland starts eating the grass. That’s what happened at the Sarang Society, the housing society of Bombay High Court judges. They were in the news for some wrong reasons. The news headlines “`.10000 fine slapped on judges society for not segregating waste’, conveyed it all.

The report datelined Mumbai said “The Bombay High Court judges who are so keen to cleanse the society on a daily basis, have glaringly failed to clean their own backyard. They have failed or rather apathetic towards waste segregation in their own homes”.

Sarang Society is located at Nariman point, the high end locality of Mumbai. Among the culprits were residential buildings of Maharashtra government bureaucrats besides Sachivalaya, the Government’s seat of power, itself, who have been pulled up for not segregating dry and wet waste despite several warnings issued to the occupants by Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

Clearly something is wrong with we Indians, our talking and doing are not same. If our leaders from Legislature, Executive and Judiciary are not role models, how can an average citizen blamed for being below par!? This is Yeh Mera India.      

GOA: Goa is not a state making too much news for the national media. Some weeks ago, however, Goa was in the news for some nationally important reasons. Strangely even active FaceBook interlocutors didn’t make any noise about it.

Commissioner for Panaji City Corporation (PCC) had reportedly prohibited loudspeakers for prayers at one St. Inez Kabristan (the Muslim burial ground) in Panaji.

Acting on complaints from the surrounding residents, the commissioner of PCC Ajit Roy issued order prohibiting use of loudspeakers at the burial ground. Naturally the Muslims are upset and are protesting.

Having enjoyed the freedom for all the 70 years of free India, it is only natural nobody wants to give up. But it is certainly true that this use of loudspeaker is bit of a nuisance, especially if there are sick people trying to sleep in the neighbourhood, irrespective of their faith. Besides, Islam is over 1400 years old and loudspeakers are not even 100 years old. So for over 1300 years, these prayer calls, or Aazaan, have been going on without any noise pollution. Hence, if PCC commissioner has prohibited the Aazaan, it is fair to a large extent. Besides this Mohd-Ali-alias Babu Bhai of Bandra Mumbai, who approached the Bombay High Court and got the order passed in August 2016, that loudspeaker cannot be used between 10pm & 6 am and any violations shall be punished with both fine and imprisonment.

PCC Commissioner should find the Bombay High Court order so that he can handle likes of Jamatul Muslimeen Gausia Sunni Trust and its chairman Babani Sheikh.

In fact, in an atmosphere of social harmony, Muslim leadership must come forward and offer to stop this practice of using loudspeakers at least between 10 pm & 6 am. Of course there are schools too which are suffering due to the loudspeakers. Therefore in the interest of social harmony and to stop noise pollution all use of loudspeakers, except for permitted public programmes, should be prohibited. Hope it happens.  

NEW DELHI: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Indian context is of recent origin. Except a few groups most of the big time and not so big time trade and industry houses were not particularly concerned about their social obligations. After all, all of us are operating in a dynamic world, which has its share and dimension of inequity. Those who are better off must feel concerned about the welfare of the society around them including their workmen.

In fact, there is a race to tell the world who is the richest in the country. All that, perforce, changed after the central government ordained that a portion of the profit from these industrial houses be set aside for Corporate-Social Responsibility. Since then there has been some positive movements in this direction. Of course political arm twisting too can take place, as the following news informs.

“Corporates commit $5 billion for Clean Ganga Mission”, datelined New Delhi informed, according to the government of India sources, that Indian trade and industry houses in the UK have committed the above amount for the development projects under the National Mission for Clean Ganga.

Reportedly some weeks ago, Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari in association with the Indian High commission in London had a road show organized for the participation of business leaders in the UK.

Among the group who signed up to participate are Vedanta Group, Foresight Group, Hinduja Group, Indo-Rama Group.

Understandings included use of innovative technologies for river cleaning by roping in British expertise, the government sources informed.

Project under the mission, besides the cleaning of Ganga, development of Ghats, crematoria, water bodies, parks, sanitation facilities, so also public facilities and river fronts.

Ganga has been flowing from times immemorial. It was being extensively used from ages, but the all pervading filth and garbage was witnessed since far too long, back in time. There have been efforts to clean the Ganga in the past. But it is to the credit of the present government, may be for its own political compulsion. NDA II has taken it up seriously. Hope in the next couple of years there is discernable change in the quality of water and Ganga presents a healthier and better picture of herself.

WORLD:

ST. STEPHENS & HIJAB

A London date lined news informed “UK School reverses hijab ban”. One of UKs leading state funded school St. Stephens School in Newham East London was one of the first to ban the hijab for children below 8 years has reportedly reversed the ban, after lot of criticism from parents.

The school reportedly has majority students from Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi background. The board of governors had Arif Qawi, a Pakistani, as Chairman and Neena Lal, an Indian, as Principal. After the reversal of the ban Arif Qawi has resigned, due to critical social postings inform the report. “Now head teacher needs to go. Kick her out and force her to wear hijab” was a social media post.

What needs to be clearly understood is we are in 21^st century and not in 19^th century. Hijab is primitive, more so for a society like the U.K. There are millions of Muslim women including school and college girls who do not wear hijab. They have not become less Muslim. Hijab is a part of the identity politics. We all lecture on inclusive secularism but practice exclusivism. Unfortunately media is quiet for its own compulsions. It is also known that lot of these young girls including women do not like hijab. But they are forced by their men at home and the clergy to have a hold. Freedom of thought and action is anathema to this crowd.

Reportedly Arif Qawi has asked the government to take the call and decide such issues, once and for all, in the interest of social harmony. Such exclusive segregated appearance does not help the cause of community-living based on Co-operative Co-existence. Hope government in the UK acts sooner to stem the unease among cross section of Multi Cultural London.      

 J. Shriyan