MONTH-IN-PERSPECTIVE-FEBRUARY 2022

NEW DELHI: Since a week or so in the print media, electronic media and so also social media collectively called public space, the issue of rejection of tableau for display on 26th January Republic Day parade at Rajpath was making its interminable rounds. Earliest to make noise was the rejection of the tableau of Guru Narayana, a venerated social reformer of Kerala. Whether it was the Left government at Thiruvanantapuram or the most dominant community of Kerala, the Idiga’s, so also Billawas of Coastal Karnataka, all went to the market crying hoarse and rightly so. Clearly their feelings were hurt. Then comes Tamil Nadu with its history of the Southern State depicting “Tamil Nadu in the Freedom Struggle”, with heroes of the soil, beginning with highlighting the achievements of its legendary heroes and heroines, like V. O. Chidambaram (VOC) a.k.a. ‘Kappalottiya Thamizhan’, a pioneer in indigenous shipping company among the earliest to compete against the British. Reportedly the 150th birth anniversary of VOC is being celebrated across the state. The proposed tableau also had the portrait of Subramania Bharati, the famous freedom fighter Tamil poet, then that of Velu Nachiyar of Shivaganga riding a horse with a sword. Reportedly Velu Nachiyar, a.k.a. Veeramangai was the first queen to have fought the British. The famous Vellore mutiny too was depicted with the portrayal of Maruthu Pandiyar brothers, a.k.a. Rulers of Sivaganga, who were publicly hanged by the British. So clearly Tamil Nadu had enough and more of its history to tell the world in general and Indians in particular. Reportedly, they had three rounds of meeting with the selection committee and still didn’t make it to the list of selected tableaux. Then West Bengal which had sent the impressions of Subhas Chandra Bose and Mother Teresa with its selected inscriptions also did not make it the list of selected Tableaux. The Chief Minister Mamata Bannerji reportedly took up the matter with the PMO and reportedly, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had written letter clarifying the rejection. And comes this report “Lies spread about tableaus: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi”. According to the minister only 12 tableaux are selected each year with every state getting a chance once in 3 years, as per the unwritten rule set by the earlier government of Indian National Congress and that same is being continued, with exceptions at times. Referring to rejection of Kerala presentation, the minister reportedly stated that Kerala had its chance in 2021 and 2018 before that, clearly indicating the rule of once in 3 years. Thus, there appears to be some set of rules and a panel of selection committee members drawn from different concerned streams of knowledge and expertise, which governs the finalization of Tableau for Display at the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. However, this time round Tamil Nadu was being considered despite making it for all last 3 consecutive years of 2019, 2020 and 2021. Reportedly their officials had some 3 sittings with the expert panel, which asked for change and were carried out. However, a report datelined Chennai, on 20th January informed that “The team was told to come up with a three dimensional model, as is the norm, but the call never came”. It’s not clear, if the ‘3D’ model was submitted. From the above, there appears to be some scope for revising the rules of participation. Reportedly, using the exception clause, this year 21 tableaux were s elected from 12 states and Union Territories. Reportedly 12 states participating in the parade are Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, J&K, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand ruled by different political dispensations. There are no details which of these states have more than one tableau, so politics, if any, no details are available. But, since these tableaux are representing the deep routed sentiments of our multi-dimensional cultural potpourri, the Union government should scrap this ’12 only’ rule in the interest of federalism representing every nook and corner of our IDEA OF INDIA. It's not difficult at all. There is no national security issue, hence not difficult to change to include all states and union territories. Hope it happens. NEW DELHI:The efficiency and commitment of our government staff all over India and in the centre, was always suspect. Most Indians knew that most government employees do not work even at 25% productivity. Yet, they go on strike at times to demand more and more pay for less and less work. And comes this disclosure in the parliament. Reportedly a parliamentary panel has asked the Union government to verify caste certificates of government staff from SC & ST communities within six months of their regular engagement. The parliamentary Panel had found out that these certificates from this section of employees (SC & ST) were verified only after their retirement, that too before disbursing their terminal benefits. Most of these government employees, whether in states or at the centre put in service of anywhere between 25 years to 45 years, and those staff responsible for the verification of certificate of SC / ST categories certifying their eligibility for benefit under SC / ST group, simply have not bothered to verify its authenticity. God forbid, should some discrepancy found out at this late hour of settling their terminal benefits, what can happen to the psyche of these poor SC/ST employees! How can these government officials, who are supposed to have checked and confirmed these certificates on the appointments of these SC/ST employees can be so irresponsible and callous! Reportedly, the parliamentary committee in its report, on the welfare of SC & ST, was examining cases of atrocities in Public Sector Undertakings, Public sector Banks and other organizations, with special reference to cases related to withholding pensions and retirement benefits to SC & ST employees did find such instances. Terming, non-payment or withholding of payment, due to non-verification of their certificates, as “gross harassment” causing acute mental agony to these SC/ST employees, it insisted that the organization, department, and the official responsible should be made accountable for the lapse and retiring staff should not suffer. Reportedly, as per the Delhi based Akhil Bhartiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad, there were 137 pensioners, whose benefits are held up at various ministries of Tamil Nadu alone, due to the non-verification of certificates. So what can be all India scene?! This is absolutely unpardonable after 75 years of independence. Every government which runs on people’s money should always have accountability for their actions of commission and omission. All officials found guilty of dereliction of duty should be made to suffer in whatever way possible, monetary or otherwise. Only then some sense can be driven into these way-ward officials, working with no cheeks and balance. Hope government cracks the whip where needed. NEW DELHI:Freebies by political parties, whether, before the elections to state assemblies or even during the period of governance after the election by the elected government has been an economic malaise eating into scarce resources of the government. After all the revenue that each government collects is from general public, whether individuals or business entities. This is the only source, other being loans and advances from Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Of course even the money received from RBI has to be returned to them in due course. But as a rule profligacy of financial over-spending by most state government is an ongoing and never ending malaise that should be reined in the interest of the overall financial health of states. And comes this plea in the Supreme Court against parties promising freebies, by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. According to the petition, it has sought Supreme Court direction to Election Commission of India (ECI) to seize the election symbol or de-register political parties which promises or distributes irrational freebies from public funds before elections. Reportedly the petition demanded that there should be a total ban on such populist measures to gain undue political favors from the voters as they violate the constitution and that ECI should take deterrent action. The petition even demanded, if possible, an enactment from the Centre as an alternative for the purpose of checking such doles. The petition has not come a day too early. It should have been there since a long time, although, it’s a call the apex court could take for the overall fairness in the system. However the present petition is only on pre-election promises not in what government itself provides to people during the currency of the government. We have many governments like AAP in Delhi or DMK in Tamil Nadu who are blatantly offering freebies in the name of people friendly governance, like free electricity, free bus ride to females etc. This is clearly vote bank politics. There can be measures to reduce the burden of electricity charges or bus fare or other measures to reduce the financial burden of general public, especially those in the margins. But nothing should be free. Everybody must share the burden, on the basis of ‘what traffic can bear’. This is governance and prudent management of financial resources. Besides those who are paying taxes, have a right to demand some kind of explanation to such wayward and irresponsible behavior of the government. Now that Supreme Court is hearing this petition it should dwell into the multi-dimensional largesse these elected governments are doling out in the name of people friendly measures, by way of some guidelines. Hope it happens. KARNATAKA: Mulbagal, is a town on Bengalooru Chittoor Highway in the Kolar district in south east Karnataka. It has a school- Bale Chengappa Government Higher Primary School. The school reportedly has some 400 students of which some 40% are Muslims. Friday prayer is a norm among Muslims. These students want to perform their Friday prayers. They were probably earlier bunking the class and crossing the highway and attending Masjid prayers on Friday, so also probably not returning to school after the prayer, and now its Covid-19 time as well. The School has a Head Mistress (HM), Uma Devi. As a responsible responsive HM, she takes an independent call without probably referring to the BEO, Block Education Officer. She allows these students, at a portion of the school premises, to perform their ‘namaz’ (prayer) on the ground that, a) to avoid risk of any accident while crossing the busy highway, to reach the nearest mosque. b) After leaving the school for prayers, these students were not returning to their classes, hence were missing their class and therefore their lessons. c) Being Covid-19 time, these students were exposed to a bigger crowd at the mosque and therefore to the higher risk of contacting Covid-19. These are, prima facie very eminently justifiable reasons, and as HM, she took the call. But the authorities have suspended the HM. Probably she could have taken BEO on board before allowing these students to pray within the school compound. She could have also spoken to SDMC-School Development & Monitoring Committee and probably after speaking to the parents of these children, asked them to arrange a place adjacent to the school but outside the compound. May be it was possible. However the action of the authorities in suspending the HM with alacrity is not right, since HM did not act with any vested interest or malafide intent. She only had children’s welfare in mind. They could have probably issued her a warning letter, asking her to take permission before acting unilaterally in situations which are beyond her area of supervision. They should, in all fairness, withdraw the suspension and should ask her to consult SDMC and make alternative arrangement near the school outside the compound. It will address all issues of being fair and square. Hope it happens. KARNATAKA: There was this Bellary datelined report “Inmate out on parole on the run”, in the print media. Not surprising at all. Granting parole to criminals undergoing prison terms and how they hoodwink the police and the authorities and escape into the unknown, is a kind of bollywood story, too often read, but keeps happening at regular intervals. The way such criminals on parole running away, it is becoming a kind of scam. Despite such incidents happening at regular intervals authorities do not seem to have learnt lessons, as if authorities are in hand-in-glove with parole seekers! Karachaar Nagesh, a 51 year old convict undergoing life term, was granted parole for 15 days and reportedly expected to have returned by 20th January 2021, but didn’t. It is past 20th January 2022 already. So it is over one year, since the fellow is on the run. Reportedly even his son Veeresh Karachaar too is not traceable. Since, he is a life convict; crime could be murder or something similar. Strangely the print media report is silent on the crime. Be that as it may, the fact that police woke up only after a full year speaks volumes of the efficiency and competence of the system. Parole is not something that is normally granted unless there are convincing reasons and only on humanitarian grounds. As is clear, it’s a conditional release with lot of strings attached, but clearly strings are with long rope. Somewhere somebody is in cahoots with the criminal, or else such an escape is not possible. Terms of such temporary release is always stringent. But stringency is not seriously applied. Every parole condition stipulates that, he should without fail report to the nearest police station; where the criminal is suppose to spend his parole break, in this case 15 days. The jail personnel releasing the parole seeker has to monitor his movement, by remaining connected to the police station, where this convict should be reporting. There should be participative vigilance from both police stations. Besides, the convict has to execute a bond with a guarantee of a known guarantor, who can ensure the return of the convict on the agreed date of reporting back to the jail. Clearly, if after over a year the authorities in Bellary district prison are waking up to realize that convict, has not returned and is not traceable, it’s a very serious reflection on the competence of police in Bellary. It’s a malaise, the system should address without loss of time, since such occurrence are too often happening across India. TAMIL NADU: Tamil Nadu politics, or more importantly DMK politics has all- through the independent years have steadfastly opposed Hindi, as the national language. Here, debating whether centre can force non-Hindi speaking states to learn Hindi is not the issue. This is a sensitive matter and therefore should be handled without any violent emotional reaction to happen from the non-Hindi crowd. In society there are all sorts. But a certain level to acceptance of things around us which only needs some minor adjustment goes a long way in promoting societal peace and stability. We all recognise that peace and stability leads to progress, both economic and social. In society progress is a basis for empowerment of all and sundry. In fact empowerment of the last man out there in the development ladder is the ultimate goal of all politico-economic policies. To that end Hindi can be seen, if only we see things head on, as a socio-political dimension. The report datelined Chennai had this headline “what harm will learning Hindi do: Madras HC asks TN government”. This was a remark of the acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, hearing a public interest writ petition by Arjunan Elayaraja of Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu, seeking to implement National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) in Tamil Nadu. Continuing its observation, the Bench of Justice Bhandari had stated “Many have lost the opportunity of getting central government jobs without knowing Hindi”. As we all know Tamil Nadu government had refused to implement NEP (2020), and ordinary Tamils are helpless. Petitioner Arjunan had contended that “learning only a person’s mother tongue would not be helpful. The language has to go hand in hand with other Indian languages, particularly Hindi and Sanskrit”. While observing that “the authorities must take concerted effort in implementing NEP 2020” he had contended “One shudders to think what would be the consequences if every state would take a stand like Tamil Nadu. NEP 2020 does not impose either Hindi or Sanskrit. It only offers multiple languages introducing 3 languages policy with emphasis on mother tongue” while claiming “considering the constitutional mandate and the judgment of the Supreme Court, the state has to make Hindi compulsory and may be Sanskrit optional”. Recognizing the validity of the argument of the petitioner, Madras High Court took the issue by the horn, and asked the state to respond to the PIL petition within 4 weeks. Hope, Tamil Nadu government of DMK takes it seriously to help ordinary Tamils to empower themselves to market their skills at all India level by learning Hindi, which is the most spoken pan-Indian language, like it or not. In the development of the last man in the Q, Tamil Nadu government dumps its anti-Hindi mindset for the good of all citizens residing in Tamil Nadu and making use of its educational infrastructure meaningfully. Hope it happens. KERALA: These days southern west coast state of Kerala led by Left Front appears to be in a hurry to be in the news for all kinds of reasons. A Thiruvananthapuram datelined print media report informs: “Kerala government losses fight against an eight-year-old child”. While it is true that Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of the state wants to be in the limelight for his political relevance, it is sad that, his government did not spare even an 8 year old girl child to prove that their police is right, despite details to the contrary are available in the public space. Report informs about a minor girl of 8 years was accused of theft of a mobile phone, and a video footage of child being harassed by a woman police officer in public has gone viral. It has been alleged that the child was falsely implicated and to make matters worse the small girl was being treated badly by the police woman and was videographed. So the issue is compounded from multiple angles. Video having gone viral, public expressed its anger and resentment at the high handedness of the police towards an innocent girl of just 8 years. What was the lady police officer trying to prove? In the event, Kerala High Court, having taken the matter suo-moto in its hand came down heavily on the police. Kerala High Court has ordered a compensation of Rs. 1.5 lakh to the family of the girl child, so also Rs. 25000/- as litigation charges. Rajitha, the woman police personnel, has been asked to be kept off the duties involving public interactions and be put on some behavioral training. Reportedly, Justice Devan Ramachandran strongly flayed the police behavior and rejected the justification of the police and the government. Hope the left government of Kerala will restrain itself from such unacceptable rabid pattern of behavior with its people. And comes this news from Thiruvananthapuram “Girl harassed by lady cop to share the aid”. In a move that can win hearts for the 8 years old and her parents, the report informs that Jayachandran, the father of the girl, has announced that he will donate the entire sum of compensation from the government, as and when received, between Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) as well as towards empowering adivasi (tribal) children. Of course there is a rider that government pays the money without filing an appeal in a higher court. Can the left government rise to the occasion! WORLD: China is always in the news for one reason or the other. Whether it is a small country being pressured to part with its national assets or forcing economic decisions on those countries, where the country is indebted to China, for having received fund for its infrastructure projects or any other financial support that China has extended. There are many countries that have walked into this trap called ‘economic support diplomacy’ of China, reliably learnt, some 40 of them. Whether it is Pakistan, Sri Lanka or some African countries, all are paying for the short term enjoyment of Chinese finance with long term suffering. Among the African countries are Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Zambia and Cameron. Crass economics of China is slowly getting exposed to the painful realization of these suffering nations of Asia and Africa. And comes this news of a top Chinese foreign policy advisor going to the market stating that “Blind pursuit of absolute national security coupled with excessive defense spending can lead to Soviet like crash”. Jia Qingguo, a member of China’s top political advisory body has reportedly warned that excessive defense spending with heightened security road map can lead to collapse of the country, the way Soviet Russia had collapsed in the past. Writing a 22 page article Jia Qingguo, who is also the former Dean of the School of International Relations in the Peking University, full of thinly veiled criticism against the hawkish outlook of Chinese leadership, has warned of pitfalls of putting military expansion over long term security. According to him, ‘the collapse of Soviet Union is a major lesson that is taught in top schools across the country to avert decisions that led to its fall’. Reportedly Chinese Military Budget shot up to over US $ 200 billion last year and is expected to climb further when the new budget proposals are announced before March this year. It is true that decades of economic transformation of the country under the leadership of President Xi Jinping has given China its incredible financial muscle and that has pushed the ambition to soar into infinite sky to brow beat United States of America as the Numero Uno. President Xi Jinping wants to replace US as the lone superpower. But uncontrolled arms race can really hurt any country if it is in the arena of competition. At times lessons to be learnt can be very hard.