Congress and BJP: comrades- in- arms!

Which is the better of the two? Congress or BJP? I wonder people would struggle if somebody poses this question to them. As far as I can see, there is only one difference: one is in power for almost eight years and so is arrogant and blind, and the other one is without power and constantly reminds us of the meaning of proverbial sour grapes. Modi or Rahul as next PM? Foolish question! Are they the only two persons to lead our country? Don’t we have an alternative? I pity Digvijay Singh’s attempt to project Rahul a mass hero. Of course, he knows the benefit of being an ardent Nehru clan fan! Oops! Here is the saffron brigade. One Yeddy from the south damaged their reputation beyond repair. The Congressmen must be feeling jealous (even Bhardwaj in Governor’s attire) because Yeddy did in no time what they could not do for several years. Corruption! What corruption? We always think of the monetary benefits our politicians and bureaucrats receive (a few lump sum millions in dollars) for delivering social benefits. What about their attempt to corrupt the minds of our countrymen by attempting to divide them on religious lines?

Thank God! No one is lagging behind. For every Raja, there is a Yeddyurappa! For every Karunanidhi, we have a Mayawati! Wow! What about the government attempts to spend millions apparently to help the poor and downtrodden? Pity, we miss one point. From the moment they assume power to the moment they leave it, they are in election mode……. The difference is that now they spend taxpayers’ money; for real elections, they will spend party money! Magnanimous, indeed!

One thing is sure. One Hazare or one Lokpal bill cannot cure the deep-rooted political malady! Only some kind of divine intervention something as big as a planetary collision or powerful earthquake that could wipe out this planet (along with this nation) could save our nation from these sincere public servants. I don’t these things to happen because I love to live, but I am ready to sacrifice my life if it can cure my country from these gentlemen.

Team India goes down, Team Anna rises

If you think it is the razor-sharp English bowling and their hurricane batting helped them dethrone India from No.1 Test ranking, I have a different opinion. I am sure the meek surrender of Team India should be looked at in a different perspective. It was Team India’s way of declaring solidarity with Team Anna’s efforts for a strong Lokpal Bill. Through their defeat, they tell Indians that they will not win a single match until Jan Lokpal Bill is passed in the Parliament.

Hard to believe! The grapevine is that senior Cabinet ministers (Led by Sharad Pawarji) huddled inside Manmohan’s room to find a way out to arrest further degradation of Team India’s name. (Oops! There is nothing more to erode now.) It is learned that Sharad Pawar has asked Singhvi (the legal, constitutional, bombastic, diplomatic, aristocratic, methodological, phenomenal-these are some of the words often used by this leader on TV shows) parliamentary standing committee panel chief to speed up the process before the ODI series begin.

Cricket experts may find many technical flaws for the lackluster performance of Team India in England. Poor chaps! They don’t have even have an iota of idea about Team India’s patriotic credentials. How could they perform to their fullest potential when back home, thousands of their countrymen fight for a genuine cause? Take a look at Sachin’s feat. Do you think Bresnan could trap him LBW when he was at 91, closer to his 100th century? I think Sachin deliberately got himself trapped because he knows his countrymen are not in a mood to celebrate his colossal feat under the prevailing circumstances. Or did he feel his century would distract people’s attention from Jank Lokpal bill stir? Then, how could Dravid remain unaffected among the debris? Come on, he thinks the Lokayukta had already claimed one victim (a powerful victim, of course) in his home state. So, he was not as perturbed as his other countrymen.

Guys, they should thank Team Anna for one thing. Now, the nation is engrossed in Lokpal stir. Or, our countrymen wouldn’t have minded our cricketers were World champions a few months before. An entire brigade of our army could not have protected their properties or guarantee their safety when they come home after their English Waterloo.
Hope our champions would join Anna Hazare when they come back home. For them, that is the only way out!

AN unending Indian political satire

Home Minister Chidambaram says it is government’s duty to protect the life of Gandhian Anna Hazare! True? (Comment on Hazare’s proposed fast in Delhi against the government version of Lokpal Bill) Mr. HM, don’t you think it is your duty to respect his ideology?

Mr. Chandy, Kerala Chief Minister, gives up vigilance portfolio. A vigilance court has directed a probe against Chandy to bring out his alleged involvement in the Kerala palmolein scam. Good, he assigns the vigilance portfolio to one of his cabinet ministers! Why couldn’t he ask the court to supervise the probe as in the case of the SC-supervised probe into the 2G scam? Also, another matter that disturbs my commonsense is how could the finance minister be absolved even when the then CM Karunakaran and the finance secretary PJ Thomas were named in the probe report? Do you want me to believe the secretary bypassed the finance minister when the decision to import palmolein was taken?

Then, one of the Kerala minister says he or his team of ministers are not cowards to resign. Cowards to resign? I don’t understand this phrase. One needs to be courageous and statesman-like to resign in the face of an indictment, Mr. Minister!

One scion of a political party says he is ashamed to be an Indian. (In the backdrop of the alleged police brutality against peasants during protests against land acquisition) Interestingly, a leading TV channel says 43% of the Indians prefer him to be the next prime minister! Alas! Where are we heading to?

Attention! If our government response to the Anna Hazare's agitationto cleanse our stinking political and social system is illogical and bullying, how could the Maoists respond to government's call to join mainstream politics? They might be laughing and asking us, "See, what is happening to a Gandhian? Don't you see the same fate happening to us if we join the mainstream and raise our voice against our system?"

What happened to our leaders?

I was laughing silently when I read the following in the newspapers. See how you felt about them.

Chidambaram countering BJP allegations
I believe our home minister is a capable person. I also believe he is capable of delivering as home minister. However, his statement countering BJP's allegations of his involvement in the 2G scam (in his capacity as former finance minister) looked childish and silly.
He said he is being targeted (he had bracketed himself with the prime minister of course) by the saffron brigade because he had initative probe into suspected 'saffron' terror links. I felt this statement very silly. It reminded me of my childhood when I used to tell my furious parents that I kicked my younger brother because he, who is many years younger to me, pinched me.

Congress asking Hazare to contest against Kapil Sibal
What a funny and childish statement from a grand old partyI Anyone in the country knows Anna cannot win an election against Sibal (or against any politicians) from anywhere in the country. Our old poor Gandhian does not understand the permutations and combinations of our politicians' strategic calculations. (or he knows them better!) Why Hazare! Even our real Gandhi (I mean Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) cannot win an election now even if he is fielded against R Raja. (You have to see the caste factor)

Yeddyurappa's Karnataka comedy!
I know this man cries for everything. Poor chap, he is very sentimental. The BJP should have considered this before asking him to quit as CM. I read he cried that loudly in a meeting after his return from Delhi. Interestingly, all his men cried with him. Alas! I missed that great comic scene. (Yeddy had reportedly asked his MLAs to switch off the mobile phone before his action.)

The comedy I missed
I was expecting another comedy last month. Sadly, that was not the right time to expect a comedy. It was during the Mumbai bomb blasts! I was expecting a statement from senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh accusing saffron brigade for the terror attack. He came very close, though. Wonder he did not say that he received a call from one of the victims (most probably a diamond vendor from Zaveri Bazar) that he was under saffron threat.

Isn't the so called Mumbai ‘resilience’ its helplessness?

After every terror attack in this maximum city, I hear political leaders and mediamen  repeating, "Mumbai will overcome", "Mumbaiites are resilient", "Mumbai has withstood such attacks in the past" etc. Wow! What a flattery! Or, is it the secret way of assuaging Mumbaiites’ wounded feelings by injecting a kind of false pride in their resilience? I am not a Mumbaikar, but like any other countryman, I feel when something happens in this wonderful city that feeds millions of people both locals and immigrants.

Is it their resilience or helplessness? I am sure it is the latter. What do you expect them to do when a tragedy strikes? Do you expect them to mourn for weeks? Come on, don’t be silly. Every human being is resilient. However, we have to respect Mumbaikars’ patience. Even after facing tragedies after tragedies and losing many of their loved ones, they never protested in a big way. After every tragedy, they are back to their usual self the next morning because they have to work. Do you expect a tea vendor or a diamond merchant to close their shops and lament loss of lives in the tragedy? I don’t think so because they have to earn to support their families. This is the harsh reality. And it is not the resilience stuff that guides them.

I feel for my countrymen there. They have to bear the brunt of all the terror attacks directed at our nation. They alone bear the pain…I know they do it for their countrymen. Don’t you think so? Or, by circumstances, they are alone forced to bear the sufferings. The terror attacks are not directed at Mumbai; it is directed at India.  Everyone from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, or Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat should know this. Mumbaikars suffer for other Indians.  So, we have to be with them.

So, please don’t repeat the phrase “Mumbaikars’ resilience”. It is their helplessness. It is the same everywhere, be it in any other city in the country or anywhere in the world. Let us pray for our countrymen who lost their lives in the terror attacks.

Rahul Gandhi says all terror attacks cannot be stopped. Was he right?

The Congress scion remark in the aftermath of the 13/7 Mumbai blasts that all terror attacks cannot be stopped has naturally stoked controversy. The opposition has upped their ante condemning such “irresponsible” statement by the prime minister-in-waiting.  Was Rahul right? Perhaps the statement was untimely in the sense it comes at a time when the nation is mourning loss of precious lives. Hold on. Don’t dismiss his statement as his usual blabbering without any factual content. I feel he is right to a great extent. (Sorry, I am not an avid fan of this man.)
Is effective policing possible in a country without effective intelligence backup? Our crowded cities and market places are simple sitting ducks. I don’t think effective policing would not be that possible in a nation of billion people. I wonder if it is possible to watch out each and every person and single out terrorists from among the crowds. After all, terrorists take advantage of this precarious situation to their benefits. They can simply remain among our crowd without being noticed and get their acts together.  I don’t mean proper supervision and effective policing is an impossible mission. It is possible. But there are difficulties.

Can you imagine police rounding up suspects without being labeled anti-minority or anti-majority in the country? I am sure even if a genuine suspect is arrested, there will be political hue and cry. (Blame it on our vote bank politics.) If a person from minority community is rounded up, he will be projected innocent and such acts will be termed machinations against minorities. (Remember the infamous Batla encounter. Even now, a so-called secular politician claims it to be an encounter. Remember a great police official’s life was lost in the action.) In the same way, when a person from the majority community is suspected, it will be projected as an attack on majority community. (Remember the Samjhauta Express tragedy.) I don’t think it will be easy for our valiant security forces to enforce strict policing after such allegations. They pay a heavy price in the form of their lives in their efforts to make our country secure, but they are finally rewarded with ungrateful comments.

Then, there are people who say, “Look, there are no major terrorist strikes in the US or the UK after the September 11 attacks.” I agree with them. The Western nations were able to thwart major terrorist strikes for a long time thanks to their effective intelligence mechanism and counter-terror operations. Even then, are they completely safe? They live every moment in the shadow of terror. They can only prolong it. Only time will tell whether they could stop such attacks forever.  And alas! India is not America or Britain. They were never surrounded by hostile neighbours like India is. We are facing terror from our own neighbour or elements planted within the country in connivance of forces loyal to our enemy.  Our intelligence mechanism can collect terror inputs and work on them, but they don’t have the power or resources to preempt them.

Rahul might not have considered these points before making such a statement. However, I feel he is right. In a country where politicians are working their way through victims of terror attacks for their personal glory and power, nothing more can be expected.

Who failed our constitution?

I am always proud of our vibrant, liberal and in more than one way, a unique constitution.  Also, I always believed we can find solution to many the problems confronting the nation today by applying the constitutional provisions liberally and judicially. I also believe it is the fundamental duty of every citizen, be he an official or a common man, to protect the integrity and purity of our constitution. The responsibility should be more if one is a person in power. Sadly, I would like to draw your attention to two recent incidents which radically shook my belief in the effectiveness of constitutional provisions. I must admit it is not due to any inherent weakness of the constitution. It is being weakened by those very persons who are supposed to protect it.

The first incident is regarding the PAC report on the infamous 2G spectrum scam. I was taught that the institution of CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General of India) is one of the marvelous creations of our constitution to effectively check financial misappropriation by those who are in power. And my belief in that institution was always strengthened by its findings and adverse comments against those who are in power at times whenever a financial misappropriation was noticed. However, the CAG report would not have brought about any desired change in the system unless it is brought before the parliament. Parliament is the authority where the report is discussed and suitable corrective actions will be recommended. Unfortunately, the recent controversy over MM Joshi’s PAC report indicting many powerful personalities in the current regime for the 2G scam was scrupulously sidelined by MPs representing the ruling party and its allies. I am not looking into the merits and demerits of the report. And also, to be neutral, let me not get into the political angles of the report. However, we should see that if we have enough power to manipulate things and capacity to garner enough support, we can override even a PAC report. I am not sure if the report will be tabled in parliament. I await the decision of the Speaker. However, I want to highlight mere violation of one of the provisions of our constitution.

The other one comes from Kerala. During the recent assembly poll campaign, our defence minister canvassed for the Opposition UDF in Kerala. One of his statements seemingly violates the federal principles of our constitution. Though the word “federal’ is not specifically mention in the constitution, it envisages for a quasi-federal set up for India. During the campaign, Mr Antony urged the people to vote for the UDF government so that both the state and the Centre will have governments ruled by the Congress. His statement apparently suggests that the Centre will help the states only if they are ruled by the Congress. This is blatant violation of the federal spirit of our constitution. He should have understood that the states are not seeking arms when they seek central assistance for developmental projects in states.
Both these incidents have shaken my belief in the effectiveness in implementing the constitutional provisions in their true spirit. Sadly, it comes from those people who are supposed to protect it and lead the nation by example. It is time for us to think who failed us? Constitution failed us or we failed the constitution?

Pakistan’s warning to India an attempt to subvert public anger

The American military action within Pakistan to eliminate al Qaeda leader is undoubtedly an intervention in the domestic affairs of a sovereign nation. And subsequent American warning that it would repeat similar operations if Pakistan does not act against terrorist havens within that country is an obvious challenge to the rulers of that nation.

The public anger against American action is growing day by day. It is obvious that those who support fundamentalism in that country will use this opportunity to harness the emotional outburst of the public against the US and the pro-US government of Yousuf Raza Gilani. More importantly, the fundamentalist elements within that country may whip up passions against the Western ally by terming the US action as an action against Islam. What is the only action that could act as a deterrent against this public anger? Obviously, it is the ‘India bashing’.

One should note that instead of condemning the unauthorized US military raid, Pakistan has warned the India against any ‘misadventure’ in that country following US footsteps. Pakistan rulers know that their India-centric rhetoric, to a great extent, would help them nuetralise the public anger. Sadly, statements coming from across the border are not encouraging enough. India’s military chiefs’ statements suggesting India’s capability to launch similar strikes within Pakistan to annihilate its most wanted have added fuel to fire. So, the India bashing is likely to continue for a long time. Indian leaders must be vigilant enough not to step into the trap set by its terror-hit neighbor. I would suggest statesmanship behavior from Indian leaders is required to stop any unwarranted developments. We must treat Pakistan’s warning as a desperate attempt by a nation hit by international condemnation and internal chaos.

Why was Osama protected by Pakistan?

I think we need not have the knowledge of rocket science to understand why Pakistan provided covert and over assistance to the al Qaeda chief.  Despite their tall claims about their participation in anti-terrorist operations in Afghanistan, it was obvious Osama was thriving right under the nose of Pakistani authorities. The US military operation in Abbottabad and subsequent killing of the terrorist leader rightly underlines the hollowness of Pakistan’s claims.

Osama means money for Pakistan. The al Qaeda leader was the proverbial ‘golden goose’ for Pakistan. It is in the guise of tracking down Osama and his terror network, America pumped billions of dollars and million dollars worth sophisticated weapons to Pakistan. Pakistan could effectively nuetralise the so called upper hand India had in the conventional warfare over Pakistan. The money was important for them to stablise their sagging economy hit by terrorism.

Then, only fools will think of sacrificing such a ‘golden goose’. It is obvious the US won’t help Pakistan financially anymore. Also, they cannot expect to use their leverage with the Americans to face the Indian diplomatic attacks after the 26/11 attacks.

Considering the policy being followed by Americans now, it is not far off when the US attacks Pakistan to eliminate the remaining terrorist havens within that country. For Americans, nothing is more important than the safety of their nation and their citizens.

If you were a voter of Tamil Nadu, whom shall you vote for?

Rebel,
If you were a voter of Tamil Nadu, whom shall you vote for?

My countryman,
Though the question is seemingly simple, I need to sit back and think before I answer this question. Being a strong nationalist and democrat, I must vote. However, if that happens, I have to choose, quite unfortunately, between two devils. (or many devils). I have really no choice. Similar is the case if were in other states too. I don't see a good leader whom I can trust completely and exercise my vote for him or her. Shockingly, I don't see anyone who can proudly claim my vote in the near future.

I am not sounding an alarming bell here, but that is the fact. We can only choose between devils.
Let us come back to Tamil Nadu. If I were to exercise my vote in Tamil Nadu, I will vote for the party that would bring some kind of relief to the common masses be it in the way of freebies like TV sets or Sarees or whatever. Interestingly, I was not a fan of Karunanidhi, and I am not a fan even now. In fact, I had a little sympathy for Jayalalithaa because I though she was more 'nationlistic' than other leaders in Tamil Nadu. Over months, not years, there is change in my perception. Let me tell you why there is a sudden shift in my stance towards these two personalities.

Karunanidhi, though accused of favouring his sons or his family, looks like a genuine leader. People accuse him of favouring his family. Which politician in India can be exempted from that charge? From the first family in the country to the chief ministers in the south, everyone is accused of nepotism in one way or another. Even in Kerala, there is an allegation that Chief Minister Achuthanandan's son is interefering in political decisions. Again back to Tamil Nadu. MK Stalin, not the elder one Alagiri, appears to be a promising leader, and I will vote for him. Notwithstanding several accusations levelled against him, he is poised to lead the state to progress in the coming years. I see glimpses of several leadership qualities in Stalin. He is the best for Tamil Nadu under the prevailing conditions.

Then, the other day, I read a report belitting the freebies given to the people like free TV sets, sarees etc. Though there is a 'right' in their arguments, I don't see anything wrong in such actions.(I am a layman, not an intellectual.) The argument against the freebies is that they do not make people self-reliant. It means a state should strive to improve people's purchasing power before giving them freebies. I would agree. However, does it mean that a generation must live without these basic things before they are enable to purchase them. How long it would take to make the self-sufficient? How long it would take to improve the purchasing power of the people? Decades? Centuries? Do these intellectual mean our starving millions should live without these basic pleasures that long?

I would have supported Jaya had she stuck to her stance on many issues. However, even she modified her stand towards the LTTE when the Eealm war was raing in Sri Lanka. I don't think that sudden found love was meant to help those who were dying in the battle zones. She took a such stand because she thought it would bring her political dividents after erroneously sensing the mood of Tamil electorates. However, she was wrong. Even the staunch supporter of Prabhakran, Mr Vaiko, had to bite the dust in the polls. And now, I wonder how could she join hands with someone whom she had jailed for speaking in support of the Tigers.She has no fixed agenda.

The most important thing is you are not going to see any visible changes unless these parties work dedicatedly for the welfare of the people. The end result is we can only choose between two devils. I would definitely vote for someone who is 'more nationalistic' than others. I will vote for someone who can at least wipe the tears of our suffering countrymen. Now, you know whom I will vote for?

Regards,
Rebel

Whom shall we trust?

Rebel,
It is with great agony and anguish that I am writing this letter.  With more and more scams tumbling out of the cupboard and with more and more people getting involved, I feel let down by the corrupt system? Whom shall I trust in this country?

My countryman,

I share your agony and deep anguish. At present, corruption (material, moral and spiritual) seems to be the buzzword in our country. With media coming out with stories of deep-rooted corruption in every nook and corner of our country, it appears we will have no relief from this menace for quite some time. Also, I think this is only a tip of the iceberg. We have to expect for the worst in the coming years.

Though the corruption is prevalent all throughout our system, let us begin with the so called ‘four pillars’ of our democracy. Let us begin with the parliament. Parliament is the epitome of our democratic traditions and hopes. However, it is known to us for decades that it is occupied by individuals who run after money and power. I wonder if I can isolate a single individual who represent this nation in the parliament can boast of following our democratic and secular principles. Also, I know it is absolutely pointless to describe what our politicians are. At least at this count, we are responsible. We mean the people of this nation. We allowed them to loot our nation because we elected them. We are corrupted by caste, religious, regional and economic prejudices. Despite knowing that we are electing persons who are unfit to be elected, we pave for their misrule. We need to be more vigilant henceforth.

Then, comes the executive and they cannot be different either because they are the very people who were selected from among the parliamentarians. Be it the ruling front or the Opposition, they are all same when it comes to looting our nation. The dispute is only over the share of the booty.

And sadly, even the judiciary. Even when I was losing my faith in this system, I thought there is at least one system where I can repose my trust. And now I stand disillusioned after knowing that they are not too different from the other ‘pillars’.  With even one ex-Judicial officer coming under scanner for nepotism and for amassing wealth, I am going to hit the last nail in the coffin. There were other stories of corruption seeping into our judicial system and I am sure you might not have missed them.

Then, comes the last pillar. The Press. The recent Radia-politician-scribes nexus exposes how powerful journalists joining hands with corporate lobbyists to influence decision making at the highest level points. The circle is complete now.

Whom shall we trust in this country? I am in a fix because I can’t answer this question to your satisfaction.  The simple question is: Do you believe in yourself? I must say we can’t even trust our own shadows nowadays. I don’t see any visible change in the system in the near future either. I am not painting a gloomy picture. I am sure a day will come and the new generation will understand the unscrupulous leaders who are trying to divide our motherland on the basis of religion, region and cast. Our generation must be eternally vigilant. However, vigilance alone will not save us; we must react. The weapon is in our hands, and we must choose our leaders carefully. Sometimes, you may feel you have no option, but to elect someone with a shoddy background. Then, go for the lesser evils.

We shall overcome all these troubles one day. That is history.

Regards,
Rebel Indian