All posts by admin
Posted on 10 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
The last twenty four hours have been extremely eventful in the run up to the 2014 General Elections. The consolidation around the BJP continues. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has decided to support the BJP in Darjeeling and in some North Bengal constituencies. This support will add to the victory of BJP. The possibility of picking up some seats in Bengal is now real. Simultaneously, a significant part of the Asom Gana Parishad led by its former President, Chander Mohan Patwari has decided to join the BJP. It was expected that the BJP was a serious contender of several Lok Sabha seats from Assam. Important leaders of the AGP joining the BJP in Assam will further consolidate the BJP as the only anti Congress party in Assam.
Besides individuals who are consolidating the BJP after leaving other parties in several States, the next few days are going to be extremely important in terms of the BJP and the NDA consolidating on the present situation in the three southern State of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. These developments will add to the strength of BJP in eastern and southern parts of India where the BJP traditionally was not a strong political force.
Simultaneously, a parallel important development has taken place both in the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. The Congress candidate from Bhind in Madhya Pradesh has decided to refuse the party nomination. He has simultaneously decided to join the BJP. Chandigarh was another important centre where the AAP claimed to have a sizeable support. Its candidate in Chandigarh has decided to return the party nomination since its cadre is in a disarray and she felt there was lack of organizational support for her election. A large number of people converge around a party who they consider is a potential winner. There are less claimants of a party which is considered a possible looser. However, it is unprecedented that party nominations are declined by candidates after they are publicly announced. This only happens when candidates find that the prospects of winning are non-existent.
The media honeymoon of the Aam Aadmi Party seems to be over. Even though media extensively reports the activities of the party it is now willing to put the party to a serious scrutiny as any other political party. The excessive media coverage to the party had made the AAP as the ‘television opponent’ of the BJP even when the ‘field opponent’ continued to be the Congress. A curious video has now been loaded on to the YouTube. The video shows that the President of the AAP is in close conversation with the anchor of a leading news channel subsequent to the recording of his interview. Both are conversing the possible emphasis and the editing of the interview. They are strategizing as to which parts are to be highlighted and the ones which may cost the AAP leader the middle class support are to be played down. We have never been fortunate to be extended such a privilege by any anchor or media organization. Friendly and collusive interviews intended to cultivate a particular image is a strategy of the AAP. This clearly shows the party and its leader pretending to be what they are not. They project the image of themselves which is unreal. Between reality and projection there is a complete mismatch. When Punya meets Paap you don’t expect a conspiracy.
Posted on 09 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
After an electoral contest in Delhi in December, 2013 Assembly elections, the AAP and the Congress have a cozy relationship. The Congress Party announced an unconditional support to AAP. Its State leaders were willing to issue statements against the AAP but unwilling to strike. The AAP was willing to register an FIR against Smt. Sheila Dikshit and other Congress leaders. The police organization where the FIR was registered was without jurisdiction. The Congress conventionally had a support of anti-BJP section of the intelligentsia. This section now had pinned its hopes on AAP as a possible contender for challenging Shri Narendra Modi.
During the last few weeks, the AAP has started a campaign at the national level. The entire focus of the campaign is against BJP and Shri Narendra Modi. Its leaders Shri Arvind Kejriwal declared that “Communalism is more dangerous than corruption”. This was a clear indication for his preference for the Congress and animus against the BJP. The entire thrust of his speeches whether at Delhi, UP or Gujarat has been on how to stop Narendra Modi. The AAP Party and its leadership does not speak against the dynasty. It does not speak on the Central Government being weak on national security; it does not give data on how the national economy has suffered under the Congress. There is no criticism of the manner in which the coal blocks were allocated or the 2G spectrum was allotted. There is not even a criticism of Congress having aligned with a convicted Lalu Prasad Yadav, AAP has softened the attack on the Congress and is going hard against the BJP. This is the Congress-AAP strategy.
The Congress meanwhile is running an insipid campaign. Its leadership is lackluster. Its campaign is on the backfoot. The entire focus of the media debate is the political struggle between the BJP and the AAP. Obviously, Congress has a vote bank much bigger than AAP. AAP is only struggling to make its presence felt. It may not even be a spoiler. It tactics target maximum media publicity. Its presence in the media is higher than congress. Amongst a particular section it has started occupying media space much higher than the Congress.
Even though the Congress may feel that the AAP is doing what the Congress is failing to do, it has ended up scoring a self-goal. The BJP remains a comfortable front runner. It occupies the non-Congress space. More and more non-Congress groups are joining the BJP. Whatever media and vote space the AAP gains, it eats into the non-BJP space. There are multiple players vying for the non-BJP space. The Congress, AAP, Left, BSP and the SP are the principal contenders for this space. AAP, by attempting to occupy non-BJP space, hurts the other non-BJP players more. The Congress is encouraging the AAP but it is today stamping on the Congress’s foot. The BJP constituency is intact and expanding. The Congress and AAP have a cozy relationship, but by dividing the non-BJP space, they will develop a self defeating relationship.
Posted on 08 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
This is Election time and we are getting into actual campaigning. Political parties are all busy planning their campaigns, striking alliances, announcing candidates and finalizing election strategy. Energy is being spent in mobilizing resources and producing campaign material for print, electronic and social media. A very large number of well meaning people turn to politics during elections. This is a positive trend. They are motivated by the feeling that they must contribute to nation building. Film actors, sports persons, achievers are being persuaded by parties to join them and in some cases even become candidates. This is also a season for many to switch parties. Switching of parties or defection during election time is called re-polarization of political forces.
Elections are also a great occasion for the mavericks. A maverick per se is independent in thought and action. He is not bound by the conventional rules. He is out of the ordinary. He shrills and at times is outlandish. He knows every trick on how to focus attention on himself. He attracts attention and publicity. He has no qualms about switching positions. He is more colourful on electronic media than conventional politicians. Social media particularly the Twitter has a huge space for accommodating the maverick opinions. Many mavericks are committed to ‘rent a cause’ philosophy. They are on the lookout for causes which they can espouse.
The word ‘maverick has its origin from the name of Samuel Augustus Maverick who was a land baron and a legislator in South Carolina in the 19th Century. He started as a land baron, handled his father’s business and thereafter studied law and opened a law office. During the Texas Revolution he was put under house arrest. He served as Mayor of Texas and held several elected offices. He had a small herd of cattle which was allowed to wander and the term ‘maverick’ was born to imply an unbranded calf.
India has its own share of mavericks. Many of the free thinkers join parties temporarily and then find themselves as misfit. Some have even formed political parties. Their style is unconventional. They make arguments in an idiom intended to derive maximum publicity. A maverick has a habit of making allegations without substance. Conventional politicians are reluctant to join issue with them because a maverick is capable of hitting below the belt. He is a wild card.
I have always wondered how to deal with a maverick. Do you answer questions which a maverick puts to you? Do you meet him when he tries to gate crash into your house? Do you allow him to occupy the centre stage by engaging him or do you ignore him and continue with your conventional style of setting the agenda? That I feel is a safer option. Silence can be the best response to a maverick. Silence is dignified. It saves you the embarrassment of engaging with a maverick on his bizarre agenda.
Narendra Modi therefore was well advised to deny an audience to Arvind Kejriwal.
Posted on 07 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
The year was 1999 when the Kargil conflict was on. The World Cup Cricket was being played in England. I happened to be there with my family during the summer break. We travelled from stadium to stadium watching cricket matches. The Indian team got eliminated prior to the semi finals.
A key Indian match against Pakistani Cricket team was played at Old Trafford in Manchester. With the Kargil hostilities on, the Indo-Pak cricket match acquired significance. There was tension at the stadium. Most of the audience was dressed either in Indian colours or Pakistani T-Shirts. The national flags of these two countries were being waved in hundreds. A group of youngsters of Indian origin recognized me and got into enthusiastic conversation about the possibility of Indian team’s victory. Most of them told me they had British passports and were British citizens. Some of them were Gujaratis whose families had migrated from Uganda and Kenya. I asked them a question as to who they cheered in a cricket match. In one voice they would say ‘obviously India’. But if England plays any other country we cheer for England, they maintained. I remember Lord Swaraj Paul telling me that he always cheers for India but if England and India are playing he has the privilege of being on the winning side.
I have mentioned the above because sporting nationalism or cricketing nationalism is an integral aspect of a person’s national identity. As a sports lover one can always admire the qualities of a great sportsman irrespective of his nationality. Some of them are a delight to observe. But in a competitive cricket the nationalistic spirit inevitably pulls you to your national team. I have seen fans in the World Cup Soccer travel with their national teams across the world to cheer them.
In the context of India-Pakistan cricket, there is nothing wrong in admiring the sporting qualities of a great cricketer irrespective of national boundaries. However, when an identified group of persons in a structured manner celebrate the Pakistani victory, it is not an innocent appreciation of the sporting qualities of Pakistan. There is a political statement in-built in such an act. The issue is not as to whether such young men can be prosecuted or not and if so under what section of the law. The issue is what is the political message that such a deliberate gesture is attempting to send.
Obviously such a gesture creates a sense of suspicion in the minds of a very large number of people. It creates a psychological barrier where some people arouse an uncalled for suspicion about themselves. Have they realized the extent of damage they do to millions of well meaning members of their own community who may not share their perception. The argument that this reflects a sense of alienation of a certain category of people fails to convince me. On the contrary it alienates them from the national mainstream. All well-meaning Indians and in particular community members should prevail upon such misguiding young men that what they have done is to hurt themselves, hurt their community and hurt the country. It is a lose-lose game.
Posted on 06 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Joseph Goebbels was the Minister for ‘Public Enlightenment and Propaganda’ in Hitler’s Third Reich from 1933 to 1945. The post gave him total control of communication media-radio, press, publishing, cinema and other arts. He is historically remembered for his famous strategy which is evident from his quote—
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the moral enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
What happened yesterday is no longer intriguing. It is a normal strategy of the votary of alternative politics in India. The AAP’s head Arvind Kejriwal is not arrested or detained. During the operation of Code of Conduct the police and district administration in enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct no longer report to the elected State Government. They follow the instructions of the Election Commission. All of us in various elections are stopped and checked; our personal baggage is also searched to verify whether cash is being transported in them or not. We always accept that as part of the Election Commission’s efforts to conduct free and fair elections. But Kejriwal makes his non-detention into a national crisis.
The routine strategy of the Aam Aadmi Party has been to utilize its cadre network through the SMS, assemble them at particular places and create a scene. They did so outside the Rail Bhawan, outside my house and this time at my Party office. There were similar demonstrations at BJP offices elsewhere in the country. Stones were pelted into the office, the bill-boards were demolished, a prominent member climbed on to the wall virtually trespassing into the property. After provoking and altercation with BJP cadres and police in various parts of the country the Aam Aadmi Party leaders landed up in TV studios. They pretend to be innocent victims. It was a peaceful protest which was attacked from inside, they say. One member compared the routine check under Model Code of Conduct with the historical developments in Chauri-Chaura.
Regrettably, even the likes of Rajmohan Gandhi offered themselves to become instruments of this false propaganda. The violent protest of AAP was peaceful, he asserted. The victims were in fact violent. When its members are booked for violence and law breaking they plead for equality on the premise that the victims should also be booked.
My experience of the last few days has been that the AAP utilized the propaganda technique of manufacturing an issue, real or fictional, and then persisting with it. Unable to defend itself its disastrous 49-day performance in Delhi, it invented the issue of a prominent corporate house as a political issue. Its opponents are all close to the corporate house; everybody else receives dubious funding, they argue. Their own funding is puritanical. What evidence do they have to prove all this? — NIL. The demonstration outside my house was justified on the ground that somebody used my name to bribe an MLA called Madan Lal. Till the demonstration took place I was not aware that Delhi had an MLA called Madan Lal. Yesterday the protests all over the country are now being justified as peaceful actions. The victims are the real culprits, they claim in shrilled tone.
If Joseph Goebbels was re-born he surely would have joined the Aam Aadmi Party.
Posted on 05 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
It was about two months ago that the Union Government decided to constitute a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the alleged “Snoop Gate” in Gujarat. The Gujarat Government had already constituted a Commission of Inquiry which is enquiring into the terms of reference. The object of the Central Government was political. They wanted to embarrass the Government of Gujarat and the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Shri Narendra Modi. Besides being a complete abuse of power by the Central Government, the Commission appointed by the Central Government smacked of vindictiveness and arrogance. Arrogance has been the hallmark of the UPA government in the past ten years. Arrogance is a certain guarantee for political downfall. The arrogant lack humility. Arrogance isolates them from various sections of society which find their attitude unacceptable.
What happened to that Commission? One after the other retired judges of the Supreme Court were approached to head the Commission. They declined to lend themselves for this politically motivated exercise. Thereafter, some retired Chief Justices of the High Courts were also approached. Apparently they also made it clear that they were not available for such an exercise. The Government had been morally isolated with nobody willing to cooperate in its colourable exercise of power.
Similarly, when the exercise for constituting the Selection Committee for selecting the Chairperson and Members of the Lokpal was undertaken, the Prime Minister and those sharing his opinion on the Selection Committee declined to accept any of the eminent names such as Justice Venkatchaliah, Fali S. Nariman, Soli J Sorabjee, K. Parasaran, K.K. Venugopal and Harish Salve to be members of the select Committee in the Jurist category. When the Search Committee was appointed the Government wanted to appoint one or more of the three Government Advocates whose names it suggested. Mrs.Sushma Swaraj declined to play ball.
I had requested the Prime Minister vide my letters dated 20th January 2014 and 30th January 2014 that the rules framed under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act were contrary to the Act. They had usurped the functions of the Selection Committee and the Search Committee. The Search Committee particularly had been reduced to performing a mere clerical exercise. My objections were over-ruled without a well considered response. I had argued that the Department of Personnel had usurped the powers of the Search Committee and the Selection Committee. No meeting of the Selection Committee had decided the criteria for selection. Eminent persons should be invited to become Members and Chairperson of the Lokpal. Applications compromise with their dignity and lead to lobbying.
Shri Fali S. Nariman and Justice K.T.Thomas have now refused to serve on the Search Committee citing similar reasons. They believe that the process being undertaken is not intended to select the best man for the job. It is now clear that the institution of Lokpal is being damaged even prior to its creation. When eminent and independent persons of repute are refusing to associate with the search and selection exercise while suspecting the motives of the government its moral isolation is complete.
Posted on 04 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Many views have been expressed with regard to the role of the President under the Indian Constitution. He is the Head of the State and the Supreme Commander of the Armed forces. These are a few functions where he acts independently of the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. For most of his functions he is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.
There is however an unstated function that the President has. He is vested with an undefined and unstated moral authority.
It is only a President who has the stature of a statesman commanding public respect that he can exercise this moral authority. For commanding that stature the President must be perceived to be fair and a constitutionalist.
If media reports are to be believed, the Government’s decision to promulgate a certain set of ordinances under Article 123 was scuttled by a reluctant President Shri Pranab Mukherjee. There are good reasons to believe that the media reports are correct. The President, Shri Mukherjee is amongst the most experienced Parliamentarians. He had a long innings as a Minister. His memory for precedents and propriety has been unparalleled.
Article 123 deals with the promulgation of ordinances. There are two conditions precedent prescribed in the Constitution for issuing an ordinance.
Firstly both Houses of Parliament must not be in session and secondly ‘circumstances exist which render it necessary for him (the President) to take immediate action.’
Surely, the desire of Shri Rahul Gandhi to push a certain law so that he can claim to be a part of the anti-corruption crusade is not a circumstance which calls for immediate legislation enactment through the ordinance route. The grim prospects of the ruling party in the forthcoming elections may be a cause for concern for its Party leaders. This is however an irrelevant consideration when it relates to the ordinance promulgating power. Why were these bills not approved earlier? Why can’t they wait for the June session of the Parliament? These are relevant questions which the President is entitled to ask.
Could the President defy the advice of the council of Ministers? No, he could not. But he could raise important queries. He could have sent back the ordinances for reconsideration. He could have consulted experts and heard contrarian opinions from within the political spectrum. A President could have used this Constitutional and Moral authority to enforce the Constitution. In the present case the latter was more effective than the first one. All this would have raised doubts about the Constitutional fairness of the government, an impression which an already weak government could ill afford. The Constitutionalist as the President can set a great precedent for the future.
Posted on 03 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
There are several states in the Eastern part of the country which economically have not progressed in comparison to the others. These States have also suffered from natural disadvantages. Their resource mobilization itself has been inadequate. It is therefore natural that these States aspire to get a special category status which will ensure higher central revenues and grants.
Bihar has been one such State which has been aspiring for a special category status. On account of division of the original Bihar between Bihar and Jharkhand, natural resources became a part of Jharkhand. The NDA government in all these years in Bihar had repeatedly demanded a special category status for Bihar. Amongst the political parties of Bihar there is a near consensus on this issue. The Congress in the last two years has held an olive branch to the JD(U) that it was willing to consider the grant of special category status to Bihar. In the 2013 General Budget speech the Finance Minister had in fact indicated that the Government would constitute a committee in order to favourably consider the grant of special category status to Bihar. This assurance was more political than being linked to the economic necessities of Bihar. The intention of the UPA was to lead the JD(U) up the garden path that the special category status to Bihar was indeed coming. I do not know how the astute leadership of the JD(U) fell for this. Coincidentally the signaling towards this special category status was also at the same time when the JD(U)- BJP break-up in relationship took place. Once the JD(U) was on its own the special category status did not come. Simultaneously, in the Swayamvar between the RJD and JD(U) the Congress party preferred its old ally. Newspaper reports now indicate that the seat sharing between the RJD and the Congress is somewhat stalemated. The JD(U) has organized a state wide protest to demand the special category status. The media has also indicated that the JD(U) may even now attempt an alliance with the Congress, a party which has already double-crossed it on the special category status.
Posted on 02 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Narendra Modi’s rally in Lucknow today drew an unprecedented response. The road to Delhi is via Uttar Pradesh. It is the largest state in the country which sends eighty members to the Lok Sabha. In the 1990s when the BJP gained strength Uttar Pradesh held the key. In 1991 General Elections the BJP won 52 out of 85 constituences in the undivided U.P. In 1996 the figure increased to 58 (+2 for the allies) and in 1998 it was 50. Since then the BJP’s strength had consistently declined. The BJP got 29 seats in the Lok Sabha in 1999. In 2004 and 2009 it was a paltry figure of ten. If the BJP is to form a government in Delhi it has to attain the strength of the early 1990s. Will that be possible?
The electoral contest in Uttar Pradesh is predominantly between the BJP, SP and the BSP. The Congress in 2009 returned with a surprise figure of 22 wins. Current indications are that it is being marginalized. The Aam Aadmi Party is generating news and catching attention. It is unlikely to have a significant electoral impact in U.P.
The BSP and the SP have a questionable track record of governance. The Samajwadi party’s governance is disastrous. When it is in power the law and order of UP collapses. The social and communal tensions have increased. Uttar Pradesh has seen innumerable communal riots. BSP’s track record was extortionist. It ran a despotic regime. Both these parties in the last 10 years are responsible for keeping the UPA in power. Their strategy In supporting the UPA was reciprocal. The quid pro quo was to get support from a pliable CBI for the cases of corruption pending against the leaders of these two parties.
There is a visible change in the popular mood of Uttar Pradesh. Caste polarizations are taking a back seat. The impact of these social polarizations will be relatively lesser though not entirely eliminated. The eight rallies which Narendra Modi addressed have drawn an unprecedented response. The issue in Uttar Pradesh today is governance. The desire for aspirational politics is now visible in UP. There is a complete change in the ground chemistry of Uttar Pradesh politics. When Modi finished his speech by reciting a Prasoon Joshi poetry today I was reminded of the election rallies of 1977 General Elections where speakers would conclude by reciting Dinkar ji’s famous lines “Singhasan khali karo Janata aati hai”.
Posted on 01 March, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Last week I visited my old college, Shri Ram College of Commerce where I had spent three of the best years of my life as a undergraduate student. In the early seventies when I studied there, the college was considered the principal institution for business studies. It continues to maintain the same reputation even now.
The occasion of my visit was recording of a programme called “ Political Roots”. The programme was produced and telecast by a news channel NDTV and anchored by Barkha Dutt. It was recorded in a sports gymnasium which was built by the college as a practice facility for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. An audience of a hundred students grilled me for over an hour. Needless to say, the quality of audience and students was excellent. SRCC is able to admit students who secure more than 96% aggregate marks. Obviously, the audience comprised of those who must have been toppers from various educational institutions. Most of them are aspiring financial consultants, management consultants and Chartered Accountants. They are aiming for careers on the growing financial world.
The questions which the students asked me were on political leadership, economic policy, corruption and various current affairs. They had doubts on issues which needed to be clarified. Some of them had dissected the purported fault lines in my party and wanted to question me on them. The environment for the discussion was extremely civilized and serious. If any guest is out of his depth, it would have been extremely difficult to tackle this audience. After the recording of the programme I drove back from the college with two thoughts crossing my mind. Firstly, can the depth and the seriousness which I observed during this interaction ever reflect in our legislative bodies. Secondly, if this is the quality of the younger generation, surely India would be a much better place in future.