Modi's Diplatomic Bomb

Modi’s Diplatomic Bomb

Modi has done it again ! He  has dropped a diplomatic –rather a diplatomic – bomb with a surprise “pitstop” teatime visit to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif. With this one unprecedented  step he may scored many successes.

It is possible that Modi  has disarmed Pakistan without firing a shot.

He has opened  a new path towards peace for India and Pakistan.

He has protected the interests of peace  of not only the region but the world which has been worried about the state of Indo-Pak relations.   USA, im particular, may breathe easier.

On the domestic front he has better secured his political station leaving the opposition, mainly the Congress, making voiceless noises.

Modi has shown that democracy is not sustained by a babble of discordant noises but by leaders with statesmanship which is the courage to see reality,forget or forgive and step into the future.

It would be unreal to believe that the Lahore visit was an impulsive,last-minute decision given the huge security concerns associated with it. The fact remains that it did happen and it went well. The major significance of the visit is that the army  was consulted and there was ready agreement or that Nawaz Sharif has control of the army. I think it is the former as the Asmy is also eager to find an honourable exit from the need to constantly assert its readiness to face the Indian army while at the same time dealing with their north-western region. The NSA’s also deserve credit for their fruitful Bangkok meeting.

There is now better prospect of a more open dialogue in which real concerns on both sides can be addressed. It is also possible to resume discussions on both Kashmirs to really arrive at an understanding on whether India and Pakistan are holding on to unwilling “hostages“ by right  or might and how it can be resolved for ever.

Indo-Pak relations have become a matter of international concern for geo-political and military reasons. The Lahore visit will serve to offer many world leaders better sleep.USA in particular has reason to rejoice as they would  have less of a  tight-rope to walk on if there is greater understanding between I ndia and Pakistan..

Reaction in India has been on predictable lines. BJP and Congress, equally ignorant of the innermost details of the Lahore visit, have, nevertheless, been equally strident in their support and criticism. BJP has hailed Modi for his master-stroke while Congress spokesmen have raised questions which border on the amusing.

Congress has attacked Modi’s style as a violation of the rules of diplomacy.They have said that  Modi was taking international relations too lightly and as a matter  of personal rather than of national interest. The secrecy of Modi’s recent travel plan was another irritant for Congress who wish Modi had taken  the nation into confidence. They also saw no consistency in his foreign policy.

What strikes one about the objections raised by Congrss is their sense of being left out. They do not seem to have got used to being out of power and others taking major decisions on their own.

Except for the various conventions intended to regulate behavior in international relations there are no other rules that bind successive governments of a nation  to a single code or policy in its foreign affairs. The government in  power sets its own course and follows it as it deems fit. There is nothing to say that the oppostition has to be given a running commentary on every ongoing exploratory  process until a decisive stage has been reached when the information would be shared. With the present trust deficit that exists between the government and the main opposition the latter should not expect any consultation except what is mandatory. This will remain so till the two sides realise the futility of the present stand-off and Congress returns to sobriety in Parliament.

As for secrecy in the recent Lahore visit that is understandable in the context of heavy security concerns. Congress should easily understand this and also acknowledge that the visit was a notable step forward in putting some salutary pressure on Pakistan.

Th Congress charge that Modi took international relations lightly is baseless. That is one area in which Modi has made unprecedented progress. Hr has  established himself among the largest group of world leaders and as a pivotal figure in east-west relations. Outstanding as this achievement is, he should now start concentrating on implementing his many plans  that touch the lives of the aam aadmi. The half-way mark of his term in November 2016 is a milestone he should take note of as that is when a notional countdown begins towards the next election. It is essential that there are visible signs of change on the ground during this period.

Modi’s  Lahore visit has immense significance.  I strongly believe that, as a strategy, it has the power to take Indo-Pak relations  many steps forward and for the moment one has to wait and watch the future with optimism.

No Price for Valour

No Price for Valour

The unpredictable has happened and the PM’s surprise hop-over to Lahore for a meeting with Nawaz Sharif has created mayhem among th media, their consultants from various backgrounds including those retired from the services and , of course, the political parties. The discussions on TV have already thrown up  questions on the  wisdom , the ethics and the impact of the visit on the “martyred” members of the srmed forces and their families.

I am least bothered about the disagreement and the vituperative cross-talk that will inevitably take place bewtwen BJP and Congress. One can safely ignore it as the unreasoned, impulsive and mindless  reaction of  two sides who have certain political compulsions.

I do, however, wish to comment on the repeated references by mdia persons and some of their advisers about the disregard the PM’s Lahore visit shows for the war veterans and the families of thos who were killed in action in direct and indirect conflicts with Pakistan.

Those who pursue this seeming demand for emotional justice are casting a slur on the ex-servicemen and the those who lost their lives in action by placing a price on their valour and their honour. I do not think a single serviceman would expect this kind of shaded sympathy.

Our defence forces are composed fully of volunteers who have joined up because of thei spirit of adventure to start with fortified by a resolve to do something which directly serves the nation. It is not as if they do not see the possibilityof physical danger and of loss of life. That is the difference between those  brave men and their equally brave families and the likes of us who choose to stay behind nad gloat over our totally misplaced sympathetic observations.

Now, leaving out the peronal aspect of this delicate issue the question of the PM’s Lahore visit impacting the sentiment of the war veterans and those deprived by war or conflict is  totally out of place. The visit, rightly or wrongly as time may prove, is a matter of higher diplomacy between nations and pursued in the belief that this could be a major step in resolving a huge problem dogging two nations. To accept the question raised about sentiment is to say that there should be no attempt at a peaceful resolution of a disagreement and that the two nations should honour the war-dead by continuing to remain in a state of perpetual conflict. Not a single man or woman in military uniform, alive or dead, would wish this demand attributed to them.

Raksha Mantri to Note

I was appalled  listening to a  Rajya Sabha MP from Tamilnad making a pitch for liberal financial assistance from the Centre for flood relief. In his lecture he:: :

decried the lack of swift response from the central organisations while the people struggled helplessly

condemned the cosmetic nature of whatever relief operations wer carried out

condemned the delayed and inadequate service of the three defence services

declared that while all three services had a presence in Chennai with all heavy equipment required relief work  started only days later after  more men and equipment came from outside.

The MP with academic honorifics adorning his name should have known that the three services were in action within 24 hours which was  many a  day before  his ilk deigned to get their toes wet. There is enough TV footage to show the elected representatives shutting their car doors on TV reporters or duckng for cover  in the safety of their homes when approached by the media. . The public joined the Services in a show of solidarity to work ceaselessly to handle the emergencies.The MP’s, particularly the Congress ones, were, of course, busy stalling parliament  He should also have known that the presence of the three services in Chennai is not really for compensating for the inadequacies of the local administration but for other legitimate duties from which, they are constantly diverted to b

bolster the civil administration –which, incidentally is turning out to be a thankless job.

I hope the Raksha Mantri will raise his voice against this kind of callous, uninformed  remarks devoid of grace and gratitude.

Party vs Nation

The afternoon session of Rajya Sabha yesterday,21st Dec, saw the Congress party plumbing the depths of narrow and petty party politics in defiance of national interest and  feeling about the Nirbhaya case.

It so happened that in the two hours set apart for government business yesterday Congress condescended, after shameless bargaining, to pass two Bills without discussion. This meant that there was still much time left which could be used for pending legislative work, mainly Juvenile Justice Act amendment over which Nirbhaya’s family and supporters were  on a dharna outside Parliament.

This matter was raised by government but the Congress opposition led by a light-hearted Ghulam Nabi Azad and a smirking Anand Sharma asked that they be rewarded for agreeing to pass the earlier Bills in just a few minutes. They preferred to take up general discussion on Intolerance, Chennai floods etc. rather than the JJ Act which could wait until the next day. No amount of pleading from the government side succeeded and the government had to defer.

What was incredible was the levity with  which the Congress leaders  dealt with the whole session, almost gloating over their obstructive power to have their way. Their interest seemed to be to protect their ego and win political points rather than make up for time   they had cost for parliament in the preceding weeks.

Having known no other party other than Congress in my growing years and venerated the leaders of those days I am appalled at the present state of that party and its leadership. I begin to wonder whether INC still stands for INDIAN National Congress ! 

MP's - Make'em Pay

Another disastrous session of Parliament has ended with less than 50% capacity utilised and another three or four hundred crores of taxpayers’ money wantonly squandered. If it is not one party it is another engaging in rowdy behaviour  while mouthing inanities about democratic right to protest -  and all this not even a week after praising Babasaheb Ambedkar and the sanctity of the Constitution ! Leaders have become as delinquent as the led !

Defying the Chair and violating rules of the Parliament made under the Constitution have become routine and to some extent the presiding officers have to take the blame for this. Over a period of years the Chair has become “One of Them” and consensus even about disciplinary matters has become the norm.

Rajya Sabha, in particular, has seen more disruptions with one of the leading presiding officers  facing goon-like demonstrations with hands joined in a permanent namasthe pleading for order or sitting with his head resting in his hands and muttering “What can I do ?” The Speaker of the Lok Sabha has shown much greater firmness and even suspended offending MP’s. As a result Lok Sabha has been more productive.

The MP’s have become complacent with their power to overwhelm by force and then condone it themselves. It is time to rein them in as rules made until now were made on the assumption that the elected representatives would be persons with a sense of responsibility  and feelings for their constituency and the nation. That assumption is now in question.

There was this shameful sight of the Parliament losing a session for lack of quorum. It was also unacceptable that towards the end of last week many MP’s wished to curtail the session to enable them to catch the early evening flights home. Not for a moment did they think of the hours lost in wanton behaviour.

The time has come for the people to remind the MP’s that they are accountable to the people and NOT vice versa as one would think from the MPs’ demands for greater compensation in cash and privileges. These will  only serve to put more distance between them and the people they represent.

CON-gress,Not PRO-gress

CON-gress, not PRO-gress !

There ws a spark of hope when, as I have been hoping  and arguing for for weeks , the PM met with Soniaji and Manmohan Singhji and appeared to have agreed on moving ahead with essential legislative business. Thereafter followed Constitution Day, a couple of days of praises for Dr.Ambedkar and unanimous re-affirmation of  allegiance to the Constitution.

All the above have now turned out to be platitudes and rituals and confirmation that politicians will be politicians! When parliament resumed its normal work last week  the Chennai disaster occupied most of the time in both Houses.

The Home Minister was to reply to the discussion  in Rajya Sabha when, out of the blue, MP Mishra saw Gen VK Singh in the treasury benches and exploded into a tirade against Singh, Mishra demanded  Singh’s immediate ouster from the House citing his disloyalty to the Constitution by his utterance a few weeks ago with some canine connotations. A few others joined him despite the Dy.Chairman, as usual at his  pathetic, humble best, confessing that he had no power to evict Singh who was in the House by constitutional right as a minister. Of course, there was the now customary storming of the well and shouting of slogans. The House was adjourned a couple of tims for fifteen minutes each time which was a pointless exercise.

The House resumed with the LoP, Ghulam Nabi Azad, being allowed to recite his piece in which he recalled the recent re-affirmation.However, after that he also went on to question Gen Singh’s presence in the House and supported Mishra..

The Congress has  threatened to disrupt Rajya Sabha if Gen Singh is not sacked from the Council of Ministers. In fact it has gone beyond that an d undone all that we thought was agreed at the “summit”. Azad has declared that they would not support GST until the government gave Congress a “categorical” assurance on “all legislative matters” So much for all the time spent on the sanctity of the  Constitution ! This is nothing short of blackmail  and the sacrifice of national lnterest.  The Constitution now exists as a plaything to be toyed with at the pleasure of the politicians as parties have consistently  violated its provisions which prescribe procedures covering  all possible situations that might arise in Parliament including the Singh episode. 

I consider this most recent incident as a failure of party leadership. On the one side the members of the ruling party  have committed irresponsible indiscretions and gone unchecked while, on the other, the main opposition, Congress, has continued to use its  obstructive strength as a form of blackmail. They have deliberately ignored that they are themselves defying the Constitution within days of all the lofty speeches made in Parliament which now seem to have been mere sanctimonious utterances. 

It is time that PM Modiji and Congress Prresident  Soniaji came to a durable  agreement that national interests will over-ride narrow party ends and personal egoes.This is a golden opportunity for Soniaji to assert the superiority of her Indian-ness to that of some others in her flock who would rather flaunt their unthinking pursuit of party interests.  The message of the agreement has then to go down the line to every member with the knowledge that breaking this agreement will cost him or her dear.

OROP Pensioners, Saavdhan !

I am greatly disappointed to read a newspaper report that ssays the OROP pensioners are planning to return their medals on 11, 12 Nov.I wish to caution them against such a retrograde step which will only lower the dignity of the protest. Regardless of the dilly-dallying by the PM and his government, I want them to remember that their tradition is to hold out and not to yield to any pressure or provocation, not even from within themselves. There is already a strong feeling from a a silent section of the veterans that there have been efforts to politicise the OROP protest and make it part of a political agenda. Finally I have this to say to the OROP protesters.

They should not go the way of the actors, writers, artistes etc who have returned their awards with much fanfare and questionable delays. Their awards have  had their supporters and detractors. The medals of the servicemen are a national tribute to their service to the nation in war and peace. There has never been a single voice of dissent in the entire nation. Do they wish to rebuff this tribute ? 

Selection of Constitutional Functionaries

         

We are in a  situation in which any crisis of confidence, trust, identity, in short even a minor niggle in governance, can be traced back to the injection of  bad politics. Even matters which have no political element,say, a traffic accident, suffers from miscarriage of justice because political interest intrudes into its investigation and final outcome.This being the case, political interference and influence in major matters such as appointment to statutory positions are not a surprise but  a tragic reality.

There was a time when the selection of candidates for the highest constitutional posts, those of President and Vice-President, proceeded smoothly with the dignity associated with those posts. There was a tradition by which the south and the north of the country alternately held these posts. Starting with Rajendra Prasad and Radhakrishnan the system survived for years before the quality of the candidates began to suffer due to political differences within and between parties. Then the north-south balance was discarded and even the topmost posts became subject to hot and sometimes unseemly contests. Some of the appointments devalued those lofty positions.

The most recent episode of the NJAC* ruling of the Supreme Court has set off so much agitated comment and veiled attributing of motives. This shows that even the Supreme Court, the highest and the ultimate arbiter of the land, is not beyond suspicion. A former Supreme Court judge, although known for his seemingly impulsive outbursts, has taken the daring step of submitting to the Chief Justice of India a sealed list of corrupt judges in the higher judiciary.  

A TV programme that reflected supporting and questioning views  on the     NJAC ruling led to the ludicrous impression that the selection panel had to be constituted in such a way that every member would have to have the power to neutralise every other member ! Such was the depth of the trust deficit ! It was also strange that the dissenting judgement of Justice Chalameshwar, one of the younger and progressive judges of the country, came in for no more than a reference in the debate.He has questioned the very basic assumption of the primacy of the judiciary which formed part of the SJAC ruling.

Selecting the right person for the right job has been a problem which management experts have been grappling with for decades. I remember that in the early years of my corporate life of more than forty years I have  seen selection being made  on the basis  of  subjective assessment of Indian employees by expatriate managers. The final selection very rarely had anything to do with professional capability but was based on personal background and acceptability by foreign standards.

The problem is no different in the selection of  constitutional functionaries in India such as the Chief Election Commissioner, , Comptroller and Auditor General and even President and Vice-President.  They are all politically sensitive positions and all stake-holders have their own candidates in mind. With known faces and names ranged in front of the executive, selection is subjected to severe pressures and  so much scrutiny. Disagreement can be unpleasant between parties and the residue of this dissent lingers to haunt the “chosen one” and the executive.

We in the corporate world also faced a similar problem of making a choice from a number of in-house candidates for a particular senior post. The selection panel members had their candidates with whom they had worked and wished to support.  The system ws flawed in that the candidates were assessed by members whose standards were different. Overcoming much resistance a new process was introduced by which a senior management  panel would study the professional needs of each position and draw up ideal specifications. This would be done when there was no vacancy and no name or face in contention When a vacancy did occur the selection would measure the suitability of the candidates against the job specifications and choose the one who is closest to the model laid down. In  practice it was not perfect as human failings in the panel were still a factor but the specifications ensured a higher level of fairness.

Years ago  PC Alexander,former Principal Secretary to Indira Gandhi, was suggested as a presidential candidate  and there was an unseemly disagreement between NDA and Congress. Congress opposed it and Alexander quit the race, a disillusioned man. At that time I recall having written to a couple of leading newspapers that model specifications should be drawn up one-time  for  all constitutional positions when there were no vacancies. The selection would be made by a panel which would have the PM, the Speaker, Leader of the Opposition and three other appropriate top constitutional functionaries, current or former.  With constitutional protection this would in theory ensure that an objective selection would be made at least to fill  the  vacancy thereafter as it arose.

The NJAC matter has shown how intrusive the human factor is. We have to recognise that no system can succeed in an environment and with participants filled with suspicion and vested interests. Add to this the polluted political air of the current times  and one can only speculate on how or when fair and pragmatic selections can  made for positions laid down in the Constitution.

In India today,  there is one spectre that haunts our national life and it is that of the mindless politics being played all round. Whether it be the working of the parliament, stalled legislation, OROP**, targeted violence or even the entire political scene, one sees the impact of power play  and focus on party interests over national ones. Statesmanship is currently a rare commodity in our leadership.

Both BJP and Congress have to discard their ego which is hurting the country and start talking to each other with a view to protecting the dynamics that every country has to sustain for growth. BJP has to recognise that winning a great election is only a starting point and halfway into their term the countdown starts  and judgement day will soon dawn. They, having been in government, will bear the responsibility for any failures and blaming the opposition will not help. There are rumblings already of the PM’s reluctance to bend just that little bit to open a dialogue with the opposition, Congress in particular.Prime Ministers have to be or learn to be statesmen. Modi has everything going for him  but he has to face the painful fact that he is now national  and not party property. His ministers also have to be educated on this crucial aspect of their identity

As for  Congress they have already erred in their emphasis on personal attacks and in single-minded opposition to just about everything   in a mistaken impression of their parliamentary role. Its leadership seems to be unable to think like a national party wih a tradition. Sonia Gandhi has her moment of truth  staring her in the face which she can turn either way to a place as a great national leader with statesmanship or to a test of her proclaimed Indian-ness  in a time of national need.  

India is on the threshold of opportunity to grow as a political and economic player. BJP and Congress as the leading political parties of the nation have to behave as such to grab this moment and agree on a list of national issues which should be kept out of their political differences and on which they should work together.. Bad politicians and bad politics have already done much harm to India.

*National Judicial Appointments Commission

** One Rank One Pension

The Centre and Targeted Violence

        

In recent months there has been an outcry against violence directed against identifiable interests. These interests have included  individuals not conforming to  extra-constitutional rules, activists working against vested interests and also minorities. In all these cases the attackers have been members of fringe groups of proclaimed or professed  Hindu adherents as a result of which the BJP governments at the Centre and in some States have come in for direct finger-pointing. Exacerbating this has been the continuous silence of the Prime Minister who has done no more than make oblique references  to the undesirability of such violence. The question asked and remains unanswered fully is how the brilliant oratory of the PM in India and abroad  has suddenly dried up in the matter of the unrestrained and targeted violence in some States.

The Central government has made no official condemnation of the series of incidents involving murder of an individual wrongly suspected of eating beef,  killing of writers and attacks on non-conformists who challenge the fringe group’s right to dictate. The response from the Centre which includes comments from the PM and some of his party leaders has cited the jurisdiction of the States over matters relating to law and order and the reluctance of the Centre to interfere with this jurisdiction.

Neither logic nor the Constitution justifies the Centre’s reluctance to condemn the many incidents and rein in the fringe elements that operate under cover of a religious ethos  shared with the ruling party. Articles 245 to 300 of the Conctitution deal with Centre-State relations and say that the residuary powers under it are vested in the Centre and not the States. The Constitution gives the Centre the power to exercise control over the legislation and administration of the States. Admittedly in extreme cases, the Centre can take over the administration of a State on the recommendation of the Governor. This is not without precedent.  Repeated violence bearing the same signature can turn into more than a mere law and order problem and public outrage against the Centre is understandable.

As for the logic of the present dilemma, we have seen the strident marketing efforts of the PM in countries abroad and these are based on assurances of many facilities, concessions and reforms. On what basis is Modi marketing India if his idea of a federal structure gives him no authority among the States ? His invitation is mostly to invest in India and this involves commercial and industrial activity which requires geographical space. Where does the Centre have this geographical space to accommodate favourable responses? It is obvious that the States have to cooperate. They are the direct beneficiaries of this effort which will have its ultimate impact on the national economy. The point is that, subject to political expediency, the Centre has various constitutional tools in its  bag to ensure State compliance and cooperation.

A very pertinent point  for the PM’s constant attention is that by  inviting foreign interests to operate in India he is also guaranteeing the safety and security of foreign personnel and property based here. If he is to say security is a law and order matter in the hands of the States  over which he has no direct control what is his invitation worth? Foreigners may have their faces blackened, their kitchens raided because their food  does not conform to some extreme Hindu code or their women attacked for  wearing  unIndian clothes. Foreigners have been subjected to violence and humiliation. Who will answer for such happenings ?

I am insistent that Modi should succeed as PM as he is the people’s choice by a huge margin.I have only written as a devil’s advocate to reflect the concerns of the likes of us on the sidelines which need to be addressed. I suggest that the PM ponder over all these issues before he goes on his next marketing tour with his  bag of new Indian ‘goodies”. I would like Modi to really be an active national leader besides being PM and assert he is in command. India deserves a break.

Is a Cow not a Buffalo

To tell a cow from a buffalo

Please tell me, dear fellow,

What is the real difference

Is there a book of reference ?

We here who live in UK

Complain we’re in decay

But when it comes to food

We take care, proper and good

We rear our herds of cows

And care for the bull, their spouse,

As without  a bull there ain’t new cows

And so ain’t no beef in the house !

I am off to India, heeding   Narendra’s call

To put my money there while rates elsewhere fall.

Red tape, he says, is all unwound

And red carpets everywhere abound.

But now tell me, dear fellow

How cow is not buffalo,

I know I sound so dense

But then In India I can’t cause offence !

The Tattooed Goddess

I have seen The Hindu newspaper report of a visiting Australian couple being held up in Bangalore and threatened by a bunch of goons for having a tattoo on his shin.The goons , whose Hindu sentiments were deeply hurt, saw in that tattoo a resemblance to an unidentified Hindu goddess, a resemblane which I , also a devout Hindu, did not see in the picture. It was just a face with a strange crown with horns sticking out on both sides.

What is more alarming is the comment of the Dy. Commisiioner of Police who said it was a “trivial” incident and both sides had arrived at a compromise !  Where is the question of a compromise when the couple was forcibly detained, threatened and an apology was extracted from them with Police support. Apology for what and when did the Police become mediators in what is a criminal offence ? Bangalore is turning into a fearful city with no guarantee of personal safety. Foreigners are being targeted quite frequently. The DCP, an IPS officer for sure, has some explaining to do about what is being done about the goons and the complicit policemen who intervened and shared the view of the goons. .

On the one hand the PM travels around inviting foreign investment with promise of EVERY support.The CM also invites foreign investment  , even saying that the power problem of the State was a temporary phase, a statement we have been hearing from every government for years.  Against all this what we are seeing is a daily report on threats to basic personal safety. Who will give us an answer ?

Modi, Modi, "Mayday, Mayday"

Yes this is a desperate call for help. The PM is busy electioneering and holding huge crowds spellbound with his powerful oratorical skill. I have myself fallen under his spell just listening to him, but now, I am waking up to see fearful happenings around me. BJP and their supporting elements are  directly and indirectly  at the root of them.

Sixteen months on, the trust and the hope of the people have begun to sag. What is happening on the ground is frightening. Benefits promised for the well-being of the common man are still to come while what he is getting are  threats  to his very existence – his family life, how he lives, what he eats. Secularism is a bad word and in its place HInduthva is flaunted.  Instead of focussing on development  about which there is much talk even the BJP-led governments are  digressing into  areas which have so far caused no harm to the population but now seem to be  irritating the extremists of the ruling party who are openly threatening to plunder and to kill. They have begun to act on their threats and have to be reined in. The PM whom the  people chose with such acclaim  has not gone beyond giving oblique advice against  those threats.

All that the PM has to do –and do without delay – is to recall the oath he has taken to uphold the law of the land and do just that. There are some of his ministers and  party men-and women - who seem to forget that once they form part of the government they cease to have the same freedom to act as unrestrained party members. They are subject to the dictates of the Constitution  and the PM has to ensure this. He has to make it clear that  he would uphold the Constitution and act without fear or favour  to do so. He is the master of the spectacle and he should now  organise and preside over one in India.  Maybe it would be a good thing for him to call his MP’s and MLA’s  and have one big gathering to loudly repeat the oaths which they have taken last year. Till now he has raised a storm among NRI’s  abroad.It is time now for hin to  do the same here to forcefully demonstrate to those resident in India that the “Mayday”  call has reached him .

Changgu Changga !

Readers might wonder how a Punjabi element crept into the title. That was because Punjabi was the only language which could give me the exclamation that briefly and effectively described my recent visit to that tourist paradise, Bali , in Indonesia. As for Changgu, spelt Canggu in Indonesian, it was pronounced differently and fitted relevantly  into my title as my younger son,Mahesh, my
host in Bali, lived near Canggu beach !

I went for a swift visit of twelve days to join Mahesh’s birthday bash on  his fiftieth. He like me, was never known to observe these “special” days but then he in his Balinese element would naturally observe any day that ended in an evening of celebration and merry-making ! Mine was a reluctant visit to start with as I was engrossed in my activities  in Bangalore. However,once there in Bali,  I was swept away by  a tsunami of unbelievable hospitality of the locals –meaning a huge number of
foreign permanent residents  besides the irresistible Balinese – and an introduction to their profession, almost entirely tourism oriented. This meant that the line between business and
pleasure  was a very thin one.

Business consisted mostly of meetings every day in one or the other of the many authentic multinational, multi-cuisine restaurants run by foreign nationals. Wine and beer were driving influences on all good discussions over lunch while vodka was added to the list at dinner –which often was an extension of lunch ! The local streetside equivalents of our dhabas were also chosen venues and the food, the tidiness and the hygiene were impeccable.

The birthday party itself was so beautifully organised mainly because it was a combination of Mahesh’s and girl friend Trish’s planning plus whatever the collection of friends could contribute in effort and infrastructure. Danielle Van Poppel, a gracious Dutch friend gave Mahesh the free use of her superb  Villa Ylang Ylang resort and its six luxurious suites located on the Saba beach on the eastern side of Bali. Frangipani trees in full bloom skirted the huge pool and a grassy garden sloped into the beach where the three to four metre surf came crashing down during most of the day. The service and the food provided during our two day stay were divine. I personally was so flattered when  the chef surprised me with their superb beef rendang, something I'd die for, beef ban or no beef ban. All that and the beach with its black volcanic sand were a perfect venue for the birthday party.

The party was for an invited fifty or sixty and the general demand was for Indian food. Glasses of champagne and allied libation were generously circulated with a variety of kebabs and dinner was a biriyani one provided by the only Indian restaurant in Bali. After I had walked around and shaken hands with most of the guests, some of them who had flown in that day, I was seated comfortably as guests took turns to sit with me. That was pleasant and educative. 

A remarkable feature of the evening was  that at a certain stage I thought that the party was larger than the intended fifty or so. Even allowing for double vision which afflicts many well into a party the number looked large. It was after  a strange character in  over-casual clothes “shtaggered” up to me and introduced himself unintelligibly and wished me “Happy Daysh, Shir”   that I recognised the local licence of any passer-by on the beach to join any party they passed !Bali beaches are popular party venues at every sunset!

I am not a great tourist in conventional terms and really ought to be ashamed to say that this was my first visit to Bali although I lived in Singapore for six years and went to Jakarta every other month. On this visit I did what pleased me most – to meet people . Mahesh’s friends were generous wih their time and hospitality and besides, I was so impressed by the warmth and the humility that accompanied every greeting of the staff of all the restaurants we went to. The fact that Mahesh was a regular regular and a generous one at that cannot take anything away from the cultural and natural
goodness of the Balinese.

A feature of tourism in Bali is the popular use of motorbikes by tourists. Young couples ,mostly from Australia, but also from Europe and USA could be seen in various stages of dress and undress zipping (pun unintended !) around on hired motorbikes and  heading for the venues of their  preferred mode of enjoyment. Kuta beach,in particular, has been the busy hub of backpacker activities which, of late, have attracted the adverse attention of authorities.

The Balinese follow their version of Hinduism and Ramayana. There are temples and temple rituals. A multi-communal society lives in harmony and every religious festival is supported by all communities. I saw this myself when a nearby temple was celebrating a festival and the roads around were closed at certain times. The owners of the shops on these roads, non-Hindus included, accepted this closure without complaint knowing full well that this would be reciprocated during their festival days.
.

Mahesh’s villa itself was a beautiful one with paddy fields stretching on one side. It had an open plan and the omnipresent frangipani trees were present here as well.  A touching and regular sight every day was of an old woman who collected the fallen frangipani flowers from the pavement outside Mahesh's wall. Whenever we bumped into her she immediately stopped picking the flowers and joined her hands  and bowed almost as if to apologise. The flowers went to her temple.

Kite-flying was a popular pastime which, like the Indian IPL has  assumed competitive proportions.. Framed in Mahesh's open picture window kites of all dimensions  and shapes occupied a lot of airspace and obstructed traffic  on the narrowerer roadswhile in transit to competition sites.

My twelve day plan was easily stretched to seventeen and  there was not even a feigned whimper

of complaint from me. But even seventeen days come to a close and I left Bali with a great feeling of having had an invaluable and fulfilling experience. What better expression of my Bali experience can there be than the joyous Punjabi “Bali Bali, Balle Balle”!! 

Congress on the Slippery Slope

     

I cannot bear to write off the Indian National Congress party even  in its present avatar  although the growing public outrage against the way it is toying with the Parliament is clearly visible. Yesterday was a tragic day in parliament when the grudgingly agreed debate on the Sushma-Lalit Modi matter happened. But the level to which the heated exchanges sank in the language and style was abysmal. Arun Jaitley’s speech winding up the debate was the only one which really rebutted the Congress accusations with clear references and delivered with dignity..

 I belong to a generation which grew up in the thick of the freedom struggle and completely dominated by admiration for Gandhiji and Nehru. Their only weapon against the British  was their blind faith in their cause and this was vastly infectious. They fought and won, then they laid the foundations of a durable and strong democracy. My generation read about inspiring debates between parties  in parliament where sharp differences came out into the open, there were heated exchanges but in all these the theme was the well-being of the country. Personal and party egos did not exist. The only lack of foresight on the part of Nehru and the  writers of the Constitution showed up in later years. That was their belief that all their successors would be as loyal and true to the national cause as they. History has shown how mistaken they were.

However, today, the Congress party leadership is blinded by the deep wound its ego has suffered in its humiliating defeat in the 2014 election. Much greater leaders than Sonia Gandhi have accepted defeat in parliamentary elections with better grace, perhaps because they have considered themselves as much  a part of the Indian parliamentary system as winning and losing elections. Soniaji seems to be under the mistaken impression that in order to assert her Indian-ness she has to win every round of every bout – and experienced leaders, trusted advisers like Manmohan Singh and  Antony dare not correct her. The political future of the Digvijays and the Kharges is uncertain. The in-betweens of the Anand Sharma and Gulam Nabi Azad type will hope for top leadership in a resurrected party if that happens.The young hopes like Scindia are just carried away by the excitement of the battle forgetting there is no victory for the Congress in this conflict because if they win India and its democracy lose. The entire stand-off has been reduced to the question “Are the parliamentary practices laid down by the rule books the  products of the Constitution (which indeed they are) and if so can continued disorder  and defiance of those practices be condoned when MP’s have sworn allegiance to the Constitution?” The answer is obvious. 

The Lok Sabha Speaker’s suspension of 25 Congress members was appropriate, though belated. It was laughable seeing Soniaji and her flock virtually protesting against the Constitution near the Gandhi statue outside parliament. Sheer sacrilege ! Knowing Antony and Manmohan Singh as well as I do, being party to that avoidable drama and speaking in support must have been soul-searing for them ! How the mighty have fallen!

Congress is now turning its attention to stalling Rajya Sabha proceedings. While the Lok Sabha Speaker has been showing a high degree of firmness throughout the session, presiding officers of Rajya Sabha have shown visible and audible helplessness. By the very nature of its composition Rajya Sabha has always been very orderly and debates there were meaningful and well-prepared. That is now history  as nominations to this House, as to many other  institutions, are based on extraneous considerations. The number of nominated members who are always absent except when summoned for  a vote is proof of this.

The post-Nehru period, in retrospect, marked a downturn in the life of the Indian National Congress. Bad decisions and missed opportunities have been the reasons. Nanda in two short terms and Lal Bahadur Shastri for two years followed Nehru. Shastri showed short-lived promise with his handling of the 1965 war with Pakistan. Indira Gandhi’s reign  from 1966 to 1977 was eventful for all the wrong reasons- the split of the Congress, her conviction, Sanjay Gandhi on the rampage, the Emergency, its withdrawal and the general election with Congress losing to an alliance led by Morarji.

Indira Gandhi returned to power in1980. Sanjay Gandhi died in an air crash in Delhi and left his mother in maternal distress and political despair. An unwilling Rajiv was coaxed into joining politics. !983 saw  Operation Blue Star and Bhindranwale’s  death. Indira was assassinated in 1984 and Congress was led by  an amateur politician, Rajiv, popular for his charming smile and  open nature. First impressions in India and abroad were good but  that changed as a coterie tightened its grip on Rajiv. IPKF in Sri Lanka turned into a disaster and India had to withdraw after Rajiv lost the 1989 elections trying to please the Muslims  on the one hand and promising Hindu rightists their Ram Rajya on the other. VP Singh was the next PM 1989=90 and Chandrasekhar 1990-91.The Lok Sabha was dissolved prematurely and general elections were  announced.

Rajiv was assassinated in 1991 while canvassing in Chennai. In the elections Congress managed to get enough seats to form a minority government under a retired and recalled Narasimha Rao. The  Congress enjoyed a flash of glory when the government was confronted by an unprecedented economic crisis and the possibility  of being declared in default. Between Rao and Manmohan Singh, also recalled from retirement, they led huge economic reforms which salvaged India from threatened ignominy and put it on the growth path. Rao’s 1991-96 term gave hope of restoring balance in Indian politics and economy.

              The 1996 general elections did little other than give India three Prime Ministers in                                two years and another general election in 1998. Vajpayee led an alliance but it                                      collapsed leading to yet another election in 1999. Vajpayee this time led a stronger                              alliance and lasted the full five-year term. The Congress lost two in a row.
.

Sonia Gandhi became Congress President in 1998 replacing Sitaram Kesari who resigned under dubious circumstances.2004 was Soniaji’s peak political year when Congress went back into power leading UPA 1. She, of course, was the first choice for PM but in what looked like a great gesture of  abnegation she obeyed her “inner voice” and offered that position to Manmohan Singh. The loyalists in the party wept uncontrollably on hearing of this decision!

 It is logical to assume that the act of abnegation was based more on the reality of her situation than on a spirit of sacrifice, Soniaji’s sharp mind had realised that if she became PM  she would be in the frontline and the opposition would take potshots at her for the Bofors scam with its Italian connection and the HDW submarine scam over which VP Singh had resigned from the cabinet, Manmohan Singh was the ideal choice with his international standing, total invulnerability to any accusation and, of course, his gentle, peace-loving nature !

 UPA 1 and 2 followed as a  strange alliance of parties with disparate ideals. The result was a period of compromises and smaller parties influencing crucial decisions. It was coalition at its worst. The coal block allocation and the 2G scams broke out which evoked critical comment in mandatory scrutiny  which even suggested incidence of corruption at ministerial levels. The Telecom Minister Raja resigned and had to go to prison.Things got so bad that the stink touched the PM who held the coal portfolio at cabinet level. A rail scandal followed and the coal minister and the rail minister resigned.  In the light of all this there was little surprise that the Congress party was swept away in the 2014 elections and reduced to such a minority that they even had to fight for the position of official opposition with 44 members in the Lok Sabha.

Cutting to the present, Congress feels so badly whipped in the election that the party leadership, despite divisions in the ranks, is indulging in a test of its .obstructive power by disorderly , rowdy behaviour in the parliament to block vital legislation for which it claims credit at the same time. Wasted parliament time is estimated to cost the exchequer nine crore rupees each day. Public outrage is growing and there is a demand that not only should all further increases in MP’s remuneration be blocked but also that they should not be paid salary and allowances for the period of disruption.

 I started with my reverence for the old Congress party and have come full circle.I have traced the decline of the Congress and it seems to be that it started with Indira Gandhi’s clash with the organisation and the exit of the veterans from the party. Since then it has been a constant attempt to keep THE FAMILY in power at any cost and inexperienced leadership has cost the party its numerical and moral authority. The latter could still have been retained if the party had stuck to its old principles and let the members choose the leaders.

Even the depleted Congress presence in Lok Sabha has capable, potential leaders like the Anand Sharmas, Jairam Rameshs and the Scindias. There are the experienced Gulam Nabi Azads and the Digvijays and the sages, Manmohan Singh and Antony who are all strangely complicit in this nasty, unbecoming drama being played out in parliament. It is time that the younger and fitter leaders shook off the shackles of their present state of hypnotised thinking, reopened their own fresh minds, raised the voices of their conscience now in a state of stupor and planned to replace an aging  leadership with young, more potent home-grown leaders. It is true that there was a foreigner among the founders of the Congress party but to sustain a national party and give it eternal life it needs home- grown leaders with national blood flowing through their veins. Indian-ness is not enough to be Indian.

President Abdul Kalam is right when he says  there has to be a dream and that dream has to turn into action. The resurrection of the much-loved old Congress party is a dream which needs to be followed by action. In the present case, Congress has to act  without delay if it is to stem the down- slide of the party and  prevent our great Indian National Congress from turning into Indian Notional Congress.

             

The Indo-Italian Threat

The GST bill was introduced in an orderly Rajya Sabha.However, it was halted at that stage as then  the Congress benches erupted into shouting and the members crowded into the well. By convention rather than by rule any  constitutional amendment can  be passed only with members in their allotted seats.The GST bill involves such an amendment.

I am disgusted that  a glorious party with such patriotic traditions should now be populated by mindless creation who forget  their roots and violate the Lok Sabha rule book which is a product of the Constitution.. They blindly follow someone whose proclaimed "Indian-ness"  is now shown to be not enough to be truly Indian which needs  Indian blood flowing through the veins. 

It is ironic that the party which threw foreign domination out of India is now  welcoming foreign influence back in our governance. Thanks to them our parliament is beginning to be run on the lines of its Italian counterpart ! There is no substitute for home-grown leaders for our national parties !

Quo Vadis, India ?

In 1957 when  Nehru heard Vajpayee in parliament he said “This young man will be Prime Minister”.   As for Vajpayee, an RSS pracharak, he had no reason to like Nehru whom RSS considered a pseudo-secular anglicised Indian. Yet when Nehru died, Vajpayee paid a handsome tribute to Nehru. He said “A dream has remained half-fulfilled, a song has fallen silent and the flame has vanished into the Unknown. The dream was of a world free of fear and hunger, the song an epic resonant with the spirit of the Gita and as fragrant as a rose and the flame a candle that burnt all night to show us the way “.

Having seen the current parliament stuttering its meaningless way through days and weeks and watched Congress and BJP “pracharaks “  shouting and hooting down each other to no purpose I could not but think of the  life of the parliament in its glorious past from which only Vajpayee remains as the only genuine statesman. He  was loyal to his party but loved his nation more and acknowledged patriots from other parties with total respect. I recalled my childhood and growing years  when we read about the great parliamentarians of the first and second generation from different parties with conflicting ideologies but all united in their concern for the well-being of India.

Nehru, Patel, Ananthashayanam Iyengar, Hiren Mukherji, Dange, Ram Manohar Lohia were only some of the great orators who were listened to with wrapt attention even if they were speaking against  each other. There was criticism but no malice. There was force in what they said but not the coercive and threatening kind. It was all reason and thinking. With those memories still alive it has been terrible to watch those seats occupied by comparative pygmies battling it out depending more on decibels than sense, on muscle rather than brain. Where there was decorum and dignity there is neither now.There was dignity in the House in those distant years  because there was dignity in the members. . The Speaker was a firm and just traffic policeman who managed the proceedings fairly, enforced rules and was respected. The Parliament was theirs to protect and not a transit camp to occupy for a few years and from which to acquire an identity and benefits which they never had.

The stand-off between BJP and Congress which has been marked by anger and bitterness and a huge dose of ego has cost the nation dear. The Parliament has been turned into a venue  for rowdy behaviour, display of total contempt for rules and disregard for the waste of  time and  money. Legislative business of great relevance remains ignored while personal animosity between leaders rules supreme. It is as if important legislation accepted in principle by both sides is being blocked by Congress to show how even a depleted opposition can obstruct the majority.  The tragedy is the unanimity among the opposition parties which have risen in rebellion against punishment of rowdy behaviour in the Lok Sabha after repeated warnings. The  impasse has now been escalated into a new level by a boycott of the parliament.

The BJP after a strong resistance to objections to the format of the pending Bills has compromised in an effort to  move forward. The Congress are sticking to their stand for resignations which is totally untenable as they have rejected the offer of a debate on the issue in Parliament. This is where the leaders have to  show their mettle and statecraft but then ego has to be sacrificed at the altar of national cause.

Congress leadership seems to wish to cling to its ego as that appears to be all that it has. “Indian”ness is not enough to lead an Indian political party, “Indian”ness has to have that little bit more to be truly Indian and to feel for the country. It is the feeling for the country that makes a true patriot and, sadly, that is  a rare commodity in our politics today. Sonia Gandhi had received the acknowledgement of Indians for the manner in which she has merged with the local scene but her current policy of unconditional confrontation could damage her claim to be truly Indian. The young and new blood in Congress,future hopes such as the Sachin Pilots and the Scindias and the not so young but experienced Jairam Rameshs and Anand Sharmas have unfortunately chosen to follow lamb-like rather than advise steps that put the nation first and inter-party conflict last. It is sad that at the top Manmohan Singh, Antony and others  like them have been reduced to mere mute followers of what seems unworthy of their stature. Forgotten is the basic tenet that leadership lies in overcoming, not creating crises.

All these experiences have a lot of lessons to offer on the need for electoral reforms which ensure that instruments of democracy such as parliament are in the hands of those equipped  to handle the work within just as any other instruments need trained users. Even an attender’s job demands minimum educational qualification and acceptable credentials. It is strange that the destiny of our nation is placed in the hands of those who have no credentials whatsoever. Even  known criminal records are no bar to becoming a party candidate for election and in fact, in many cases, it is a desirable qualification ! Fake  supporting documents are par for the course and so the path to parliament and legislature  is literally and figuratively paved with gold ! The result is that a large number of MP’s have come out in open support of the suspended members saying that the agitation and noisy demonstrations inside parliament. are acceptable means of protest in a democracy. Sonia Gandhi said so too  adding that the suspension was a murder of democracy. How the mighty have fallen ! An MP said yesterday that Nehru would have wept at the suspension. Little did he know that Nehru would have exploded in outrage at the unruly behaviour and would have had the members evicted.

The Parliament stands immobilised despite the brave attempt in Lok Sabha to  go through the routine. The Rajya Sabha faces the same noisy demonstrations led by Congress and what it takes to restore normalcy is in the hands of Modi and Sonia Gandhi. This reminds me of the Cold War when USA and USSR faced each other in cold silence with nuclear weapons at the ready. But then that war was also de-fused  by leaders who saw the futility of it and the damage that it was doing to their economies. We here, of course, do not have the luxury of that length of time and one can only hope that good sense will prevail and end this Cold War soon.

A new development is that the Indian people at every level who are aware of the far-reaching reforms awaiting clearance are openly getting restive. In fact there is widespread disapproval among the public  of the disruption of parliament  and the colossal waste of public money at the rate of at least a quarter of a million rupees every minute. Politicians are already being stopped on the road and heckled in many States for not doing enough for the people or for doing too much for themselves. It would not be too unreasonable to fear that the  stoppage of parliament could trigger more active protests from public organisations which would then be a gathering wave. Political leaders need to keep this in mind.

I had said in one of my earlier articles that Modi has to reach out to Congress With his constant absence at every meeting and his infrequent presence  on a selective basis he is putting more distance between himself and the opposition than is wise. He only makes his job more difficult when he has the presence and personality to mend fences.. He has already had a cordial meeting with  Dr.Manmohan Singh. – one cannot have any other kind of meeting with Dr.Singh ! –who would be a good interlocutor to restore contact between both sides. If Modi can restore talks with the Pakistan PM, surely,  he can do the same with Sonia Gandhi who at least has direct interest in India.I have maintained that if Modi and Sonia Gandhi  can agree on a national agenda which is kept out of party conflicts the country can move swiftly forward. Congress can be an active stakeholder in the success that would follow. It would also spell a release for both sides from the hold of the host of lesser parties which are only concerned with furthering their narrow .interests. It may also help remove the sham of the secular divide that exists today.

Admittedly Indian politics is in turmoil but  it is said that everything churns into a mess before clearing. One hopes this is true and that we shall have an answer to our question Quo Vadis , India ?

The Largest "Shirking" Democracy ?

What should have happened days ago, even sessions ago, has finally happened. Many MP’s who lauded  the “Temple of Democracy”, our Parliament, when it suited them and then desecrated it  when it did not, have finally got their just prasad. The pujari has had enough and has acted using powers which have seldom been used on this scale. For a change for weeks  it was the pujari praying for attention, pleading again and again for calm and for behaviour as accepted and  laid down by the worshippers themselves. Finally,in utter despair and frustration the pujari has banned their entry for five days for unruly behaviour.

The Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan, has waited patiently, requested persistently for order many times each day only to be snubbed, defied and insulted by the opposition led by a battered Congress. It is ironic that the largest, oldest and the most prestigious party which battled, won  and laid the foundation of a working democracy should now be trying to make it a”shirking” democracy.

The Congress party is the same but ,over the years, the leadership has changed and now we see clearly that  both leadership and membership have changed in every aspect. The voices of members arguing and debating for national causes that gave the Congress its lofty political position have been displaced by the raucous shouts and hoots of a motley crowd of ambitious, self-seeking and unruly elements demanding an endless string of pay rises and more perks and privileges. Leading them are their seniors who are short on leadership  and chosen for their access to muscle, resources or  family connections.

What we have seen in recent recent years is the growing resort to  rowdy  behaviour in Parliament  to intimidate and coerce.  Posters and placards are displayed in the House in defiance of rules and if these are excused  they are paraded around the floor of the House to catch the eye of the TV camera. The Presiding Officrs have been far too lenient and  wary of adding to the crisis by taking penal action. Unfortunately, among the members also  the two Houses have few takers for firm action  as when it comes to the crunch they have to stand together for benefits of common interest.

The Rules of the Houses have time-tested  processes for dealing with every possible expediency in their running and in the political administration but there are parties, particularly the smaller ones, who try to get their way by open rebellion and violation of rules. The most recent, led by the Congress, has been obstructing the Parliament for the last ten days demanding the resignation of a Central minister and two Chief Ministers. The fact that matters to do with the States ar not usually taken up in Parliament seems to have been ignored . This situation can also be dealt with satisfactorily and in detail under existing rules but Congress, preferring to be sulking losers, have chosen to.  obstruct Parliament with slogan –shouting and crowding the “well”.  Today’s sitting ended with the suspension of a number of opposition members who were “named” for unruly behaviour.

There has been growing resentment among the people against  the wanton disruption of Parliament by dissenting members who then have the gall to ask for additions to their already bulging bag of salary, allowances, perks and privileges. Their latest forceful demand is for escorts and service at airports to lead them from their cars through VIP lounges into the right seat of the right plane. This is the kind of care asked for for persons variously disabled. Of course, it is possible that some of the new claimants for this service do genuinely feel the need !

A matter that has been raised in the public domain is the justification for paying the MP’s for days lost by disruption, Such wasted hours have crept up from a mere 4%  several years ago to 18% in the 13^th Lok Sabha to 22% in the 14^th and then leapt to a whopping 42% in the 15^th. The present ruling party has contributed to this unpardonable disruption practice in the past and are now blamed by the Congress for setting a precedent which is only being followed !

It would have been possible in the past when the leadership was wise, pragmatic and conscious of their national responsibility to expect  acts of statesmanship on both sides to ensure that the nation’s interests were not harmed. However, this would be too much to hope for now  considering the differing variety of politicians and their leaders that we have unsuspectingly sent to Parliament. The BJP and the Congress, between them, will have to resolve  this impasse if they are to escape  total condemnation of the people  who have voted for them and now feel betrayed.