NDTV Ban

I see the fuss being made by the media about the one-day ban on NDTV.The comparison to Emergency is laughable and betrays an exaggerated idea of press freedom. I am myself shocked but not at the ban.

In all fairness I must confess that I have great respect for NDTV and its professionalism  which is why I am disturbed to see their lapses.  I am shocked at the fact that the seniormost TV channel,NDTV, failed to observe  the widely accepted reporting protocol. I do not need to remind media that there has already been  a serious reporting  episode during  26/11. No lessons seem to have been learnt. Channels compete with each other in  open displays of their access to sensitive government documents including, if I remember right, cabinet notes. I do not seem to recall any reaction from government either on this ongoing private battle!

After the present instance of reporting of the Pathankote attack which I saw on TV  I wrote to the print media expressing shock at the reading by certainly one reporter, if not more,  of the “inventory” of military assets which escaped enemy attention in Pathankote. I am not surprised that this letter was not published and I do not know if the present one  will fare any better ! This kind of reporting  is NOT exercise of press freedom but lack of professional discretion.

In all developed countries press reporting follows certain rules and conventions which are strictly respected.Reporters who are privy to sensitive information are able to recognise it as such and  retain it as trustees. In UK WWII press briefings included news of reverses but any news affecting morale of the people or of military consequence was given and accepted in confidence, not for publication.I may mention that even as recently as post Uri and a few days ago the NDTV reporter was happily reporting every move of the Raksha Mantri and the Army Chief in the Uri area.

TV Channels should immediately set up training programmes for “anchors”/ reporters, outdoor and on-screen, which should include the use of correct spoken language, ‘traffic” management during discussions, nuances of the subjects covered , whether military or civil, and the ability to recognise and respect sensitive information. What viewers expect is something educative or entertaining  or enlightening, not doses of daily Hitchcockian suspense and sensation.

India PostUri

 This period of stress  for the country post-Uri has not been without its benefits. The PM  personally has in the last two days proved a major point re leadership by the quiet but determined manner in which he has mobilised national sentiment and resolve without uttering a word.

Prompt international reaction  showing anger against the Uri attack and forceful support for India are primarily the result of his own strategy of close personal contact with world leaders. He defied protocol and followed a course dictated by his instinct, good sense and belief in the power of friendship. Even China will not be able to ignore the sinister  role of their friendly Pakistan in the Uri attack.

People are generally beginning to see Modi as one different from their perception of the past. He was seen as a silent and tolerant  witness to many indiscretions of some members of the ruling group. Over time, however, when they found him reacting in his own way in his own time to show disapproval and curb unhelpful practices there was a change in  general attitude. I know people now see him as one who is capable of handling a crisis quietly but effectively. Even the Pak premier cannot but feel guilty over his betrayal of one who tried to build bridges defying public opinion.

In the present situation which is military in nature he has done wisely to leave the military to give him the options which they can implement. The military should then be left totally to plan and strike. Meanwhile diplomacy should be actively at work. 

I list three issues for PM's attention. These may appear to be of not too much consequence but which really are crucial  in practical terms and particularly in times such as now..

TV reporting  in India seems to have fallen victim to intense competition. Ethics and protocol have no role in this business which seems to be keener on prominent displays of their success rating vis a vis competition. A news channel reporting from Uri was casually narrating movements of VVIP’s that day in the area and I have written immediately  to the Defence Minister  about this. We seem not to have learnt from the consequences of  a major reporting indiscretion during 26/11.

TV channels on the air proudly flaunt copies of official documents such as internal notes of ministries, even cabinet notes and sensitive investigation reports claiming exclusive access. How are these documents accessed ? I was  shocked to see yesterday one of the channels  proclaiming “PM’s review meeting –exclusive access” on their Inside Track programme.   This meeting was the PM’s top level CCS meeting. True or false, these patently unacceptable  practices have to be challenged and dealt with severely. 

Finally , I have to refer to our representation in UN and the presentation of our papers at UN meetings. Although these are  ready scripts I would have imagined that these are meant to be presented forcefully and not merely read as if from a text book in class. I mean no disrespect to the individuals concerned but in UN where oratorical skills are very much on display – and relevantly so – the right person has to write and another right person to present it if necessary. In my view, a representation has to be forcefully visible and audible.

A Day of Shame

Monday 12^th Sept, was a day of shame for Karnataka State.Never before had been seen such wanton acts of violence, arson, destruction of public and private property and such total helplessness of the administration.

We are all aware of the anatomy of every bundh.All bundhs start with a proclamation  of peaceful demonstrations but what happens is total mayhem. Blocked highways and rail roads, burning tyres, stone- throwing, destruction of public and private property and forcible closure of businesses are the usual scenes. All these are unlawful and hardly peaceful and quite  detrimental to the economy and image of the city and the country. It is sad that in many States the local governments are also complicit totally disregarding  the plight of lakhs who depend on daily earnings for sustaining their families.The “common people” in whose name the bundhs are organised are really the victims of these disruptions.

In some States as in Kerala many years ago the courts  imposed restrictions and penalties on these bundh-makers.Unfortunately the governments have been lax in enforcing these restrictions. Votes become the consideration and the national interests are subordinated to party aims.

In Bangalore on 12^th Sept. large-scale agitation was expected by the city while awaiting the Supreme Court order of that day but the government and the Police seemed to be unprepared for the  scale of the mayhem. When the police did make their appearance  the city had already been taken over by rampaging mobs of lumpen elements and known groups of professional bundh-makers. The full scale of the devastation was seen thanks to TV and it was frightening.

Clusters of street urchins and goons, unlikely supporters of any civic cause, some carrying back-packs, stoned and  shattered glass frontages of buildings,  turned parked vehicles upside down and set them alight and even forced a driver out of his lumbering car-carrier, fortunately empty, and set fire to the vehicle. Fifty buses of one company, parked in their parking lot. were burnt down by miscreants. In a short while most of Bangalore’s main roads were full of burning vehicles.

The police who should normally have the power to enforce the law on their own initiative have generally been emasculated by politics. They are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. It was only after the Central RAF arrived that the police presence became really visible. But then the deployment was uneven with some disturbed areas with no police  and some with too many. Some well-known rabble-rousers were leading some of the processions and were seen arguing with the Police who, I thought, treated them with undeserved  courtesy.

In most organised cities, there would have been preventive arrests of known trouble-makers and mobile and static armed police patrols in a show of force. A retired police chief  was saying that in crunch situations as existed yesterday with uncontrolled  violence his old-fashioned police would have sent a police jeep with a loud-speaker ordering the crowd to disperse. There would be a warning of “shoot-at-sight” . He said the maximum that had to be done to disperse a motley crowd,unlike an organised demonstration for a cause, were a couple of shots in the air. He added that when frenzied mobs were running riot there just had to be an immediate, dominating show and use of force.

The Centre needs to take note of the wider national impact of such disturbances in Important business centres such as Chennai and Bangalore.It should be remembered that most marketing conditions lie outside the Centre’s control with the States.We cannot ignore the immaturity of our politics in  which narrow party interests often dominate national causes. Our politics and politicians need to grow up fast if PM Modi’s ambitious plans are to turn into reality. It would be a crying shame if we did not capitalise on our growing opportunities to be a commercial and industrial hub.

Bangalore has had three bundhs in the last few weeks  and with the most recent three days of lock-down and violence the loss resulting from the bundhs runs into thousands of crores. The States and Centre have to deal with this issue urgently. The Inter-State Council and the National Development Council of which little has been heard for quite some time provided  good and regular meeting opportunities for the PM and the Chief Ministers for useful interaction and personal acquaintance.

The States would now have to be graded according to their business-friendliness and available investment opportunities have to be directed accordingly. A panel of representatives from CII, Assocham and FICCI, State and Central governments and chaired by the Commerce Minister  should fix the grading parameters. The earlier this is done the better it would be. What is certain is that the mindless bundh trend has to be halted if the national economy is to flourish. Ambitious development plans need a fertile environment in which to become reality.

 A Day of Shame

Middlemen Muddle

We seem never to be free from the spectre of corruption in most of our fields of governance. It we are not doing post mortems on past deals we are seeing ghosts in current and future deals.I am happy to hear that your new procurement policy  aims to change this course and has introduced measures which recognise the existence of middlemen and seek to remove their sinister secrecy from procurement proceedings. This will stop us from shooting ourselves in the foot and losing out on chosen military products.

My purpose in writing this is to share my experience of dealing with the “middleman” bogey when I was MD of a quarter billion USdollar joint sector project in the 1970’s. That was the worst time in India for business with bad politics, bad economy, pressures of a hostile environment with active agents and  middlemen. Ottavio Quattrocchi led the powerful group of deal-makers I had to contend with.

The Chief Minister of the State government and my company, promoting the project, were determined not to spend a paisa more than essential as the country was cash-strapped for

foreign exchange. The foreign contractors had all cushioned their prices as they had been advised that extra-legal payments were unavoidable in India, particularly when government controlled every move.

In our negotiations with contractors we agreed  all government clearances  would be our responsibility even to the extent of assisting them with their problems. In return, with great difficulty, we managed to include a provision in our contracts barring use of agents. The provision also said that if extra-legal payments were seen to be made the contractors would pay the client ”n” times the payment made to middlemen. The “n” was kept to 2 or3, just enough to recover any cushioning in the quote and impose a penalty not so large as to raise another dispute. It worked well.

It is my suggestion that this format  deserves your attention. My assessment is that as a long term  defence procurement prospect, India will be able to enforce the penal provision we used. It is my conviction that the middleman  has become a regular feature only because of artificial obstructions created in the procedures and arising during negotiations.

An Investment Dilemma

A cow and cousin buffalo                                                                           How do they differ, dear fellow  ?                                                               Is there a book of reference                                                                   That tells us what’s the difference ?

We,  in the West as in UK                                                                   Which, after Brexit, they say’s in decay                                                   Are off to India, we hear Modi’s call                                                         To invest there while returns elsewhere fall.

But in India there’s  trouble with meat                                                    No cow for beef but buffalo’s OK to eat                                                That means we change our diet                                                               Or we go to an Oberoi or a Hyatt

We here  have farms with many cows                                                          And, of course, the bull, their mighty spouse,                                        Without a bull there aint new cows                                                        Without new cows  aint enough  beef in the house.

In India cow is  mother,  very like mamma,                              “Gomatha”, just like one’s own ma,                                                            Of course, eating ma has to  be taboo                                                    But I can’t accept that my ma  can only moo.

We have cloned good  old Dolly,                                                              We did a good job, by Golly,                                                                Can’t we make a cuffalo or even a buffow  ?                                        I’m sure we have the right know-how.

This meat  problem I must resolve,                                                            A strategic plan must evolve,                                                          Because it makes good sense                                                                   In   domicile not to give offence !

J&K Unrest and Ecessive Force

When will the politicians stop playing games in J&K at the cost of national security. On the one  hand they condemn the violent protesters as Pakistan’s agents and stooges as they rampage through the valley killing members of security forces, torching police stations, throwing  their vehicles and occupants into the river . Yet when security forces act mainly in self-defence the rioters whine shamelessly  about use of excessive force. I see no reason for the Centre to be apologetic about use of force as force at rising levels is precisely the basis on which local police, central para-military units and finally the army are called in.

It is laughable that we spend crores on training security forces to use force and then when the need for force arises we go all soft and ask the jawans to use minimum force ! As for the army we spend crores on honing their killing skills and then exploit them by using them as transport agents, medical attendants, construction workers and so on. When they are called upon to maintain order and subdue violence by the use of force they are asked to exercise restraint. Why ? When they are called in they are facing frenzied, murderous mobs who aim to kill the jawans. They indulge in arson and ransack armouries. What do the government think they do with the weapons they carry away ? Do ayudha puja ?

Political considerations supersede even national security and those in power and the opposition should be ashamed of themselves and their pussy-footing. Excessive and minimum force are a matter of discretion which should be left to the force commander. I am partly relieved that this fact was recognised by Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha. Violence should be subdued by force and if it costs lives I would rather that that cost  is borne by the rioters than the jawans.

Defending the Defenceless

Subramanian Swami’s attack on Rajan and Subramanian, two eminent, very senior and dedicated public servants, is despicable. To dare to question the Indian-ness of these two  distinguished Indians is uacceptable as well.

After strong public reaction BJP put out a half-hearted disagreement with Swami’s “personal views”. This is laughable as no decent establishment can allow any member the personal right to be abusive. 

I listened to Arun jaitley on TV this evening and cannot for the life of me understand the restraint with which senior BJP members refer to Swami’s outrageous behaviour.  He said that “even the Party President” has disapproved of Swami’s remarks. It is as if they are not sure whether they will be Swami’s next targets.

What is being lost is the fact that the verbal assault on Rajan and Suramanian is not just a party matter. It is a party matter to the extent that a party member, Swami, is involved in this disgusting behaviour. On the other side are two very senior public servants who are  defenceless by virtue of their official position.  As in any organisation , government or private, it is the CEO who is the ultimate protector of the faith and honour of all those who serve under him. In this case the PM is the CEO of the country and he should come out openly and atoutly in  defence of the officers and use his party leadership to sharply and openly reprimand Swami. Nothing else will do adequate justice to Rajan and Subramanian and all those who serve in government positions.

Shoring Up the Government

One of the major problems wth the BJP led government is the shortage of administrative experience and talent in the party. This aspect renders  the government  vulnerable to justifiable criticism that “rookie” ministers are tinkering blindly with policies which affect the nation as a whole at some stage. This has even led to the charge  that extremist ideologies are sought to be introduced through the backdoor.

India ia fortunate that apolitical expertise in every field is abundantly available and these  experts can be enlisted into the various ministries with MOS rank. Inviting them to join the Council of Ministers may not attract many experts as the need to be subsequently elected would be a disincentive. The “first time” ministers would have to be advised to seek guidance from the experts on professional matters before decisions are taken. There has to be a deliberate move under the PM’s supervision to train young ministers for the future.This is an area which should have the PM’s direct attention without which ego clashes will ruin the plan.

There is also the matter of the need to build up a “bench strength” of reserves capable of stepping into slots in the administration in an emergency or in the future. In order to quickly build up a “second eleven” young and bright MP’s  can be made Parliamentary Secretaries to the ministers so that they also share the new experience. Needless to say, I am only thinking of  pure government work without the influence of political interests at the cost of national ones.

The PM has a tremendous opportunity  to provide an alternative national party that can be trusted to govern justly and well. For this he has to mobilise talent and experience without interference of short-term temptations and desire for meaningless “brownie” points

Pipe Dream OR Reality ?

Mrs.Sonia Gandhi is absolutely right in declaring that failure is not permanent. Winning and losing are a part of the democratic process and the hype attached to both is the result of the over-vocal promises and claims made before the elections. Congress has lost heavily before and come back with the same force. However, one cannot but concede that electoral strategy and style were then  different and Congress fought, lost and won mainly on its own steam and reputation. It was not a victim of vicarious taint. Therein lies the cause of the recent decline  of Congress party and the key to future success.

I have said before that I grew up with only the Congress party in mind and its then leaders as my heroes. However, over the years and like many others I lost interest in parties without values and waited for individuals to appear who respected basic ethics and principles and stood unshakeably so.

Adherence to principles is being mentioned again in political circles. At the present moment, the principles need re-defining for the Congress  party workers as the recent electoral disaster was the result of Congress deviating from its sworn path of the past. It chose to fall in line with dubious allies whose principles were based on acquiring  and retaining wealth  and power by whatever means. The taint rubbd off on the Congress too and the party with the cleanest  and most incorruptible leaders like Manmohan Singh and Antony  failed to win the trust of the electorate. In Kerala there was a comparable experience. Oommen Chandy was known to be an honest CM but the company he kept cost the party  the election.  Now what of the future ?

The eye of the Congress leadership must be NOT on re-capturing power by any means but on re-capturing the attention of the people, resurrecting their trust. For this the party has to go straight back to the people way out in the “backyards” of the country which is where the daily needs remain unfulfilled. Congress has young, articulate members, many of them in legislatures and Parliament, who can be at the centre of new teams that will disperse to work in designated areas to identify their tasks and have a time-bound schedule to deal with them. The aim must be to show tangible results by the mid-term of the various governments. The truth to remember is that power is given by people as a token of their appreciation. Such power wil endure. Power that is acquired by false promises and by  expedient alliances does not last. It also  leaves an indelible taint. It is far better to sit as an honourable opposition than to be in tainted power.

Young leaders must grow in States. They must build up their teams, be allowed to think and act independently subject only to monitoring at the top. These leaders and workers must be instilled with principles of honour and integrity. These are qualities that are lacking in States making India 78^th in the table of 158 corrupt countries put together by Transparency International. As regards Congress–ruled States assessed before the election one of them  is 4th most corrupt. In this State every interface between public and government extracts an unofficial  “toll”.  Even a Panchayat certificate for a BPL card  is not issued without payment of a tidy sum of money ! The party has to fight these deep-rooted ills and help people get their legitimate dues.

There is work to be done to provide water, power, housing etc in all of which the Centre has announced plans and budgets. The Congress party workers should make sure that these allocations reach their targets and do not leak on the way. If, by chance, in doing this the party in power at the centre and Congress happen to find themselves together there is no need for conflict. People will bless both and the judgement will finally be made on the basis of the quality and reach of the service provided by the parties. It may even lead to a very desirable interaction between government and opposition and generate a cooperative spirit which transcends party and personal interests to focus on the nation. I cannot wait to see that happen !

I repeat –devolution is the answer and there is no alternative to local influence in matters to do with States. Local teams and leadership should grow to take responsibility and be accountable. I would tell all parties that acquiring power by serving people should be the practical route and not just a motivation for decibels.

I have recited my piece honestly and full of hope. My suggestions may sound like pipe-dreams but they are imperative. Nothing would give thr peoplr greater fulfillment  than to see a strong government and an active  opposition functioning with the sole aim of national advancement. The question is which of BJP and Congress will have the courage to shed personal  animosities and take the first step forward ?

Temple Entry Mk II

Temple Entry Mk I was way back in 1936 when “low caste” people were allowed into Travancore State temples by a royal proclamation. That was a huge leap forward in ensuring religious freedom and social equality guarantted much later by or Constitution. Temple Entry Mk II was different and Trupti Desai scripted a forcible entry into temples where tradition restricted the  entry of women. Debate still goes on to judge whether this helped gender equality but may have violated the guarantee of freedom to practice religion.

No person who truthfully  believes in religion or in visiting temples specifically  to pray to a God wil venture to break into any other place of worship. Such a person will not use one constitutional prescription relating to gender equality, known to be intended for the uplift of certain focused social levels, to challenge another which guarantees religious freedom and tolerance. Any person who forces one’s entry into places of worship, regardless of religion, assisted by a  militant following can be suspected of  doing  so to find a place in the Limca or Guinness Book of Records or media headlines.

I am a Hindu but NOT a fanatical one  and am able to stand on the sidelines and watch neutrally as millions of people practice their beliefs and religious rituals. I have been to several temples and seen the fervour and the faith with which the devotees cry out to their Gods for blessings, comfort, peace, release from pain. In short religion and God are their ultimate refuge. What does Trupti achieve from her march from one place of worship to another notching up her mission statistics? Beliefs and religious practices have no logic in our eyes but there is an explanation on which a faith has been built up. All these are doing no harm to anybody but are bringing solace to many. The local beliefs and practices are accepted by the local devotees or those who travel on pilgrims. Who is Trupti Desai to  contest beliefs in temples which she had never chosen to visit to pray but now wishes to break into on an undesirable pioneering spree. There are numerous other worthier causes of women  like the anti-khap panchayat feeling,triple talaq etc  that would benefit from Truti’s undisputed spirit and enthusiasm.

I was watching one of Barkha Dutt’s “We the People” programmes a few weeks ago on Triple Talaq. A Naib Imam from Lucknow referred to a Supreme Court observation of a few years ago that it should not be their job to interfere in established religious practices. If that is true what has prompted the same Supreme Court to suddenly turn activist and authorise the likes of Trupti to gain entry into places  of worship to enforce the principle of gender equality?  Why has the Supreme Court not succeeded in reining in khap panchayats which defy the judiciary and  act criminally against women whom they hold virtually captive ?

In conclusion I would ask the Supreme Court one final question to ponder over.  The honourable justices, presumably, swear upon God on taking office. If they  consider religious beliefs and practices based on the word of God to be violable how is it then that the word of the Supreme Court remains inviolable ?    

Anchors without Moorings

Pathankot has set tongues wagging again. While the sanitising was still in progress judgements were already being delivered on how the attack should not have happened, what went wrong and what remedial  and punitive measures should be taken forthwith. The customary expertise was immediately mobilsed in the TV studios from the inventories of retired military, political and freelance “commandos” who seem to be always on red alert. They all  gave their views, some repetitive, some purely political, and many of no consequence. 

As for the anchors, their performance was on predictable lines. Years of regular experience of watching and hearing them have given us instinctive prescience and nothing surprises us. What does worry me. though, is the lack of restraint and discretion that is highly necessary in reporting matters with military content.

In a panel discussion yesterday on Pathankot one of the regular anchors  got carried away as he usually does. He  explained why Pathankot was targeted and to prove his point he then gave a list of the military  assets in Pathankot- number of MIGs. SAM’s, helicopters etc. 26/11 should have taught the media a sharp lesson  and one would have expected the TV managements to have trained their anchors and reporters in the needs of specialised reporting  We do not have to help provide sensitive information, right or wrong.

Our anchors would do well to realise that viewers watch their channels not to hear theanchors’  views on diverse matters but to listen to genuine experts on the screen. The anchors are expected to act as traffic policemen and ensure smooth flow of communication between the experts. They should stop their strident and often offensive intervention in debates promoting their own opinions. The invitees on the panels should never have to plead for their turns to speak.

As for the panelists there is a need to make better choices to ensure that they are genuinely qualified to speak on the subjects on the agenda. Choice of the diplomats to speak on foreign policy is spot on and it shows in the dignity and maturity of the debate. On the other hand one also sees panelists who are better known for their visible presence at parties and social gatherings dispensing dubious wisdom on matters of national interest. The consequence of this also shows in the content of that debate. On military matters any retired military officer seems to qualify as an expert on strategy. With a few exceptions the general trend of their advice on dealing with any enemy  reminds one of the Queen in “Alice in Wonderland’. Her standard direction was “Off with their heads “!

TV channels are  an integral part of daily life and is Oxygen to many like me. It is the bounden duty of the TV channels to provide us with filtered, pure news and  mature views  which enlighten rather than confuse.