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Sunday,
May 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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MiG-21s to
fly till they crash out! IAF must acquire AJTs Only the
killers are guilty, not their children |
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MIDSTREAM One
thing at a time, please
The man
who will replace Karunanidhi
Yashwant
Sinha is there to stay
Humra Quraishi
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MiG-21s to fly till they crash out! IAF must acquire AJTs THE Indian Air Force has been plagued by a series of crashes of the MiG 21, the latest occurring on the opening day of the exercise of “Poorna Vijay”. The Air Force has tried to get out of this accident by stating that as a part of the exercise the aircraft was required to perform a difficult manoeuvre and apparently the manoeuvre was beyond the capability of either the aircraft or the pilot. That the Indian Air Force has been plagued by MiG 21 crashes regularly is well known. So much so that it was in the early eighties that it asked a committee to go into the causes of so many crashes. It was the La Fontaine Committee, headed by Air Chief Marshal La Fontaine, the then Chief of Air Staff, which had stated in unequivocal terms that the crashes could be attributed to three main causes: bird hits, maintenance failure and pilot error. According
to an earlier newspaper report quoting the Parliamentary Standing Committee, since 1972, more than 570 aircraft have been lost and more than 200 pilots killed because, amongst other things, the pilots have not been trained properly. The figures of the Military Balance of 1994-95 and 1999-2000 giving the holding of MiG 21s for the year 1993 and 1998 are given in the accompanying graphic. Thus, in the period 1993-98 or five years, the Indian Air Force had lost 84 MiG 21 alone. Since April 1, 1999, at least another 15 aircraft have been lost. While the cost of each aircraft would be to the tune of Rs 100 crore, the cost of the training of pilots is to the tune of Rs 23 crore to Rs 45 crore per pilot (Fifth Pay Commission’s Report Volume III page 1921 para 150.5 refers) Thus the loss of a pilot, apart from being a human life lost, with all its tragic consequences to his kin, is a heavy cost to the exchequer and, as such, to the tax payer. However, what is worrying is the completely cynical attitude of the establishment both at the Government as well as at the Air Headquarters level. Out of the above MiG 21s only 125 MiG 21 Bis are to be upgraded. The remaining, according to a senior officer, whom this writer had spoken to, are to be wasted. Report of the Fifth Pay Commission page 1921, para 150.5 (Vol III): According to the Armed Forces’ proposal it is only the officers of the flying branch who go into actual combat in the event of war. The data submitted by the armed forces indicates that the cost of a Mirage-2000
aircraft is over Rs 100 crore with per hour cost of flying being Rs 9.8 lakh and a Jaguar aircraft costs Rs 26.36 crore with per hour flying cost being Rs 2.6 lakhs. The training cost of a fully operational fighter pilot has been estimated to be between Rs 23 crore and Rs 45 crores. The high cost of modern combat aircraft and the prohibitive costs of training a fully operational fighter pilot necessitate that personnel of higher intelligence quotient are attracted to the Air Force. It has been stated that military flying is far more exacting and bears a far greater risk than civil aviation. Based on the compensation packages available to similar jobs in the country and flying pay in other countries, considerable enhancement of flying pay has been sought by the armed forces. Grant of dearness allowance on flying pay has also been suggested. It has also been suggested that Army Aviation Corps pilots be made entitled to flying pay on similar terms and conditions as the Air Force and Navy. The author is a retired Lieutenant Colonel. |
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Only the killers are guilty, not their children PAST sins are being forgiven. Fresh pardons are being issued. In a strife-torn world, there is a whiff of reconciliatory air that must be nurtured. Three distinct events involving peoples of three denominations have all taken place within a few days, and the important thread they have in common is that humane balm—forgiveness In Amritsar, Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti allowed the family of Teja Singh Bhasaur to rejoin the Panth. In Athens, Pope John Paul II apologised a day later for Roman Catholic sins of "action or omission" against Greek Orthodox Christians and in New York, the same day, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel defended the CEO of a "Nazi publisher". These three events are not directly related, but one uses them as harbingers of hope. There is lack of any empirical connection here, yet one sees a relationship and one would like to embark on a metaphysical expedition in the sense of an a priori speculation upon questions that go beyond scientific observation, analysis, or experiment. Though tempting, that is too tall an order and what can be done is to draw some inferences from the three events mentioned above. Let us start with the Akal Takht's decision. Babu Teja Singh Bhasaur was a well-known reformer who was also very conversant with Gurbani. He made a so-called "Gurmukhi Course" for the women's college that he had set up and in it were certain references and interpretations that were considered blasphemous. After a long process, that involved the SGPC and the Akal Takht, he and his wife, Bibi Niranjan Kaur, were ex-communicated from the Sikh Panth on August 9, 1928, by the then Jathedar Akal Takht, Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir. All the principal characters are dead, but the transgression of Teja Singh continued to haunt his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. The family suffered the stigma till Mr Manmohan Singh, Mr Sukhminder Singh, Mrs Tejinder Kaur and others approached the Akal Takht with an unconditional apology on behalf of their deceased elders. They were allowed to rejoin the Sikh fold after 73 years. Jathedar Vedanti's knowledge of the Sikh holy scriptures is well known as is his understanding of the grammar and diction of the Guru Granth Sahib. He has taken a number of decisions in the recent past that reflect a desire to close certain contentious issues. The Bhasaur family will no longer suffer for what Teja Singh had done. "Only the guilty are guilty, not their sons." This could have well been the theme at Amritsar. Coincidentally, this is the heading of the op-ed article written in "The New York Times" by Elie Wiesel, the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate who is a Holocaust survivor. Wiesel's village was taken over by the Nazis in 1944. At 15, he and his family were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Wiesel ended up serving time at three other concentration camps. The literary portion of Wiesel's life began in 1958 when "Night" was published. This novel peeps into the inside experiences of Jews in concentration camps. Wiesel has written 35 additional works dealing primarily with Judaism, the Holocaust and the overall fight for morality among the races. Such is the man who agreed to deliver a keynote speech at a dinner by the United Jewish Appeal's decision to honour Thomas Middelhoff, chief executive of Bertelsmann, a German media conglomerate that published Nazi propaganda for Hitler's army. The event is scheduled for May 15 in New York. In his article, Wiesel points out that the man he is honouring was born in 1953, well after World War II. "Am I wrong to believe that to humiliate a German today just for having been born German and to boycott an evening for him is not what Jewish ethos is about? I would like to remind some of my fellow Jews that Hitler's Germany condemned all of us not for what we did or did not do, but solely for having been born Jewish. "We Jews do not believe in collective guilt. I have repeated over and over my belief that only the guilty are guilty: the children of killers are not killers, but children. I know from my own experience with German students that their burden is, at times, difficult to carry, heavy as it is with painful memories and questions about their fathers' and grandfathers' roles in the most terrifying genocide in history. "Relations between Jews and Germans will remain traumatised for a long time. That is to be expected. Auschwitz and Treblinka will never be eradicated from German history. "And yet, hatred must never be an answer. It does not serve memory." Indeed, hate can never be an answer and extraordinary efforts have to be made to bridge schisms of hatred, as Pope John Paul II has been doing recently. In Athens, the same day as the article was printed, the Pope apologised for Roman Catholic sins of "action or omission" against Orthodox Christians that contributed to a long split between two great streams of Christianity and left lasting emotional wounds. The head of the Roman Catholic Church reached out to leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church even though the latter had refused to see him last year. The Pope said he hoped his words would help mend Christian divisions. They are, he said, "a sin before God and a scandal before the world." The Pope was referring to a legacy of a schism that split the Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches in 1054. The rupture had its roots in political competition and squabbling as much as in religious differences, but it "laid the groundwork for violent conflicts over the ages and helped stoke ethnic and religious tensions as rival churches lined up behind opposing political leaders." At times the differences split nations along blocs with Orthodox clerics working with communist governments after World War II and Catholic priests allying themselves with the anti-communist bloc. The divide was and is still very deep and the Pope's apology is sweeping. "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us the forgiveness we beg of Him," the Pope said. Offering "deep regret" for the mass killings and plunder of Constantinople, now Istanbul, by Catholic crusaders in the year 1204, the Pope said: "To God alone belongs judgement, and, therefore, we entrust the heavy burden of the past to his endless mercy," This was the first such apology a leader of the Catholic Church has offered in 800 years. Let us go back to the common metaphysical thread that we are seeking in these three events. If three distinct acts of responsible, wise persons can reflect so much healing within days of each other, are we not focusing too much on the divisive actions of maladjusted individuals that cause so much pain and suffering the world over? By focusing our consciousness on the negativity around us, are we not contributing to the marginialisation of positive values? It takes a whiff of perfume to permeate a wide environment, provided we don't block ourselves from it. We do need to look for and help bring into focus such acts and to nurture the spirit they stem from. Our historical baggage is a mixed bag and all too often we concentrate on the negatives—divisions, hatred, revenge, and such like things. The world is, in fact, becoming a nicer place— we just have to look in the right direction. |
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Realism
and the J&K initiative THE Vajpayee Government’s approach on the Kashmir issue has often been described as “policy-less”. Its months-old venture into what amounts to some kind of unilateral ceasefire confirms the description. Now comes a comment on the Government’s Kashmir policy that may not be easy to ignore. The comment comes from the former Director-General of Punjab Police, Mr KPS Gill. There may or may not be agreement with every aspect of Gill conducting the anti-terrorist campaign in Punjab and with his subsequent ventures, work and pursuits. Indeed, there may be a good deal to deplore in all that he did. But there can be little doubt that he gathered valuable experience that should make his opinion worth close attention. Gill is reported to have described, in the course of an article in Faultlines magazine, the Government’s J & K peace initiative as a “gamble destined to fail”. Pointing out that the initiative is neither “reality based” nor founded on concrete strategy, he is quoted as saying “it is, by and large, in the nature of a ‘fishing expedition’ without consistent or coherent policy to force a breakthrough in J & K”. Gill goes further, and in a general comment observes: “The meaning of democracy has been distorted beyond measure in India. The idea that everybody, including terrorists and mass murderers, must be included in the political process and kept happy within a democracy appears to be the thrust of politics of consensus of corrupt and craven regimes”. Gill rests firmly on his observation. In extending the ceasefire, the Government offered talks to persons in “all walks of life” in J & K, to groups, parties and politicians generally. True, there is no merit whatever in the All-Party Hurriyat Conference’s ludicrous claim to be recognised as the sole representative of people in J & K. But there does seem point to the Hurriyat leaders’ view that the offer is undefined and unspecific. Expectedly the Hurriyat has rejected the offer. Only those groups, parties and politicians seem to have responded more or less affirmatively to talks with Government’s appointed interlocutor K.C. Pant, which are already more or less in accord with the Union Government’s views. Of the other parties and leaders that seek either independence of both India and Pakistan or merger with Pakistan, even Shabir Shah, considered to be leading one of the more moderate of the essentially non-conforming groups has dismissed the offer describing it as, among other things, incomplete without the participation of Pakistan. The attitude of the Government on talks with Pakistan is unexceptional. It needs to be stated and conveyed unambiguously and without wavering to Islamabad as well as the Hurriyat leaders — First that it is futile for Islamabad to raise the question of talks on Kashmir or on any other issue that connects with J & K, unless and until it has curbed fully and effectively the incursions and murderous assaults in Indian-administered territory by Pakistan-based “Islamic” terrorists. Secondly, the question of tripartite talks on J & K with Hurriyat and Pakistan participating, which the Hurriyat leaders are pushing, is out of the question as things stand. It is to be noted that not only do the Hurriyat leaders not talk with one voice. They have also, with rare exceptions, not yet condemned the murderous assaults and destruction in Kashmir of the terrorists who come from the other side of the Line of Control. This, even though the Pakistan-based terrorists, including prominently members of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and of Jaish-e-Mohammed, have as a rule no stake in the lives and welfare of Kashmiri people: they come only to “protect and save” Islam — mocking at and violating that great religion in the process. The 23-group Hurriyat leaders are divided between primarily those, like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who want J & K to merge with Pakistan and those, like Yasin Malik and Shabir Shah, who want it to be independent. This division has received emphasis in public perception following differences among the various groups on the question of the Vajpayee Government’s unilateral ceasefire initiative and extension. The extension underlined for public perception everywhere the restraint that New Delhi continued to exercise despite uninterrupted provocation from Pakistan-based and Pakistan-encouraged terrorists. Military ruler General Musharraf and his lieutenants and supporters insist on describing these terrorists as jehaadis. In this context it is difficult to understand why the Vajpayee Government made an issue of the Hurriyat leaders’ proposed visit to Pakistan by putting hurdles in the way. New Delhi had made clear that it would not accept the Hurriyat as any kind of mediator — a position that Islamabad has been much too obviously trying to build for the Hurriyat. The Government would have lost nothing in allowing the Hurriyat leaders to visit Islamabad. It may be true that in some quarters, in and out of South Asia, the Hurriyat may have come to be seen as larger than what they were perceived previously. It lies within New Delhi’s independent option to give or not give the Hurriyat leaders the kind of importance they seek. It could, in this context, give them permission to go to Pakistan, making it plain in unambiguous and precise language that their views and status would not be decisive in any settlement. The visit could unintendedly bring to light facets of the issue not ordinarily considered. This should be to New Delhi’s advantage. Abdul Ghani Bhat has claimed loftily, in reacting to the offer of talks with interlocutor Pant, that the Hurriyat alone represents J & K. All others are merely “crowd”. Even if this were true of the Valley — which is by no means a foregone conclusion — what about the other parts of the state? What about Jammu and Ladakh? And, is it possible that the Hurriyat leaders, as one commentator speculated recently, should want the terrorist violence and depredation to continue? Since the Hurriyat leaders know that the APHC’s claim of being sole representative is untested and are doubtless aware that peace could be instrumental in dispersing the organisation by emphasising the inner contradictions and differences among its 23 constituent groups? In any case, if India should prefer to have a dialogue with Islamabad, and if Islamabad were to be interested sincerely in talks to thrash out the Kashmir and other issues with New Delhi, there would be ample opportunity to start with marginal meetings during the SAARC preparatory conference due to be held in June at Colombo. The Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Vijay Nambiar was in Delhi some days ago reportedly for consultations in relation to the issue. Almost simultaneously, the Pakistani High Commissioner in India, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, journeyed to Islamabad, presumably in relation to the same issue. The pity is that Islamabad, either under pressure or influence, has not shown any sign of curbing terrorists from encroaching into Indian administered territory nor shown interest in making the situation in other ways conducive to a settlement. India has not been able to proceed from its indecisive and “policy-less” approach, exemplified in the call for talks generally with J & K people from “all walks of life”. In this situation, no matter how good and peaceful the motivation that has led the Vajpayee Government to launch its unilateral ceasefire and talks initiatives, the results may not be as expected or to its liking. KPS Gill’s remark seems relevant, that the initiative is a “random element” and that its introduction would “destabilise established equations”, belying the hope “that it may set in motion a positive chain which could, in the uncertain future, produce desired results”. There seems some need to reflect upon his suggestion that “the notion of peace at all costs is self-destructive, and negotiations based on false projections and on unrealistic . . . assessments of realities on the ground, result inevitably in greater escalation — though they may produce a temporary and deceptive lull”.
(Asia Features) |
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One thing at a time, please WE are a serious nation. We believe in concentrating on one thing at a time please. We do not believe in dispersing our energies and attention and doing more than one activity simultaneously. And there are instances in plenty to prove the point. Not long ago, we were all worked up about the earthquake in Gujarat. All roads and skyways led to Kutch. All press conferences and statements were about it. All appeals and advertisements were on the earthquake. Most seminars and panel discussions were on that earthquake and on fears of similar — note the word similar — earthquakes in other parts of the country. There was a flood of tears, volunteers and material assistance for the victims and even cultural programmes in their aid. The leaders suddenly had a cause, they even talked about corruption in the building of structures which did not withstand the quake shocks. The delayed response of the official machinery, red tape in dealing with the situation and communication gap were all talked about and many expressed concern over it. And then, something happened. Tehelka happed. Somebody had taken one lakh rupees in currency notes, some others a few thousands, still some others gold chains and drinks. It had exposed the chinks in our security armours. It had laid bare, on small screen, well-known phenomenon of corruption in high places. And everybody got busy with Tehelka, much, if not all, was forgotten about Gujarat, its earthquake and its victims. The spotlight, they said, had shifted. There was a stir in Parliament and in street. Nothing else seemed to matter for leaders, both of ruling and opposition kind. Nothing else mattered for the common man either. Tehelka was all over the place, most of it in the national capital and spilled over in other parts of the country. Another thing happened. This time, it was CNG. It is a familiar term by now. For those who are still ignorant, it is an alternative fuel which is less polluting than diesel and will make Delhi, followed by other cities, environmentally safe. We discovered, for the first time, how dependent we were on an unsafe transport system for our children and, of course, us. There were usual press statements, rallies, seminars and such other activities to show how important was this as a subject. Incidentally, the media too focussed on the above phenomena but we are told that media reflect the public mood. If Gujarat earthquake gave way to Tehelka and Tehelka was overtaken by CNG, the last mentioned centre of focus was overshadowed by Bangladesh killings of our BSF jawans. Indo-Bangladesh border skirmishes, ruthlessness of Bangla security forces, failure or otherwise of our intelligence agencies, faulty or intelligent response of our security forces and government at different levels, ultimate impact, good or bad, of the incidents and such other issues were raised by leaders and people through usual channels of communication and debate. All previous episodes — earthquake, Tehelka, CNG — were thrown into the background. True, Bangladesh skirmish could not become another Kargil as there was no victory, real or perceived, in it. But we found a silver lining — we love to look for silver lining in the darkest of clouds. This time we were champions of India-Bangladesh friendship. We were also investing in future friendly government in Bangladesh that might or might not be a reality. What if our security personnel got demoralised and the people humiliated? Our foreign policy was at its zenith. What if our home situation got messy? At the time of writing this piece, campaign for the Assembly elections in five states are "the thing" before the nation, that is, the leaders and the people, who, incidentally, happen to be two different classes in this country. The media is full of it. The people are talking about this only. The leaders are concerned with it and nothing else. Bangladesh humiliation is over. The leaders who matter — read Prime Minister — have talked about work permits for Bangladeshis who have so far been considered illegal immigrants deserving to be deported. All this because there is going to be election to West Bengal and Assam assemblies and these Bangladeshis matter in the elections even if they are in India illegally. At the moment, there is nothing but elections to talk about. What it is going to be tomorrow, or by the time this paper is in your hands, nobody knows. Not that it is a bad idea to focus on one thing which is considered important enough for an individual, a political group or the nation. But it is certainly a bad thing to forget about things that were important yesterday and could have been followed up even today with a lot of benefits. We have plenty of examples in our mythology, even history, of people focussing on one thing and reaping a rich harvest. Arjun in Mahabharat focussed only on the eye of the rotating fish, was bang on target and got Draupadi's hand in reward. Prithvi Raj Chauhan focussed on sound and found his target in his adversary. Thus, you can go on recalling incidents from the country's past and prove it is good to focus on one thing. The problem here is that we remember only part of the past and easily forget what happened to others around. Take an instance from recent history, that is Kargil. We remember only the victory part, even celebrate the Vijay Divas, but conveniently forget the failures. We did not punish anybody or hold anybody accountable for any failure, intelligence or security related. The result is before us all. It is repeated along Bangladesh border in a different context. Or take Gujarat earthquake. There were other important things to talk about and to focus on, later. Many quake victims are still on road, in the scorching sun and will be there even during the rains. It needed a Bill Clinton to remind us that the work of rehabilitation is far from complete. In fact, is has only started in most places. The government's rehabilitation plan was put in place only a few days ago, that is months after the people were rendered homeless. Even NGOs' activity lost momentum and they were found to be active only in a few scores of villages out of hundreds affected. The seminars, faulty buildings of Ahmedabad and Kutch are a matter of the past and nothing seems to be done about it. The talk of the need for disaster management in other parts of the country has died down (It was momentarily recalled when there was a minor earthquake shock in Delhi a few days ago) and most, if not all, is quiet on the disaster front. Could it have been better if we had our priorities right in all such matters and kept on tackling various problems and situations according to the importance each one deserves. Focus is important in dealing with matters of state and of people. Maybe, some day we will realise it. |
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The man who will replace Karunanidhi IRRESPECTIVE of whether the DMK returns to power or not, Mr M.K. Stalin, the youngest son of the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, is the future leader of the Dravadian party. His powerful father has groomed him assiduously for years and the 46-year-old Stalin now calls the shot in party matters and also wields influence on the State Government. He played a major role in forging alliances and hammering out seat-sharing arrangements in the just-concluded elections. The DMK's candidates were handpicked by him and most of them owe allegiance to him. Significantly, poll posters describe him as ‘‘the general’’, implying that he now leads the organisation. Already in the evening of his life, Mr Karunanidhi has declared that on May 10 he had contested his last election. In Tamil Nadu nobody doubts that Stalin will don the mantle of his father. He, however, denies that he is the chief ministerial candidate but, adds that the party will ‘‘democratically’’ decide in due course the leadership issue of the legislature party. In the event of the DMK recapturing power, the transition is likely to be gradual but if Mr Karunanidhi's party loses, Mr Stalin will have to face the wrath of his detractors and that includes the Chief Minister's nephew and Union Minister Murasoli Maran. Nevertheless, Mr Stalin appears to be formidable, having been commanding the loyalty of the party cadres, who acknowledge him as their ‘‘general’’. Either way the dynastic succession in the biggest Dravadian party has almost been firmed up and also it has touched off reaction which may grow louder if the DMK is routed in the battle at the husting. Why has Mr Karunanidhi chosen his youngest son to step into his shoes? Perhaps Mr Stalin is smartest of his three sons and has gone through the rough and tumble of politics. He stood by his father like a rock when the DMK Government was dismissed soon after the proclamation of the Emergency. So much so that he was detained under MISA and even tortured. Barely 24 then, the jail term could not subdue his spirit and, on the contrary, he became more resolute. Mr Karunanidhi's two other sons
rebelled. The eldest, Mr M.K. Sethu, crossed over to the AIADMK and even campaigned against his father while the second, Mr M.K. Azhagiri, battled against his father's party from his base in Madurai. The third, Mr Tamilarasu, is virtually out of politics. Mr Azhagiri's clout at the time of the 1998 parliamentary elections and the subsequent Assembly elections was known to be more than Mr Stalin's, but he did inspire the cadres like his younger brother. Mr Stalin upstaged Mr Azhagiri in the family coup and, strangely, he did this with the blessings of Mr Karunanidhi, who disowned his second son through a statement published in the party's organ ‘‘Murasoli’’. Mr Stalin's prestige and entire political career was put at stake only a couple of months back when a city court directed the Tamil Nadu police to probe the allegation against him (now he is Mayor of Chennai) that he had amassed unaccounted wealth since assuming office in 1996. The Principal Sessions Judge directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to conduct the inquiry by an official into the allegation. Mr Stalin sprang a surprise by appearing before the judge unsummoned and requesting him to order ‘‘any suitable’’ inquiry, contending that if the probe was not instituted he would be denied the opportunity to clear his name. The charges were subsequently found to be baseless and the judge dismissed the case while showering praise on Mr Stalin, describing him as ‘‘a model first citizen’’. His comments reportedly were: "Tamil Nadu needs leaders like Stalin". Mr Stalin's ascendancy in the DMK's hierarchy has been slow but steady. Soon after the Emergency ended, he was elected to the DMK's General Council and within three years — in 1980 — constituted the party's youth wing which enabled him in the coming years to raise an effective cadre committed to him. Of course, he had the backing of his powerful father and, in the process another bright youth leader, Mr Y.Gopalaswamy alias Vaiko, quit the DMK to form the MDMK. A massive conclave of DMK workers was organised by Mr Stalin in 1997 which was described in political circles as the ‘‘coronation ceremony’’ of Mr Karunanidhi's son. Mr Stalin got a big boost when he was elected Mayor of the Chennai Corporation by a massive margin of over four lakh votes. His landslide victory also marked the gradual replacement of the old generation by the new. As Mayor, he has launched a project to beautify Chennai. Also, energetic as he is, he initiated the construction of over a dozen flyovers and makes it a point to make on-the-spot inspection of the progress. Mr Stalin has actively participated in the election campaign and drew good response. His future depends on the poll results to be declared on Sunday. |
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Yashwant Sinha is there to stay THERE
is no let-up in the criticism for Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha from within the Sangh Parivar. In this context, one is often not surprised when so-called knowledgeable sources talk about his imminent ouster from the Vajpayee Cabinet. Last week was no different. A prominent financial daily let go this hot balloon that the Prime Minister was considering replacing Sinha with an eminent economist. It talked about how a pained Finance Minister was contemplating resignation following the constant barbs from within the Sangh Parivar. No doubt, a section of the saffron brigade is not happy with Sinha but then the Prime Minister has always defended him. The Finance Minister’s stock went up after he presented a dynamic Budget this year. Surprisingly, there were no official denials on the report and instead the Vajpayee Government decided to silence the critics with some action on the economic reforms front. A day after the critics spoke about Sinha’s ouster, the Government went ahead to further liberalise the reforms programme and opened up foreign direct investment in several sectors, including the defence sector. The next couple of days saw the Government in full action on the economic front with Sinha holding talks with industrialists on how to revive the economy. The Prime Minister was involved in confabulations on how to speed up the disinvestment programme. Against this backdrop, a scribe still thought that he should confirm from Sinha about the reports of his ouster. Sinha laughed it away, saying that is an old story. Reticent to garrulous It would be of interest to Congressmen that their President Sonia Gandhi, who is normally described as reticent by the media, is now being seen as ‘‘garrulous.’’ And its not some Congress-friendly journal which is seeing Mrs Gandhi in a new light; it’s the RSS magazine Organiser. Of course, the magazine does not praise Mrs Gandhi for her garrulousness and makes several charges against her. However, the point it concedes, albeit unintentionally, is that the Congress leader can launch a blowing verbal attack when she chooses to. Pressing ahead with its aggressive mode on the Tehelka expose, the Congress has begun to scrutinise every government move, even on the foreign policy front, with a fine tooth-comb. The party has been harshly critical of the ‘‘tearing hurry’’ displayed by India in ‘‘welcoming’’ the NMD proposals of US President George W Bush. ‘‘When even close US allies chose not to react on NMD, why India displayed such a hurry?’’ asked senior party leader Natwar Singh. The Congress also pointed out that the MEA statement of May 2 was a virtual volte-face on the comments made by External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh regarding NMD last year. The Congress fears that eagerness to embrace the USA in strategic areas may not be in India’s best national interests. Poor Tehelka It was not many days ago that Tehelka Dot Com was seen distributing lakhs of rupees to all and sundry in the secret tapes on defence deals. It appears that the impression on the reel is not correct as in real life the company is starved of funds. Grapevine has it that the company has launched an ‘‘operation fightback’’ to raise public contributions from its ‘‘friends and well-wishers’’ for its forthcoming projects. In individual letters to thousands of those who had sent congratulatory messages, the company has said that it was facing the brunt of an incensed Government and its credit sources were being choked. Since its finances have been stretched to the limit, the company has sought contributions from its admirers. Since it does not want any tehelka on the issue, it has emphasised that donations should be paid only by cheque. The account would be audited by a team of respectable public figures and the accounts would be made available to every contributor, it has assured. To the aid of husband An embarrassing situation for the resident Austrian Ambassador Herber Traxl was averted by none other than his wife, Shovana Narayan, when she whispered to her husband to intervene when Austrian Trade Commissioner S. Darbinger was in a fix over a question at a press conference. A scribe had asked the Trade Commissioner the reason for the delay in launching the Indo-Austrian Business
Forum (IABF). Darbinger, who was posted here only six months back, was at loss to give a suitable reply. Immediately Traxl, who had been fed by a suitable reply by her wife Shovana Narayan — a reputed Indian classical dancer — moved to the mike and said that the first ever visit of Indian President K.R. Narayanan to Austria last year had provided an impetus for the IABF. Moreover, the chemistry of a person plays an important role and Darbinger’s chemistry with other businessmen and entrepreneurs doing business with Austria had helped in setting up the organisation which hopefully would go a long way to promote two-way ties. Vacation time It is vacation time for children and parents are at their wits end to keep them occupied. An enterprising scribe thought about a novel way to keep his grandson occupied. He got the boy to a press conference addressed by the Chairman of the National Commission for review of the Constitution at the Vigyan Bhavan last week. The affable Mr Justice M.N.Venkatachaliah did not take exception to the intrusion and went ahead to explain the intricacies of constitutional matters. (Contributed by Satish Misra, T.V. Lakshminarayan, Prashant Sood and P.N.
Andley). |
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Attack on scribes: what about the common man? THE brutal assault by BSF jawans — and the go-ahead for that assault by a DIG rank officer — on cameramen in the outskirts of Srinagar, has brought up the inevitable question. If this is the fate of a Press team (with the Ennadu TV cameraman even flung into a stream and the rest hit and beaten) then what about the condition of the ordinary citizen of the valley? In fact, I queried Prof Kamal Mitra Chenoy on exactly this, as he had delivered a talk at India International Centre on the human rights violations taking place in and around Srinagar. Mitra is a professor at JNU’s School for International Studies and had earlier gone with a team to study the human rights violations taking place there. And he has this to say: “Of course human rights violations are taking place in the state and the BSF is considered to be number two in the violators’ list. The worst violators are the surrendered militants who become agents of the Army and also the Special Task Force. And to top it all, the National Human Rights Commission and the State Human Rights Commission have no right to question the armed forces about these blatant violations! Also, the Human Rights Act doesn’t wholly apply to the state. In fact, when we had openly voiced our dismay at these violations, Lt-Gen J.P. Mukherjee, who is the Corp
Commander of the 15 Corp, said whenever they came across any violations, they set up their own inquiries and the guilty did get punished. But then why aren’t such inquiries made public. Though Mukherjee is extremely well- liked, he expressed his inability to make these inquiries etc public...”. Another person I spoke to is the Delhi-based writer and photographer Sonia Jabbar who is doing a project on the ongoing conflict in Srinagar and in that connection travels very often to the valley. This is what she had to say: “If the BSF can attack journalists and media people without batting an eyelid, you can imagine what must be happening. In fact, both the jawans and the militants are indulging in horrible excesses, with a gun in their hands they behave like God ....” And J&K state convener of the PUCL Balraj Puri had this to say: “This incident of BSF men attacking journalists on work is an assault on the Indian democracy. These BSF men and their DIG rank officer have tarnished our image ...and this time these BSF men can’t say citizens were stone-throwing at them! If you ask me about human rights violations taking place, then let me tell you that these violations are being committed by the armed forces and also by the militants and done not only in Srinagar but elsewhere too. Though the Army’s reputation is definitely better than the BSF’s it all depends on who the commanding officer is. If the officer is good these violations automatically come down but otherwise they are going on unchecked.” Puri is critical of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, and minced no words in stating that “ever since the so-called ceasefire process has begun, the number of custodial deaths has gone up ...anybody can be killed in the name of militancy. But tell me, who will decide who is a militant and who is totally innocent?” Here let me also add that last month whilst interviewing a well-known advocate of the Capital, I had asked him for the official figures of the number of custodial deaths in each state of the country. He gave me the statewise breakup, but revealed that for J&K the statistics of custodial deaths were not furnished by the NHRC as the Human Rights Act was not wholly applicable to that state! Why can’t we have transparency in the system ...at least the
name (s) of those dead be released together with the offence. In the midst of heat and dust No point wasting space in getting into the weather conditions, but yes, this is the time when activity is at its lowest ebb. Interestingly, the only ‘happenings’ seem to be various book releases — Tahir Mahmood’s book on the Minorities Commission, ‘Minor Role in Major Affairs’ (Pharos), Ruchir Joshi’s book on Delhi (Harper Collins) and a range of Pocket Art Series by Roli Books. Space constraints come in the way of furnishing details of the books, but for some strange reason several books in this series are remembrances of a certain sort — Remembering Agra, Remembering Delhi, Bollywood Nostalgia etc ...as though these towns/places etc are getting reduced to sheer memories. Some artistic spread! Ever since word has spread around of the Malaysian Ambassador to India’s artistic prowess (he not only held an exhibition of his works, but had invited several Malaysian artists here to paint whilst touring India), there are talks about whether any of our artists will accompany the PM on his four day-tour of Malaysia starting this weekend. Are these days fulfilling? May 13 is Mother’s Day, followed by the so-called Family Day (May 15), but look what’s left of our family — structure, a mere skeleton of its former self. Though, going by Khalil Gibran’s philosophy, there seems nothing amiss, for he propagates a detachment of a certain kind, I quote: “Your children are not your children/They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself/ They come through you not from you/And though they are with you yet they belong not to you ...You may house their bodies, but not their souls/For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow/which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams ....” |
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For pilot error, which in turn, implied a failure of the establishment to train the pilots, the main cause was the qualitative jump which the pilot was required to undertake from sub-sonic aircraft like Kiran and Ishkara to supersonic aircraft flying at Mach 2 speed, like the MiG 21. It was around 1985 that the Committee had recommended that the Indian Air Force should acquire Advanced Jet Trainers. As a matter of policy, acquisition of 66 aircraft had been sanctioned in 1986. They are still to be acquired.