E D I T O R I A L   P A G E

EDITORIALS

BJP’s growing anxiety
THE speeches by senior BJP leaders at the party’s two-day national executive meeting that ended at Indore on Saturday show that there is a frenetic search for a credible formula to win the coming assembly elections in four states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chhattisgarh.

The MiG mess
ILL-FATED MiG aircraft have been tumbling out of the sky with such sickening regularity that had this not meant loss of precious lives and depletion of defence strength, the development would have come to be seen as a routine.

Dysfunctional fun
NEVER laugh at anyone. That shows poor upbringing and bad taste. This is the simple rule of thumb that British humour follows. Always subtle and under-stated. British humour is the exact opposite of American slapstick that raises a laugh at the discomfiture of others.

OPINION

Assessment of recent events in Nepal
Will Maoist insurgency come to an end?
T.V. Rajeswar
THE announcement that the Maoists are due to hold discussions with the King of Nepal for a long-term political settlement of the crisis there seems to be a development in the right direction. The Maoist insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom is almost a decade old, and it has taken a heavy toll in terms of the human lives lost and the economic suffering of the people.

MIDDLE

Just in time
Raj Chatterjee
MAY the good Lord save me from social “do-gooders”, especially the female of the species. In my experience they have either been domineering women with henpecked husbands or dried-up spinsters striving for a little male attention.

ANALYSIS

The hotting up media battle over Iraq
L.H. Naqvi
WAR is best reported as history. And the outcome of Gulf War II is not going to be different. For the time being, listen to General Tommy Franks’ and his assistant’s briefing inside the media centre designed by a big name from Hollywood. Take what they say with a pinch of salt.

TRENDS & POINTERS

Youngsters highly stressed these days: survey
STRESS-RELATED problems are taking a toll on everyone — both the old and the young — these days. A new survey, by the US Medical Research Council, has found that stress levels in teenagers have now reached a record high than what it was a few years ago.

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

EDITORIALS

BJP’s growing anxiety

THE speeches by senior BJP leaders at the party’s two-day national executive meeting that ended at Indore on Saturday show that there is a frenetic search for a credible formula to win the coming assembly elections in four states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chhattisgarh. It is believed the results of these polls will provide a clue to how the voters will exercise their franchise in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP seems to be unsure of the necessary ingredients of a perfect strategy for electoral victory. Its anxiety is growing by the day because the Gujarat experiment failed to bring dividends in Himachal Pradesh. The drubbing it received at the hands of the Congress has made the saffron organisation realise that a strategy applicable in one state is unlikely to work in another. Besides this, people in general are getting sick of emotive issues. They are more interested in development-oriented schemes. That is why Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee has presented a long list of his government’s achievements, including the creation of new jobs and infrastructure development, to prove that the BJP believes in performance. But this flies in the face of the worst communal riots in Gujarat during his regime, spoiling the country’s image in the comity of nations. It will continue to be asked why he could not save Gujarat from burning after the Godhra train tragedy? At one time he ridiculed Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his dubious role and then he changed his tune, showing preference for his party’s interests over those of the nation.

Thus, the BJP’s main worry seems to be the general perception among the voters that it is definitely not “a party with a difference” as it has been claiming. It is like any other political formation interested in capturing power by hook or by crook. Gone are the days when the BJP leaders used to talk of value-based politics. After coming to power at the Centre and in various states they have been exposed as being more interested in power than in values and principles. That is why the party today is known for factionalism, widespread indiscipline, opportunism, etc, more than anything else. These diseases weakened the once invincible Congress, making it lose power at the Centre. Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani wants his party rank and file to arrest the Congressisation of the BJP when he says that it must regain its old image of being “a party with a difference”, known for “distinctive traditions of idealism”. His belief is that the BJP can prove that idealism and power politics can go together. People, however, may not take such talks seriously after having experienced the BJP’s rule at the Centre and in different states for a long time. It has been blatantly indulging in realpolitik, never bothered about ideals and principles. It has accepted the support from any quarters, including those known for their involvement in corrupt practices and scams, to remain in power. The increasing anxiety among the BJP leaders about how to get rid of this new and uncomforting image is, therefore, understandable.

The MiG mess

ILL-FATED MiG aircraft have been tumbling out of the sky with such sickening regularity that had this not meant loss of precious lives and depletion of defence strength, the development would have come to be seen as a routine. It is callous on the part of the authorities to keep on countering the widely held belief that various variants of this Russian-made plane are a “flying coffin”. If they are not, how come they send so many people on their last journey? Not only young pilots but also many civilians on the ground have fallen a victim to the bolts from the sky, the latest being five persons of Mullanpur Dakha, a residential colony near Ludhiana, on Friday. It is high time the Indian Air Force at least admitted that there was something seriously wrong with the functioning of this particular machine. Actually, even if the acceptance does not come, the facts are too stark to be hidden behind a veil of secrecy. While it is true that certain defence-related matters cannot be discussed in public, not going to the root cause of so many crashes is inexcusable. It has started telling on the morale of the IAF officers, although they are too brave and principled to say so in public. The mother of one of the victims has recently started a crusade against these scandalous accidents. Her son died in one such crash in September 2001. Since then at least 15 more have met with a similar fate. She is not alone in asking the one-word question: why? The whole nation is with her in this endeavour.

A large number of factors are responsible for this high mortality. To begin with, the plane is just too old. Induction and upgradation programmes have not kept pace with its natural ageing process. The result is that the planes which were a prize possession in the sixties and the seventies are now a millstone around the IAF’s neck. To make matters worse, there is an acute shortage of spares. That is only one aspect of it. Then comes the equally vital issue of training of the pilots. In the absence of a suitable advanced jet trainer (AJT), pilots get substandard training and are unable to cope with the demands put on their skill by an aircraft like the MiG. The maintenance is also not what it should be. It is true that not all MiGs can be phased out at one go. After all, nearly 80 per cent of the 800 combat aircraft in IAF inventory are MiGs. But, surely, the country should not be cutting corners in their repairs and upgradation.

Dysfunctional fun

NEVER laugh at anyone. That shows poor upbringing and bad taste. This is the simple rule of thumb that British humour follows. Always subtle and under-stated. British humour is the exact opposite of American slapstick that raises a laugh at the discomfiture of others. So long as dumb folks throw cakes and apple pies at each other to make spectators double up with laughter no one has a right to complain. But the producer of ‘Dysfunctional Family’ seems to have inadvertently strayed into prohibited territory. The film has hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs across the globe. An online petition has been issued for securing the signatures of all those who share the concern of the Sikh Americans. The film was released all over North America on Friday and action groups have mounted pressure on the film-maker to remove the hurtful scene. Over 6,000 Sikhs and 60 US and UK- based organisations have petitioned the producer, Miramax, saying that the scene would spread hatred against the Sikhs. The scene shows Eddie Griffin shouting at a Sikh man walking on the street: “Bin Laden was around here”. To say that the scene is insensitive will be an understatement in the context of the post 9\11hate-crimes targeting Sikhs and some Muslims because of their flowing beards and turban.

The average American is usually ignorant about the life and culture of other communities. The attack on the World Trade Center made most Americans see Osama bin Laden behind every beard and turban. A US radio station was made to apologise for a pejorative reference to Sikh Americans in its talk show. Two brothers in San Francisco were among those killed in hated attacks on Asians, Muslims and Sikhs. One of them was killed a few days after 9\11 and the other a year later in identical circumstances. They were both Sikhs. The Sikh community in America created such a stink over the hate crimes that President George W. Bush had to intervene to pacify them. Nearer home a leading multi-edition Hindi newspaper from Chandigarh recently carried a controversial reference to Shia Muslims of South Iraq. It refused to carry a clarification from local community leaders. Biased accounts are coming out of Iraq as part of a well oiled American policy of making the majority Shia community turn against Mr Saddam Hussein, who is a Sunni. The first lesson journalists are taught on joining the profession is — when in doubt leave it out. This principle now has a wider application in the context of the hurt the scene in the American film has caused to the Sikhs.

OPINION

Assessment of recent events in Nepal
Will Maoist insurgency come to an end?
T.V. Rajeswar

THE announcement that the Maoists are due to hold discussions with the King of Nepal for a long-term political settlement of the crisis there seems to be a development in the right direction. The Maoist insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom is almost a decade old, and it has taken a heavy toll in terms of the human lives lost and the economic suffering of the people.

The Maoist insurgency, described as “the people’s war”, has spread to almost the entire country. By 1996 the Maoists claimed to have set up a “people’s government” in 42 of the 75 districts in Nepal. The Royal Nepal Army tried to fight back the Maoist incursions, but it was a steadily losing battle as the insurgents had adopted guerrilla tactics.

The political chaos in the country compounded the deteriorating situation. King Gyanendra, who ascended the throne after the elimination of almost the entire royal family of Nepal, has proved himself a shrewd manipulator. He had been watching the continuing political infighting in the Nepali Congress and the political instability which was becoming increasingly obvious. Mr Girija Prasad Koirala, who was the Prime Minister, was replaced by Mr Sher Bahadur Deuba in July, 2001, after internal bickerings in the ruling Nepali Congress. Soon after the assumption of office, Mr Deuba initiated negotiations with the Maoists, followed by the announcement of a ceasefire, both by the government and the Maoists. The Maoists, headed by Prachanda, held a series of discussions with Mr Deuba, but their main demand was the abolition of the monarchy and the setting up of a Constituent Assembly to finalise the future constitution of the country.

However, within four months after starting the negotiations, the Maoists abruptly called off the truce and resorted to extensive attacks and widespread killings. A state of emergency was declared by Mr Deuba on November 26, 2001, and the chaotic situation started deteriorating day by day. Mr Deuba got the King agree to the dissolution of Parliament and calling for fresh elections. Politically, it was a grave error on his part since he did not consult his own party leaders. This resulted in the strange spectacle of the Prime Minister being expelled by his own party for three years. The infighting in the Nepali Congress led to a split in the party, with Mr Deuba claiming the support of a majority of the party’s members.

Taking advantage of the growing political instability and the deteriorating situation in the country, King Gyanendra struck on October 4, 2002. He dismissed the government of Prime Minister Deuba and declared himself as the interim executive head of Nepal. Politically, it was a big setback for Nepal since democratic rule had hardly lasted 12 years. It was a repetition of what King Mahendra did in 1960 when he dismissed the Koirala Ministry on the dubious ground that anti-national elements were gaining strength in the country and receiving support from outside. King Gyanendra explained, after assuming full authority for the governance of the country, that he had to take the drastic step because of the deteriorating situation in the country and the inept handling of the crisis by Mr Deuba’s government. King Gyanendra also said that he would relinquish power to an interim government in due course.

After a lot of quiet diplomacy between the palace and the Maoists, it was announced on January 29, 2003, that a ceasefire was agreed upon and that the peace process would begin immediately. Maoist leader Prachanda announced that the government had withdrawn the allegations of terrorism against him as well as the prize announced on his head. A caretaker government was installed by King Gyanendra, with Mr Lokendra Bahadur Chand as Prime Minister. It was learnt that prior to the announcement of truce there were extensive discussions lasting almost five hours between King Gyanendra and Prachanda, who was assisted by his Maoist colleague, Baburam Bhattarai. Baburam, who had been directing the Maoist rebellion while remaining underground, resurfaced after a gap of seven years.

The King was in India recently, visiting holy shrines, a tradition the Nepal royal family has always observed. During his visit to Delhi he met Prime Minister Vajpayee while senior ministers called on him. Mr Vajpayee had reportedly expressed the hope for the restoration of a full-fledged democratic government after elections. Now that the King has since returned to Nepal, substantive discussions with the Maoists will begin. The main demand of the Maoists has been the abolition of the monarchy and the installation of a republican government after the adoption of a constitution by the suggested Constituent Assembly. The Maoists are prepared to accept a multi-party system with a democratic structure. They have even conceded that if the Constituent Assembly favours a constitutional monarchy, they will have no objection to it. These are welcome developments and should be acceptable to the King and all the others concerned.

Multi-party democracy has been a colossal failure in Nepal, even as it is, to some extent, in India. In Nepal, however, the country-wide Maoist rebellion and the parallel government in most parts have made the situation worse. If the Maoists emerge, after a fair and free election, as a leading political force along with the Nepali Congress, there should be no objection to this. The amazing fact is that there are as many as 109 political parties, including 11 Leftist groups, in that country. This shows how fractured the Nepalese political system is.

Eventually, the Maoists and the Nepali Congress are expected to emerge as the leading political groups. After the disgusting infighting in the Nepali Congress for many years, which made a mockery of democracy with allegations of extensive corruption on the part of ministers, one should not be surprised if the Maoists emerge as the largest single group in the expected elections. India is accustomed to having Leftist governments in its states, the earliest being that headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad in Kerala in 1957. Then we have the longest serving Left Front government in West Bengal. Nothing comes in the way of the “revolutionaries” functioning under an elected system of government.

At the initial stage the Maoists may agree to the continuance of a constitutional monarchy. However, the King in Nepal has never acted as a constitutional monarch. He has always meddled with the functioning of democratically elected governments. The King is known to have assumed all powers to himself on more than one occasion in the past. This has been possible because of the peculiar constitutional arrangement with the King being the executive authority of the Royal Nepal Army. He is the supreme commander of the armed forces in the real sense of the term, and not a constitutional illusion as is the case in India. However, there is no doubt about the Maoists, sooner or later, abolishing the monarchy in Nepal. As a prelude, they may try to bring the army under the authority of the elected government.

India has been closely following the developments in Nepal. As it had happened in quite a few countries on crucial occasions, both the Indian Ambassador and his deputy in Kathmandu were absent on October 4 last year when the King took over. India has also been watching the increasing influence of the Americans and the British in Nepal, taking advantage of the Maoist rebellion. Some time ago the US Congress had announced the allocation of funds for Nepal. America has since given small arms and a couple of helicopters to it. Under the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950, which governs the relations between the two neighbours, Nepal has the right to import through India arms, ammunition, and the equipment necessary for the security of Nepal. The British and the Americans have kept India fully informed of the military hardware being given to Nepal. India has also helped in arresting a number of Maoists who had taken shelter in the border states of Bihar and UP.

The writer is a former Governor of West Bengal and Sikkim

MIDDLE

Just in time
Raj Chatterjee

MAY the good Lord save me from social “do-gooders”, especially the female of the species. In my experience they have either been domineering women with henpecked husbands or dried-up spinsters striving for a little male attention.

But sometimes one walks into trouble, however, much one wishes to avoid it. And that is how I encountered the lady I shall call Mrs Singh only because this happens to be a name that dominates the Delhi Telephone Directory, now three years old.

It was at a party given by an old friend to celebrate his acquisition of a son-in-law who, having spurned the IAS, had joined the IFS and was about to leave for his first foreign posting to the rather exotic capital of a South American country.

Mrs. Singh who, I was do learn later, was the aunt of the budding ambassador, came into the room like a ship in full sail, her mouth puckered as though savouring some inspirational ambrosia.

I was introduced to her as a retired person with time on my hands. Unfortunately, this gave Mrs Singh the notion that I was a suitable recruit for whatever soul-saving activities she had in mind.

“I wonder what you do all day” she said. “You must find life terribly boring.”

“Not at all” I said, helping myself to a couple of stoneless Spanish olives and a glass of gin-and-tonic. “Not in the least” I continued. “I read and I write and do various household chores including taking the dog for a walk twice a day.”

The lady gave me a pitying look which implied that I was a drone or a dim-witted oaf or both. I noticed that she had a drink in her hand which certainly wasn’t nimbu-pani.

“But you are living entirely for yourself. Do you ever spare a thought for the millions in our country who exist below the poverty line, with not even one square meal a day? And the poor women who are driven out of their homes, or done away with, by greedy in-laws and heartless husbands. Some are just thrown out into the streets to commit suicide or stay alive by selling their bodies. Have you ever . . .

At this point in our conversation her eyes spotted a bald-headed, pot-bellied little man who was whispering into the ear of the young bride, evidently to her great embarrassment.

“Excuse me” said Mrs Singh, almost pushing me aside. “I think my husband is telling that sweet, innocent girl one of his dirty stories.” She marched off, her hackles rising, leaving me to enjoy my drink in peace.

ANALYSIS

The hotting up media battle over Iraq
L.H. Naqvi

WAR is best reported as history. And the outcome of Gulf War II is not going to be different. For the time being, listen to General Tommy Franks’ and his assistant’s briefing inside the media centre designed by a big name from Hollywood. Take what they say with a pinch of salt. Wait for the channel to show you the briefing by the Iraqi authorities. Then compare General Franks’ humourless assertions with the more modest interaction of Iraqi Information Minister Saeed al Sahaf who makes sure that the camera always catches him smiling.

On Wednesday Sahaf was actually laughing when he told a group of journalists to visit the Baghdad airport to find out for themselves whether it had been taken by the US-led coalition. Rageh Omar, who accompanied a bus-load of journalists reported no sighting of “the enemy knocking at the door”. But his colleagues in the BBC studio in London and on other fronts in Iraq did not seem to believe him.

Who would? The embedded journalists are getting more coverage than those who are trying to report the war through honest means. Peter Arnett got kicked out for holding a contrary view. But journalists with his kind of understanding of the ground realities in Iraq — he was the one who brought the live coverage of Gulf War I to millions of drawing rooms across the globe — don’t remain without a job for long. His fans would be glad to know that he has found a new employer. And he is doing what he does best as a journalist — telling the truth.

However, the coverage of the war, through US- controlled briefings is getting more space in the newspapers than the sea of anti-war material floating on the Net. It is reassuring to know that the rest of the world still believes in the United Nations and peace. But why must the global village bully and his sidekick have their way? Well, that is a different tale.

The fact of the matter is that the media battle over Iraq has hotted up further with the anti-war lobby finding an effective and reliable friend in the ubiquitous Net for spreading the good word that Iraq may lose the war, but its people have earned the respect and support of the international community — never mind President Bush’s claim that it is on his side.

Al-Jazeera gave the western networks a run for their money during the American invasion of Afghanistan that saw Kabul being handed over to Mr Hamid Karzai while the rest of the “rubblised” country remained under the control of the warlords. The Arabic television channel was at it again, to somewhat restore the balance. While the embedded journalists spoke the language of President Bush in reviling Mr Saddam Hussein, the Arabic channel put out pictures of civilian deaths and injuries caused by the recklessness of the coalition forces.

The honest media has to pay a heavy price for siding with the truth and nothing but the truth. The Americans jammed Jazeera’s coverage outside the region. And now even Iraq has slapped a ban on it for reasons that upset America.

Jazeera’s website too has not been spared. The Arabic news channel has been forced to resort to text messaging after hackers closed down its English language and Arabic websites last week. But truth shall always be in demand. Al-Jazeera has beaten both sex and war to emerge as the top site on the Net. It has now resorted to SMS for sending out news of Gulf War II.

For those who love a good political fight, particularly by those who do not agree with the Bush-Blair blare-blare on why Saddam should be eliminated, the French government has given them much to cheer. But the cheering will have to be done in French. Language is an issue on which the French never concede even an inch to the English. Remember the Security Council debate for a last-ditch effort to stop President Bush from attacking Iraq? The German Foreign Minister spoke in impeccable English. The French did not.

Of course, championing a good cause in any language serves the same purpose. That of consolidating the forces of peace against war-mongers. The French government has launched an anti-war website. And to supplement its effort in exposing the evil that is being committed by America and Britain, under the garb of doing good for the sake of mankind, it has roped in the services of the French broadcasting company, CanalSatellite. The broadcaster has started offering its subscribers free access to the controversial Al-Jazeera. For more on what the French site has to offer, log on to www.special.diplomatie.fr.

There is some more good news for the anti-war lobby. If you love film-maker Michael Moore, you must have given him an improved ranking on your list of favourites after his outburst at the Oscar ceremony. His website gained more hits than any other site, including those that deal exclusively with politics, after the thundering speech he delivered at the Oscar award function. Insiders say Hollywood’s attack on him made President Bush grimace the way only he can do.

According to research by professional web managers, Moore’s site captured nearly 8 per cent of the market share — an impressive performance by a mile. Figures showed that a substantially larger number of visitors bookmarked the site for future viewing.

Gulf War II has also given blogging a fresh lease of life. It is a new form of online journalism for sharing news and views on earthshaking affairs like the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, or the verbal war of words between Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi over Ashwariya Rai. (She has said a firm no to anyone of them visiting her or sending get-well cards and flowers to her.) Blogging is the netizens’ short form for web logging.

Of course, blog postings are not always reliable because anyone who has something to contribute simply logs on and lets him or herself go. But there are more anti-war postings than those who see some method in President Bush’s madness. What else do bloggers want except to be recognised as serious participants in the anti-war debate? Amen to their effort and of all those who want the suffering of the innocent people to end.

May the anti-war cry rise above ear-splitting noise of the missiles and rockets that are being fired recklessly in all directions in search of “that man Saddam”. Let us say amen again.

TRENDS & POINTERS

Youngsters highly stressed these days: survey

STRESS-RELATED problems are taking a toll on everyone — both the old and the young — these days.

Teenagers used to be seen and not heard, and now we expect them to have an opinion." ANI

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

To hate a man

Is to betray humanity.

***

Love your enemies

And you will have none.

***

To love your enemy

Is to conquer him.

***

Love your enemy

And his soul will bind him down.

Fight only him you can love.

***

Even in your worst enemy

Recognise the Divine friend.

—Paul Bible, Proverbs 25:21