The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

EDITORIALS

Only by talks or courts
Matters of faith cannot be legislated, either

UNION Minister of State for Home Swami Chinmayanand’s statement that the Centre was trying for a negotiated settlement of the Ayodhya dispute is welcome. There is no better solution to the problem than an agreement reached between the representative organisations of Hindus and Muslims. It is the first time that the government has acknowledged taking steps to bring the two sides to the negotiating table, though it has been supporting the initiative of the Shankaracharya of Kanchi. There is no guarantee that the Centre will succeed where the venerable Shankaracharya has failed. As it is, finding the right representatives for talks is easier said than done. The government also has to guard against those trying to sabotage such attempts. One of the reasons why the Shankaracharya’s efforts failed last time was the deliberate attempt on the part of certain organisations espousing the cause of the Ram temple to make his task difficult. Instead of appreciating his noble motive, some Muslim organisations tried to pick holes in his attempt.

Equally responsible for the failure of the talks were some controversial statements the Shankaracharya made. Given the great traditions of the Kanchi Peeth, these should have been overlooked. Unfortunately, they were magnified to a point where his impartiality had begun to be questioned. If anything, this showed how careful an arbiter had to be while trying to find a solution to the vexed problem. Seen against this backdrop, Swami Chinmayanand’s remarks the same day that the Archaeological Survey of India’s finding had established the claim that a Ram temple existed where the Babri Masjid once stood would have been better if it had not been uttered at all. The dispute can be solved only if the two sides show readiness for give and take. The Centre’s role should not be more than that of an honest arbiter. Unless this condition is fulfilled, it will be difficult for the two disputants to arrive at a mutually acceptable agreement.

If, for one reason or another, the Centre’s efforts fail, the only option is to wait for the court’s decision. Such a verdict is the second and last option as one of the parties has already made it clear that it would accept the decision only if it upheld its claim. In any case, whatever be the decision of the court, its repercussions are bound to be messy. Now a third option – legislation – is being bandied about by the Sangh Parivar. This is unacceptable because there are certain fundamental features of a constitutional system based on the rule of law, which cannot be decided on the basis of voting in Parliament. It will be tantamount to subverting the system. If, as Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani says, matters of faith cannot be decided by the court, how can such weighty questions be decided by Parliament, either? The government will do well to make a categorical declaration turning down the suggestion for legislation to end the Ayodhya dispute.

Poll spending
Onus is more on candidates than on the EC

THE Election Commission’s proposal to check overspending by candidates in the forthcoming assembly elections in Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Mizoram is welcome. Reports suggest that it is planning to impose stricter guidelines on poll spending during the next few days. The initiative is laudable, but it remains to be seen whether the Election Commission will succeed in its efforts. For one thing, fighting an election today has become big business, requiring huge funds and resources. For another, the statutory ceiling for election expenditure (Rs 6 lakh for an Assembly seat and Rs 15 lakh for a Lok Sabha seat) is followed more in breach than in practice. Moreover, most candidates hoodwink the law on ceiling by showing the expenditure on the heads of political parties, friends and relatives. Plugging this kind of accounting will help check overspending. Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh’s recent directive that every candidate should file a statement of expenses incurred on electioneering every day — not just while filing their nomination papers — will also help.

Unfortunately, there is no sincerity and earnestness on the part of the candidates to check overspending. They spend huge unaccounted funds for political activity, party organisation, election campaigning, publicity, etc. This, in a way, has created an environment of corruption, generating black money and promoting a parallel economy. Worse, political parties are loathe to file their returns. An elected representative starts his legislative career by telling a lie — about his election expenditure. As the ceiling prescribed by the law does not reflect the ground realities, it needs to be reviewed to make spending limit realistic.

Donations to political parties are a major source of electoral corruption. In this highly unequal game, poor candidates find it difficult to compete with those flush with funds. This has made a mockery of the world’s largest democracy. Parliament has passed the Election and Other Related Laws (Amendment) Bill in the Budget session. But the problem of company donations still remains unresolved. How can one check money given in cash and under the table? Certainly, the onus is more on the political parties and individual candidates to make the electoral system open and transparent. The objective should be to enable everyone, rich or poor, to contest and make democracy realistic and meaningful. One way for political parties to ensure openness in the election expenditure is to publish their annual reports and accounts, duly audited and certified. Equally important is delinking of funding and political patronage. Businessmen give money to politicians as investment, not as donation. Consequently, the present system of funding will have to guard against any quid pro quo deals.

A flawless launch
Another feather in ISRO's cap

RESOURCESAT-1, the latest remote-sensing satellite launched by India, has been functioning well. The satellite was hoisted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday using PSLV-C5, the workhorse of the country's space programme. This was done despite inclement weather, which speaks volumes for the confidence of our space scientists. Their confidence is justified as they have a proven track record of many successes. Soon after the satellite was put into space, its two solar panels were automatically deployed and, subsequently, the spacecraft was put in a 3-axis stabilised mode. Earlier, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle had placed the satellite in an 821-km-high polar Sun-synchronous orbit. This is the ninth consecutive successful launch for ISRO and is another feather in the space cap of the venerable organisation that was set up by the visionary Dr Vikram Sarabhai.

The interest India's top leadership has taken in the space programme was clear from the fact that both the President and the Prime Minister watched PSLV's launch. Progress in launching space vehicles has been concurrent with efforts to develop remote-sensing satellites and here, too, there is reason for satisfaction. Resourcesat-1 is the most advanced remote-sensing satellite ever built by ISRO. It weighs 1,360 kg and has been designed to go around the earth 14 times a day. Its orbit will allow it to view the same spot once in 24 days. It has a life of five years and will collect visual data that would help our scientists study the planet as an integrated, interactive physical and biological system. The new satellite is the 10th in the Indian Remote-sensing Satellite series built by ISRO and will take forward the work being done by its predecessors - IRS-1C and IRS-1D - besides enhancing the remote-sensing services. It has two Linear Imaging Self Scanners (LISS) - a high-resolution LISS-4 operating in three spectral bands in the visible and near infrared region (VNIR) with 5.8 m spatial resolution and steerable up to plus or minus 26 degrees for stereoscopic imagery and another medium-resolution LISS-3 operating in three spectral bands in VNIR and one in short-wave infrared band with 23.5 m spatial resolution.

Remote-sensing satellites have been used to gather data which is of immense help for mapping land use, land cover, agro-climatic zones, wastelands, wetlands, forest cover, crop acreage for production estimation and coastal-zone regulation. Our scientists have given us a creditable space programme that addresses real needs. They deserve a round of applause at their latest success.

Thought for the day

Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

— John F. Kennedy

EDITOR'S COLUMN

New role for Hema Malini
A film star comes to aid of the party
by H. K. Dua

IT is hard to grudge Ms Hema Malini her moment of happiness in joining politics last week, but her decision to do so has a wider political meaning.

The occasion gave the BJP President, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu, a photo opportunity and a kind of expression anyone who loves fishing comes to have on getting hold of a prize catch. And some in the party even see in it a shot in the arm for the BJP.

We don’t know whose brainwave was it for the BJP leaders to have thought of persuading Ms Hema Malini to join their party; but at the press conference convened to launch her new career, Mr Naidu looked happier than the cine star.

The script as it unfolded had a bit of a surprise. Ms Hema Malini joins the select band of Members of the Rajya Sabha whom the President of India nominates to give representation to persons who have made an enormous contribution to the nation in science, art, culture, law, public life, et al.

There is no problem on Ms Hema Malini’s landing into the Upper House; she has made a lot of contribution to cinema and dance during the last 25 years.

But people nominated to the Rajya Sabha in this exclusive category normally do not take the oath as an MP in the morning and join a political party in the afternoon. It may have suited the BJP's convenience in an election year, but has not really helped Ms Hema Malini to have reached 11, Ashoka Road, via Parliament House. The journey should have been the other way. We can, however, allow this to pass for the moment; worse things are after all happening in politics these days than a breach of propriety.

Also, Ms Hema Malini, like any citizen of the land, has the right to become an MP. Dara Singh has also been recently nominated to the Upper House. And many illustrious figures from the tinsel world have adorned parliamentary benches earlier — Prithvi Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Vijayanthimala Bali, Lata Mangeshkar, Shabana Azmi and a few others. Jaya Prada, Raj Babbar, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha have fought electoral battles to find their way to Parliament. Many of them have made constructive contribution to Parliament by observing sustained silence, while others like Shabana Azmi have lent their voice to vital causes.

At the centre is simply the question why do the politicians, who are always keen to protect their turf, want the help of film stars to rule this country of one billion people.

The reason is not far to seek. Indian politicians as a breed have over the years lost sheen and possibly the respect of the people across the country and as such need the help of film stars to attract audiences and possibly some votes.

Politicians are not given to examining why their image has suffered a decline, but are certainly conscious of the fact that they no longer are held in public esteem as they used to be earlier. They no longer attract big crowds and certainly not at the election time. A film star's presence on the stage would help. Politicians want to gain from the reflected limelight.

Comments about politicians heard at home or at the nearest dhaba or a bus stop are hardly adulatory. The people are increasingly getting fed up with their antics; and sometimes angry at their lack of public concern.

One can see the ministers rushing from one place to another in cars with red lights flashing and constables looking out of the running car at everything that moves around often to display a perceived symbol of status or importance. The reaction is public ridicule.

In public eye, “Aaj ka Mantri” is no longer a respectable figure, nor for that matter is an “Aaj ka MLA” or an “Aaj ka MP” as was the case a few years ago.

The company our politicians keep is often not respectable. More often than not, they have struck a relationship of mutual convenience with persons of unsavoury reputations. Often this company includes local fixers and thugs, who can be persuaded to give money or gather votes for the politicians by means fair and foul.

Politicians are freely hobnobbing with members of the mafia groups that have come to enjoy respectability in vast tracts of the land and in many constituencies ability to get elected themselves or enough clout to influence the outcome of the election.

Corruption, like the company the politicians keep, has also become the hallmark of several ministers or would-be-ministers. Many legislators become chairmen of various corporations and public sector undertakings; others who are not so lucky to enjoy a chief minister's bounty find more creative ways to serve their interests.

Today’s politicians know how to raise enough money for themselves and for funding their election campaigns, but not for schools, hospitals, public hygiene or for creating jobs for the unemployed. While the not-so-clever people continue to suffer poverty, deprivation and ignorance, they generally see politicians as parasites who tend to feed themselves at their cost. No wonder, the politicians as a class have serious image problem which they try to tackle by co-opting film stars.

There were times when people left jobs and vocations and chose going to jail so that the country could win freedom from foreign rule. Their idealism and sacrifice were enough to win hearts and minds of the people — and in the process, large following. What those leaders said was believed; what they promised was trusted. Not any longer.

The hollowness of the promises made at the election time or otherwise is too patent to be missed by those whose votes the politicians have to seek. The glib talk does not convince anyone but the windbags themselves.

Since people in public life have ceased to be icons, who attracted audiences or votes, the devalued politicians seek the help of others who have become icons in the public eye. Yesterday’s film heroes and heroines are the easier targets for this search.

The decision to take resort to filmi appeal is not because of any keenness to share power with them, but is the result of the continued feeling of insecurity today's netas have come to suffer from. Their attempt to invoke the blessings of celluloid goddesses is not devotional in nature but is born out of political necessity and as such is essentially hypocritical.

The Hema Malinis, and earlier the Rajesh Khannas and the Shatrughan Sinhas of the film world know why politicians knock at their doors, but they have hardly a reason to say “No” to invitations.

Extended applause is always welcome, even to Ms Hema Malini. Good luck to her!

MIDDLE

‘Pranam, Guruji’
by Vepa Rao

WHEN I was introduced to the perpetually goggled, fair-skinned Lokesh, I hardly knew that I was meeting someone who would teach me what my Sanskrit masterji had failed to at school!

Upon introduction, Lokesh went down on his knees smoothly, with his palms going in search of my feet. “Pranam, Guruji, I have been dying to meet you. Indeed, this is a holy moment in my life”, he said in a reverential tone and straightened up slowly. “I need your volume of poems — autographed, of course! Each word of yours plays on the strings of my heart…”.

Lokesh stood there bowing, blushing — an embodyment of modesty. I was convinced that he was indeed a great judge of quality, human substance and, no doubt, poetry.

I protested that I did not merit his praise at all, and that I did not carry those awful poems with me.

“Please search, sir; just once in your ‘jhola’, sir. If I don’t get your book with a message written in your own hand specially for me, even after meeting you, it will be a bad day in my life.”

Well, I managed to fish out a copy tucked away in the bag. After all, poets have to carry copies just in case they run into a rare admirer. His face lit up with joy.

Lokesh took the shrivelled volume with tender care, pressed it to his forehead, and carefully slipped it into his breast pocket.

“It will stay close to my heart, sir”. He smiled like a child, touched my feet again, and melted into a crowd on The Mall.

No doubt, my masterji’s admonishing face and his line in Sanskrit “ati vinayam, dhoorta lakshanam” (over-politeness is a feature of crooks) did cross my mind — but my modern outlook dismissed it instantly.

Even the frequent sight of Lokesh touching the feet of every Tom, Dick and Harry did not perturb me. If only I could show my city friends the culture of this self-effacing young man filled with respect for elders !

It was months later that I learnt the lesson of my life.

Lokesh was touching the ground in front of Badshah’s feet — right at my doorstep. I was watching him from my first-floor window .

“Pranam, Guruji”, he said in the same reverential tone, bending politely. “Please let me go inside”, he was pleading. A faint note of mockery escaped his voice but there was no blush on the fair cheek wearing that lop-sided smile.

A stray dog rested at times at my doorstep. We called him Badshah.

IN FOCUS

The state of medical institutions — 5
Agrasen institute struggles for survival
Protracted birth pangs, politics and lack of vision affect the
future of students
by Pratibha Chauhan

Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Medical Research & Education, Agroha (Hisar), Haryana

BUT for the archaeologists and as the nerve centre of the Aggarwal community, the ancient township of Agroha near Hisar, once ruled by Maharaja Agrasen of the Mahabharata era some 5,000 years ago, would inspire little interest for a visitor.

The latest brush with fame for the township, the grandiosely conceived Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Medical Research and Education is, sadly, proving a non-starter. Sick and ailing, the institute is virtually running on a ventilator struggling for sheer survival as political manoeuvring, lack of vision and intra-management tug-of-war has put at stake career and future of hundreds of students and faculty members.

Established with the aim to provide health care in rural Haryana and impart medical education to students of the state, the institute has failed to emerge as the second medical college of the state after Rohtak. For the vast rural populace in the vicinity of the township the hope for getting better medical facilities has proved to be a mirage as the Institute itself is suffering protracted birth pangs.

There was no mistaking the vision when the Rs 110-crore medical college and hospital project was conceived by the Maharaja Agrasen Medical Education and Scientific Research Society in 1988. But the process of translating the vision into reality has met with several stumbling blocks. Like everything else in Haryana, the Institute has been mired in politics. The matter of providing grants to the Institute has been highly politicised with two previous state governments headed by the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) and the Congress refusing to honour financial commitments made by the earlier state government headed by B.D. Gupta and Om Prakash Chautala at the time of setting up of the Institute in 1988.

Steeped in political controversy and the bickerings within the Society, the institute is faced with an uncertain future, despite the Medical Council of India (MCI) allowing it to admit a fresh batch of 50 students, on the last day of admission on September 30 this year.

Imagine a scenario where 11 successive batches of medical students at the Institute have passed out as “guest students” from neighbouring Rohtak Medical College. The first batch of students admitted to Agroha medical college in 1994 had to be shifted to Rohtak in 1999 after the MCI refused to grant provisional recognition, pointing out serious deficiencies and lack of infrastructure. The hospital, continued to function with whatever little facilities it had come up with, till that period. The medical college after remaining closed for almost three years, once again made a new beginning by admitting 50 students last year.

It had a renewed brush with the MCI this year as the Council put its foot down and refused to renew the recognition granted by it. After much persuasion, the MCI allowed the institute to make fresh admissions for a new batch last month.

The plan for setting up of a college in the Hisar area was conceived by former Deputy Prime Minister, Devi Lal. It was the then Deputy Chief Minister, Mr B.D. Gupta, who on the behalf of the Aggrawal community assured financial help in the setting up of the college if the venue for the institute would be Agroha, the capital city of Maharaja Agrasen.

The Maharaja Agrasen Medical Education and Scientific Research Society was set up in 1988 and later on an agreement signed with the state government, which apart from granting 276 acres of land on lease, committed to bear 99 per cent of the recurring expenditure by way of a grant and 50 per cent of the non-recurring expenditure.

However, successive state governments headed by Mr Bhajan Lal and Mr Bansi Lal refused to honour the commitment of Rs 5-crore annual grant made by the previous state government at the time of setting up of the Institute. The present regime led by Om Prakash Chautala is, though, striving to revive the Institute and has promised the much-needed financial assistance.

With a bed strength of 325, the hospital OPD’s attract close to 500 patients from the nearby areas, who otherwise had to either go to Rohtak or Delhi as majority of them are not in a position to afford the expensive treatment at private hospitals in Hisar. Unfortunately, the hospital apart from having the basic departments of medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, ENT, ophthalmology, gynaecology, dermatology, paediatrics and psychiatry has not been able to develop specialities like cardiology, neurology and nephrology.

In the 12-bed casualty of the hospital, the small group of committed doctors try to offer the best to the patients, majority of whom are very poor and cannot even afford to buy basic medicines. Though the college claims to have a faculty of 65, apart from 60 senior and junior registrars and demonstrators, the actual number could be much less. In fact, to meet the MCI norms, the faculty is offered money to be present at the time of inspection.

“Things have started looking up as we have admitted a new batch of 50 and we plan to add specialities like nephrology and gastroenterology shortly,” says an optimistic Principal Director, Dr Nirmal Jain, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon. Construction work of the New Girls hostel and some residential complexes is nearing completion.

“We too realise that our troubles are still not over as the MCI has merely given us some breathing time and if things are not speeded up, there could be problems,” is the sentiment echoed by a worried faculty, staff and students at the institute. Even after more than a decade of its existence, the institute has reached nowhere near the target it had set during the first phase. The tentative bed strength of 500 to be achieved by 1999, after the completion of the first phase has not been achieved.

The project, which was to be completed by 2008, complete with MBBS, postgraduation, superspeciality and allied disciplines of nursing, pharmacy, medical technology, dietary, dentistry and physiotherapy is nowhere near the ambitious plans chalked out at the time of its inception. The nurses and other paramedical staff are not getting their salaries on time as there are financial problems.

The patients still have to be referred to private centres in Hisar for getting a CT scan or an MRI. There is shortage of not just teaching staff, doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff but patients too are facing the brunt. “With the institute being labeled as “jinxed” and seeing its past record we cannot blame people for their reluctance to come here and put their career at stake. Many among the present faculty would also leave given a better job option,” admit those who have been here for some time.

“Why should we be made to suffer for the political victimisation the institute has faced because of the changing political scenario in the state, as it was the moral responsibility of the government to ensure financial help and support to the second medical college the state needed badly,” opines a senior faculty member. What is worrying everyone is the next MCI inspection and seeing the poor response to the advertisements for various posts, they are panicky.

“I admit that the institute could not achieve the target because of political victimisation by the Congress and Haryana Vikas Party governments, and we too are wanting to achieve the maximum possible in the remaining two years period of the INLD government, as things could be back to square one, if there is change of power,” admits Mr Ashok Goel, the Finance Secretary of the Society.

He assures this time the situation is very different as a lot of infrastructure has come up and with 10 management MBBS seats and a Nursing College, the institute would hopefully be in a position to sustain itself, even if the state government backs out on its commitment.

Despite bigwigs like Haryana Chief Minister O.P. Chautala, being the Chief Patron and his minister, Mr Sampat Singh, the Patron and business tycoon, Mr O.P. Jindal, being the Chairman of the Society, the institute has failed to come up in the manner it should have.

“We feel the biggest problem is that the members of the Society are not the right people as they lack the vision and medical academics, which are a must for the setting up of such an ambitious project,” rue doctors. They admit that the bickerings and ego problem between the members of the Society has compounded the problems as decisions are delayed.

Another problem area is the delay by the Public Works Department of the Haryana government, which prepares the blueprints and the designs and undertakes construction work at the institute. “They do not understand the deadlines to be met, especially in view of the regular MCI inspections and this lands up in trouble as they function like a typical government agency,” says a society member.

Despite the hospital and medical college picking up after a decade long turmoil, legal wrangles and financial problems, tension is writ large on the faces of practically every individual associated with the institute. “We feel that it is the results of the assembly election which will decide our fate, as it is only in case the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) is voted back to power that we can be optimistic, otherwise the future of the institute is not too bright,” is the pessimistic strain emerging from the Institute faculty.