Kargil as a “political product”

IN India, politics has turned out to be the most paying profession at a very cheap cost. (“Marketing an image: Kargil as political product” by Mr Hari Jaisingh, The Tribune, August 20). No essential or desirable qualification is needed to be a successful politician. What is required is the skill to manipulate things to one’s own advantage. People have short memory, so they please them at the poll time to reap the crop of votes. The author rightly asserts: “True, the Indian masses can be easily taken in by any charm spell or success.”

Hypocrisy, not sincerity, is the hallmark of politics in India. Means — fair or foul — are applied at the hustings to ensure victory in the elections. Day in and day out, the spurt in the activities of Aya Rams and Gaya Rams in politics is not due to any reason of policy, but it is a spur-of-the-moment action to grab the opportunity for personal gains.

During the early post-Independence era, we had leaders who were great visionaries and statesmen. They possessed the qualities of head and heart. They had the feeling of unquestioned patriotism. Their participation in Parliament or state assemblies mattered. The debates used to be lively and meaningful.

Now, while watching the live telecast of parliament or state assemblies in session, quite often there is the absence of healthy criticism and a down-to-earth approach. The elements of alacrity and humour are missing in the debates. It hurts the country’s viewers when the nation’s invaluable time and money get lost in the din and bedlam. Politics seems to have become an exercise in poll-tricks to win an election by all means.

IQBAL SINGH
Bijhari (Hamirpur)

Quality of leadership: It should be appreciated that images are not built; they develop automatically by virtue of one’s character and quality of leadership.

Opposition parties have been emphasising that the credit for Kargil victory goes only to the defence forces, and the caretaker government has done nothing to do with it. The very old question arises: how many regiments put together can produce a Napoleon? How many Napoleons put together can provide a Churchill, a Truman or a Stalin?

Then we had Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi. During their regime the wars of 1965 and 1971 were fought with Pakistan. The conquest is attributable to their quality of leadership.

Likewise, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee has demonstrated a high quality of leadership, and the credit for the Kargil conquest should go to him. He has earned a certain image which should be recognised.

The tradition is that the credit or discredit for national achievements goes to the leader running the government.

R. KAUNDINYA
Ambala Cantt

OVER-EXPOSURE OF VVIPs: It may be borne in mind that sycophancy is neither a phenomenon of recent origin nor is it confined to politics. It has existed in all the spheres of human activity since times immemorial. That it is hovering around the present Prime Minister should cause no surprise.

A former President of India on the eve of his election “pledged” to even broom the floor if ordered by his mentor, the then Prime Minister. During the Emergency, a Chief Minister was reported to have the proud privilege of promptly inserting back into Sanjay Gandhi’s foot the slipped chappal. Sycophants by their unethical ways lose credibility among the people besides bringing a bad name to the leadership.

Over-exposure of VVIPs, especially the Prime Minister, sometimes proves counter-productive. During the heyday of the JP movement Indira Gandhi had come to acquire a similar belief. She had been made to feel that an overdose of projection and brazen propaganda could do political wonders. To her great dismay, she discovered later on how wrong she had been.

In the Andhra Pradesh election during the mid-nineties, people in certain areas were reported to have switched off their TV sets once the Prime Minister (P.V. Narasimha Rao) came on the screen. A cartoonist during those days showed a viewer twiddling with the TV button and complaining to the repair man that despite changing channels the Prime Minister’s picture would not go away!

Now people have access to a variety of media programmes — both national and foreign — that updates their information and enables them to prudently frame their national and international affairs. This enables them to critically examine the inspired programmes telecast in the prime time of the national network.

It is to the credit of the Indian electorate that voters make the choice unambiguous despite the ruling party’s abuse of the electronic media. It is, therefore, high time Doordarshan observed meticulous neutrality and objectivity in its programmes.

K.M. VASHISHT
Mansa

Suffering depositors

The reported loss of Rs 788 crore for the year ended March 31, 1999, incurred by Indian Bank is a matter of serious concern. This is on top of the earlier losses of Rs 1,336 crore, Rs 389 crore and Rs 301 crore in the previous years. The government has already dipped its hands into the pockets of the poor people of India to salvage this bank from its earlier losses.

The root cause of this continuing crisis is the loss of the perspective that bank funds belong to depositors and are to be held in trust and used with a sense of trusteeship. Politically inspired loans, bureaucratic ineptitude of the Finance Ministry of the Government of India, incompetence of the bank management and the short-sighted attitude of employee unions have led this bank to its virtual bankruptcy.

The huge non-performing assets are a result of the decisions on politically inspired loans taken by a board to which the Reserve Bank of India as also employee directors are parties, unless they have specifically dissented when such loans were approved.

It will be economically unwise and morally not right for the Government of India to fund this bank further from public funds. The wayout is to put the bank on the auction block.

In the meantime, small depositors, who are always the sufferers in such a man-made crisis, would do well to safeguard their interests by shifting their deposits to safer places when they still have an option. They should not be lulled into inaction either by sentimental reasons or by sweet assurances from the authorities.

M.R. PAI
Mumbai

Hijacking a ‘fine show’

The editorial “Kargil is still booming” (August 23) was an attempt at castigating the ruling BJP for its brazenly foul play vis-a-vis the Kargil issue.

Speaking objectively, the BJP has absolutely nothing to crow about in the matter. In fact, the party in question seems guilty of an unpardonable Himalayan lapse — stark failure to exercise proper vigilance vis-a-vis the country’s borders, the most elementary function of a government. And yet it has the cheek to claim credit for the Kargil victory — which, in all fairness, must go to the brave jawans of our armed forces.

What a shameless attempt to hijack the “fine show” and exploit it for electoral purposes!

TARA CHAND
Ambota (Una)