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Wednesday,
January 29, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Maya abuses POTA A welcome proposal Court clears Jadeja
Why France, Germany oppose war |
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Throwing one’s weight about
Uncertainty looms large over home for girls
Leaning towards long life
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Maya abuses POTA UTTAR PRADESH Chief Minister Mayawati has never been a stickler for political correctness and administrative propriety. She does not sneeze if it cannot help her consolidate her hold over the levers of power. A political crisis a week is what seems to keep her going. The latest controversy she has managed to whip up concerns the arrest of independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya and his father Udai Pratap Singh under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Of course, the MLA in question himself draws his political strength from the unsavoury reputation he has consciously acquired for putting the fear of the devil and Raja Bhaiya among his countless rivals. After the abolition of princely states and subsequently the privy purse, out-of-job kunwar sahibs like Raghuraj had to reinvent themselves as unabashed goons beyond the reach of the law of the land. He has seldom expressed displeasure over being called the Goonda ka Kunda, his assembly constituency. The Chief Minister herself was happy having him on her side. But hell hath no fury like a Mayawati scorned. His fall from grace began when he was persuaded by the Samajwadi Party trouble-shooter, Mr Amar Singh, to shake hands with him. In November last year Samajwadi chief Mulayam Singh Yadav whipped up a political storm, in which Raja Bhaiya played a key role, for finishing Ms Mayawati. But the Bahujan Samaj Party leader let loose a reign of terror against the Bharatiya Janata Party, BSP and independent MLAs who threatened to overthrow her with the help of the Samajwadi Party, that with over 140 MLAs is indeed the single largest party in the state assembly. The use of POTA against the former rulers of Kunda is indeed politically motivated. The BJP, with whose help Ms Mayawati outwitted Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav in becoming Chief Minister, has mounted pressure on her to withdraw the use of POTA for dealing with ordinary crimes. The Samajwadi Party believes that it can dislodge her by raising a stink over the blatant abuse of the anti-terrorist law for settling political scores. But neither her allies nor her adversaries have understood the fact that Ms Mayawati’s only concern is to strengthen her stranglehold over the Dalit votes. That is why she reacted like an injured cobra when Ms Priyanka Gandhi, during her visit to Amethi, helped a Dalit register a case of illegal demolition of his house. She organised a birthday bash not to please her detractors but the Dalits, who later said they felt proud of their leader for organising a party they could only dream of holding. She has used POTA not because Raja Bhaiya and his father are indeed helping the ISI, but because the viciousness of the attack on a feared Thakur leader will bring the Dalit and even anti-Thakur forces closer to her. If the BJP walks out of the coalition on the issue, she will emerge more powerful than she is today. So what if her politics of vendetta has helped turn a villain into a temporary hero, with the BJP and the Samajwadi Party opposing the use of POTA against him and his family? |
| A welcome proposal THE Union Government’s decision to move a Bill on setting up the National Judicial Commission
(NJC) in the ensuing session of Parliament is welcome as it is expected to hasten justice and provide relief to the litigants who are forced to run from pillar to post. The decision as such does not come as a surprise since the Centre has been holding consultations on this issue with various political parties for the past few months. According to Union Law Minister Jana
Krishnamurthy, an all-party meeting will be convened shortly to discuss the modalities of the Bill before its introduction in Parliament. Apparently, there is a political consensus on the issue and, therefore, it should not be difficult for the Centre to ensure a smooth passage of the Bill in Parliament. On its part, the National Democratic Alliance government headed by Mr A.B.Vajpayee is committed to setting up the
NJC. The BJP had promised it in its election manifesto. The Bill on the NJC will mainly deal with the appointment of judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. Upset at the huge backlog of civil and criminal cases in High Courts, largely due to the Centre having no role to play in judicial appointments after the 1993 ruling by the Supreme Court on the issue, the government has been reiterating the need to restore the pre-1993 role of the government in the selection of judges. Keeping in view the forthcoming all-party meeting on the issue, the Centre has not yet pronounced its policy on the composition of the
NJC. However, if Mr Krishnamurthy’s statement on January 27 is any indication, it might expand the scope of the five-member NJC as recommended by the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution
(NCRWC) headed by Justice M. N. Venkatachallaiah. The NCRWC has suggested that the NJC should comprise the Chief Justice of India (to act as its Chairperson), two seniormost judges of the Supreme Court, the Union Law Minister and an eminent person recommended by the President in consultation with the Supreme Court Chief Justice. If the Centre is desirous of expanding this panel, it should ensure that the persons so selected are known for their eminence, reputation and scholarship. Mr Krishnamurthy says that the Centre must have a reasonable say on judicial appointments. However, given the present composite political culture in the country, this should not smack of political interference in the judiciary. What the people want is not a committed judiciary, but one that is a symbol of
fairplay, wisdom and jurisprudence. Of course, in the USA, the UK, Canada and Australia, governments do have a say in the appointment of judges. In the USA, while the President initiates the proposal, the Senate more or less approves of the nomination. In the UK, the Lord Chancellor, who is not only a member of the Cabinet but also presides over the House of Lords and is the head of the judiciary, selects the judges. In Canada and Australia, the power to appoint judges rests with the executive. India’s NJC should be the touchstone of
fairplay, impartiality and equity to serve the intended purpose — timely appointment of judges for speedy dispensation of justice. Of the 95 vacancies in the High Courts as on December 31, 2002, the Union Law Ministry is processing 66 cases and is awaiting recommendations for the remaining. Thus, a reversal of this trend through the NJC is in order. |
Court clears Jadeja HAD the ban on Ajay Jadeja been lifted a month back, the imbalance in the team for the World Cup might not have been as glaring as it happens to be now. But that is only wishful thinking. From the Jadeja point of view, what matters the most is that he has been vindicated to a great extent. Past three years have been strewn with the debris of the demolished reputations of some of the biggest cricket idols. But during the past few months, there has been a dramatic turn-around, with honours being restored in a strange way. First it was the turn of Kapil Dev to be rehabilitated with the “cricketer of the century” honour. Now comes the turn of Ajay
Jadeja. The turn of events has also enthused former captain Mohd
Azharuddin, who is fighting against the ignominy of a life ban following the match-fixing scandal. The cricket board had moved in a hamhanded manner in a highly sensitive case, with the result that it never got to the roots of the odious scandal. It depended on hearsay to crucify some of the top cricketers indiscriminately. The Union Sports Ministry fared no better. That does not mean that all Indian cricketers were innocent. It is only that action was taken against them in an arbitrary manner. That is why the lid could never be removed from the murky goings-on. The harsh words used by the Delhi High Court-appointed Arbitrator are a telling commentary on the functioning of the cricket board. The Arbitrator has not only held the report of former CBI Joint Director Madhavan to be “illegal and against the principles of natural justice and contrary to law”, but also set aside the findings of the BCCI Disciplinary Committee. Not only that, he has castigated the BCCI for acting in haste and with a predetermined mind. This conclusion strengthens the feeling that when the scandal broke out, the BCCI was more keen to hang the cricketers than give them a fair hearing and get to the bottom of things. In contrast, other countries went out of their way to help their beleaguered players. While technically, Jadeja is eligible for playing international cricket again, he may never be able to regain the form in which he once was. It is just that the country has not been able to find a suitable replacement for him. Otherwise his career would have remained a non-starter despite the exoneration. Even now, it is not certain how the BCCI will treat him. Its top priority should be to put in place a mechanism so that it can tackle a similar situation in future without tying itself in knots. What every cricket lover expects from it is that no guilty person should escape punishment and no honest one should be hounded. |
Why France, Germany oppose war INDIA paid such a high price for the first Gulf war that it should have no difficulty in understanding why Germany and France are both opposing a repeat performance. They are haunted by the spectre of civil strife and rampaging mobs when food and fuel fall short as a result of an American attack on Iraq. With Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the former Saudi Arabian Oil Minister and co-founder of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, warning the world that the price of oil could shoot up to $100 a barrel, President Jacques Chirac of France and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder are seriously concerned about the consequences of President George W. Bush’s reckless militarism. Washington’s argument that the USA, Russia and China should cooperate in destroying President Saddam Hussein in order to ensure cheap and abundant energy does not impress them at all for, unlike Britain, continental Europe cannot do without West Asian oil. Of course, the leaders of France and Germany are anxious to present their common position in terms of higher morality rather than economic self-interest. They are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the treaty that Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer signed on January 22, 1963, and can afford to be lyrical about European unity. “When Germany and France get along, Europe advances,” the French President declaimed grandly. “When they don’t, Europe stops.” Maybe. But the reason why they are getting along now on the question of war and peace does not lie in some lofty vision of Europe’s global consequence. They are not especially anxious to defy the USA. Nor are they particularly moved by respect for the United Nations. But at a time of economic recession, they are anxious not to add to voter discontent with the higher cost of all essentials. Mr Tony Blair feels he can afford to continue to yap and yelp at Mr Bush’s heels because Britain is self-sufficient in oil production and has large reserves. It is said that when Britain was exploring for oil off the Scottish coast in the North Sea, Harold Wilson, then Prime Minister, begged and pleaded with the all-powerful Sheikh Yamani for OPEC membership. The Saudi Oil Minister did not at all want to admit a Western power but eventually and reluctantly agreed to do so if the North Sea drilling proved successful. The very day oil gushed out there, Wilson telephoned the Sheikh and lost no time in sending his envoy to the OPEC meeting in Vienna. Sheikh Yamani had kept his promise: There at the conference table was a small name plate that read Scotland. Yet, oil is a matter of public concern even in Britain. Remember the strike by oil tanker drivers in 2000? The British need not have worried but their response was panic-stricken. Long queues formed at once at all petrol stations throughout the kingdom, and desperate buying left many supermarkets with empty shelves. Scares like that can have a grave political impact in highly urbanised societies that depend on the long haul transport of imported food. Panic buying would mean massive disruption, sudden scarcities, an erosion of public confidence in governments and civil crises. There was evidence enough of it during the oil shocks of 1973. The European Union imports about 30 per cent of its oil from the Persian Gulf States which account for two-thirds of the world’s known reserves. The Gulf region also has far more spare capacity than any other oil producing area. Another 15 per cent of Europe’s imports comes from Iran and Iraq. Iraq has the world’s second largest deposits but, thanks to the UN sanctions, is now allowed to produce only two million barrels a day. All EU members are obliged to hold enough oil in reserve to last 90 days. OPEC is trying to keep the price between $22 and $28 a barrel. To that end, it decided recently in Vienna to increase the daily production by an additional 1.5 million barrels. This was to counter the shutdown in the Venezuelan oil industry which supplies 13 per cent of US imports. Ironically, America (which has under 3 per cent of the world’s oil reserves) looked on Venezuela as its bulwark against Arab oil politics. Now, the Arabs have had to go to America’s rescue against Venezuela. Sheikh Yamani thinks that if Mr Saddam is attacked he “could destroy the country’s oil wells.” If strategic reserves thus fall, “a barrel could reach between $80 and $100.” Like all objective analysts, he says that the USA “would be the cause of a global disaster if it strikes Iraq.” As he told a conference in Doha, capital of Qatar, “a US military operation against Iraq would damage the oil wells and cause unrest in the country, which would lead to a strong increase in prices and the weakening of the world economy.” Prices will fall if Mr Bush pulls back from the brink and Iraq is allowed to return to normal production. However, the Americans think exactly the opposite. Their calculation is that a quick war would place them in control of Iraq’s oil industry. They would then lift the so-called UN restrictions, invest heavily in drilling operations and increase production, all of which would bring down prices. But even Americans admit that prices are bound to go up during the war, however, short it might be. In a prolonged conflict Iraq would undoubtedly try to attack and destroy oil fields in neighbouring countries whose governments help the USA. Whatever happens, the outlook for the world economy is bleak. Even Britain cannot remain isolated from a global fuel crisis for its food imports have doubled in the last two decades and the food trade deficit stands at 8.3 billion pounds. Food now accounts for 40 per cent of all road freight in Britain, and there was a 90 per cent increase in food and agricultural product freight between Britain and the continent during 1989-1999. So, Mr Blair, too, can expect angry and hungry voters queuing up for oil and food and turning against the political masters who force such suffering upon them. He should learn from the shrewdness displayed by Mr Chirac and Mr Schroeder. But, of course, the main brunt of Mr Bush’s reckless militarism will have to be borne by the developing nations. The Arab Monetary Fund estimated last time that while the region lost $676 billion in oil revenue and structural damage, the cost to Iraq was $256 billion. According to the AMF, the poorest countries, including India, lost $23 billion. As the traditional English folk song has it, “It’s the same the whole world over,/ It’s the poor what gets the blame…” For blame read punishment. |
Throwing one’s weight about ALTHOUGH for general consumption we have perpetrated the myth that the government works according to rules, in reality, there is a vast area of discretion, which is used selectively. An apt coinage oft heard in the corridors of power is: “Show me the man, and I will show you the rule”. Having been an insider, I know, and knowing this, I have acquired this bad habit of not taking a “no” from anybody, especially from someone connected with the government. Throwing one’s weight about and getting away has become almost a second nature. While going abroad I have mostly travelled Air India, and enjoyed a VIP status because of the red passport that is issued to officers of or above the rank of Joint Secretary in the Government of India. It translates into getting the economy class upgraded into club class, escaping the stuffy crowding of the hoi polloi in the economy class area, and instead enjoying an expansive environment with French wines and champagne thrown in. Or in waiving the excess baggage restriction. You know when sauntering through the never-ending malls in the USA or going up and down the famous stores in Europe, you willy-nilly accumulate more stuff than can be contained in the two suitcases you have brought with you and end up buying a third one, a jumbo hold-all. Under rules one is permitted to carry only two suitcases. But a sight of the red passport transforms the AI staff into a picture of courtesy like its mascot, the Maharaja, and ensures unhindered passage of the third suitcase without extra charge. But having retired I am back to the blue passport, although the expired red diplomatic passport has been stapled with the blue one like a remnant of the past glory. Old habits die hard, nevertheless, and I tend to behave in the same overbearing manner. I had gone some time back to New York and as usual had picked up a few things, including the third suitcase in sale at “throwaway prices”. While returning, when I presented my compliments (and three large suitcases) at AI’s check-in counter, the lady quoted the two-piece rule. But then she noticed the attached old diplomatic passport and curiously thumbed through it and gave me a respectful glance and checked me in. I was delighted. The old magic still works! I had a long stopover at London, meeting old friends and savouring pints of “bitter” (black beer) in the pubs along the Thames. When at last my host, Mr G.L. Bailur, came to drop me at the airport, he told me that AI staff at Heathrow was not that cooperative and did not allow three suitcases, and that he already had a suitcase at his house left by another friend from India. He offered to wait till my baggage was cleared. I pooh-poohed his fears and he drove away. The mater-of-fact young man at the counter was not impressed by the old attachment with the passport. “Only two pieces can go without extra charge,” he said with chilling finality. The extra charge, he indicated, would be around 100 pounds, over Rs 7000. “Go upstairs, buy a bigger suitcase in 100 pounds, repack in two, throw the two old ones, and come back,” he advised helpfully. It looked as if I had to swallow a “no” for once in my life. The Samsonite shop upstairs had a big suitcase for around 200 pounds. I did not have that kind of money, nor did I want to throw away the old suitcases. I was in a quandary. I regretted not heeding Mr Bailur’s advice. I only had half an hour. I gave the three offending suitcases a hard, critical look. Suddenly a plan flashed through my mind. Eureka! I disgorged the contents of the jumbo I had bought from New York, to see if the smallest could go in it. It did, leaving much room besides. Next I tore off all elaborate packing, baring the goods to their essentials. We live in age where packaging is all. It’s incredible how much space the packing takes. It took me about 20 minutes to rearrange the things in those three-in-two suitcases. A few things remained which I put in my hand baggage, which too was quite commodious. Presto, I wheeled my trolley back to the check-in counter with only two suitcases. I did succeed in throwing my weight about, literally.
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Uncertainty looms large over home for girls DESPITE enormous efforts by the government, NGOs and individuals, the plight of the girl child continues to assume alarming proportions. Whenever the parents are pressurised to desert their children because of poverty or unavoidable circumstances, it is always the girl child first, for certain. Savera, a Chandiugah-based organisation established by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development in collaboration with the Association for Social Health in India (ASHI), was conceived as a short stay home for women and children in distress. It provides shelter for six months. However, a follow-up reveals that the system has not yet evolved a way out to bring relief to such women and children in distress in six months. Savera was set up in September, 1987. The initial annual grant it received was only Rs 1.87 lakh. Though from 2001 it is entitled to Rs 3.70 lakh, it still is a pittance. “For 2002-03, we have not received a pie. Women and children continue to pour in and we cannot shut our doors on them. Hence, we have no option but to collect loans and donations to run Savera”, says Mrs Manjit Sodhi, Savera’s honorary secretary. Ms Sodhi, 70 plus, wise and devoted, is full of kindness and consideration towards girl children. “The fate of the girl children breaks my heart. Any crisis in any family, it is the girl child who faces the brunt. They are the first to be deprived, deserted and even abused in every possible manner. Every morning brings sadness to me because there are few people who come forward to help these children and women. It is alright that the government is giving some grant but frankly a nation cannot abdicate its own responsibilities by leaving everything to the government. There are people who are spending crores on weddings, lakhs on decorating their homes or buying fancy cars. I only wish that the born lucky affluent should share a pittance out of their wealth for allowing these unfortunate girl children to survive with dignity”, pleads Ms Sodhi. Consider a few examples from Savera to reach the ground reality about the plight of the girl children. Sanjivini was merely thirteen-and-a-half years old when she had knocked at the doors of Savera in the midnight of July 14, 2001. Her mother died in extreme testing times of life. Sanjivini was forced by her father to rear two of her younger siblings besides cooking and taking care of the house. For reasons not known, her father used to beat her mercilessly. Neighbours advised her to seek Savera’s help. Soon her father followed her, but she refused to go with him. “Ever since 2001, she has been living with us in Savera. Though we cannot give shelter beyond six months, what do you do of such cases? Can we throw her out? We tried to locate her father, but he had disappeared with the other two children. Now Sanjivini is our responsibility and we are trying to teach her some skills to make her self-reliant”, says Ms Sodhi. The case of two sisters, Suman and Kiran, 13 years and 12 years, respectively, stares in your eyes. Their father is a priest in a temple. But once their mother died, the temple authorities refused to keep the girls within the premises fearing their safety. In May, 2002, their father left them with Savera while their brother continues to stay with him. Savera has no ready-made solutions for them except to bear their expenditure from donations besides imparting some skills. But uncertainty looms large. The stark reality of Saroj and her two younger sisters is hair-raising. “Their mother had deserted them and their father by eloping with another man. They were all then 12, 8 and 2 years old respectively. One night, Saroj’s father had tried to rape her, but was caught hold of by neighbours in time. The grandparents had handed over all the three daughters to me to ensure their safety. I had then taken them to Savera”, discloses Shareshta Mehta, noted social activist. Savera had sent all the three to ‘Ashiana’ orphanage run by Dr Mamgain in Panchkula. After Saroj completed her fifth class, she came back to Savera. However, her younger sister has been taken over by Guru Sahara Ashram in Perch village to help her study further, while the third sister is still with ‘Ashiana’. Savera is dogged with problems. Former Punjab Governor, General O.P.Malhotra, allotted it two flats in Sector 43-B in 1992. Though the allotment letter was silent on the rent to be paid, Savera woke up to a rude shock one morning three years later, when it received a notice from the Chandigarh Administration to pay an accumulated rent of Rs 40, 000. The then Governor, Mr Surendra Nath, had promised to look into it, but there was no tangible action. The matter is presently pending with Lt-Gen. J.F.R. Jacob (retd.), Punjab Governor and Administrator, the Union Territory of Chandigarh. |
Leaning towards long life DIETERS have got a bit of hope from a study that shows a change in a single gene in mice allows them to eat as much as they want while staying thin — and living longer in the bargain. Many studies have shown that animals live longer when they eat, on average, about 30 per cent less than normal. The findings have led scientists to speculate that people, too, can extend their lives by dieting. But no one quite understands why semi-starvation can help an animal live longer. Studies suggest it seems to have something to do with insulin and metabolism. One theory has been that if an animal eats less, the body produces fewer cell-damaging “free redicals” as a byproduct of metabolising food.
Reuters
Depression linked to menopause Women with a lifetime history of depression run a risk of entering the first stages of menopause years earlier than usual, researchers have said, putting them at risk sooner in life for osteoporosis and other health problems. The report from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston says the early transition appears to be contingent on both the severity of the depression and medication use, though the exact reason for the effect remains unknown. Bernard Harlow, chief author of the study, said in an interview it is possible depression itself has a direct impact on the production of hormones, a phenomenon that has already been documented in women suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Reuters |
There is one body, and one spirit.... one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. —The Bible, Eph 4.4-6 Verily, do I say that the utterance of God’s holy names “Achuta”, “Ananta” and “Govinda” is the panacea that destroys all ailments beyond any shadow of doubt. —Narada Purana O King, though Kaliyuga is full of evils, yet it has one great quality - that is, if one practices chanting of Sri Krishna’s holy name alone, one can achieve salvation. —Bhagavata, XII.3.51 |
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In 1990, an American House of Representatives sub-committee heard that India stood to lose the $600 million that workers repatriated annually from the Gulf as well as exports to Iraq worth $300 million and an outstanding construction bill for $800 million. More to the point, India was Asia’s third biggest consumer of oil. Iraq and Kuwait provided nearly 45 per cent of the imported fuel and every dollar increase in the price added $22 million to India’s import bill. 