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Sunday,
April 13, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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SPECIAL FOCUS GUEST COLUMN ON RECORD |
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COMMENTARY
Harihar Swarup
Humra Quraishi
The latest on BJP-VHP tug-of-war
The creative mind skills of Kashmiri youths
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SPECIAL FOCUS
Baisakhi, usually associated with the harvesting of the new wheat crop, is synonymous with Punjab, as it is identified with agriculture. It symbolises prosperity and happiness; it also marks a new beginning as well as remembrances. The day reminds us of the birth of the Khalsa Panth in 1699. This year, Baisakhi will also see the introduction of the ‘Nanakshahi Calendar’ evolved by a Canada-based Sikh scholar, Mr Pal Singh Purewal, as approved by the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). Normally, Baisakhi is on April 13; this year it is on April 14. Baisakhi — a jewel in the diadem of festivals of India — is celebrated in different ways at different places. However, much has changed due to rapid cyclic changes in weather, cropping patterns and stress on resources since mid-60s, when the green revolution was seeded. Over the years, one has seen prosperity giving way to impoverished economy and poverty. Economies and incomes of farmers are declining, pushing them further deep into a debt trap. Strangulated by indebtness, several hundred farmers have been forced to commit suicide. The rural youths are restive. Their dreams stand shattered, their desires to go abroad are either aborted or exploited by travel agents. Circumstances have pushed the unemployed Punjabi youth into the vortex of liquor, drugs and crime, resulting in social tensions. Their natural greed for materialistic and consumeristic wants has grown, family expenditures have overshot incomes and means. All this and more need to be tackled for the very survival of agriculture and rural society, which has a symbiotic relationship with urban areas in the region. Add to this scenario the huge stockpile of foodgrains, 70 million tonnes against the requirement of about 22 million tonnes bufferstock as on July 1, 2002. For years, most of it continues to rot in Punjab. It will soon become unfit for human consumption, what to say of any use even as cattle-feed. The public distribution system has collapsed further precipitating problems in Punjab, which stores the bulk of foodgrains at a heavy cost. Today, Punjab farmers’ own harvest has turned hostile deteriorating their economies and incomes; a slide from once better harvests to bitter harvests. It is in this backdrop that Punjabis must introspect this Baisakhi, making it yet another new beginning, says Dr Sucha Singh Gill, economist. Punjabis have three times the number of tractors and tubewells than their requirement. Their utility is even far
less. This has added to depletion of their financial resources and harmed natural resources. The answer lies in starting a “farmers’ movement” by making them aware and educating them to adopt “social reforms” that will help them to opt out of the race for materialistic, consumerstic and ostantatious show of wealth at functions. Even more important is to stop the flow of the “sixth river” in Punjab — the river of liquor, drugs and intoxicants. To have “Nanakshahi calendar” in place is one thing. But it will be more humanistic if the SGPC would also take up a sustained and concerted campaign against drug addiction, beginning this Baisakhi. What stares Punjab in the eye, holds good for the region with small variations. In Himachal Pradesh, the level of aspirations is low. Incidentally, it also does not have to depend upon the Centre for MSP, procurement and marketing of its farm and orchard produce. But Himachal farmers would do well to go in for “off season” vegetables and fruits, spices, medicinal and
aromatic plants. The region has to be educated on how to get maximum value for every rupee spent on the farm. “All this calls for a major policy shift and networking”, stresses Dr Gill. This Baisakhi should also be chosen to make “new beginnings” in the larger interest of human beings, their economies and incomes, their welfare as also conservation of land resources. The agriculture-linked problems are rooted in the soil. For this, the new “mantra” should be “stability and sustainability” , says Punjab Planning Board Vice-Chairman Dr S S Johl. He is credited with his report on crop diversification in mid-80s and recently with agricultural production pattern adjustment programme for productivity and growth. This proposal is pending with the Centre since October, 2002. The region must produce what is required. The solution to agricultural problems lies in “value addition” to produce through processing. The government should only act as a facilitator and promoter. The private sector must open its purse strings and invest in agriculture infrastructure with specific purpose and design. It could be for marketing, storage, processing or irrigation. It can be also be in social sector, education and health, vocational training of rural youth to make them IT or computer savvy and help them find jobs or become self-employed. It could also be involvement of panchayats, women and girls in community projects and small-scale agro-industry. “The aim should be integrated rural development that would also wean the youth away from urban settlements and make villages living symbols of prosperity that Baisakhi is expected to usher in”, adds Dr Johl. At present, development is at stake in the region. Even “contract” farming should be done with abundant caution. Prices have to be reviewed and renewed every year. If Himachal Pradesh has to focus on fruits, vegetables, ecological and economic forestry, Haryana has to focus on oil seeds, pulses and Basmati rice. There is dire need for regional co-operation among neighbouring states, which must concentrate on research and development and step up work in the field of bio-technology, genetic engineering, organic farming, packaging, social and economic forestry, energy resources and conservation, farm implements, disease control, post-harvest technology to save enormous wastages etc. The farm universities in the region must also share their lab experiences and experiments to make research cost-effective and evolve suitable,
adoptable “models” for farmers. Diversification from wheat-paddy rotation to commercial or cash crops will help solve the problem of water scarcity, as paddy is a water-guzzling crop. That may eventually even resolve the political churning of water sharing or construction and completion of the Sutlej-Yamuna Canal (SYL). Finally, the region requires “mission-intended” reach approach for specific areas based on market demand. The effort should be that even basic research must be applicable in the field to ameliorate the social and economic life of the people. The economic viability and vitality of the region must be put to optimum use to improve the living standards of the people and meeting their basic necessities of life like potable drinking water. This can happen if soil fertility is maintained, sub-soil water is used judiciously and recharged periodically. Even agro-meteorology has to be put to greater use in view of the fast changes occurring in the global weather, which greatly impacts
agriculture at every stage — sowing to harvesting. This aspect is as important as “market intelligence” on price monitoring and forecast depending on demand and supply situations as also to bridge the span of the middle ground between raw harvest and processing. |
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GUEST COLUMN Fifty eight years after defeating Japan in World War II
and taking over its administration, the United States of America faces
a similar task, this time in Iraq. The war in Iraq is all but over,
there are no traces of President Saddam Hussein. But he is no longer a
relevant issue. The coalition forces led by the US had always claimed that the proposed change of government in Iraq would be greatly beneficial to the Iraqis. The Japanese and Iraqi situation had just common factor, the US and its allies had triumphed and took over the responsibility of rebuilding the vanquished and providing it with a new government. The similarity ends there, every other factor is completely different. Japan instigated the US to enter the World War by bombing Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941 and inflicting heavy damage on the US naval force stationed there. Japan was clearly the aggressor and the US, which had taken a neutral stand till then, was the victim. It was fully justified in going to war against Japan and using all means to annihilate it. Iraq did not go to war with the US and was in no way connected with the terrorist attacks launched against the US. It had to put up with foreign aggression because the only super power in the world arrived at the conclusion that the Saddam government was a threat to the world peace. The American stand was illogical, smacked of arrogance and led to anti-US feelings all over the world. If the US and the rest of the coalition partners rushed where angels fear to tread it was only because America had reached a position from which it could force its will on the rest of the world. President Saddam Hussein was a dictator and had created numerous enemies within and outside the nation. Still, many Iraqis were uneasy at the blatant interference in the internal affairs of their country. It remains to be seen what kind of a government Iraq will have in the days to come. The US and its allies had sounded certain Iraqi leaders and groups which were in exile in view of their opposition to the Saddam Hussein. There is no guarantee that any of these leaders would be better than the deposed President. The problem with Iraq is that, in the absence of an established system of government, the people will once be left out of this vital issues. The nation had had no elections, in the proper sense of the word. Under the military regime, no Opposition parties were allowed to function. And unlike most other Arab nations, Iraq did not have a royal family ruling them. The US and its allies will certainly find it difficult to select a suitable leader for the war-torn nation. This was not the case with Japan, which had a sort of western kind of democracy. There was the revered figure of the Emperor who had to go along with the militant groups which took the nation to war. But still the Emperor was an important figure to begin the healing process. Japan did have political leaders who had opposed the insane, expansionist foray into war which had led to disaster. The US could negotiate with them and start rebuilding Japan. The process was made easier by the basic nature of the Japanese. They were not isolated from the rest of the world and were well into a technologically advanced, modern world where the US was a leading figure. Many of the Japanese admired the US, there were plenty of business, diplomatic and cultural exchanges between the two nations. Japan admired commercial enterprise and success symbolised by the US. So the American Occupation forces were warmly welcomed all over Japan. The culture represented by Coca Cola, blue jeans, Hollywood films and chewing gum caught on like wild fire. More important, there was no power vacuum on both sides. The US Occupation forces led by General Douglas MacArthur were cheered by the local people and they found the existing political system more than adequate. The US was particular on one issue — Japan would not be allowed to rearm. But the Japanese had had enough of wars and bloodshed. They had fought the Soviet Union, attacked China, Korea and then the might of the allied forces. Eagerly they turned their attention to the task of nation building and excelling in technological and manufacturing sectors. No wonder, within three decades they began to compete with the US in industrial production. The Japanese society even in those days was fairly liberal in man-woman relationships. The US soldiers could date local girls and despite official frowning, there were American-Japanese weddings. Some of them like in James Mitchener’s novel “Sayonara” did end unhappily but the social contacts continued. No one said that the US was colonising Japan and very soon, Japan became a major western power. Such a process may not get repeated so easily in Iraq. Despite some initial enthusiasm, the Iraqis will not forget the fact that the US invaded their land without any reason. America in 1945 was not an arrogant super power as it is now. Iraq did not have the administrative or political infrastructure which would make things easy for the coalition forces. Iraqis are among the most liberal Arabs, but still bound by tenents of Islam which has grave misgivings on the western way of life. Today’s America, stung by the September 11 attack, has grave misgivings on any Muslim citizen. This was reflected in its treatment of Muslims at home and those who wanted to come to the US. With anti-Muslim prejudice at its peak, can the US win over a nation of Arabs and given them the kind of leadership which they will approve of? George Bush did not have the sagacity of the earlier American leaders and had shown himself to be insensitive to the feelings of the Islamic world. What kind of attitude will he adopt in dealing with the post-war situation in Iraq? Rebuilding Iraq and winning the hearts of the Arab world is on the US agenda, but the nation will never trust the US which had been the main prop of the common enemy, Israel. The US West Asia policy had been totally insensitive to the homeless Palestinians and the Arabs will not easily forget the partisan US stand. Unlike mending fences with Japan, the situation in Iraq was also complicated because of its huge oil reserves and the US had to do much to explain that its invasion of Iraq was not caused with the desire to “liberate” its oil fields from the clutches of the Saddam regime. The Arab society will not easily accept the Americans as it happened in Japan. The cultural and social barriers are enormous and the Americans are not the most sensitive people on earth. Despite their long association with Japan, there were still major skirmishes over the rape of young Japanese women in Okinawa. Such situations were bound to happen in Iraq and the repercussions will be explosive. Who knows, having won the war in Iraq, the US may find itself it had bitten more than it could chew. The average Arab is a proud, reticent individual who likes to be left alone. He knows that the West was interested in his region only because of the oil reserves. For all we know, the turbulence in Iraq may have just started. |
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ON RECORD Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has taken several initiatives to mitigate the sufferings of the people in Jammu and Kashmir. Understated and sauve, the 67-year-old leader says that the fractured verdict in the Assembly elections was a historic opportunity. In an interview to The Tribune in New Delhi, he says that he wants the state government to be a harbinger of change. Excerpts: Q: What kind of package is the state seeking from the Centre? A: I have briefed Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee about the security scenario. It is the enemy who does not like our policy of addressing the alienation of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and we need constant help. We are making the administration accountable. I have told Mr Vajpayee about steps taken in the social sector like providing stipends to widows and old age pensions. People will hereafter be recruited through institutions and boards. Chief Ministers and Ministers cannot make appointments. Q: How about appointments on compassionate grounds? A: The cases of victims of militancy are also being handled in a chronological order by the Deputy Commissioners. Q: What about improving the administration? A: It is a question of making people understand. People have voted for peace in spite of the fear psychosis. They want that violence should stop and we have to deliver. If we don’t, we will miss the opportunity. We have to restore peace with dignity. The Nadimarg massacre was gruesome but we persuaded the Kashmiri Pandits to stay. We have a stake in this. Q: But there was apparent security lapse leading to the Nadimarg massacre. A: Yes, a lapse occurred. If even one securitymen had fired, it could have made some difference. It was shameful. We will punish the guilty and make the security forces more accountable. We are trying to restore people’s confidence. Q:
There has been a controversy over your healing touch policy, specially regarding the release of prisoners. A: We have released a few but so has the Centre. The Centre released Yasin Malik thrice. I told Central leaders that they had also released Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Abdul Ghani Bhat. Why make an issue of this? This issue is used against the Congress. We want that those innocent are not behind bars. Q: How do you view the Centre’s attitude towards your demands? A:
They are cooperative. The Railway project in the state is historic and the date of its completion has been mentioned in the President’s speech. There is also the proposal for the North-South corridor. We want more Central aid to help the educated unemployed. Q: How do you assess the performance of the state government? A:
I think people have begun to feel that the state government is serious about addressing their problems. We have addressed concerns of every region. We are on test. The enemy will try to disrupt our efforts. Let us see how far we succeed. Q: How far have you been successful in addressing the problem of alienation? A: The people had voted against the NC in the Assembly elections. In Pampore, where a by-election was held after the polls, 40 per cent electorate cast their ballot and the polling was peaceful. The mindset is changing. Q: When will talks start with the Centre’s interlocutor N.N.Vora? A: Soon. Q: Have you formed an all-party panel for talks? A:
We will decide after talks with Mr Vora. Q: Are you going to set some conditions for talks? A: The Centre has appointed the interlocutor. The talks are an evolutionary process. There is no fixed and hard solution. The results will come out of the process. The appointment of interlocutor has the support of all the parties. Everybody is for a dialogue. Q: Some political parties and the Hurriyat Conference are apparently not
enthusiastic about the new initiative. A: The positions change. These are not static. Let us see. Q:
Has the government shelved its plan of return of Kashmiri Pandits in view of the Nadimarg massacre? A: We will continue. The return of Kashmiri Pandits is the sign of normalisation. Plans for their rehabilitation at Mattan and Khirbhawani will also continue. There are also plans for beautification of theses places . Q: Is the Centre supportive about the rehabilitation programme of Kashmiri Pandits? A: Yes. Q: Differences have cropped up between the Congress and the Panthers Party in the coordination committee. A:
These will be sorted out. Q: Have you been successful in getting private sector investment for J&K? A:
A lot of people have shown interest. |
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COMMENTARY America is now an over-confident bully. Just as it was after Hiroshima. It speaks the language of the hegemon. It has already worked out a blueprint for world domination. Authored by Harlan K. Ullman, it is called “Shock and Awe”. The idea is to achieve a high level of shock and awe to destroy the enemy’s will to resist even before the engagement begins. US Defence Secretary Rumsfeld has embraced the new doctrine with excitement, and is supposed to have tested it in Iraq. Shape of things to come? But this is all arrogance of power. It has made the entire world hostile to the Americans. The fact is: it is the USA which creates terrorism. And it is also the worst terrorist in history. Democracy has not made it humane. It has continued to shelter despots throughout the world. And it has been responsible for the emergence of repressive dictatorships, which have taken the lives of millions. Remember Pol Pot? He killed three million. He was a creation of America, just as the Syngman Rhee, Pinochet, the Taliban, Osama bin Laden and many others. Has the world ever asked America what it has achieved by its interventions in Korea and Vietnam? By giving a free hand to the CIA? By supporting the repressive Arab regimes? Today the world must be sorry, more so the so-called intellectuals, for destroying the only effective countervailing force against America — the Soviet Union. Whatever might be its failings, it did achieve a measure of social justice for all its people. No other nation has been able to achieve it. Freedom? Yes, that was its failure. But the Soviet people were well on the way to correct their errors. The Soviet people were far more sensitive to the problems of the world than Americans. And, above all, Moscow was committed to the UN, to orderly development — to a world regulating body. The search for sanity and civilisation has been slow and arduous. And it is not a Western achievement, as it claimed. That the ruled should be consulted on how they are ruled is an ancient precept. It took a long time before it was conceded. The ancient Hindus drew up a code called Rajadharma. In England, they drew up the Magnacarta. In America, they drew up the Bill of Rights. In China, the mandarins checked the excesses of the emperor. But while people learned to live in peace within a tribe or nation, there was nothing regulating international life — neither laws nor agencies. Here issues were settled by war. We have moved away from those times. But nations still consider their sovereignty as absolute. They are not ready to give up part of their sovereignty. This is more so with the USA — a nation which has already taken away part of sovereignty of others through globalisation. No wonder, the League of Nations failed to prevent the Second World War. And yet when the UN was created with a charter, it was thought that nations would abide by its rules. This did not happen. And the worst offender was again the United States. It was itself aspiring to be the sole regulator. The point is: America refuses to promote an orderly world. By its own conduct, it encourages violent resolution of issues. And yet we know that it took centuries of effort to bring about democracy and the democratic spirit among peoples, and to belief that issues can be resolved through peaceful dialogue without resorting to violence. It is America which is destroying democracy and the democratic spirit. It was not ready to co-exist with Communism. When its own interests are involved, it is ready to block the natural evolution of nations. This was how the Arab world was bottled up. The Arabs were denied their natural right for change. Barnard Lewis, author of “The Crisis of Islam” points to America’s sordid relations with the Middle East tyrants. The Arabs were left with no alternative but to take to violence. We have in our neighbourhood the worst example of this American policy. America encouraged military dictatorships in Pakistan. It even encouraged the generals to acquire the nuclear bomb. With what result? Today Pakistan has become the nursery of violence and terrorism. And America is powerless to undo its mischief. Earlier, it was nationalism which was the source of much conflict. Today it is ethnic assertion. It is not without causes. But violence is no more the way to resolve human problems. But, strangely, South Asians have all taken to violence. A strange commentary for a region which has produced Buddha and Gandhi. Today, there is a new problem: how to deal with upstarts, who in the name of fighting for social justice, seek to capture power with the help of violent forces. Any upstart in India can secure the assistance of Pakistan ISI to start a terrorist organisation today. They take to terror because they have no mandate from their community for their violent ways. There is only one way to deal with them: stamp them out. The French, Bolshevik and Chinese revolutions sought to bring about total change in human societies. They paid a very high price in lives lost. And for small achievements. And yet no one has branded them as terrorists. This was because their goals were laudable and genuine. Their movements were progressive, not regressive. But modern terrorism is for regressive causes. Revenge is more often the motive. Imagine a talibanised state — this is what Islamic fundamentalism is holding forth to the world! Nationalism cost Europe millions of dead. Today, those very nations are trying to reunite into larger groups for their very survival. Do the ethnic leaders of South Asia draw any lesson from this trend? Do they realise that every state in South Asia has failed because their leaders have failed? In what way are they different? If after all these, are they telling us that they will succeed where their peers have failed? South Asian societies are generally pluralistic, consisting of various ethnic and religious groups. This is the result of a historical process. We must accept it. We must make the best of it. But the people of South Asia are not conscious of what has happened and its implications. Nor have they a clue how to live in a pluralistic society. So they kill each other to eliminate pluralism. Or they multiply faster. Why? Because they have not evolved beyond the beast in their reflexes. |
Chalabi: US’ hot favourite Chalabi came very close to the US, after the 1991 gulf war and helped the CIA in its abortive attempt to engineer a coup against Saddam Hussein by the Iraqi generals believed to be in Saddam’s inner circles. The CIA believed that such a coup might be feasible if a small domestic political movement could be fanned across Iraq. As a matter of fact, the US intelligence agency had already raised an outfit known as “Wifaq” which comprised former Iraqi military officers and estranged leaders of the Baath Party. Having realised that “Wifaq” lacked political credibility, the CIA created the Iraqi National Congress and entrusted its rein to Chalabi who turned the INC into a genuinely representative political party with the objective of fighting Saddam. With support of the CIA and about $10 million of his own and family’s money, Chalabi was able to whip up an open political movement in northern Iraq between 1993 and 1996. The INC operated newspapers, radio stations and raised a small military force with the help of one of the Kurdish militias. Belonging to one of the powerful and wealthy families of Baghdad, 59-year-old Chalabi remained mostly outside Iraq having pursued higher education with distinction. He earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago in 1969 but, rejecting opportunities at American universities, returned to the Arab world to teach mathematics at the American University in Beirut where he met his would-be wife, daughter of a Lebanese freedom fighter. Though a man of modern outlook, who understands the meaning of democracy, Chalabi is an exception in the sense that he remains deeply a man of the East with sensibilities and loyalties to his ancient Baghdad and Muslim roots. He is known to be at ease negotiating with Sunni tribal Sheikhs as well as Shia “Ayatollahs”. Opinions vary in the State Department, CIA and experts associated with them over Chalabi’s capability to head a civilian government after Saddam Hussein. One view is that he is of dubious integrity, a small time opportunist and lacks qualities required for leadership to head the new government and earn respect in the Arab world. Both his detractors and supporters, however, agree that he is intelligent, charming and a determined person who can get things done; some consider him domineering. Those who support Chalabi in the Pentagon feel that given his firm belief in democracy and a modern mindset, he has the potential to emerge as an Arab leader of consequence who can keep the Arab world from “the path of anti-Americanism”. In the late Eighties, Chalabi was involved in what his critics alleged was the Amman bank scandal. He had opened a bank, known as “Petra bank” in Jordan in which he invested much of his capital. The bank was very successful until it was seized by the Jordanian Government in 1989. It was alleged that the bank was taken over because he had improperly diverted assets. It was revealed later that the bank was seized because Chalabi had been using its international connections to obstruct Iraq’s efforts to finance its war with Iran. As a result, Saddam had put pressure on Jordan’s King Hussein to shut down the bank. Report of a Jordanian officer assigned to oversee the closure of the bank said in his report that much of the money lost was of Chalabi. The Crown Prince Hassan, however, protected Chalabi and personally drove him to the Jordan border and ensured him safe passage. Since Chalabi left Jordan, he resided in London and is now a British citizen. A triumphant Chalabi has held a rally last week in Nassirya in southern Iraq to mark his return to his homeland. Simultaneously, a State Department official announced that soon a meeting of “liberated Iraqis” from the newly freed areas as well as members of the free Iraqi Opposition would be held to deliberate the question of installing a civilian government in Iraq. Though there appears to be many obstacles in the way of Chalabi to the top slot, he remains a front runner. |
Simmering anger among Iraqis I have been interacting with several Iraqi students here and each one of them feels disgusted. There is that simmering anger as they say, “our civilisation, our country has been ruined by the invaders... they had bombarded us and then almost like an insult went about distributing food packets, reducing us to such a level.” No, they don’t want to comment on their future — it’s obviously an insecure one. For they cannot continue staying in India and if they do go back, it will be another bleak phase. Two of these students, apparently middle aged, said that for 10 years they couldn’t study because of the embargoes and now this disaster. And nothing is clear on the fate of the Iraqi diplomats posted here. The embassy is functioning, but whether these young career diplomats would be asked to leave or stay on seems very hazy. Meanwhile, protests are continuing here against the US-UK invasion of Iraq. Two days back, it was Jawaharlal Nehru University students. On Saturday, artists all over the country voiced their protest. Vivan Sundaram says, April 12 was observed as the National Street Theatre Day to
commemorate the birth anniversary of Safdar Hashmi — political activist, playwright, actor and poet. Hundreds of street theatre groups condemned the unjust war on Iraq. This also coincided with the international observance of April 12 as a day to condemn US and British “imperialist designs.” A function was also held at Vithalbhai Patel House lawns. Two street plays were performed by Act one and Jan Natya Manch. Anti-war poems were sung. Artists and photographers including Vivan Sundaram, Jatin Das, Arpana Caur, Enas M.J., Ram Rahman, Shamshad, Veer Munshi and Gulam Sheikh put up their works. Amar Kanwar showed his film on war. UN newsletters Last week as I received UN weekly newsletter (March 29- April 4), my first reaction was to dump it just about somewhere. I was amazed to see one of the news stories titled — “Blix sees no evidence Iraq has used banned weapons” Yet, he hasn’t resigned at the non-functioning of the UN. This week’s newsletter (April 5-11) makes one almost fume in anger. A news item quoting Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that although the issue before the Security Council was one of disarmament, the Council had not endorsed this war. One may ask Mr Kofi Annan, if that was so, then why does he continue to occupy the office and speak with such confidence as though he isn’t a puppet in the hands of the US. |
The latest on BJP-VHP tug-of-war
Kerala episode Since she became Congress President five years back, no one has defied Ms Sonia Gandhi as much as the veteran from Kerala K Karunakaran. Normally, Sonia’s instructions are treated as the last word by every Congressmen but not by Karunakaran. His brinkmanship over not having been consulted over party’s final Rajya Sabha candidates in Kerala has created a crisis which could well threaten the stability of the Antony government in the state. An octogenarian, Karuna-karan still seems to harbour ambitions of becoming the Chief Minister again. Karunakaran’s combative ways have seen him getting party ticket for his daughter and post of PCC chief for his son. The rebel candidate put by him for the Rajya Sabha polls has been giving sleepless nights to the two official nominees. Used to being good-humoured by the high command every time he adopted a confrontationist posture, Karunakaran found the Central leaders a bit stiff this time. The stakes are high and in case of an unfavourable result for the official nominee, those handling the state affairs could well be in for some explanation. Meanwhile, the Kerala episode seems to have shelved the much-awaited reshuffle at the AICC. Since general sceretary Vayalar Ravi is one of the two official candidates in the Rajya Sabha fray, the result of the election will have a bearing on the composition of the new team that assumes charge at 24 Akbar Road. Peels of laughter In a supplementary
query to his question, Mr Nirupam asked the Finance Minister, “How many times have you met the brokers in your office during the past seven months?”. “Not once,” said Mr Jaswant Singh. This had the ever-alert Chairman asking, “Then how many times at your residence?” As the house broke into peels of laughter, even the Finance Minister himself could not control his laughter and finally replied “when I went to Mumbai, I met them.” A question doing the rounds in political circles is: what is common between Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf? A political observer’s reply merits attention: both have the knack for cashing in on the crisis of their “allies”. While Naidu has been successful all these years getting loans and grants from Prime Minister Vajpayee every time the NDA government was in crisis, Musharraf has done the same with US President George Bush after
September 11, 2001. UP politics Rural-Urban Divide At the time of the last Union Cabinet reshuffle, rumours were rife about the possibility of Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar being dropped. But nothing of the sort actually happened. As luck would have it, when Shanta Kumar was axed from the Cabinet, Vajpayee gave Ananth Kumar additional charge of the Rural Development Ministry. Although the charge of Rural Development Ministry may be taken back from Ananth Kumar, for the time being nobody could deny that Kumar is an “All-India Development Minister” with both Urban and Rural Development Ministries under his control. Quipped a cynic: “So finally the urban-rural divide has been bridged.” Contributed by T.V.Lakshminarayan, Satish Misra, R.Suryamurthy, S.Satyanarayanan, Prashant Sood, Girja Shankar Kaura and Rajeev Sharma |
The creative mind skills of Kashmiri youths On the little-used old road to the Srinagar airport is a building one might easily pass without a second glance. It is a world away from the looming futuristic glamour of the software technology park at Whitefield outside Bangalore. Yet, this nondescript building is supposed to be the hub of software development in Kashmir. Only two or three companies function inside. One of them is owned by a Kashmiri entrepreneur in the US. He gets software development orders there and the dozen-odd young people he employs here snap out the designs. Their salaries hover around Rs 15,000 a month, which may be a negligible $ 300 in California but is a substantial pay packet for Srinagar’s middle class. The salary advantage could have made this a favourite stop for other companies too, but things have not worked out that way. Srinagar’s software technology park was dreamt up soon after the Farooq Abdullah administration took office in 1996. By the time it came up, though, around the dawn of the new millennium, militancy was back in full swing. The early promise of much improved infrastructure too had fallen by the wayside by then. Still, the software technology park was — and remains — a great idea. Few people are smarter than the Kashmiris, adept at the creative mind skills required for software development. More important, software is just the kind of industry that is tailor-made to overcome Kashmir’s geographical isolation — as long as there are phone lines or satellite links. Plus, the industry would cause no damage to Kashmir’s delicate environment. Two kinds of problems, however, have prevented this industry from taking wing here. One of course is the instability that violence generates. The other is infrastructure. Although the current government has tried to ease the stress by buying power from the national grid, power supply is still unpredictable. This means that any computer-based industry must invest in massive generation of Uninterrupted Power Supply units. That is the only way to ensure that days or even months of work is not wiped out in an instant’s power outage. Another infrastructural problem is Internet connectivity. Srinagar’s plethora of cyber-cafes and office and home computers easily qualify it for a separate node. Yet, the valley has for years been forced to connect through a sub-node at Jammu with a node at Chandigarh. The result is that lines frequently get jammed and connections are lost. It becomes very difficult to run a sophisticated software development operation from a place that is barely able to stay in touch with the internet. Yet, the dream has not died. Thousands of young Kashmiris still hope to touch the skies with software prowess. GNIIT diploma courses are run in various parts of the city and the women’s polytechnic offers a three-year course. Computer courses are also available. There is a level of frustration, though. Jobs are not easy to come by in a place that the rest of the world too often dismisses as no more than a cesspool of violence. Even those who graduate from the REC next to the Hazratbal shrine find it hard to get jobs. |
Ash is grace under fire,
say friends Aishwarya Rai may be wearing the crown of the leading lady in Indian cinema but the treatment she has been getting has been anything but royal. Those who know Aishwarya say she has been at the receiving end of immense emotional and physical aggression but has weathered it gracefully. Says close friend and director Ramesh Sippy: “Look at the dignity of this woman. Though she has been vilified and castigated, called phoney and put-on by those who know nuts about her, she has never retaliated. Instead she has grown in stature, expanded in grace, turning down far more roles than accepting.” It was the sets of Sippy’s ‘Kuch Na Kaho’ that Salman Khan had barged in last year to impose his attentions on her. Salman was supposed to play a guest role in the film — the role was eventually essayed by his brother Arbaaz. Earlier, in David Dhawan’s ‘Hum Kissise Kam Nahin’, Salman dropped out at the last minute and was replaced by Ajay Devgan. These two instances indicate that Aishwarya had decided almost two years ago that she wouldn’t work with the man she was once involved with. Whatever her reasons, they’ve now been amply validated in her firm refusal to do Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s new film. Says director Hansal Mehta: “It takes guts for a leading lady, no matter how popular, to say no to a film with Sanjay Bhansali.” Voluntarily or otherwise, Aishwarya has been out of several big projects lately because of the romantic imbroglio in her life. She is reportedly out of films with Shah Rukh Khan because he favours a marital alliance between Salman and
Aishwarya. Several of Salman’s friends have been pressurising her to give in to Salman’s undoubtedly intense affections. But the lady seems to have made up her mind. For Salman, accepting the end of the relationship seemed like a kind of death. He went into a state of violent denial. Unluckily, Aishwarya got in the way. How far was her career affected by her personal life? It’s hard to say. Though Aishwarya was professional even at the peak of her traumatic liaison, filmmakers had begun to grow weary of the Salman factor. Now Aishwarya has been selected to be in the prestigious jury at the 56th Cannes Film Festival to be held between May 14 and 25. Cannes has chosen to honour Aishwarya at a time when her stature as an international star is on the verge of expansion.
IANS |
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Now that Saddam Hussein has fallen and Americans have annexed Baghdad by the brutal show of their military might, the question of succession in war-ravaged Iraq has come to the fore. Reports suggest that Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, is Pentagon’s hot favourite to step into President Saddam’s shoes. He was flown into southern Iraq by US forces as almost simultaneously British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush declared that new Iraq would be run by the Iraqi people and not by the UK, the US or the UN. A Shia Muslim, Chalabi hails from a wealthy banking family and his grandfather and brother held prominent positions in the Iraqi Government until the Baath Party seized power in 1968 and Saddam became its supreme leader. Chalabi has mostly lived outside Iraq and tried to organise whatever resistance he could against Saddam’s Government.
This is the latest on the BJP-VHP tug-of-war heard in the corridors of power here. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee apparently complained to a colleague in the presence of some others that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad was going out of control. So much so that the VHP has now even started questioning the directives of Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh. The PM also sought a way out from his learned colleague. Pat came the reply: appoint Messrs Ashok Singhal, Praveen Bhai Togadia and Acharya Giriraj Kishore, the three most visible faces of the VHP, as Indian Ambassadors to Kabul, Baghdad and Saudi Arabia respectively. There they would do excellent work for the Hindu cause in identifying religious sites which could be claimed. These countries’ loss would be India’s gain, he argued in a tongue-and-cheek manner. Needless to say, everybody present burst into laughter.
“Middle men” it seems are not ready to leave the
BJP-government despite the embarrassment it faced during the Tehelka expose. In fact, the “middle men” made their appearance in the Rajya Sabha also in the past week as questions on the problems of BSE brokers, evoked a tongue-in-cheek conversation between Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, Shiv Sena member Sanjay Nirupam with the final verdict coming from Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
When Sonia Gandhi had appointed Arun Kumar Singh Munna as the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President, she had hoped that the former Youth Congress leader and minister in the previous Congress governments would be able to energise the UPCC. But the defeat of a Congress candidate in the recently held Assembly byelection in Sonia’s own parliamentary constituency of Amethi has exposed Munna’s claim to the seat. Grapevine has it that Sonia is seriously thinking of changing Munna. Leaders like Jagdambika Pal, Janardan Dwivedi, Shyam Surat Upadhyaya, Rita Bahuguna Joshi are said to be in the reckoning.