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Poor Mulayam Revenge most foul |
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India abroad Ways to enhance global influence THE finding that the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is one among the leading “educators” of US Senators and Congressmen is cause more for reflection than self-congratulation; reflection on how much remains to be done by India to win friends and influence people out there.
Tragedy of politics
Freelance by choice
V.P. Singh: In the
company of empty chairs Gorbachev buys stake in a newspaper Delhi Durbar
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Poor Mulayam FEW will find fault with the Supreme Court turning down Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav’s plea to stop inquiries into the assets of his close family members. There are two separate issues involved. While the Income Tax Department wants to know how they have acquired so much wealth in six years, a Congressman has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the Central Bureau of Investigation to slap a disproportionate assets case against them. Mr Yadav’s argument that the parallel proceedings against him and his family amounted to harassment did not cut much ice with the court. On its part, the court has allowed the IT authorities to go ahead with its task while asking the Chief Minister to file his family’s income and wealth tax returns for the period 2001-07 with the court. Mr Yadav has sought to blame the ruling Congress for the Income Tax Department turning its heat on him but his claim that he is being harassed will not stand scrutiny. Under the law, every person earning an income is liable to file his tax returns every year. If the tax returns are not fudged, the assets created will be equivalent or less than the income earned and saved. If the assets tally with the known sources of income, Mr Yadav will have little difficulty in satisfying any number of agencies. But the list of his immovable assets that has appeared in the Press shows that he has a lot of explaining to do. His is not a unique case. Many politicians have a problem in matching their assets with their income. Faced with a disproportionate assets case, Mr Lalu Yadav attributed a huge chunk of his assets to the sale of milk by his wife. Such ingenuity will not explain away assets worth hundreds of crores of rupees leaders like Ms Mayawati and Mr O.P. Chautala, to name just two, have acquired during a short span of their chief ministership. Following in their footsteps are officials and others in public life who see all public offices as a means to amass wealth not for themselves alone but for their children and grandchildren. Yet, they have the temerity to approach the apex court pleading against taxmen who ask some legitimate questions about how they have amassed so much wealth in so short a time.
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Revenge most foul IT is hard to believe that we are actually living in the 21st century. Someone does something harking back to the primitive era to shatter this belief every now and then. This time, the unthinkable happened in a village near Ferozepore, where a woman was stripped and paraded through the village with blackened face. Her fault? Her son had allegedly harassed the accused’s daughter. Even if the boy’s misdeed was a fact, how could his mother be so humiliated in front of the whole village for over an hour? What is even more unpardonable is the fact that a present and a former sarpanch were reportedly involved in this shocking incident. The world has changed but in some of our villages we still continue to live in an age when honour killing was an accepted way of life and the women of the family had to suffer for the crime of someone else. In this particular case, only personal rivalry was involved. Women’s dignity is brazenly trampled upon in an even worse manner. There are numerous instances of girls being stripped naked only because those belonging to a higher caste wanted to humiliate their community. Others have undergone this humiliation because they were declared witches or just rumour mongers. Criminals are encouraged to humiliate women in this manner mainly because many such crimes go unpunished. The police has a less than glorious record in coming to the rescue of the victims. The situation has hardly improved since the days of Maya Tyagi who was paraded naked in a Meerut village in the 1970s. Even police officers have indulged in such shameful incidents. Some years ago, two sisters were allegedly stripped by two police officers at the instance of an MLA. A case could be registered against them in Baghapurana full 20 months after the incident only on the intervention of the High Court. That is why many criminals think that they can trifle with a woman’s honour with impunity if they have the right backing. Society has to say “no more” collectively to bring an end to this horrifying practice and the authorities must ensure that the guilty are given a deterrent punishment.
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India abroad THE finding that the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is one among the leading “educators” of US Senators and Congressmen is cause more for reflection than self-congratulation; reflection on how much remains to be done by India to win friends and influence people out there. American lawmakers are wooed worldwide by various interest and lobby groups, and there are any number of sponsors for congressional trips. Despite the American public’s disapproval of such congressional expeditions, the fact is that the practice cannot be wished away. Any country that wants to influence US opinion and legislation has to make the effort to educate American lawmakers. So, it is not surprising that CII, which has been increasing its international presence and visibility in recent years to sell the India growth story, now figures among the top spenders. Yet, the amount spent is $ 540,000, which pales in comparison with pro-Israel and Taiwanese groups spend. Therefore, this should serve to inform us of the potential that remains untapped. External affairs may be a prerogative of the state but public diplomacy today encompasses a wide range of governmental and non-governmental players. Within government too, foreign affairs is no longer the exclusive preserve of the External Affairs Ministry, involving as it does the ministries of defence, finance, commerce and culture, to name a few. India, and not just New Delhi, needs to activate lobby groups that advance the country’s interests ranging from strategic affairs and technology to economic development and culture. This calls for much more application, greater spending and wider diplomatic activism guided by an achievable vision. The MEA’s creation of a Public Diplomacy division distinct from External Publicity may be a good starting point to ponder why Pakistan and China, among others, have been more successful in influencing American opinion, and how India needs to proceed in shaping US policies as well as decision-makers. Of course, it would be short-sighted to limit the Indian effort to merely outdo our neighbours. The mission objective should be to cast India as a global player.
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The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change and the realist adjusts his sails. — Author unknown
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Tragedy of politics
The Central government’s efficient statisticians gleefully announced a few days ago that India’s economy had crossed the 8-per cent growth barrier. At the same time, the word is being spread that the much-awaited Agni III — the intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit targets 5000 kilometres away — may be launched in a couple of months. News of this kind is, however, no longer exciting the nation poised at a crucial moment. Ministerial pronouncements these days are being taken as a mundane stuff. The country is caught in a mood that reflects a sort of anxiety it often slips into and does not know how to come out of it. There must be something wrong with the situation that is bothering the nation. Thinking people need to ponder why the general confidence level of the people is low despite the strides the country has made in many areas. Is it the political system that is failing the country within 60 years of Independence, or is it the kind of persons who have come to man it? Or, are there danger signs ahead which the people have begun to see but are finding themselves helpless in doing much about them? Continuing to remain in this kind of mood can further sap the energy of a nation at the beginning of a century which, till the other day, was being projected as the Indian century which would see the country emerge as a major power. The country is possessed by a vague anxiety disorder that is leading to further loss of confidence in itself. Is it the present that is worrying it, or the uncertainty of the future? One reason for the malaise is that the people have been banking too much on the politicians to solve their problems and are now finding that the netas they come across in most parts of the country are not concerned about their problems, or, are incapable of tackling them. Pramod Mahajan — who knew how to capture headlines in life as well as in death — is a shining example of what ails Indian political parties. Here was a man who projected efficiency, achievement, political acumen, and skill to organise elections for his party. A parivar believing in puritanism of sorts never for once thought about his personal lifestyle, his love for money and good life, and his tendency to use it for gaining control of the party for achieving his political ambition. His competence in collecting money from business houses was welcome to the party which allowed him to get away with much which, ordinarily, it would have regarded as a political sin. Pramod Mahajan’s factotum Vivek Moitra has, perhaps, been poisoned or drugged to death. His son, Rahul Mahajan, has to face, if nothing more serious, drug-related charges that can keep him in prison for 10 long years. Come to think of it, the BJP was visualising Pramod Mahajan as the generation next’s Prime Minister of India! Even after his death his bargaining power with the BJP remained intact so much so that it chose to induct his son into a leadership position. The party leaders’ decision could not have been for reasons just sentimental. Perhaps, they do not know how awkward they are looking in the eyes of the people after last week’s gory events at 7 Safdarjung Road and the prospect of Rahul Mahajan spending a chunk of his life in jail. Public confidence in politicians’ honesty and sincerity has been low for some years, but L’affaire Pramod Mahajan leaves a stink of corruption, crime, drugs and depravity that characterise politics these days. Pramod Mahajan, whose hubris has ended up in a sordid tragedy for him and his family was, however, not the only political leader who has come to symbolise amoral politics that has come to prevail in the country. Every party has its own share of enterprising and dynamic men who fix deals and collect money for their parties, and for themselves. Often such men are more equal than others in the parties’ power structure. The money power gives them political power and often they are able to influence decision-making for the convenience of their benefactors, some of whom join politics themselves and others choose to act by remote control. The phenomenon of money power dictating politics, policies and decisions has spread across to most political parties and to most states. You can go round anywhere in the country, any state, any town, and you will come to hear tales of the so-called successful people who have found their way to positions of power, or those who can get things done by just a call on their mobile phone. Sadly, this is being considered a normal mode of political behaviour these days. Many bureaucrats choose the safe path and collaborate with their political masters. Inconvenient officials are simply posted out because a minister’s friend or a benefactor wants it – a role Amrish Puri used to portray in Bollywood films with great flair and realism until the Don’s death recently. Ask the people in Lucknow how they feel about the Mulayam Singh government and the quality of governance it provides to the nation’s largest State. Only the Supreme Court has come to the help of the Income-Tax authorities to order the Chief Minister to disclose the sources of the wealth he and his family have accumulated during his years of service to the people. Taxman’s queries are being described as part of a conspiracy by the Samajwadi neta. Then there is Ms Mayawati straddling on the political platform unmindful of the stink left behind by the Taj Corridor scandal. The NDA government never took action to punish the guilty lest it might need her support while forming a government at the Centre. The UPA government now does not want to annoy Ms Mayawati because it also may need her help after the next Lok Sabha elections. The Great Telgi scam, which ran into a staggering Rs 50,000 crore loss to the state exchequer, still remains unprobed because the tentacles of the scandal are spread over several states and involves influential elements in many political parties. The politicians would let Telgi die, reportedly of AIDS, than allow truth to come out. These are major scandals which make an occasional headline in the media. The daily experience of the people with the administrations in all States is worse, and of indifference and callousness with which it treats them and their problems. The people seem to be extras in the Shining India story. It is the politicians like Pramod Mahajan who have come to matter in public life.
Unfortunately.
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Freelance by choice ON Wednesday when a journalist approached me for a posting in Bhubaneswar, I told him that we would rather take on board our occasional contributor from there, Bibhuti Mishra, than look for a new face. After all, he had impeccable credentials. His byline was familiar to me even before I joined The Tribune. So when I got a telephone call from him, he did not have to elaborate on his past, nor mention the names of our common friends. He wanted to be our stringer in Orissa. While we could not offer him a job, we were ready to publish his contributions. He began to send features and articles on a variety of subjects and they found a place in the Sunday and Saturday magazines and on the op-ed page. We also commissioned him to cover the last Lok Sabha elections from Orissa. Apart from a good command of the English language, he had vast knowledge of art and literature. His “middles” were pointers to his literary bent of mind. Though we tried to accommodate his contributions, it was difficult to cope with his prodigious output. Once I had to tell him that events that were purely local had no relevance for The Tribune readers. He did not take it as an offence. Rather, he began to search for stories that had relevance to our readers. Thus came the story of sand sculptor Sudarsan Patnaik sculpting Sarabjit Singh, who is facing death sentence in Pakistan. How could we reject such a story when the demand for Sarabjit Singh’s release was mounting in Punjab? Soon there was another story about the plans for building the country’s first revolving gurdwara on the Puri beach. To be set up in memory of Bhai Himmat Singh of Puri, who was one of the disciples of Guru Nanak, the gurdwara would rotate so that it faces the Jagannath temple in the morning and the Bay of Bengal in the evening. Bibhuti knew the needs of the paper and tried to serve them. Unlike many others who landed in journalism as a last resort, Bibhuti gave up a secure and lucrative job in the State Bank of India when the writer’s bug bit him. He was a bilingual writer. He wrote half a dozen books of fiction, mostly in Oriya, and earned reputation as the “first” art critic of Orissa. But for a living, he freelanced for newspapers like The Hindu, The Mid-Day and The Tribune. He also established himself as a good photographer. In short, he enjoyed the freedom of a freelance. When everything seemed to be going his way, tragedy struck his wife Ruby, a college lecturer, who was diagnosed as suffering from cancer. When she could no longer attend to her work, he could not come to terms with the situation and he died of a massive heart attack on November 29, 2005. He left behind a seriously ailing wife and an 11-year-old son, Aalap. He was 45. Exactly two months before his death, he wrote to me, “Thanks for using my story on the black Taj. As discussed, I would send stories that are not localised but have interest for your readers”. Now, I know, Bibhuti Mishra, why we have not been receiving any stories from
you.
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V.P. Singh: In the company of empty chairs
IT is said that one’s writing reveals a lot about one’s personality. This seems to be all the more true in the case of one’s poetry. Well, at least former Prime Minister V.P. Singh’s personality is reflected clearly in his poems, some of which are compiled in his new book, "Every Time I Wake Up" brought out by Penguin. The former Prime Minister is a multifaceted person. He paints, writes poetry, is a good photographer and also a social thinker of some standing. It is another matter that in the public mind, he is the man who uncorked the Mandal genie. Through this one political act, he managed to obliterate his fairly good record, which included his earlier crusade against corruption in public life. Ironically, the Bofors controversy that brought him to power is still inconclusive and the corruption in public life has grown in a big way. For the past many years, he has been fighting a grim battle against cancer and several other ailments. This struggle that has reduced him to a pale shadow of his former self is chronicled repeatedly in his poems. In one of these captioned, "My Dialysis Machine," he writes: Cell by cell do I melt The dialysis machine is myself To my heartbeat it throbs Gives me life But teasingly Only one day at a time To make sure That I do not stray But go to it Again and again For life To warm it’s heart With my blood Jealous mistress is she My dialysis machine Another thread that runs through all his poems is melancholy. It is best represented in the poem from which the title of the book is taken: Every time I wake It is night The world is just beyond My hospital window My only company A distant window light That too goes off First details go Then colour Finally even form All that is left is a blank In the fog of age With only my echo to tell me How far I am All have fallen asleep None to tell me ‘Go to sleep’. Why, he has even dedicated the book to his mother in a poignant way. All that he says is: Mom, where are you? Is his poetry touched by his brief stint as Prime Minister and the subsequent fall from grace? Probably. Sample "Satellite": I rise On a trail of Internal destruction All heights Are attained that way Vistas fade away Relationships of the eyes are lost I sustain myself on pure calculation I dare not descend Lest I burn out By the resistance Of the atmosphere. Who condones Falls from the heights So, high Lonely and alone I encircle the sky. The anguish of a man who is getting lonelier and lonelier manifests itself in his mini-poems which are published under the sub-head "Vignettes". In one of these he says: Do not hurry There is no morning Tomorrow And in another: Moonlight still falls On the walls Of my ruined home He is obviously referring to himself when he writes about the cinema screen: For others I am a story For myself Just a blank Things become even more explicit when he says: Now I am news No tears Only ink And: I am now in the Company of Empty chairs Imagine seeing these two or three lines on an otherwise empty page of the book. The sense of gloominess is further heightened. The book also has drawings by the author, including self-portraits. None of these has any titles. As a departure from routine, there is no preface or foreword either. The reader, however, feels that he now knows the author more intimately.
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Gorbachev buys stake in a newspaper FORMER Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and Alexander Lebedev, a billionaire and often-contrary member of the ruling United Russia party, have bought a 49 percent stake in the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, a crusading publication that has often run tough and hostile articles about Russian President Vladimir Putin. In public, Gorbachev has expressed broad support of Putin’s policies, praising him for stabilizing the country internally and strengthening it on the world stage. But some colleagues said he is privately concerned about the increasing lack of political pluralism in the country, including state control of the media. Gorbachev could not be reached for direct comment, but he spoke recently at the World Newspaper Congress: “You may ask us: Will the newspaper remain as it is now? We can just say that the editorial staff will continue to hold a controlling stake,” said Gorbachev. “The newspaper’s staff and we have agreed that the newspaper should keep its creative potential and continue to express a wide variety of opinions.’’ Lebedev, a member of parliament, said in a telephone interview that their investment will be used to turn the newspaper, which is published twice a week, into a daily newspaper with national reach. “The most important task of any newspaper is to look objectively at the bureaucracy,’’ said Lebedev, a banker, who is Russia’s 21st richest man, according to Forbes. “For many years Novaya Gazeta has had a reputation as objective and non-conformist and that’s what we want to strengthen.” Despite his membership in United Russia, Lebedev has frequently faulted its pro-Putin stance. “I have the right to criticize the Kremlin for the things they have done to this society: No civil society, no parties, no proper elections, no free mass media and there’s no parliament as far as exercising proper controls over this bureaucracy,” he said in a separate interview last month. Novaya Gazeta has become a kind of shelter for some of the country’s best-known journalists who criticized the Kremlin and were then purged from TV stations and various publications. The newspaper, however, is struggling financially, often unable to attract major advertisers, who apparently fear being associated with its anti-government stance. The newspaper’s board of editors, which includes senior journalists on the staff, will retain control of its 51 percent of shares. Gorbachev and Lebedev obtained their 49 percent stake from outside shareholders for $2 million, according to a source familiar with the deal. The two men also committed to make an immediate $2 million investment to support the paper’s growth. Alexei Simonov of the Glasnost Defense Foundation, which monitors press freedom in the country, said that Gorbachev’s patronage could put a brake on any attempt by the government to curb the newspaper. “Novaya Gazeta is the main opposition newspaper in the country. They are attacking Putin on all levels.’’ “Gorbachev has been our friend for a long time,” said Sergei Sokolov, a deputy editor-in-chief. He noted that Gorbachev donated money from his 1990 Nobel Peace Prize to buy the newspaper’s first computers in the early 1990s. “We are absolutely confident there will be no interference,” he said.
— By arrangement with
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Delhi Durbar NO drastic changes are expected in the list of Punjab Congress Committee office-bearers for Punjab which is in the final stages of approval at the AICC. PCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo did not go in for any major shake-up after he took reigns of the state party unit and largely continued with the team appointed by his predecessor. With the state having entered the election year the high command is likely to approve only “necessary” changes in the PCC office-bearers on the recommendation of the state Congress leaders.
Rahul Mahajan found a voice of consolation from unexpected quarters — former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. His statement that “mistakes are often made by young people and efforts would be made to set them on the right path,” however, put the party in a piquant situation. The BJP, which had planned to project Mahajan junior as the head of the Yuva Morcha, had to retrack its steps, moments after the drug saga came to light. Embarrassed by Vajpayee’s stand, the party claimed that Rahul issue was a family affair of the Mahajans and the party had nothing to do with it. Soon after the Rahul Mahajan drug episode, a lot of smart mails were being exchanged on the mobile phones. A sampling of one of those goes like this: the BJP’s party headquarters is being shifted to Bagota, Columbia and their newsletter will henceforth be called “Coketales.”
There seems to be something behind the name Rahul. In the past few days different Rahuls were in the news for various reasons. First was late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan’s son Rahul Mahajan on the drug scandal. One of the four persons present at the 7, Safdarjung Road residence with Rahul Mahajan on the night he allegedly had drugs mixed with drinks, was also a Rahul. The next Rahul to be in the news was Rahul Bajaj, for filing his nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra that fell vacant after the untimely demise of Pramod Mahajan. In the midst of an overdose about the Rahul Mahajan episode in the media, there was also news about Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and son of Congress President Sonia Gandhi visiting Singapore.
Deora’s tasks After the Cabinet decided to hike petrol and diesel prices by Rs 4 and Rs 2 a litre respectively, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora was extremely uneasy facing mediapersons. He was at pains to convince the scribes that the unprecedented hike would not affect the “aam aadmi.” When things got a little tough, he asked Petroleum Secretary M S Srinavasan to deal with the media offensive. What will you do when Left parties go on a nationwide protest, asked a mediaperson. “We will garland them when they come on the streets,” Deora quipped. The suave Deora is finding it hard to come to terms with the probing media. Asked if he will be meeting the Prime Minister again now that he has briefed Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Deora remarked “this is not for me to decide.” He suggested that the state government should reduce the high tax rates at their end.
***** Contributed by R Suryamurthy, S Satyanarayanan, Prashant Sood and Manoj Kumar
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From the pages of A mad man in power The South African Prime Minister, Dr Daniel Malan, is demonstrating to the world, every day more clearly, that he is a man devoid of any sense of political perspective. His latest performance is to denounce the South Africa Parliamentary opposition as “irresponsible, semi-military and reckless.” He has lumped the United Party, the Troch Comando, the Springbox Legion and the Communists together as hysterical agitators who have now come out in their true colours. “The wagon has now come to a steep downward slope”, says Dr Malan, “and has no brakes. The sooner the entire South African nation realises this and jumps overboard, the better it will be for its own safety and for the future of our country.” Continuing in the same strain, he adds, “action men who have the reigns in their hands no longer want a parliament or even an election. These ultra democrats even want to smother expression of the will of the people — they want black communist revolution.”
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He who is not content with what he is given and craves ever more and more, gathers only humiliation and frustration. For, greed is like a dark prison and vice is like a fetter around one’s ankles. — Guru Nanak May I be able to listen without distraction. —The Upanishads He alone is the truly
disguised one who cleans his body of its filth and sanctifies it with its own fire, acknowledging thus the Lord within. — Guru Nanak
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