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Race for Raisina Hill Captain on bail |
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Nuclear plant
UN — a hostage of US
The story teller
New US strategy in
Iraq draws flak Technical education needs proactive links to industry Delhi Durbar
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Race for Raisina Hill The
battle to decide who would occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan has been well and truly joined with the BJP-led NDA announcing the candidature of Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. The Congress-led UPA and the Left were the first to get off the mark and chose Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil for the nomination. In the absence of any serious attempt for a consensus, a contest was inevitable and the NDA was expected to take up the challenge. By supporting the candidature of Mr Shekhawat as an independent, the NDA’s aim was to win over other parties which are opposed to the Congress but also wary of being tainted by association with the BJP. In the event, the NDA’s game-plan, at least for now, has gone a bit awry with the eight-party Third Front proposing that President A P J Abdul Kalam would be their nominee in the presidential race. It is now evident that all the three political formations view the presidential election as a contest for choosing the referee who might be more “understanding” of their interests after the next Lok Sabha election. The NDA and the UPA as much as the Left and the Third Front are convinced that the 2009 general election will result in a fractured mandate necessitating a coalition government at the Centre. In such a situation, each major party wants to ensure that the odds are in its favour, and the President’s role will be decisive. The NDA is gambling upon the fact that Mr Shekhawat has admirers, and supporters, across party lines. Whether this can translate into votes, and enough votes for him to breast the tape, is an open question. The UPA-Left combine is, however, sure that Mrs Pratibha Patil will sail through. Although Ms Jayalalithaa has belittled Mrs Patil’s candidature as a “joke”, it is the Third Front which is treating the presidential election as an exercise in flippancy aimed at embarrassing the UPA and the NDA; and demonstrating its so-called equidistance from the two leading political formations. In the process, the Third Front is also embarrassing President A P J Abdul Kalam. Just as the Samajwadi Party has compulsions to distance itself from the NDA — for the sake of the Muslim vote — when it cannot join hands with the UPA, the others in the front, too, are keen to signal that while they may not side with the BJP, they will not make it any easier for the Congress party. Notwithstanding the Third Front’s sideshow, the contest is between Mr Shekhawat and Mrs Patil. There is no opening for a dark horse.
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Captain on bail Monday’s
Supreme Court ruling upholding the anticipatory bail given to former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the Rs 100-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam is a bit of a setback to the Badal government. The Supreme Court has not only rejected the government’s special leave petition to cancel the bail granted to Capt Singh, his son Raninder Singh and others but also maintained that it did not want to interfere with the case, being heard by the High Court. In its petition to the apex court, the government said that Capt Singh and others had not cooperated with the Punjab Vigilance Bureau during the investigation of the case and hence their custodial interrogation was needed to ferret out the truth. It also wanted to fix accountability on those who caused “huge losses” to the state exchequer for “personal gains” by giving contracts to a particular company in violation of the rules. One can understand the Punjab government’s concern on the huge loss to the state exchequer because of the scam and the need to bring all those involved in the scam to book. However, the apex court felt that there was no compelling reason before it to cancel Capt Amarinder Singh’s bail granted by the High Court. The Supreme Court, apparently, believes that Capt Singh is a responsible person who has expressed his willingness to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Interestingly, the High Court has also allowed Capt Singh to go to the UK for medical treatment after examining his medical records pertaining to his earlier visit. Significantly, while granting bail for the Captain, the High Court ruled that he should not be treated as “an ordinary accused as long as he was not convicted”. It has told the Vigilance Bureau that it is not above the Criminal Procedure Code and that it cannot superimpose its authority over the High Court. Following the Supreme Court’s order, the case has now shifted from New Delhi back to Chandigarh. The High Court will take up the case on July 4. The Punjab government is now left with no option but to fight for its case in the High Court. |
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Nuclear plant The
issue whether Punjab should have a nuclear power plant has cropped up again and the political leadership remains divided as ever. The previous Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, was opposed to it. Mr Parkash Singh Badal is also not favourably inclined to the idea though he has not ruled it out altogether. Cooperation Minister Kanwaljit Singh and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal are pleading for having a nuclear power plant. Though the state government has reportedly told the Centre that it wants to have a nuclear plant, no one seems keen to pursue the proposal in earnest. The government only wants to keep its options open. The Chernobyl explosion in 1986 raised doubts about the usefulness of nuclear energy. Now it is considered “the least worst solution to our need for a carbon-free energy source”. Nuclear energy is again gaining popularity with European countries backing out of a planned nuclear phaseout. A coal-run plant produces 100 times more radioactive material than a similar nuclear reactor. Finland and China are having new nuclear power plants to meet the terms of the Kyoto Protocol. India has 15 heavy water reactors and faces uranium fuel shortage. But if the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal materialises, the problem will be solved. There is a strong case for Punjab to tap nuclear energy to meet its growing demand for power. The state’s requirement for energy is for 9,000 MW and the demand grows 10 per cent annually, but it produces only 4,300 MW. The shortage of power hits agricultural and industrial production and hinders the flow of private investment to the state. Hydroelectric potential within the state is limited. Due to differences with Himachal Pradesh, it cannot tap the latter’s huge hydro potential. Haryana is going ahead with its own nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district. The Punjab government plans to invest in Rajasthan’s upcoming nuclear power plant. The political leadership is aware of the dark scenario the state faces. It is hard to understand how the state government is not opting for it without ifs and buts. |
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Man goes into the noisy crowd to drown his own clamour of silence. |
UN — a hostage of US
It
is an axiom that for the major powers, the United Nations is a mere adjunct to the pursuit of their foreign policies. The veto power given to the permanent members of the UN Security Council is a reminder that some countries are more equal than others. And after the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the remaining super power has appropriated the world organisation, using it when it wants to and deriding it when it suits its purposes. The dilemma this is presenting to the world is apparent from the new tragic turn of events in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. In practice, the UN cannot act independently to try to resolve the central Israeli-Palestinian conflict because the United States has a vested interest in Israel for reasons that are too well to need enumeration. Symbolically, the UN has agreed to become subservient to American policy on Israel through the ingenious device of the Quartet (the US, the UN, Russia and the European Union). All that the Quartet has done is to rubber-stamp US policies. Palestinians are killing one another in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank because they are bottled up and feel totally frustrated with no prospect of living in their own viable state. Israelis build a new wall to deprive Palestinians of more land, they annex occupied East Jerusalem and Gaza, they
continue to occupy the Golan Heights belonging to Syria, they build apartheid roads and imprison Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after unilaterally withdrawing from it and they dot the West Bank with hundreds of check-posts and
barriers making the lives of Palestinians a misery. The United Nations documents these tragedies and even prevents Palestinians from starving to death as their children and grandchildren continue to fester in refugee camps across the Arab world. Yet the unctuous words of the United States and Israel talk about a peace process and a two-state solution as if Palestinians and Israelis were in similar situations, instead of the humiliation, misery and destitution the former suffer each day. The United States and the West can be very vocal on Darfur, but Palestinians, it would seem, are of no consequence. They are, for Americans, non-people. This throws up the larger question of the post-Cold War distortion of international affairs and the United Nations' implicit agreement to a new set of rules in which one nation decides what the world should be angry about. Other horrendous issues fall below the radar. The travesty of a people deprived of their land and liberty in the 21st century is, for Washington, a detail of history. And the United Nations must sing America's tune. We have it on the testimony of a brave former United Nations envoy West Asia, Alvaro de Soto, on how biased the United States is in favour of Israel and how former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan refused to let his envoy maintain contact with Hamas ministers in Gaza when it was in particular UN interest to do so, instead of driving a popularly elected government to the wall, with the consequences we are only too aware of. One must reserve judgment on the present UN Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki-moon, because he is still new to the job and must gather all his reserve strength to confront the most important member of the organisation. But judging by the conduct of a succession of secretaries-general, there is not much stomach for a fight. Exceptions to the rule such as Mr Boutros-Boutros Ghali are blackballed by Washington and denied the traditional second five-year term. Attempts to enhance the status of the UN General Assembly have failed because the five permanent members of the Security Council — the P-5 in UN jargon — block moves to reduce their powers. Even when the P-5 disagree among themselves, such as over the American-led invasion of Iraq, the UN is ultimately brought in to give a patina of legitimacy to the deed and essentially wash the dishes after the diners have left. All too often, the collective interests of the P-5 are more important than their differences and they like to stick together. During the days of the Cold War, it was conventional wisdom to suggest that the United Nations was stymied by the bipolar world and could act in unison only rarely. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, President Boris Yeltsin and his boys became cheerleaders of all things American and American views prevailed in the UN unchallenged. Sometimes, it seemed that the UN was a sub-section of the US State Department. It is well to remember that the Madrid conference on West Asia took place under Mr Yeltsin's presidency in Russia, and Russia was co-opted as chairman without any substantial role to play in future proceedings. It is a new Russia that has emerged under President Vladimir Putin and the tensions we are witnessing between Moscow and Washington stem from the American desire to perpetuate its hegemony by containing Russia through new missile defences in Russia's neighbourhood, among other mechanisms, and accuse it of using its energy resources as a political tool. It is only the beginning of a long battle and it will be fascinating to watch how it develops in the United Nations. Since the United Nations does not have a force of its own — Mr Boutros-Ghali's proposal of a limiting standing army was vetoed — it must rely on member-countries' forces offered for each mission; the foot soldiers are invariably from the developing world. It is American ingeniousness to expand and transform the mission of NATO, the Cold War organisation, to become something of an unofficial UN force under American command. The European Union follows the US, sometimes kicking and screaming, and Washington retains the initiative in juggling both the UN and the European Union. Is there a way out for the UN being hijacked by one member of the world organisation? With Russia's new assertiveness in protecting its interests, there is some hope that America will not always get its way, and Chinese membership of the P-5 does encourage the non-Western world to conceive of another kind of UN. But the general mood is of resignation. It can turn to despair if America continues to hijack the United Nations for its own
purposes.
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The story teller
My
publishers tell me that the short story as a genre is dead and are reluctant to publish my stories. Yet, every month, there is a new collection of short stories in the bookstores. Obviously, my publishers do not have much faith in my story telling ability, a lack of faith which
is shared by the critics: the only review of either of my collections
of short stories was published by the HT under the title, "ADamp Squib"! But this does not deter me, for every time I do get a story published, I receive scores of letters and phone calls, some from total strangers, telling me how much they enjoyed reading my story. They tell me that they admire the simplicity both of my themes and of my style. Friends
tell me they can hear my voice in the words — almost as if I wassitting opposite, telling them the story. Last year, The Little Magazine short-listed one of my stories for an award and one of the questions that they asked, in order to obtain material for a write-up, was: "When did you tell your first story?" I did
not have to think or grope for the answer; it came immediately. When I was three and a half, my father was a prisoner of war in Singapore. My mother was admitted to a TB Sanatorium in the foothills of the
Himalayas and I had been sent to live with my grandmother. I exasperated her in many ways, but most of all by my failure to get my shoes on right. I would
often be slapped for this, but the more I was punished the more incapable I became of performing this simple function. One day, while my grandmother was out, we had visitors — an elderly couple, gentle and mild, who evinced great interest in me and, egged
on by this interest, I was motivated to tell them my first story. "There was once a little boy, who could never learn to wear his shoes right. His grandmother beat him severely but he could never learn. One day the little boy died. His grandmother cried and wailed. 'Forgive me my child. Come back to me. I promise I will never beat you
again. '"But it was no use. The little boy never came back again and all the grandmother could do was cry and wail." Even after all these years, 62, to be precise, I still think
that, under the circumstances, it was a brilliant story. But my grandmother thought otherwise when the benign couple repeated this story to her. Once we were alone, I received such a severe round of slapping that even today the memory of it sets my cheeks burning. If that first severe 'criticism' could not stop me from telling more stories, it is not likely that I
will allow a lack of faith by my publishers or adverse comments by a critic to deter
me!
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New US strategy in Iraq draws flak BAGHDAD, Iraq – Shiite and Kurdish officials have expressed deep reservations about the new U.S. military strategy to partner with Sunni Arab groups to help defeat the militant organization al-Qaida in Iraq. “They are trusting terrorists,” said Ali Al Adeeb, a prominent Shiite lawmaker who was among many to question the loyalty of the Sunni groups. “They are trusting people who have previously attacked American forces and innocent people. They are trusting people who are loyal to the regime of Saddam Hussein.” Throughout Iraq, a growing number of Sunni groups profess to have turned against al-Qaida in Iraq because of its indiscriminate killing and repressive version of Islam. In some areas, these groups have provided information to Americans about al-Qaida members or the deadly explosives that target the soldiers. The collaboration has progressed furthest in the western province of Al Anbar, where U.S. military commanders enlisted the help of Sunni tribal leaders to funnel their kinsmen into the police force by the thousands. In other areas, the local Sunnis have not been fully incorporated into the security services and exist for the time being as local militias. Some of these groups, believed to be affiliated with such organisations as the Islamic Army or the 1920 Revolution Brigades, have received weapons and ammunition, usually through the Iraqi military, as well as transportation, food, handcuffs and direct assistance from U.S. soldiers. In Baghdad’s Amiriyah neighborhood, a local group of Sunnis who call themselves the Baghdad Patriots were driven around earlier this month in American and Iraqi vehicles and given approval by US forces to arrest suspected al-Qaida in Iraq members. One of the main unanswered questions for American commanders leading these efforts has been to what degree the Iraqi government would support their plans to fashion local Sunnis into these neighborhood defense forces. In an interview last week, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told Newsweek magazine that some American field commanders “make mistakes since they do not know the facts about the people they deal with.” Maliki went on to say arming the tribes is appropriate in certain circumstances “but on the condition that we should be well aware of the tribe’s background and sure that it is not connected with terror.” Other Shiite politicians are openly opposing the strategy. “We cannot take weapons from certain insurgents and militias and then create other militias,” said Abbas Bayati, a Turkoman Shiite lawmaker who is part of the majority bloc in parliament. “You need to open recruiting centers and provide training, now what is going on is giving weapons and money to the tribes and individuals.” Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish legislator, acknowledged the potential benefits of reducing al-Qaida’s strength in Iraq but said of Sunni Arab groups: “They take arms, they take money, and in the future they will be a problem. Politically, they are still against the Americans and the Iraqi government.” One senior Iraqi government official described the American military policy to partner with local Sunni groups as “nonsense.” “Every three months they have a new strategy. This is not only a distracting way to conduct policy, it is creating insecurity for all. I don’t think these strategies have been thought through deeply. It is all about convenience,” the official said, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “In reality, they are forcing the Iraqi government and the Shia and the Kurds to reconcile with the Saddamists,” the official added. “This is similar to going to the South in 1865 and forcing the Confederates to reconcile immediately with the Northerners. And this is not going to happen.” American military commanders involved in the new partnerships with Sunni groups say they intend to quickly train and register them under the aegis of the Interior Ministry, which oversees the police force. In Anbar province, the tribesmen have received training and become policemen, and receive their salaries from the Interior Ministry, according to U.S. military officials. U.S. military officials have said that as long as the Sunni groups are watched closely and kept from mistreating people, the intelligence they provide about al-Qaida makes them valuable partners. Mithal Alusi, a secular Sunni lawmaker, said he supported the U.S. military efforts because “al-Qaida is danger number one in Iraq.” “The prime minister has to understand this is not a one-man show,” Alusi said. “We cannot trust the government to deal with al-Qaida, to play this game alone. We are very thankful for the American process and the American point of view.” Sadiq al-Rikabi, a political adviser to Maliki, said the government would like to absorb anyone who wants to decrease violence as long as they accept the political process, and that they are recruited in a systematic way that can assure they are not using the cover of their newly official status for nefarious means. By arrangement with
LA Times-Washington Post |
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Technical education needs proactive links to industry It
is well known that our government-led technical education has got isolated from industry over the years. While industry moved ahead on the strength of foreign technology, technical education stagnated. Many initiatives were tried to get the two entities closer: State Councils of S&T; get-togethers with industry associations: publicity; consultancy cells and foundations; incubator parks; and venture funds. The results were insignificant. Massive privatisation of education in recent years has again not helped. What has multiplied exponentially are only numbers, with the impact on quality being marginal. In today’s situation, when industry can pick up and ally with the best in the world, it would be foolish to expect industry to stretch itself and take on the headaches of driving radical change in technical education. Super-bigwigs like Infosys, Wipro and Tatas will certainly find solutions for themselves – with in-house schools; specialised training; and global exposure. It is the medium and small players who will pay the price. In such a backdrop, it is for education to stretch its hand out and get closer to industry. What is also important is that solutions must be doable in the current socio-economic environment. But we must not forget that our dream of joining the global club of developed nations hinges on this vital bridge. There is acute shortage of faculty, with 30 per cent vacancies at Professor levels even in prestigious institutions like the IITs. The inability of facilities, laboratories and courses to keep pace has escalated the gap with the world. Anchored to the past, our system continues to focus on theory and rote. There is no link to real life. Application figures nowhere. A proactive link with industry is the only solution. Besides keeping syllabus up to date and faculty abreast with the latest technology, closeness is bound to flower into research and development for fighting competition. A beginning can be made with frequent, small-group (preferably one-to-one) social contact. This is the foundation of any positive relationship. Familiarity leads to sharing of knowledge, experiences and finally problems. Towards this end, we must identify, discipline-wise, half-a-dozen willing and progressive businesses in the vicinity. Don’t go for CEO’s and other top designations. Zero in on Senior Managers. Pro-activeness and ability to spare time must decide. Arrange short get-togethers of faculty with them. Be humble in presentations. Seek support. Follow up with visits to industry. During inter-action, identify a couple of small quick, projects, wherein your knowledge-input can yield positive benefits. Think carefully and send a brief proposal, with scope, time-frame, and expected results clearly spelt out. Ensure timely delivery – no excuses. Mutual confidence in delivery is critical for permanent bridges. Costs should be a minor consideration for the first few projects. Success with a few projects will set the ball rolling forever. The recent report of the Mashelkar Committee emphasises the utmost necessity of conformance to Standards and quality in every domain. We all know that our problem is not more Standards – 14,000 Standards issued by BIS are operative. Our national problem is enforcement. Nation-wide enforcement of increasingly tighter emission norms for the auto-sector from 1990 onwards is an excellent guide to compliance. The gigantic task was handled smoothly and cost-effectively by splitting the responsibility between existing institutions, who had the organisation and could muster the marginal investments required on their own. A similar approach has been adopted recently by BIS in permitting private labs to become Assaying Centres for Hallmarking of gold jewellery. Institutions of higher technical education can easily undertake responsibility for conformance to BIS/ISO Standards for products made in their vicinity. Expertise and basic facilities exist. Mustering resources for special labs should pose no problem. Besides addressing a national priority, this initiative will become a gateway to much-needed involvement with local industry. These initiatives could set the ball of change rolling. But remember, building bridges on weak soil is never easy. It will stretch management courage and resilience to the hilt. But pursued with sensitivity, it can also set off a spiral chain-reaction and deliver results. |
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Delhi Durbar The
Congress has been stung hard by the exit of former Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Lt. Gen. (retd) T.P.S. Rawat, MLA, who joined the BJP, apparently to pave the way for the election of state Chief Minister Maj. Gen. (retd) B.C. Khanduri to the assembly. Not only did the Congress lose an MLA to its main rival within months of the assembly polls, the resignation has the potential to sway ex-servicemen towards the BJP in the state. AICC secretary Captain (retd) Praveen Davar issued an uncharacteristically strong statement in which he described the defection as “treachery.” He said that ex-servicemen of Uttarakhand would ensure that Rawat was defeated by a large margin and was “taught a lesson”. Rawat is likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Pauri, which will be vacated by Khanduri.
Fast-moving script Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi might have left the cine world but he continues to script the political fortunes of many. While playing a role in the selection of the UPA presidential candidate, Karunanidhi did not forget the need for a sub-plot. Once the UPA and allies decided on the Rajasthan Governor Pratibha Patil, the maestro made his moves surely and firmly. Late that night he met the Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with his daughter Kanimozhi, who has been recently elected to the Rajya Sabha, accompanied by his wife Rajathi Ammal and Union Minister T.R. Baalu. He was pitching for a ministerial berth. The 39-year old poet is the most educated of Karunanidhi’s children. Technically, her entry into the Union Cabinet would fill up the vacancy created by the resignation of the former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran. But, her entry into the Manmohan Singh cabinet means that there would be eight DMK ministers in the UPA government. In addition, it would be an extension of the DMK’s dynastic politics to Delhi. While she would be the pointsperson for the party in Delhi, Karunanidhi is grooming M.K. Stalin to take over the reigns from him back home in Tamil Nadu.
Vibrant people When it comes to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress believes in a multi-pronged attack, both in the state and in the national capital. After Modi was felicitated by the BJP leadership for being the longest serving Chief Minister of Gujarat, the AICC came out with an appraisal of his performance. The three-page critique blamed Modi for the Gujarat riots and accused him of police repression, vindictive administration and a worsening law-and-order situation. Criticising Modi for not doing enough for the welfare of weaker sections and the poor, it also faulted the ‘Vibrant Gujarat’ campaign of his government. The critique said the state had moved forward due to the enterprise of its people and not due to the state government’s policies. Contributed by Prashant Sood and
R Suryamurthy |
Pray lovingly like children, with an earnest desire to love much and
to make loved the one that is not loved. Swadeshism is not a cult of hatred. It is a
doctrine of selfless service that has its roots in the purest ahimsa. i.e. love. Why do you waste your time searching for him
in temples while He sleeps in your heart. |
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