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Guest Column
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Guest Column
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Drug abuse in Punjab alarming, indeed Manpreet Badal
The gabroo jawan of yore fails to clear the police and army recruitment tests, shuns work in fields, is averse to any physical activity and is dying an untimely death.
One may argue till the cows come home about the veracity of Rahul Gandhi’s claim, but the fact remains that drug abuse among the young is of unimaginably magnitude in Punjab. Various studies by government, independent institutions, universities, research scholars and journalists have pegged different figures regarding the extent of the problem. Some credible reports say that 75 per cent of Punjab’s youngsters between the age group of 15 and 25 years are into some form of drug abuse. None of these groups have reported a figure of less than 60 per cent. Therefore, 60 per cent or 75 per cent, either figure should have rung the alarm bells in the government. While these statistics make glaring headlines in the national and international media, they don't surprise people who live in Punjab. We do not need validation of any data to know that this scourge is a termite that is eating away Punjab’s youth. Poppy husk, hash, opium, cough syrups, analgesics, myriad tablets, injectibles and other deadly chemicals are staple of the youngster’s diet in a state once legendary for its pure and salubrious diet. The famous sturdy “gabroo jawan” of yore today fails to clear police and Army physical recruitment tests — in an Army recruitment drive for 400 posts, where 8,000 youngsters showed up, only 80 were selected — shuns working in his own fields, is averse to any physical activity, (while neighbouring Haryana is scripting so many sporting success stories, Punjab's once famous trophy trove looks appallingly empty?) and is dying an untimely death. There are more than half a dozen villages in Punjab with a morbid appellation of “village of widows”. An honest admission of the problem is the first step towards solving an issue. Unfortunately, all we have seen in Punjab is a mock debate, lacking in sincerity and full of denial about the problem. In doing so, the Punjab Government is only confirming its worst reputation. The people of the Malwa region, the Chief Minister’s bailiwick, would know better. Over the last decade, the Bathinda area has witnessed a large number of cancer deaths. But to date, what people have got is a “debate” on the causes. There is a perpetual argument over the numbers of these deaths, with the government, agriculture-related chemical companies and NGOs exchanging figures. Some blame the high incidence of cancer to indiscriminate use of chemicals in fields, some to the peculiar topography of the region while some to high levels of arsenic in the region's water and air. In short, an unconscionable passing of the buck has been happening for a long time, even as the number of people who succumb to this deadly disease increases by the day. No one in the government is looking for solutions. Suggestions from experts remain on paper with no implementation at the ground. It seems convenient for the government to dodge responsibility by raising its decibel levels rather than take any concrete steps towards a solution. Also, Rahul Gandhi isn’t the first one to highlight the appalling extent of this problem in Punjab. In the run-up to the Assembly elections earlier this year, the then Chief Election Commissioner, SY Qureshi, said while the use of liquor for voter inducement was seen in many states, the rampant use of narcotics “was unique to Punjab”. His observation was also dismissed with insensitive disregard. No effort has been made to check the unhealthy liaison between several local politicians and drug peddlers. The Punjab government has often blamed the open sale of poppy husk in the neighbouring state of Rajasthan for this problem. This might be worth looking into, but it cannot be a major factor. Also, we must introspect why the Rajasthani youth is not hooked to drugs. The rot is much deeper as was evident by the catch of a drug consignment containing some of the most dangerous narcotics in Jalandhar a few months ago. As per conservative estimates, these drugs were worth Rs 200 crore! The fact that close to one third of the inmates in Punjab’s prisons are there on myriad charges under the Narcotics Act tells the extent of smuggling. Police collusion also cannot be ruled out. Rather than considering these figures, the Chief Minister’s office expressed its displeasure over the tendency of outsiders to “give Punjab a bad name”. A circus is currently on in the state where the administrative machinery is busy furnishing its own “data” to disprove the veracity of the “outsiders’ claim”. They need to remember that Punjab is a part of India, and there are no outsiders here. Its wellbeing is in everybody’s interest and the Punjab Government is answerable to the people of India.
The writer, a former Finance Minister of Punjab, is the head of the People's Party of Punjab.
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fifty fifty
Assisted ably by his wonderful wife and partner Savita, Jaspal Bhatti would bite the bullet and go for the jugular, in a noisily uproarious fashion.
How
cruel can one week be? It seems like a season of untimely deaths — of some especially outstanding Punjabis. Last week, we had barely recovered from the passing away of Yash Chopra when Jaspal Bhatti died in a car crash. The irony was that just as Yash Chopra was working on a film and it was nearing completion, Jaspal Bhatti was also working for the promotion of his new film, the aptly named “Power Cut”. And while the soft-spoken Yash Chopra brought us bushels of romance over the years, the quirky Jaspal Bhatti had spent his life injecting laughter into some of the most annoying issues this country faces. He was an ‘original’, creating comic situations from real-life events that would resonate with the ‘mango people’. He would take on the system, but in a way that would also be hugely entertaining. With well-timed jibes, he would puncture the complacency we are all cocooned in. In a country which often forgets to laugh at itself, and is becoming increasingly shrill and aggressive, Bhatti brought a modicum of sense in his self-proclaimed ‘nonsense’. I still remember that when I was to launch a Punjabi channel from Chandigarh, and I made a wish list of people I wanted to put on air, Jaspal Bhatti was right at the top. He was clever with words, extremely funny, and his “Flop Show” and “Ulta Pulta” reflected the angst of the people. His ability to create live events on various issues was unique. For instance, around Divali he would set up a stall outside government offices, with gift -wrapped empty boxes ready to be given as ‘bribes’ to babus. By mocking a well-established ritual, he was able to make us aware of how we no longer are outraged at this open handing out of petty ‘ghoos’. Even now, so many years later, whenever I see cars laden with gifts zipping around at Divali, I am reminded of Bhatti’s fabulously outrageous joke, and cannot resist a good laugh. Bhatti was also notorious for lampooning well-known (and not so well known) politicians of all parties and classes at his Nonsense Club and I am told that often these self-righteous men would be offended at his temerity. But what these worthy gentlemen forgot is that a good wit is one who can raise hackles as well as a good laugh simultaneously. Assisted ably by his wonderful wife and partner Savita, Bhatti would bite the bullet and go for the jugular, in a noisily uproarious fashion. It was this inimitable mix of valour and wit that I had wanted to bring on to my channel many years ago, and so I spent a few memorable evenings with Jaspal Bhatti, going through various ideas and plots for what the comedy serial would contain. Ultimately, I suspect my channel did not have the funds to support the particular concept he had in mind and we couldn’t package his brand of humour on air. It was a loss for us, and would be an everlasting regret. Because just having Bhatti Sahib would assure you huge TRPs. And this was the incredible achievement of Jaspal Bhatti. A former engineer with the Punjab State Electricity Board, he abandoned a comfortable career to carve out a difficult path in creative pursuits. It certainly wouldn’t have been easy. I know that while Bhatti had many admirers and supporters, his pointed barbs and acerbic comments could also make others in the establishment nervous. Perhaps because of this, as a country we simply did not appreciate him enough or give him the enormous recognition he deserved. And as we are left longing for more Bhatti-isms, I can almost hear him having the last laugh.
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Guest Column As seen in the killing of the US Ambassador to Libya, there will always be intelligence goof-ups. As long as these are not too frequent and there's no evidence of intelligence agencies being used to serve the ends of a party in power, they deserve the utmost support from the entire political spectrum.
The charge was gross miscalculation of the Benghazi Mission’s need for high security, accompanied by intelligence failure. The quality of a private agency hired to protect the building was dubious because of penny pinching. Obama detractors were caustic that cost had triumphed over security. (Ironically, those levelling the charge had also earlier spoken of extravagant spending in the US embassies.) This was crass politics, to which we in India are quite accustomed. Objectively viewed, the attack was indeed a slap on the US face, however much it was representative of a universal dilemma of governments and the growing inadequacies of the State the world over in reining in those who do not believe in democracy. The facts of the Benghazi incident are worth recalling. It formed part of a recent worldwide protest over a video (“Innocence of Muslims”) made in the US by a small-time writer and producer of Egyptian origin now settled in the US, which carried objectionable references to Prophet Mohammed. We were ourselves witness to enraged Muslim feelings outside the US Consulate in Chennai. Benghazi was also a scene of rioting, during which a mob broke into the US Consulate and indulged in a wanton attack against the Consular staff. Among the four American victims was Ambassador Stevens, a popular figure among the local Libyans, who had done a lot to cement relations between the two countries. In its first response, the US took the stand this was an unanticipated incident; the mob action was spontaneous. US Ambassador to the UN Susan E. Rice on September 16 assumed the same position. But soon the impression gained ground that the attack was a planned offensive against a well-defined target. Ambassador Rice was all the time being led by her nose by the CIA, which was responsible for her briefing. The CIA itself derived its information from intercepted telephone calls, informants and media reports. The CIA began to shift its position, and the Administration’s discomfiture grew in turn. Ultimately, White House conceded there was in all probability a heavy terrorist hand. Subsequent intelligence reports based on accounts of American personnel evacuated from Libya too suggested that September 11 was indeed an action mounted by heavily armed extremists. This was an assessment approved around September 22 by National Intelligence Director James R. Clapper, and reflected in an official statement issued on September 28. Reports since then have also thrown up the name of Ahamed Abu Khattala, head of Ansar al Sharia, a highly militant organisation, as one responsible for the attack. The Benghazi episode is proof how intelligence agencies suffer at the hands of politicians trying to exploit them for political advantage. Clapper conveyed this effectively when he said earlier this month at an intelligence symposium: “A demand for an explanation that is quick, definite and unchanging reflects a naïve expectation — or in the present case, irresponsible politicking.” There are lessons here for our Intelligence Bureau and the RAW and their political bosses. These agencies deserve a lot more understanding than ever before. They are performing a nearly impossible job, especially after 9/11 and our own 26/11, which was among other things an intelligence failure. Their focus is Pakistan’s ISI and its sleeper cells in India. The Indian Mujahideen are a lethal group capable of striking anywhere in the country, and the recent arrests of their members are only a temporary reverse. At a slightly lower level of sensitivity is China, whose potential for mischief through pampering of our neighbours and a capacity to unleash a cyber offensive cannot be underestimated. We have had far too many embarrassments in the recent past by way of our intelligence operatives being identified and thrown back at us. Under these circumstances, the only favour that those in the Opposition could do is not to politicise intelligence inadequacies. There will always be goof-ups and failures. As long as these do not become too frequent and there is no evidence of them being used to serve the ends of the party or parties in power, both the IB and RAW deserve the utmost charity from the entire political spectrum. Equipping intelligence outfits is an expensive proposition and protecting our diplomats serving abroad equally costly. Funds should not be a constraint in giving them state-of-the-art technology, as long as there is more than reasonable assurance that such technology is used purposefully. The writer is a former Joint Director, Intelligence Bureau,
and a former CBI Director
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A
few days ago, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, addressing a public meeting, said seven out of 10 youngsters in Punjab were into drugs. Ever since, there has been a strange reaction in Punjab government circles. While the members of the ruling Akali-BJP combine have resorted to the predictable refrain of “shall not tolerate any insult to Punjab”, senior bureaucrats have been claiming it to be a case of “lies, damned lies and Rahul’s statistics”. This cacophony and display of sham love for Punjab threatens to dim the focus on what has now become the state’s single biggest problem.
Jaspal Bhatti will be missed much more than we can imagine. After all, these days when cartoonists are jailed and even reviled, when historical cartoons are pulled out from textbooks, and when comedy per se is turning increasingly facile, the room for serious laughter, for intelligent satire and sarcasm, will be ever more squeezed. It is a time when we need more Jaspal Bhattis. Even though he worked out of Chandigarh, many of the problems he addressed were national, and he brought our attention to them through humour which is probably the most difficult thing to do. Whether it was price hike or cash for votes, Bhatti always had a new way of addressing the issue, creating instant theatre which would push the message through. Often the politicians who were at the receiving end were nervous about what Bhatti would come up with, as there was a kernel of truth in everything he said.
Last
The debate was preceded by speculation on what would figure during its course. What surprised most observers was the near absence of any reference to the ghastly incident in Benghazi (Libya) on September 11, in which US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed by a mob. This was an event that had provided substantial ammunition to Romney in the preceding weeks. Although this was one of the first issues that Schieffer broached, neither candidate was willing to respond. While President Obama’s silence was understandable, his rival’s reticence was intriguing, considering the mileage he had derived earlier by lambasting the Administration for its “incompetence” in Libya. White House had been hauled over the coals for the loss of four American lives.