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Unfortunate clash Reassuring bureaucrats |
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Preparing for the long haul
Different levels of dedication
How & why a well-run campaign succeeded
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Unfortunate clash It
is indeed sad and unfortunate that the peace at the Golden Temple complex was shattered by a clash at Akal Takht on Friday. It was a day when people had gathered in large numbers to mark the 30th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. The gathering to condemn the assault was marred by bloody clashes and what should have been a day of solemn contemplation became one of confrontation as a group of radicals confronted the SGPC staff on duty. Swords were pull out, separatist slogans were raised and physical attacks left many people injured. The responsibility of ensuring the security and safety of everyone within the Golden Temple complex falls on the SGPC, which should have been better prepared for such an eventuality. Senior religious and political leaders failed to defuse the situation. Those who intervened found their pleas ineffectual. The Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Gurbachan Singh, and SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjeet Singh Mann should have provided leadership by jointly ensuring that the sanctity of the holy place was not marred by violence and sloganeering. The SGPC president should have been aware of the tension and taken adequate precautions. Historically, the Golden Temple complex is one place where swords are kept firmly sheathed even when groups inimical to each other meet. This is how various disputes were settled between Sikh Misls. No one could even dare to draw his sword. The unequivocal condemnation of the violence that took place at the holy shrine from political leaders, the Sikh diaspora and the community at large is an indication of how upset people are that such an important religious place has been scarred in this manner. The SGPC must take measures to ensure that such ugly incidents are not allowed to take place again, even as the Akali Dal government follows on the legal aspects, since people have been arrested. The clash is distressing. Not learning lessons from it would be unpardonable.
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Reassuring bureaucrats Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's direct interaction with 72 secretaries of various ministries is in keeping with his Gujarat model of governance and the exercise is dubbed "presidential premiership" at work. In a parliamentary democracy bureaucrats report to ministers and if the PM tells them to mail or approach him directly with ideas for speedy decisions, it is a departure from the practice. There is nothing wrong with this exercise if it leads to faster and more efficient decision-making. During UPA rule bureaucrats avoided risky decisions after the coal and telecom scams. They dreaded Section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act which made them liable for prosecution, even after retirement, if any of their decisions benefited any party. Last month the Supreme Court struck down a provision that required prior permission of the government for investigating officers of the rank of Joint Secretary and above. The spat in public between a former Telecom Secretary and the CBI chief strengthened the scare. The PM's move to allay the fears of a demoralised bureaucracy by offering them protection in case of an honest and genuine decision, therefore, is welcome. His attempts to clear the clutter in offices, simplify the rules and make the rusted officialdom to deliver maximum governance are all laudable. Dissent, if any, may come from senior ministers who could feel sidelined, though right now they are happy to be in power. Mr Modi has also advised his Cabinet colleagues and party MPs not to speak to the media every day and on issues they do not understand, leaving the channels open only to official spokespersons. This may cut confusion on policy issues and avert needless controversies. For how long ministers and MPs follow such "control" orders remains to be seen. The concentration of powers in the PMO may earn Prime Minister Modi credit if governance becomes efficient but it would also make him accountable if anything goes wrong. Since it was he who made tall promises during elections, the onus is also on him to deliver.
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It's better to have loved and lost than to have to do forty pounds of laundry a week. —Laurence J. Peter
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AN interesting Resolution on Jail Administration in the United Provinces says that the number of juveniles sentenced to imprisonment continues to decrease. A scheme for the introduction of children's courts and for special treatment of children under arrest was brought into effect last year, and in every district Special Magistrate of experience has been entrusted with the conduct of all cases in which children are charged with any offence. The attention of magistrates has been drawn to the undesirability of imposing sentence of imprisonment where this can be avoided. Steps have also been taken to enlist the help and advice of Indian gentlemen of position at actual trials and engage their interests in the subsequent careers of youthful offenders. British principles of taxation
THE Statist explains the principles which underlie the Budgets presented to Parliament by the present Chancellor of Exchequer. The proposals of the earlier statesmen, Sir Robert Peel and Mr. Gladstone, were necessitated by the economic condition of the country at the time they were made. The country could not produce the food needed by the British people. Accordingly it was necessary to repeal the Corn Laws, to abolish the duty upon raw cotton and upon coal exports and generally to remove fiscal restrictions of all kinds. As the Statist puts its, the population and economic condition of the country both compelled the British People to seek world markets as well as local markets for their goods and their capital in order to gain the means of purchasing from the other lands the additional supplies of good and raw material essential to their welfare.
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Preparing for the long haul We
have a brand new Railway Minister in 61-year-old Devaragunda Venkappa Sadananda Gowda, now ensconced in the driving seat at Rail Bhavan to shape the destiny of the 64,000 km rail network with a 1.4 million work force so that it can perform its vital role as the economic life line for 1.2 billion Indians! Preliminary reports suggested that a rail fracture, somewhat similar to what happened at Khanna on November 26, 1998, when the Kolkata-bound Jammu Tawi Express collided with six derailed coaches of the Amritsar-bound Frontier Mail lying in its path, could be the cause which the CRS (Commissioner of Rail Safety) will soon be enquiring into. The Railways' two decades long drive for technological upgrade viz. introduction of panel interlocking, installing axle counter at stations and colour light signalling on main trunk routes have largely eliminated cases of human error such as a collision. A sustained programme with the states meeting 50 per cent of the cost, hundreds of new overbridges have helped eliminate level crossings. Unfortunately, road users still tend to take unnecessary risk in trying to cross a track in the face of an approaching train. However derailments, whether of a passenger carrying or freight train which constitute almost 70 per cent of all accidents, are still a major concern. They are symptomatic of a deeper malaise, viz. poor maintenance of assets, be it track or the rolling stock. Unfortunately, in spite of extensive mechanisation, the availability of track for maintenance has lately become a major obstacle to their adequate utilisation. Thanks to unbridled populism over the last two decades, no less than 4,000 new passenger trains have been introduced. Now with over 12,000 trains, not only freight trains are getting crowded out -- plunging to just 25 kmph average speed -- time available for track maintenance and inspection, especially by scores of mechanised equipment is becoming inadequate resulting in mishaps such as of Gorakhdham Express. Last two decades have been an unmitigated disaster for this behemoth with political heavyweights of various hues pursuing their own populist agenda, leading to the Railways' operating ratio -- an indicator of its financial health - now hovering close to 90 per cent. Based on the lessons learnt, here is first a list of what the Railway Minister should NOT do: 1. No new passenger trains -- even if it means denying his home town the benefit of becoming the centre of the railway universe. The recent drop in passenger earnings suggests that a peak capacity has been reached. 2. No major hike in freight tariff -- as the Railways has already lost a substantial market to the road sector and could lose more if business finds its bottomline being hurt. Any hike could also spur inflation which the current government would be extremely keen to avoid. 3. No new lines or projects till the 400-odd projects already in the pipeline have been discussed with various stakeholders. They should be either dropped, or funds mobilised through the PPP, or partial state funding to ensure they are completed in the next five years, and do not take two decades with the existing rate of annual investment. 4. No tinkering with the existing structure, including corporatisation as a number of management gurus with a rather sketchy idea of Railways have suggested. Plenty of time for that once the railway finances are in good shape and the nation's economy takes off. Now here is a list of what he should do: 1. Accord the highest priority to the completion of both the eastern and western sectors of the dedicated freight corridors and their linkages to facilities the coming up of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), enabling a quantum jump in freight business while decongesting the existing trunk routes, increasing speeds of passenger trains and ensuring better punctuality. 2. An immediate hike in passenger tariffs to get this booming business to start paying for itself and not remain a burden on freight earnings. Time to jettison the populist measure of avoiding annual passenger tariff hike in line with inflation. 3. Plan for on an annual 10 per cent increase in productivity in all spheres of activity, whether operation, maintenance of assets, manufacturing etc. adopting better management practices, mechanisation of various activities, adoption of new technologies etc. to reduce manpower which at present accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the expenditure. 4. Draw a master plan for the next one decade for capacity enhancement in various critical areas to sustain the Railways' growth and enable it to provide transport for growing freight, in particular coal. If tabled on the floor of the Lok Sabha in the new Railway Minister's maiden budget, hopefully this commitment would then not be subject to vagaries of successive ministers. 5. Last but not the least, taking a cue from the Prime Minister who has disbanded all GoMs and EGoMs to ensure a quick and accountable decision-making, the Railway Minister should go ahead and boldly dissolve all Railway Users Consultative Committees, 68 at the divisional level, 16 at the zonal level and one at the national level, which have generated hundreds of the populist suggestions, contributing in a large measure to the Railways' poor financial health. Undoubtedly, the minister would lose a major opportunity of parking his party colleagues and other political allies in such prestigious bodies with quite a few perks which helped his predecessors to win friends and influence people, but this could prove to be a wise move in the long run! Sadananda Gowda has to get the Railways in shape for the marathon -- the long haul -- for the next decade to provide transport for people and freight at the lowest possible unit cost. Merely adopting slogans such as "Safety, Security and Punctuality" is hardly the way to go about it. The author is a former member, Railway Board
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Different levels of dedication It
is a truth, universally recognised, that barring a very few and rare exceptions, all human achievement, both personal and collective, is the result of various levels of dedication. Most human achievements not only bring fame and fortune to the achiever but also enrich the lives of men in general. But sometimes there is an achievement, even though wrought with a high level of dedication, which comes and goes, unmarked, unnoticed except by a very few close people. It was 1955. I was in Lower V or Class IX and my abilities in maths had sunk so low that I was lucky if I scored 10 per cent marks. It was the first mark reading of the year and I had scored all of six marks. The Deputy Head Master greeted my result with his usual long, sarcastic tirade. Our new maths teacher looked steadily at me through this and when the bell rang, he asked me to stay back: "Harishpal, don't you want to pass in maths?" "Of course I want to, sir. But I just don't know how to." "Give me half an hour every evening before prep." "I'll ask my Housemaster, sir." So it was arranged that I would have my bath with the juniors and then spend three quarters of an hour with Mr. Gore. We met in an old science lecture room with tiered seating and a rolling board. I stood in the front row, with my arm outstretched, palm facing upwards. He wrote up numbers at random and, if I hadn't told him the multiple of the two numbers he had pointed at randomly, by the time he turned around, he would give me a sharp hit with the ruler. To begin with, I was amused by this childish game. But by the time I had received six stinging hits, one after the other, it had become a very serious business Day after day, week after week and month after month, we went through this and similar drills. With my growing ability to deal with these drills successfully, came an increasing confidence at being able to cope with maths. Two and a half years later when I sat for my Senior Cambridge Examination, Mr. Gore's dedication paid rich dividends and I scored a C 3 in maths. The achievement was small but all though the last 57 years, I have been certain that the level of dedication was no less than that put in for the other achievements that I have listed
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How & why a well-run campaign succeeded In
1960, the first televised Presidential debate in the US changed political communication forever. A relatively unknown junior Senator from a religious minority suddenly became a serious challenger to Vice President Richard Nixon, known for his hard work and experience. On that day, John F Kennedy — tanned, handsome, articulate and confident —looked more Presidential than an ailing, sweating, ill-dressed, balding Richard Nixon. Kennedy went on to become the President and the crucial role played by television was acknowledged by Kennedy himself immediately after: “It was the TV more than anything else that turned the tide.” At a recent Bharatiya Janata Party meeting held in Delhi, Narendra Modi lauded the success of his election campaign which, he said, should be studied and written about, just as Tony Blair's “New Labour” Campaign and Barack Obama's campaign for the first term of his Presidentship have been. The recently concluded 2014 election campaign in India is likely to be remembered as a watershed event in political communication. The campaign managers have used a combination of traditional and new media to reach out to huge numbers of people. Transformation of public sphere An analysis of these campaigns can help us to understand what the theorist Jurgen Habermas has called the “structural transformation of the public sphere” in contemporary times. Habermas argues that in the early years of liberal democracy, the citizen could participate in political discussions and debates in a range of ways, from newspapers and journals, clubs, coffee houses, town-hall meetings, political gatherings to informal discussions. These debates brought issues into focus and created public opinions which would then influence political practice. Thus, citizens used the public sphere to determine and influence politics. A look at political campaigns today seems to suggest that there has indeed been a structural transformation of the public space. Now, political discourse is determined by powerful elites, media is carefully manipulated and public opinion is measured by opinion polls. In this scenario, the citizen becomes a consumer of the carefully crafted spectacle, created by strategists and media experts. Modi’s strategy of transforming this election from the British system of democratic election into an American model meant that he and his team could set the terms of the style and substance of the campaign. Just as American Presidential candidates do, Modi brought together a competent, creative and professional group of people who controlled various dimensions of the campaign. It is to Modi's credit that he was able to inspire and engage a group of professionals such as B.G. Mahesh, founder of several web-based sites including OneIndia, a news portal which delivers content to more than 18 million viewers. A site, India272.com, was created to harness the enthusiasm of individuals keen to see BJP win at least the magic number of 272 Parliamentary seats. Any individual could register on this site as a volunteer. This way, thousands of young people were included in working for the campaign bypassing or enhancing the traditional methods of using party organisations to activate volunteers. More roundabout ways were created and devised to bring together a variety of segments of society into a massive group of dedicated workers of which Campaign for Accountable Governance (CAG) is one. Run by 66 employees and manned by thousands of volunteers, this site did not originally appear to have any direct connection with the BJP or Narendra Modi. Its Facebook page which has more than 5 lakh “likes” describes itself as “A group of spirited individuals striving for accountability in governance!” and has an Indian flag with the slogan “Because India deserves better” under a drawing of people — seemingly young — with their fists raised high. The actual website is slick and less coy about its political objectives: “Modi Ane Wala Hai”. There are interactive options and, most importantly, invitations to join the organisation. A moving “live” strip informs us that as of the time of writing the article there are 1,04,417 members, that one new member was added that day and that there are 29 new city chapters. One can also refer friends whom the site will then connect with. One of the characteristics of recent successful campaigns has been the sense of identification and involvement of the voters with particular candidates. Obama’s first campaign could not initially attract much money from big business. Advertising on social networks and smartphones led to small donations from large numbers of voters, especially young voters, to add up to one of the largest campaign funds in recent times. This created identification and enthusiasm in the donors. While the large numbers of volunteers for Modi certainly reflect the power of the campaign, it also suggests that many young people who are normally excluded from the sphere of public discourse became, not active citizens of a democracy, but passive followers of a particular brand or symbol. Holograms to woo audience However, the most intriguing and talked-about initiative has been the use of holograms of Modi to address audiences across the nation as part of what the CAG called its “Bharat Vijay 3D Rally campaign”. This technology allowed Modi to undertake what is described as Modi's National Mega outreach programme to connect with people across the country. The CAG site says, “Apart from being innovative and emphatic, this 3D initiative ensures that the effect of the leader's speech remains undiluted. This technology allows him to connect to hundred locations simultaneously. This event has established Narendra Modi as a leader who wants to integrate more of science and technology into the everyday life of Indians.” These holographic rallies were planned to cover at least 1000 cities across India. This is a far cry from L.K. Advani's Rath Yatra which used the physical dimension of space, touch and presence. Today's new virtual space has been emphatically and decisively taken over by the NaMo campaign as a site from which to recruit, indoctrinate and turn the subterranean wave of anti-incumbency discontent into a pro-Modi tsunami. In December 2013 when he was elected as Chief Minister of Gujarat for the fourth term, Modi already had 8 million fans on Facebook. His faith in the virtual is not, therefore, new. By the 2014 General Election, the number of Modi's fans on Facebook had risen to 14 million, second only to Barack Obama among politicians globally. 11.85 million Tweets have been directly addressed to Narendra Modi's official account @NarendraModi this year already. The impact and numbers of the inclusion of tech-savvy India was clear on counting day as Modi's message “India has won!” became the most-retweeted message ever in India. For Indians, especially Hindus, the idea of darshan has always been central to their ritual practices. The practice extended to the rulers of the country and now political leaders too are objects of darshan. Political leaders thus have to carefully craft their image and in this too, Modi and his team did an outstanding job. Modi’s election costume deserves a mention. Modi's kurtas were no ordinary, off-the-shelf affairs. Carefullycolour-coordinated, they were made of expensive linen and fine handloom. Packaging the product The inclusion of advertising professionals such Prasoon Joshi and Piyush Pande in his team helped to “package” the product: a man willing to undergo hair transplants, probably some time in 2007, tailor his kurtas at one of the most expensive places in Gujarat, carry a Mont Blanc pen and wear Bvlgari sunglasses, thereby replacing the traditional image of a man of the people with the man who has arrived. Strategists successfully turned this election into a vote on leadership, rather than issues. By adapting the US Presidential mode of campaign, most voters, especially young voters disenchanted with party-bound politics, saw this as a battle between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi with Arvind Kejriwal as a distant contender. In this line-up, Modi's rhetorical and organisational skills honed for years, ironically as pracharak, and party worker, clearly won the day. A journalist's account of Modi's encounter with the elite of the capital in the Taj Palace banquet hall about a year ago concludes that “if Modi had given his ‘Leader's Lecture’ in a school debate contest, he would have lost” yet also notes that the audience left the venue “in awe”. Clearly, the commentator suggests, this was a victory of style over substance. Modi’s speeches were far from flawless. Does anyone recall his sequence of historically inaccurate rhetorical flourishes in Bihar towards the beginning of his campaign? In an attempt to identify himself with a glorious Bihari past, he claimed Taxila as part of Bihar, that Alexander was beaten back by the patriotic Biharis and so on. Yet despite all these intellectual bloopers, he managed to sweep through Bihar and wipe out one of his severest critics, Nitish Kumar. When the Opposition seemed to falter, as in the now-infamous chaiwallah comment by veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer, the BJP and Modi response was to use this as another weapon to attack the dynastic role of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Rahul Gandhi's attempt to defend and clarify Aiyer's comment was ignored by the traditional media, social media and ultimately by the voters. Priyanka Gandhi's comment on neech rajniti also was taken out of context and re-interpreted to suggest that she had made a comment on Modi’s relatively humble social background. Facebook statistics show that “jobs” was the major concern in election-related posts. If Facebook is the new “public sphere” then this suggests that for India's youth, employment was the biggest focus. However, in election speeches, Modi rarely used concrete facts and figures to address such concerns. Rhetoric and flourish carried the day. For example, when questioned about his textile policy, Modi replied with alliterative assurance that his 5F formula provided the answer. With dramatic hand movements foreshadowing the growth curve with infinite possibilities, he explicated this as “from farm to factory to fabric to fashion to foreign”. This performative response triggered spontaneous applause from the audience. One wonders whether the applause was caused by the dramatic use of rhetoric or the textile policy outlined here. Yet again, spectacle rather than substance won the audience over. Emotive appeal Modi’s team used emotive rhetoric to answer some of the questions raised by the anti-Modi brigade, the most significant being about his anti-secular, pro-Hindu ideology. He effectively claimed the role of the champion of secular rule by arguing that in his state, development has proved to be inclusive for all sections of society as development itself is for everyone. By accusing all other parties of playing “vote-bank” politics where religion or caste determines policies, Modi argued that it was they who were the actual anti-secular forces, not he. Similarly, he dismissed the flagship, much-touted NREGA programme as a “dole” to the poor; he would re-label the scheme as “service dedicated to the nation” to provide a sense of dignity to those under the scheme. In both these instances, the campaign changed the political discourse but did not address the issue itself. Critics were effectively silenced. Persuasive discourse is a fundamental part of democratic practices. However, Plato distrusted rhetoric precisely because people are moved by emotion and laughter which often prove to be more effective than logic and rationality. In the recently concluded elections, Modi took persuasive discourse to new heights. Issues were noticeably absent and emotion and passion were crucial tools that crafted the massive victory The writer, Professor, Dept of English, Jadavpur University, was Director School of Media Communication and Culture, specialises in popular culture, new media
Rhetoric vs logic
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Greeted on his first day in office by a major train accident near Sant Kabir Nagar in Uttar Pradesh involving Gorakhdham Express which resulted in 25 deaths -- mostly footboard travellers as passengers inside the coach steel shell escaped with minor injuries -- he has vowed to accord top priority to improve rail safety. 
The most well-read writer in English in India, Mr. Khushwant Singh, dedicated a minimum of six hours every day to his writing and the results are there for all to see. Michaelangelo displayed a dedication equally intense, though of a different level, when he painted the ceiling of the Sistine chapel. He lay on a scaffolding, close to the ceiling, with the paint dripping into his eyes, as he painted his magnum opus. Sir Alexander Fleming and his team of scientists seemed to work for a life time till they discovered penicillin, which would be the saving of billions of human lives.