Missed the Plot

The constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950, giving power to its citizens to rule themselves, i.e., being administered by a government of, by and for the people. More importantly, it endeavored to secure to all its inhabitants justice, liberty and equality; as well as promoting fraternity, individual dignity and unity and integrity of the nation. The world’s largest Democratic Republic was thus born, full of hope and promise.

Sixty four years on, many of the goals we set for ourselves continue to elude us.

Based on the situation prevailing then, our constitution provided reservation on the basis of caste in parliament, legislatures, educational institutions and government jobs for a period of 20 years, hoping that disadvantaged sections would attain parity with others within the stipulated time. Whereas this in itself was controversial as not all upper caste people were rich, educated and well off, and vice versa; what instead happened was the cornering of most such benefits by the affluent of such castes in the initial years and by their progenies thereafter. Few of the actual intended beneficiaries could actually use it to their advantage.

Such quota system not only continues till date, but more and more castes have been included, while many others are clamoring to get in, even as the percentage of reservation itself has gone up significantly, amid shrinking opportunities. Worse, our political parties have been trying to bring private sector under the reservation net too.

            For the quota system to really have a positive effect on the lives of the have-nots, it should be a one-time concession made available to an individual - and not for all his descendants for all times to come - poverty being the only basis. Moreover, its quantum must come down to reasonable levels.

Secularism is one feature that can unite people of different faiths like no other. For us, however, it means selective minority ism, i.e., a particular religious minority is wooed and pampered for political gain, other minorities and the majority being given a go by. Anyone talking about the interest of the majority community is branded a fundamentalist. Following a communal disturbance, a large number of our secularists shed bountiful tears for one group but fail to do the same for sufferers belonging to the other.

In 1989 when militants subjected Kashmiri Pandits to numerous indignities and brutalities such as murder, rape of women, torture, forcible seizure of property, etc., forcing them to flee their homeland, our elected governments in New Delhi and Srinagar watched helplessly and spinelessly, failing to take tough action. Even as the Pandits complete 25 years as refugees in camps in their own country, our secularists have failed to take notice of their plight, their return to and rehabilitation in Kashmir seemingly not even being on anybody’s agenda.

Rather than promoting fraternity, reservation and secularism have become tools in the hands of our politicians to compartmentalize us for exploitation as vote banks.

Law and order has deteriorated across the country as a result of political interference in police work and its increasing use in providing security to VIPs. Politicians have also been patronizing big time criminals increasingly, many of them being lawbreakers themselves.

Ghastly crimes are on the rise; particularly against children, women and senior citizens; with no respite in sight. Meaningful action is taken only if people come out on the streets to protest or political scores are to be settled.

Bribery, larceny and lethargy reign supreme in government offices. Contracts are awarded not on merit but on the amount of kickbacks received. Public funds are frequently embezzled in the corridors of power. Security of the country is compromised for easy money.

Justice remains an illusion for most. Our courts take years for delivering verdicts, resulting in even well-intentioned witnesses frequently turning hostile. Conviction rates are abysmally low as police commonly botch up investigation.While our brave defence personnel have been making supreme sacrifices for us in increasing numbers, our governments have been shying away from taking tough decisions. Pakistan not only controls part of Kashmir and repeatedly violates the LOC, but also sends in terrorists regularly. Chinese forces have been intruding into our territory more and more frequently. Bangladesh has been exporting illegal immigrants to us in ever increasing numbers. We have been repeatedly failing to protect our national interest. What went wrong? Where did we lose the plot? Nobody seems to have any answer.

Amid the great hope of 1950 turning to despair, we celebrate our 65^th Republic Day. A great official - of, by and for the government -  spectacle in New Delhi, exhibiting our military might, heritage, culture, and unity; for Chief Guest Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, our elected rulers and the world to witness.

All is not lost, though. For the ordinary citizen of this country is increasingly refusing to play the mute spectator.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 25th January 2014)

How far can AAP go?

The euphoria amongst the residents of Delhi in general and the supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in particular after AAP’s success in the December 2013 Assembly polls is quite like the one witnessed in March 1977 across the country in the wake of the defeat of the Congress at the hands of the Janata Party in the general elections and the installation of the first ever non-Congress Union government. Shiela Dixit herself got humiliated in her own constituency, as had Indira Gandhi in Rae Barielly then. Elsewhere, Congress lost out to the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh, while it retained power in Mizoram.

Post the debacle, a sudden flurry of activity from the Congress has been witnessed. The Lokpal Bill was hurriedly gotten passed by both the houses of parliament in record two days and has already received presidential assent. Maharashtra government, that had rejected the Judicial Commission report on Adarsh scam on 20^th December, is likely to reverse its decision soon. In the wake of the recent Supreme Court judgement upholding I.P.C. section 377 as valid a review petition has been hurriedly filed by the government, though nothing had been done for the last 13 years after Law Commission recommended that it be scrapped. Augusta Westland helicopter deal has been scrapped. Some twenty five years after Rajiv Gandhi famously admitted that barely 10% of the funds meant for the poor actually reached them – 90% being swindled en route, his son Rahul has suddenly realised that people are in a “mood” to fight corruption!

Anti-corruption crusader turned politician Arvind Kejriwal donning the mantle of the first non-Congress non-BJP Chief Minister of Delhi, albeit of a minority government, has to walk the tightrope in his bid to keep his populist poll promises on electricity and water; provide transparent and corruption free governance; as also to keep the Congress party in good humour to ensure its continued support. He has started off well by doing away with unnecessary heavy security in the Secretariat as also beacons on ministers and bureaucrats cars. After all, public servants who are not easily accessible to and have to be shielded from the ordinary citizens they are supposed to serve are not only useless but also a huge drain on scarce public funds.

All right thinking and forward looking citizens of India are fed up of the raging all round corruption that has taken firm roots in our country to an extent that, if not dealt with and uprooted urgently, will soon put a question mark on our very existence as a nation. Tales of how politicians, bureaucrats and power brokers are routinely looting us are uncovered regularly as newer scams get exposed. Police is busy guarding the “servants” of the public while the “masters” must fend for themselves. Kejriwal himself stood up for such issues and much of his electoral success can be attributed to this. As such, his working, particularly in the area of tackling graft, will be under constant public scrutiny.

Our political parties compete with each other in making unreasonable promises while wooing voters, subsidy being the magic word. LPG, kerosene and diesel are sold at less than what they cost in the name of “taming” inflation, rendering blue chip oil companies sick on one hand and preventing private players from competing on the other. Safety and services on Indian Railways, the third largest globally, take a back seat as passenger fares are not hiked for a decade since the incumbent ministers want to add to their political clout. Our leaders, perhaps, want us to become a nation of freeloaders wanting all without paying for anything.

In line with this tradition and as promised, the AAP government has already announced 700 litres of free water per household per day and slashed the electricity tariff by half for three months. More sops may be in the pipeline. How, why and for how long can goods and services can thus be provided is anybody’s guess. Ultimately some other vital plans have to be put on hold or abandoned altogether to support such subsidies. It would have been much better had AAP promised uninterrupted supplies at normal rates.

Congress has a notorious history of opportunistically propping up and ditching other dispensations at its whims. In 1979, it promised outside support to an ambitious Charan Singh who split the Janata Party to form a minority government, only to ditch him on the floor of the Lok Sabha. It meted out similar treatment to Chandra Shekhar in1990, H.D. Deve Gowda in 1997 and I.K. Gujral in 1998, thus forcing three early general elections on the country. Against this backdrop, it would be foolhardy to think that the present AAP government can last very long. As such Kejriwal has to work swiftly and hard to showcase his administrative skills. 

By lending support to AAP, Congress seems to have struck a political masterstroke. It has not only denied an upbeat BJP a 4-0 victory in the Hindi belt, but also ensured that Kejriwal and his team are kept busy in Delhi ahead of the parliamentary polls six months away, thereby minimising the influence of AAP elsewhere in the country. These twin objectives achieved, it is expected that Congress will lose little time in dumping Kejriwal soon after the general elections, irrespective of their outcome.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 3rd January 2014)