Poor bear the Covid-19 brunt

Chief Ministers of different states and Railway Minister are going gaga over their feat of transporting migrant laborers in press, TV and social media from the comfort of their air conditioned offices; even as images of poor daily wage workers making their way to their homes hundreds of kilometers away on foot, their belongings on their heads and families in tow from our big cities in soaring temperatures in excess of 40 degrees are appearing concurrently. 

Something terribly wrong is being done to the poorest of the poor in our country. Why would anyone in his right mind undertake such a treacherous journey putting their own and their family's life in grave danger? Why have millions of our hapless brethren across the country taken this foolish step when all have been advised to remain indoors amid the pandemic? Most of them are famished, have little or no money or food. Was the lockdown implemented without proper planning and impact analysis?

This migrant worker movement is a catastrophe of gigantic proportions and mismanagement ruining millions of lives. People are leaving because it has become unbearable for them to stay. Governments of the states they have been working in are either unable or incompetent, or simply unwilling, to ensure adequate food and shelter for them despite center’s clear instructions. 

Many of our shameless netas, as always, are making tall claims and playing their dirty game of petty political mudslinging. 

The sudden imposition of complete 21 day lockdown was perhaps the first misstep, as it is difficult to believe that such an unprecedented action could have been taken on the spot just before 8 PM on 24th March when Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation. Had a reasonable notice of around a week been given before the country was actually shut or even if the PM had taken the nation into confidence on 19th March when he spoke of “janta curfew”, it would have given a fair chance to workers, travelers and tourists to reach their homes and not get stranded; besides giving an opportunity to small businesses and enterprises to plan their closure properly.

Complete shutdown of domestic air and train services was probably another avoidable gaffe. Had some skeletal services been kept running like in the United States, people would have been able to travel in emergencies, besides generating confidence among all that they were not helplessly stuck.   

The fact that most of the states having migrant workers are ruled by opposition parties has turned out to be the biggest obstacle in efficient implementation of the lockdown. A day before the lockdown, Delhi imposed curfew, sealed its borders. Two days later thousands of UP and Bihar workers reached Anand Vihar ISBT in Delhi at UP border after a rumor was spread that UP government had kept buses ready for their repatriation to their home towns. That DTC buses were made available to most of them to facilitate their movement to UP border arouses suspicion of direct involvement of Delhi govt. for which an enquiry is already underway. 

Many more started leaving on trucks, tempos and foot for Uttarakhand, Himachal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh too having lost their livelihoods; even as CM Kejriwal kept appearing several times each day on TV and claiming to have been providing food and shelter to lakhs. That the poor were fleeing Delhi in such large numbers despite all help from Delhi govt. as also availability of free water, electricity and medical facilities, is indication that Kejriwal has not been telling the truth.

Similar situation has prevailed in Maharashtra, Telangana and other opposition states, the intention being to somehow claim big credit for doing little and blaming the Central government for all that went wrong. Maharashtra, in particular, has been most incompetent, with the state and the country’s financial capital Mumbai faring the worst. 

Telangana govt. ridiculed lockdown in the initial days and started taking positive action only when the situation there started deteriorating. West Bengal is still in denial mode and nobody knows the exact position there. These states also played a dubious role in dealing with tabligi jamatis.

Punjab, the lone opposition state, handled the situation well initially as it also employs a large number of agricultural workers; but ditched its workers once the harvesting had been completed forcing them to make their own way towards UP and Bihar. 

Amongst the BJP states, Gujarat occupies the second position among the top five in having the maximum number of Covid-19 patients, remaining four being opposition ruled. However, it has taken care of migrant workers during the lockdown fairly well.

Uttarakhand, MP, UP and Bihar have fared much better with UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath leading from the front and handling the entire crisis in an exemplary manner. However, these are mainly the home states of migrant workers and so they have had to concentrate mainly on getting them back. Karnataka has handled the situation well.

To be fair to Mr. Modi, his government’s efforts have yielded good results in so far as the containment of spread of the virus is concerned, for which the country is receiving accolades across the world. The figures of 100161 Covid-19 positive cases and 3144 deaths that were reported yesterday are miniscule in comparison to what many smaller countries have reported. The figures would easily have been less than half had the jamatis cooperated and followed government guidelines. 

That this desperate exodus of humanity is continuing despite 300 shramik trains a day being in service for the purpose for the last two and a half weeks is a matter of serious concern. Was the government a little too late to think of about repatriation of these poor people? Have the opposition ruled states deliberately been disobeying center’s instructions to sabotage its efforts? 

Why are all states not able to match the sincerity and efficiency of Yogi Adityanath who handled and cleared a massive crowd that gathered in Ghaziabad following some rumor just yesterday? 

Our distressed brethren who are still on the roads attempting to reach their homes on foot are amongst the most deprived people, possibly still not having “Jan Dhan” accounts so still out of the direct subsidy net. Many of them have lost their lives on the way already. Will they ever be noticed and helped? 

Or is it that we have become so greedy and insensitive that a few hundred poor deaths do not matter to us anymore? 

(Rajive Singh)

Govt. should help those stranded get home

The swift 21 day nationwide lockdown to fight coronavirus pandemic ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a harsh but correct decision under the unprecedented medical emergency that the world is facing today. 

However, with states sealing their borders as a consequence and police simply having no clue as to how to help, this has left many people stranded at various places away from their homes for no fault of theirs. As Uttarakhand Chief Minister has admitted, there are hundreds of Uttarakhandis in Delhi unable to cross over to UP on their way back home; with no transport available. This is just a miniscule number, the exact figures of all those marooned at different places expected to be in lacs if the entire country is considered.

Hopefully, central and state governments will take quick steps to ensure that all those who are stuck at different places reach their destination safe and quick.

When Prime Minister Modi addressed the nation on 19 March requesting people to observe a fourteen hour voluntary “Janata Curfew” on Sunday 22 March, no one had any inkling that lockdown would be announced suddenly two days later, trains and  flights cancelled, public transport suspended, state borders sealed, leaving a large number of people stuck away from homes. The stranded include those who were touring the country or out on official work; as well as migrant labor who want to return home since they suddenly find themselves suddenly unemployed as all activities have come to a standstill. 

On a personal level as a current resident of Greater Noida, I found the local police having no clue to help me in obtaining a curfew pass to enter Delhi on 24 March to fetch my daughter from the airport, borders having been sealed and curfew imposed suddenly by Delhi govt.; forcing me to ask her to cancel her flight and return to her place from the airport in Mumbai since she was to arrive late at night.

Also, since the lockdown from midnight was announced by the Prime Minister at 8 P.M., people thronged to provision shops in large numbers and panic buying of groceries was witnessed across the country, which defeated the very purpose of keeping people isolated. 

While the efficient manner in which government stood by and evacuated Indian nationals stranded in China and Iran deserves all the praise, the handling of the situation within the country has been shoddy. Could the situation have been better handled? After all, this was no demonetization where the surprise element was necessary to corner black money. 

The first coronavirus positive case was detected on 30th January in India, ten days after USA, a day earlier than Italy and Spain and three weeks earlier than Iran, all worse affected than us till now.  Moreover, India was declared a “high risk” country even before the first patient was identified.

With WHO closely monitoring the situation outside China and providing useful inputs, it was clear that the pandemic was growing exponentially with situation getting out of hand by roughly the fourth week after the first case was discovered.  Further, with no prescribed medication available and social distancing the only effective means to contain the spread of virus; it was clear that a complete shutdown was forthcoming.

Our government should have drawn lessons from the position in Italy, Iran and Spain and Prime Minister should have informed the nation of the gravity of the situation in the first week of March itself when the first cases in Delhi and Hyderabad were detected, and advised people to avoid non-essential travel within the country too. Citizens should also have been warned that if the spread of virus could not be controlled, complete lockdown or curfew will need to be enforced. 

Prime Minister’s second address to the nation should have come on 17 March when Italy and Spain declared lockdowns after both these countries had the situation completely out of their hands while India was still in a relatively better position; declaring that we too would have a similar lockdown in a few days; while on 19 March complete shutdown from 22 March should have been announced.

This would have allowed people away from their homes sufficient time and opportunity to get back to their abodes as well as buy provisions.

It is hoped that positive lessons are drawn from the present shortcomings so that the government is better prepared for the next crisis and that the cure for coronavirus is also found soon.

http://garhwalpost.in/govt-should-help-those-stranded-get-home/

Choose The Best Individual

The past several months constitute what can be called a watershed period in the politics of Uttarakhand. Rebellion in ruling Congress party, Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s sacking in March 2016 following the sting operation and then his reinstatement in May after floor test by High Court order; laid bare the true character of our netas enjoying the perks of power on our vote and money.

That politics has become the biggest money spinner in our country was never in doubt; the surprise lay in the level congressmen stooped to for the purpose. The mutiny itself was for not getting what they believed was “their” share of the booty, rather than the reasons that were cited for public consumption. Vijay Bahuguna was a revelation in the rebel camp, having earlier enjoyed a two year stint as Chief Minister before being forced out under similar allegations.

More desertions from the Congress, expected after Harish Rawat’s swift removal following the infamous sting that caught him with his pants down, simply did not happen; leading to his return to helm in May and proving his majority in a reduced House, rebels having been disqualified for having insufficient numbers to be treated as a split in the party.

Did the fence sitters, who were all set to desert Rawat, indeed get money for continuing to support him?  MLAs switching over to BJP just before the polls do give credence to this.

Having scored a constitutional victory over his detractors and the BJP in spite of losing the moral right to stay in office, Harish Rawat chose to let go a golden opportunity of salvaging some pride by recommending the dissolution of Vidhan Sabha and seeking a fresh mandate soon after resuming office; deciding to cling to his money spewing chair right till the end instead.

While Congress has long been a one family enterprise, nurturing similar smaller familial structures down the hierarchy and engaged in large scale corruption; BJP prides itself as the only national, cadre based, non-family owned, most disciplined political party in the country. It has been a cradle for development of political leadership and has provided opportunity for new talent from the grassroots level to rise and shine.

Shivraj Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh), Raman Singh (Chattisgarh) and Manohar Parrikar (Goa), all three time Chief Ministers of their states respectively; have risen through rank and file and have won successive mandates on the basis of their performance.

The tallest of them all, Narendra Modi, has similarly undertaken the journey from a humble kar sewak to four-time Gujarat CM to Prime Minister himself. Moreover, post demonetization, he has emerged as the rare Indian politician people have complete faith in; if serpentine queues outside banks and ATMs for hours end witnessed for well over a month across the country sans protests or unsavory incidents, despite provocation and big hue and cry raised by opposition parties, are anything to by.

Against this backdrop, how and why did the BJP think tank allow and accept such a large influx of people for whom the party was “communal” till just the other day?  Does BJP not have enough of its own capable leaders at various levels in Uttarakhand?

More importantly, why have the Aryas – Rekha (Someshwar) Sanjeev (Nainital) and Yashpal (Bajpur), members of the same family, fielded from three different seats, particularly since only one of them is a member of the outgoing Assembly and all joined the party just a few weeks ago? What credentials does Saurabh Bahuguna (Sitarganj) have other than being Vijay Bahuguna’s son? On what basis Munna Singh Chauhan and his wife Madhu Chauhan have been selected as candidates from Vikas Nagar and Chakrata respectively?

Has BJP betrayed its own cadres for swift short term gains? Has it become a party for fostering political dynasties in Uttarakhand?

The Congress rebels, had they been leaders of substance, would have formed a new party, which would have provided a third option which is sorely missing in Uttarakhand; UKD having failed in its duty to do so. Instead, all of them joined the BJP, with many more of their former colleagues following suit just before the elections. With so many former congressmen contesting on BJP ticket, it has become difficult for voters to differentiate between the two parties.

This being the case, the onus is now solely on us common Uttarakhandis, and we must now exercise our constitutional right with due diligence. While the present government has to be booted for its unethical ways and there may be no alternative in sight to BJP at present, the initiative lies with us for voting not on the basis of the party, caste or community; but for the best candidate solely on his/her credentials and track record.

We have to understand that many candidates, particularly the new entrants in BJP, enjoyed the spoils of power for at least four years before switching sides solely for the selfish purpose of winning election, welfare of the state being the last thing on their mind. We have to ensure that these now-secular now-nationalist but definite self-seeking turncoats as well as the undeserving ones are kept out of Vidhan Sabha at all costs.

We have done it before and there is no reason why we cannot do it now. Saket Bahuguna, son of the then CM Vijay Bahuguna, was rejected by the voters of Tehri Lok Sabha seat vacated by his father in the November 2012 by poll as well as in 2014 general elections. Likewise, Suryakant Dhasmana (Congress) has never won any election though he has contested several times. Only this time such candidates have to be shown the door over a large number of seats.

Independent candidates with good credentials deserve a serious look in and must be preferred over party fielded tainted ones. Anoop Nautiyal is one such contender from Dehra Dun Cantt seat. Other seats must be having similar deserving aspirants that voters of those constituencies will know of.  Though Nautiyal faces BJP veteran and heavyweight Harbans Kapoor, should he even manage to finish runner-up ahead of Congress’s Dhasmana; and independents on other seats pull off a satisfactory performance; it may well be the beginning of value based politics in Uttarakhand.

After elections, people of Uttarakhand must come together in the form of pressure groups, be vigilant and force their elected representatives to keep their promises. For the long haul, we Uttarakhandis will have to somehow come up with a viable third option in the state on our own, sans any professional netas.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 14th Feb 2017)

Harish Rawat Sting

Together, We Can

Several markets downing shutters and thousands of mourners paying homage to a hanged criminal, convicted by court as per the law of the land and who was part of the conspiracy that killed 257 of their innocent countrymen in cold blood and injured 713 others in the first ever coordinated terror attack on 12 February 1993 in Mumbai; assistance and shelter provided by local people for two months to captured Pakistani jihadi and his accomplice who attacked a BSF vehicle in Udhampur and who said he was here to kill Hindus for fun; are but a few indicators that do not bode well for us.

As we celebrate 68 years of our Independence, we must pause and ponder whether we are treading along the path to further enriching our hard earned freedom or we are steadily heading towards our impending doom.

Fanaticism is being increasingly carried out across the world in the name of Islam. Our immediate neighbour Pakistan has been, unfortunately, engaged in recruiting and training manpower; arming and giving them logistic support; and pushing them into India for undertaking terror activities.  That we have their sympathizers on our own soil who provide them all possible support in their endeavour is shameful and a cause of grave concern.

This menace is increasing by the day despite our country having a fair record of human rights, minority friendly policies, tolerance for other faiths by the majority community and implementation of the constitution in letter and spirit.

When the country was partitioned on religious lines in 1947, it was thought that India and Pakistan would be Hindu and Muslim majority secular nations respectively. While we opted for and continue to be secular till date; persecution and genocide of minorities started in Pakistan soon after with the result that Hindus and Sikhs who accounted for 24% of the population are now reduced to a mere 1.5%. Moreover, they do not enjoy even basic human rights and do not hold any important or position of power. Their women are raped and converted to Islam forcibly, while men are routinely tortured and executed for crimes they did not commit.

Bangladesh (earlier East Pakistan) has been no different.  From 31% in 1947, the population of Hindus has dwindled to 8% even as their harassment continues unabated at the hands of Islamic fundamentalists, government choosing to turn a blind eye. In fact, Bangladesh is expected to be the next country where there will be no Hindus left. Human rights organisations like Amnesty International are silent spectators of this blatant ethnic cleansing of millions of Hindus and Sikhs in these two countries.

In secular India, however, Muslim population has steadily gone up from 9.8% in 1951 to 14.2% in 2011, with some border states registering a very high increase; Hindu population dwindling from 84.1% to 78.35% in the same period, the sharpest dip of 2.1% coming in 2001-2011 decade itself. Muslim population in India has clearly increased at the cost of Hindus and illegal infiltration from Bangladesh.

Hindus have, ironically, faced persecution in India as well. Kashmir, the lone Muslim majority kingdom to join India in 1947 and proclaimed to be the beacon of our secularism by Nehru, has been in the grip of terrorism for three decades; wherein the minority Hindu Kashmiri Pandits have been “ethnically cleansed” and forced to live in refugee camps within their own country for two and a half decades with no solution to their plight in sight.

This is not to suggest that secularism should be abandoned by us for this is the only path a civilized world can tread on if peace has to prevail. We rightly chose to let faith be a personal matter of the individual and accorded equal status to all beliefs under our laws.

On attaining power after the British left, our new political masters soon began looking for ways and means to somehow cling on to it. Muslims, being the largest minority community, were courted and with clerics obliging; became a “vote bank”; ensuring unchallenged power to both political and religious leaderships. Pioneered by the Congress soon after independence, this form of politics has since prospered and is practiced by all our so called “secular” parties.

This deadly mix of religion and politics has meant that our ordinary Muslim brethren are deliberately misled and kept insulated from modern education, so that absolute power can be enjoyed by their leaders without fear of encountering any obstruction. Medieval personal laws continue to be implemented despite the fact that numerous Islamic countries have harmonized theirs with present times, even as any attempt to frame and enforce a Uniform Civil Code is vehemently opposed. Hate speeches are routinely given by the likes of Owaisi.

This has to stop immediately. Secularism ought to be practiced honestly and all religions treated equally; it cannot be a one way street. Appeasements like Haj subsidy have to be done away with at once. Government sponsored faith specific events like iftar parties must also be dispensed with.

With Muslims increasingly opting for mainstream education, they have begun to understand this politics-religion nexus. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections could well be the watershed moment in our history. Many eminent Muslims joined, while many more of them voted for the BJP, branded an “untouchable Hindu communal” party by our secularists.

That fundamentalism has no end and jihadis are mere sacrificial pawns in the hands of their masters is for all to see in Pakistan which is clearly on the path of self-destruction, since unabated violence now continues against the Muslims themselves, minorities having been gotten rid of.

People have started leaving Islam and embracing Christianity in Africa in large numbers in their quest for peace, while Muslims of Nepal are clamouring for restoration of Hinduism as the state religion in their country’s new constitution alongside the Hindus.

Muslim Intelligentsia must play mentor to their misguided brethren, while Hindus themselves must place nation above all else and stop being “caste vote banks”.

Political leadership, on its part, has to make it clear to all that country and its laws are supreme, above individual and faith. Steps must be taken for the formulation and implementation of a Uniform Civil Code which also addresses controlling our population becoming more and unsustainable. Rule of law should be strictly enforced with zero tolerance, and no special concessions allowed on grounds of religion. It should also deal sternly with Pakistan. 

Media, particularly TV, must also stop glorifying terrorists; while rights activists must talk about the human rights of innocent victims rather than the terror merchants.

We must also try to find out and rectify as to why we lack national character, integrity and honesty; despite the presence of a large number faiths in our country. Why places of worship keep getting richer and god men enjoy luxuries, while the poor and hungry beg outside their gates. Religion ought to promote harmony, not conflict.

Together, we can, provided we look up to late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam for inspiration, rather than some convict or fanatic. 

KIND ATTN DELHI VOTERS !!!

FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU. 

FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME.

don't let the shame be on you .........

say NO to the coughing muffler man
vote for KIRAN BEDI, the iron lady

Mighty Weapon - Garhwal Post completes 8 years as a daily.

Pen is a mighty weapon. That ten pens are ten times mightier was demonstrated earlier this year when an “Open invitation to the CM” extended by editor Satish Sharma (GP dated 18/02/2014) for undertaking a trip by road from Doon to Delhi to witness the pathetic condition of the national highway himself got a massive impromptu reaction from readers increasing its effect manifold, forcing the state government to take rapid necessary action. Repairs were immediately carried out and the road, except for a 20 km stretch, was in quite a decent condition by May.

Reader’s responses or letters to the editor, thus, are not merely individual expressions of opinion or a dialogue on an issue; but also a potent tool to fight the numerous ills that afflict us as a society and force our lethargic officialdom out of its slumber. A little increase in their frequency will greatly benefit readers and the “complete people’s newspaper” alike.

The balanced, mature and positive journalism practiced by Garhwal Post through its news, forum and editorial columns in the aftermath of Kedarnath deluge last year was yet another feather in its cap. Congratulations Satish and team. Keep up the good work.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 2nd July 2014)

How long does it take for HNB Garhwal University to declare results?

Just how much time does a university need to declare end of semester examination results? Three to four weeks after the last paper is what University of Delhi takes, with most reputed ones not taking much longer. For HNB Garhwal University (HNBGU), however, even four months are not adequate for the purpose.

A few weeks ago, several students pursuing undergraduate professional courses from Dehra Dun based private institutes affiliated to HNBGU, who had qualified entrance tests for admission to postgraduate courses in universities outside Uttarakhand and had to register for counselling thereof, had to make a couple of trips to university’s office in Srinagar to obtain their fifth semester mark sheets as results of their examinations held in January had not been declared till the end of May!

The students got their mark sheets, of course, but after making the unnecessary extra effort, besides suffering needless anxiety and losing valuable time and money in the process. They were lucky that their results had been uploaded on the university computer and hence were not asked to shell out an extra thousand rupees as fees for “provisional” mark sheet.  What would have happened if their answer booklets had not been evaluated is anybody’s guess.

Some running around from “pillar to post” had to be done and red tape faced within the university’s office in Srinagar for the purpose. That none of the dealing persons asked that their “palms be greased” was the saving grace.

These students are now left wondering whether HNBGU will be able to declare the results of their sixth semester examinations held in the middle of June and issue the final mark sheets before the cut-off dates prescribed by the universities they are joining.

HNBGU has been notorious for delays and irregularities right from the time it came into existence in 1973 and the situation seems to be much the same even though it was upgraded to a central university in 2009, barring the financial gains that its employees have made on account of change of their pay scales from state to central government.

The situation is worse for students of affiliated self-financing private institutes offering professional courses like B.B.A., B.C.A., B. Sc. (IT), M.B.A., M.C.A., M. Sc. (IT), etc. Semester end examinations that are supposed to be conducted in December and May are invariably delayed by at least a month.

The university then takes its own sweet time and students usually receive their mark sheets and admit cards together just before the commencement of the next semester exams. Moreover, for some reason best known to HNBGU authorities, results of these professional courses are not uploaded and made available on the university website, even as the ones for other courses are.

The position is even more appalling in the case of B.Ed.  Three years ago, HNBGU declared a “zero year” for this programme to bring it back on track as sessions were running more than a year behind schedule. In spite of this, and the fact that entrance tests for the course are usually conducted on time, the session begins not before October and examinations are held in August or September the following year, while the results are declared still later. The scenario for other professional courses run by the university is pretty much the same.

It is interesting to note that Government of India had recognised that there was no uniformity in the academic schedule followed by the various varsities and colleges which often acted as a hurdle for students taking a transfer from one university to another often leading to missed opportunities and appointed an expert committee in 2006 to look into the feasibility of establishing a uniform academic calendar.

The report of this committee was accepted and the Union HRD Ministry had in June 2007 asked all UGC recognised universities - whether central, state or a deemed; as well as their affiliated colleges - to follow a uniform academic calendar with immediate effect.

As per this directive classes for first year students must commence in the first week of August, while for all others by the third week of July in every university or college. Examinations are to be held on time and results for all courses to be declared by not later than the last week of June.

Why is HNBGU not following such clear government directives? Who in the university is responsible for implementation of these directives? Who is to be blamed  if its students lose out on better prospects for higher studies in universities outside the state and on job opportunities on account of such delays on the part of the university for no fault of theirs? It is time HNBGU stopped playing with the careers of its students.

UGC and HRD Ministry, on their part, need to continuously monitor the functioning of all the universities across the country to ensure that their guidelines are strictly adhered to as also take strict action against the erring ones. They also need to issue clear instructions to universities to be flexible regarding the cut-off dates in genuine cases so that students are not deprived of their legitimate rights for mistakes committed by the varsity they were unfortunately enrolled with. The task is monumental, but not impossible.

HNBGU final semester candidates, in the meanwhile, are looking skyward for timely declaration of their results.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 27th June 2014)

Govt we deserve

An innocuous post in Hindi that recently appeared on a humor page of a social site, originator unfortunately not known, defines democracy “as a system of governance wherein the lamb chooses its own butcher”.

With our elected representatives increasingly demanding their share of the proverbial “pound of flesh” for almost anything from raising issues in parliament to doing or getting any work done, this definition aptly describes our democracy at present.

The general elections are over at long last and with just a couple of days to go for us to know who our new “chosen ones” are, it is time for exit polls, predictions and discussions; even as all major parties are confident of emerging victorious. Anyhow, we will get the government we deserve.

My estimate for BJP is at least 230 seats, including all the five in Uttarakhand. A definite strong pro BJP wave was evident in Doon on 7^th May and it would not be a surprise should Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, its candidate from Tehri, poll the highest percentage of votes in the state. The party’s performance will, in fact, be impressive in the Hindi belt.

UP will be the state to watch as it opts for a national party over regional ones after a long time. BJP will bag more than 50 seats, followed by BSP in second position; while SP and Congress will compete for the third place there. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh too will surprise the party positively; even as it would make further inroads in states where it has token presence.

Post the results and depending upon the extent of rout faced by the Congress, the focus in Uttarakhand will shift to the fate of its state government led by Harish Rawat.

Aam Aadmi Party, which arrived with a bang barely six months ago, will not go beyond the single digit mark, with a strong possibility of drawing a blank. It is also set to make an unceremonious exit and go the way of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal thereafter.

These elections will be remembered for the way our netas tried to fool us by preferring to ignore major problems the country needs to address urgently. They also attempted to cover their own role in corruption and maladministration, focussing on imaginary issues instead. Amid bankruptcy of ideas and the desire to grab power at any cost, the slugfest was reduced to ugly personal attacks and mudslinging, the behaviour of our leaders hitting an all-time low in the process.

Another important takeaway is the fact that despite promising more participation of women in politics - Rahul Gandhi going to the extent of advocating giving half the seats to them, major parties failed to field sufficient number of women candidates. Not only did their number not go up from previous elections, some states had no women contestants. On the other hand, persons with dubious background were liberally fielded by all parties.

Our new parliamentarians will do us a big favour by NOT taking out any victory processions that they normally do on being declared elected, thereby disrupting traffic and causing inconvenience to public. A modest thank you through the press will do. They should instead work sincerely within and outside the parliament for the betterment of their states and constituencies, and not merely raise their hands in support of their parties.

Rather than doing the vanishing trick and appearing five years hence, they must ensure that they spend adequate time in their areas and be easily accessible to people at all times on telephone. They ought to also keep their constituents well informed of their activities in New Delhi through the local media on a regular basis.

Hopefully, our new government will work overtime and serve us honestly rather than playing the butcher.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 14th May 2014)

New World Record !!!

Aam Aadmi Party will find a place in the book of records for
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max no of candidates losing their deposits in one lok sabha election !!!

Making the Difficult Choice

Campaigning in the on-going general elections has been hi-tech even as the kind of language our politicians use makes new lows with each passing day. Big rallies, road shows, interviews, chat shows, advertisements, social media, para gliders and many more are being used to entice the voter. High flying, larger than life netas are playing to the gallery, spewing venom against their adversaries like actors do against the enemy in a patriotic Bollywood war movie, leaving the common man wondering whether our real enemy is across our country’s borders or amongst our own netas.

Amid the blitzkrieg, actual state and constituency specific issues that ought to have been discussed are forgotten. Congress, which had won all the five parliamentary seats in Uttarakhand in 2009 and is also the party in power in the state, would like us to believe that by laying 3000 foundation stones in 32 days (i.e. 93 per day) Chief Minister Harish Rawat has not only ensured that the development of our state is just round the corner, but has also presented a model of development for the rest of the country to emulate!

There is no mention of the work done by its MPs in parliament, for the state and for their constituencies during their tenures in the 15^th Lok Sabha. Though huge amounts of money were spent when Vijay Bahuguna was Chief Minister in advertising Rs. 7000 crore package obtained by the state following the Kedarnath devastation last year, much is not known about the progress of rehabilitation works underway, except for the construction of the yatra road.

There are no policies for creation of adequate opportunities for local folks in the hills to stop their migration in search of livelihood, or putting in place adequate medical, educational, infrastructural and other facilities there. Canvassing is centred on “get CM free with MP”, “your one vote elects two” and subsidised LPG cylinders, instead.

Candidates fielded by Congress have among their ranks two sitting MPs and one minister in the state cabinet who have track records for voters to analyse and take a call on.

Renuka Rawat (Haridwar) and Saket Bahuguna (Tehri) are its other candidates. Congress’s official website describes Rawat as “an active social and political worker who wishes to remove disparity among different sections of society” and Bahuguna as “a young congress leader who has been instrumental in helping students in their woes against the administration and believes in bringing education to the youth of Uttarakhand to ensure a better future for them”.

That they have the right dynastic credentials, being wife of CM Harish Rawat and son of former CM Vijay Bahuguna respectively, is conveniently not cited. It is also not clear whether the selected candidates have actually done some work in the state in their areas of interest or have mere “wishes and beliefs” intended to be acted upon only if they are elected.

Off the record, seniors in Congress admit that the selection of Rawat and Bahuguna ahead of old loyalists has not gone down well with long time party members and is likely to adversely affect the prospects of the party.

Among the candidates fielded by the Aam Aadmi Party, Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya (Haridwar) and Anoop Nautiyal (Tehri) have impressive profiles and have excelled in their professions. But given the immaturity that Kejriwal and other top guns of their party have been displaying, and the fact that the anti-corruption plank has been abandoned for the sake of votes, their performance will be the outcome of their personal strength alone. Will they pull off a surprise win? Extremely unlikely, though they can potentially upset the result if they manage to get a significant number of votes.

For BJP, it is payback time for the 2009 setback. With three former Chief Ministers amongst its contenders, an upbeat and united cadre, and the fact that the state government has practically no achievements to showcase, BJP is in the driver’s seat and is set to have an impressive outing.

Former Chief Minister, four-time MP and BJP candidate from Pauri Garhwal Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri undisputedly stands tallest among all contestants in fray. An epitome of integrity, authenticity, capability, simplicity and hard work, few can match his accomplishments on the battleground or in the public arena. 

As Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Road Transport and Highways, Khanduri planned and executed India's most ambitious ever road infrastructure project - the Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) Highway Network connecting the four metros – for the NDA government. A record 23,814 km of national highways were added to the existing NH network during his tenure, which remains till date the largest construction of national highways during any five-year period since independence.

His two tenures as Chief Minister may not have been spectacular, but were scandal free. Under him, Uttarakhand became the first state in the country to enact and pass the Lokayukta Bill. He has discharged numerous other duties for his party in and outside the parliament without any controversy.

Khanduri is a rare politician in present-day India, a perfect role model for all to emulate. We ought to be proud of him.

(Published in Garhwal Post on 2nd May 2014)