BLEEDING BIHAR

I cannot claim to know the state of affairs if in the last Bihar assembly election, the other rival political combination could have been on the victory stand. But today, in the light of happenings, I can definitely hold a view that the worst fears of the watchers of Bihar are coming true. In course of electioneering, countering the opposition salvos, Nitish was repeatedly telling that there was not any jungleraj earlier and there will be none also in days to come. He also projected his image as a ‘vikas purush’ and assured to improve the infrastructure so that an extensive industrialization was ushered in. In the wake of these commitments, it would be interesting to assess the ground reality touching its ebb in just a few months of gaining the public mandate. 

I had  a very befitting cartoon on my Face Book today. A young man has gone to a pandit with the ritual ingredients on a platter, requesting him to perform his ‘pinddan’ as the Bihar Govt. had offered him a civil engineer’s job. No words can describe it more vividly. Some years back, under Nitish dispensation, an engineered named Satyendra Dubey had been murdered causing a nationwide great hue and cry. The CM explained it away as a stray incident with the assurance to restrain the unruly elements effectively. This time, leave aside others, as many as three engineers have cold-bloodedly murdered by ‘rangdari mafias’. They all were associated with road construction.

A day before yesterday, Tejaswi Yadav, Dy CM of Bihar came to Delhi to have discussions with Nitin Gadkari, Central Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Minister. Yadav told Gadkari that his govt proposed to construct a network of roads to attract business houses to come and invest. We can just guess that Gadkari, a seasoned politician must have assured to look into. However, Yadav was on a very slippery pitch when the press pointed out that who will be a foolish entrepreneur  to throw his money in a state where law and order was so pitiable. They pointed out how the road constructions including one between Samastipur to Darbhanga came to a standstill after the murder of three engineers overseeing them. The knowledgeable circles understand that all investers are in a mood to wait and watch at least for six months and if they found no escape from the return of jungleraj part ii, they would silently pack off to other convenient places. The leading partner of the  ruling coalition being RJD, Lalu could install his both sons as ministers. Now he is determined to send his wife Rabri Devi and daughter Misha Bharti to Delhi as MP/RS. The voters who had rallied behind the Mahagathbandhan, have been left in lurch. They feel cheated. The writing on wall is very clear in Bihar which has virtually started bleeding.      

ANOTHER SIDE OF DELHI POLICE

You must have seen slogans on PCR vehicles telling that the Delhi Police is always with you. One sees and does not put any credence for obvious reasons. But if you see some other public services of this force, you may change your old dismal picture of the police.

Today, on a news channel I saw that the Timarpur police station is running classes to teach the depri'ved children of the neighbourhood. Over and above their routine law and order duties, the PS personnel take classes of 50 students from standard one to nine. There are about 180 police stations in this metropolis and if all of them take up this part time great cause, the city is bound to be illiteracy free very soon. The authorities are very clear in their mission that with the spread of education, crime graph will automatically go down. 

Myself and my wife are the registered senior citizens of the Palam police station. The assigned beat officer on regular intervals visit our premises and never hesitate to sort out even our personal problems within their reach. I know that on being called, they come with ambulence and get admitted senior citizents in hospitals.
This evening while I was discussing with my wife about these police innovations, like in the past, the beat officer came and handed over the New Year greeting card. When I requested him to change the address of our police identity cards, he gave a very encouraging reply. He said that the DP is going to launch an app from Jan,2016. Beat officers will personally go to Sr. C , collect their personal details as well as take photographs. On their mobile, this I.Card will be available with GPS facility. The Sr. Cs can contact the police at any time without carrying any I.card.
We wish that such good initiatives of Delhi police should be widely publicised and their counterparts in other states should draw a lesson to try in their own jurisdictions. Three cheers to DP - Hip-hip Hurray.

POLITICS OF DOUBLE STANDARD

We are at our wit’s end for last nearly two years over the prevailing double standard in Indian politic. Today there are only two camps – BJP and its opponents. Whatever the BJP does is bound to be adversely reacted to by the second group. In the opposition view, the only target is Modi and none else in the govt. Even a novice of opposition rank and file will hold Modi responsible for anything including a natural calamity. Has anybody delved into the reasons behind the sky- rocketed prices of onion and dals when the Bihar election campaign was at its peak? This racket of hoarding for escalating prices, must have been awell planned election eve plot.
The Dadri murder related to the Akhilesh govt. but from Lalu/Nitish to Yachury everybody held BJP responsible. Since last few days it has gone viral in social media that in some villages of Bundelkhand, the hapless people are dependent on ‘ghas ki roti’. Unaware of it, Mulayam spent Rs. 5 crore on his birth day celebration. Equally expensive festivities are afoot in the name of Saifai Mahotsav. Where are Lalu, Nitish, K.C. Tyagi, Manish Tiwari, Sitaram Yechury and Salman Khurshid?
At 2 pm today, I was stunned to see on a news channel that in last 40 hours, there have been six murders in Bihar. Most of them by ‘rangdari’ Mafiosi. The people have started complaining that it is the return of dreaded Jungleraj-II. One villager was repenting for having been befooled at the hustings. K.C. Tyagi was telling correspondents that they should not go for such a hasty media trial and requested them to give Nitish sufficient time to tide over the mischief. So far so good. But is not it the same Tyagi among others who immediately after Modi was inducted as the PM, started asking ‘where are achchhe din’. Did not Modi also deserve leeway  to prove himself?
Just on Dec.27, 2015, K. Chandrashekhar Rao, CM, Telangana completed his 5-day Chandi Mahayagya, spending crores of rupees. The worship spot was visited by 50,000 people daily when 1,500 priest chanted Sanskrit hymns. Several viips including CM/Andhra and V. Naidu/Central minister attended the same. Till today, no political spokesman has mustered courage to call him a communalist. Suppose, if this religious function had been staged by a BJP chief minister, you can easily guess the outbursts of known socalled secular  camp follower?. Some of the left out scholars could have surrendered their awards.
In connection with DDCA case, most of the politicians led by AAP are demanding that Arun Jaitley should resign, pending enquiry. Similarly, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav are out on bail. Have they any locus standi to call others corrupt. Why such politicians should be given any heed while electioneering and begging for votes? In this backdrop, if not the opposition politicians, at least the people should make an unattached assessment so that they are not led to garden path by discredited politicians.

OPPOSITION FOR OPPOSITION SAKE

                                

In democracy, despite a party scoring comfortable majority at the hustings, the opposition closely monitors its functioning and puts it in dock for any acts of commission or omission so that the govt. could not turn autocratic. As a matter of fact, taking a cue from Great Britain and other established democratic systems, the opposition also constitutes their shadow govt. in which they earmark an able leader for each ministry. This criticism as a mark of countercheck is the core of democratic norms and hence the left benches cannot be castigated for that. But what happens when the opposition decides to create problems for the party in power left and right? The just concluded unscheduled Pak visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given us a chance to examine the role of the opposition in India.

To start with, we shall locate the elements all over the world supporting or opposing this token visit which will enable us in identifying them in their true colours. The UNO Secretary General, USA, Russia, Afghanistan, UK, CM/J&K, Hurryat etc have welcomed the initiative which has given them optimism of a thaw in strained Indo-Pak bilateral relations. On the other hand, the most wanted terrorist leader Hafiz Sayeed in Pakistan, Congress and CPM with some other parties in opposition have drawn only a black picture of the visit. The congress at the Centre ruled for 54 years whereas the CPM had its sway in W. Bengal for about thirty years. So, without power they are restless like a fish out of water.Modi’s stewardship is giving them sleepless nights and so they are determined to deny him any space to settle down.

The Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid, Manishankar Ayar, Ranjit  Singh Surjewala, Manish Tiwari and Anand Sharma charge that Modi has no expertise in foreign policy and so he has made a mess of it via his Lahore trip. Moreover, they repeatedly ask what did the country get out of that. We know that already Pt. Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh had gone there on well scheduled state visits. What tangible could they bring from there? Was even a single irritant in Indo-Pak relation  sorted out? Then how you expect Modi to move the mountain in an informal talk of just 60 minutes with Nawaz Sharif? Only recently Manishankar and S. Khurshid were in Pakistan when they begged for Pak support to destabilize NDA Govt. Did it enhance Indian prestige?

Before concluding, we must admit that despite the known planks of any opposition party in any country, the opposition for opposition sake is a dangerous trend and should be eschewed because we have seen two parliamentary sessions getting wasted as a result of this bias. 

DROPPING DIPLOMACY

                                                  

The Christmas Day of 2015 has suddenly become historical for South Asian region due to sharp diplomatic intuition of Narendra Modi. This day was fortunate for some other political developments besides  being the Christmas festival. It was on this day that both Atal Behai Vajpayi and Nawaz Sharif were born. Moreover, Mehrunnisa, grand daughter-in-law (from daughter side) of Sharif is having her marriage eve mehndi celebration in the household of the Pak Prime Minister. Till the morning of Dec.25, 2015 when Modi was taking off from Moscow on a flight to Kabul, neither in India nor in Pakistan nor anywhere else anyone had an inkling that on his way back to Delhi, he would undertake another 40-minute sojourn and drop in at Lahore as a mark of unique diplomatic initiative.

It is learnt that this morning, when Modi wished Nawaz a very happy birth day, the latter informed him about the family social function and wished him to join the occasion of double celebrations at his residence. The Indian PM, known for his forte for experiments and confidence, then and there accepted the offer and accordingly made it to Pakistan for the first time as the Indian premier without any established preparations and protocol. Of course the Defence Secretary and the the National Security advisor among some others were already in his entourage.

After taking breakfast at Kabul, he came for lunch in Pakistan and if anybody thought that the iceberg of last nearly seven decades will melt away in the pleasantry thaw of two hours, he would make a fool of himself. Our shastras say, ‘phalen prichiyte’ meaning that one knows only after seeing the fruit or result. But in international diplomacy confidence building measure (CBM) is a prerequisite to bridge any strained bilateral relations. From that angle, it was a token meeting which definitely brought both the countries closer, paving the way for the silver lining so deeply cherished by the public at large on either side of the LOC. 

There is yet another side of this unprecedented diplomacy. Of late, Russia, our old friend, after we went closer to the USA, felt crestfallen and cultivated a better relation with China and Pakistan. Russia also gave S-400, the so far most effective anti-missile RADAR cover to China. The moment Modi assumed power, he directed his efforts to revive the dissipating relation with Russia. On his last Dec. 23&24 visit to Russia, marked as a masterpiece diplomatic stroke, he could not only befriend President Putin but made him agree to contribute to ‘make in India’ campaign. The main thrustline of the visit being defence, he could successfully bargain for S-400 and several other arms, aeroplanes and helicopters. With the satisfaction of this success in the back of his mind, he had no hesitation to oblige Pak premier. Modi knows, if the continuing Indo-pak stand off ended on a peaceful note, he would go down in history not onlyas a harbinger but also a messiah of peace.

This unique diplomatic dropping, executed by Modi, may help him to smilingly say, ‘From Lahore with love’.   

SLOGANEERING A SOFT PROTEST MEASURE

Of late it has been observed in India that the people resort to sloganeering, protest candle march and arranging yagnas to highlight their different demands. The most vociferous candle march and  sloganeering was seen in 2012 when the Delhi public caused traffic jams for days together around the India Gate following the unfortunate Nirbhaya incident. What purpose did that serve? Did the incedents of such sex crime abate? Did it make the youth aware of their duty in this regard? Did they ever thereafter come actively to the resque of any such victim on the roadside? Did anyone pick up the rape viictim and got her hospitalized? Frankly enough, the answer will be a big no. In this backdrop, the said protests normally end up like nothing short of a tamasha.
This scenario can be assessed in some other situations also. When the Parliament is in session, the national Exchequer pays  Rs.1.5 crore every hour. For last two sessions, the House has not conducted any business and ended in a fiasco. Does it cause any concern to any quarter of thinking people? Did any intellectual, writer or poet return their rewards in protest? Were they all waiting for the Dadri incident to prove that the ruling party is intolerant and they are the only progressive elements? If they have any concern for the nation, they could have come out in a procession and immobilised the legislators who have for their parochial ends hamstrung the Parliament. This rampant wastage of public fund has failed to stir up tolerants like Ashok, Bajpayi, Mrs. Naintara Shehgal, Munnawar Rana and others. Of late it has been observed in India that the people resort to sloganeering, protest candle march and arranging yagnas to highlight their different demands. The most vociferous candle march and  sloganeering was seen in 2012 when the Delhi public caused traffic jams for days together around the India Gate following the unfortunate Nirbhaya incident. What purpose did that serve? Did the incedents of such sex crime abate? Did it make the youth aware of their duty in this regard? Did they ever thereafter come actively to the resque of any such victim on the roadside? Did anyone pick up the rape viictim and got her hospitalized? Frankly enough, the answer will be a big no. In this backdrop, the said protests normally end up like nothing short of a tamasha.
This scenario can be assessed in some other situations also. When the Parliament is in session, the national Exchequer pays  Rs.1.5 crore every hour. For last two sessions, the House has not conducted any business and ended in a fiasco. Does it cause any concern to any quarter of thinking people? Did any intellectual, writer or poet return their rewards in protest? Were they all waiting for the Dadri incident to prove that the ruling party is intolerant and they are the only progressive elements? If they have any concern for the nation, they could have come out in a procession and immobilised the legislators who have for their parochial ends hamstrung the Parliament. This rampant wastage of public fund has failed to stir up tolerants like Ashok, Bajpayi, Mrs. Naintara Shehgal, Munnawar Rana and others.
All the educated people in the country should rise up and ask the disturbing MsP as to for what purpose they had voted them. They were favoured in election to discuss the public issues in the House and constitute laws and not to cripple the proceedings. They who have been agitating on Nirbhaya issue should have charge their legislators why the bill like Juvenile Justice, after getting through the LS  was hanging fire in the Rajya Sabha. That shows the non-feeling heart of these so called representatives of the people.They love politics and not the people.
Only a couple of days back, Rahul Gandhi had gone to the agitation ground near Jantar Mantar. There he had to face a group of flag and festoon waving people who charged him for blocking the Parliament functioning. Without boldly facing them, he just left the place. This is an indication that candle march and slogan chanting are not worth. If the people think that the politicians are playing truant with the constitutional system, they should gather around their legislators and force them to see the reality. After all the ultimate power lies with the public only. They are the masters who should not be misled by a handful of corrupt politicians.

All the educated people in the country should rise up and ask the disturbing MsP as to for what purpose they had voted them. They were favoured in election to discuss the public issues in the House and constitute laws and not to cripple the proceedings. They who have been agitating on Nirbhaya issue should have charge their legislators why the bill like Juvenile Justice, after getting through the LS  was hanging fire in the Rajya Sabha. That shows the non-feeling heart of these so called representatives of the people.They love politics and not the people.
Only a couple of days back, Rahul Gandhi had gone to the agitation ground near Jantar Mantar. There he had to face a group of flag and festoon waving people who charged him for blocking the Parliament functioning. Without boldly facing them, he just left the place. This is an indication that candle march and slogan chanting are not worth. If the people think that the politicians are playing truant with the constitutional system, they should gather around their legislators and force them to see the reality. After all the ultimate power lies with the public only. They are the masters who should not be misled by a handful of corrupt politicians.

HERALDING DISTURBANCES

                                

The rejection by the Delhi High Court of the  petition of Mr. Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi seeking leave from personal appearance in the court has propelled a new trend of recording protest. The Congress party has rated it as an example of political vendetta and accordingly its MsP in both Houses have been stalling proceedings since yesterday. The Speaker kept on enquiring about the reason of this protest but ignoring the same, they continued shouting in the well of the House.

Outside  the Houe, the Congress leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma etc haverepeated only one charge that under the NDA regime there were two sets of rules – one for the ruling party and the other for the opposition. When the press pressed for further clarification, they said that while nothing was being done in cases against the chief ministers of Rajasthan,  Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, why the Gandhi family alone should be singled out.

The ruling party representatives argued that this case was launched by Dr. Subramanian Swamy in 2012 when the Congress was in power both in Delhi and at the Centre. At that time Dr. Swamy was the President of the Janata Party and had nothing to do with the BJP. In this backdrop it was baseless to allege that the BJP was firing on the Congress leadership by putting its gun on the shoulder of Dr. Swamy. Earlier also he had fought several important PILs including one against alleged corrupt practices of Dr. Jaylalithaa in which she was sent to jail. At that time also he had no truck with the BJP.

According to NDA leaders in the Parliament, Gandhi family should not make it an issue. The court has not given any verdict. It has just asked them to appear in person to project their defence. Earlier Dr. Manmohan Singh, Narsimha Rao (both the then PM) and Narendra Modi (CM Gujarat) had appeared in the court. The court, in connection with the National Herald case had asked six named persons namely Mrs. Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Moti Lal Vora, Sam Pitroda, Oscar Fernandez and Suman Dubey to appear in person. This much has irritated the Congress so badly that they have disturbed the parliamentary functioning. The country wants to know how for a judicial action the BJP is held responsible and how far is it justifyable to drag this outside issue to the Parliament. The Congress has been intentionally blocking the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha because with its passage, the national economy will look up and the Modi Govt. score an honour. In last few weeks the political parties like SP, BSP, BJD and TMC have indicated to support the GST. The Congress, out of fear for getting exposed is exploiting the Herald case to hamstring the House. Of late, the TMC supremo has started nourishing a soft corner for the Congress. The reason is her restlessness after getting hints that Mrs. Gandhi was probing an electoral alliance with the CPI (M).

Dragging the judiciary in a political seesaw battle and involving the Parliament is not auguring well for democracy. The people at large should stand up and tell such political outfits to behave. 

ISIS READY FOR DEATH KISS

Till the Syrian government was all alone, besides occasional bombings by the USA, while fighting out the ISIS, Baghdadi with his committed force, mad with fanaticism was conquering cities one after another. However, when Russia finding its friend Assad, the Syrian President in soup, jumped into the fray, the scale turned against marauding ISIS.

Meanwhile, the war took a new turn when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter plane on Turkish-Syrian border. Russia alredy knew that Turkey was stealthily purchasing oil from IS, which gave enough monetary support to Baghdadi to carry out his dangerous sectarian war. In this backdrop the downing of a Russian plane was the last straw on the back of the camel. Russia was bent upon teaching a bitter lesson to Turkey when the USA stood behind Turkey as a member of  NATO. President Obama declared that the Russian plane had intruded into Turkish territory and did not go back despite repeated warnings. As such in keeping with its sovereignty, Turkey was within its power to protect its territory. Obama also threatened Putin to behave. The dark clouds of the Third World War started hovering over the world. It was the happiest moment for Baghdadi.

The latest development, however, indicate that reason has prevailed on both the super powers. Despite not in a mood of pardoning Turkey, Russia restrained itself till the ISIS was decimated. Meanwhile Paris attack by the Baghdadi miscreants further forced the West to unite. Along with Russia, France also jumped on the bandwagon of anti-Baghdadi campaign. America also decided to be more ferocious in attacks on ISIS strongholds. To their good luck, Germany and Great Britain have also joined the crush Baghdadi mission.

Both the USA and Russia, after having burnt their fingers in Afghanistan, hesitate to engage their forces in the ground battle in Syria. So they have decided to adopt a long distance method of bombarding ISIS positions from their nearest air bases and destroyer ships. However, the war strategists understand that the ultimate victory is stamped out by the army on the ground. Already Syria is devastated in the two-month long heavy bombings and missiles. The ISIS is still alive in bunkers as there is none to eliminate them on the ground. However, of late Iran has agreed to send its force to Syria. As we know, the ISIS is basically opposed to Shia Muslims. Iran being a country of Shias, is ready to take revenge. Now the Iranian force with the army of Assad and the ferocious air cover from the five super powers, is sure to completely eliminate these enemies of humanity.