India’s independent, but Bharat’s still a mess

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

— Robert Frost

Another Inde­pendence Day has come, actually the 65th one, and as usual the nation has been served its regular dose of an inspiring speech by its prime minister. However, the questions remain about what it has done for the countrymen.

At least Manmohan Singh has shown enough sense in not bragging about 'India Shining' like his NDA predecessors and has been realistic in saying that true independence will come only when we “banish poverty, illiteracy, hunger and backwardness”.

I wouldn't show the audacity to advise the economist on how to steer the economy through these turbulent times of Eurozone crisis, but I definitely know his team should do more to keep my food and fuel bills down.

True that poor monsoons have played truant so far and it will impact the food stocks. But that doesn't justify close to 40 per cent of foodgrains rotting away due to lack of storage infrastructure. Unless this massive hole is plugged, the effect of all subsidies and special packages will be negated.

While rapid economic growth is being encouraged, little is being done to check the irreversible damage it is doing to the ecology and the people. Special Economic Zones on farmland; hydel projects drowning swathes of forest; toxic emissions that pollute and the millions who are displaced, deprived of dignity and condemned to lives of penury. Those who champion people's causes and come to power turn even worse oppressors and exploiters.

Corruption is endemic. Central ministers to office attendants in villages; Generals to traffic cops; judiciary, bureaucrats, doctors and scientists... there is no end to the list. And, of course, the 'enterprising' politicians who turn multi-billionaires in few years by 'serving the people'. Anti-corruption crusaders have fallen to the lure of political power and a 'guru' with dubious credentials is hogging the limelight.

Society is in tatters. Caste system continues to condemn hundreds of millions to sub-human conditions. Caste kangaroo courts run their writ of murders, gangrapes and ostracism campaigns, and the official machinery only pays lip service to protection of human rights. Reservations that were instituted to promote integration have turned into a major divisive factor. Sex crimes against women and minors are skyrocketing while thousands of female foetuses are killed through selective abortion. Manual scavenging continues and a majority of villages still don't have toilets. Unless these fundamental issues are resolved, whatever progress we claim to make will remain tall claims.

The GDP share for healthcare remains dismal and social security a distant dream. Dozens of key legislations including Women's Reservation Bill, Lokpal Bill and Whistleblowers Bill have not been passed as politicians continue to squabble and waste the time of Parliament.

Security remains a major concern. A substantial part of the country is literally under Maoist control and separatist insurgencies continue to take toll on lives in several states. The latest spell of violence in Assam shows fundamental flaws are yet to be rectified. Terrorist attacks continue across the country even as plan after plan and agency after agency are announced to tackle the menace.

All we ask of the leaders of this country is to show some real commitment to the original purpose for which the people put their faith in them and the institution of democracy.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on August 15, 2012)

Let India, not Time, judge Manmohan

It was only a few days back that Time magazine had branded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as an ‘underachiever’ on its cover. The grave fault the US magazine found with the economist PM was that he ‘refused to stick out his neck’ for the liberalisation reforms.
Well... The magazine is entitled to its opinions as it operates from a free country. We regret to tell you that majority of the 1.3 billion citizens of our country live on below $1 per day (Though according to Planning Commission that might be upscale lifestyle) and their priority is not exactly rolling out red carpet welcome to Wal-Mart and other global giants circling the Indian retail skies.
The BJP was quick to grab the new stick to beat the Centre with, but seems to be oblivious to the fact that the same magazine had described its stalwart and former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee as ‘asleep at wheel’ in 2002. The main Opposition party must not forget that it is not in the best of health and is yet to catch its breath after putting out fires in its Southern base Karnataka, where a local caste strongman got the national party on its knees.
The BJP constantly uses terms such as ‘weak, puppet, indecisive’ to describe Singh but forgets that the ‘strong’ NDA prime minister was comparatively less effectual. The Parivar campaign of going ‘swadeshi’ was the first casualty when the NDA government overtook the Congress in the road to liberalisation and selling off PSUs.
While in the Opposition, the BJP was always ranting about how it would strike at terrorist camps in Pakistan if elected to power. The much-touted nuclear tests failed to stop Kargil intrusions.
When terrorists attacked Indian Parliament, the government launched the biggest ever troop deployment to the Western border in Operation Parakram, but chickened out when generals on the other side of the border threatened to use nukes.
Terrorists continued to strike with impunity and the controversial anti-terror law Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act (POTA) was used mostly for political vendetta. But the biggest blot was the Gujarat riots of 2002. In a well-planned and methodical manner, thousands were butchered while the state machinery looked the other away or acted in complicity.
And for the regional outfits, caste parties and Mao-worshippers, they have all proven their hypocritical sides by diverging from declared policies and ideologies to retain power, fatten wallets and woo vote banks. Media is a vital constituent of democracy, but it is not the last word.
The Fourth Estate is not devoid of vested interests. Most media houses have business interests and this reflects in their analysis of news. In India, the most recent example was regarding the implementation of Wage Board recommendations for journalists.
The publishing houses, who are otherwise at each others’ throats, united in publishing story after story about a grand conspiracy to bleed the industry — and never implemented the recommendations. If Singh’s hands have been tied, it’s due to coalition compulsions.
When your government’s survival is dependent on people like Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee and Karunanidhi, the elbow room available is little.
 Despite all that, Singh has steered the country through economic doldrums in different capacities. He is free of corruption (though not the same can be said about his colleagues and allies), a gentleman and a statesman of international standing. He has never responded to vicious criticism by stooping to that level.
He might have several shortcomings, but is still the prime minister and the hope for this country to ride out of economic and political storms. And those baying for his blood must come up with credible alternatives (no, not the BJP).
Let Indian public, and not Time, be the judge of its prime minister.
(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on July 11, 2012)

Decisive action, not Acts, will help whistleblowers

While the Whistleblowers' Protection Bill, hailed as the ultimate shield that would protect those who expose corruption from harm, is listed for approval by Rajya Sabha in this session, the parched Earth is quenching its thirst with the blood of anti-corruption crusaders.
We have seen how the politicians, who otherwise clear laws left, right and centre, keep delaying key legislations that might hurt their ‘interests’.
The anti-corruption Lokpal Bill, pending for more than four decades, has been shuttled to yet another committee. We can only hope that this law will come into force before money swallowed by politicians and bureaucrats exceed the gross domestic product (GDP).
The Whistleblowers’ Bill also has not been a product of the desire of the political class to help the anti-graft efforts.
About a decade back, Satyendra Dubey, an NHAI official who exposed a massive scam in the NDA government’s Golden Quadrilateral project was murdered after his role in the expose was leaked from top government sources. It was the uproar over this incident that forcedsome movement on this legislation.
The latest to join the long list of martyrs who lost their lives to the cause of keeping the system clean was Karnataka Administrative Service officer SP Mahesh.
The upright officer was bludgeoned to death in the heart of Bangalore. He had exposed massive scams in co-operative societies. His wife told the police that he was attacked at least thrice earlier.
A few months back, a young IPS officer, NS Singh, was brutally murdered by the mining mafia in Madhya Pradesh.
If we take into account the number of social activists and NGO members who are butchered across the country, the list gets longer. Social activists, journalists, NGO members, honest government officials and RTI activists have been paying with their lives for upholding the right.
However, after the initial media hype and public outrage, the state of affairs returns to normal — and would return to limelight only at the next bloodshed. A recent article in the Outlook by Mathew Samuel, who conducted the Tehelka sting operation that exposed colossal corruption in defence deals, describes the unsavoury ordeal that lies in wait for those who expose corruption in high places.
Experience has taught us that an impressive array of laws is toothless as long as there is no effective implementation machinery; the legislation to protect whistleblowers is no exception to this.
What we need is an effective mechanism on the lines of witness protection programmes that are in place in developed countries. These countries are able to check corruption to a large extent due to the effectiveness of such programmes. Their governments allocate massive funds to ensure that whistleblowers are not exposed and provide them with adequate security.
In cases where the exposed corrupt are rich and well-connected, the whistleblowers are given new identities by the government itself so that they are beyond any harm.
We are a country where a footpath tout can get a driving licence in the name of the prime minister issued for a few thousand rupees. So it doesn’t require rocket science for the government to take a few lessons from their more vigilant Western counterparts to protect the people who risk everything in their lives to expose corruption.
We need to create a system of rewards and protection, backed by powerful laws that will enable more people to come out and expose those who eat into public money.
The scamsters should be made to realise that ‘eliminating’ informants is not going to be a cakewalk and that the system will take care of those who strive to keep it clean.
Satyameva Jayate.
(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on May 23, 2012)

Is Priyanka the next Congress matriarch?

Priyanka Gandhi took political circles by surprise when she announced that she is willing to expand her role beyond the family-held constituency of Rae Bareli and assume more responsibilities, if asked to do so by the family and the party.
There has been a lot of uncertainty over who will call the shots in Congress in the absence of Sonia Gandhi — whose health and extent of recovery from a recent surgery is still under a cloud of secrecy.
Rahul Gandhi, projected by the Congress as the family scion and prime minister in waiting, is yet to progress beyond party strengthening and assume the role of a national leader.
His latest and much-hyped Bihar campaign to oust the Nitish Kumar government not only failed but failed at a grand scale resulting in total humiliation to the party.
Of late, there have been several voices questioning his effectiveness to deliver at the polling booth despite all the publicity advantage provided by hut-hopping and tirades against non-UPA state governments.
Post-independence, except brief spells, the Congress has always found refuge in woman leaders whenever faced with a crisis. Take a look at Priyanka’s photo in black and white and the resemblance to her grandmother is remarkable.
One can’t help but wonder if another woman, after Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, is about take the helm of India’s oldest party and ‘First Family’.
So far Priyanka has maintained a relatively low-key profile, appearing in public functions only during the time of elections. Everyone knows that she is married to prominent Delhi businessman Robert Vadra and has two children. Described by several media and political observers as a power-dresser, she carries off a t-shirt and cotton sari with equal élan.
Unknown to many is the information that she is also a Ham radio operator. Ours is a country where personal charisma is more effective in ensuring mass following than ability or willingness to govern — a factor that gives Priyanka a huge advantage that can offset her lack of experience in the hinterland politics.
Also adding to her advantage is the fact that about half of the electorate are women. Whether this combined thrust will propel her to the top office of the country is the question only a full-fledged national election battle can answer.
The Congress is in dire straits, rocked by mega scams and arm-twisting by allies. The party has also drawn flak from the industry for its ability to deliver on key policy initiatives. The only advantage is a divided Opposition, led by the BJP, who have no credible alternative to offer.
The saffron party recently shot itself in the foot by inducting Babusingh Kushwaha who was booted out by Mayawati over the NHRM scam. The party will find it tough to explain why Yeddyurappa’s nominee is ruling Karnataka and why it made peace with the Reddy brothers, all under a cloud of suspicion over multiple scams.
With Anna Hazare’s anti-graft movement fizzling out after a media overkill and parliamentary dead end, the Congress has no credible challenge to its status quo. However, in Uttar Pradesh, status quo means flash in the pan or the grass that gets trampled when the wrestler patriarch grapples with the pachyderm.
Rahul has had his chance for over a decade now and yet has fallen way short of expectations. Therefore, it’s only natural that other leaders and party members may rally around a new face. It is time for the Congress and the Gandhi khandan to take some tough and decisive measures.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on January 20, 2012)