Home Blog Page 854

Narendra Modi and the “Contrast Effect”- will it benefit him ?

bhs7rocks
-
0

In the 26 months since that historic victory in the 2014 LS polls , one thing that has always followed PM Narendra Modi is continuous grilling of his activities – by a large section of the mainstream media of India, as well as by a section of the ordinary people. This grilling is probably unprecedented in Indian political history. No other Prime Minister has generated so much interest into his activities as Narendra Modi has – be it his schemes , foreign visits or simply anything.

Now the question is – what has caused this sudden rise in grilling, unusally high for a Prime Minister in India’s political history? Is it simply because of more media coverage that Narendra Modi has received compared to previous PMs? But then a question arises that what exactly has caused this increased media coverage – since media coverage is guided by TRP? Is this beneficial or harmful for PM Narendra Modi? Let us try to explore!

First , let us study the contrast effect . It is 1 of the most important thinking errors that has hampered human psyche. It’s understanding is crucial to exploring the answers to the above questions.

Let us recall an example which many of us must have heard in our school days. Take 3 buckets, fill the first bucket with lukewarm water, second bucket with hot water and the third bucket with ice water. Dip the right hand in the ice water and left hand in hot water for one minute , then dip both the hands in the lukewarm water. The lukewarm water feels cold to the left hand but piping hot to the right hand.

This is the contrast effect . The water in the first bucket is lukewarm, but appears cold when contrasted against hot water and hot when contrasted against cold water. Without the contrast effect, the water in the first bucket would feel to both hands what it actually is – lukewarm.

The contrast effect arises out of comparison. We judge something to be beautiful, if we have some other thing which is ugly to compare it to. Similarly , we judge something to be expensive if we have a cheaper alternative. We have difficulty in making absolute judgements, that is when we don’t have the option to compare. The contrast effect can thus, ruin the rationality of our judgements.
This effect plays a huge role in politics. Because politicians are always compared to each other. A politician who is an average performer may seem good when compared to a total non-performer. Similarly , even the above average performance of a politician may seem unsatisfactory because a past politician , or another contemporary politician has performed excellent.

Now let us go back in time to October 2001 – when Narendra Modi became Gujarat CM. The Kutch earthquake had rattled the state, Keshubhai Patel had failed to perform as CM ,and the BJP was headed for a defeat in the next assembly elections.

But political opponents of BJP executed the Godhra Kand, leading to the 2002 Gujarat riots. The post riots atmosphere however helped BJP win 2/3rds majority in December 2002 Gujarat Assembly elections.

Now comes the contrast effect into play. Ideally , the expectations from a politician should be rationally high. But due to mediocrity or below average characteristic of the performance of the past chief ministers, the expectations from CM Narendra Modi were not very high. As Modi has himself said on frequent occasions , people used to request to ensure electricity atleast during the dinner hours. Without the contrast effect , the expectations would have been of 24/7 power throughout the year , which they eventually got.

Besides the 24/7 power, there were several other good socio-economic changes which were done by the Narendra Modi government in its 2002-2007 tenure. Discussing them would require several other blogs, and would lead us too far from our topic.

Thus, while the expectations of people were low, Narendra Modi government performed beyond those expectations and the contrast effect worked highly in favour of CM Narendra Modi in Gujarat, since his performance seemed very good when compared to the past CMs. The few shortcomings of the 2002-2007 tenure were highly overlooked. The contrast effect along with largely all round performance ensured victories in 2007 and 2012 Gujarat assembly elections as well.

Now let us come forward to 2013.-2014. The marketing of the achievements of his Gujarat government and of his promises if he becomes the Prime Minister , combined with the multiple failures of the UPA government at the Centre and the Congress led governments in the states, led to a historic victory of 336 seats.

But how will the contrast effect work now? Will it favour Narendra Modi ,or will it work against him?

There are two types of contrast effects possible here:

1) Where his work is contrasted with the work of the previous UPA government , under which circumstances , Narendra Modi will benefit even if he fulfills only half of his promises.

2) Where his work is contrasted with his own performance as CM and the expectations he created. In other words , PM Narendra Modi will be contrasted against PM candidate Narendra Modi and CM Narendra Modi. This contrast effect is unlikely to benefit him. Because , some of the expectations are of undefineable nature – like ‘acche din’ (good days).  The term ‘acche din’ itself is dependent on comparison and thus contrast effect comes into play here.

Gujarat was resurrected by Narendra Modi over a period of 12 and a half years, a period which he got due to the favourable contrast effects as already mentioned above, while here he gets only 5 years initially. It is difficult to perform the magic of those 12 and a half years at state level in 5 years at National level.

This contrast effect is also deadly since most people , including many of his supporters ,do not know how the so called Gujarat model was realised and how things will be different at the National level. Knowing what was achieved in Gujarat is one thing and knowing how it was achieved [The Gujarat Model] Also since empathizing with a man in a position of the Prime Minister at a time like 2014, would require combined knowledge of subjects like politics,economics, history and psychology , which few people have individually, making it even more difficult for them to empathize with PM Narendra Modi.

This effect is also primarily the reason behind the grilling mentioned at the beginning of this post.

Since the 2 contrast effects are of opposite nature ie. opposite in direction, they tend to cancel each other out. What Narendra Modi needs to do is ensure that the magnitude of the first contrast effect is more than that of the second. This can be done only and only through fulfilling maximum promises and proper communication.The various opinion polls conducted in the previous few months thankfully seem to show that the magnitude of the first effect is much more than the second, but this needs to be maintained.

The supporters of Narendra Modi can become a great tool of communication for this. They need to develop their own own empathizing skills and then contrast the work of Narendra Modi government at the Centre with its predecessor in every field – defence, agriculture, industry, etc. More in Defence and Internal Security because they receive least attention in the media but shake up the soul and conscience of ordinary Indians like nothing else.

To conclude, the overall contrast effect seems to be positive for now, and given the pace of development in many fields, including electorally crucial ones like power, combined with the master communicator that Narendra Modi is, the contrast effect is likely to be more favourable in 2019. While it is true that his communication is not in full power now, those who have observed Narendra Modi in Gujarat would know that he silently does his work for the first 3-4 years and communicates with public with full power in the last 1 or 2 years of his term, when he gets into the election mode.

The constant phase of state assembly elections has however prevented the communicator in him from hibernating , and when his and the party’s communication comes out in full power in 2018, combined with the achievements, we will likely have a highly favourable contrast effect in time for the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

Humanities and Indic studies: Last footprints of Colonialism

theshubhamv
-
0
Humanities and Indic studies: Last footprints of Colonialism

We Indians have constructed thousands of temples all over the world. But these temples could become museums or archeological monuments within a few years because we are building the structures, publishing books but we are not educating our children about our culture and beliefs. Our tradition is very profound and meaningful; it is a pity that we are not explaining its beauty to our younger generations. As a community, we spend too many resources on parties, non-educational events, movies etc but we forget to invest in our true culture and traditions. Because of this, several western people are taking advantage of this and they are controlling our educational institutes, especially in the field of humanities and Indic studies.

Indian education or Indology is highly controlled by western academicians who control the education system to control the mindset of our nation. These academics preach tolerance to us and chide us in the name of free speech and they themselves control most of the publishing houses, internet discussion forums, educational institutions and media. They completely suppress any dissenting voices by maligning the image of their critics as being communal, emotional, and ignorant. If they truly believe in openness and in free speech, then they should be willing to debate in public forums but they never do that because they do not have enough material to convince the people. They, in fact supports various terrorist movements in India, they support terrorists in the name of human rights and the secession of Kashmir from India.

Wilhelm Halbfass, the Indologist at U-Penn wrote:

“In the modern planetary situation Eastern and Western ‘cultures’ can no longer meet one another as equal partners. They meet in a westernized world, under conditions shaped by western ways of thinking”[i]

American and British organizations are heavily sponsoring our English speaking elite scholars to research according to the western framework. Earlier also Britisher’s used the same tactics to destabilize our nation.  The British Census of India was one such process to represent India in British categories while pretending to use Indian categories. This becomes the basis for re-engineering India’s society to fit into rigid castes, it has continued after independence and has become the center of India’s politics today.

Tzvetan Todorov analyses anthropology historically used the term “new trinity” to describe

“The old style soldier: it consists of an scholar, priest, and a merchant”: The scholar collects information about the country, second promotes its “spiritual annexation” and the merchant “makes the profits”.[ii]

This is what is actually happening in India, Western anthropologists use native people of India as informants, who are typically very poor and less educated villagers paid to produce the data. Scholars take such data and filter it through the western lens, then legitimize it with western peers who are part of their own academic system, and too often assert this false construction as ‘the truth’. The Irony is that there are hardly any independent surveys in the field to ascertain the truth about the data or knowledge produced by westerners. They not only distort our traditional knowledge but sometimes they plagiarized or steal it for their own benefit.

Indic

In that way, many ancient Indian inner science discoveries are being misappropriated or plagiarized. Some examples are: ‘Lucid Dreaming’ is a western name used for Nidra yoga, similarly Stanford’s LaBerge is nowadays the acknowledged discoverer. ‘Vipassna’ is now repackaged as Kabat-Zinn’s ‘Mindfulness meditation’. Herb Benson repackaged Transcendental meditation into ‘Relaxation response’ and earns a million dollar, claiming these as his discoveries. Thomas Berry, Father Keating, and others have constructed the new liberal Christianity, suing Indic appropriations. This is only a small part of a long list: the westerners are using a large amount of Indian knowledge of every field including physics, astrophysics, astrology, spiritualism, mathematics and biology etc, without acknowledging the actual Indian source.

Europeans did the same thing with Americans after persecuting their native population of “Red Indians”. They changed the syllabus of textbooks and they are teaching in their textbooks that “America was ‘discovered’ in 1492” if it is true then what about the millions of Native population of Americans who lived in America for thousands of years. It became an authentic discovery only when Europeans registered it as such. Just because land owned by the Native Americans had not been recorded in European registration systems (formal papers), their ownership was declared illegitimate. Much of what happened during the renaissance and enlightenment in Europe was based on the appropriation of Indian and Asian civilizations, and yet these civilizations were demonized to justify colonialism.[iii] The position of western mindset stated quite openly in many cases, is that discovery occurs only when the west legitimizing it. This is a completely racist theory of knowledge developed by the west that denies the rights of non-westerners.

Now, we again come to Indian scenario, Today Indians have occupied many high positions in the fields of science, technology, business and other traditions but we are lacking in our cultural studies and Indology. Westerners still have a stronghold on Indology. The Indian scholars that identifies with Indic traditions publically and who have actual knowledge of Indian philosophies and religion are often not the ones whom the western academe dialogs with as spokespersons for the Indian tradition. But instead of talking with Indian knowledgeable scholars, they made a layer of elites from within the colonized culture who are groomed to become proxies for the tradition. Such persons are commonly referred to as Macaulayites, after Mcauley, who developed the Indian intellectual breed of sepoys who served the British rule. These elite Indians, are usually remote controlled by a western incentive system- of jobs, visas, foreign travel, grants and various forms of career advancement. Many westernized Indians are convinced that our indigenous tradition is a backward one and that their main aim of life is to uproot it and replace it with superior western import. They often consider biases against Indian traditions as a great compliment to their own sense of modernity. When this mental slavery is pointed out to them, it often evokes severe anger and defensiveness in them.

Such Indian scholars are often unfamiliar with the masses and culture of India. They know mainly western thought and hermeneutics. Few have been educated in Sanskrit or the Indian classics, but they also take Sanskrit as a language of oppression. The problem with these western elitist scholars is that they know only  western view of Indology, these elitists often brand anyone speaking assertively for Indic traditions as saffronist, pro-BJP, fundamentalist, fascist, fanatic, etc.

Earlier, the British did facilities management for India’s Nawabs and Rajas- they operated their cities, armies, operated the courts, collected taxes on their behalf, educated their citizens as they deemed fit etc. The local rulers were the clients and the British east India Company was the facilities manager. As a part of this facilities management ‘contract’, the British also became trustees of the education and scholarship. They researched about Indian traditions, translated and interpreted the texts. They constructed the famous interpretation of the “Manusmriti” so that they can say that they were in fact, enforcing Hindu law in ruling India. Hindus continue to accept this facilities management arrangement by letting westerners control Indian intellectual identity. Other than Hindus, there is no big world tradition so abandoned intellectually by its own people. The criticism of Hinduism in academics is done in such a way that it appears to be fair. The evidence is presented as authentic Hindu understanding, and the motive is claimed to be the well-being of the oppressed Hindus- to save them from themselves. There are western scholar giants now dominating Hindu studies, who have usurped the ultimate authority that traditionally belonged to the Vedas.

These western sepoys are the main reason behind the ignorance of our students. Today our students are being taught in their universities that every good theory had come from the west. For example in several philosophical subjects they learn the names of Aristotle and Plato, in English literature, they learn about Cicero, Shakspere, and Julius Caesar. Even ‘Bodhayan prameya’ of mathematics has been dubbed as ‘Pythogorus theorem’ etc. This is the condition of Indian textbooks in schools as well as in higher education. Everywhere, Indian children are studying about the west. This is the tragic state of Indian Classics in India’s education. India can revive it by teaching or making its own swadeshi curriculum. The equivalent to Greek Classics would be India’s Vedas, Puranas and other Sanskrit, Pali, Tamil texts. In an Indic education system, students would learn about Panini, Patanjali, Buddha, Nagarjuna, Bhartahari, Shankara, Aryabhatta, Kalidasa and dozens of other great classical thinkers produced by India. Unfortunately, in the name of modernity, progress and political correctness, The curriculum of Indian classics have been banished from Indian higher education. The reason behind this is that the nexus of Indology or Indic studies remains in Western hands, almost as though decolonization had never happened. The top level academic publishers, journals, universities, and conferences are either in the west or running largely by the western lobby, and funded by western private organizations, church, and governmental interests.

Furthermore, the marginalization of India’s heritage in its education system, particularly in the English medium system of education that produces most of the leaders of modern Indian society, has resulted in a culturally lost generation. The Product of this education is today’s self-alienated, cynical youth prevalent in many places, especially in elite positions.[iv] One more great disservice has been done to Indian classics is equating them with religion. The sheer magnitude of India’s classical texts is over one hundred times as large as that of the Greek Classics still, Indian classics has not being taught in world universities. This is because the knowledge representation system is under their control; hence they usually decide ‘what’ belongs ‘where’. Only when something falls under western control does it become legitimate.

Several left-wing scholars in India are also writing against Hinduism to prove their Chinese and Russian masters that they are true atheists. In order to prove that they are true atheists, many leftist Indians line up to prove how much they hate Hinduism. This agenda, built on a false definition of secularism, has been taken to such level that Sanskrit has been demonized because it is seen as a part of the evil Brahmin conspiracy used to oppress lower caste people of Indian society. The hub of left wing JNU has fought hard to resist the establishment of a Sanskrit department and Indian classics department ( later Sanskrit department had started) , whereas they are proudly teaching European languages and their classics. On several occasions, they have burnt Manusmriti and other Sanskrit books to prove that they are secular. This is the result of complete ignorance about the knowledge and value of Sanskrit literature. Researchers believe that there are about thirty million distinct manuscripts in Sanskrit which are not properly documented by modern scholars. The vast majority of Sanskrit text is not about religion but it covers a diverse territory of subjects like medicine, botany, astrophysics, metaphysics, aesthetics, fiction, jokes, political thought, logic, mathematics, philosophy and so forth. But, no one cares about it because praising Sanskrit does not provide them jobs or foreign trips.

The new education policy is going to be introduced after few months. MHRD is asking for suggestions from the citizens in MyGov portal. Every Indian citizen should ask for a pro-Indian swadeshi education system for the future of their children and for the future of the nation. If the government changes the syllabus according to Indian swadeshi mindset without thinking about the vote bank politics then only our education system can come out of the control of the west. It is the best time to revive the syllabus of humanities and social sciences in India if it happens than last footprints of colonialism will be extinguished and India will become more self-reliant and self-dependent.

Shubham Verma

([email protected])

Sources:

[i] W. Halbfass,  India and Europe, first edition, (Delhi: MLBD), 44.

[ii] Tzvetan Todorov, The conquest of America,175.

[iii] J.J. Clark’s book Oriental Enlightenment.

[iv] Rajiv Malhotra’s book Acedemic Hinduphobia

Kashmir Turmoil: Demystifying few Myths which all Indians must know

peacefulwarrior
-
0
Kashmir Turmoil: Demystifying few Myths which all Indians must know

With the death toll rising daily in the Valley, it is no time to get involved in blame game. Deaths of both civilians and Security Forces (SF) personnel need condemnation by one and all. It is time to pacify passions but at the same time unhindered bashing of the SF and unequivocal criticism of the Indian nation by a section of the Kashmiris and their self-proclaimed sympathisers in the media cannot remain unchallenged.

Burhan Wani was a criminal with 20 cases pending against him in different police stations, he was a terrorist with a reward of 10 lakh on his head and he was killed in an encounter. There have been many terrorists killed in the past as well. He being a local boy, people thronged in thousands to attend his funeral. Instead of returning home the people turned violent and took law into their own hands. But who instigated the crowd to turn into a frenzied mob that resorted to arson, loot and attack on SF installations compelling the police and SF to open fire in self-defence resulting in deaths and injuries to those forming the hostile mob. The SF instead of being complimented for successfully preventing the situation from becoming worse are being blamed for using ‘excessive force’.

The SF personnel did their sacred duty of protecting the government assets and property using restraint despite grave provocations and threat to their own lives. I can vouch from personal experience that it is well – nigh impossible to distinguish between terrorists and innocent persons when both form part of the same mob. What option is left with them when the mob attacks the armoury and starts looting weapons and ammunition? It is unfair to castigate them for using ‘excessive force’.  The real culprits who need to be chided and punished are the instigators who were working at the behest of their ‘akas’ who were themselves sitting in the safety of their homes fully aware of consequences. While the SF are being blamed for using ‘excessive force’, which to my mind is incorrect, nobody is blaming the real culprits who knowingly instigated the crowd to challenge the authority of the state. The fact is that the instigators and their masters are responsible for these unfortunate deaths.

Another myth being spread is that the encounter was illegal and violated the instructions of the Supreme Court. The contention that a Magistrate should have accompanied the SF and be present during the encounter, also to make an appeal to the terrorists to surrender before killing them is ill-founded. There is a need to draw distinction between ‘Aid to Civil Authorities’ and counter-terrorist operations in a proxy-war environment as well as a ‘law and order’ situation and ‘public order’ situation. The learned readers would agree that it was a ‘public order’ situation and the operation was conducted according to the laid down Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Fearing a backlash Headquarters Northern Command had to issue a clarification,

“Questions are being raised in some quarters about Burhan Wani’s death. Three terrorists were killed. Three AK-47 rifles and over 300 rounds of ammunition were recovered. One policeman was injured. The operation was genuine, well-conceived and surgically executed with great precision and minimum collateral damage. At a time when calmness is the need of the hour, request all not to provide fuel to the rumour mills.”

Hope many cobwebbed minds would be clear now.

The Hurriyat chairman and a hard line separatist has written a letter to international leaders appealing for intervention in Kashmir. In his letter he has repeatedly referred to the Indian Army as “an occupational force”, one cannot expect anything better from such a rabid anti-national but the young Kashmiris need to know the truth. Indian Army entered Kashmir in October 1947 when it was being looted and plundered and its women folk being raped and tortured by the Pakistan Army backed tribesmen from North West Frontier Province and Waziristan.

The Indian Army landed in Kashmir on the invitation of the ruler of the state Maharaja Hari Singh Ji who after the attack by Pakistan acceded his state with India.  Sheikh Abdullah had also made desperate appeals to Pundit Nehru to despatch Indian Army before it was too late.  Indian Army gave a bloody nose to the Pakistan Army and forced it to withdraw from the occupied areas, but for the cease-fire that came into effect from 01 January 1949 the entire state would have been recaptured by the Indian Army. The Indian Army paid a very heavy price in the bargain in which 1500 valiant officers and soldiers made the supreme sacrifice. The ceasefire resulted into a temporary border between India and Pakistan referred to as ‘Ceasefire Line’ and divided the state in two parts. Pakistan was unable to digest this humiliation and made three more futile attempts to annex Kashmir from India and suffered defeat at the hand of the Indian Army with whole-hearted support from the local Kashmiris.

In 1988, Pakistan launched a proxy war in Kashmir codenamed Operation Topac and also supported militancy in the Valley. The militancy was converted into Pak sponsored proxy-war backed by jihadi terror. With active involvement of Pakistan and its instruments of state, i.e., the Army and ISI, Indian Army had to stand like a wall to save the integrity of our nation and fight the evil design of our inimical neighbour. Ever since, the induction of Indian Army in the Valley, it has been a saga of grit, determination, valour and sacrifice for the safety of the people of Kashmir. Another fact is that Pakistan is only interested in the land mass of Kashmir due to its obsession with providing strategic depth to its Punjab province and has no love lost for the Kashmiri people.  The Indian army has always been the first to come to their rescue be it to combat proxy war, earthquake or snow tsunami or floods. 22500 soldiers have been martyred in Jammu & Kashmir since 1947.  Will any sensible person still call it an ‘occupational force’?

Many ill-informed readers blame India for failing to conduct Plebiscite in accordance with the UN Resolutions, another myth that needs to be cleared. Firstly, the so-called UN resolutions were passed under Chapter 6 of the UN Charter and not Chapter 7. The resolutions passed under Chapter 6 are advisory in nature and not binding like the resolutions passed under Chapter 7. Notwithstanding that as per the resolutions before holding the plebiscite Pakistan was required to vacate all the occupied territories and withdraw its forces. Pakistan did not comply with the UN resolutions and hence the plebiscite could not be held. The fault clearly and squarely lies with Pakistan and not India.

The other myth is that all Kashmiris want ‘Azadi’. The chants of ‘Azadi’ are made only by a minuscule misguided radicalised youth residing in and around Srinagar under the glare of the media. The fact is that Pakistan through a well-planned conspiracy has succeeded in replacing the Sufi culture of Kashmir that teaches tolerance and co-existence with radical salafi Islam with liberal funding of petro-dollars from Saudi Arabia. Mushrooming of salafi mosques and madrasas on the Kashmiri landscape has changed the mind-set of certain section of Kashmiri youth whose mind has been poisoned by the venomous speeches of the separatist leaders and the cleric.

The video footages shown on certain TV channels or going viral on social media create an impression that the entire Kashmir is demanding ‘Azadi’. Nothing can be far from truth than this. The Kashmiris enjoy all fundamental rights enjoyed by other Indians and enjoy unlimited freedom as compared to their counterparts in POJK, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan. Kashmir is one of the three regions of the Jammu & Kashmir state. Kashmir itself is diverse both geographically as well as demographically.  The fact is that majority Kashmiris are progressive, forward-looking and ambitious. While they are proud to be Kashmiris they are equally proud to be Indians and wish to reap the benefits of India’s economic growth. The government of India has launched Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme for the youth of J&K in which 5000 scholarships are given every year since 2012-13 for fully subsidised graduate courses in different institutions and universities across the country. A big boon for the Kashmiri youth who are drawing full benefit from this scheme. For them ‘Azadi’ has no meaning. The fact is that their brethren in POJK and Gilgit-Baltistan are yearning for ‘Azadi’ from the reign of terror unleashed by Pakistan.

Another myth that needs to be dispelled: Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) is a draconian law that gives unlimited powers to Army. The fact is otherwise. Army is trained, organised and equipped to fight external enemy. The Army is neither empowered nor organised to carry out law and order duties, the job mandated for the police. The Army is generally deployed when either the police fails or is unable to meet the challenge all by itself. Thus, when Army is deployed for such duties it needs certain powers that are enjoyed by police, AFSPA is that enabling Act which enables army to operate in such an environment. The Army is conscious that it should not be misused. In deference to the Supreme Court instructions issued in 1996, the Army Headquarters issued comprehensive ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ instructions for the troops operating under the umbrella of AFSPA. These have been included in all the SOPs issued by the formations to the fighting troops for strict compliance.  After all to err is human. The Army takes strict cognisance of any deliberate violation and the defaulters are punished. Thus, people need to understand that AFSPA is not draconian but a necessity for the Army to operate in Disturbed areas.

An attempt has been made in the preceding paras to clarify many ill-founded theories that are used to mislead the youth in Kashmir whereas the fact is either not known or deliberately hidden from the young minds. My earnest appeal to the alienated youth is to learn the facts and decide for themselves as to who  their true well-wishers are and who are exploiting them for their narrow self-centric ends.

(The author is a Retired Brigadier Anil Gupta Indian Army, Jammu based political commentator, columnist, security and strategic analyst. He can be contacted through A Nationalist – @Peacef_Warrior )

 

Indian politics and the curious case of feminism

aman
-
0
Indian politics and the curious case of feminism

Last two days have seen two cases of serious women abuse, one physical while other verbal. In one case, a woman who was molested by another worker of her party stated “I was asked by CM (of our party) to sit with the molester and compromise. The culprit would say sorry” and after this statement she committed suicide. There is no reason to not believe the suicide was due to the molestation and harassment.

In second case, a politician of one party told of another party top women leader to be “worse that prostitute”. There are state-wide protests and the person could be arrested anytime soon.

While in the latter case, the accused is soon likely to get what he deserves; the former victim still awaits any justice she could get. While in the latter case there is 24 hr news coverage, state-wide protests involving thousands of protesters, for the former, there are no political debates on prime time news channel, there are no FB walls filled in support of her, there are no politicians queuing outside her house, there are no intellectuals and feminists doing a candle march in her support. In fact the typical left leaning feminists of India are yet to issue any statement about the fate of molested lady.

It is quite evident that a prominent women leader’s unfortunate verbal abuse will get a lot of media and political attention but the question is, is the harassment-leading-to-death worthy of no sincere attention? We are the same people who did a nation-wide protest for Nirbhaya which moved entire world but unfortunately the sensitivity has gone for a toss it seems. It is say day when our feminism is also politicized, we think about the political implications of statement before we make it. If this is so, should we call ourselves feminists and not politicians.

Interestingly not all politicians are as lucky as Mayawati, in-fact it would be more appropriate to say that no female politicians are as unlucky as rightist ones. Here are some of the comments made on Smriti Irani in last 2-3 years, it is on your conscience to decide how they fare against what was said to Mayawati. Any sincere citizen would believe that Dayashankar must be prosecuted for what he said,at the same time we need to ponder if not these people deserve the same treatment:

Rashid Alvi: We know you are very close to Narendra Modi
Sen Deka: Many people refer to her (Smriti) as Narendra Modi’s second wife
Sanjay Nirupam: You used to charge money to perform dance shows on TV. Now you are an election analysis/Tum TV par thukme lagati , hume pata hai tumhara charitra.
Tehseen Poonawala : ‘ Modis txt to Irani – ‘ Sorry Honey no HRD feeling’
ALi Anwaar: Smriti Irani has been shifted to textile ministry to help cover her body
Sharad yadav: I know who you are

As this post is being is written, BSP’s “leader”, Naseemuddin Siddiqui in full public view asks for Dayashankar’s 12 year old daughter to which the poor soul replies ” Nasim uncle, mujhe batayein kahan aana hai aapke paas pesh hone ke liye “, something that pains you even as you type it. There are abuses being hurled indefinitely at his wife, daughter and other family members for no fault of theirs. If abusing once to one lady deserves the kind of protest and uproar that we see now, what treatment should the constant abuse of so many females deserve which is going on continuously since last few days?

The cases at hand pose a serious question to the sincerity of media and public to the women issues and it is time to introspect, whether we are unbiased, apolitical and most importantly unhindered when we wish to take up a women-rights case.

जिस तरह आतंकवादी का धर्म नहीं होता उसी तरह दलित को मारने वाले की जाति नहीं होती है

Puranee Bastee
-
0
जिस तरह आतंकवादी का धर्म नहीं होता उसी तरह दलित को मारने वाले की जाति नहीं होती है

कुछ महीने पहले स्क्रोल.कॅाम पर एक लेख पढ़ रहा था। नंदिता दास द्वारा ट्विटर पर शेयर किया गया था जिसमें तमिलनाडु में कत्ल हुए नव विवाहित जोड़े की हत्या का जिक्र था। इस कत्ल का कारण लड़के का दलित होना और लड़की का ऊँची जाति का होना बताया गया था।

भारत में हर साल प्रेम विवाह के कारण कई नव विवाहित जोड़ो को हॅानर किलिंग के नाम पर मार दिया जाता है। हरियाणा में हुए हॅानर किलिंग के मामले में प्रायः नव विवाहित जोड़ा एक ही गोत्र का होता है उसके बावजूद वहाँ प्रेमी जोड़ो की हत्याएँ हो रही हैं। हर विवाहित जोड़े की हत्या के बाद जातियों का नाम कहाँ से आ जाता है? दलित लड़के की सवर्ण जाति के लड़की के साथ विवाह होने वाला कत्ल जहाँ चर्चा का विषय बन जाता है वहीं दूसरी तरफ पंडित और ठाकुर जाति के जोड़ो की हत्या खबर तक भी नहीं पहुंच पाती है।

भारत की वर्ण व्यवस्था का काला सच हम सब से छिपा हुआ नहीं है और शायद इसलिए ही पूर्वजों के द्वारा किया गया अत्याचार अब समाज पर जातिय आरक्षण के नामपर लगा दिया गया है, जहाँ आरक्षण प्राप्त जातियों को पढ़ाई और सरकारी नौकरियों में कई तरह की छूट दी गई है। प्रेम विवाह में क्या कत्ल इसलिए हुआ? क्योंकि लड़का दलित था या फिर यह गैर जाति का था? आप पूछ सकते हैं दोनों ही शक्ल में नवविवाहितो को मार दिया जाता है, तो फिर इसमें अंतर किस बात का करना?

स्क्रोल.कॅाम वाले लेख पर मैंने जब गूगल पर लड़की के परिवार की जाति का नाम डाला तो गूगल ने बताया की थेवर जाति तमिलनाडु में अतिपिछड़ा वर्ग में आती है। तो फिर इस खबर को लड़के का दलित होना और लड़की का ऊँची जाति को होना बताकर क्यों हम सब के सामने रख गया? प्रथमदृष्ट्या तो यह मामला हॅानर किलिंग का लगता है। जहाँ हत्या इसलिए हुई क्योंकि लड़का या लड़की दूसरी जाति के थे ना कि उनमे से एक दलित जाति का था।

जो लोग एक तरफ आतंकवादी हमले के बाद यह कहते फिरते हैं कि आतंकवादी का कोई मजहब नहीं होता है वहीं लोग प्रेम विवाह हत्या मामले के बाद हत्यारों की जाति जोर-जोर से चिल्लाकर बताते हैं। जब मुस्लिम आतंकवादी के कारण पूरे मुस्लिम समाज को दोषी नहीं ठहराया जा सकता है तो फिर क्यों किसी ऊँची जाति परिवार के पागलपन कृत्य के कारण सभी सर्वण जातियों पर उंगली उठाकर यह बताया जाता है कि वो दलितों का शोषण कर रहें हैं।

Kashmir the epicentre of a global war?

Seema Raghunath
-
0
Kashmir the epicentre of a global war?
The reason this subject of contention on the Northern Indian frontier is not getting it’s due globally has more reasons than one. A forceful push by peace loving India, will be reason for Pakistan to legitimately commence a war that absorbs all other countries into the mess. No one has been able to comprehend the strange and patronising US contribution to ISIS and Pakistan. The speeches by all the US Presidents so far have been predictable on the note of regret, shock and condemnation after every bombing or massacre. But within days the same US is also known to sanction hefty loans to this terrorist nation.
Most recently the USD 840 million they approved for Pakistan left most Indians with raised eyebrows for over a week. Just then Europe and its mass killing by the ISIS managed to get the lifted brow to frown. All money that comes in any shape or form ends up as a bomb and yet good cash leaves American shores to land in Pakistan, a country that should have been isolated from economic trade and business relations to make them toe in line in the name of world peace. It does make one wonder if this whole mess works like the mafia that is managed by the politicians ?  Is the ISIS a detractor, an action delivered by the hired to distract the world while some under cover activity happens at the opposite end of the globe during each attack ? Decoy or not, the fact that Pakistan is Americas Blue eyed baby, while it is a proven miscreant cannot be ruled out, just as much as it cannot be fathomed.
If India has to collect all evidence so far and state the fact as it presented, to expect US and the UN to take a tough stand is worthless expectation. In light of that reality if India did decide on its own to use tough means with the Kashmir issue we must anticipate all Islamic countries around the world will convene as One. The book is always above the human and the book dictates peace. Sad but true that religious mafia have no comprehension of ethics and moral code. They dont see nor seek right from wrong. Religion unites and religion parts the world of people as it stands today. If such a stand we ever are determined to make – that stand will be US against the rest of the world. The rest will constitute the Apathetic, The Islamic and India. Allies will be rare and too far in between to ever matter. Peace loving India has abstained from such a decision not because 1.3 billion is not good population to withstand the ISIS but because the mayhem that will arise will disturb the world for very long .
I used the words “peace loving” – and these are the two words, why India continues to tolerate the social derelicts and terrorists of Kashmir. World peace is at stake. If we were being idealists other countries would have by now agreed to stop Pakistan’s air supply by cutting off any financial aid, stop trade, stop their entry to the world and succeeded in creating Trade ostracisation. It would have been the best effigy for a unified world wall. Islamabad would have found itself incapable of self sustenance. A final call to shape up or go down. Give up this madness to be normal and be above religion.
If we had to play the devils advocate, then this route need not work too. This kind of a unified seclusion of Pakistan would be something that will have other Islamic countries hover over to support and protect them while the economic coup lasts . In which case instead of 3 parts the world would be divided into 2 halves Radical Islamic nations  and the Rational others. A war would be inevitable. One that blooms itself into a good wholesome blood draining war for years. Even if the world chooses to ignore this reality, here in India sits one of the epicentre of the ISIS and the threat to world peace, made worse each time some imprudent, dim-wit country aids them and fortifies their wealth, each cent of which only buys a gun, a vest and a bomb.
Many if us are wondering when will the world wisen up ? When will this ISIS hub – Pakistan ease off ? When will peace for people all over the world make its sheepish appearance ? When will people be first humans and then believers of a certain god ? The issue lies with the psychology of people. It is like religion numbs the ability to be sane. My utter abhor and complete disdain for people for whom religion is FIRST and LAST is herewith established. Anyone – just anyone who chants their god and makes an exhibition of their GOD attachment, is an instant Blah for rationalists. Fanaticism is the flush plug that sucks out the last iota of intelligence and offers a wasted mind dunked in extremist thinking. And on that note, just because an over religious person is not holding a gun does not make them wise people either. NOBODY who sells or preaches a certain God without tolerance for all varieties shapes and forms of God there is or can be -is not an intelligent human being. It is ridiculous that people so convincingly fight defend and wage war over someone they never met or books claim was last seen 10,000 years to 2000 years ago ! The most dangerous human being is one who recognises others as human only if the god between them is the same or the other can be converted by fear or by coaxing !!! What kind of baloney is that ?
So is there a solution really ? Kashmir stays a seductive lollypop the neighbour wants . The ISIS is a world problem the UN does not want to eradicate. And between Pakistan and Kashmir sits most of all the terrorism there is in the world today. People who were given the chance to leave 65 years ago and dint leave despite feeling more Islamic than secular Indian, now pose as a problem in the valley. Some who are pelting stones and training their own to use the gun are the ones Pakistan sent some years ago through barbed wires across the border. The infiltration from Pakistan who now somehow hold Indian passports thanks to our corrupt governance sing India Murdabad while our cops run for cover ! The government sits there scratching chin decade after decade like there is no possibility of a permanent cure. Everyone is tip-toeing around Kashmir like its eggshells.

Rahul Gandhi was tired of playing Pokemon Go outside, so slept inside Lok Sabha

nitintewari
-
0
Rahul Gandhi was tired of playing Pokemon Go outside, so slept inside Lok Sabha

Pokemon Go augmented reality game has turned into a craze, often pushing its gamers to do unimaginable things. The latest casualty has been our own Rahul Gandhi, who was caught napping in the Parliament during its Monsoon session, thereby gifting an opportunity to the other political parties, not to be missed after a heated morning debate that had left Arun Jaitley and Mayawati, almost celebrating the festival of Rakshabandhan in Rajya Sabha.

‘Even a gigolo doesn’t sleep after accepting a contract. How can Rahul Gandhi doze off in the middle of our ‘screw the parliament’ session?’ An unperturbed BJP leader (sacked and cracked) Dayashankar Singh chose to shame a far more virtuous profession than his for a second time in the day.

Congress however, quickly came out in Rahul Gandhi’s strong defense. ‘This shows the sick-mindedness of BJP, which thinks Rahul Gandhi is good for nothing. He was recovering from a heat stroke outside and deserved his usual little break,’ Renuka Chaudhary explained.

rahul-gandhi-parliament-sleeping_650x400_51469012022
Pik-a-chu

Samajwadi party hurriedly joined the bandwagon too, after losing out the morning session to rival BSP’s Mayawati. ‘What was he doing outside in this severe heat when he has been provided with air-conditioned cabins?’ Naresh Agarwal shot an ill advised statement once again.

However, before Prashant Kishore could latch onto the opportunity and claim, that Rahul Gandhi was empathizing with UP’s junta before 2017 elections, who don’t have any electricity and bear the brunt of same heat, AAP’s sting department released a video showing Rahul baba rambling in Brownian motion, his eyes fixed on his i-phone 6 outside the Parliament.

‘He was actually playing Pokemon Go, trying to capture the Pikachu monster after he got its tip on Whatsapp. That’s when he suffered the heat stroke,’ Ashutosh of AAP said and added cheekily, ‘It was me who had forwarded the text.’

Meanwhile, as per inside sources, mummy Sonia Gandhi wasn’t too pleased with young Gandhi’s new love for the AR game. Insisting he needed to step out of his well into the real world (at least during the monsoon), she has uninstalled Pokemon Go from his i-phone. This blow has come after Chhota Bheem was taken off the TV channels list that telecast at 10 Janpath just a week before. Allegedly, Rahul baba is upset and has asked Digvijay Singh to invite Irrfan ‘Madari’ Khan to visit him as soon as possible for a monkey show.

Praveen Togadia of VHP has demanded a complete ban on the secular Pokemon Go, citing it as the next peaceful threat to India’s young cows and has appealed to the government to use pellet guns wherever the monsters are seen.

In Media, Barkha Dutt has called the Pokemon innocent, Ravish ki chitthi is still awaited and Arnab has proposed a one to one with Pikachu on Times Now while Pokemon followers have said that Rahul Gandhi is not a true gamer and has mis-interpreted the whole game.

रवीश कुमार के लिए एक फ़ैन का खुला पत्र

Puranee Bastee
-
0
रवीश कुमार के लिए एक फ़ैन का खुला पत्र

रवीश जी नमस्ते,

आजकल आपके कार्यक्रम पर सोशल मीडिया और ट्रोल्स का जिक्र टॅाप ट्रेंड में रहता है। मैं वैसे तो टीवी नहीं देखता परंतु पिछले दस दिन में आपका तीन कार्यक्रम देख लिया है। हर कार्यक्रम में एक बात जो सामान्य थी वो यह थी कि यदि सोशल मीडिया ना होता तो शायद आज भारत सोने की चिड़िया होता।

आप कहते हैं कि सोशल मीडिया पर लोग पैसे लेकर ट्विट कर रहें हैं और कुछ लोग सोशल मीडिया का अपने हिसाब से ध्रुवीकरण कर रहें हैं। मोदी की डीपी लगाकर मोदी के खिलाफ बोलने वालों को गालियाँ दी जाती है।

रवीश जी, यहाँ मैं आपको एक बात बताना चाहता हूँ कि मैं आपके लहजे का बहुत बड़ा फैन हूँ। जिस तरह से आपका अंदाज़े बयान है, वो और हिंदी पत्रकारों से थोड़ा अलग है। वैसे आपकी पत्रकारिता को मैंने बहुत नजदीक से नहीं देखा है क्योंकि २०१४ के आसपास आपको ट्विटर पर पढ़ने के बाद मैंने आपका कार्यक्रम देखना शुरु किया और तब तक आपका चर्चित कार्यक्रम रवीश की रिपोर्ट टीवी पर से लगभग गायब हो चुका था।

आपने कुछ ही दिनों के भीतर सोशल मीडिया पर मुझे ब्लाक कर दिया। मैं ट्विटर पर लगभग – लगभग दो साल से हूँ। इस दरम्यान आपको एक भी ऐसा व्यक्ति नहीं मिलेगा जो ये कह सके कि मैंने उसे ट्विट करके गाली दिया है। इसका मतलब आपने मुझे इसलिए ब्लॉक किया होगा क्योंकि मेरा कोई आपके ऊपर कसा व्यंग्य आपको पसंद नहीं आया होगा। चलिए आपको ब्लॉक करने की पूरी आजादी है लेकिन इसके बावजूद मैं समय मिलने पर आपके कार्यक्रम का शुरुआती ६-७ मिनट देख लेता हूँ और ट्विटर पर आपके पक्ष की तारीफ भी कर देता हूँ।

एक साल पहले मुझे एक युवा पठकथा लेखक,कॅामेडियन और फिल्मी संगीत के लेखक ने बारह घंटे के अंदर ट्विटर पर फॅालो करके अनफॅालो कर दिया, ऐसे तो मैं किसी के द्वारा अनफॅालो किए जाने पर कुछ पूछता नहीं हूँ परंतु उनसे पूछ लिया। सर ने बताया कि उन्हें मेरी राजनैतिक विचारधारा पसंद नहीं है इसलिए उन्होंने मुझे अनफॅालो कर दिया। इस घटना के बाद मैं उनसे कम से कम दो बार फोन पर बात कर चुका हूँ। उनके लिखें गीतों को सराहता भी हूँ और सोशल मीडिया पर प्रमोट भी करता हूँ और ट्विटर के डीएम में उनसे प्रायः बात होती रहती है।

२०१४ के चुनाव में मैंने मिलींद देओरा के लिए चुनाव प्रसार में एक छोटा रोल निभाया था और मेरे क्षेत्र के सांसद संजय निरुपम को साफ – साफ बता दिया था कि जब तक राहुल गांधी कांग्रेस के प्रधानमंत्री पद के उम्मीदवार हैं आप इस क्षेत्र से नहीं जीतनेवाले। इसके बावजूद पिछले सप्ताह ही संजय निरुपम से फिर फोन पर एक मसले को लेकर बात हुई। शशि थरुर के साथ मैं पिछले छह साल में कम से कम दस-बारह ईमेल भेज चुका हूँ और उसका जवाब प्राप्त कर चुका हूँ। यहाँ तक की वो मुझे ट्विटर पर फॅालो भी करते हैं।

आपके चैनल और पैनल वाले कहते हैं कि सोशल मीडिया पर मोदी समर्थकों ने देशभक्ति की डिग्री बांटने का जिम्मा उठा रखा है और मोदी के खिलाफ बोलने वाले को देशद्रोही करार दिया जाता है। नहीं सर, ऐसा नहीं है लेकिन आपके चैनल और पैनल के पास भी देशभक्ति का प्रमाणपत्र देने का कोई एकमात्र अधिकार भी नहीं है। आपका चैनल दिखाता है कि कश्मीर में लोग भारत से खुश नहीं है और वहीं दूसरा चैनल दिखाता है कि कश्मीर के लोग भारत से अलग नहीं होना चाहते हैं। अब किस चैनल पर विश्वास करें? यदि आप कहते हैं आपका चैनल सत्य बता रहा है तो मैं क्यों मान लू कि अगला चैनल झूठ बोल रहा है।

नरेन्द्र मोदी के प्रधानमंत्री बनने के बाद जैसे ही स्मृति ईरानी को मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्रालय मिला मैंने दिन रात मोदी जी की इस बात के लिए आलोचना किया है। जिस देश में पहली कक्षा के बच्चे को पढ़ाने के लिए आपको बारहवीं पास करके, डी.एड करके टीईटी की परीक्षा उत्तीर्ण करके अपनी योग्यता साबित करनी होती है वहाँ स्मृति ईरानी जिनकी शैक्षणिक योग्यता विवादों में रही है उन्हें मानव संसाधन विकास मंत्रालय का मंत्री बनने का कोई अधिकार नहीं है। एक साल पहले राज्यवर्धन सिंह राठौर के किसी पॅालीसी की आलोचना करने पर उन्होंने ट्विटर के डीएम में मुझे कहा,”हम पर बहुत गुस्से में लगते हो।”

आम आदमी पार्टी और उनके नेताओं पर मैं हमेशा व्यंग्य कसता हूँ परंतु कुमार विश्वास का एक भाषण जिसमें उन्होंने कहा  “राजनीति का धर्म होता है धर्म की राजनीति नहीं होती है।” मैंने सोशल मीडिया पर उनकी प्रशंसा करते हुए शेयर किया।

आपको इतना सब इसलिए बता रहा हूँ क्योंकि मेरी ही तरह सोशल मीडिया पर कई लाख लोग हैं जिन्हें मोदी, भाजपा और आरएसएस से कोई भी तनख्वाह नहीं मिलती है। हम लोग आज भी पार्टी के नहीं सत्य की राह धरनेवालों के पक्षधर हैं। जैसे कुछ बिकाऊ पत्रकारों के कारण पूरे पत्रकार समाज को बिकाऊ नहीं कहा जा सकता है ठीक उसी तरह कुछ गाली देनेवाले ट्रोल्स के कारण पूरे सोशल मीडिया को पेड ट्रोल्स कहना सही नहीं है।

चलते – चलते इतना कहूंगा, “एक ही जगह ठहरोगे तो थक जाओगे इसलिए धीरे धीरे ही सही चलते रहिए।”

आपका फैन,
कमल (पुरानीबस्ती)

Mr. Roy is it really the tabloidization that troubles you?

Prashant
-
0
Mr. Roy is it really the tabloidization that troubles you?

In a recently published excerpt from a book, Prannoy Roy the owner of NDTV expresses dismay over the tabloidization of news channel while ipse dixit proclaiming his channel as the only non-tabloid news channel and thus in the process, condemning all others as such. Interestingly, he also uses the phrase ‘soft power’ in the same excerpt for the media but did not elaborates upon it; perhaps he does so in the book itself. He has expressed himself similarly on an earlier occasion too.

As viewers, should we be worried about this co-called Tabloidization? Certainly. In a healthy democracy, serious and thoughtful journalism should always occupy a position of primacy. However, tabloidization as a problem is rarely cancerous and almost always exposes itself and therefore, easier to balance and counter. A larger question is whether what Mr. Roy calls as tabloidization is actually tabloidization. Or is it something which disrupts the status quo bias in news reporting and challenges the fiefdom of some who felt ordained to control the Indian mind space, much like the 2014 general election results which enthroned a rank outsider to the top seat of governance shaking every Delhi Durbari. Make no mistake what is more potent and malicious than tabloidization is the phenomenon of agenda-setting done in the garb of so-called ‘good journalism’ as Mr. Roy puts it. This phenomenon of bias reporting and agenda – setting, which began in India with the state-owned media quickly transcended to the private sphere with the advent of commercialization of news. With active patronage from selective establishment forces at whose behest the perception and reality management is carried out, certain media outlets and people revelled and prospered.

The arrangement was simple; access and exposure to information and knowledge be restricted to a close group of people who were quickly anointed as liberals and intellectuals, priding themselves as deliverer of everything good that happens in India and guardian angel of the downtrodden. They were to indulge on tax payer’s money while being groomed into surreptitious but forceful agents of establishment often operating in circles not limited just to India but similar exclusive rackets internationally lending an additional halo of credibility. Such domesticated intellectuals were then embedded in dominant interest spheres such as education, bureaucracy as well as selective media outlets to further the cause of agenda-setting. These media agents will then churn out lies and propaganda at a rapid pace to change or set the discourse to suit their masters with effortless suavity. The payoff was handsome and quid pro quo hard to prove on paper. Resources were made available in abundance both in terms of access as well as finance.

The practice continued unabated and seamlessly transitioned to the newer media milieu from print to television to the internet to form a wide ranging media cabal that exerted itself in every sphere of public discourse and influencing decision making disproportionately. In fact, it became closely cross meshed and with time, even dynastic, so much so that finding son or a daughter of a top bureaucrat working in a media outlet whose owner itself a close relative of a top politician will seem perfectly nominal. Thus, a wide section of deeply entrenched elitist interest will be served without anyone battling an eyelid. A slice out of the life of this cabal was beautifully portrayed in a 1976 Hollywood movie called The Network.

But alas all things good or bad come to an end. The bigotry of this media cabal was to be disrupted by the advent of a powerful social media, which allowed for democratization and dialogization of opinion and thus, striking at their mystique and exclusivity. News could not be laden with biased views anymore for every news is closely scrutinized and hypocrisy stood exposed. Common masses with access to social media will explore all sides of a story and then come to the conclusion. Suddenly, no one was willing to buy anyone´s version of the story, least from this media cabal, at its face value. Semi-literate villagers, patronized as Brown Sahib´s burden, with access to smartphones were sending contrarian views in 140 letters to Oxford educated mercenaries (mind you mostly on government grants, which many of us would not even know existed before internet happened). People are asking whether conducting rapid fire rounds with a tadipaar criminal is tabloidization or not? Questions like these have riled them up to no end. First, they tried to dismiss these contrarian voices as inconsequential, inane but after May 2014 these voice became ultranationalists, bhakts, uncouth etc. Those who broke their rank to tell what the nation wants to know are called crass, loud, Agent Provocateur etc.

It is natural that after enjoying power and dominance for so long that it takes some time before the reality actually sinks in. They are cornered and stand exposed naked in light of intense public scrutiny. Seeking retribution by calling upon their brethren embedded in other sections of civil society  to stage a joint coup such as the failed attempt of Award Wapsi drama or by wailing, yet sermonizing behind a blackened screen (no one’s watching anyway) is not going to cut any ice anymore. Yes, all this shenanigans might inflict a blow or two to a regime which seems to initially benefit from this disruptive power of social media, but can such desperate acts really cage millions of Indians again, who have freed themselves from the shackles of such vicious media cabal .

Nonetheless, this cabal is not the one to let it go so easily after all a lot (read loot) is at stake and therefore, they will undoubtedly seize every opportunity to discredit their adversaries, particularly in the social media. This is why the next time you hear someone ruing over the tabloidization of Indian media take one hard look and decide for yourself if it’s a genuine concern or is it a voice of a vested interest masquerading as a media intellectual.

Federal Polity and Article 356 – the way forward

Jai prakash Ojha
-
0

Political developments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have showed certain disquieting trends in the functioning of our parliamentary democracy that if not checked in due course, would result in making a mockery of our widely recognisable system. Article 356 has proved to be a major impediment in the growth of healthy federal relationship between the union and the states in Indian polity. President rules have been imposed with impunity to settle political scores; office of governors has been misused umpteen times.

In the years of Congress domination, this issue did not generate much controversy but of late, due to a much fractured polity that has witnessed the growth of BJP and regional parties, Article 356 has become a highly combustible issue. It has been a fact that often judiciary has to step into the picture and some of its decisions have not gone down well with the political class. The judiciary has been criticised for exceeding its brief and intruding into the legislative domain on more than one occasion.

The Supreme Court judgement in the SR Bommai case that the strength of the Government must be determined on the Floor of the House and the Assembly should be kept under animated suspension & not dissolved to explore possibilities of government formation has proved to be the landmark in our federal polity. This has curtailed the power of the union governments to impose President rules in recalcitrant states to a great extent but despite this, matters remain unresolved as the suspended animation period has become the most opportune time to indulge in horse trading, bargains and of course, transfer of money. Political stability is affected. It’s high time the political parties sit together to find a durable solution to this vexed issue.

Let’s start with the post of Governor which was supposed to act as the link between the Centre and state in order to strengthen the federal spirit as well as to ensure that states remain within the confines of constitutional parameters while functioning. But there have been numerous occasions when the Governor has tended to act as the agent of the Centre to further the interests of his political masters. The august office has been brought to disrepute as the political parties have awarded this post to their political loyalists; merit or consensus between the centre & the state has never been the consideration.

The nation needs to move away from the era of nominated governors; a national panel needs to be prepared in which eminent people from all walks of life are included after discussion between the ruling party, opposition and other stakeholders. The Governor needs to be appointed from this panel, given a fixed tenure and must not hold office at the pleasure of the President. The process of his removal may be as per the process that is applicable in case of Judges of higher judiciary and if possible, an impeachment provision in state assembly be incorporated. There should be a moratorium on his appointing a political post after relinquishing the post of governor for a significant period.

This measure would insulate the Governor from the prevailing political dynamics and lend an air of credence to the post. In the constitutional scheme of things, the Governor enjoys wider powers than the President due to his discretionary powers in which he/she may not act in accordance with the advice given by the state council of ministers like reservation of a bill for the consideration of the President, recommendation of President’s rule, appointment of a CM in case of no clear majority of any party, dismissal of council of ministers when it can’t prove the confidence of the state legislative assembly etc. The time has come when the discretionary powers under article 163 and 200 & 201 should be curtailed or a mechanism be devised in which Governor is not the sole decision maker.

The recommendations of Sarkaria Commission on Union- State relations like selection of apolitical governor not from the home state & consultation between centre and state over appointment of Governor should also be seriously looked into. The Punchhi commission recommendation of localized emergencies under Article 355 and 356 in affected parts rather than the whole state needs to be explored.

Now let’s come to the position of Speaker who presides over proceedings of the House & lays down the rules, conduct and procedure of the House. Since the Speaker is the referee of the House, it is important that he/she is widely respected and commands the trust of both the ruling party and the opposition. Though the speaker is from the ruling party, he is expected to function in a fair and impartial manner without any right to vote except in case of a tie. Most of the speakers in the Lok Sabha have maintained the highest traditions of neutrality and decorum since the inception of our democracy but the same can’t be said about the speakers of our state legislative assemblies. Their rulings have largely gone in favour of the parties to which they belong and at times, they have used their influence at the behest of the ruling party in case of defections and a possible loss of majority in the House.

No wonder, in this age of coalition governments, every party wants the post of speaker for it because you never take things for guaranteed in an unstable polity and you need the speaker to bail you out of difficult situations. Certain constitutional amendments are needed to give more teeth to the position of Speaker. As per the current situation, the Speaker is a member of the ruling party and need not resign from his membership; the situation is just the reverse in UK where the Speaker must resign from his party after getting elected to the coveted post. This enhances the neutrality of the UK Speaker. India needs to do the same. When the Speaker wants to run for elections in any constituency after completing his tenure, no candidate should be put up against him by any party. This has been the tradition in UK which has shielded the Speaker from criticism in the mother of all democracies.

In UK, when a Speaker wants re-election, he is always re-elected. This may not be possible in India as it is unlikely that the opposition after coming to power would accept the Speaker of the previous Government and the Speaker has been traditionally from the ruling party. If not Speaker, seat of MP has to be the option for the retiring Speakers. In case of a tie on voting on a bill, the speaker must not take sides and simply call for discussion all over again till a final solution is found. In UK, the Speaker can take the help of two senior most members from either sides to decide whether a Bill is a Money Bill or not but the case of India is different. The Speaker is the sole authority to decide on the nature of the Bill and certify it as Money Bill.

It has been seen that speakers generally don’t like the directives emanating from the courts in the performance of their duties. Somnath Chatterjee had famously returned the Supreme Court notice in the Cash for Votes incident in the Lok Sabha in 2006 averring that the apex judiciary had no jurisdiction over the House. In the Uttarakhand case too, the judiciary was accused of issuing inappropriate directives and belittling the prestige of legislature but then, what’s the way out? If the political class fails to find a political solution, there is no alternative apart from judicial intervention, to protect the constitutional ethos & the federal spirit.

Ideally, the legislature and judiciary should respect proper separation of powers between the two organs and must not trespass into each other’s domain but with speakers behaving as ruling party representatives and indulging in unholy constitutional practices, the courts can’t be simply mute spectators. In 2005, the judiciary directed how the proceedings were to be conducted in the Jharkhand assembly and in the Uttarakhand case too, the apex judiciary monitored the Floor test. Of course, these are unwanted intrusions which should have been left at the discretion of Speakers but then, extraordinary situations require out of box solutions. It is to the credit of the judiciary that its interference has only been with regards to the procedural matters and not substantive ones.

When the Speaker decides on the disqualification of members in defection cases, he/she is an adjudicator and acting as a Tribunal; hence his decision is subject to judicial review. This has been the position of the judiciary since one of his judgements pertaining to the decision of a former UP speaker Kesharinath Tripathi in the defection case in the early 2000s. The Speaker is no doubt independent in how he runs the House but then, it can’t be on his whims and fancies.

The Anti Defection Act needs to be made more stringent. If any member switches over his party loyalties, he must give up his membership of the House and contest elections on a fresh ticket. Such members may not be given constitutional positions even on re-election till a prescribed cooling off period passes. Simultaneously, in taking decisions on the disqualification of members under Anti Defection Act, consultation of the speaker with the Election Commission must be made mandatory.
These steps if implemented in letter and spirit would go a long way in restoring a healthy federal polity in the country.

1...853854855...889Page 854 of 889