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Of The House, For The House: DEPOLITICISE SPEAKER’s OFFICE, By Poonam I Kaushish, 13 February 2024 Print E-mail

Political Diary

New Delhi, 13 February 2024

Of The House, For The House

DEPOLITICISE SPEAKER’s OFFICE

By Poonam I Kaushish 

It’s the season of Aya Ram Gaya Ram and prize catches. Specially in Maharashtra and Bihar where the political arena resembles a Spanish bull-ring following three Congress stalwarts ex- Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, Milind Deora and Baba Siddique dumping it. In Patna demise of JD(U)-RJD-Congress Mahagathbandhan Government and resurrection  of old BJP-JD(U) ties with “somersaulting” Nitish again Chief Minister for ninth time. 

Playing Matador to hilt, the new NDA Government enacted an emotion-filled politico-drama Monday by removing Assembly Speaker RJD’s Chaudhary, who refused to step down, via a no-confidence motion prior to its trust vote. Reminiscent of 2022 when the Mahagathbandhan had got rid of BJP’s Assembly Speaker. Justified by Speaker can be removed by an Assembly resolution passed by majority.  

Last month too, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Narwekar took 18 months to rule Chief Minister Shinde with 40 MLAs was the Shiv Sena and not Thackeray’s faction, but refused to disqualify his 16 legislators, lobbing the ball back to Supreme Court. 

In 2020, Jyotiraditya Scindia led 22 Congress MLAs sent their resignation to Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker who accepted their resignations only a day before Supreme Court ordered a floor test which culminated in Kamal Nath’s Government falling. 

In July 2019 Karnataka Assembly Speaker disqualified 11 Congress and three JD(S) MLAs leading to Kumaraswamy’s Government collapse. In 2015-16 BJP had only 11 MLAs and support of 2 Independents in Arunachal but engineered defections by winning over 21 of 47 Congress MLAs in the 60-Member Assembly. The Speaker disqualified 14 MLAs, simultaneously BJP held an extraordinary session wherein rebel Congress-BJP MLAs removed the Speaker. While Gauwhati High Court upheld the disqualification, Supreme Court refused to give a verdict on disqualification but restored Congress Government in July 2016. 

Ditto in Uttarakhand where Speaker disqualified 9 Congress rebel MLAs for voting against the Appropriations Bill despite them not leaving Congress or voting against it in the Assembly. The MLAs joined BJP and upstaged Congress Government in 2016.

The issue is not whether the Speaker’s decision in every case has politics written all over it or if he resigns or is removed. Nor whether a political appointee should continue to be arbitrator in legislators’ defections? Neither that Parties have used Speaker’s post as lollipop to reward and oblige a Party worker thus sounding another death knell of a Constitutional institution. But why Speaker is so important in the Constitutional scheme of things?

Primarily, as he represents the House, its dignity, freedom and liberty. According to Erskine May, “The House has no Constitutional existence without him.” He has to ensure Opposition has its say even as Government has its way and is expected to be above Party politics and not Government’s puppet.

If a Party splits, Speaker decides whether it is a “split” or defection case. His ruling is binding. By this one act he can “destroy” a Party and facilitate another’s rule. His casting vote can swing balance either way. Recall, Chandra Shekhar’s famous split which led to VP Singh’s Government fall. 

Besides, his powers to use or misuse Anti-Defection Act which bestows the power of deciding whether a representative has become subject to disqualification, post their defection on the Speaker offering ample scope to him to exercise discretion and play political favourites, ignoring the letter and spirit of the Act.

Alas, its par for the course when MPs-MLAs-Speaker roles are inter-changed at a drop of a hat. Whereby, ruling Party Ministers, MPs and MLAs accept Speakership only to exploit the office for richer political dividends. Whereby, it is increasingly difficult to keep track of Minister’s becoming Speaker’s and vice versa.

From second Speaker Ayyangar who became Bihar Governor on his term’s expiry to GS Dhillon and Manohar Joshi who switched roles from Ministers to Speakers, Balram Jhakar never concealed his identity as Congressman, Rabi Ray lived up to his Janata Party’s expectation and Shivraj Patil who post Speakership, lost the re-election, but was nominated by Congress to Rajya Sabha and anointed Home Minister. In UPA I Congress Minister Meira Kumar became Lok Sabha Speaker in UPA II. Today eyebrows are not even raised.

The entirety of a Speaker’s decisions can also be an inducement for abuse. Instances of suspension of over 149 Opposition MPs from Parliament in the winter session, almost all DMK MLAs were evicted en masse from the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2016 while protesting raise crucial questions about our democracy’s health and its democratic character.

Bringing things to such a pass, whereby a Speaker has acquired a larger-than-life image and role and has become the primus entre peri. A demi-God who can do no wrong, and whose actions are unquestionable. Forgotten in the quintessential position, is the Speaker who is essentially servant of the House has fast become its master, thanks to rules of procedure. Highlighting, falling standards in conducting legislative business in Parliament and Assemblies.

Undoubtedly, the Speaker’s position is paradoxical. He contests Parliament or State Assembly election and subsequently for the post on a Party ticket, and yet is expected to conduct himself in a non-partisan manner, all the while being beholden to the Party for a ticket for the next election. Confided a ex-Lok Sabha Speaker: “We are elected on Party tickets with Party funds. How can we claim independence? Moreover, even if we resign on becoming Speaker, we still have to go back to the Party for sponsoring our next election.”

Against this background and in our Aaya Ram Gaya Ram political milieu the Speaker’s job has not only become all important and demanding but is the cynosure of all eyes today as  the issue of having an independent Speaker is vital.

Where does one go from here? Time to look afresh at the Speaker’s powers, depoliticize his office, promote neutrality. One way is follow Britain’s Parliamentary democracy whereby a MP resigns from his Party once elected Speaker and is re-elected unopposed in subsequent elections. Two, Speaker must walk a tight rope, place himself in a judge’s position, not become partisan so as to avoid unconscious bias for or against a particular view thus inspiring confidence in all sections of the House about his integrity and impartiality.

Towards that end he has to play fair and set healthy and gracious conventions for the high Constitutional office he holds which calls for fairness, uprightness and adherence to Constitutional values and conventions. 

Consequently, rules have to be drastically changed to ensure the Speaker’s Constitutional post is respected as it is sacrosanct. Legislators and Governments must desist from reducing his office in to a Constitutional extension of Government. Thereby, converting the post in to a monument like Taj Mahal or Qutab Minar. We know what pigeons do to them.

Remember, a Speaker is an honoured position, a free position and should be occupied always by men of outstanding ability and impartiality as what matters are not men but institutions.  We must recognize a Speaker’s key role in our democracy by adopting the British maxim: Once a Speaker always the Speaker.

Succinctly, the Speaker is of the House, by the House and for the House. Remember, what matters are not men but institutions. One can tit for an individual but not tat on the State. It is imperative our democracy is put back on the rails. ----- INFA

 (Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

 

 

Railway Budget: SELF FUNDER, EARNS PROFITS, By Shivaji Sarkar, 12 February 2024 Print E-mail

Economic Highlights

New Delhi, 12 February 2024

Railway Budget

SELF FUNDER, EARNS PROFITS

By Shivaji Sarkar 

Railways is beyond speed. It connects India. It takes passengers to the farthest, remotest and inaccessible area and immensely contributes to the growth of hinterlands. Its contributions are not for getting lost amid glitz of the infra push, the roads, solar or space achievements. It is much more than speed, coaches and corridors. The Indian Railways remains the driver of the economy as Covid-19 exemplified. The closure of the trains slowed down the economic growth. It tumbled to minus 24 per cent. 

While Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti, which is a transformative approach for economic growth and sustainable development, is a good target to make corridor functioning more efficient. All the same it needs to stress on the trains that connect every station of the country, once served by the trains like the Janata Express. Rail travel still remains affordable, but the cost on the most deprived is increasing. Logically correct, but the nation must take care of the large number of the poor who have just come up the official poverty line, but who as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, told in Rajya Sabha, need more care and his free food dole for another five years is meant to tend them and handhold them to the next better phase of life. 

Railways is self-funded and having profits too though emphasising less on commuters. Somewhere it gets into oblivion that locally connecting trains are not only needed in metro cities of Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru but also in all other States whether Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, or southern states of Andhra, Telangana, Odisha or the critical North East. 

Various metro projects have been allocated Rs 23931 crore and Rs 1300 crore for electric buses. But it is observed that these do not cater to the poorer class, even in cities like Delhi. They shun metro for its high fare affecting their mobility. The Delhi-Meerut rapid transit metro runs parallel to Northern Railway suburban-cum-local tracks. It has a high cost and proposed fare as well. But it deprives the highest number of poorer travellers as they lack affordability. The Chennai and Mumbai local trains are more efficiently run than the metros in these cities. Overall losses of metro in all sections are being overlooked. 

As per official figures, 50 per cent of total railway passengers are suburban commuters from the three major cities – Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. If other hubs all over the country are included, they would form the major chunk of approximately 80 lakh passengers. They despite contributing substantially to the economy, remain the most neglected. In pursuit of speed, the most productive people are being ignored. Their contribution to rail profit is underestimated. Even the running trains generate jobs for thousands of vendors. 

Projects such as the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) need a review. It has also been observed that Kolkata metro of Indian Railways remain the best and most profitable despite high cost of deep tunnelling under the river Hooghly. Unlike most other metros it remains profitable and high ridership as is also the case with the Kolkata suburban railway. 

It is often said that Railways is not making enough money. That’s incorrect. It has earned Rs 2242 crore extra revenue denying concessions to them between March 2020 and March 2023. The financial year 2022-23 alone earned Rs 560 crore from the change in norms making it the most profitable year, according to Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS). 

The railways have earned Rs 2800 crore in the last seven years from child travellers, who are made to full fare since April 21, 2016. Earlier, children between 5 and 12 years were offered separate berths at half the travel fare. Fares of suburban travel have also been revised. 

The budget has earmarked a capex of Rs 2.55 lakh crore for the Indian Railways, which is just marginally higher than the Rs 2.4 lakh crore announced in last year’s budget. The Railways needs a bigger push. It should not be for suddenly changing 40,000 coaches to Vande Bharat type structure as this is not needed. The officials have made the planners opt for an inappropriate step. 

The actual total receipt of Indian Railways was Rs 240,176.96 crore in 2022-23, which was estimated to rise to Rs 265,000 crore in 2023-24 (BE) but was found to be Rs 258,600 crore in 2023-24 (RE). As against this, total expenditure has been on the rise, which were Rs 237,659.58 crore in 2022-23 (actual), Rs 262,790 crore in 2023-24 (BE), and Rs 256,600 crore in 2023-24 (RE). Now, the interim budget 2024-25 has estimated it to rise to Rs 279,700 crore. 

The finance minister’s announced budgetary support of Rs 2.55 lakh crore is an illusion. It only rechristens the railways own accounts in finance ministry terms. In other words, it could be said that the Railways is not being given any extra finance. Even its capex is generated by the railways itself. It has one of the highest operating ratio up from 90 per cent in 2013 to 98 per cent in 2025. This means that railways is to spend Rs 98 per every Rs 100 it earns. It reflects in the share market too on the high demand of railway-related company scrip. 

In pursuit of speed, it should neither slow down regular trains, nor cancel local passenger trains or neglect the suburban sector. It is not wise to be left it to be catered by metro or RRTS trains at huge costs. Each metro station construction, security and avoidable paraphernalia costs much more than the railways would have done. 

Lack of integrated rail-led passenger transport vision has added to tremendous cost of less utilised metros as in Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Bengaluru and other such cities. Metros should be replaced with elevated trams. Any average 150-year-old rail stations serve far better. Rail stations need simple, beautiful and easy access, not a designer one. Most demolitions of old efficient structures of stations must be stopped. Along with that elevated trams with simple access to platforms should be planned for efficient, inexpensive, comfortable city commuting. 

This calls for reorientation and a falsified approach that the Indian Railways needs very high speed. It has evolved with the best and with minimum efforts and expenditure it should be made better. The rural, semi-urban and urban travellers need the attention and the railways must orient it towards them. ---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

 

Nation’s Healthcare: ENGINEERING CAN BE A CURE, By Rajiv Gupta, 10 February 2024 Print E-mail

Spotlight

New Delhi, 10 February 2024

Nation’s Healthcare

ENGINEERING CAN BE A CURE

By Rajiv Gupta 

In the recent interim budget, the Finance Minister announced a marginal increase of Rs 3000-odd crore allocation for the health sector, along with plans to set up new medical colleges, a new pharmaceutical programme to promote research and innovation, etc. However, the field of healthcare is going through several challenges and the issues need to be clearly understood if the desired end result is an improvement in the availability and quality of healthcare to all Indians. 

It is evident that the price of healthcare has gone up significantly up, while the trust of people in healthcare has gone down due to a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons may be medical negligence, the corporate model of healthcare which puts profit above the needs of the patients, as well as poorly planned systems which lead to unnecessary waste and costs in the system. So, while there may be a perceived shortage of qualified doctors, unless we view healthcare as a system with the patient as the primary customer, we are likely to fall short of the goal of affordable, quality healthcare. 

It is ironic that hospitals, and healthcare facilities, which are expected to cure people of whatever ails them, themselves are in need of help from the malady of negligence, medical errors, and healthcare acquired infections. A study conducted in the US and reported by the Institute of Medicine publication “To Err Is Human,” estimated that at least 44,000 and perhaps as many as 98,000 Americans die in hospitals each year as a result of medical errors. 

There have been other publications including one by the British Medical Journal claiming a much higher figure of deaths due to medical errors. Although some people have disputed the findings of the BMJ study due to lacunae in the research methodology, it is commonly accepted by medical professionals that medical errors, and the avoidable tragic consequences thereof, need serious consideration and some sustainable solutions found. 

A recent Op Ed in a leading English daily mentioned that one of the clauses in the new Bharat Nyay Samhita (BNS), the penalty for death due to medical negligence is limited to a maximum of two years and a fine, while the maximum penalty for death due to any other act of negligence is five years and a fine. This merits some discussion, not so much on the penalty for negligence, but on the act of negligence itself. 

Quality in healthcare is an emerging field with medical professionals striving to gain competence in systems and technologies to improve the journey undertaken by patients as they go through a healthcare facility. In the context of healthcare, quality would include the consideration of medical errors, inefficiencies in procedures, wasteful activities, and a lack of sensitivity to patient needs and concerns. The tools and techniques that can be used come from very diverse areas such as flying airplanes to the Toyota Production System, and the teachings of Dr. W. E. Deming. While it is not possible to provide an extensive coverage of all the tools that can be used to improve healthcare productivity and quality, a few techniques will be discussed in this article. 

First, a very simple and effective approach used by aircraft pilots will be discussed. Before a pilot starts to taxi and take off, he/she conducts several checks on various systems on the aircraft to ensure that there is no malfunction. This reduces the possibility of problems once the aircraft is airborne. Dr. Atul Gawande, a well-known surgeon and author, has written a book “The Checklist Manifesto” where he discusses the application of similar checklists in healthcare, especially before starting a medical procedure or surgery. 

Such checklists are being implemented in several hospitals in India where the chief surgeon goes through a list of people, tasks, medications, and supplies before starting the procedure or surgery. This is done with the entire medical team in the operating theater and if anyone feels that something is missing, they are encouraged to speak up so that a costly error or problem may be averted once the procedure is started. 

Dr. Gawande likens the role of a surgeon to that of an airline pilot because both have the lives of people dependent on them. Pilots deal with many complicated procedures and technology and each aircraft may have different systems. Similarly, surgeons have to deal with complicated procedures and also the individual patients have different characteristics which may necessitate different approaches. Both the pilots and surgeons cannot rely solely on their memory. Therefore, the checklists are very useful in both cases. 

Another very simple and effective way to reduce errors in healthcare is 5S. 5S is part of the Toyota Production System. It refers to 5 practices, each starting with the letter S (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardise, and Sustain), which can help in improving systems from car manufacturing, to healthcare. Although 5S does not involve any complicated or expensive technology, it does require discipline to sustain the benefits that come from the process. The first element of 5S (the first S) suggests that an organisation do an assessment of all materials and equipment that are present in the workplace. If there is anything that is in the system, but should not be there, we should remove it from the system. 

A common complaint of organisations is the lack of sufficient space. However, what they do not realise is that useful space is being occupied by things that should be removed. If we eliminate unnecessary items from the workplace, not only is additional space created, but the workplace is less cluttered, allowing workers to find things more easily. Once we have eliminated unnecessary items, the necessary items should be organised so that they are easy to identify and access. This reduces time to accomplish tasks as well as reduces the possibility of errors. 

An example of the application of 5S in healthcare is the storage of medications which look alike, and also have similar names. It is easy for individuals to make a mistake in such cases, possibly resulting in serious harm to the patients. In such situations, 5S suggests that the medications should be color coded, and also they should be stored in different locations to minimise the possibility of a mix-up. There was a case in 2006 involving the mistake of administering a wrong drug to a cancer patient which resulted in her death. The probability of making such mistakes could be significantly reduced by the application of 5S. 

A third technique comes from the area of Industrial Engineering. When industrial engineers design a facility, they ensure that unnecessary waste in the form of walking or other actions of the workers be eliminated. A similar approach can be taken in the design of a healthcare facility. It has been estimated that nurses in hospitals spend about 30 per cent of available time in providing care to patients. The rest of the time is spent in walking or performing other tasks such as searching for items. An application of industrial engineering design principles can reduce walk times and unnecessary tasks, freeing up more time for patient care. Also, if healthcare facilities are designed to reduce walking and movement, it will also reduce unnecessary movement of patients, which can be a major relief to them. 

These are some of the approaches that can help in improving the productivity of healthcare professionals, reduce the instances of errors, and should lead to an overall improvement in the patient experience. As Deming and other gurus of quality have always suggested, the customer is the reason why an organisation exists. If an organisation can improve the customer experience, the customer as well as the organisation will benefit. Patients are the principal customers of healthcare. It is therefore important to ensure that healthcare facilities focus on what is important for the patients.---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

Domestic Election: IMPACT ON FOREIGN POLICY, By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri, 9 February 2024 Print E-mail

Round The World

New Delhi, 9 February 2024

Domestic Election

IMPACT ON FOREIGN POLICY

By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri

(Secretary General, Assn for Democratic Socialism) 

In developing countries, elections at home do not usually have serious foreign policy issues. Only the big countries having international market and influence make foreign policy an election issue at home. In the age of globalisation as well as interdependence between countries, the trend may be changing. Let us examine this assumption. 

Interestingly, 64 countries in the world including seven most populous countries are going to elections in 2024. No wonder, this year is being called ‘world election year’. What would be the impact of these elections on their respective foreign policies and on world politics at large? Remember that a few countries that deeply matter to India have just had their elections and are going to have another round. 

Bhutan had its elections last year and the incumbent Prime Minister got re-elected and was visiting India at the time of writing, 7th of February. Bangladesh had Parliament elections and Sheikh Hasina got re-elected. Her Foreign Minister is likely to come to Indian soon. Taiwan had the general elections and the previous government got re-elected. The Government of India congratulated the winners in Bhutan and Bangladesh. Since India does not recognise Taiwan, New Delhi had a muted response to their elections. The Foreign Ministry spokesman noted the developments in Taiwan while acknowledging the growing people-to-people relations and the cultural and business exchanges between the two countries. 

Maldives also had its presidential election and tension with India has begun since as a pro-China candidate became the President. President Muizzu, in line with his election promise, has asked India to withdraw its military presence from his country. Indians, if not the government, have reacted strongly to cheap jibes made at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by two of Maldivian ministers. The two ministers making such gratuitous remarks have been suspended. 

Also, countries where elections are going to be held this year matter to India in their foreign policies. To start with, Pakistan went to the polls on 8th of February. Imran Khan has been put in jail and is barred from contesting. Nawaz Sharif is likely to win. New Delhi may hope for a thaw in India-Pakistan tensions and revival of bilateralism. Modi had visited Pakistan during Sharif’s tenure and the latter was in New Delhi at the former’s swearing-in ceremony of in 2014. 

Maldives, which had the presidential election, goes to polls on 17th of March for Majlis, its Parliament. New Delhi would hope that Majlis elections will check the ruling coalition’s power by boosting the former PPM Party. Muizzu has been taking an anti-India stance, more so, after his visit to Beijing. He has negotiated with India the withdrawal of troops by 15 March just two days before the Majlis elections. 

Sri Lanka is going to have both presidential and parliamentary elections sometime this year. New Delhi would expect the ruling dispensation in Colombo to win the elections. In any case, India will have the cross-party support from Colombo as New Delhi has extended economic support to the Island country during its crisis. Only recently, the Opposition leader from Sri Lanka met the Foreign Minister and the National Security Advisor in New Delhi. 

Let us turn to P-5 countries, the big powers. Russia will have its elections from 15-17 March to re-elect the powerful President Vladimir Putin. In fact, Prime Minister Modi will be visiting Russia to attend the expanded summit of BRICS, which became a ten-member group last year from the original five. The whole world will be watching the bigger BRICS as it has the economic heft. 

In Europe, another powerful bloc, the European Union goes to elections between 6 and 9 June. Although EU elections are not much talked about here, the results would be important in terms of quite a few important issues – EU support to Ukraine war, its policy towards Israel-Hamas war, immigration policy, the trade negotiations including with India and so on. 

Now on the big one, elections are to be held this year in the United States. With some reservation, the US is the sole-super power today. Washington views India to be the counterpoint to China. To be sure, New Delhi is still not there, although it has the potential with right partnerships to become an alternative hub for manufacturing etc to China. There is going to be a rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Some observers call it a contest in gerontocracy as both Donald Trump and Biden, in their age, are much past their prime. 

Britain, the closet ally of the US will also have elections later this year. The current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has to announce the time for the election. Some observers liken Sunak biding time with the man who was sentenced to death by the king. On his last wish, the man asked the king to give him a year till he makes the royal horse talk. The wish was granted. When asked on his queer wish of making the horse talk, the man said, within a year, anything could happen, the king may die, I may kick the bucket, or the horse may talk. That is how Sunak seems to buy his time. As per opinion polls, the Labour Party is sure to come to power. However, New Delhi wishes to complete the Free Trade Agreement with Britain before the elections, lest they should start the negotiations all over again. 

In the Global South, out of the countries which matter, Indonesia is going to presidential elections on 14 February. Joko Widodo who has reached his term limit is putting forward his son against Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto. If any of them does not reach the majority mark, there will be a run-off on 26 June. Mexico has a single term presidency so it will have a new government by June-end. South Africa, which is aligned with India’s position in BRICS and on some other issues is going to have a hotly contested election, so New Delhi will watch it carefully. 

Finally, back home, India is going to have its Parliament elections in April-May. There is lot of debate and some agitation on the autonomy of the institutions, misuse of enforcement agencies, use or misuse of EVMs etc. Notably, only four countries in the world use EVMs. The results of elections in India will determine her foreign policy mainly towards its neighbours. 

As said before, domestic elections are drawing in foreign policy issues. In the past, foreign policy used to be based on national consensus. But this is no more the case. Many democracies are perceived to be turning to autocracies. Hence, many observers are suggesting that world democracy is on the ballot this year. Therefore, not only domestic politics, but foreign policies and world politics are going to be impacted by the elections this year. ---INFA 

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

DEMOCRACY IS NOT A HARLOT, By Inder Jit, 8 February 2024 Print E-mail

REWIND

New Delhi, 8 February 2024

DEMOCRACY IS NOT A HARLOT

By Inder Jit

(Released on 18 September 1979) 

Much of our medieval and modern history is beginning to make sense at long last. The treachery of the Jai Chands and the Mir Jafars always baffled and troubled me as a student, inspired by the freedom struggle and brought up on Gandhiji's "Quit India" call. How could Jai Chand sink so low as to invite Muhammad Ghori to India just to settle with Prithvi Raj personal scores, howsoever hurtful and serious? Again, how could Mir Jafar shamelessly join hands with the East India Company for the sake of private gain, no matter how great, and thereby help the British in their calculated design to colonise India. These and other black seeds no longer confound. Everything now falls into a pattern against the backdrop of the recent political happenings. Major issues have seldom counted. Personal gains and petty feuds have invariably taken precedence over all else. A descendant of Mir Jafar remarked to me in New York two years ago: "Mir Jafar was not a traitor. He was only a defector."

The mid-term poll is hopefully expected to stem the spreading political rot, help revive some values and promote healthy polarisation. However, what we are witnessing so far is a continuation of what has happened over the past decade and more: an unbroken exercise in double talk and deception. All the parties are once again swearing by democracy, socialism and secularism. They are also busy drawing up their party manifestoes for the poll and, in advance, mouthing familiar platitudes and promises. Yet, the truth is that almost all our leaders are motivated solely by considerations of personal aggrandisement: who can get what, when, where and how. Most politicians, like the members of the notorious French Foreign Legion, are only too willing to join any new or old force which holds out promise of a bigger share in the prospective loot. Options are, therefore, being carefully kept open for any "good deal" any time. Nothing can be ruled out. Power and wealth are all that matter.

Nothing symbolises the tragedy of the current situation more than two experiences last week. In the first case, a prominent public man visiting New Delhi sought my "advice" about the poll prospects since we journalists are supposed to have special crystals. The reason? He had been offered a ticket for the Lok Sabha by all the three main parties -- the Janata, Congress (I) and the Congress-Janata(S) Alliance. "Which shall I take?" he asked and added: "Remember I must get into Parliament this time." Taken aback, I queried: "Is there really a choice?" Pat came the answer: "But all the three stand for democracy." The second occurred on Wednesday last at the Talkatora gardens, venue of the AICC(I) session. Surprised to find a strong critic of Mrs Gandhi at the meeting as a special invitee, I remarked: "I see you have made up your mind finally." "Yes, my friend", he said, "Mrs Gandhi has, more or less, agreed to give me a ticket. What is more, she has reaffirmed that she is all for democracy and your Press freedom too. Didn't you hear her this morning?"

Regretfully, little has been done by the feuding politicians or by the thinking people and the media to bring the parties down from their airy generalities to meaningful specifics in regard to their objectives and the means they propose to adopt to achieve the promised ends. Every party no doubt stands for democracy, socialism and secularism. But, as Nehru pointed out on more than one occasion, today's world faces a new crisis. "We speak the same words", he said, "but they mean different things to different people. In effect, we speak different languages." In India, the three words have come to mean all things to all men. Several pointed questions have still to be asked: What kind of a democracy do we want? Democracy of the Free World or of the Socialist World? What kind of Socialism? Gandhian, Soviet, Maoist, Fabian or Royist- or plain Post Office socialism, as John Galbraith once described our economic system under Nehru. Again, what kind of secularism? Pseudo or genuine?

Important at any time, these questions have become more pertinent now in view of various claims and counter claims. The Janata, the Congress (S) continue to denounce Mrs Gandhi and her Congress (I) as authoritarian. But Mrs Gandhi asserts otherwise. In an interview to Mary C. Carras last year as published in her book, Indira Gandhi: In the Crucible of Leadership, the former Prime Minister made the following remarkable claim: am committed to democracy. I do not think there is anybody who is less authoritarian than I am." In Bombay last week, she told newsmen that there had never been "lesser democracy in the country than during the last two and a half years of Janata rule. What is even more interesting and, according to many, "ominous" was her reference to democracy at the AICC (I) meeting last Thursday. Democracy in India, she said, might “take a new turn" after the elections. "Our people were fooled in 1977. Today their eyes have been opened."

Mrs Gandhi shrewdly preferred not to spell out the "new turn", she proposes to give to our democracy in case she is able to win the poll. (Remember, the Emergency was designed to put democracy back on the rails!) But this and certain other matters need to be clarified by Mrs Gandhi. What is her basic concept of democracy? Does she want India to continue as an open society? Or does she want it to switch over to a socialist democracy? What about the Press? Does she accept the view that the freedom of the Press is the cornerstone of our democracy, as appropriately stressed by Mr L.K. Advani, and that it should be enshrined in the Constitution in specific terms and made inviolable. Mrs Gandhi's remarks in Bombay on Press censorship and her subsequent clarification in New Delhi have not removed doubts about her basic outlook. This is indicated in her interview with Mary Carras whom she told: "To say that newspapers which belong to a very narrow group, to a clique you might say, that their voice being allowed is democratic, to me this makes no sense."

The Congress (I) would, therefore, do well to spell out in clear and unambiguous terms its attitude to the freedom of the Press through a formal resolution of the Working Committee or an authoritative statement. This should be done equally in regard to fundamental freedoms and the independence of the judiciary if Mrs Gandhi and her party are to carry conviction about their basic commitment to a healthy democracy and the rule of law. Fresh doubts about her attitude to the judiciary have been created both by her recent remarks on the Maruti report and the judgment by Justice Sinha in her historic election case. The latter happened when a newsman in Bombay at a "Meet the Press" session asked some inconvenient questions about her election case. Visibly angered, she sarcastically quipped "what an election case" and then reportedly added: "A petty judge sitting somewhere had debarred a Prime Minister for six years on flimsy grounds. It was a ridiculous judgment."

Likewise, three other issues need to be clarified by each party to enable our people to make a correct choice: the concept and content of socialism and secularism and of non-alignment. Early in the seventies, some younger Congressmen tried to get their party's High Command to set up a committee to define socialism. But Mrs Gandhi tactfully shot down the proposal, leaving her Government free to act pragmatically, a formulation which eventually enabled her to promote, so to say, the family sector, as disclosed by the Maruti report, in addition to the public and private sectors. True, every party vaguely stands for a mixed economy in which there is scope for both public and private sectors. But Mr Charan Singh, Mr Jagjivan Ram, Mr Chavan and Mr Bahuguna seem to differ in their respective concepts of socialism and planning and the role of the public sector. The people would like to know quite clearly the kind of socialism they are voting for and that, in the final analysis, they are not opting for a mixed-up economy.

Secularism got off to a good start under Nehru. But distortions crept in before long and one was even treated to the disgusting spectacle in which Mahatma Gandhi came to be labelled as a Hindu. Things have greatly deteriorated thereafter and our secularism has increasingly come to acquire an unfortunate tilt. One is secular if one ignores all facts and denounces, for instance the massacre of Muslims in Aligarh or Jamshedpur and in the process even incites communalism. But one becomes "rabidly communal" if he or she denounces the "butchery" of Hindus at Sambhal in UP. Communalism, whether of the majority or the minority, needs to be condemned by all parties and their views clearly stated. It has no place in a genuinely secular state. Similarly, we need to be positive about the basic concept of non-alignment, essentially a projection of India's sovereignty into the world abroad. Who stands for a tilt towards Moscow or Washington and who for genuine non-alignment?

Ultimately, we must be clear about the true nature of a healthy and purposeful democracy and what it offers: fundamental freedoms and the inalienable right to sack a corrupt and incompetent Government. We can do no better than recall Winston Churchill's famous words spelling out his concept of democracy. Said he: "Democracy, I say, is not based on violence or terrorism, but on reason, on fair play, on freedom, on respecting the rights of other people. Democracy is not a harlot to be picked up in the street by a man with a tommy gun. I trust the people, the mass of the people in almost any country, but I like to make sure that it is the people and not a gang of bandits from the mountains or from the countryside who think that by violence they can overturn constituted authority, in some cases ancient Parliaments, Governments and States." --- INFA.

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)

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