Political Diary

New Delhi, 7 November 2009

It Is Only A Song

MUSLIM ANTE ON VANDE MATRAM

By Poonam I Kaushish

 
A tempest in a teapot. That is the sum total of the zero sum game over the needless hungama over Vande Mataram. Yet again. No matter that it ignited patriotism, galvanised Indians to gang up against the British and throw out the firangis and won India its freedom.

Stirred by who else, but the widely respected Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind (JUH) which out of the blue issued a fatwa against singing Vande Mataram. In a resolution on the concluding day of the three-day conference at Deoband in UP the Islamic clerics stated that singing the national song was anti-Islamic and amounted to worshipping the motherland. This went against the concept of tawheed (oneness of God), according to which a Muslim cannot supplicate to anyone except Allah. Besides, patriotism didn't require singing Vande Mataram in schools.

Arguably why now? A question that has perplexed many given there was no immediate provocation and all was quiet. Why a fatwa? Many shrug it off by averring that opposition to Vande Mantara taken from Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya’s 19th century Hindu nationalistic novel, Anandamath, has a long chequered history of reservation among certain Muslim groups and would continue to be fodder for future debates Besides, the Supreme Court has indicated that singing of the national song must not be made compulsory for all.

Not a few assert that the national song is just another prop to celebrate the nation State and undue importance mustn’t be given to it. Others aver that singing Vande Mataram must neither be made a test case of patriotism nor should people be obstinate about not singing it. Notwithstanding, that it is compulsorily played at the end of every session of Parliament.

However, some suggest there is some method in this madness. The Muslims seem to be tilting towards the Congress given the Party’s unexpected victory in 20 seats Lok Sabha seats from UP in the General Elections.  But with a rider. Fulfill our demands, like implementation of the Sachar Committee report etc.  Knowing that by doing so, it has put the Party in a quandary. If the Congress concedes this, it could lose the upper-caste Hindus vote-bank which is slowly returning to its fold. Thus, the safest bet for the JUH is to raise the ante on an emotional issue to ignite the rabid Hindutwa brigade  and leave the Grand dame with no option.

But with a rider. Fulfill our demand, like the implementation of the Sachar Committee report. Knowing that if the Congress concedes this, it could lose the upper-caste Hindus vote-bank which too seems to be returning to its fold. Thus, the safest bet for the JUH is to raise the ante on an emotional issue to ignite the rabid Hindutwa brigade, put the Party in a quandary and leave it with no option.  

In this context, it is pertinent to understand how and why Vande Mataram came to be recognized as a national song and why the Muslims consider it un-Islamic, full of hatred against Muslims and offensive. Vande Mataram was written in 1875 and published in Chatterjee’s Anandamath in 1882. The story starts with a group of sadhus who call themselves santan, the children of Bharat Mata whose leader Satyanand is imprisoned by the Nawab. The sadhus vow to set their guru free, shout that they would throw the Muslims into the river and set their houses on fire. They not only succeed in freeing their guru but welcome British rule in India. In short, atrocities against Muslims, is a recurrent theme in the novel.

When Bengal is ravaged by the 1770 famine, the East India Company, forces the farmers to cultivate cloth whitener instead of foodgrains as it is a big export earner. Triggering an anti-British revolt wherein Vande Mataram soon became the popular battle cry for freedom from British Raj. Large rallies all over the country worked themselves to a feverish pitch by shouting Vande Mataram. Many were jailed and the song was banned. But it failed to stop the patriotic fervour. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore sang it in 1896 at the Calcutta Congress Session and Lala Lajpat Rai started a journal called Vande Mataram from Lahore.

The Congress formally adopted it as a national song through a resolution at its Varanasi Session on September 7, 1905. Thereafter, it became the opening note for all the Congress meetings and sessions. Its powerful patriotic lines stirred the whole nation. Neta Subhash Chandra Bose made it the Indian National Army's principal song and his Singapore-based radio station regularly broadcast it.

In October 1937, some Muslim leaders objected to Vande Mataram on the ground that it contained verses that were in direct conflict with the beliefs of Islam. True, the first two stanzas of the hymn eulogise Mother India and its beautiful natural bounties with “hurrying streams, gleaming orchards…..” But the fourth stanza of the song, for instance, addressed Mother India as, "Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen, with her hands that strike and her swords of sheen, Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned…." It was argued that by singing this, a Muslim was forced to equate his country with the Hindu goddesses Durga and Lakshmi. This went against the concept of Islam according to which a Muslim could not supplicate to anyone except Allah.

Nehru understood his Muslims brethrens’ religious predicament and soon worked out a compromise formula through some fine balancing. Even as he underscored the hymn’s national importance in the freedom struggle. The Congress Working Committee met in Kolkata in 1937 under his Presidentship and adopted a resolution, whereby only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung. Moreover, freedom was given to the organisers to sing any other song of an unobjectionable character, in addition to, or in the place of, Vande Mataram.

Interestingly, while Vande Mataram was treated as India’s national anthem for long, Jana Gana Mana was chosen as the national anthem of free India following Independence. The song was rejected on the ground that Muslims felt offended by its depiction of the nation as "Ma Durga"—a Hindu goddess— thus equating the nation with the Hindu conception of Shakti, divine feminine dynamic force. No matter the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950 that Vande Mataram would enjoy “equal status” with Jana Gana Mana.

Over the decades Muslim animus towards Vande Mataram has reared its head time and again. In 1998, the NDA had to withdraw a circular by the then UP Government making the recitation of Vande Mataram compulsory. Ditto the case with the UPA in September 2006 when it’s then HRD Minister Arjun Singh had to hurriedly retract his order to all the State Governments making singing of Vande Mataram compulsory in all schools on 7 September to mark completion of the centenary celebrations commemorating adoption of the national song.

Either which way, the Islamic clergy has to realize that in secular India there is no place for fundamentalism, be it Hindu or Muslim. All our patriots. At the same time the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind and its ilk have to realize that a regressive and orthodox social agenda that it propagates (like anti- Women Reservation Bill, homosexuality, no TV et al) will prevent the minority community from making full use of the windows of opportunities, social cohesion and change offered by a democratic State. Instead it will present a fait accomplice and perfect foil to parochial groups with vested agendas to play up the politics of victimhood and feather their own nests. This has to be prevented at all costs.

Remember, India’s multi-pluralistic character, pulsating democracy and civil society is neither rigid nor frozen in time. It is constantly evolving. True, one song cannot make or mar the future of a nation or its people. But Vande Mataram is our national song and symbol of national pride, on par with Jana Gana Mana. It is high time we stopped trivializing and trashing it. All secular minded Indians must collectively thwart our beautiful and melodious national song Vande Mataram being turned behsura, in the hands of our political drumbeaters! ----- INFA

(Copyright India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The World

New Delhi, 3 November 2009

ASEAN Meet

TAKING ‘LOOK EAST POLICY’ FORWARD

By Dr Parama Sinha Palit

The 15^th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit held in the seaside town of Cha-am, Thailand last month successfully brought together leaders of 16 Asian countries at the table pushing for greater Asian economic and political integration. The Asian leaders who gathered for the Summit, while discussing economic cooperation, disaster management, and climate change, also made attempts to reach out to their counterparts in an effort to build trust and goodwill.

For India it was yet another step towards furthering its ‘Look East’ Policy (LEP) launched in 1992 as a response to the new geo-economic and geo-strategic landscape following the end of the Cold War, and connecting to its East and Southeast Asian neighbours. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appropriately pointed out that “India’s enhanced engagement with the ASEAN is at the heart of our ‘Look East’ Policy….”

Given the demographic and economic heterogeneities of the ASEAN countries, the region can act as a crucial partner in the future growth of major Asian economies. The region’s economic and strategic potential has prompted New Delhi and Beijing to engage the Southeast Asian countries like never before. However, the Indian initiative to engage the region has been more recent than China’s. The latter’s engagement with the region has been more exhaustive.

Over the years, China has successfully built bilateral economic links with individual ASEAN members. India, on the other hand, has been a late-starter due to many reasons including historical ones. However, its pronounced intent to engage the region culminated in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed with ASEAN recently. The FTA signed by India in August 2009 in Bangkok with one of the world’s largest trade blocks is a major step in this direction.

“A free trade agreement with ASEAN is an international political commitment and is also part of the Look East Policy,” the Economic Times quoted Prime Minister Singh as saying during the Cabinet meeting held on 24 July 2009. After signing of the FTA Singh pointed out that “the conclusion of the India-ASEAN Trade-in-Goods Agreement in August 2009 is a major first step in our objective of creating an India-ASEAN Regional Trade and Investment Area. India-ASEAN trade has grown at a healthy rate and stood at about US $ 48 billion in 2008. The India-ASEAN Summit is an occasion to review the progress in our relations with ASEAN countries. I will inform ASEAN leaders about the several initiatives that India has taken to qualitatively enhance our partnership in diverse areas of our cooperation.”

The ASEAN-India FTA aims to build an institutional framework for greater economic partnership between India and the ASEAN countries. Under the arrangement, the ASEAN member countries and India plan to lift import tariffs on more than 80 per cent of traded products between 2013 and 2016, beginning from 1 January, 2010. Similarly, tariffs on sensitive goods will also be reduced to 5 per cent in 2016, while tariffs will be maintained up to 489 items of very sensitive products. India and the ASEAN are currently negotiating Agreements on Trade in Services and Investment. With a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ 2.3 trillion, and the ongoing economic interactions/exchanges between the countries in the region, there is a huge possibility that they together will create a new free trade area of 1.7 billion people covering 11 countries.

The FTA signals India’s commitment to global economic integration along with political cooperation with its neighbours in the east. However, New Delhi needs to pursue the next stage of economic engagement with ASEAN after the FTA. While the signing of the FTA has taken India’s engagement with the ASEAN countries to a new level of growing partnership by carving a space for India in the region, it has also paved the way for an Asian Economic Community.

While economic engagement has been the hallmark of India-ASEAN growing partnership, the two have made considerable progress in other areas too. The India-ASEAN Science and Technology Fund, the India-ASEAN Health Care Initiative, cooperation in traditional medicines, the India-ASEAN Network on Climate Change and the establishment of a Green Fund are some major initiatives of collaboration between the two. Several programmes to promote people-to-people contact are also in the process of being implemented.

The engagement between India and the ASEAN is mutually beneficial. While India has a lot to gain from its engagement of the region, the ASEAN countries also realize the shared concerns they have with India. These include economic benefits for greater trade and investment, security cooperation and collaboration on environment and climate change. India’s growing significance within the region was reflected during the latest Summit that acknowledged India as an important player.

 India, which became ASEAN’s full dialogue partner during the fifth ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in 1995, is treated a ‘significant’ player by the Asian community given its strengths and expertise in fields like education, herbal medicines, IT, science and technology. According to ASEAN Summit spokesperson, Vimon Kidchob, “the role of India cannot be ignored and that ASEAN expects to enhance trade with New Delhi”.

The India-ASEAN partnership has other facets as well. While both India and ASEAN aspire for greater representation in global councils as well as for developing capacities to contribute constructively and meaningfully to the management of global affairs, the stage has also been set for India to initiate work on areas of mutual interest of the ASEAN member countries namely energy, education, finance, and national disaster management.

Apart from providing opportunities for enhancing ties between India and the ASEAN member countries, the framework has also provided a platform for India and China to bridge differences, especially after the recent spate of border tensions between the two. By bringing together the two heads of State during the Summit, ASEAN has expressed itself as a geographical and political entity trying to act as an effective intermediary between New Delhi and Beijing. It makes immense sense for ASEAN to remain connected to both countries for strategic and economic benefits. By facilitating the meet, the ASEAN group of nations has only further expressed their collective desire to foster peace and cooperation within the region.

The ASEAN was indeed successful in translating the meet of the Prime Minister Singh and his Chinese counterpart into a success by easing the tension between the two Asian giants. The two heads of States agreed to build “trust and understanding” in their bilateral relationship by beefing up their strategic and cooperative partnership.

With the region’s increasing clout becoming evident there is little doubt about ASEAN’s escalating role in shaping the future of the world. With a push for larger ASEAN Community by 2015 and enhancing intra-regional connectivity, in keeping with ASEAN’s agenda, there is considerable scope for meaningful economic exchanges amongst the member countries. India’s qualitative and quantitative economic interactions with Southeast Asia will only integrate India further into the region helping India and the Southeast Asian countries to define a new world order dominated by Asia. ---INFA

(The author is Chief Editor & Singapore Representative of India-China Economic & Cultural Council)

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 5 November 2009

States Alerted Again

HOPES NOW ON RABI CROP

By Insaf

The States are being engaged and alerted constantly by the Centre on the basis of the first advance estimates now available to the Union Agriculture Ministry to go all out in augmenting Rabi production so as to off-set the losses in Kharif. The Centre has set itself an additional target of 8.5 million tones of foodgrains and 1.5 m tonnes of oil seeds, according to what Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told a conference of Economic Editors in New Delhi on Wednesday last. The year 2008-09 recorded an all-time high production of 233.3 m tonnes of foodgrains comprising 117.70 m tonnes of Kharif and 116.18 m tonnes of Rabi. The advance estimates indicate a shortfall of around 15 m tonnes in rice, 5.5 m tonnes in coarse cereals, 21 m tonnes in food grains and 2.5 million tones in oil seeds. Most of this shortfall in Kharif is likely to occur in UP, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

The States are being reminded about their renewed commitment to increase the area under Rabi as follows: (1) Acreage under wheat to be increased by 0.5 m hectares, resulting in increased production of 2 m tones; (2) Acreage under rice to be increased by 1.2 to 1.5 m hectares in states like West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and UP. This is expected to result in additional production of 1 m tonnes, (3) Area under Rabi pulses to increase by 1.5 m hectares due to improved soil moisture on account of late monsoon. This is expected to result in additional production of 1 m tonne. Similarly, additional area under oil seeds would bring in about 1.2 m tones of extra production (4) Rabi maize and sorghum and summer bajra too would bring in 1.5m tones of additional production. Importantly, the Centre has taken upon itself the responsibility to ensure that the states do not face any problem in the clearance of schemes and there is sufficient availability of inputs like seeds and fertilizers.

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Kisan Credit Ahoy

Two other points need to be made. First, investment plays a key role in achieving higher growth rate. The plan outlay for agriculture and allied sector has been increased substantially. Among other things, the allocation under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana has been stepped up from Rs.3165 crores last year to Rs.4100 crores this year. Second, the availability of agricultural credit, has been stepped up from Rs.18,045 crores in 2005-06 to Rs.2,87,149 crores in 2008-09. A target of Rs.3,25,000 crore has been kept for disbursement of loans this year. An interest subvention of 2 per cent is being provided by the Government for short-term agricultural credit. In addition, a 1 per cent interest subvention for prompt repayments has also been announced. The effective rate of interest for short-term credit to farmers will be 6 per cent. Up to July 2009, 8.53 crore Kisan Credit Cards have been issued to enable farmers to access credit easily from banks.

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Jharkhand Spotlights Corruption

Jharkhand has clearly spotlighted the ugly side of politics. This past week, its former Chief Minister Madhu Koda and now an Independent MP, has been hogging the headlines for alleged money laundering, diversion of State funds and making huge illegal investments abroad -- to the tune of over Rs 2000 crore! From a man of modest means-- a labour contractor, Koda’s assets snow-balled from Rs 35 lakh in 2004 to over Rs 30 crore in 2009. Worse, investigations by the Enforcement Directorate so far reveal that Koda and his associates are involved in hawala transactions worth Rs 560 crore, illegal investments of Rs 1,500 crore and own 70 alleged properties in Delhi, Lucknow and Mumbai among others. Sadly, this great wealth was amassed by Koda when he was Chief Minister and Minister of Mines for nearly two years. Apparently, the Mines department under him had recommended to the Centre grant of lease of coal and iron ore mines to nearly two dozen-odd companies after striking underhand deals, each running into crores. Gross misuse of authority. Will the buck stop here? Koda has no party to back him!

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J&K Gets Rude Shock

Jammu & Kashmir is seething with anger. A week after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh flagged the first-ever train service in Kashmir to “improve connectivity”, his Home Minister P Chidambaram did just the opposite. From November 1, his Ministry has banned pre-paid mobile connections in the State. The reason? Security concerns as proper identity verification was not being done by service providers while giving the connections. The impact: 39 lakhs of the 45 lakh subscribers will get affected, about 10,000 telephone operators will lose jobs and, worse, the “unwise and ham-handed move” negates the PM’s assertion that “the era of violence is coming to an end.”  The big question: Can’t identity requirements be tightened? Not just that. The State received another rude shock when the Services team of the Defence forces (which also claim that the situation is improving) failed to show up for the Ranji Trophy match against the J&K team in Srinagar. The no-show was apparently because of security concerns.  Time for the Centre to make up its mind whether Kashmir is moving towards normalcy or not? 

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Battle Royale In UP

The Samajwadi Party in UP should be on edge today. The byelections to 12 seats in the State are a crucial challenge for its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. More so in three strongholds-- Ferozabad Lok Sabha seat, and Etawah and Bharthana Assembly seats, where both rivals, the Congress and the BSP are leaving no stone unturned to upset his OBC applecart. All eyes, however, are on the Ferozabad seat, where Singh has fielded none other than his daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav. But the going could be tough as other than the BSP, the SP has had to contend with an aggressive Congress. The latter not only has put up former SP MP and film star Raj Babbar, but has had Rahul Gandhi making a rare bypoll campaign with AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh camping there. Interestingly, the BSP chief Mayawati, whose stakes too are very high, has not campaigned “to ensure that there is no consolidation of anti-BSP votes behind any single candidate”. This happened in the Lok Sabha poll to her great cost.    

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Poll Crorepatis!

The recent State Assembly elections have thrown up a new mantra: the more money you have the better your chances of winning elections. This is a bizarre but distressing message that comes out loud and clear. According to an analysis by National Election Watch (NEW) a staggering 50 per cent of MLAs elected are reportedly crorepatis! Worse, the numbers are increasing with every election. In Maharashtra, the number is 184 MLAs as against 108 in 2004, a rise of 63.89 per cent. In Haryana the figures are up from 47 in 2004 to 66 now or 72.22 per cent and in Arunachal the number is up from 17 to 35 or 58.33 per cent. As against this, only 0.98 per cent of candidates who declared assets less than Rs 10 lakh got elected in Maharashtra and a mere 2.34 per cent in Haryana. Sadly, money power is flourishing and getting more and more powerful! The much-celebrated Aam Aadmi will need to worry and watch out! ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Economic Highlights

New Delhi, 30 October 2009

Recovery Fragile

RBI PREPARES FOR MORE SHOCKS

By Shivaji Sarkar

It’s an awkward situation. The doctor has a diagnosis but his prescription does not treat the symptoms. This is what the Reserve Bank of India has done in its latest review of the economy. Its diagnosis, however, has little to cheer the nation. The Central bank Governor, D Subba Rao, says, “The recovery is fragile, inflation is to touch 6.5 per cent by March 2010, private demand has yet to pick up and services sector is performing below the expectations.”

The RBI has not made any change in the growth forecast. It continues to peg it at 6 per cent and it appears that it still conforms to its earlier projection of 5.75 per cent. Though Rao does not say more but his actions indicate that he apprehends a serious crisis. Officially except increasing the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) - the percentage of deposits that banks are required to invest in government debt - to 25 per cent from the existing 24 per cent he has done little.

In fact, it is a more cosmetic prescription as most of the banks are maintaining a higher SLR at 27 per cent. It is, however, a signal that the Government is short of funds and its revenue generation is not matching its demands. This is a sign that the Government would be borrowing more to sustain its budget projections. The rise in SLR is a step backward leading to the pre-reform age, when banks were forced to finance large government deficits. “It is reversal of an exceptional measure,” says Subba Rao. This is an indication that 2010 may not be as bright as it is being projected. The RBI stress on tightening the screws, to prevent an impending financial crisis, is a grim pointer.

In its concern the Central bank withdrew a special facility that made funds available from banks to mutual funds and finance companies, made loans to commercial real estate more expensive and forced banks to invest more in Government bonds. The special facility was introduced last year to boost liquidity to the financial sector firms after the credit market froze. It also means squeezing the funding process that ultimately leads to speculative activities in the stock market and the real estate. It should be seen as a warning and signals distrust in the stock market functions and the real estate.

It is also a reversal of the policy from providing stimulus to checking money supply so that inflation could be controlled. In other words it could be said that the course of debate on economic stimulus has been shifted from boosting growth to controlling inflation or managing inflationary expectations.

In doing all this, the Central bank admitted that bank credit remained sluggish, which is at 10.8 per cent now, and cut its forecast for adjusted non-food credit growth in 2009-10 to 18 per cent from 20 per cent. Non-food credit is a euphemism for the credit off take by the industry, manufacturing and related sectors. This indicates that actual activities at most levels have come to the minimum and there is little hope of recovery in the near future. This possibly explains why Subba Rao calls the recovery or growth “fragile”.

The RBI has reason to be alarmed with the rise in prices of all assets - real estate, equities, gold and commodities. The equity prices have risen by 75 per cent surprisingly in an economy that has remained sluggish.

A 43 per cent year-on year growth in bank lending to real estate at the end of August had already sparked speculation that the RBI might act on these loans. The real estate prices spurted on easy funding and this had to be curbed. The step would be welcome by all who are being fleeced by the real estate sector but it does not give solace to over 30 million people who do not own a dwelling unit. The real estate sharks so have not been contained but the poor seekers of a hue are the worst sufferers. The Central bank with its flip flop policies has not been able to bring any succour to them. Its prescription of raising interest rates and squeezing credit has not hit those it had aimed at. It has not yet ushered in a regime of quality credit - proper appraisal of assets and the commercial sellers.

It is difficult to understand why it does not empower and also make it mandatory for the banks to scrutinize the housing pricing system. The banks have little say on the housing prices but they are expected to fund a sector managed largely by rogue companies. The present prescription is also not expected to hit them. Therefore, it calls for a strong instruction to deal with these elements and not come out with mere showpieces as the RBI is doing repeatedly.

Despite some improvement in the rise of the index of industrial production (IIP) at 5.8 per cent compared to 0.6 per cent growth in 2008-09, it is not being considered as very positive. Intermediate and consumer durable goods sectors witnessed higher growth but the performance of capital goods and consumer non-durable goods was relatively modest.

The biggest concern is on the agricultural front. Fears have been expressed because deficient rainfall might cause disproportionate impact on overall economic prospects and on the sense of well being. “Poor output”, says the Central banks “is bound to push up prices and depress rural labour incomes. Given the inter-sectoral supply-demand linkages, the knock-on impact on the industrial and services sector can also be significant".

Except expressing concern, the Central bank has not come out with a viable solution to push the economy up. Going by its reservations, it seems the country is in for many more shocks. ---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)