POLITICAL DIARY

New Delhi, 9 May 2009

Jiski Lathi Uski Bhains

POLITICAL STRIPTEASE OFFERS NOTHING

By Poonam I Kaushish

Striptease is the flavour of the week in our continuing electoral dance of democracy which culminates four days hence, 16 May. Wherein our polity has turned their fantasies of freebies galore into a seducing reality. No matter that to promise everything, like striptease is to offer nothing.

Politically, the atmosphere is surcharged with tension as uncertainty loom large on which party or alliance will sit on India’s Raj gaddi. Predictably, all parties are on tender-hooks even as they try to upstage their rivals before the curtain comes down. Simultaneously seeking a reprieve in alliances --- of enemies and friends all rolled into one to attain power.

While Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s Congress  is attempting to make a hot potato of BJP’s Advani and vice-versa, the Left continues to spit fire against both the Congress-BJP and sustain its rag-tag Third Front. The Fourth Front’s Trimurti of Lalu, Mulayam and Paswan blow hot and cold to keep alive their importance and make no bones about feasting on the crumbs of office.

Needless to say the Southern siren AIADMK’s Jayalalitha and North’s Behenji Mayawati are unlikely to bind themselves to a script till the final picture of the results emerges. Only then will they decide “in the bet national interest.” Sic.

Trust Rahul to set the cat among the pigeons with his wholesome praise of BJP ally JD (U)’s Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and TDP’s Chandrababu Naidu. Along with coochie-cooing to the Left and serenading Jayalalitha. Leading to raising the hackles of Bengal’s stormy petrel Trinamool’s Mamata and the taciturn DMK’s Karunanidhi and Sonia rushing to placate their giant-sized egos.

Not to be left behind, the Saffron Sangh plays footsie with the TRS and keeps the door open for the return of the prodigal BJD’s Naveen Patnaik. Busy crooning to all and sundry “hamare saath rahoge to aish karoge”.

In a milieu where the secular enemies and communal friends are rolled into one all agree to disagree on the aftermath. Thus turning India’s evolving democracy on its head. Instead of electing a representative Government, we are instead saddled with opportunities and liars. Exposing as never before the out and out disdain with which our political class holds democracy and the aam aadmi.

There is no gainsaying that these elections have exposed the worst kind of politicking. A power-play when personality-oriented malicious vilification seemed to have became the hallmark of democracy. Which trashed promises of stability. Blotted the pledges of development. Blackened the words good governance. Starting with the tu-tu-mein-mein between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Advani, down Sonia-Modi halla bol and Left-Congress yudh.

Culminating in Mulayam’s shocking brazenness of throwing all Constitutional maryada and political niceties to the winds by publicly announcing his support to any party or alliance which sacked bete noire Mayawati’s BSP Government in UP. The Indian Constitution be damned. Making matters worse, the Congress added fuel by stating it would go by “the legality and constitutionality”. Bluntly, if push came to shove, a way could be found.

The disarray at the political level is not surprising. Given that politics in recent years has not been about choosing the best from alternatives, but about choosing the lesser evil. The electorate has acted on this principle and political parties have adopted it as there credential.

Worse, in these days of artificially made alliances we are persuaded to believe that ends justify means. Thus, not only have the parties been torn to tatters. But also the cacophony of turf battles has never been so loud. Reduced to meaningless banalities and rank hypocrisy.

Wherein stability and clean governance was everybody’s monotonous theme. Hoping that none would demand to see their dirty laundry! All assuring they would be accountable to the people. But cut the morality and advice from the political diatribe one is left with a large vacuum.

Not only that. This election was sans issue and ideology where a candidate would be elected on the basis of his or her brand --- caste, creed and religion. Just like a toothpaste. See how the advertising companies packaged our netas to present a Colgate smile to the electorate. The inflated claims made by the toothpastes pale beside the exaggerated dissonance of the politicians.

Reduced to the level where small and petty leaders strut about the arena in make-believe giant strides. Unfortunately there is no sight of a tall leader to pick up the remaining crumbs. All employing individual meanness for public good. Failing to realize that stability and responsibility are the touchstone of a mature and meaningful democracy.

A stable government the world over has a head-start in providing cleans and efficient governance, enjoying a free run on developmental activity and unhampered by the debilitating task of having to look over one’s shoulder all the time. Tragically, as our experience of the last 62 years shows, stability neither translates into responsibility nor into good and clean governance.

Until the nineties, every Government lasted its full five-year term. These could be called stable in the narrow sense of the term. But can we proudly assert that they always behaved responsibly. No. a big ‘No’. In fact, asli Bharat or Brand India has turned into what is best described as a feudal democracy. In the vice-like grip of feudal lords and of casteism, communalism, corruption and increasing criminalization. Wherein our netagan live only for the moment and wrap themselves in the bygone glory of yester years. Reducing good governance to a mirage of feeding hungry stomachs and removing poverty.

Significantly, the frenzied electioneering threw up six most striking moral aspects. One, assiduous cultivation of low morality is essential today for a place in high political society. Two, preaching morality is one thing, practicing it quite another. Three, politics has everything to do with acceptability, little with credibility. Four, public life is all compromises, not principles.

Five, compulsions of politics dictates political discourse. Six, there is no dividing line is left between state-craft and witch-craft. Undoubtedly, never before has politics denigrated to the gutter level. In the hope the gutter-sniping would bring them political tripti.

Through this political pollutant three things are becoming clear. One, arithmetically it seems pretty difficult for the Congress and BJP to make it to the Rubicon of the magical figure of 272. What with prognostications and opinion polls swinging from one extreme to the other. Two, everybody wants power but all distrust each other. And everything boils down to a gut feeling of ifs and buts. Three, the country be damned, honey it is all about power and money!

What next? Events have their own momentum. True, by the week end, things should be crystal clear on who sits on India’s Raj gaddi. But election 2009 will stand testimony to the widespread moral rot in the political system given the cut throat battle at the hustings.

Our polity need to remember that political fevicol is not the binder for a nation’s moral and emotional fabric. Nor do quick fix remedies provide any relief. Plainly, the country’s image cannot be made or unmade to suit political convenience and tactics by the so-called secular parties and make-believe communal ones.

Sadly, if our leaders continue to dig pits for one and other, governance will have to take a backseat. Resulting in our polity not only fooling themselves but also the country. Questionably, will one have to wait for an accident of history or another election for India to move in the right direction? --- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Events & Issues

New Delhi, 5 May 2009

‘Year of Basmati’

BOILING CONTROVERSY SPOILS AROMA

By Radhakrishna Rao

The breach of trust between India and Pakistan appears to have boiled down to the patenting of the Basmati rice and making a mash of better earnings from exports for both the countries. The long-grained, aromatic Basmati rice grown in the Himalayan foot hills spread across parts of India and Pakistan continues to be in great demand in the global commodities market. Not long back India had successfully fought the plan to copy the Basmati brand by the US-based Rice Tec by naming the rice grown in Texas as “Taxmati” and the rice grown in Kansas as “Kasmati”. 

In fact, trade sources in India have all along been driving home the point that Saudi Arabia and the Green and Free Trade Association of the United Kingdom, the two leading importers of this premium quality rice of Indian and Pakistani origin, use the term Basmati only for the scented and long grained rice grown in parts of the two neighbours.

However in a development of significance, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), functioning under the Ministry of Commerce has approached the High Court of Sind in neighbouring Pakistan to get the trademark granted by Karachi’s Registrar of Trademarks to the Basmati Growers’ Association of Lahore for Basmati rice nullified.

The Minister of State for Commerce, Jairam Ramesh, had particularly noted that the somersault by the Pakistanis constitutes a serious breach of trust and mutual understanding even as both the countries have been discussing the possibility of jointly marketing this premium quality rice and protecting it through the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The minister also made it clear that APEDA would immediately take up the case of Basmati rice and file applications for the registration of trademarks.

Against this backdrop it is little surprising that New Delhi has decided to  put on hold all joint initiatives with Pakistan for a common registration of “Geographical Indication” for Basmati rice in Europe. As it is, not long back, Islamabad had suggested that 2009 should be celebrated as “Year of Basmati” with a view to create global awareness about its uniqueness.

India earns around US$700-million per year through the export of Basmati rice, as per statistics available. Under the Export of Basmati Rice (Quality Control and Inspection) Act of 2003, the Commerce Ministry has notified the key qualities of exportable variety of Basmati as “long grain, cooking quality aromatic” strain. As such virtually all scented rice strains cultivated in the sub-Himalayan stretches of North India should pass as Basmati and fit for export. This would help expand the export net of this variety of rice. .

Currently, the rice varieties grown in the Gangetic plains legally qualify as Basmati only if one of its parents is a repository of natural genes without being tampered genetically at any point of time. Clearly, the traditional Basmati strains happen to be the repositories of genetic variability and well-suited to the local soil type and environmental conditions.

Moreover, New Delhi-based Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) continues to insist that the Basmati definition should include the requirements of being recognized under the Indian Seeds Act. As pointed out by Dr Mangala Rai, Director General of ICAR “The enormous contribution of IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) to improving Basmati rice varieties has put the country on such a great strength that it is extremely competitive in Basmati trade at the global level”. According to APEDA, while Pakistan continues to export super Basmati to European countries and enjoys a good market, India is mainly exporting the Pusa variety and not the super variety, which is grown in some parts of the country.  The father of green revolution, Dr M.S Swaminathan, and currently Chairman of the National Farmers Commission has called for the setting up of an experts group with a view to review the definition of Basmati rice and put an end to the controversies surrounding this premium quality rice variety.

According to All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) patenting rice grains as Basmati is misleading. Any company was free to put out aromatic rice, but the same should not confuse the consumers for Basmati. Accordingly, Gene Campaign, a New Delhi-based organization campaigning against gene piracy, notes that Basmati, the most expensive rice variety in the world, is as much unique to India and Pakistan as Champagne is to France.

Meanwhile, analysts of rice trade in the country have driven home the point that New Delhi should give quickening impetus to the research into Basmati varieties—both traditional and genetically bred—so that the confusion over the definition becomes a thing of the past and the Indian Basmati is protected under geographical indicator.

As things stand now, among the six traditional Indian Basmati strains, only Taraori Basmati continues to be in great demand from across the world. However ICAR is concerned that the Commerce Ministry in a hurry to attract more foreign exchange through exports will broaden the definition of the Basmati rice that could in the long run harm the prospects of this premium rice variety in the global market.

As such ICAR has driven home the point that “the provision of the Seed Act 1966 be retained in the case of Basmati rice also like all other crop varieties of the country so that the seed quality, distribution and production is regulated”. This is so because by diluting the definition, we would only allow our main competitor Pakistan to gain an advantage.

For many years now, environmentalist groups from across the country have been campaigning to protect the traditional crop varieties from the “bio-pirates on the prowl”. Way back in 2006, a writ petition field in the Kerala High Court by the Nature Lovers Movement based in Tiruvankulam, Ernakulam district had sought effective steps by the authorities concerned to prevent gene robbery and bio-piracy. In fact, the growing public awareness about the rich and diverse genetic wealth and its vulnerability to piracy seems to have forced the powers-that-be to initiate action to safeguard the biological resources and genetic wealth of the country. When will they succeed? –INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Sunday Reading

New Delhi, 2 May 2009

Right To Food

RAISE HOPE, LIMIT POVERTY & HUNGER

By Dr MM Kapur

Our Lord Vishnu used to grant boons when he was well-fed and content. We now have a culture of holding free bhandaras on family celebrations and festivals to earn a boon out of satisfying others’ needs.    

Science tells us that under nutrition (UNN) and starvation impact the body machine in a negative manner. Systems of the body fall prey to disorders, till life itself is under threat. Food security is an important indicator of a nation’s vitality. It is defined as “Reliable cost/availability of sufficient quantity and quality of nutritious food for a population”

In its 2002 report the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) stated that 24% of the Indian population is undernourished and the other 1/5th suffers from chronic hunger. Five years hence, FAO noted: “record grain harvests and the yield was 2100 million metric tonnes.” If all the cereals grown had been distributed equally across the 6.6 billion world population and used as food there would have been no crisis. The cereals alone would have supplied everyone amounts of calories and proteins with about 30% left over.

In reality, the world-over it is estimated that about 923 million people are undernourished, 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty and over 3 billion live in less than $2 per day. What are the reasons for this food insecurity?

Over the past 20 years, world food production has risen steadily at over 2% a year, while the rate of global population growth has dropped to 1.14% a year. Clearly, population is not outstripping food supply. The real reason is that people are too poor to buy the food that is available. Sadly, we are seeing hungry people in greater numbers than before—even when there is food on shelves and stores.

What then are the causes that result in food shortage and price rise? For one, cereal stock is being diverted in many countries as livestock feed, sweetener (i.e. high-fructose corn syrup), raw material for plastic, and feedstock for fuel in the form of ethanol. An estimated 100-million tonnes of grain per year are being redirected from food to fuel. Filling a tank of an average car with bio fuel, amounts to as much maize (Africa's principal food staple) as an African person consumes in an entire year.

Another reason is the changing food habits i.e. increasing non-vegetarianism among people. Seven kg of grains are equivalent to one kg of beef. In addition, the rise in oil prices has increased the costs of fertilizers, majority of which require petroleum or natural gas to manufacture. Because natural gas can substitute for petroleum in some uses, the increasing prices for petroleum lead to increasing prices for natural gas, and in turn for fertilizers.

Moreover, speculation and future trading have also contributed substantially to the rise in prices of various essential commodities including food items. Another factor is environment, which leads to reduction in crop production. Drought, heat wave, unseasonal rains, cyclone and diseases such as stem rust can play havoc with crops. Besides, large areas of croplands are lost every year due to soil erosion, water depletion and urbanization. Around 60,000 sq km per year of land becomes severely degraded and turns into wasteland that it adds to the crop supply problem.

Though the above points are relevant, in the Indian scenario inadequacy of the public distribution system (PDS), exhaustion of buffer stock as a part of globalisation and rapid opening up of the agricultural sector to foreign competition, which is vastly subsidized foodgrain, are specific issues leading to the food crisis.  

In July 2002, India was at an all-time high 63.1 million tonnes of food grain stocks with the Food Corporation of India (FCI). This exceeds the requirement for food security by about 20 million tonnes. Yet over 200 million people go hungry and 50 million are on the brink of starvation. Regrettably, the existence of food stocks above buffer requirements has not translated into availability.

Worse, the WTO agreement on agriculture has unfortunately made developing countries like ours more committed to marketing of agriculture than developed nations like the US, which have continued to maintain their high level subsidies. This has made agriculture in India less profitable, discouraging farmers from the field and resulting in reduction of production.

A look at excerpts of an interview with Union Minister of Agriculture Sharad Pawar by TV anchor Karan Thapar, on the issue of food security is telling:  

Pawar: "As representative of the Government, I know better than the papers. Suppose I purchase wheat from Punjab and Haryana and if I have to sell it to the entire South India, my yearly storage charges and my transport charges alone cost me Rs 1,150 to Rs 1,160 per quintal. My import price from Australia in southern India is somewhat close to Rs 950. It is my responsibility to protect the interests of the consumer, and for the sake of protecting the interests, I have to build up my buffer stock, and essentially in southern India. For the sake of building the buffer stock, in the case of an eventuality, I have no choice, I will import from anywhere”.  

Thapar: Professor MS Swaminathan, the father of Green Revolution in the country, says that India is facing second agrarian crisis. Professor Utsa Patnaik says India has become the republic of hunger. Do you agree with them?

Pawar: “I don't say that we are a republic of hunger. But it is true that investment in the agricultural sector in the last five-seven years, both public and private, has come down. This has affected the sector.”

Well, there are over 230 million people suffering from hunger or undernourishment in India, representing 27% of the worldwide hunger-stricken population! No other nation has so many people suffering from chronic malnutrition.

Unfortunately, the developed nations refuse to eliminate their outrageous agricultural subsidies while imposing rules of international trade on rest of the world. Their voracious transnational corporations set prices, monopolise technologies, impose unfair certification processes on trade, and manipulate distribution channels, sources of financing, trade and supplies for the production of food worldwide. They also control transportation, research, gene banks and production of fertilizers and pesticides.

It is this unfair trading world that globalisaton and the WTO has led our poverty-ridden citizens into. However, we can be fair within our borders: recognizing that food at affordable price is a human right. This is what one Gandhi we know would endorse. Parties can only ask for the boon of vote if they provide this human right.

With limiting of poverty and hunger hope will return. The thinking voter has an awesome power. Political Parties will have to reinvent themselves to meet the expectations of the thinking man. Sixty years is a long time and the aam aadmi’s patience has limits. --INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)

Round The States

New Delhi, 8 May 2009

Delhi Clears ‘Pappu’ Test

HIGHEST TURNOUT IN IV PHASE

By Insaf

Voting in the fourth phase of elections for 85 Lok Sabha seats in eight States was by far the best so far—a good 57 per cent. Delhi citizens made the National Capital proud as they came out in record numbers putting both Mumbaikars and Bangalorians to shame. Barring some incidents of violence which claimed four lives in trouble-torn Nandigram, and some pockets of Rajasthan and Punjab, polling was by and large peaceful on Thursday last. While West Bengal topped the chart with 75 per cent voting, Haryana recorded 63 per cent as against Punjab’s 65 per cent, Bihar’s 37 per cent and Uttar Pradesh’s 50 per cent. Polling was the lowest in Srinagar, 24 per cent. More importantly, however, it was higher than 19 per cent of 2004 and proved to be yet another case of the voters saying boo to the separatists’ call for a boycott. In the numbers game, this phase of polling was crucial to the Congress, as it expects to make big gains in Rajasthan, West Bengal and Punjab as against the BJP’s performance in the third phase. At least, it expects to retain its hold over Rajasthan and Delhi.

Speaking of Delhi, the city which has seven seats, recorded 53 per cent voting –the highest in 20 years. It was 12 per cent more than Mumbai’s 41 per cent and seven per cent more than the last Lok Sabha poll. Interestingly, the middle-class appears to have risen over its apathy and came out in good numbers, particularly in the elite New Delhi constituency (59 per cent), followed by East Delhi (54 per cent) and West Delhi (53 per cent). The credit for this encouraging change to a large extent goes to the city’s Chief Electoral Officer Satbir Silas Bedi’s campaign, wherein it asked the electorate ‘not to be a Pappu,’ (an idiot who doesn’t vote). Media and a number of NGOs too played a persuasive part. Likewise, adjoining ‘Millennium city’ and hip Gurgaon took its voting percentage tally from a mere 12 per to 40 per cent. With 75 per cent of the polling (457 of the 543 seats) over,  the parties are now busy preparing for the final round of 86 seats next Wednesday.  

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Raw Deal For Women

Aspiring women politicians have received a raw deal this election, notwithstanding tall, hypocritical talk by top leaders of all political parties of providing of 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament. Information available from the Election Commission portrays a dismal picture. Of the 7,000 candidates who have filed nominations so far –only 493 are women, a mere 7 per cent of the total! Some State-wise statistics further add to the revelation: For the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, only seven women have been fielded with not a single from Himachal Pradesh; of the 315 candidates in Andhra Pradesh just 25 are women; in Kerala there are 15 women of 217 candidates; Karnataka has more political parties (28) than women candidates 19 and 17 women are in the fray in the national Capital, Delhi, which has about five million voters.

Of all the parties, the Congress has fielded the maximum number of women – 41 (though less than 2004 election’s 45 tally), with the BJP following with 39, the BSP 22 and Left parties 10. As against this, 178 women have decided to contest as Independents. Acknowledging the imbalance, BJP spokesperson Balbir Punj explained: “Most of the women contesting belong to political families or are proxy candidates.” He suggests parties should reserve at least 25 per cent tickets to increase their representation. Women, he added are given tickets only if they have an “exceptionally strong chance of winning.” Ironically, all this even when more women win elections than men. The EC estimates that 12.7 per cent women win seats they contest compared to just 9.8 per cent men. Well, political parties should take a look at the recent results of the Civil Services exams. Women have bagged the top three ranks, creating history.

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UP Surprise For Cong, BJP

Uttar Pradesh may spring a pleasant surprise for both the Congress and the BJP, if seat calculations made so far prove right. In fact, the Congress appears to be counting on the return of the good days after almost two decades of being in the cold. This hope emanates from what appears to be a decisive shift of Muslim votes in its favour. The trend in the three phases suggests that at least a dozen of Congress candidates seem to be in a winning position. Indeed, its decision to snap ties with the Samajwadi Party looks like proving to be a boon. The SP chief Mulayam’s friendship with former UP Chief Minister and BJP leader Kalyan Singh has affected the party’s secular credentials amongst its Muslims. The division of secular votes among the SP, Congress and the BSP is expected to help the BJP. Moreover, the saffron party seems to have retrieved a large chunk of its Hindu votes thanks to aggressive campaigning by Mahant Yogi Adityanath in eastern UP and Varun Gandhi in central UP.  

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Bihar CM In Much Demand

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is turning out to be a much sought-after leader for post-poll alliances. With less than 10 days left for the results to trickle in, both the Congress and the Left parties are busy seeking to woo him away from the BJP-led NDA. His party, the JD (U) has a chunk of 40 seats in the Lok Sabha. However, on Tuesday last, Congress General Secretary and ‘key strategist’ Rahul Gandhi set the cat amongst the pigeons by, first, praising Nitish as someone who “has intention to work” and, second, that his party would be open to all post-poll options. Two days later, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said at a rally that Nitish “would not go with the Congress or the BJP. He will be with us. We are in constant touch with him.” However, Nitish has rubbished the overtures and says he is with the NDA. How true he is to his word will be known soon, once the counting of votes is completed on the eagerly-awaited D-Day --- May 16!

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Without Tigers!

There is bad news for wildlife lovers. The Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh has no male tiger. There was one in January, but it has disappeared, according to the Special Investigation Team in Panna sent by the National Tiger Conservation Authority to confirm the missing report. But the state’s Principal Chief Conservator dismisses it is “nothing new” and adds: “We sought permission from the Centre for relocating a male big cat some time back”.  Efforts are on to revive the tiger population in the sanctuary by translocating two tigresses in March. Unfortunately, the Reserve has become another Sariska. The tiger population dwindled from 35 in 2003 to zero in a span of six years.  However, the locals still have a hope. They suspect a male tiger is in the periphery of the reserve and may well choose to give company to the two tigresses!---INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)