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Round the States
Voting Data Delay: INDIA BLOC-EC TUG OF WAR, By Insaf, 18 May 2024 |
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Round The States
New Delhi, 18 May 2024
Voting Data Delay
INDIA BLOC-EC TUG OF WAR
By Insaf
Alas, the ongoing
general elections have triggered an unsavoury tug of war between the Opposition
and Election Commission. The INDIA bloc has raised serious concerns with the
Election Commission over its silence on revealing actual voting figures and
just not phase-wise voting percentages. Nirvachan Sadan has responded with a statement saying the first four
phases of polls have recorded an overall voter turnout of 66.95% with 45.1
crore votes cast across 379 constituencies. The bloc is rightly not satisfied
and is mulling over legal options other than mounting public pressure. The
civil society and media organisations too have stepped in, for valid reasons.
The Opposition says the sudden jump in final voter turnout by nearly 5.75% from
what ECI had released earlier is ‘worrying’. There are fears of manipulation of
results as several EVMs were missing for a long period. In simple terms, the actual
voting figures is significant on day of counting as these help to compare the
actual votes polled with the votes counted. Any mismatch during counting cannot
be proved otherwise. With the 400 plus seats’ claim of BJP being hazy since the
poll battle first kicked off, the Election Commission must allay the
fears.
It is being argued
that while first phase of polling was held on April 19, the second was held on
April 26. But the EC released final voter turnout percentage only on April 30,
11 days after the first phase of polling! The percentage of voter turnout for
these two phases was 66.14% in the first and 66.71% in the next. These were
substantially higher (6.14% in phase 1 and over 5% in phase 2) than the initial
voter turnout that EC had provided soon after polling had ended in these phases.
Expectedly, the Congress wrote to the EC, but the latter has reacted strongly.
It said: “Commission fully respects the right to free speech and considers it
to be the privilege of political parties and their leaders to correspond and
communicate with each other. However, the Commission has a responsibility to
act against developments which have a direct impact on delivery of its core
mandate of conduct of elections in its entirety till the delivery of results.” And
the delay was not ‘unusual’ and the time taken was “required to collect data
from a large number of polling stations.” Not good enough. The democratic
exercise must not only be ‘free and fair’ but must be seen as such. Nothing
short of it will do.
* * *
Delhi AAP Drama
Delhi Chief Minister
and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal is caught in a political storm, of his own
making! Worse, at the wrong place and wrong time. Delhi, which goes to the
polls in less than 10 days, is agog over the rift between him and his Rajya
Sabha member Swati Maliwal, which obviously has rival BJP smiling. Following
Maliwal complaining to the police of alleged ‘assault’ by Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal’s
aide at his residence on Monday last, a team of Delhi cops recorded her
statement on Thursday. It’s said she was ‘abused, before being hit on her face,
chest, stomach and lower part of body and she ran outside and made the PCR
call.’ While AAP has condemned the incident, Kejriwal has taken no action as
assured, and the police has filed an FIR against Kumar. The BJP is flogging the
incident to reach out to voters raising concerns over women’s safety in the
Capital, the NCW has stepped in and summoned Kumar, AAP supporters are
flummoxed whether she will switch over to BJP and Kejriwal cleverly has been
skirting the issue. The big question is how much of an impact will the case
have on AAP voters or will Kejriwal’s plea to push the button on jhadu to
keep him out of jail weigh more?
* * *
Mamata’s Googly
TMC
supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee does it yet again -- fuel
a guessing game. Within 24 hours of announcing she would ‘extend outside
support to INDIA bloc if it comes to power at Centre, at a campaign rally in
Chinsurah, Didi proclaimed at another in Tamluk she’s ‘very much part of
the alliance, as it’s her brainchild and we are together at the national level
and will continue to be together.’ Expectedly, it has a but -- “TMC is not in alliance
with CPM and Congress in Bengal. They aren’t with us; they are with BJP
here.’ Prompting bête noire WBPCC chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to react, the ‘opportunist
politician’, is ‘now recognising the alliance’ growing momentum and is aiming
to maintain her relevance in national politics.’ Well, that’s not all. Mamata apparently
is keeping an eye on 2026 Assembly
polls, sending a message that even if she’s part of the bloc, she would remain
at a distance and at same time doesn’t want to hurt her anti-BJP stance and thus
won’t oppose the alliance. Either way, she wants to have the cake and eat it
too!
* * *
Andhra Poll Violence
The YSR Congress
Party-Telugu Desam Party bitter rivalry in Andhra Pradesh violently came back
to the fore this week. Supporters from both sides indulged in violence across
the state during polling and post polling for simultaneous Lok Sabha and
Assembly elections held on May 13. An
upset Election Commission has summoned
both state Chief Secretary and DGP to Delhi seeking ‘personal
explanation’ as to why there was a complete failure of state machinery in
containing the violence. Reports of petrol bombs being thrown, damaging of
EVMs, local officials’ vehicles set on fire, and even a building, incidents of
stone-pelting, an MLA and his aides beating up a voter and mob wielding broken
beer bottles and hammers in play, et al trickled in from districts and many
went viral on social media. The police had to fire in the air, resort to baton
charge in places and though the situation was said to be brought under control
with at least 300 people arrested, Nirvachan Sadan on Thursday dialled Union
Home Ministry. It was directed to retain 25 companies of central forces even
after June 4 counting. Nagging fear is victory celebrations of either party are
bound to turn ugly!
* * *
Careless
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
government has invited a hard knock from the Supreme Court over its “lackadaisical”
approach to controlling forest fires. It is presenting a rosy picture of plans
being in place, whereas it’s ‘a very sorry state of affairs,’ and no steps have
been taken for so far. Noting the state was trying to find some excuse or the
other, the top court directed Chief Secretary to be present on May 17 to give an
explanation. The bench was aghast that
while funds from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning
Authority (CAMPA) were available and sanctioned, only Rs 3.41 crore of Rs 9.12
crore was spent for forest-related activity in 2023-24. Why the balance amount
was not utilised for forestry, why are there huge vacancies in the dept, are
questions being asked. The bigger question however, being whether funds are being
utilised for some other purposes, as is often the case with governments? Answers
are vital, but the state wants to skip these, suggesting the SC set up a panel comprising
CAMPA members, Centre, state and others which can suggest ‘a holistic approach’
to deal with the issue! Clearly, trying to keep forest fires issue on the back
burner!---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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India Reclaims PoK: AN ELECTION GIMMICK?, By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri, 17 May 2024 |
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Round The World
New Delhi, 17 May 2024
India Reclaims PoK
AN ELECTION GIMMICK?
By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri
(Secretary General, Assn for
Democratic Socialism)
In response to former
J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s reference to Pakistan having atom
bombs, Union Home Minister Amit Shah retorted that India is not afraid of
Pakistan’s bomb and that every inch of PoK belongs to India. He further
asserted that India will reclaim PoK one day or the other. This is indeed a
tall claim but a right one to make. However, is it only an election gimmick or
a serious intention which becomes a part of BJP’s manifesto? Notably, it has
not been included in the Manifesto. Why not? This is the question this article
seeks to address.
Let me throw a caveat.
Election promises either written into a manifesto or announced in public
meetings amount to populism, to whip up emotions of the electors and create
jingoism when it comes to foreign policy issues, in particular, Pakistan.
Manifesto is a cardinal document of a party which is presented at the time of
elections. Remember, the famous Communist manifesto which provided the basis
for progressive politics in the world: Communism and its variants. Since then,
however, manifestoes have not been adhered to in letter or sprit.
In developed
democracies, there is some ethical regard to manifestoes and the voters can
hold the parties to account. In many democracies, manifestoes are not to inform
people but to give political identity to the groups that they issue them by
focusing their antipathies. That is why perhaps Prime Minister Modi, in order
to be more persuasive, called the BJP manifesto ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’.
Mid-way in the current
elections, the Prime Minister seems to have downplayed the emphasis on the
guarantee which is a stronger concept than the manifesto. Cynics of Indian
democracy should have been happy that elections are fought on guarantees. Interestingly,
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, as he came out of jail, announced ten
guarantees as opposed to Modi’s.
He has promised to
reclaim the territories occupied by China. This is a taller order than
reclaiming PoK. It would sound good to nationalist elements. But is it
feasible? At any rate, the point is Kejriwal, running one-and-half government
is promising to retrieve lands from China. He does say that these guarantees
will apply if his Alliance comes to power. He admitted that he had not
consulted his INDIA colleagues while making this promise.
What do these
guarantees mean? In marketing language, guarantee would mean that you can
return a product within a specified period if fails to function. Will the
politicians return the mandate and resign if they fail to fulfil the promise
they are making. This is better than what is called Right to Recall; citizens
could recall their representatives if they are found incompetent or immoral by
their voters.
Coming back to PoK, it
is in order that we briefly reflect on the history of India’s partition and
integration of princely states into the Indian Union. Kashmir, a
Muslim-majority region under the rule of a Hindu king decided to accede to
Indian Union. Some Muslim tribals backed by Pakistani army invaded Kashmir to
separate it from Indian Union on the basis of the majority argument. As per the
rule of accession, Kashmir belonged to India. Indian army was beating back the
invaders but for some controversial reasons, Prime Minister Nehru asked it to
stop. He took it to the United Nations. Rest is history.
The line where the
advancing Indian army was asked to stop became the LAC between India and
Pakistan. The latter has been claiming Kashmir on the
Indian side whereas the entire Kashmir belongs to India. Pakistan has no case. Some
of us have been arguing that India, instead of being defensive on Indian part
of the Kashmir, should claim PoK without which the integration of Kashmir into
India is incomplete.
Another issue to note
is the special status given to Kashmir by Union of India. That status was
exploited by separatist forces in Kashmir backed by Pakistan. And worse,
Pakistan continues to sponsor terrorism in and through Kashmir to destablise
India. Thanks to the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the state of Jammu
& Kashmir was split into two Union territories, J&K and Ladakh. The
idea was to contain terrorism in the valley and restore normalcy for the
improvement of livelihoods, law and order in the region.
Pakistan is deviously
using PoK to draw China into the conflict between India and Pakistan. This has
dramatically transformed the geo-political situation in the region and
threatens the security of the country. India did not join the Belt & Road
Initiative launched by China as it runs through PoK. Pakistan leasing off parts
of PoK to China is alarming. Now a huge rebellion in PoK is witnessed against
Pakistan. Apparently, people of PoK protesting against Pakistan against
inflation and scarcity have hoisted the Indian flag. Such a development should
be encouraging to India.
BJP leadership is
speaking in a forked tongue. On the one hand, it is asserting that every inch
of PoK belongs to India. But apparently Govt of India is doing precious little in
recovering PoK. The other rendition of BJP is that the people of PoK will opt
to join India as they are fed-up with Pakistan’s inefficiency and corruption in
PoK. This seems to be a wishful thinking. Pakistan will not let PoK secede
without a fight or unbearable international pressure. The Prime Minister of
Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif has sanctioned $82.6 million to PoK to quench the
demand. It is difficult to predict if this would settle the issue.
Unarguably, peoples’
suffering from the oppressive regime cannot easily break away. Balochs in
Pakistan should have done it long ago. So would have Catalans in Spain or
Rohingyas in Myanmar. The international community has to support wherever
legitimate the liberation of such people. In Kashmir, it is a matter of
contention between India and Pakistan. Thus far, Pakistan has been relentlessly
agitating in international fora for getting the Indian part of Kashmir. India,
although has not made a formal claim of PoK, the BJP leadership has been
raising it off and on. This is perfect strategy on Kashmir; the entire Kashmir
has to be integrated with India.
To the surprise of
election strategists, BJP did not include PoK in its manifesto and make it a
frontline election issue. This should have polarised the electorate if INDIA
partners did not echo the reclaiming of PoK. That brings us to our initial
hypothesis that PoK could be an afterthought and is pressed mid-way as election
propaganda. If that be so, it is disappointing. Also, BJP would have missed the
bus on PoK in election time.
Be that as it may.
Elections will be over in a couple of weeks. The issue of PoK would writ large
on India’s foreign policy vis-a vis China as well as Pakistan. So, the current
leadership, namely the incumbent government, be better advised to make PoK their
political conviction and go for it. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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POLL GUESSES FAVOUR RAJIV, By Inder Jit, 16 May 2024 |
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REWIND
New Delhi, 16 May 2024
POLL GUESSES FAVOUR RAJIV
By Inder Jit
(Released on 4 December 1984)
Poll talk dominates all else. The guessing game is on
again. Newsmen commentators and anyone who appears to have some clue about the
mood of the voters and the possible outcome of the forthcoming general election
to the Lok Sabha are in great demand. So also are the astrologers who are
better placed than most others. They have at least the Bhrigu Samhita and the
stars to go by. Not only those in seats of authority and their cohorts but
hundreds of others all over the country are busy getting them to peer into the
future. Those anxious to retain power or aspiring to membership of Parliament
want help to determine their prospects and tactics. Celestial guidance is also
being sought by scores of captains of industry and others to decide on the
political horses they should specifically back -- and the best way they should hedge
their bets. Seasoned politicians and observers alone prefer not to commit themselves
and speak in parables. Candidly, talk in terms of numbers is wild at any time.
It is even more so today -- three weeks before the poll. Anything can happen
between now and then.
Nevertheless, certain broad trends are discernible. Dame
Fortune continues to smile benignly on Mr Rajiv Gandhi. He has not only got the
Prime Ministership of India on a gold platter. He also looks like romping back
to power in the poll. No, this assessment is not based on the feelings of the
men around young Rajiv. It is based on informal soundings of some top
Opposition leaders. One Janata leader, known for his political horse sense,
gave the Congress-I between 250 and 275 seats out of 515 being contested.
Another said: “Our friend is being cautious. I would give Rajiv anywhere from
275 to 300 seats.” A top BJP leader agreed later the same day. He told me: “Rajiv
will easily get a majority even 300 seats.” A top Lok Dal leader and another
top BJP leader differed in their assessments. Both separately said: “No one
will get a clear majority. Rajiv will get only 100 seats.” Who would win the
remaining 415 seats? I asked. There was some humming and hawing, but no answer.
Eventually, both said: “Arre bhai, one can only make wild guesses”.
Several factors seem to favour Mr Rajiv Gandhi and his
Congress-I, not the least of which is the tragic failure of the Opposition to
unite and offer the country a credible alternative. Consequently, the
Congress-I alone today offers the people a one-party government. No other party
has fielded enough candidates to provide a government by itself. In fact, the
Opposition does not even offer a coalition government, let alone a stable
regime. This is of basic importance against the backdrop of past experience. In
the post-1967 period, people voted against the Congress and for SVD coalitions
in U.P. and elsewhere. But the experiment flopped. In 1977, people voted for
the Janata, assured that they were backing one party and not an SVD. Yet the
Janata leaders not only let themselves down but also the country. Self and
personal ambitions were once again put before the country and we all saw the
dream of a healthy two-party democracy come to a sudden tragic end. Little
solid has been done by these leaders over the past five years to repair the
damage.
No less important are the positive factors which seem to
have encouraged the voters to view Mr. Rajiv Gandhi as a person who can give the
country a stable Government. First and foremost, the people at large seem
impressed by the poise, dignity and fortitude with which Mr. Gandhi conducted
himself in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s assassination. True, not everyone was
able to the day-long telecasts during the period. But the message appears to
have spread widely. Remember, the 1977 poll threw up something altogether new
in the field of communication. The media alone is not the message. The message
is the message – its own carrier. The word about the Janata spread like wildfire
to all nooks and corners of our country in short time even when it had little
access to AIR and Doordarshan. Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, it is conceded, is an unknown quantity
as Prime Minister. But the important thing from the Congress-I viewpoint is
that he appears to have inspired hope and confidence among the common people.
Thinking and educated people have their own yardstick. They
prefer not to be carried away merely by what they saw on Doordarshan and
thereby establish their “superiority and sophistication” over the average voter
-- at least in their own eyes. However, they too, are impressed, though for
different reasons. They are impressed by the fact that Mr. Gandhi has the background
of a good and steady pilot. This ensures that he understands the importance of
three things: the machine, the system and discipline without which he could not
have taken off, sustained himself in the air or safely landed back. In fact,
Mr. Gandhi recently said the same to a top industrialist when the latter
complained that trucks and cars burnt during the recent riots in Delhi were
still lying around. Reportedly said Mr Gandhi: “Unfortunately, nothing gets
done except when the Prime Minister himself orders... As an airlines pilot, I
know I can do well only if I have a good co-pilot and, indeed, a good team in
which the hostess and all others do their respective jobs.”
Not only that. Mr Gandhi is expected to get powerful
support both from the youth and women. Large sections among the youth are happy
to see a younger person at the helm – a person who they feel is likely to
reflect better the hopes and aspirations of their generation. Most women find
him “very handsome and charming”, to quote an expression used by scores of
women over the past few weeks. (Women libbers will, no doubt, protest. But we
cannot ignore basic facts of life and human nature.) Actually, Mr Gandhi’s
popularity with the fair voters brings to my mind an interesting experience of
the 1952 British general election. In the course of my travel, I also visited
Lamington Spa, the constituency of Sir Anthony Eden, Britain's handsome Foreign
Secretary. But I was told that Sir Anthony was never required to campaign. He
merely plastered the town with his portraits and repeatedly won hands down. The
reason? All the women voters invariably turned up to poll and, after taking a
good look at his winsome portrait, voted for him enthusiastically saying: “Oh,
Anthony, ain't he ‘andsome!”
Many doubts were raised in regard to young Rajiv’s capacity
to play politics or, more specifically, poll politics in the wake of Mrs Gandhi’s
assassination. But Mr Gandhi, aided by Mr Arun Nehru, Mr Arun Singh, Mr M.L.
Fotedar and a few other select friends, has taken even his supporters and
sympathisers pleasantly by surprise. First, he did not seek any postponement of
the poll. Instead, he expressed himself in favour of a poll at the earliest.
(Initially, Mrs Gandhi also favoured a poll in the last week of December. But
she then opted for the first week of January.) Second, he has not made sweeping
changes in the Congress list and limited these to the barest minimum for the
present. Third, he has largely tied down two top Opposition leaders, Mr.
Hemwati Bahuguna, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to their constituencies by putting up
the matinee idol Amitabh Bachchan and Mr. Madhav Rao Scindia respectively
against them in a surprise move. Mr. Bahuguna and Mr. Vajpayee were otherwise
expected to spend most of their time campaigning for others both in the Hindi
heartland and elsewhere in the country.
What about the opposition and its leaders? Barring unforeseen
circumstances and a miracle, they seem to have missed the bus once again. The
average voter appears psychologically ready for a change without doubt, he is
disenchanted and disillusioned with the ruling party. It has largely failed to
keep most of its poll promises. What is worse, the nation’s plate, already over
full, has now Punjab and other problems added on top. (According to Mr. Charan
Singh, more than 60 per cent of India’s population now lives below the poverty
line as against 35 per cent earlier.) Nevertheless, voters feel there is no one
they can really turn to in the Opposition in this hour of crisis. The Janata
leader, Mr Chandra Shekhar, the BJP leader, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the
Congress (S) leader, Mr. Sharad Pawar, aroused hopes at one stage. But few talk
of them as potential Prime Ministers – at least for the present. Mr. Charan
Singh’s name comes up repeatedly. But then he appears to have few takers
outside his strongholds in U.P. and Haryana.
Indira Gandhi’s assassination created overnight an
altogether new situation. It opened up political prospects and possibilities.
Power seemed within the Opposition’s grasp in a country which still largely
respects age and believe that youth is no substitute for experience. Yet, all
this has been missed by the Opposition. All, they had to do was to dismount
from their high horses, put country before self and unite. Instead, each was
once again lured by the prospects of Prime Ministership -- the pie in the sky.
Tragically, they could not even agree on adjustment of seats in the crucial
Hindi heartland -- the States of U.P. and Bihar which have all along had a
decisive voice in the choice of the Government and Prime Minister at the
Centre. Different formulae were put forward for division of seats. But each got
shot down eventually. As a top Opposition leader explained: “Since no party is
expected to win a majority, everyone is desperately trying to win as many seats
as possible in the hope of being strong enough to play a decisive role in the
new picture that emerges after the election.”
What the poll will eventually yield is anybody’s conjecture.
It is a pity, however, that Mr Charan Singh, Mr Vajpayee and Mr Chandra Shekhar
were unable to bring off in the north what Mr N.T. Rama Rao and Mr R.K. Hegde
have been able to achieve in the south by way of seat adjustments. (Mr Hegde
expects to bag at least 14 to 16 seats out of a total of 28 seats in Karnataka.
In 1980, the Congress-I won 27 seats and Janata only one seat.) Consequently,
we have lost another opportunity of taking India towards a healthier and more
purposeful two-party or three-party system. Most constituencies look like
witnessing multi-corner contests in which the will of the people seldom gets
reflected truly. In 1980, Indira Gandhi and her Congress-I polled only 42.5 per
cent of the total votes cast. But it won 352 seats in a House of 527 members.
The Janata Party polled 18.93 per cent votes but won only 31 seats. Whether Mr
Gandhi can do one better than his mother remains to be seen. One thing alone
appears clear for the present. If poll guesses are any indication, young Rajiv
appears set for a win. --- INFA
(Copyright, Indi News & Feature
Alliance)
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Future Trends: IS MODI WAVE WANING?, By Dhurjati Mukherjee, 15 May 2024 |
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Open Forum
New Delhi, 15 May 2024
Future Trends
IS MODI WAVE WANING?
By Dhurjati Mukherjee
With the
Lok Sabha elections moving forward, analysts and political pundits are now opining
that the Modi wave is not quite manifest in most states. And any pronounced
polarisation and consolidation of the electorate is not quite discernible.
Questions are being asked whether the BJP-led NDA’s prospects of comfortably
crossing the majority mark would become a reality keeping in view its failure
to move ahead with all sections, specially the marginalised and backward
sections who continue to languish being deprived of basic facilities.
The
ruling party over the past six weeks or so has found it struggling to fuse
the leadership advantage to a singular theme like ‘acche din’ in 2014
and the Balakot episode in 2019. It has switched back on the Ram Temple theme,
rising Bharat and Modi’s guarantees. But reports indicate that these are not
being taken seriously by at least a major section of the electorate.
The
Congress manifesto and promises made by Rahul Gandhi are more appealing and his
simplicity is capturing voters. NDA’s campaign has encountered choppier waters
among Dalits and lower castes in the Hindi belt. Even if the BJP with its low
base in states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh manages a few seats,
if at all, this may not compensate for the losses in Karnataka, Rajasthan,
Chhattisgarh and even Uttar Pradesh. What comes in favour for the ruling
dispensation is stability and somewhat better governance, but its ‘authoritarian
character’ and centralisation of authority chips into the advantage the BJP and
NDA have enjoyed.
The cry
being aired that India is poised to become a 21st century economic
super-power, offering an alternative to China for investors looking for growth
is actually not quite real. Why then did Tesla's South African-born boss
skip India and visit China, which was obviously a big hit for the country as it
considers itself the leader of the South. This has been reiterated by a CNN report
which goes on to say that with Prime Minister and industrialists, Mukesh Ambani
and Gautam Adani playing a key role in this regard, India’s position would
emerge big in the global arena in the coming decades. This assessment can be
questioned as none of these industrialists are known for their social concern
except for garnering government favours and making huge profits.
“Both
Adani and Ambani have become key allies as the country embarks on this
resolution”, it stated. Reliance Industries and the Adani Group, the two
conglomerates, have valuation worth over $200 billion each and have established
businesses in sectors ranging from fossil fuels and clean energy to media and
technology. The report is somewhat naive and one-sided as a country cannot move
on the basis of investments along with profit-taking of two corporate groups.
Moreover, there is no record of how these groups are helping the process of
balanced economic development, rural regeneration, and employment generation as
these are vital and critical problems at this juncture.
Also,
though the report has talked of infrastructural boost of the present government
is a well-known fact that social infrastructure continues to be neglected,
thereby proving that the government is not giving priority to grass-root
development and mitigating the problems of the rural poor. Free education and
health and providing these facilities at affordable costs to the marginalised
sections is a must, which the ruling dispensation has been ignoring. India may
become an economic power with the rich and middle-income sections prospering
and inequality widening to unprecedented levels while the poor and the
economically weaker sections struggling for survival.
In this
connection, it is interesting to make a note of what Rahul Gandhi has stated:
that the “Modi government works for 22 businessmen of the country. He waived
off loans worth Rs 16 lakh crores of these corporates”. If this is true, then the
question arises whether the policy focus of the government is on grass-root
development taking place.
Social
analysts and youth leaders have also pointed out that the policy-makers of the
government prefer to remain ignorant of the dimension of the socio-economic
problems, specially relating to youth. The intervention actually needed and
what the government has been doing for the youth is poles apart and much more
action is called for. Even the government is not filling up vacant posts, not
to speak of increased and necessary allocation for the rural employment scheme,
or even encouraging research by ensuring that grants are adequate for the
universities and educational institutions.
It is no
denying that common people, including the educated youth have lost faith in the
politics of the country, primarily because of false propaganda of leaders,
being entrenched in corruption and maintaining an unholy nexus with business
houses and completely neglecting the demands of the marginalised and backward
sections of society. Taking opportunity of the incapability of the government
to solve basic problems, the ruling dispensation has diverted attention of the
people by bringing religion into politics.
The
civil society is not in a position to challenge their false promises and ensure
that they do not give unachievable and alluring hopes to the struggling masses.
The attention of the half-educated sections has been captured not by improving
their living standards or creating more employment opportunities but by playing
with religious sentiments.
Though
as days pass by, it is increasingly being felt that the ‘hypocrisy’ of the BJP
is steadily being exposed and even if it does come back to power due to Modi’s
charisma or its organisational strength or a strong alternative, theissues of
grassroot development will remain. The campaigns not just of the BJP but of
many regional parties like the TMC, NCP etc. too haven’t honestly dealt with
basic problems of the people but more to remain in power. Would it be right to
call this ‘Amrit Kaal’?
Though
the contention of Rahul Gandhi that the BJP would get around 200 seats may be pessimistic,
the figure according to many pundits may not cross 280 seats. The temple in
Ayodhya has not generated the hype that BJP expected, the Chinese occupation
has become a talking point and the economic issues of the day, the utter
disregard for dissent in public life have overshadowed whatever positive action
manifested in Modi’s governance. All these factors as also growing dissatisfaction
of the educated unemployed youth and rural masses with governance, has raised
doubts whether ‘Modi’s guarantee’ would get the party 400 plus seats, as being
claimed. With three more phases of polling due, presumably bets will keep
changing. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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Kejriwal Out, Soren In: DIFFERENT STROKES FOR NETAS?, By Poonam I Kaushish, 14 May 2024 |
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Political Diary
New Delhi, 14 May 2024
Kejriwal Out, Soren In
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR NETAS?
By Poonam I Kaushish
When truth becomes a casualty, you end up with only babble.
This lexicon alongside another Orwellian truism: Some men are more equal than
others stands, testimony to our continuing dance of democracy interspersed with
vicious diatribe between BJP and INDIA Bloc as our fractured polity enters the
fifth phase of polling with 132 seats Lok Sabna up for grabs. A sense of de ja vu overwhelms.
Certainly, taint, caste and creed are the incessant flavour
of this electoral political season. Wherein power and smear go saath-saath. If yesterday bail granted
to Delhi Chief
Minister Kejriwal and AAP Chief for his role in irregularities and kickbacks in the now
scrapped 2021 Delhi liquor policy, hogged headlines, today the sun did not shine on former
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren as Supreme Court refused interim bail in
connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam worth crores. Posting the matter for
hearing 17 May. Earlier Jharkhand High Court had dismissed Soren's petition
against his arrest 3 May. The
JMM leader was arrested on 31 January after he resigned as Chief Minister.
A classic
case of different strokes for different folks.
Citing the
recent release from jail of Kejriwal as an example, Soren’s plea too was aimed
at allowing his participation in campaigning for his JMM Party in the ongoing
Lok Sabha elections. “My case is covered by Kejriwal's order and I need bail
for election campaigning highlighting the imminent conclusion of elections,” Soren's
lawyer argued.
It stands to reason
that if the same Bench granted interim bail to Kejriwal 10 May till 1 June to
campaign for elections and surrender on 2 June why not to Soren as both cases
relate to Party Chiefs as also both being Chief Ministers of their respective
States.
Specially against the
background of the Court’s observation, “There is no gain saying that elections
are the most significant and an important event this year ..... to ignore the
prodigious importance would be iniquitous and wrong....supplying the vis-viva to a
democracy.” Even as it made clear that bail was not a comment on the
merits of the case or on the pending appeal against his arrest 21 March. It
highlighted elections as the “barometer and lifeline of the Parliamentary
system and its setup and ignoring elections prodigious importance would be
iniquitous and wrong.”.
True, it is debateable
whether the right to campaign can be grounds of bail as it is not fundamental,
Constitutional or legal right. But as the Court surmised that since Kejriwal is
neither a habitual offender or threat to society but an elected representative
of people and Party Chief he was given bail. But that hold true of Soren too,
but he got no relief.
The Court for reasons
hard to fathom also dismissed Enforcement Directorate’s logic: It would create
two classes of citizens and privilege politicians over others. If a politician
could get interim bail to campaign, then a farmer or a company director was
entitled to the same relief to attend his crops or a board meeting respectively,
as all vocations were equal in stature.
The Court however, asserted
granting a political leader interim bail to campaign for polls could not be
compared to either a farmer seeking bail to tend to his harvest or a
businessman wanting to attend a board meeting. Instead, a “more holistic and
libertarian view is justified as an elected person is not just an individual
but the people’s representative and participation in campaign is an
inextricable part of elections.
Undeniably, the Court
order on Kejriwal is extraordinary as it is attempts to send a message on the
Opposition’s charge of misuse of CBI, ED etc by the Government to harass
leaders opposed to it. It also underlines that in the garb of criminal
procedure democracy cannot be undermined and leaders arrested on election eve
in name of investigation and Courts will not be mute spectators.
Further, in TDP Chief
Chandrababu Naidu’s case too, the Apex Court had “deleted the condition restraining
the respondent” from participating in the political process while granting him
interim bail.
Undoubtedly, granting
bail could open Pandora’s box for more politicians and criminals-turned netas to exploit this loophole. They may
use the poll period and the pretense of campaigning in elections to any of the
three-tier system --- Centre, State or local level elections as a fatal flaw to
avoid a jail term.
In fact, it has raised
apprehensions that hardcore criminals could infiltrate elections and seek relief
from Courts based on this ground, which has now been deemed one of the
legitimate grounds for relief. While it may not be a clinching ground for Courts
to grant bail, it may establish it as an extra ground to seek relief and cast
aspersions on the trial process and tilt the balance of scale in favour of the
appellant.
Furthermore, this
could create a new category of litigation for criminals who might include Kejriwal’s
case as additional argument, whereby it might end up hampering the merits of
the case permanently including putting influence on witnesses, evidence
tampering and quid-pro-quo. This
could occur in cases where agencies, constrained by time since the commencement
of investigation, fail to gather conclusive evidence, in time, to outweigh this
newly established ground for relief.
Also, others leaders
who have not been proven guilty in a Court too might seek temporary relief
during election period, as bypassing the merits of a case renders every defence
of the probing agency futile in preventing relief or bail on grounds of
campaigning.
Big deal if the order
underscored that politicians are truly a separate class, higher in status than
ordinary citizen and immune from arrest. Whereby, even ordinary people and every
criminal would vie to be a politician and turn campaigners to stay out of
prison.
It has already started
roiling with Khalistani separatist and Waris
Punjab De Chief Amritpal Singh detained under the National Security Act recently
seeking similar relief for seven days from Punjab and Haryana High Court to
file his nomination as an independent candidate to contest elections and campaign
which is not possible from jail. But the Court denied his pleas as “it is the
concern of the nation and security.”
Alongside, it raises disturbing questions about our
democracy. That it does not strike any chord among our leaders who have reduced
graft to a farcical political pantomime. There is no sense of outrage or shame.
Can one compromise on corruption? Does politics force an indulgence on issues
of governance and probity? Is this part of political dharma?
Alas, a fine
distinction is drawn between a “politically-motivated” charge and actual
conviction. Such is the intoxicating nasha
of power that all conveniently choose to shrug it off. Dismissed at best as
an aberration and at worst a squeaky knee with which one can live with.
At stake today is not
only the functioning of the largest democracy but its Constitutional agenda
which is more substantive than partisan politics. Consequently, where we go
from here would depend on how citizens use democratic levers available to them.
What gives? ---- INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature
Alliance)
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