Delhi gang-rape: A city gone wrong

The gang-rape of a 23 years old has outraged the conscience of India. Jaya Bachchan was full of tears the other day in the Rajya Sabha. Sonia Gandhi shot off an angry letter to Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. The Parliament too has been shocked. 

But Gandhi does not know that the poor Dikshit could be of little help; Delhi police is not under city government, but the ministry of home affairs; and she should have rather addressed her letter to Sushilkumar Shinde. 

The young girl is battling for her life, with her helpless relatives in attendance. Women overnight have become scared of their safety. Capital punishment and chemical castration have become demands of the day. Ironically, most people are ignorant of the fact, that Delhi has been an anti-women city for decades; a city where policing is reactive and lethargic, a city, which thrives on ill-gotten money.

A constable had told this blogger very sanely a year ago, that restraining others from doing wrong or giving sane advice to others in Delhi is akin to jumping into a well. Delhi is a city of beast and it has been nurtured to become so by its leaders, administrators and its snobbish residents.

Despite being a place of over two crore people, Delhi is least a democratic place. The reason for this is that the twin issues, which address basic demands of the people -- land and police -- are not with the elected government. Land is with DDA under Central government, which functions more as a commercial enterprise than solving the housing woes of the city.

Delhi Assembly has passed dozens of resolutions in the last five years to make the city police accountable to the people. All these resolutions have ended up in the dustbin of the Home Ministry. 

An unaccountable police manufactures excuses to wriggle out of serious law and order failure by  attributing crimes to passion, friendly entries and so on. 

However, Delhi police is crippled for following reasons for which it would continue to be an incompetent organisation:

A) Thirty per cent of its work force are on VIP duty; B) Another 20 per cent of its work force work like peon carrying files to various courts each day; C) policing is top heavy, that is beat policing is ignored; D) Delhi police is bureaucratic and unprofessional; E) The focus of the police is in solving the crime and not preventing, and, lastly, F) Delhi police is rank corrupt and physically unfit.

Ninety per cent of the police personnel in Delhi will fail a 100 meter run test. A huge number of them are patients of blood pressure. Most of the time they are sleepy. Given a choice they would like to quit the job if assured of income post retirement. A large number of them are in side business of property dealers. They work for more than 12 hours a day and a good number of them even sleep in police stations, which incidentally have cots in their rooms.  

The above mentioned six main reasons suggest a systemic failure of Delhi police. This organisation can not avert crime but only respond. So, this organisation will most likely wake up after crimes of the scale of the horrific gangrape is committed.

Dikshit has to take the blame for making Delhi an open bar and consequently giving the licenses to people to get drunk and indulge in violence against each other. Delhi government's revenue is increasing every year due to liberal liquor culture. Wine and beer shop and takeaway eateries nearby are Delhi's crime underbelly. The police takes cuts and system continues.

The city courts are loaded with some many cases of drunken violence, that an individual case takes more than two years to get its first hearing. So, the lampoons of the city invariably have free run in the city to rampage the law abiding citizens.         

The curse of the people of Delhi is that they live in the national capital of the country where the key concern of the police is to ensure VIP safety. Delhi and its neighbourhoods have exploded with population beyond their capacities. But the expansion is not matched by the corresponding response in the policing.

In the study of psychology, a study is very popular wherein a large number of rats are put in a small cage and their behavioural changes are monitored. After some days, all the rats start behaving abnormally with instances of overeating (weight gain), violence against each other (anger on short fuse), hightened sexual urges, increased fatality and so on. Delhi has become that small cage and people appear not better than those rats.

With this system, the unfortunate girl who breathed her last in Singapore may not be the last to become victim to a society, which is rotten from its core.

Bye Lala!

It will be tough to explain to my son where Lala and his fellow teletubbies have gone. I could sense my upcoming challenge, as the TV scroll noted BBC's CBeebies being shut down by the broadcaster from November 30. So, with one stroke of the decision, the BBC is taking CBeebies out of my son's life. 

For the past two and a half years, I have happily responded to my son's wish to watch Lala (his name for CBeebies). With him, I too enjoyed watching Lala rolling over the slope, playing with each other and overjoyed watching videos of play activities of children. 

Teleteubbies.
Photo from www.dooyoo.co.uk

I have been overjoyed with my son taking first steps of dance, while watching Boogie Beebies. The CBeebies through its various show introduced my son virtually to the various facets of world. He was introduced to various species of birds, animals. He developed interest in colouring, after watching Mr Maker showing him his of painting and making anything quickly. 

As a parent, I am at much loss with the shutting down of CBeebies in India. This will deprive my son of the only channel, which could have exposed him to the world without seeding him with violence, fantasy and longing for electronic gadgets. 

Once during a vacation, my son was exposed to Pogo channel's Chota Bheem and since then I try every excuse to ensure that he does not watch this. Chota Bheem, though a kid, is a super hero who can break all teeth of a tiger with one punch; can defeat an army without any trouble; and is Prime Minister of a kingdom. It's a children show with an adult mindset. Same is the case with Doraemon, which again is a show of fantasy full of electronic gadgets. 

Thus following the shutdown of CBeebies, I shall be left with no option but to cut down TV from the life of my son. In Delhi's pigeonhole lifestyle, cutting down TV is a tough task.    

It's rightly said that children's minds are very impressionable. The world around him leaves deep impression on his mind. He would be like what he is made to see. There are some who prefer to disconnect TV connections, after a child is born in their homes. This is another way of cutting off ill-effects of children shows on TV. They are right also for the fact, that most of the children show on TV are made with an adult's mindsets. 

But irony is that the BBC has to shut down its operations despite so much of goodwill. In childhood, I used to watch my grandparents scramble to radio sets to listen to its Hindi news bulletin, with pin drop silence and only a word used to be uttered after the bulletin ended. Even though news channels have mushroomed, none can capture the imagination of the people like the BBC. Nothing was confirmed unless stated by the BBC.

Therefore, I am equally sure that there would not be any channel which would come anywhere near the CBeebies. We are in a time where programmes are made for commercial interest only. But creativity can not be a byproduct of commercial interests, though creative works may yield profit in various forms. 

So, "sun setting in the sky, teletubbies it's time to say goodbye" may not be heard in India after November 30. With lots of regret and thank you, I say "Bye Lala". Hope to seen you back soon. 

Ring-fence Pakistan, dry Gulf's Jihadi factory

Execution of Kasab is not a pretext for exultation but to pause to take stock of hydra-headed threat posed by Pakistan, which is fast slipping into a nation of mercenaries feasting on blood-letting. India has much hard work yet to be done in which ring-fencing Pakistan and drying up Gulf exported Jihadi ideology should constitute as key tasks.

Ajmal Kasab was more than a terrorist. In him, India had physical evidence to nail Pakistan's direct link in terror activities on its soil.

If the UPA-II under the leadership of Manmohan Singh has any achievment, it's in calling the bluff of Pakistan and not allowing its terror machines to dictate the terms of negotiations between the two countries on any issue.

India stuck to rule of law and gathered tons and tons of evidences to link Pakistani state in terror activities. What was known to all in India. Kasab testified before the world community. India is not a nation where capital punishment is so frequent. But Kasab deserved this for waging war against India.

But people in India must restrain themselves, because Pakistan is slipping fast into a factory where many Kasabas are being produced daily.

The day Kasab was hanged in the Yerwada jail in Pune, which hosted Mahatma Gandhi too and where the famous Poona pact was signed with Bhim Rao Ambedkar to sow the seed of a "social justice" based Indian democracy, Pakistan witnessed blood-letting against Shia Muslims.

This jail stands as a testimony for an inclusive society in India where all, including Muslims, enjoy equal rights and protection under the mighty Indian constitution. But Pakistan founded on an exclusive ideology has become ultra exclusive. 

Ironically, Kasab had to be hanged in Yerwada jail, whose historical significance must have given him a sense in his last moments to lament his fate to have been born in a country (Pakistan), which was founded on a hate campaign.

Pakistani spectators at India-Pakistan border

The course of events of the last six decades of the Indian subcontinet has effectively defeated the "two nation (Hindu and Muslim) theory of the founders of Pakistan.

The day Kasab was hanged multiple suicide bombs went off in various cities of Pakistan killing more than 23 Muslims, mostly Shias. A Pakistani tweeted to say that the only place where Shias can practice their religion with honour and safety is India. Pakistan has become such an exclusive society, that except for Sunnis no one there has equal rights.

The natural lamentation in India is why it can not emulate the Barack Obama administration of the United States in hunting down the terror machines within Pakistan. Israel is another nation, surrounded by hostile nations, having perfected the art of eliminating any source of threat anywhere in the world.

So, why can't India be like the US or Israel? The answer lies in its history. Since the time of the mighty emperor Ashoka, India has ceased to be an aggressor in any form. The profound impact of Buddhism subsequently has shaped Indian psyche. The act of Indira Gandhi to split Pakistan (thereby creating Bangladesh) in two parts was an aberration.

However, Manmohan Singh deserves compliments for cutting Pakistan into size in his policy matters and in place giving more importance to Bangladesh. A successful Bangladesh suits India more than a nation (Pakistan) hurtling down into a lawless country of mercenaries. Further, Manmohan Singh also deserves accolades for ensuring that India is spiritedly invested in Afghanistan despite all odds.

The leaders of the US proudly claim that they are taking all risks and measures to ensure security of Americans. Therefore, people in India will also like to know what measures are being put in place to secure India. More than the US, India has to worry from the fast realistation that Pakistan is becoming a nation of mercenaries out on the killing spree.

Can India and the US ensure by any means that the nuclear weapons of Pakistan do not fall in the hands of the practioners of Jihad? The answer is clear no; but a direct American intervention in Pakistan on the lines of Iraq and Afghanistan may also not be ruled out in future given the proportion of threat the Jihadists pose to the world community.

The best case scenario would be to ring-fence Pakistan from all sides. This will make incumbent upon China, Russia, Afghanistan, India, the US to join hands for one common cause to ensure that their interests are protected and lives of the people safeguarded.     

Interrogations of David Coleman Headley have revealed that all the nations must collaborate to defeat their common enemy in Pakistan bred terror machines and ideologies. A socio-economic and security turnaround for better in Afghanistan would dry sources of terror to some extent.

The Jihadi ideological factory in Saudi Arabia needs to be dealt by the US in an unapologetic manner. The movements of funds from the Gulf must be tracked effectively.

An island of terror factory is fast being noticed coming up in the areas of Darbhanga and Madhubani districts of Bihar. This is being fuelled by those who have returned from their Gulf jobs from where they come not only with money but also the Jihadi ideology.   

Therefore, India has much hard work yet to be done in which ring-fencing Pakistan and drying up Gulf exported Jihadi ideology should constitute as cornerstone.

Of rallies and smokescreen

There is a clear disconnect in the assertions of the scion of the Gandhi family Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Congress is giving a sense of hiding behind the smokescreen created by the Prime Minister, which perpetuates crony capitalism. 

“Maen jaantaa hun ki aap log system se tang aa chuke haen…aap log system maen change chaahate haen…maen aapke saath iske liye khada hun (I know that you all are fed up with the system and want a change and I am standing with you all for this),” the Gandhi scion and heir to the political legacy of the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, trumpeted at the Ramlila Ground.

My ears instantly plugged in to sound boxes blaring out Rahul’s speech, as I forced my way to the front of the ground. But for a moment I doubted if my ears were hearing properly. Rahul was with those who are fed up with the system!

Since 1947, the Congress has ruled the country barring the phases of 1977-1980, 1996-2004 (eleven years in all). Further, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi (all from the first ruling family) have headed the governments. So, “system” is very well the product of the hegemonic rule of the Gandhi family. But Rahul wants to change it; good to hear this.

Earlier, Rahul blared “the Congress was a party of a dozen people until Mahatma Gandhi opened its door for the mass”.

Having been a student of history, Rahul’s statement was clearly a new revelation.

A number of history books, including the government censored NCERT books, mention glowingly of the contribution of the likes of Dadabhai Naoroji, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and many more before Gandhi appeared on the horizon. There were definitely more than a dozen people in the Congress.

“After Gandhiji opened the doors of the Congress for the mass, the English ran away to London,” Rahul further blared out.

The history is, however, less dramatic. Gandhiji came to India in 1915 and the English left India in 1947; and there lies a whole 32 years in between.

Therefore, I too wish to open the door of the Congress for the mass, Rahul continued. So, Rahul also wants to do a Mahatma Gandhi for the people; but he should have explained why the mass deserted the Congress in the intervening period.

But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking after Rahul, listed the achievements of the government and mentioned hard pills that he has administered to the ailing Indian economy. “Manzil pahunchane ke liye abhi kaaphi lamba safar karma padega (destination is still far away and will have to undertake a long march),”

Prime Minister was clearly not buying the “change the system” slogan of Rahul.

Speaking last, Congress president Sonia Gandhi took pains to say “aajkal galat khaboron ki aandhiyan chal rahi haen (these days the storm of wrong news is blowing)”. Poor Rahul; neither the Prime Minister nor the Congress president subscribe to his views to change the system.

The world acclaims Manmohan Singh as a top ranking economist. So, his analysis of Indian economy should be seriously paid attention to. But what he offered as defence for allowing FDI in multi-brand retail baffled whatever little understanding of economics I had.

Sample it. “In cities like Delhi, domestic companies are already into multi-brand retail. By allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, people in smaller cities will benefit,” he said.

But what about the concerns, that the sharks of the multi-brand retail, like Walmart, Carrefour, etc, would siphon Indian wealth abroad and capture Indian market for foreign products. No answer from the Prime Minister.

“This will ensure that the wastage of foodgrains is curbed and farmers get the right price,” the Prime Minister said.

The government is sitting over more than 90 million tones of foodgrains this year alone, which is more than double the prescribed buffer limit. The wastage of foodgrains is due to incompetence of the Food Corporation of India and not the other way round.

Member of the Sonia Gandhi headed National Advisory Council (NAC), N. C. Saxena, who is considered a top ranking poverty expert, is of the view that the government should release the stock of the foodgrains in the market, either through open market allocation to bulk buyers or through the public distribution system. This will address to the demands of the food security and curb price rise.

But the Prime Minister reminds that the rising subsidy burden would make India unattractive for foreign investment and claims that wherever FDI in multi-brand retail has been allowed both the organised and small retailers have flourished.

For over three years, the UPA managers have been struggling to curb the runaway subsidy. A union minister is of the view, that if the government stops the subsidy given to corporate (cheap 2G spectrum, coals, land, etc.), the subsidy for the welfare scheme will not be a pain at all. The Prime Minister may well be accused of hiding behind a smokescreen.

A number of Asian tiger economies, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, who had to open their retail market for FDI as part of a World Bank bail out package in 1990s, have seen the large retail business growing in double digit, while the small retailing has shrunk. So, they have begun to take a number of remedial measures now, which, however, India is oblivious of.

As we took out a long walk out of the Ramlila Ground, a fellow scribe summed up the grandiose exercise of the Congress in demonstrating its show of strength. “People are walking over all these pamphlets with pictures of Manmohan, Sonia and Rahul. What respect people have for these leaders,” he said; and I took a hard look at the street littered with pamphlets crushed under the feet of teeming flow of people mobilized from Haryana and Rajsthan.

Arvind Kejriwal: India's Julian Assange

An irritated senior journalist wondered aloud "who is this Kejriwal (Arvind)" one evening. He was irritated, after Kejriwal dragged son-in-law of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Ranjan Bhattacharya, during his recent expose. How can anyone stand at a street corner and abuse all, he asked.

Arvind Kejriwal: Photo courtesy G. N. Jha

He is not alone in wondering who and what is Kejriwal.

The Congress wants to know the source of funding of the Kejriwal run India Against Corruption (IAC). The BJP would like to believe him being a Congress agent out to divide the Opposition space. The Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries believes him of working at the behest of corporate rivals.

The likes of Kapil Sibbal, P Chidambaram condemn him of being an anarchist. Anna Hazare may be wondering that Kejriwal, a thug, took him for a ride. The NDA convenor Sharad Yadav believes that Kejriwal represents an upper caste conspiracy against the Indian democracy, which guarantees "social justice and equity to all".

So, Indian political spectrum, which is hegemonic in nature, is itself not clear what and who Kejriwal is. But a lot of people and not only the politicians are giving their judgements on Kejriwal's motives.

Is Kejriwal an Indian fidayeen who is out there to wake up the dormant and regressive Indian political establishment?

Julian Assange: Photo from Wikipedia

If a Kejriwal parallel is to be searched outside India, Julian Assange pops out for the efforts he did by releasing tons and tons of classified files in public domain.

Kejriwal's first victim was Robert Vadra and his land dealings in the Congress ruled Haryana. Vadra is a sacred cow for most of the media houses for having married Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of Sonia Gandhi and a heir to the Gandhi-Nehru legacy, including political dynasty.

Ask Kejriwal how did he get documents to implicate Vadra in the alleged land scam in Haryana and pat comes the reply that he had to do nothing.

"A news channel reporter came and game me all the papers, saying that his organisation will not broadcast it," Kejriwal says.

Next expose came on BJP chief Nitin Gadkari; but this time a woman IAC activist claimed to have the evidences to link the leader in a quid pro quo relations with the riling Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra.

Ask Kejriwal that his Garkari expose was a dud and fizzled out for lack of substance, he would tell instantly that a TV channel would soon broadcast a story on Gadkari with more serious charges (NDTV did later) but he could not highlight these things for lack of supporting evidences.  

Kejriwal's third expose targetted Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries for its bullying tactics against the Central government. In the corridor of power, people always talked of the influence of Ambani on governments at the Centre irrespective of which party headed them.

Ambani purportedly represents a culture wherein everyone is bought over within the government to favour his corporate interest.

Interestingly, India is a country where a man (Dhirubhai Ambani) who worked in the Gulf for a petroleum company sets up the largest private business house. Further, India is also a unique country where a man (Nitin Gadkari) who used to ride a scooter not long back is heading a sugar and power company with thousands of crores of annual turnover. The list is inexhaustive.

The common factor in all the three exposes had been the fact, that everyone knew about them but did not dare to bring them in public domain. So, Kejriwal is more than an investigative journalist. Therefore, it will be suitable to suggest that for the moment we can pause to suggest that Kejriwal is India's Julian Assange.

But Assange crusaded against secretive information. Kejriwal takes his inspiration from Tahrir Square (the melting point of Egypt's historic revolution led by the people).

Ask Kejriwal: "You are being blamed for spreading too much of negativity and anger among the people. But you have neither infrastructure nor operational capabilities as commanded by the hero of 1974 total revolution Jay Prakash Narayan, so, where is the alternative and how the resultant vacuum would be filled".

"I concede that I have not been able to put in place an organisation so far. But the people will give the alternative when the time comes," Kejriwal says in a clear testimony that the Egyptian revolution is playing high on his mind.   

      

So, Kejriwal is more than what Assange is, at least if his ambitions are taken into account. But Kejriwal's action so far arguably clubs him with Assange.

Further ask him "your critics say that you took Anna Hazare for a ride". "So, after I drafted the Jan Lokpal Bill, I approached Prashant Bhushan and then I went to Anna and then I made him to sit on multiple fasts and then I thought that the time has come for me to go alone to launch a political party; I wish I could plan like this," Kejriwal says with sarcasm clearly evident.

So, why is Anna not with you?

"Anna says that politics is dirty and it should be cleaned from outside. I believe that it should be cleansed from inside," Kejriwal explains reasons for the Guru-Shishya parting ways.

But there are hints within the team Kejriwal of its belief that the Congress had been working on Anna for some months and they eventually succeeded.

So, the modest two-storied office of the PCRF (Public Cause and Research Foundation) at Kaushambi in Ghaziabad near Delhi hums with teeming flow of youth swearing in the name of Kejriwal. Their mobile phones keep ringing, with their contacts in various cities proposing to reveal more damaging facts, while others offering to join the IAC.

Kejriwal, who lost 16 kg of weight in a short span of time and was insomniac for a while before being rescued by Vipasana Yoga, is a rallying point for a fast growing "crowd".

"Few years ago people used to say, that India is going to dogs but now there is a sense that change is possible," Kejriwal says in a reminder of Barack Obama's 2008 elections campaign.

But four years later, least appears to have changed in the US despite Obama heading the country. Kejriwal has a long way to go to grow out of Assange, in whose shadow he is incidentally operating in. 

OFF THE RECORD

Are Dalit girls in Haryana being raped because caste men in the state are sexually starved? A leading politician and member of the Lok Sabha with over four decades of Parliamentary experience thinks, that there are not enough women in Haryana to fulfill the sexual urge of the men. 

He borrows Freudian logic to say that sex is as much a basic need as is thirst and hunger and they all have to be satisfied (even through rape).

Following is an account of the politician’s answers to some of the questions asked by “a novice” TV reporter. The conversation was in Hindi.

Note: Identity of the politician is not being revealed, as intention is not create controversy but to allow readers to “examine the heads” of the political class.

Scene: A TV reporter of an unheard channel, a camera person and a girl assistant come to the politician to seek his opinions on rape of Dalit women in Haryana recently.

TV reporter: (Maintains serious facial expression and struggles to hide his nervousness) Sir, There had been a number of rape cases in Haryana in recent times involving Dalit girls and women. Om Prakash Choutala has said that the girls should be married off at an age of 15 years. What you have to say?

The Politician: Haryana is so close to Delhi, that you all people forget the 2G scam and show rape stories on channel. There are mosquitoes breeding in the gutter. But the focus is on mosquitoes and not the gutter. 

There is caste system in Haryana. Women have no freedom there. Their lot is miserable. They can not go out. They have to stay within the confines of the family headed by men. But there are not enough women in Haryana. Sex ratio is very poor. There are too many men but too few women. (There are 877 women for every 1000 men)

After every 15 minutes you will thirsty you drink water. After every three years you feel hungry, you eat. Similarly, after every 15 or 20 days, you have sex urge. That has to be fulfilled. What would the men do. There are not enough women there. There is too much of restrictions on caste women. Also, there are too few women. So, what these men do. They have to satisfy their sex urges. It’s a basic need. It can not be suppressed. But Dalits are soft targets. So, you see Dalit girls and women being raped.

Reporter: But sir Choutala has said…

The Politician: Leave Choutala. Who is he…you do not understand the problem. There are no rape case in China. Once I had gone to China, I asked a girl in the hotel…are you married…she said no, then I asked how does she satisfy her sex urges. She told me that she had many boy friends and she gets her urges fulfilled. When asked what about marriage, she said that girls in China marry once they meet the men of their choice but they do not wait till then to fulfill their sexual urges. So, you do not come across rape cases in China. 

But the problem here is that the women here are chained, they are suppressed. They do not have any freedom. The conditions of the women are most pitiable in India. They are a miserable lot. They have no freedom at all. So, unless the root cause is addressed there is no point talking about some rape cases happening here and there.

Reporter: Sir, Choutala has said ….

The Politician: You listen to me. Gandhiji never used to attend marriages. Mahatmaji (Gandhi) would attend marriage only if it was intercaste. This caste system is the big problem. Gandhiji fought to break it but it still continues.

Reporter: Sir, but Dalit women are being raped…

The Politician: Dalits have been exploited for thousands of years and continue to be in the same conditions. What has changed for them…

Dhanyawad.

(Cameraperson takes off his camera. Reporter compliments the politician for “brilliant” analysis of rape cases taking place in Haryana.) “Sir, bahut badhiya bola aapne,” reporter tells the politician.

Subtle wind of change in Pakistan

It’s rightly said that you can ignore history at your own peril. It’s history which gives direction to future and strength to shape one’s destiny. Also, a nation faced with crisis in any form needs to look back into history to draw right lesson to march ahead. Incidentally, India and Pakistan are blessed with such historical richness, that they can find enough in common to strive for a shared destiny of peaceful coexistence.

Scores of people of Pakistan watching the parade of the border security forces on
their sides of the Wagah border amid chants of "Pakistan jhu le (live)"

It’s more than six decades now that the voice of sanity was silenced by an intolerant. Sadly, the world is becoming more intolerant each passing day. Hence, people across the world yearn to hear the voice of sanity embodied in Mahatma Gandhi more. Thus, Mahatma’s soothing voice which could heal wounds effortlessly still resonates across the world.

Besides, India and Pakistan are proud inheritors of Gandhi’s legacy. The Mahatma liberated the people living in India and Pakistan from various bondages during the course of his life. Besides, the Mahatma’s lessons for tolerance, inclusion and compassion for all are far more relevant for two nations now than earlier.

So, it was befitting for India and Pakistan to come together to commemorate Gandhi’s birth anniversary at the United Nations. More soothing was the fact that joint celebrations came just a day after India and Pakistan had sparred over Kashmir.

Further, Pakistan’s permanent representative at the United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon paid glowing tributes to Gandhi. He said Pakistan owes a debt of gratitude to a person who put himself even further at risk in ensuring that the right thing is done. "We must never forget that it is from one base that we have all risen. We can have minor differences," said Haroon.

Even foreigners can not resist the joy of Indian freedom at the Wagah border.

Importantly, the world leaders are invoking Gandhi’s words more frequently, as scores of nations struggle to cope with growing intolerance. The United States President Barrack Obama too quoted Gandhi, that intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit. Incidentally, Obama quoted Gandhi to condemn violence against America due to a film made by an amateur to poorly portray Islam.

In further indications that forces within Pakistan aspiring to preserve collective heritage are gaining ground, a roundabout in Lahore was renamed after the legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. It’s laudable that the Pakistani authorities renamed the Shadman Chowk after the proud son of Lahore. Incidentally, it was at this spot where Bhagat Singh was hanged in March 1931 in the erstwhile Lahore Jail. The roundabout was built later on at this spot.

Besides, Lahore district administration chief Noorul Amin Mengal’s direction on renaming the roundabout was overwhelming for its underlying spirit. “All Pakistani citizens, including Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians, have equal rights under the Constitution and no one should object to the decision to rename the roundabout after Bhagat Singh,” said  Mengal. Thus, it’s abundantly clear that there are enough support for the rich historical legacy within Pakistan.

Also, another praiseworthy event took place in Karachi where the police slapped blasphemy charges against a group of Muslims for vandalizing a temple and attacking homes of Hindus during a protest against an anti-Islam film. Clearly, the first of its kind action would balm the wounds of religious minorities within Pakistan. Also, the move is more praiseworthy for the fact, that a number of Hindu families have fled to India in recent times fearing religious persecution.

Besides, the Karachi police registered a case against accused under section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code. The section covers deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs. Justifying the action, local police officer Jaffar Baloch stated that desecration of a temple meant blasphemy to him.

Surely, the official interventions in honouring Bhagat Singh and slapping blasphemy case against religious intolerants would reassure many that voices of reason are gaining strength in Pakistan. Importantly, over two dozen groups had campaigned for renaming of the Lahore roundabout after Bhagat Singh popularly known as Shahid-e-Azam. Also, it’s notworthy that there has been overwhelming support from civil society, including Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission, for slapping blasphemy case against accused who vandalized the temple.  

Furthermore, Gandhi laid more stress on nation building by opening hearts of the people. An inclusive society based on principles of tolerance and non-violence would surely take Pakistan to a better future. Pakistan does not need to look elsewhere for inspiration, as seeds for its better future lies in rich history spanning thousands of years. 

India's Pakistan woes

The US may worry for long as Pakistan hurtles down to a category of a failed state. But India has to worry much more, as the trouble is just next door. India and Pakistan have been cases apart in the last six decades. While India's nationhood has flourished despite numerous tests, course of events in Pakistan has clearly negated Muhammed Ali Jinnah's two nation theory.   

India as a nation has existed for thousands of years. Rulers came and went but the nation remained. But India's boundaries changed a number of times from the mighty emperor Ashoka to Mughal-e-Azam Akbar and later at the time of technologically superior British. 

In contrast, Pakistan as a nation came into existence on August 14, 1947. However, the everyday news of bloodletting in Pakistan and its constant existential crisis do raise a doubt, that Pakistan is still struggling to justify its being a nation. The founder of Pakistan Muhammed Ali Jinnah, one may say, forced the British and the Jawahar Lal Nehru to agree to carving out of a province from India on the basis of religion. Pakistan came into existence, after relentless riots in undivided India and the inability of the Congress to call the communal bluff of the Jinnah led Muslim League at that time.

More than six decades have gone by since the death of Jinnah and creation of Pakistan, but the existential question still remains. The Americans will have no qualms to say that Pakistan is the most dangerous place in the world. This is a nation, where the government of the day gives a call to protest against a film made by an "unspeakable idiot (as said by the Israelis)" American in which 24 people lost their lives. The protest was also joined by over a dozen hardline Islamic organisations, which are on the official restricted list of Pakistan, while being banned by a host of countries for perpetrating terror attacks across the world.

This is Wagah border from the Indian side just before the parade drills from the sides of India and Pakistan begin. While on the Indian side, the Mahatma Gandhi smiles on visitors, a stern looking Muhammed Ali Jinna adores the gate of the Pakistani side. Amritsar is some 29 km away from here, while Lahore is about 30 km away. This gate ironically divides two people speaking the same Punjabi language and sharing the same culture, including the dress and food habits. The local folklore says that the Pakistani army had entered some 30 km inside India from this place in the 1971 war following a bureaucratic delay on the parts of the Indian establishment to issue orders to repel the attack. However, the folklore is that, once the instructions came the Indian army along with the brave local Punjabis marched well into Lohore. In fact, the folklore goes on to say, that one villager near Amritsar still proudly displays a scooter that he had "looted" from within Pakistan.  

The Wagah border just before sunset when gates of India and Pakistan open during a majestic parade on both sides to bring down their respective national flags. The parade is clearly a lifetime experience to watch for, as elaborate drills on both sides instill confidence in the people, that the men in uniform would protect the territorial integrity of their respective countries. 

At Wagah border, the thought can not escape from the mind that India is so close to such a dangerous place in the world, which possesses nuclear bomb. A chill down the spine may slip through at such a thought. But this is a fact and India has to live with this reality, as there is no escaping this fact.       

Invariably, Indian leadership always wants to improve relations with Pakistan. So, there was no exception to this fact, when the BJP came to power, with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee trying his best to improve the relations only to be stunned with unabated terror attacks, including the one on the Parliament, which is the temple of World's largest democracy.

The Manmohan Singh led UPA government is more keen to deepen the ties with Pakistan. So, trade relations and liberal visa regime have been put in place apart from restoring the cricketing ties. But Pakistan continues to honour the rule of law in punishing those responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. While India pursues the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack as a legal case, with investigation to pin down the perpetrators with irrefutable evidences, it has still no answer on how to deal with the involvement of Pakistan as a state in such attacks.   

However, Pakistan has so far in the recent years avoided troubling India, as it is itself caught in the worst crisis in its history. While its northwest frontier is in the control of Taliban backed militia who have no shams to behead the Pakistani army personnel and displaying them for the world to look at, the fire (militants) which it mastered over the years to get strategic depth in neighbouring countries, including Afghanistan, has actually become the 'masters" of the destiny of Pakistan. Pakistan should know, that "Fire is a good servant but a bad master" and undo the historical error in religion based identity.   

Manmohan steamrolls "reforms"

Simon Denyer of the Washington Post with his article headlined "India's 'silent' Prime Minister becomes a tragic figure" appears to have woken up Dr Manmohan Singh from his deep slumber. In a span of two days, Singh has steamrolled all opposition to roll out market friendly reforms measures. It appears that vintage Manmohan is back, though too late to undo the damage done so far due to policy paralysis.

First, Singh touched the holy cow in diesel and LPG subsidy. Both have been hit, so that they could be linked to market prices in future. The two politically sensitive issues had been red-flagged by UPA alliance partners time and again. Secondly, FDI in aviation and multi-brand retail were also approved. The lavish menu spread by Singh also included disinvestment in public sector units.

Importantly, Singh has gushed these "reform" measures, after his colleague and former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee exited his Cabinet to enjoy the comforts of the Raisina Hills. Also, Singh's confidence apparently comes from P Chidambaram as the Finance Minister. Chidambaram had been the darling of the market for years. So, stock market has been singing to his tunes since he took charge of the Finance ministry.

After knotting India into a nuclear pact, the US had been desperate to get the FDI route in multi-brand also opened. The grapevine had been that in the last days of Mukherjee as the Finance Minister, within an hour of his landing in the US to attend a function, a concerned Hillary Clinton had rung up him to ask when was the FDI in multi-brand retail being approved. Mukherjee is said to have responded saying that he was in the US for some other function. 

Also, every criticism of the Manmohan Singh government invariably ended with one prescription, that the FDI in multi-brand retail should be allowed. Such has been the noise in its favour, that top policy makers of the UPA have opined that the FDI in multi-brand retail can solve all woes of India; fighting inflation, curbing unemployment, getting good prices for farmers. So much so that the Gandhi family scion had taken recourse to arguments like potatoes, which were wasted by farmers in Uttar Pradesh, would fetch better price once it was allowed. 

The clamour for FDI in multi-brand retail could well be understood by the fact, that it allows the US and others to tap the Indian market in big ways. The collateral damage would be loss of jobs in the existing retail trade and likely cartelisation of the retail market once the sharks of the world kill millions of small shop-keepers. Also, many of the American consumer produces currently having no demand in India would on the shelf and backed by aggressive marketing a new market would be created for them.

Therefore, Singh has done great favours to the US. First, he revived the "dead" nuclear industries there and now he can revive the job market there.

Secondly, FDI in aviation may not be much of a concern for most. Because, the inabilities of Indian airlines operators have demonstrated that they needed the FDI booster. But the same can not be said for the multi-brand retail where money, technology and management do exist within Indian companies. 

However, Singh has taken the high road to steamroll his "reforms". But his highway is full of potholes. The Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has been a sworn enemy of FDI in any form. The Samajwadi Party would not be able to face people in UP if Akhilesh Yadav allows FDI in multi-brand retail. The Opposition is already baying for the blood of the UPA. 

The urgency with which Singh has pushed through his "reforms" signal two things; firstly that the mid-term poll is very much on the card and secondly these steps are of a ruling class fast drowning and needs anything to clutch onto.             

"Caste"tution: Subversion of Indian Constitution

Political quick-fixes, as attempted through quota in promotion for SCs/STs, just to cling on to the vote banks are undermining the strength of the Indian Constitution and Parliament. This is for the reason, that legally speaking quota in promotion is still possible without resorting to Constitution amendment bill, if governments can satisfy three conditions laid down by the Supreme Court in the famous M. Nagraj case.

Amid the raging civil war in the America, it's said that Abraham Lincoln had locked himself in a library for about three weeks. Emerging out of it, he gave the famous Gettysburg address, which lasted two and a half minutes. There he explained the underlying principle of the democracy by stating it would be "for the people, by the people and of the people".

India too borrowed Lincoln's speech. But the political class in India over the years improved upon American's phrase into "by the caste, for the caste and of the caste".   

The political class in India shelters behind caste cover as a matter of habit. Late Prime Minister V. P. Singh was thrust upon at the center of polity without any base. But power is an opium with no parallel, so Singh mandalised Indian politics. This art remains in practice even now and resorted to in quite unapologetic sense. 

The UPA government at the Centre attempted to wriggle out of the serious loss of credibility in irregularities in allocation of coal-blocks and the subsequent Parliament logjam through another bout of caste politics. After calling an all party meeting, the UPA rushed through a Constitution amendment bill to ensure reservation in promotion for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). The objective was less to do justice to SCs/STs and more to escape from public and Parliamentary scrutiny in colossal scam in allocation coal-blocks to firms with questionable credibility. The attempt has been a failure so far.

Let us take the legal journey on the issue of quota in promotion so far. In 1992 the Supreme Court consisting of nine judges bench decided Indira Sawhney case popularly known as Mandal Commission case by holding that Article 16(4) of the Constitution does not include reservation in promotional post and is confined only in the matter of appointments at the time of entry of the service.

Consequently in the year 1995, 2000, 2001 and 2002 there have been amendments in Article 16(4) and 77, 81, 82 and 85 amendments were carried out while Article 16(4A) was added in the Constitution. These measures led to introduction of  reservation in promotional post for SC/ST, while granting benefits of seniority on promotion to SC/ST. 

But later, the five judges bench of the Supreme Court in 2006 decided the case of M. Nagraj in which Constitutional amendments in Article 16(4)A and 16(4)B were upheld. However,  conditions were added in the judgement in the form of three important guidelines, namely; (a) Backwardness of a Class, (b) Inadequacy of representation in public employment of that class, (c) Overall efficiency in the administrative works.  These three pillars became conditions mandatory to make reservation in promotion as per the decision of M. Nagaraj case.

Later, various cases were filed in Allahabad High Court out of which one writ petition was filed in Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court and the matter went to the Supreme Court through UT Power Corporation Limited vs. Rajesh Kumar in 2011 and the two judges bench of Allahabad High Court decided the case on April 27, 2012. They held "in the ultimate analysis we conclude and hold that section 3(7) of the 1994 Act and rule 8A of the 2007 rules are ultra vires as they run counter to the dictum in M. Nagraj judgement". 

Clearly, the Uttar Pradesh government, which had introduced the notion of consequent seniority through various rules had failed to follow three guidelines set by the Supreme Court. 

If a state government can satisfactorily answer these three conditions they can still give quota in promotion. But this will entail rigorous job of data collection, which the political class wants to run away from for fear of getting exposed. This is the reason why the UPA wants another Constitution amendment to quick-fix problems detrimental to its caste based politics.

In the all party meeting the Samajwadi Party mentioned the curious case of the state irrigation department where all the four posts of the superintendent engineers were held by members from the SC class, thus closing the window for other engineers to advance in their career.   

In normal parlance, promotion in any job should be based on performance. But India is the only country where one can get into a job and get further promoted due to the caste he or she has been born into. While entry into jobs on the basis of caste has not yet been challenged by any political party, the promotion part has seen vertical split in most of the parties, with people being vocal against it.  

Though the move to amend the Constitution to give quota in promotion to SCs/STs came in an attempt to silence the Opposition baying for the blood of the UPA leadership for "coalgate" scam, this quota bill is most likely to meet the fate of the Women's reservation bill. A regular noise followed by a long spell of silence. 

Citibank: Frauds and stinks

Google search on Citibank gives results, with most links of fraud stories. There is no surprise. Its credit card business is run on most customer unfriendly terms. Has anyone heard of a bank charging its customers 42% annual rate of interest. It will shock people out of their senses. The Citibank charges a whopping 42% annual rate if customer makes partial payment of the total outstanding.  

The Citibank will easily put to shame even the village money-lenders. Village money-lenders, made infamous by Premchand classics, would have hardly charged anything, that the Citibank does. 

When its customer care was asked how could it charges 42% annual rate, half a dozen of its executives parroted, that they intimate customers in the monthly statement, that they would be charged in the range of 2.1% to 3.7% per month, which translates to 25.2%-42% per annum. However, the Citibank imposes the highest in the range, that 42% to all the customers. One of its executive explained, it is so because of the automated billing.

Does the government or the Reserve Bank of India allows Citibank to impose such an obnoxious rate of interest? Ask its executives, they will have only one answer, that they comply with the regulations of the RBI. But under what RBI regulations, does Citibank impose 42% rate of interest, none of these executives have any answer. They will say -- We will e-mail you the RBI guidelines on this. None of these promised e-mails ever come. 

Muge Yuzuaka with e-mail id m.yuzuak@citi.com (m.yuzuak@citi.com) heads the Citibank credit card business in India. When it was asked from her to provide details of the RBI guidelines under which the Citibank charges 42% interest, her representative Nabil Khatib, Manager-Executive Response unit, replied saying: "We wish to clarify that Citibank is compliant with all regulations laid down by the RBI." But there is no mention of which RBI guidelines. 

Khatib, when asked during a call that he made, if he had ever heard of 42% interest even being charged in villages by money-lenders he was at loss of words. His defense, also repeated in the e-mail, was that the Citibank intimates Most Important Terms and Conditions (MITC) in its applications, statements and on its websites. 

However, when the Citibank executive comes to sell the card, he hardly mentions such terms and conditions and just takes a signature and one is lured by its multi-national reputation. "Your rate of interest initially is 3.15% per month (i.e.37.8% annualized). This can change periodically based on your spend, payback and utilization patterns. Your rate of interest can increase upto 3.5% per month (i.e.42.0% annualized), in case of default.The default interest rate will apply till the time the account is regularized plus 3 months of performance review period," Khatib explained in his e-mail. 

This top ranking Citibank official has no shame for utter lying. This is for the reason, that even without default the Citibank imposes 42% interest, notwithstanding the record of the customer. 

Worse is that most of its customer care centres are outsourced where people with no understanding of banking system takes calls of  customers. Ask them about RBI regulations, they will fumble for words.

Ironically, the credit card companies are functioning on their whims and fancies, with the RBI and the Ministry of Finance always keeping blind eye on them. A credit card mafia has taken over the reigns, which is being run in the most unprofessional manner, with no business ethics. 

Citibank had few months ago hit the headlines for swindling Rs 400 crores from high networth individuals in Gurgaon. The company washed off its hands by blaming some of its officials for the scam. 

The murky deals of companies like Citibank are going freely apparently as there is no governance existing in India for the last three years. Take your eyes to any field, it appears the government has mortgaged people to the greedy corporate sharks with no exception.