A POINT OF VIEW - Lessons in dealing wit...

A POINT OF VIEW - Lessons in dealing wit...

T
he residence of one of BJP’s rebel MPs who
abstained during the recent vote of con?dence

was vandalised allegedly by the party activists while
the scared MP bolted himself in a room to escap...read more...

Speaker's expulsion

The reasoning put out by the CPM for the expulsion of Mr. Somnath Chatterjee from the party is curious. If the Speaker who is a veteran parliamentarian continues to be bound by the party discipline and is expected to relinquish office the moment the latter withdrew outside support to the govt., he should have been consulted when the strategy to pull down the govt. was being formulated. The manner in which his name was included in the list submitted to the President without his consent, it is clear that the party took his consent for granted and undermined the office of the Speaker since, once elected, the Speaker is constitutionally above party politics . While publically maintaining that it was up to the Speaker to decide whether to resign or not, the younger members of the politburo continued to exert pressure on him indirectly. Elevation of Mr. Chatterjee by a unanimous vote brought honor to CPM and not vice versa. But little else can be expected from a party, which denied the prime minister ship to Mr. Jyoti Basu at the insistence of the same politburo, which was described as a "historic blunder" later. What is more interesting is that only half of the members ("available politburo") were present to take the historic decision and the procedure adopted was totally undemocratic since no show cause notice was given nor an opportunity given to Speaker to defend himself. CPM can legitimately claim that it was an internal matter of the party. However, a party, which claims to be democratic and demanded access to the text of an international agreement before its finalization in the name of transparency should seriously examine its own record of functioning. Charity after all, begins at home

A POINT OF VIEW - Should the Speaker r...

A POINT OF VIEW - Should the Speaker r...

A
s the D-day for the confidence vote comes
nearer, there is a scramble among parties for

each and every vote. The sound bytes, both for and
against the deal, have also become louder. In con-
...read more...

Left's Right Turn!

These are interesting times. The Left, which was supporting the Congress-led UPA government from outside finally withdrew support over the civilian nuclear deal with US. While the ostensible reason given for the move was attributed to the Hyde's Act, which makes the US government terminate cooperation with India in the event of latter exploding a nuclear device, the real parting of ways came when the govt. decided to approach the IAEA with India-specific safeguards agreement. The CPM declared that it would stop the deal with US at any cost even if it meant voting along with its arch-enemy and "communal " BJP to topple the government. It did not matter if other communist states like Russia had declared the deal to be good for India or China itself had signed a much-less favorable 123 agreement with US. Nor did the Left's opposition take into account the fact that we now live in a unipolar world and it is virtually impossible not to do any business with US.

The BJP off course has other reservations. Its spokesperson said in a televised debate that it can consider the deal friendly only if India was free to go for Pokhran III. In other words, we should merrily go on exploding nuclear weapons while enjoying the latest nuclear technology imports from the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG). It hawkish stand also overlooks the fact that post-Pokhran II, we faced sanctions, which affected our nuclear power plants adversely and lead to Pakistan first acquiring and then trading nuclear weapon technology with other states like North Korea. It was also the nuclear statues of Pakistan, which made our forces stay for months eye to eye on the border during the Kargil conflict without resorting even to conventional warfare. Those with a better memory would recollect that it was the fierce US diplomatic effort, which made us observe a ceasefire for 72 hours providing a safe passage to Pakistanis occupying hill top positions. Pokhran II did confer upon us a nuclear weapon status. But its negative fall out can not be ignored. In any case, after the BJP-led NDA govt. declared a unilateral moratorium on further nuclear testing and with our experts, including the former President Dr.Kalam, certifying that we do not need any more real tests, rejecting civilian deal on this ground makes little sense.

Therefore one has to conclude with regret that there is merit in the observation that opposition to the deal is ideological on Left's part and political on BJP's. It is not based on merits. The tactical alliance between the Left and Right is illogical and must be decried unequivocally.

Tackling Oil Prices

The hike in oil prices have evoked strong feelings and justifiably too. Who wants to pay more for fuelwhen 8% inflation is still hurting every one and the present hike would push it up by another 1%. While the PM has predictably referred to increasing oil prices in the international market (India produces only 30% of its needs!) and has appealed to the people for conserving oil, he has woken up a little too late when calling upon his colleagues to observe austerity and cut down foreign travel.The reaction of the Opposition parties has been surprising. While the Left has criticised the govt. for increasing prices rather than cutting duties,it has provided no answer on how the consequential loss in revenue should be met. The BJP has called the hike an "economic terror" almost puting the PM in the list of terrorists. While its concerns with terrorism are well-known, it chose to ignore the fact that with crude oil prices having shot up from about 66$ a barel at the time of last revision to 139 $ in recent days, no govt. could continue to sell oil at old rates. Unlike the Left, it did not even make any suggestions. Interestingly the demand for CNG kits has doubled after the hike since its price, unlike that of petrol, has actually fallen recently. What kind of steps should be initiated to counter the ol crisis? One,the public transport must be strengthened on a war footing. Metro rail projects should be executed immediately by increasing allocation and support. Simultaneously parking charges should be raised substantially to discourage private transport. Two, fuel-guzzling cars (luxury and SUVs for instance) must be taxed higher to discourage people from using them. Swift sells in Singapore at three times its price in India and cars meant to be driven during non-peak hours and weekends offered cheaper. India could do with some such measures. But before we ask the citizens to cooperate, let the leading political figures set an example by doing away with a fleet of cars following them everywhere. Charity, after all, begins at home.

Recording & presenting History

ABVP activists recently ransacked the History department of Delhi University over inclusion of a piece entitled "Three hundred Ramayanas"in the recommended readings for B.A. students, which they claimed hurt the feelings of Hindus. The action was rightly condemned by the academic community since the activists chose violence over debate to settle an issue. The sense of outrage felt by them is also understandable since the attack was seen as an attempt to restrict academic freedom to pursue religious and mythological subjects. The objection, after all, was to description of Three Hundred Ramayanas with interesting differences in content and style. Those who took offense neither challenged the sources nor the content in substantive terms and referred only to "rumors" to malign their faith. The fact that the History department of University of Delhi is headed by a Muslim scholar and the interpolation of the name of the PM's daughter in the list as an editor were sufficient grounds to launch the offensive. The fact that the essay was written by a Hindu scholar of repute, who is no more to defend his writing, was neither known nor cared for.
However, two facts cannot be wished away. One, academic freedom to pursue subjects, especially involving faiths of people must be exercised with sensitively. The chief of a religious sect among Sikhs faced the ire of the entire community and the State government for merely dressing up like the last Guru. There is no dearth of similar variations, like the ones portrayed in Ramayana, in other faiths. Most faiths have descended down the ages through telling of tales and lack authentic documentation. For instance, Christianity has several testaments and a particular sect from Kerala had to conduct its Sunday Mass in a Balmiki temple in Central Delhi when thrown out of a nearby church over religious differences. Shias and Sunnis too have had conflicting beliefs in Islam and are have been at loggerheads for ages . The learned historians must be aware of many more instances from our rich and varied heritage but did one ever find their echoes in the text books of Delhi University? And that too at the undergraduate level when the students are just out of school and the minds immature? While research in theology is normal, controversial content at
B.A. level may not be. Now that tempers have cooled down a little, the academic fraternity should ponder over the issue and treat religious issues with greater sensitivity and caution. Academic freedom, like any other freedom, cannot be absolute and must be tempered with sensitivity.

Violence in politics

The violent attack on the office of CPM in Delhi by the BJP activists was deplorable. Strict action must be taken against the culprits,including the Mayor of Delhi, for spearheading the attack since such violence has no place in a democratic set-up. However, CPM too cannot wash its hands off by merely stating that attacks on its political opponents in Kerala are a State-subject since it has raised its voice against violence perpetrated in places like Gujarat. Besides, the Kerala High Court itself has asked for deployment of central forces, which shows a lack of confidence in the local police. It also suggests implicitly that the fatal attacks are either sponsored or condoned by the State. The activists of both the parties have been displaying a violent streak and need to be restrained to protect the national fabric