A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books
In the latest issue of Time is featured a debate, Which Economy will Rule the World? This debate sputters intermittently in the pages of News Magazines. While China receives a bad press because of the perceived threst to Western economic hegemony, India escapes scrutiny aas it hides behind the facade of dynastic fascism bolstered by periodic elections, as if India is an exemplar of a flourishing democratic state. Between India and China, I can say with all authority at my command that China, though a one Party state, the social indicators are all in favour of China. The country has been able to built world class educational institutions, provide clean water, housing and education along withnhealth care to its citizens. The standard of living oof an ordinary Chinese citizen is quite a few trimes better than it is in India. Even on the so-called human rights point of view China is quite a few notches higher. The Chinese policy of land acqusition makes it possible for those displaces to acquire stakes in the industry/ or enterprise that is established on their land. In India, as the example from Mayawati's UP and West Bengal show land is acquired by the state Governments in order to cater to the needs of private developers. India has a lot to leatrn from China.
Unfortunately since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress regimes have encouraged rivalry with China. India and China have shared 2000 years of peaceful coexistence which was disrupted by the foolish and perverted policies of Nehru. India should not have interfered in the internal affairs of Tibet. The policy of provoking the Chinese over Tibet turned out to be counterproductive as it did not serve the national interests of India. Even now, India is allowing itself to be used by the Western powers against China and this policy is not in India's interest.
China has pursued the policy of economic growth by stimulating the domestic demand and by developing a niche market for its products abroad. I remember when my daughter was a small child she used to play with little antique models of cars and all of them were made abroad in China. Today the Haier, a Chinese Company has entered the consumer electtronic market and already in Infdia the washing machines made by this Company enjoys a very good reputation. And China makes quality products for less than third the price.
China has emerges as a pioneer in fast trains. It is now possible to travel from Bejing to Lasha is 24 hours and this is a technologicaL FEAT that China can be legitimately be proud of. India on the other hand is still stuck in the nineteenth century and fast trins in India trave at 9- to 100 km per hour, a far cry from the sppeds in China. India claims that it is aleading soft ware power. Even here internet usage in China is higher and China has emerges as a global player in the hard ware market. The world's fastest computer with 3 trillion tetra flops was made by China.
India is held back by a corrupt and criminal political class represented by the Congress party. Dynastic fascism has led to corruption on a scale that is now threatening to tear the country apart. A criminal political class aided and abetted by the bureaucracy is riding rough shod over the civil society. While judicial activism has brought some relief to the people, there is no rule of law. Politicians still commit crimes with impunity and in spite of some high profile politicians cooling their heels in Tihar jail, there is no rule of law in India. In China politicians are executed for corruption and I would like to see this law in India as well.
I personally feel that China has surpassed India in every sphere and there is no point is taliking about competition between the two. CHINA is superior in every aspect.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
USA, FRANCE, AND NATO ARE GUILTY OF CRIMES AGAINST PEACE IB LIBYA
A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books
The world has now seen the horrific images of the head of a Moslem state Libya, Muammar Qaddafi being killed in cold blood and his body, agasinst Islamic customs descerated and turned into a public spectacle for all the NATO armed "freedom fighters" to gwak over. Thr Americans and the French under Sarkozy have behaved in the most disgusting and dsigraceful manner and it only goes to show that the White countries of the world have scant respect for the dignity and lives of non-white people. It matters little that Barack Hussein Obama, an Afican-American with a Kenyan father behaved in the same manner as George W Bush. I am surprised that big counties like India and China did not raise their voice against theis unilateral intervention in Libya. UN Security Council has created a new concept in International Law by which in the name of humanitarian intervention the NATO can take any measure to dismember soverign states. The Westphalia order is now dead as a door nail.
The irony is not lost on students of history. One hundered years ago--October 24th 1911, the Italian colonial army captured and killed in the very town of Sirte, Mustapha ben Ahmed the patriot and anti-colonial fighter. Qadaffi was captured and shot on 24th October 2011 along wuith 53 of his men and NAT has to expalin the circumstances surrounding the brutal killing of Col Qaddaffi. Some kind of humanitarian intervention this. The post mortem shows that both Qaddafi and his son were shot at point blank range. As ususal American academics have the freedom to run with the hare and hunt with the hound and one acadeic by name Joanne Mariner has confirmed the revenge killing. I wonder why this womaN DOES NOT COME NOT AND CONDEMEN her government for this kind of barbarity. Academics in the USA can critisize all they want and this only reenforces the lpicture of a corporate state permitting its"intellectuals" the freedom to think if not to act. Fereedom of the American academic does not carry any responsibilityy and hence it is cheap and in the post -colonial theoretical armature, mere ideology. Like the German-Nazi regime, the NATO war machine has to be dismantled. Unfortunately Col Qaddafi invited destruction upon himself by agreeing to give up the ABC weapons program in return for a short honeymoon with the West. He was feted in Paris aND nEW yORK NOT THAT LONG AGO.
NATO carried out 40,000 bombing missions over Tripoli and Sirte and the death of civillians in these raids was countless. Even US embedded journalists who trumpet His/Her Master's Voice have drawn attention to the countless nameless dead in the cities capyured from pro-qadaffiloyalists. Benghazi the rebel stronghold was protected by the no-fly zone. The dispropotionate nature of the ariel bombardment itself shows the intent of NATO in launching the attacks. The French aircraft Rafale and the Erofighter have both demonstrated their worth at the expense of the non-white people of Libya.
Like in Iraq the real price will now be paid by the people of Libya. For all his faults, the socio-economic development in Libya was impressive in terms of health care and education. And the real prize is ofcource OIL and the west is assured another 50 years of Libyan oil.
The world has now seen the horrific images of the head of a Moslem state Libya, Muammar Qaddafi being killed in cold blood and his body, agasinst Islamic customs descerated and turned into a public spectacle for all the NATO armed "freedom fighters" to gwak over. Thr Americans and the French under Sarkozy have behaved in the most disgusting and dsigraceful manner and it only goes to show that the White countries of the world have scant respect for the dignity and lives of non-white people. It matters little that Barack Hussein Obama, an Afican-American with a Kenyan father behaved in the same manner as George W Bush. I am surprised that big counties like India and China did not raise their voice against theis unilateral intervention in Libya. UN Security Council has created a new concept in International Law by which in the name of humanitarian intervention the NATO can take any measure to dismember soverign states. The Westphalia order is now dead as a door nail.
The irony is not lost on students of history. One hundered years ago--October 24th 1911, the Italian colonial army captured and killed in the very town of Sirte, Mustapha ben Ahmed the patriot and anti-colonial fighter. Qadaffi was captured and shot on 24th October 2011 along wuith 53 of his men and NAT has to expalin the circumstances surrounding the brutal killing of Col Qaddaffi. Some kind of humanitarian intervention this. The post mortem shows that both Qaddafi and his son were shot at point blank range. As ususal American academics have the freedom to run with the hare and hunt with the hound and one acadeic by name Joanne Mariner has confirmed the revenge killing. I wonder why this womaN DOES NOT COME NOT AND CONDEMEN her government for this kind of barbarity. Academics in the USA can critisize all they want and this only reenforces the lpicture of a corporate state permitting its"intellectuals" the freedom to think if not to act. Fereedom of the American academic does not carry any responsibilityy and hence it is cheap and in the post -colonial theoretical armature, mere ideology. Like the German-Nazi regime, the NATO war machine has to be dismantled. Unfortunately Col Qaddafi invited destruction upon himself by agreeing to give up the ABC weapons program in return for a short honeymoon with the West. He was feted in Paris aND nEW yORK NOT THAT LONG AGO.
NATO carried out 40,000 bombing missions over Tripoli and Sirte and the death of civillians in these raids was countless. Even US embedded journalists who trumpet His/Her Master's Voice have drawn attention to the countless nameless dead in the cities capyured from pro-qadaffiloyalists. Benghazi the rebel stronghold was protected by the no-fly zone. The dispropotionate nature of the ariel bombardment itself shows the intent of NATO in launching the attacks. The French aircraft Rafale and the Erofighter have both demonstrated their worth at the expense of the non-white people of Libya.
Like in Iraq the real price will now be paid by the people of Libya. For all his faults, the socio-economic development in Libya was impressive in terms of health care and education. And the real prize is ofcource OIL and the west is assured another 50 years of Libyan oil.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
BAIL OR JAIL FOR KANIMOZHI? DO POLITICIANS DESERVE ANY SYMPATHY
A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and bOOks.
I think that the legal advice Ms Kanimozhi is getting is not only of poor quality, but worse it is proving counter productive. Kanimozhi and her father represent a strand of Indian political culture that takes India back to the days of dynastic rule and the culture of the courtier, courtesan, and criminal. The DMK as a party and as a political movement has shown scant respect for rule of law. In it said that in Tamil Nadu when the DMK rules the police cannot take action against criminals because of the rampant criminalisation of the political culture. In fact on the 100th birthday of Annadurai more than 100 hardened criminals were released from jail and all of them were serving life sentences. In fact the killers of Menaka, the fearless woman councillor of Madurai who took on the "tanker lorry mafia" in Maduarai were released and the main accused had served less than 1 year fin jail after being convicted of murder. So let not the DMK preach about rule of law. They suddenly discover the virtues of law only when King Lerar's daughter is in jain for criminal misconduct. I think the real issue is the sort of values this aging partiarch has imparted to his children. The DMK is a lumpen party with dynastic fascism as its core ideology just like the Congress.
I have met Kanimozhi on one ocassion and found her pleasant and engaging and was extremely courteous to me. So I would not have personally been offended if she had been granted bail. But we are addressing a larger question. Do politicians deserve sympathy. The answer to this question is no. They have systematically plundered the country. The 2G Spectrum sacandal is only one of several. The 1984 carnage organised by the Congress party after the death of Indiara Gandhi has not resulted in a single conviction. The case against that Yadava criminal from Bihar--Laloo Prasad-- will come up only after the last witness has been killed. The illiterate fellow is still disgracing the Parliament. So India has a nation has no symapahy for politicians. Political crime is a low investment and high return industry. See the case of Papu Yadava, D P Yadava, Neera Yadava and sundry others. Not one has been convicted.
Kanimozhi should have asked bail on the ground that her role in the 2G spectrum was limited to the 200 crores invested in Kalaignar TV and should have been successful in getting bail. However she said that being a woman, a wife and having an aged parent she should be given bail. Just imagine the chaos that would result if bail is granted on these spurious grounds. Every congress man will make his wife the benami for his crimes and the poor woman will be in jail and then bail. Thank god that O P Saini has seen through this argument. Moreover, the DMK is capable of having witness eliminated. If fact one of the directors of the Grrehouse Promoters was killed and the Chennai police made it look like suicide. What about the killing of Paul who was the E O of Tiruchendur Temple whose gold was looted by a DMK bigwig several decades back. DMK like the Congress party has crime in its DNA and deserves no sympathy. Let the patriarch suffer like King Lear.
I think that the legal advice Ms Kanimozhi is getting is not only of poor quality, but worse it is proving counter productive. Kanimozhi and her father represent a strand of Indian political culture that takes India back to the days of dynastic rule and the culture of the courtier, courtesan, and criminal. The DMK as a party and as a political movement has shown scant respect for rule of law. In it said that in Tamil Nadu when the DMK rules the police cannot take action against criminals because of the rampant criminalisation of the political culture. In fact on the 100th birthday of Annadurai more than 100 hardened criminals were released from jail and all of them were serving life sentences. In fact the killers of Menaka, the fearless woman councillor of Madurai who took on the "tanker lorry mafia" in Maduarai were released and the main accused had served less than 1 year fin jail after being convicted of murder. So let not the DMK preach about rule of law. They suddenly discover the virtues of law only when King Lerar's daughter is in jain for criminal misconduct. I think the real issue is the sort of values this aging partiarch has imparted to his children. The DMK is a lumpen party with dynastic fascism as its core ideology just like the Congress.
I have met Kanimozhi on one ocassion and found her pleasant and engaging and was extremely courteous to me. So I would not have personally been offended if she had been granted bail. But we are addressing a larger question. Do politicians deserve sympathy. The answer to this question is no. They have systematically plundered the country. The 2G Spectrum sacandal is only one of several. The 1984 carnage organised by the Congress party after the death of Indiara Gandhi has not resulted in a single conviction. The case against that Yadava criminal from Bihar--Laloo Prasad-- will come up only after the last witness has been killed. The illiterate fellow is still disgracing the Parliament. So India has a nation has no symapahy for politicians. Political crime is a low investment and high return industry. See the case of Papu Yadava, D P Yadava, Neera Yadava and sundry others. Not one has been convicted.
Kanimozhi should have asked bail on the ground that her role in the 2G spectrum was limited to the 200 crores invested in Kalaignar TV and should have been successful in getting bail. However she said that being a woman, a wife and having an aged parent she should be given bail. Just imagine the chaos that would result if bail is granted on these spurious grounds. Every congress man will make his wife the benami for his crimes and the poor woman will be in jail and then bail. Thank god that O P Saini has seen through this argument. Moreover, the DMK is capable of having witness eliminated. If fact one of the directors of the Grrehouse Promoters was killed and the Chennai police made it look like suicide. What about the killing of Paul who was the E O of Tiruchendur Temple whose gold was looted by a DMK bigwig several decades back. DMK like the Congress party has crime in its DNA and deserves no sympathy. Let the patriarch suffer like King Lear.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
DELHI UNIVERSITY RAMAYANA CONTROVERSY; INTOLORENCE VERSUS INTELLECTUAL FOPPERY
A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and bo
I think it was al-Beruni who remarked that the Indians have no sense of history and the historians of India particularly the Delhi University and JNU species are bending backwards to prove him right. The removal of one short essay by A K Ramnujam from the history syllabus has become a cause celebre for the faithful to rally around the flag; never mind that the flag is moth eaten and shows all signs of having been dragged through a lot of dirt and muck. The inane shenanigans of our historians would be entertaining, if only it were not so tragic in the consequences. Soon after Indira Gandhi came to power in 1967 the coterie of like minded historians got into the business of creating "progressive "history. They grandly marched under the banner of a small pahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmphlet written by 3 historians who remain till this day the icons of "progressive" historiography. The little pamphlet called Communalism and the Writing of Indian History became the manifesto of a whole new generation of historians who invaded and colonized the portals of Indian Universities. The UGC under the chairmanship of Satish Chandra and the Ministry of Education under Dr Nurul Hassan were all suborned to the cause of what this self appointed group pf historians called secular history.
The first target of this cabal was a multi volume history of India called the Bharatiya VIdhya Bhavan Series. They launched a frontal attack on this series calling the approach "communal". Like Stalin's henchman, Beria, this cabal discovered thought crimes and a mere fatwa from this cabal was enough to send tall historians like R C Majumdhar and H C Raychaudhuri scurrying for cover. Guilt by association made independent thinking impossible in the field of history. Now the so-called progressive historians term the removal of one small paper by A K Ramnujum as an instance of intolerance. I should now ask why did they have the entire series of books virtually banned from the curriculum of Departments of History all over the country. I grant that the BVB series does not qualify to rank as great works of history. However, it represented an honest attempt to make sense of India;s tangled past and it passed the one test this group demands from historiography. It did not blame Babur for the Ayodhya issue.It is ironical that a multi volume work termed as "communal" by this cabal of "progressive" historians does not blame Babur for the destruction of the Ayodhya temple. Like any political issue which moves with the ebb and tide of politics the issue of communalism is also a political football and the progressive historians can frame any issue as "communal" depending on the politics of the hour.
The example that I have given shows very clearly that the progressive historians are guilty of practicing academic goondaism of the worst kind when they had the BVB series banned from the field of historical discourse. Even on social issues the cabal of "progressive" historians are extremely primitive in their social attitudes. Is there a single Dalit Professor in the Department of History in JNU. Are dalits banned from the corridors of JNU. Even in Hyderabad Central University and in Delhi University this cabal of progressive historians have betrayed the Indian constitution by not encouraging the oppressed and suppressed people. Chandra Bahn has stated this in a number of different places. So let this group of state sponsored historians who are intolerant, narrow minded and offensive not talk about academic freedom. They do not deserve the freedom to ban writings they disagree with and defend only the opinions that they are comfortable with. History as a discipline demands an atmosphere where divergent views can be debated. This cabal has snuffed out debate in India by practicing selective outrage.
The essay in question can by no stretch of the imagination be regarded as a major contribution to the understanding of Ramayana. It does have shock value and little else. The one reason why the so called progressives are coming out of the woodwork in order to condemn the University is to create a wild controversy and with a crumbling UPA government in power they can cause a diversion. No great academic or historiographical principle is involved. The historians have themselves betrayed their profession and like prostitutes in a whorehouse cannot say that they valur chastity.
I think it was al-Beruni who remarked that the Indians have no sense of history and the historians of India particularly the Delhi University and JNU species are bending backwards to prove him right. The removal of one short essay by A K Ramnujam from the history syllabus has become a cause celebre for the faithful to rally around the flag; never mind that the flag is moth eaten and shows all signs of having been dragged through a lot of dirt and muck. The inane shenanigans of our historians would be entertaining, if only it were not so tragic in the consequences. Soon after Indira Gandhi came to power in 1967 the coterie of like minded historians got into the business of creating "progressive "history. They grandly marched under the banner of a small pahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmphlet written by 3 historians who remain till this day the icons of "progressive" historiography. The little pamphlet called Communalism and the Writing of Indian History became the manifesto of a whole new generation of historians who invaded and colonized the portals of Indian Universities. The UGC under the chairmanship of Satish Chandra and the Ministry of Education under Dr Nurul Hassan were all suborned to the cause of what this self appointed group pf historians called secular history.
The first target of this cabal was a multi volume history of India called the Bharatiya VIdhya Bhavan Series. They launched a frontal attack on this series calling the approach "communal". Like Stalin's henchman, Beria, this cabal discovered thought crimes and a mere fatwa from this cabal was enough to send tall historians like R C Majumdhar and H C Raychaudhuri scurrying for cover. Guilt by association made independent thinking impossible in the field of history. Now the so-called progressive historians term the removal of one small paper by A K Ramnujum as an instance of intolerance. I should now ask why did they have the entire series of books virtually banned from the curriculum of Departments of History all over the country. I grant that the BVB series does not qualify to rank as great works of history. However, it represented an honest attempt to make sense of India;s tangled past and it passed the one test this group demands from historiography. It did not blame Babur for the Ayodhya issue.It is ironical that a multi volume work termed as "communal" by this cabal of "progressive" historians does not blame Babur for the destruction of the Ayodhya temple. Like any political issue which moves with the ebb and tide of politics the issue of communalism is also a political football and the progressive historians can frame any issue as "communal" depending on the politics of the hour.
The example that I have given shows very clearly that the progressive historians are guilty of practicing academic goondaism of the worst kind when they had the BVB series banned from the field of historical discourse. Even on social issues the cabal of "progressive" historians are extremely primitive in their social attitudes. Is there a single Dalit Professor in the Department of History in JNU. Are dalits banned from the corridors of JNU. Even in Hyderabad Central University and in Delhi University this cabal of progressive historians have betrayed the Indian constitution by not encouraging the oppressed and suppressed people. Chandra Bahn has stated this in a number of different places. So let this group of state sponsored historians who are intolerant, narrow minded and offensive not talk about academic freedom. They do not deserve the freedom to ban writings they disagree with and defend only the opinions that they are comfortable with. History as a discipline demands an atmosphere where divergent views can be debated. This cabal has snuffed out debate in India by practicing selective outrage.
The essay in question can by no stretch of the imagination be regarded as a major contribution to the understanding of Ramayana. It does have shock value and little else. The one reason why the so called progressives are coming out of the woodwork in order to condemn the University is to create a wild controversy and with a crumbling UPA government in power they can cause a diversion. No great academic or historiographical principle is involved. The historians have themselves betrayed their profession and like prostitutes in a whorehouse cannot say that they valur chastity.
Monday, October 17, 2011
The verdict on the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case: Appaling failure of Proscecution
A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books
The journalist Shivani Bhatnagar was killed in New Delhi in a secure high rise appartment in January 1999. An IPS officer who was on secondment to I K Gujrals' office was the prime suspect. R K Sharma, a Tyagi by caste ans an IPS officer seems to have engaged 3 Tyagi killers from Meerut and Western UP in order to have Shivani Bhatnagar killed. The Lower courts found all 4 of then accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The appelate court has acquitted 3 out of the 4 except the actual killer another Sharma called Pradeep Sharma. The hon'ble judges have stated that the quality of the evidence presented was poor and that though they had suspicions, they gave the 3 accused the benefit of doubt. I think such lapses are becoming very common and the common man who has already lost Faith in the political and administrative leadership is rapidly losiong faith in the judiciary as well. If this trend is not checked it will only lead to private justice and we are already seeing signs of private justice. I think failure on the part of the police to get known killers convicted by deliberate misconduct will lead to private justice and that would be quite bad.
The two prosecutors who got the convictions at the lower court were removed from handlinmg this case, The Delhu Police have to answer the question why they were removed. I think there were powerful political interests at work. Second, the motive behind the killing was widely publicised at the time and now it is said that the motive has not been established. If that is so how did the appelate bench find Pradeep Sharma guilty and confirmed the life sentence. Why dis the appealte court disregard the cell phone records of R K Sharma who was in constant touch with the gang of killers. Why is that evidence not germane to the case.
The inordinate delay in pronouncing the judgement without assigning any reasons is yet another factor that points to judicial misconduct. Unfortunately the nation has to suffer the corrupt politicians, criminal police officers, colluding bureaucrats, mediocre journalists, conniving RTI activists, compromised judges, and the list can go on. The solution to all this does not lie in a LOk Pal Bill or a Joke Pal Bill. It lies in the ability of decent citizens to punish the guilty and establish a Republic of Virtue in India.
The journalist Shivani Bhatnagar was killed in New Delhi in a secure high rise appartment in January 1999. An IPS officer who was on secondment to I K Gujrals' office was the prime suspect. R K Sharma, a Tyagi by caste ans an IPS officer seems to have engaged 3 Tyagi killers from Meerut and Western UP in order to have Shivani Bhatnagar killed. The Lower courts found all 4 of then accused guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The appelate court has acquitted 3 out of the 4 except the actual killer another Sharma called Pradeep Sharma. The hon'ble judges have stated that the quality of the evidence presented was poor and that though they had suspicions, they gave the 3 accused the benefit of doubt. I think such lapses are becoming very common and the common man who has already lost Faith in the political and administrative leadership is rapidly losiong faith in the judiciary as well. If this trend is not checked it will only lead to private justice and we are already seeing signs of private justice. I think failure on the part of the police to get known killers convicted by deliberate misconduct will lead to private justice and that would be quite bad.
The two prosecutors who got the convictions at the lower court were removed from handlinmg this case, The Delhu Police have to answer the question why they were removed. I think there were powerful political interests at work. Second, the motive behind the killing was widely publicised at the time and now it is said that the motive has not been established. If that is so how did the appelate bench find Pradeep Sharma guilty and confirmed the life sentence. Why dis the appealte court disregard the cell phone records of R K Sharma who was in constant touch with the gang of killers. Why is that evidence not germane to the case.
The inordinate delay in pronouncing the judgement without assigning any reasons is yet another factor that points to judicial misconduct. Unfortunately the nation has to suffer the corrupt politicians, criminal police officers, colluding bureaucrats, mediocre journalists, conniving RTI activists, compromised judges, and the list can go on. The solution to all this does not lie in a LOk Pal Bill or a Joke Pal Bill. It lies in the ability of decent citizens to punish the guilty and establish a Republic of Virtue in India.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Can P Chidambaram survive the 2G Crisis: The March 25th 2011 Note and its implications
A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books
The only lasting contribution of the Congress party school of Dynastic Fascism to Indian statecraft is the self destructive passion for factionalism and this talent was on full display in the recent eruption of conflict between P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee. The victory, if it can be called so, was to Pranab Babu, the wily Bengali Bhadralok who made the dhoti clad Chettiyar from Tamil Nadu witness his humiliation before the whole nation on public T V. And that self confessed brain challenged Home Minister even says that he is "satisfied" and the "matter is closed". I say brain challenged because the morning's newspapers say the P Chidambaram suffers from "amnesia" a la Kalmadi.
The whole Nation is aware that Raja alone could not have carried out the 2G Spectrum Scam without the complicity of other powerful political personalities. The Cabinet decision was to refer Spectrum pricing to an Empowered Group of Ministers (GOM).The Finance Minister concurred with the Prime Minister's decision to withdraw the Spectrum pricing from the purview of the Group of Ministers. Now Shri Raja can claim on the basis of the March 25th Note the policy of issuing licences on the first come first served basis was taken with the full knowledge and concurrence of the entire Government of India. In his press conference, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has reiterated this fact before thae whole Nation with P Chidambaram standing behind him like a nervous school boy. With one fell stroke, P Chidambaram was exposed as an abettor in the 2G Spectrum Scam before the whole Nation and piece de resistance was the thanks from Chidambaram for this brilliant drama.
If we look at the political carreer of P Chidambaram we find that he was with the G K Moopen faction of the Tamil Nadu Congress and has been trined to put factional loyalties above Party, Dynasty, and Ideology. He was instrumental in having the office room of the then Finance mInister bugged and the reason behin the bugging, perhaps had something to do with the 2G Scandal. Anyway Shri Pranab Mukherjee never forgave this slight and like a true Bengali Babu waited for the opprotune time and struck a blow from which Chidambaram will not recover. The March 25th 2011 Note is a time bomb with a very slow burning fuse time only to explode in the face of Chidambaram. The questions that directly stem from the note are:
1 Why did the then Finance Minister concur with the First come First served basis fro pricing of scarce spectrum.
2 Why did the then Finance minister not insist that the NDA policy be reviewed and stall the pricing on the basis of the 2001 prices.
3 Why did the Finance Ministry agree to let the DOT do the processing of the licences bypassing TRAI.
4 Is there any difference in the positions taken by Raja who is now in Tihar jail ( a dalit and I have already pointed out this in an earlier blog) and the high cast P Chidambaram who is still the Home Minister of India, though his Sivagangai MP seat is likely to be struck down by the courts.
It is claer that Pranab Da has ensured the exit og P Chidambaram from the cabinet and his exit is only a matter of when and how.
The only lasting contribution of the Congress party school of Dynastic Fascism to Indian statecraft is the self destructive passion for factionalism and this talent was on full display in the recent eruption of conflict between P Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee. The victory, if it can be called so, was to Pranab Babu, the wily Bengali Bhadralok who made the dhoti clad Chettiyar from Tamil Nadu witness his humiliation before the whole nation on public T V. And that self confessed brain challenged Home Minister even says that he is "satisfied" and the "matter is closed". I say brain challenged because the morning's newspapers say the P Chidambaram suffers from "amnesia" a la Kalmadi.
The whole Nation is aware that Raja alone could not have carried out the 2G Spectrum Scam without the complicity of other powerful political personalities. The Cabinet decision was to refer Spectrum pricing to an Empowered Group of Ministers (GOM).The Finance Minister concurred with the Prime Minister's decision to withdraw the Spectrum pricing from the purview of the Group of Ministers. Now Shri Raja can claim on the basis of the March 25th Note the policy of issuing licences on the first come first served basis was taken with the full knowledge and concurrence of the entire Government of India. In his press conference, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has reiterated this fact before thae whole Nation with P Chidambaram standing behind him like a nervous school boy. With one fell stroke, P Chidambaram was exposed as an abettor in the 2G Spectrum Scam before the whole Nation and piece de resistance was the thanks from Chidambaram for this brilliant drama.
If we look at the political carreer of P Chidambaram we find that he was with the G K Moopen faction of the Tamil Nadu Congress and has been trined to put factional loyalties above Party, Dynasty, and Ideology. He was instrumental in having the office room of the then Finance mInister bugged and the reason behin the bugging, perhaps had something to do with the 2G Scandal. Anyway Shri Pranab Mukherjee never forgave this slight and like a true Bengali Babu waited for the opprotune time and struck a blow from which Chidambaram will not recover. The March 25th 2011 Note is a time bomb with a very slow burning fuse time only to explode in the face of Chidambaram. The questions that directly stem from the note are:
1 Why did the then Finance Minister concur with the First come First served basis fro pricing of scarce spectrum.
2 Why did the then Finance minister not insist that the NDA policy be reviewed and stall the pricing on the basis of the 2001 prices.
3 Why did the Finance Ministry agree to let the DOT do the processing of the licences bypassing TRAI.
4 Is there any difference in the positions taken by Raja who is now in Tihar jail ( a dalit and I have already pointed out this in an earlier blog) and the high cast P Chidambaram who is still the Home Minister of India, though his Sivagangai MP seat is likely to be struck down by the courts.
It is claer that Pranab Da has ensured the exit og P Chidambaram from the cabinet and his exit is only a matter of when and how.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Subash Chandra Bose: His Majesty's Opponent by Sugata Bose
A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books
Subash Chandra Bose is a tragic figure in Indian history and an enigmatic personality in Indian historiography. Jawaharlal Nehru, his rival and a self-appointed heir of Gandhi declared with joyful glee that Bose had died in a plane crash near Taiwan and thereby ignited a controversy which is still reverberating. Nehru relief at the untimely demise of Subash Chandra Bose was transparently clear and I dare say that Nehru was the real beneficiary of the death of Subash Chandra Bose. The plane crash removed from the scene a very powerful and charismatic figure from the landscape of Indian politics. And the quick elimination of Gandhiji meant that in the post Independence era, Nehru was virtually without a rival. Even Sardar Patel was constantly humiliated by Nehru in the years following Independence, that he died a broken man, his dreams shattered by the barrage of humiliation inflicted by the first Prime Minister. Incidentally, on the day Gandhi met his untimely death he was scheduled to meet Nehru and talk to him about the impending resignation of Sardar Patel from the cabinet.
The political life of Subash Candra Bose is fascinating and the eminent historian Dr Sugata Bose has done a splendid job in contextualizing the career of Bose within the framework of the national movement. Jawarharlal Nehru being a rumbustious factional leader had created a pro-left faction within the Congress party. While public ally deferring to Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru astutely created a ginger group consisting of left wing ideologues like Kriplani and Jayaprakas Narayan and this left oriented faction was being pitted against the nationalist such as Bose. One outcome of this strategy was the marinalization of Subash Chanra Bose within the Congress Party and even when Bose won the election to the Presidency of the AICC, the Nehruvian faction prevailed upon Gandhi to disown Bose. The rest as they say is history.
Bose's decision to leave India and seek the assistance of Japan and Germany still remains a controversial issue in Indian historiography. The pro-Nehru bran of state sponsored historians like Bipan Chandra and the like hint that Subash Chandra Bose was a proto fascist and expalin the alliance with Germany in terms of an inherent anti-democratic streak in the personality of Bose. What they deliberately ignore, and this point is well argued in Sugata Bose's recent book, is that factional in-fighting within the Congress aided and promoted by Jawarhar Lal Nehru had made the exit of Bose from the Congress inevitable.
Sugata Bose has quite rightly pointed out that Bose did not envisage a long term alliance with Germany as he was fully aware of the implications of German Nazi ideology. In fact Germany hardly gave any help to Bose except arranging his transport via submarine to Japan. However, SubashhCharda Bose's alliance with Imperial Japan did result in untold suffering when war crimes were comitted by the Japanese forces on the Islands. Subash Chandra Bose being the head of the Interim Government cannot be absolved from the blame for the massacres in Port Blair. Sugata Bose unfortunately does not deal with this painful chapter.
The book under review is very good and scholarly and deserves to be read by all serious student sof modern Indian history.
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