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O J’s Corner
Left’s idiosyncracies are their follies
The Left wanted not a major portion of the cake, but the whole of the cake. That proved to be their unbecoming vis-à-vis the Dr Manmohan Singh Government it had propped up for four years and two months. The principle of sharing is the cornerstone of coalition governance. But the Left had always wanted Dr Manmohan Singh to do their bidding.
Forget about the treatment meted out to Dr Manmohan Singh, CPM’s approach to dealing with its own Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was overbearing. It should not have included the Speaker’s name in the list submitted to the President about withdrawal of support. I can understand the party asking Somnath Chatterjee to resign. But I feel enlisting the Speaker, before his resignation, among the supporters who would topple the government was too much.
The party decimated the personal glory of Somnath Chatterjee at one stroke.In the CPM, personal glory is confined to one person, the so-called leader at the helm of affairs. Others are only shouters of aye. There can be no nays, against the wishes of the party supremo.
However, one can see a streak in the behaviour of the many persons who held the post of the Speaker. In the Lok Sabha they have a special place, over and above the Constitutional slot. The special status is in the minds of the members and the party leaders, conferring on him some sort of an infallible persona. That is very much essential for the safe upkeep of the institution of Parliament. Members should obey the incumbent, otherwise there would be total confusion. When the incumbent enjoys this supremacy, he should not think that he is the Creator.
P A Sangma was an efficient Speaker, but the dimensions of personal glory had defeated him. One fine morning, he thought it unfit to obey his party leader Sonia Gandhi. Short-cuts taken, in association with Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar, only proved to be unworkable. There can be no personal glory in isolation.
Somnath Chatterjee is a good person, a man of culture, endowed with intelligence and erudition. I feel he should have gone out of his way to settle the issues with the party, way before the list was submitted to the President. Letter-writing was not enough.
The awkward scenario that ensued after the party expelled him would haunt Prakash Karat in many ways. The party is no more an uninkerable monolith.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
O J’s Corner
Interests having a field day
The beauty and the vulgarity are at once evident in the democratic exercise of a trust vote being held on July 22, to confirm whether Dr Manmohan Singh Government can survive or not.
The beauty is that, with all the darker forces at play, human ideas, opinions, interpretations, find place somewhere, unlike the times when some autocrat would declare: “ I am the State”. Whether it is for a good cause or bad, at least some people’s thoughts, expressions and emotions are counted. It was not the case in olden times. It is not possible today as well in prevalent totalitarian regimes, betraying religious, military and other dimensions.Considering this, India can be considered as the most vocal democracy in the world.
The bad patch is that a lot of leaders are interested in cornering power and pelf by fluke in the guise of protecting the government. One can say the corporate world is assuming a bigger role in indirect governance, because corporate entities fund various interests. Can a few companies decide the lot of 120 billion people? It would appear that they have considerable clout. But then, there is the TINA factor- there is no alternative.
I agree with Rahul Gandhi’s observation. If the government falls on this issue, let it fall. In that case, leaders of reckoning should make it a point that unparalleled concessions should not be allowed to corner a few votes. There can be freebies, but someone should see to it that all wishful thinkings should not be conceded.
Interests having a field day
The beauty and the vulgarity are at once evident in the democratic exercise of a trust vote being held on July 22, to confirm whether Dr Manmohan Singh Government can survive or not.
The beauty is that, with all the darker forces at play, human ideas, opinions, interpretations, find place somewhere, unlike the times when some autocrat would declare: “ I am the State”. Whether it is for a good cause or bad, at least some people’s thoughts, expressions and emotions are counted. It was not the case in olden times. It is not possible today as well in prevalent totalitarian regimes, betraying religious, military and other dimensions.Considering this, India can be considered as the most vocal democracy in the world.
The bad patch is that a lot of leaders are interested in cornering power and pelf by fluke in the guise of protecting the government. One can say the corporate world is assuming a bigger role in indirect governance, because corporate entities fund various interests. Can a few companies decide the lot of 120 billion people? It would appear that they have considerable clout. But then, there is the TINA factor- there is no alternative.
I agree with Rahul Gandhi’s observation. If the government falls on this issue, let it fall. In that case, leaders of reckoning should make it a point that unparalleled concessions should not be allowed to corner a few votes. There can be freebies, but someone should see to it that all wishful thinkings should not be conceded.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
O J’s Corner
Hard bargaining for what?
The country appears to be in turmoil for the sake of propping up/destroying the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government. I was wondering what the hell is going on, considering the repercussions of the fall or survival of the government. Anyway, general elections have to be held early next year. Petroleum prices are not going to tumble any more in the future. The world is not going to find cheap alternative sources of energy any time in the near future. Nano technology offers great scope for anything and everything. Who knows one day vehicles would not be run on something of a nuclear technology at the nano level?
Whether elections are held in November this year or February next year, the price situation is not going to improve on a massive scale. Why should an MP be offered prize money for support or otherwise of the government for a few months. Japan and Italy, as also Israel were countries which used to run coalition governments. Israel has security concerns, and any coalition would support any scheme for national security. The other countries used to conduct elections on and off. There was nothing wrong with the outcome. If the political entities in India does not want to see reason, let there be fresh elections. Something will come out of it.
IUML was about to pull out its Minister. National Conference is undecided. Akali Dal would vote out the government, but it has not issued a whip to its members. JMM is vacillating. Prakash Karat-Somnath Chatterjee tussle is on. There is more to it than what is projected. Things are on a jittery path.
Hard bargaining for what?
The country appears to be in turmoil for the sake of propping up/destroying the Dr Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government. I was wondering what the hell is going on, considering the repercussions of the fall or survival of the government. Anyway, general elections have to be held early next year. Petroleum prices are not going to tumble any more in the future. The world is not going to find cheap alternative sources of energy any time in the near future. Nano technology offers great scope for anything and everything. Who knows one day vehicles would not be run on something of a nuclear technology at the nano level?
Whether elections are held in November this year or February next year, the price situation is not going to improve on a massive scale. Why should an MP be offered prize money for support or otherwise of the government for a few months. Japan and Italy, as also Israel were countries which used to run coalition governments. Israel has security concerns, and any coalition would support any scheme for national security. The other countries used to conduct elections on and off. There was nothing wrong with the outcome. If the political entities in India does not want to see reason, let there be fresh elections. Something will come out of it.
IUML was about to pull out its Minister. National Conference is undecided. Akali Dal would vote out the government, but it has not issued a whip to its members. JMM is vacillating. Prakash Karat-Somnath Chatterjee tussle is on. There is more to it than what is projected. Things are on a jittery path.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
O J’s Corner
Churning process active
Reports about the molten stuff, in turmoil in the Earth’s core, poised to switch direction of its revolution, capable of reversing the rotation of the Planet, set me thinking. It does not require the vision of a sage, sanyasin, muni or a philosopher to perceive the total changes that have been enveloping the earth, its inhabitants, their conduct, their sense of dharma, the thin line separating the rights and the wrongs. Things have completely changed in all spheres. Man has achieved a state of mind which is totally selfish. True, selfishness has permeated the world ever since its origins. But as time goes on, and education, awareness, information, explode, enlightenment is on the wane. If it moves like this, there would be no light at the end of the tunnel.
Scientists may be mulling their minds about the physical changes that would happen to the planet, once the rotation reverse sets in, like the South Pole becoming the North Pole, the Antarctic becoming the Arctic, earthquakes, tsunamis and destruction following, but the fact is that the very definition of satya, dharma/ethics and the like has undergone a sea-change. It seems like when one says something, the reverse is permeating his mind. Ordinary beings telling lies for their existence is a small thing compared to so-called enlightened souls resorting to quite unethical ways.
The Earth has been exploited materially in toto. Nature cannot sustain its balance. The inhabitants of the Earth have undergone a u-turn in their realms of ethics. There can only be total change that would set in by the laws of the Universe. Nobody else, but the human beings, can take on the blame. Be it the Mayan calendar ending on December 21, 2012 , stated to bring in the changes or otherwise, man cannot go on like this. Looking at the darkness, one cannot go on vouching that it is light.
Churning process active
Reports about the molten stuff, in turmoil in the Earth’s core, poised to switch direction of its revolution, capable of reversing the rotation of the Planet, set me thinking. It does not require the vision of a sage, sanyasin, muni or a philosopher to perceive the total changes that have been enveloping the earth, its inhabitants, their conduct, their sense of dharma, the thin line separating the rights and the wrongs. Things have completely changed in all spheres. Man has achieved a state of mind which is totally selfish. True, selfishness has permeated the world ever since its origins. But as time goes on, and education, awareness, information, explode, enlightenment is on the wane. If it moves like this, there would be no light at the end of the tunnel.
Scientists may be mulling their minds about the physical changes that would happen to the planet, once the rotation reverse sets in, like the South Pole becoming the North Pole, the Antarctic becoming the Arctic, earthquakes, tsunamis and destruction following, but the fact is that the very definition of satya, dharma/ethics and the like has undergone a sea-change. It seems like when one says something, the reverse is permeating his mind. Ordinary beings telling lies for their existence is a small thing compared to so-called enlightened souls resorting to quite unethical ways.
The Earth has been exploited materially in toto. Nature cannot sustain its balance. The inhabitants of the Earth have undergone a u-turn in their realms of ethics. There can only be total change that would set in by the laws of the Universe. Nobody else, but the human beings, can take on the blame. Be it the Mayan calendar ending on December 21, 2012 , stated to bring in the changes or otherwise, man cannot go on like this. Looking at the darkness, one cannot go on vouching that it is light.
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