Whether it was insider job or otherwise, nuclear mischief at Kaiga is serious

By O.J.George

Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar has said it is an insider job and there is nothing wrong with the working of the Kaiga nuclear plant in North Karnataka, about 450 kms from Bangalore.

It was quick reaction on the part of the authorities to mitigate the situation. And to mollify the victims and the people at large, this was indeed plain relief,
As many as 55 workers who drank water were taken ill and hospitalised. Tritium levels in them were high and now they are normal.

The radioactive tritium contaminated in their body has gone out with urine and perspiration. Nature’s provision indeed!

Is it possible to simply wave it off as an act of mischief on the part of some workers to contaminate the water cooler with tritium? Where did they lay their hands on the radio active isotope of hydrogen? Is it that easy to fetch the dangerous substance as one secures stationery from the office?
It is better to identify the mischief monger and his/her accomplice/accomplices and root out the source of trouble.

In the nuclear age, unless the materials are safely kept, these tiny matters put in a reservoir or river or stream can make the lives of millions miserable.
We see workers wearing security gowns, caps and the like in such work places, but the fact that dangerous elements lurk among them is not conducive to maintaining the general health of the people.

No doubt the terrorist angle should also be probed and the authorities seem to have taken serious note of it following the decision to press into service intelligence agencies, local and national.

Terrorists issue warning like this when there is strong action against them. Now there has been an attempt to nab LeT operatives of Indian origin from Bangladesh. The country should be cautious about retaliation on such steps or otherwise like anniversary of attack in Mumbai.

Cows diseased, defy vaccination impact; where are the hi-tech cows from abroad?

By O.J.George

Macrobiotic system of food habits insists on not using animal milk by human beings, but milk consumption has been going up world wide.

In Kerala, the supply is not sufficient to meet the demands, for which we depend on Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The latest is that supplies from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are slow because of heavy intake by Amul company there itself.

The government has been speaking about new breeding policy and introduction of high-yielding variety of cows in Kerala.

In olden days we had Vechoor type of cows which yielded a litre of milk a day, but it was disease resistant and meagre grass consumer.

Later, for some years the Sunandini type ruled the roost and we had a lot of milk during the times. This variety also disappeared following a lot of problems, including low birth rate.

We tried, Jersy, Swiss Brown etc which yielded more milk, but the rearers were not able to take off very well.

Now there has been talk of bringing embryos from Israel, which had pioneered in cross breeding with its varieties with the Dutch Holstein Freisian.

Now these are Israeli Friesian which take on adverse conditions and still yield good amount of milk. This variety, if introduced here would yield 25 litres of milk a day, according to estimates.

But how are we going to manage the upkeep, medical attention and all?

Vechoor and nearby areas and many other places in Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Palakkad districts are hit by foot and mouth disease in cows.

Roughly 2,000 cows are affected in Kottayam district alone.

Authorities speak about providing vaccination of the cows against foot and mouth disease. The situation is far from satisfactory.

Either vaccination has not been done properly or the disease has become resistant. In that case, more powerful type of vaccination has to be found.

Introduction of cattle rearing as mere tool for poverty eradication would not provide an impetus for the sector to take off.

Those rearing cows and other cattle heads should be able to improve their standard of living with income from the farming.

The prevailing situation is far below the optimum standards required to popularise cattle rearing and achieve self-sufficiency in milk production.

How safe are we in Kochi and Kerala?

By O.J.George

We have solemnly observed the first anniversary of Mumbai attack by terrorists from Pakistan.

But by way of abundant caution, much needs to be done to ensure safety and security to the people.

Kerala has vast coastline and the latest threat of easy entry for terrorists is from the sea.

Take for example, Kochi. David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, arrested by the FBI in US, had visited Kochi before the Mumbai attack.

There is reason to disbelieve that they had alternative site plans for attack in various places of the country, including Kochi.

And mind you, anyone can barge into Kochi which has easy access to the port from the ocean.

Cochin Shipyard is of strategic importance to the country, for it is where INS Viraat, the air-craft carrier, is under reconstruction at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore.

It is expected to be on active service within two years as per the pace of refittings and renovations going on.

If the work is immobilized through an attack, its induction could be delayed by a decade.

Also Cochin Shipyard may build more aircraft carriers for the Navy, which calls for strengthening the security set-up.

Cochin Refinery stands strategic for our oil needs and an attack on the infrastructure could erupt into unmanageable explosions. Only CISF protection is available as of now.

What about Cochin international airport? It has the security blanket of CISF and private security, but can they take on the most modern weaponry of terrorists?

Kerala High Court is situated flanking the backwaters and the port.

Terrorists could attack Parliament, Mumbai’s institutions and the like. So far they have not been able to strike at any court. Attacking the courts would destabilise judiciary which is the strongest pillar of the constitutional entities.

Terrorist elements have issued a warning, they can burn bus, cause explosion at the collectorate in Kochi, nothing is beyond them. Did we take notice?

Satellite surveillance, commando service, strengthening of intelligence set –up and all are essentials that cannot be dispensed with.

As for terrorists, they lie low for some time, they have strong sleeping cells capable of rejuvenating at the beck of their dreaded masters. Eternal vigilance is the only way to ensure safety.

Dubai debacle would have cascading effect in Kerala, if not India

By O.J.George

Anand Sharma, the Commerce Minister, may be right in making a comment on the macro side of the fall-out of the Dubai debacle. On the whole, Indian economy, which is resilient, may withstand such pressures, but the economic recovery in full could be delayed.

It has been reported that 24 per cent of the remittances from abroad are from the UAE, Dubai being not the least unimportant.

Much of the remittances to Kerala are from the Gulf countries, no doubt, and the chaos in the construction sector in the UAE could have deleterious effect on the worker class of people from Kerala.Consequently, their remittances would come to a halt.

Already, the Dubai's financial health has come under scrutiny after Dubai World, a major, government-owned investment company asked for a six-month delay on repaying its debts.


Dubai World, which has total debts of $59bn (£35bn), is asking creditors for postponement of its forthcoming payments until May next year.

Dubai World has also appointed global accountancy group Deloitte to help with its financial restructuring.

The company has been hit hard by the global credit crunch and recession.
It was due to repay $3.5bn of its debts next month.

At one stroke, trading in the stock exchanges fell by over 500 points in India. Investors are scared of pumping in funds.

Incidentally, inimitable Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan has bluntly commented that Tecom, a Dubai company, which is dilly-dallying on setting up the Smart City project in Kochi, is short of funds and it is finding alibi to delay the work.

Tecom authorities do not agree with this view, but is there a grain of truth in the CM’s averment, now that the Dubai World has turned red?

The situation is not rosy, which makes it obligatory on the part of the government to implement supportive measures for the survival of the affected people.

Another attack like 26/11, India may not sit still

O.J.George

The dastardly attack in Mumbai on 26/11/2008 claiming the lives of 173 innocent people is remembered today on the occasion of the first anniversary.

Solemn and solid columns of Force One, other units, voluntary organizations, the people at large and people’s representatives have pledged to see that there would not be a repeat of 26/11/2008.

Both Houses of Parliament observed silence and commemorated the episode of cowardice.

A woman was seen on television channel espousing the idea as to why the countries in question sit together, ask questions face to face and settle the issues rather than shooting people to death.

She had lost her son and brother in the 26/11/2008.It was apparent she felt helpless.

But mind you, all terrorists everywhere on Planet Earth do not see reason. They don’t care if lives are lost, be these theirs or others'.

Eternal vigilance is the answer to the terrorists infiltrating into the country and wreaking havoc on innocent people just to show off that they would make normal lives miserable.

It is clear and no debate is needed to drive the point home that the country was not equipped to detect and deal with the terrorists at the nick of time.

In spite of all sorts of radars, eaves-dropping gadgets, intelligence units capable of intercepting messages and voices on mobiles, the terrorists, with support from agencies and personnel at an international level, barged into our metro city and just shot dead 173 people.

Thank God, the toll remained only this much, otherwise the cowards, armed with modern weapons and arms, would have gunned down more people.

We just thought people from other countries would not barge into the country like this for an act of attack in a metro city.

Perhaps the enemies were expected only on the borders. The lie has been exposed, terrorists can run riot anywhere.

Let the terrorists and those who fawn them be informed, another attack like this, they would have it whatever the consequences.

Home Minister P.Chidambaram has made it clear already. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh disclosed in Washington the other day that there was tremendous pressure on him to launch an attack in response to 26/11.

Can he withstand pressure next time? Definitely not, for he had said earlier Pakistan will have to pay a heavy price for the attack.

If miscreants among neighbours do not see reason, the consequences can be terrible.

Now it is clear there would be no rollback of the civil nuclear co-operation with the US

By O.J.George

US President Barack Obama has done the wonderful thing by declaring India as a nuclear power in his welcome address to Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at the White House.

He has attached great importance to ties with India by hosting Dr Manmohan Singh as his first state guest during his Presidency and that has historical importance.

Critics both in India and the US have been silenced by Obama with the recognition accorded to India as a nuclear power, and now there can be no going back.

Countries like Australia and Canada which were reluctant to do business with India as a nuclear power would now see reason and toe the line set by the US, otherwise they would be the losers.

Recently, there has been criticism that Obama during his visit to China,super rated that country in the Asian region, to the chagrin of India.

Now the records have been made straight and there would be great going in strategic relations between the US and India.

India by becoming a responsible nuclear power with achievements in space explorations with much more in the offing cannot be ignored by the world at large. Its human resources could be used for the benefit of the world.

There would be increased co-operation in various areas like education, health, climate change steps, research, energy and so on, but the greater achievement is the enhanced level of perception for strategic relations.

Kerala Water ‘Authority’ should be changed as Water Service

By O.J.George

This may sound non-serious, but a name is a name and it denotes some characteristics.

The people working in the ‘Authority’ may think that there is no authority above them and that if they don’t show mercy, the common mortals would be denied of water that is the essential ingredient of life.

The other day, one ‘Authority’ man simply closed the water connection to the residence of T.J.Chandrachoodan in Thiruvananthapuram.

He is the national general secretary of the Revolutionary Socialist Party which is a partner of the LDF.

And RSP’s nominee, N.K.Premachandran, is the Water Resources Development Minister.

It was generous on the part of Premachandran, who is a well-meaning and affable person, to have called on the people at the residence of Chandrachoodan and pacified them.

This should be taken as an example to undertake reforms in the water resources service agency.

I was ignorant about the illegal protocol at the Water Authority offices until I had a problem.

Some work was undertaken by the panchayat on the road when the pipeline developed leak there. I promptly informed the ‘Authority’ about the leak and wastage of water. One person came and just closed the water connection to my residence.

I thought he was an employee of the ‘Authority’. After firing verbal expletives he took out a receipt book and ticked one entry. The slip was thrown into my residential compound.

The ticked item read the householder should do the work on the road to the satisfaction of the ‘Authority’.

The receipt has the printed designation of the engineer. The not-so-gentle man put ‘for’ and signed on behalf of the engineer and threw the slip into the compound.

Later it was known that the worker had nothing to do with Water Authority. He is a contractor engaged by the ‘Authority’. It was he who signed the order to the householder by way of the slip.

Areas are allotted to such contractors who go about extracting money from nearby householders if a leak develops on the public road.

A neighbour was forced to give Rs 3,000, a lady, for the work undertaken on the public road.

This is only one instance and there may be untold miseries suffered by the common man for getting water from the water ‘Authority’.

Such illegal practices should be summarily deleted from the service. The very name,’Authority’ is odious.

Convergence of heritage of two great nations as Manmohan Singh, Obama meet on Nov 24

By O.J.George

Whatever the long-past antipathy, the meeting between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama on November 24 at the White House would reinforce the reckoning achieved by the two countries in the recent past.

India and the US are two great democracies and in spite of cultural differences, there are a lot of meeting points on fundamentals revolving round democratic governance.

The greatest asset of both the countries is that people enjoy democratic freedom, which is not that real in many other countries.

In spite of China making giant strides in development, industry, commerce and the like, that country cannot boast of democratic elections and enjoyment of freedom by the people.

Whatever the bonhomie the US and China have developed, there would always be the rider of absence of total freedom.

The US has the past sin of cosying up to Pakistan at the cost of relations with India. But it seems the US has learnt a lesson from the September 11 terror attack. Whether it admits publicly or not, the hide-out of various elements of terrorists is in Pakistan one way or other.

The governments in Pakistan from time to time failed to rein in the terror elements for fear of their being thrown out and so stability is lacking there. If some elements in Pakistan get hold of the nuclear weapons, they could terrify the world.

It is in the interest of US as well that terrorist elements in Pakistan are rooted out and Indian fears reckoned. The Afghanistan tangle also requires the participation of India.

India and the US by developing strategic relations, through the civil nuclear agreement and afterwards, there could be significant contributions in dealing with terrorism.

The US cannot expect India to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty as such, for it was to deal with this issue mostly that the civil nuclear agreement was executed.

Indirectly, it was reckoned as an accepted nuclear power. There can be no going back on it. No amount of pressure will move India sign on the dotted lines.

Mutual acceptance, strategic partnership and development together could mark the outcome of the Manmohan-Obama meeting.

Congress cannot keep off Muralidharan for long

By O.J.George

Now that a section of the Congress and some leaders of the party at the national level are keen to have K.Muralidharan, son of senior leader K.Karunakaran, back into the party-fold, it seems he cannot be kept at bay for a very long time.

Muralidharan has expressed his wish to be part of the Congress again and the party can put a lot of conditions to enable his entry. No one will object to a clear-cut rider being enforced for his entry to the effect that there can never be a return of the sort of mudslinging on leaders.

One should salute Karunakaran for the way he came back to the Congress. He apologized to Sonia Gandhi unconditionally. Muralidharan can also very well do that, simultaneously opening up some back channel communication.

Politics in Kerala is closely enjoined with social, cultural and even religious overtones. Karunakaran and his son had an active political life. Muralidharan cannot join any other party now. By closing the door to him, what is the Congress asking him to do? Should he take up some other profession? No, his life is in politics just as anyone else’s.

People may fear there would be return of the old style harangues. But that is too much of a fear, for politics is never a stagnant pool of activities. It goes on and on and evolves itself in one form or other.

A lot of developments are happening in the BJP, the CPM and other parties in tune with what is happening in their respective spheres.

The leaders of the Congress Party cannot hope to cling on like this, closing the door on Muralidharan, for the people at large would see the signs on the wall and call for inclusion.

And as far as Muralidharan is concerned, he should apologise to Sonia Gandhi for the wrong comments he had made in the past.

Bal Thackeray has become senile; Sachin should not have been touched

By O.J.George

Sachin Tendulkar is an international cricketer with unmistakable records in his kitty. Bal Thackeray, with his parochial views, is a puny figure before personalities like Sachin Tendulkar.

I can understand a lot of people expressing opinion that millions of people waste their time watching cricket on the television for hours together. Remember the Test cricket only days when people were forced to Wait for the Godot of results.

Now, of course, 50-overs ODI, and Twenty20 have come into being, and unending cricket melas have become something of immediate impact regarding results.

Well, a lot of people go head over heels enjoying the imperial game and there can be no objection even if one does not like it.

Does Bal Thackeray doubt the Marathi background of Sachin Tendulkar? Everyone knows that he is a Marathi. There is no doubt about it. But think about the national pride when Sachin said he belongs to 1.1 billion plus people of India. Mumbai, inhabited by all sorts of people, belongs to all of them.

Why should Bal Thackeray feel that Sachin was playing politics, for he was not, he was only projecting the One-Indian concept.

Hail Sachin Tendulkar for this comment.

Ban on private practice, weeding out ordinary patients from medical college would add to people’s woes

By O.J.George

If we think on a one-track dimension, ban on private practice of doctors, and driving out of ordinary patients from medical colleges would sound reformative.

Some may even think that these are revolutionary measures which would bring in an egalitarian society.

No doubt, all the ordinary mortals would be on the same wave length of untold misery. Mind you, this is tinkering with the healthcare sphere. After all, any human being has only one life. He or she would like to fetch the best medical attention from the doctors of their choice.

Availability of service is the most crucial aspect with regard to medicare. Till the other day, the medical prescription of a medical college doctor was available to the ordinary mortal.

Payment of Rs 100, or Rs 250 for a call was not that unaffordable considering the fact that the best possible solution to the life problem was being secured by any common man or woman.

The situation in district/taluk hospitals and primary health centres has been dismal considering the non-availability of specialized amenities.

At one go, all those who were getting treatment in medical colleges are being thrown out and left to the mercy of nothingness in district/taluk hospitals and primary health centres.

No doubt, when people find it impossible to get services in these entities they would be forced to go to private hospitals, risking the prospect of making huge payments.

And the private medical colleges in the state can have their way. There is no restriction on them.

Some so-called ideologues are misguiding the government and distancing the people from the LDF government.

The very same government is not extending salary revision allowed by the UGC to university and college teachers.

The UGC is giving the full additional amount initially, and there would be many avenues to fetch further assistance from it or the Central Government if the same is extended to the teachers.

Of course, the retirement age of teachers has to be extended.

Now the government is not sanctioning posts in colleges. Only guest teachers are appointed by the management. Since payment to them is not given by the government, there is no continuity. Quality of teaching will thus go down further.

Things are going from bad to worse in the health and education sectors.

What has gone wrong with the Left, particularly the CPM?

By O.J.George

It is high time the Left, particularly the Left, found out the real reason behind the debacle everywhere in the ballot battle.

There is no room for justification of the rout the Left has been facing these days. The Left means essentially the CPM and that party, which has a clear role to play in Kerala and West Bengal politics, should not fritter away the goodwill inbuilt in the minds of sizable sections of people.

Perhaps, a little change in the mindset could correct the degeneration, for which there should be the will to do it.

In Kerala, the CPM used to win by-elections, whereas the C ongress was able to win a by-election only rarely and that too in special political situations.
Now it has lost all the three bypolls in Kannur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha. Did the party err by going overboard in campaign tactics?

No party in Kerala can win an election with its own members and immediate kin. Kerala has a peculiar section of the electorate, which is not that vocal but is clear-headed and decisive about what should be done. It is this section that has been distanced by the party.

The situation in West Bengal is worse, for the CPM could not win a single of the five seats it contested. The Left Front was largely routed, except for a single win of a minuscule party. Trinamul-Congress combine won nine seats of the total 10.

Already there is clamour for a snap election in West Bengal by elements within the Left Front. Fisheries Minister Kiranmoy Nanda of the Socialist Party has called for fresh elections without waiting for the schedule in 2011. RSP says there should be discussion about it. Forward Bloc may not want to cling on if the CPM takes the decision for a snap poll.

But Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who betrays courage, says the by-election results are temporary phenomena. People had permanently decided to offer a five-year term for his government which should lead them till 2011. There can be any argument for clinging on.

No doubt, something is drastically wrong with the approach of the party, which should be offered a course correction, if need be.

The CPM has all along been discussing at various fora the need for corrective measures; no doubt it should not lose time in implementing the measures.

UDF registers convincing victory in by-polls, LDF has a long way to go

By O.J.George

The CPM-led LDF wanted to snatch one seat at least from the Congress-led UDF in the three by-elections of Kannur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha. Particularly, Kannur it had wanted badly, for the Congress candidate was former CPM whiz kid A.P.Adbulla Kutty.

The LDF and the CPM did not get what it wanted, for the Congress retained all the three seats. The LDF can have a minor consolation that its votebank has not shrunk compared to its performance in the Lok Sabha elections. True, Lok Sabha elections and Assembly election issues are vetted by the electorate differently.

Nobody expects V.S.Achuthanandan to fold up his business on account of the LDF debacle. Of course, he had contributed significantly to the campaign, badly hoping for a foray into the UDF fold.

Abdulla Kutty got a margin of 12,043 votes in Kannur, Dominic Presentation 8,620 votes in Ernakulam and A.A. Shukur 4,745 votes in Alappuzha.

Whether the margins have come down or not, a win is a win in the democratic set-up.The by-election results would definitely be a pointer to what is in the crucible for the Assembly elections in 2011.
There is nothing to speak against the conventional alternation of a UDF, LDF regime in the state.

CPM’s debacle is more pronounced in West Bengal. Trinamul-Congress combine has fetched eight seats out of 10 by-elections in West Bengal. The CPM has nothing to feel relieved, on the contrary, things appear to be very bad for the party. Mamata magic is working in favour of the Trinamul-Congress combine.

In spite of several constraints, democracy is deep-rooted in the politicalscape and we should be happy about it.

Will L.K.Advani simply fade away?

O J George

Those who want rejuvenation of the flagging BJP want the senior leadership to give way for younger blood to take up the reins to lead the party to greater glory.

BJP president Rajnath Singh and Parliamentary Party Leader L.K.Advani should step down and second rung leadership should come in, according to this argument.
Peeved at the dismal show in the Lok Sabha elections, the RSS is also keen to have new leadership for the BJP.

All this is easier said than done, for Advani is not that a throw-away. Perhaps, Rajnath Singh can be given some role and appeased.

After A.B.Vajpayee, who is keeping ill-health, Advani is the tallest leader, even though he had erred in his judgement to provide a softer side to his fundamentalism.

Sudheendra Kulkarni might have misled him into saying that Mohamed Ali Jinnah was a secularist. Now Jaswant Singh has gone a little beyond that, glorifying Jinnah and blaming leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru for partition.

The rout of the party in the Lok Sabha elections, causing disappointment for not forming a government of its own at the Centre, had spurred sections of the party and the RSS itself to take steps to streamline the party.

There was a call for the immediate replacement of Rajnath Singh, but he refused to cave in. He wanted to live out his tenure as the BJP president which ends in December this year.

Advani said on and off that he would give up the post of Parliamentary Party Leader. But that was not immediately implemented, but Sushma Swaraj was appointed deputy leader.

Now the RSS has made its plea louder, meaning Advani should also go. He may be given time till February to wind up business and fade away into oblivion.

Having said all this, with the second rung leadership at loggerheads with each other, exit of Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha and the immobilization of Arun Shourie, it is a moot question whether people like Arun Jaitely, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu, could lead the party to greater glory.

Incidentally, RSS chief Mohan Bhagavat has observed the successors would not be from Delhi. That means all these people would be out of the fray. Maybe Nitin Gadkari, leader from Maharashtra or Manohar Parikar from Goa could be RSS’ pick. But then Parikar had called Advani spoiled pickles.

All the same will all the Delhiwallahs line up behind a junior leader? Most of all, will Advani who celebrated his 83rd birthday on Sunday walk into the sunset? Will there be a larger-than-thou image for him afterwards?

How easy it is to bridge gap by removing subsidies and increasing administrative prices!

By O.J.George

Let us be amused by the reports that appeared recently that IMF sold 200 tonnes of gold to RBI at $ 6.7 billion and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee intends to remove subsidies on fertiliser and oil.

On the one hand, the forex reserves are booming and the country can afford to buy about half of the IMF’s gold stocks. It is the same country which had sold its gold to the UK during the regime of Chandrashekhar to make payment of international bills. Surely, we have grown and that too substantially.

On the other hand, we are taking away the subsidy component of farming inputs like fertiliser and everyman’s requirement of oil. Of course, there is no harm in maintaining some sort of a balance, but without unsettling the kitty of poor people.

And the reckoning of poverty line itself is not sacrosanct to distinguish it from non-poor chaps. The purchasing power to have the essential amount of calories to sustain life is the determining factor for distinguishing between poverty and the absence of it. And there is something called rural poverty and urban poverty. The benchmarks for both are a little different. All the same, if the lifeline of calories is removed, such Homo sapiens would breathe their last.

All provisions of welfare are meant for the below the poverty line. And mind you, those above the poverty line are not that cosy. If Rs 100 is required to maintain essential amount of calories and if one has it, he is above the poverty line. We know it for a fact that there is not much difference between a person earning Rs 99 and another with Rs 100.And the 100-wallah is above the poverty line!!

Now we are selling off 10 per cent of profit making public sector units for sourcing funds for the national rural employment guarantee scheme. Fair enough, a lot of people would be benefited by the scheme. But that is not enough. The windfall gains, that too irregular, made by vested interests by the sale of 3 G spectrum amounting to thousands of crores of rupees, the unethical earnings of people like the Jharkhand man, Madhu Koda, crores of crores of money stashed by Indians, particularly politicians, in God-forsaken countries, Oh, what gargantuan amounts would be available for undertaking welfare measures for the ordinary mortals, had they been secured here. These are national assets pilfered by
Ek Din Ka Sultans.

We are going in for absolute capitalism, which has gains and pitfalls. All right let the rulers decide themselves for policies. But let them not turn a Nelson’s eye on the inbuilt welfare measures available in copy book capitalistic countries. We have not made a clarion call for implementing such measures here. NREGP cannot replace such welfare measures like sustenance allowance for the jobless and the jobs-lost, health schemes and the like.

Without implementing these, if the country goes in for removal of subsidies and increase in administrative prices, the situation would be callous for am admi.

No ill-will meant, only the musically-oriented should sing in films

By O.J.George

At the outset, it should be emphasised that there is no ill-will meant in the suggestion that only the musically-minded should sing in films.

Otherwise, the great mass medium would be hijacked by people of other resources with their music numbers, which would be revolting, when talented singers are available in plenty.

The latest info is that Meera Jasmine is going to sing in a film in which she is acting. Maybe, as demanded by situations, the actors can recite like Dr Ayyappa Panikker, Kadammanitta and the like.

A priest, who is a good church singer, made an anecdote about his visit to a church in America. He was visiting his relatives there and grabbed an opportunity to visit the nearby church on a Sunday hoping that he could join the congregation with his melodious singing. The church remained open on the dot. There were only very few members present for the church service. A very old priest presented himself at the altar, looked at the congregation and announced.”Let us start the service by saying Hymn Number…”.

Considering the poor attendance and dearth of people capable of singing a hymn, the priest most deservedly chose to say a song, rather than indulge in the farce of singing.

When people think about songs, their minds are attuned to Jesudas, Latha Mangeshkar, and the like. Replacing their role with others who are best suited to acting would vitiate creativity.

Music, singing and soporific strains are God-given. Others should not transgress their limits and make their foray into sacred space.

Some may say Mohanlal, Mammootty, Jayaram, Jagadish, Siddique, Innocent, Mala Aravindan, KPAC Lalitha, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Manju Warrier, Prithviraj have all made their presence felt as singers in films.

But anyone can say they cannot be compared with those who are blessed with music and singing professionally.

Recitation is okay, but let us not burden the audience with cacophony.

There is a season for everything; and times look bad for the BJP

By O.J.George

The BJP at the national level is not thriving, and the only BJP government in the South, led by B.S.Yeddyurappa, is in the doldrums with infighting.

The party is yet to mollify Vasundhara Raje Scindia, the Opposition Leader in Rajasthan, who had been asked to quit following grievous rout in the Lok Sabha elections, and she demitted office belatedly seeking reinstatement at the Centre. The rapprochement is yet to come into being.

There are strong views within certain quarters of the party opposing continuance of L.K.Advani as Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha as well as Rajnath Singh as BJP president. The present situation, appearing to be a solution, is that they will live out their respective terms and then burn themselves out.

RSS sarsanghchalak (supremo) Mohan Bhagawat has been of the firm view that there should be change of guard and younger blood should take over. However, he has not been game for imposing a leader for the BJP by the RSS. That stance is, in fact, noble, something not usually prevalent in outfits which have deep roots in the national social milieu.

Fair enough, but the party has not been able to revive itself by any means. Lately, Sushma Swaraj, Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, who had sworn to shave off her head as a widow if Sonia Gandhi became Prime Minister even as she had secured people’s mandate, has now caved in and admitted to the fact that it is bad times for her party.

Elevation of Arun Jaitley as BJP parliamentary party leader in the Rajya Sabha has shattered some others like Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie and the like. Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha are out of the party and Shourie is on the brink of falling off, unless he is offered something plum.

It is a sorry state of affairs that a party which had not any grips of governance in the South all these years, is letting go the opportunity provided by the people to govern them in Karnataka. Of course, B.S.Yeddyurappa had won the hearts of the people because he was let down by Deve Gowda by not supporting him as promised earlier for the second stint of governance last time. Gowda’s party enjoyed powers for the first half and then shunted him. The people did not forgive him for that and governance was offered on a platter to Yeddyurappa.

Now infighting has bedevilled the party and there is a clarion call for replacement of Yeddyurappa at the behest of Bellary brothers- Janardhana Reddy and Karunakara Reddy, who are mining magnates. Many of Yeddy’s rivals want Speaker Jagadish Shettar to be made the Chief Minister.

Talks by Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Anantkumar with various sections of the party leaders in Karnataka have not borne fruit. It seems the Bellary Brothers want the scalpel of Yeddy.