Muraleedharan has to bide his time further

By O.J.George

People thought senior leader K.Karunakaran would create a scene at the KPCC executive meeting held at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday to discuss about the re-entry of his son K.Muraleedharan into the Congress.

Nothing of the sort happened. In fact, it was on the request of Karunakaran that the meeting was convened.

Karunakaran, in his characteristic style, argued out his case and departed from the meeting, for his health would not permit endearing long hours of discourse.

Karunakaran would only say that KPCC does not have the locus standi now to decide about Muraleedharan as organisational polls have been announced. But there is no harm in the KPCC making a decision requesting the high command to give him admission.

That used to be the Congress style of functioning. There would be umpteen rounds of discussions and threadbare analysis on candidates’ list during election time. Finally, a decision would be taken authorising the high command to choose the candidates.

In the present instance of Muraleedharan, Karunakaran’s wisdom is not clicking with the KPCC. One cannot fault the KPCC either, for Karunakaran’ daughter ,Padmaja, and her supporters would not like a comeback of Muraleedharan, until at least the next Assembly elections.

And there is a convenient argument available; Muraleedharan had been barred from the Congress for six years. And that deadline would come to a close in April next year. But by that time candidates’ selection would be over, in all probability.

V.M.Sudheeran, P.C.Chacko and K.K.Ramachandran Master argued in favour of Muraleedharan in the KPCC meeting.

Some relief for Muraleedharan. No doubt, Muraleedharan has nowhere else to go in politics, and he has to bide his time.

He was made the KPCC president, a Minister, MP etc by all the leaders. During those times, Karunakaran was fastidious on account of group strength.Now Karunakaran’s health is on the decline, and his daughter has crossed over to the other camp, or she is having her own coterie.

No doubt Muraleedharan had hit many leaders below the belt in the past. He has to be grateful that Congress people are considerate towards him for a favourable time to come for his entry. Better late than never.

Corruption can be rooted out, provided proper measures are taken

By O.J.George

There were reports about the Prime Minister’s Office looking into a proposal for incorporating service agreements for employees who take up jobs, making it incumbent upon them to discharge their duties.

Failure to respond to demands like issue of certificates, documents and other services would automatically invite punitive action, as per the provisions of the service agreements being contemplated.

I was radically tempted to be transformed from the inbuilt assumption that there would be no redemption for democratic India from the evil of corruption.

Don’t despise me, for I know an editor who took blood money for sacking journalists, but that was in the name of incentive.

Such evil beings would be there always, but then they should not be basking under the glory of righting the society and doing justice and fairness to all.

Coming to corruption, all laws have rules and regulations issued for implementation of the content of the pieces framed by the legislatures.

Years on, there have been umpteen number of legislations touching the day-today life of the people.

The citizen has to get sanction from panchayats, village and other revenue offices, RTO and all, for birth, school admission,for the very living and even death.

No certificate or service will come automatically within a timeframe. The citizen has to grease the palm of the officials, which is not that difficult, considering the fact that there are agents in all the premises concerned for the underhand dealings.

The situation would definitely take a turn for the better, if proper measures are taken . The Right to Information legislation was a revolutionary step, which has empowered the citizen.

It works only because punitive measures against those who refuse to divulge information are inbuilt in the legislation itself.

Like that all laws being framed by various legislatures should have an inbuilt provision incorporating punishment to those who do not act within a timeframe.

For laws already passed, there should be an additional blanket law to be passed by Parliament and various legislatures binding authorities and other officials to the services expected from them within a timeframe. Then, all blocks, demands for bribes , pecuniary and other fringe benefits would pop off.

The service agreements should be executed not only by the new entrants, but also by those in service.

Otherwise, the more laws the legislatures pass, the more would be opportunities for the authorities and officials to bully the public and get illegal gratification.

Will the governments headed by various political persuasions take steps to incorporate punitive measures in respect of all services detailed in various laws and obtain service agreements from the officials?

Fresh terror threat looming large?

By O.J.George

What a terrible situation we are living in when terrorists, disregarding their own lives, are hell-bent on destroying others’ lives? Attacking terrorists are made to believe that they would land up straight in heaven, pointblank.

The latest intelligence input is that Lashkar operatives are planning to strike at airports or hijack planes.

Or the attack could be using para-gliders. The para-gliders can go straight at flying planes or at airports in a suicide attempt.

Report speak about the Lashkar having secured 50 para-gliders from Europe. Training in para gliding and para-gliding attacks have also been imparted.

Now when US Defence Secretary Robert Gates visited Pakistan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is reported to have said he cannot ensure stoppage of attacks against India.

A repeat of 26/11 Mumbai type attacks cannot be stopped for sure.

India’s External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna has retorted saying any attack launched from Pakistani soil will be retaliated. It would be the responsibility of Pakistan for all attacks.

Civilised society is in peril of being destroyed by the machinations of wayward faith-based terrorists.

Let all doubts be cleared in the Muthoot murder case

By O.J.George

Caesar’s wife ought to be above suspicion, and on that premise all tangible and intangible doubts should be cleared in the investigation regarding the murder of Muthoot Paul M George.

It seems better that another agency, this time the CBI, goes into the crime and brings out all aspects of the episode as there have been clips after clips of charges, counter-charges, alleged revelations, impressions of foul play permeating the minds of the public, particularly in the wake of incessant coverage given by the electronic media, not to mention the print world.

It had come to such a pass that even if the police spoke something truthful, the people would not believe it.

In such circumstances, in fact the High Court has come to the rescue and referred the matter to the CBI. The police had also expressed its willingness to hand over the case to any other agency, provided the court expressed any doubts in the present manner of investigation.

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan has expressed satisfaction over the court’s decision.

Let the truth come out, and let the facts speak for themselves so that the people would believe the goings-on.

Brace yourself up for a time when there would not be this sort of reservation

By O.J.George

A division bench of Kerala has spoken up, there should be serious thoughts on the sort of reservation that is in place.

A lot of people would be surprised, aghast, and depressed about the clarity of the suggestions contained in the court verdict.But then there are others who agree with the court.

If people thought that the sort of reservation now enjoyed by certain people would go on like this till the end of the world, that is proved wrong by the obiter dictum of the court.

One day or the other there would be a rethinking into the quota system. The court had said reservation benefits were something enjoyed by the people for the first 50 years and then extended to another 10 years. This is not something that is Consitutionally devolved for eternity.

Reservation benefits-enjoyers and their families should make strenuous efforts to acquire abilities to compete with others in the world.

Those who don’t have the financial wherewithal should be given all helping hand by the government. Affirmative action that would make the standards go up should be the tool in future. But all should also compete.

Financial reservation, job reservation, promotion reservation, admission reservation and the like cannot go on for eternity.

The socially, educationally and economically backward should not wallow in a state of perfunctory bliss from the automatic benefits devolving on them. They should also put in some efforts to come up on their own.

Anyway, now there can be no going back on the reservation benefits bestowed by Parliament for 60 years.

The issue will definitely come up in the future when the economically backward among the forward castes would have to be considered for justice being dispensed to them.

Don’t tinker with the supply side of rice, wheat

By O.J.George

Kerala is reverberating with arguments and counter-arguments about lifting of rice and wheat from the Central pool and allegedly mismanaging the quota.

On the one hand there has been the charge that Kerala failed to lift the allotted quantities. Now,on the other, the allegation is that rice and wheat are being sold outside the ration outlets.

The charges and counter-charges are traded by Union Minister K.V.Thomas and State Finance Minister Thomas Isaac. It seems CPI’s Food Minister C.Divakaran is saved from climaxing arguments as Thomas Isaac has stepped in.

The common man wants the public distribution system filled with the grain and atta so that there won’t be artificial price hikes.

Demand and supply side economics cries for plenty of availability so that prices will not go up owing to scarcity as well as consequential speculative practices.

Conducive circumstances should be created under which Kerala, a scarcity state as far as the grain are concerned, or for that matter vegetables and much of other edible items, should not be smarting under non-availability.

Macro statistics considered, Kerala is better than most of the other states in distributing ration items. We don’t directly witness the hanky panky in the practices elsewhere. That is why we make a hue and cry about trade-offs, black marketeering etc of ration items.

There was a report earlier that ration rice and wheat supplied from the Food Corportion of India godowns are taken away to private parties in the north-eastern states handsdown.

Now there may be some reprieve. In many other states, underhand dealings are thriving. That means the hullabaloo created within the state should not be allowed to result in depletion of the state with regard to the supplies.

Ensure supplies by any means, the priceline can be held to a considerable extent.

Whether it is K.V.Thomas or Thomas Isaac, the people’s interests should not be traded for narrow gains.

The best news for all times: CJI’s office under purview of RTI

By O.J.George

Now no one can rue the Indian judiciary as an oligarchy, for the Delhi High Court has risen to the occasion and decided that the office of the Chief Justice of India comes under the purview of the Right to Information Act.

At one shot, one may not comprehend the implications of the decision of the High Court. The Chief Justice of India is a repository of prime information regarding appointment of judges, their assets, complaints and proceedings against judges and a whole lot of other sensitive pieces of information.

No doubt, the Supreme Court may not take it kindly and may go in for appeal against the verdict of the Delhi High Court. It is easy enough for the apex court to ask the registrar of the Supreme Court to file an appeal in its own court.

Let us see how the Supreme Court dispenses justice in this matter.

All the same, the terse argument put up by the apex court earlier that disclosure of information is not workable does not hold good any more.

The Delhi High Court has pointed out that the higher the authority, the greater is the accountability and responsibility that is bestowed on it.

Former Chief Justice of India SC Verma has said there is nothing for a judge to hide.

The one piece of legislation that has empowered the common, unrecognized citizen of the country is the Right to Information Act.

The heaven is not going to fall down, if the details of assets, the qualifications and antecedents of the judges under appointment etc are divulged to those who want to know them.

India is becoming a functional democracy by offering these pieces of information and everyone being made accountable to “ We, the people of India” who had framed the Constitution.

Conflicts galore, Amar Singh-Mulayam, Deve Gowda-Yeddyurappa, Hockey players, Telengana

By O J George

It is an amusing scenario, where in many corners of India, conflicts grab the headlines.And there is cause for concern.

The great Amar Singh, who can handle any tricky situation, has fallen foul in the Samajwadi Party, and has called it quits.

In one breath he says, it is for medical reasons. He has had a kidney replacement and his family members want him more in the non-political arena.

In another breath, he says Ram Gopal in SP and his people do not want him to continue in SP.

Naturally, there is something more to it than meets the eye.

It seems Sanjay Dutt and all would follow the Amar Singh line.No doubt, Amitabh Bacchan has always been with Amar Singh, who now says the SP should rise from the ashes, meaning, the party is dead and buried.

Often a politician’s no has to be taken as yes. Now he says he would not join the Congress Party.

Down in the South, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal leader Deve Gowda has called BJP Chief Minister B.S.Yeddyurappa names.

Gowda was fuming before the media about the dubious role played by the BJP CM with regard to land acquisition for Bangalore-Mysore corridor project and other schemes.

He says the farmers have been duped, not a single rupee has been paid for their land. The company for which the land was acquired is looting the farmers.

Of late, Gowda has apologized for the derogatory word he used against the CM.

In Andhra Pradesh, the Telengana issue has been making the state a boiling cauldron.

Now TRS chief K.Chandrasekhara Rao, after meeting Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in Delhi, has admitted he would wait for more time.

The PM wanted time for peace to return in other areas of Andhra.

And elsewhere on the border, Pakistan has been resorting to firing and provocative acts.

Lately, a bSF jawan has been killed and a few others injured in the Pak firing in Poonch sector.

This is at a time when the Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina is in Delhi to enter into many deals against terrorism and for security interests.

Happy birthday, Yesudas!

By O.J.George

Grace of God it is that we have a K.J.Yesudas amidst us to sing good things to us. The Almighty chooses one in a lifetime, perhaps, to transcend beyond the realm of hatred, injustice, violence, attacks for no reason and what not.

Music is the only medium which titillates people with the melody, the tenor, the cadence, the vibrations and emotions driving the elements to compassion and mercy.

Pure music is believed to have the Rain Gods pour copiously, listening to the lilting voices.

Yesudas has rendered his life to the world of singing and music and the people owe him dearly for the services rendered by him to lift them to the heights of ecstasy.

Classical music maestro he is, definitely, but film music might have provided him a wider reach among common folk.

Whatever he did with his voice turned into something sublime, leading the people to an ultra natural ambience.

Existence of the world , that is society, is dependent on such entities.

Let us bow before him on the occasion of his seventieth birthday and offer him all the best in life.

Total freedom is what the CPM should offer to the cadres

By O.J.George

It seems some of the corrective measures propounded by the CPM for improving the performance of the party are recoiling on it.

Former Alappuzha MP, Dr K.S.Manoj, has quit the party saying he is a God-believer and he cannot continue to be a member of the party which restricts the members from owing allegiance to any faith.

The integrity of the former MP should be acknowledged, for he could have continued in the party all the same by furtively attending religious functions and remaining in the same position.

It seems he also wanted to enlighten the fact that faith is above party ideology to him.

Anyone would concede the fact that there are many plus points in the Communist precepts, but what is lacking is an opportunity for total freedom.

An enlightened human being cannot thrive without total and unfettered freedom. Perhaps one may go without food for a day, but he should be able to be vocal to express his opinions.

Soviet¸ Chinese, Cuban models of Communism were objected to by even those who do not subscribe to the methods of rival parties because of the limitations on intellectual freedom and open expression.

Now DYFI, in its report, seems to rue the situation ruling among users of internet and other tools of the Information Technology. Ideas opposed to Communism are flooding the cyber world.

There should be discussions based on screening of films, but one should not miss the expressions in many films in which the comrades are set in the form of bad examples. Not only comrades, but politicians in general find opportunities of ridicule one way or the other.

So far as the party does not offer untrammeled opportunities to practise one’s religion, intellectual pursuits and the like, expansion of its base on the basis of discarded precepts would not be easy.

Open up fully, and there may be many takers.

The T Pyxidis impact; star burst, supernova and atmosphere loss?

By O.J.George

I am amused by the report of the possible blowing up of the star called T Pyxidis, resulting in blasts, burps or novas which will upset the cosmos.

The earth may be ripped of its ozone layer, causing the wiping out of the atmosphere.

All breathing beings on Planet Earth will gasp for breath and pop off.

The particular star used to have smaller bursts in turns of 20 years, but it has not been bursting since 1967.

Therefore, all the accumulated gas would result in an unprecedented level of burst.

In this connection, there are other revelations of doom like what is said in the Mayan calendar.I quote:

“The sacred Aztec calendar is properly called the Eagle Bowl. It represents the solar deity Tonatiuh. The amazingly accurate calendar has been in use in various forms for more than 2,000 years. A Zapotec prophecy, based on the Eagle Bowl, states:
“After Thirteen Heavens of Decreasing Choice, and Nine Hells of Increasing Doom, the Tree of Life shall blossom with a fruit never before known in the creation, and that fruit shall be the New Spirit of Men.”

The 13 Heavens and 9 Hells were each 52 years long (1,144 years total). Each of the 9 Hells were to be worse than the last. On the final day of the last Hell (August 17, 1987), Tezcatlipoca, god of death, would remove his mask of jade to reveal himself as Quetzelcoatl, god of peace.

In the mythology of the Aztecs, the first age of mankind ended with the animals devouring humans. The second age was finished by wind, the third by fire, and the fourth by water. The present fifth epoch is called Nahui-Olin (Sun of Earthquake), which began in 3113 BC and will end on December 24, 2011. It will be the last destruction of human existence on Earth. The date coincides closely with that determined by the brothers McKenna in The Invisible Landscape as “the end of history” indicated by their computer analysis of the ancient Chinese oracle-calendar, the I Ching.

The Mayan calendar is divided into Seven Ages of Man. The fourth epoch ended in August 1987. The Mayan calendar comes to an end on Sunday, December 23, 2012. Only a few people will survive the catastrophe that ensues. In the fifth age, humanity will realize its spiritual destiny. In the sixth age, we will realize God within ourselves, and in the seventh age we will become so spiritual that we will be telepathic”.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
;And, by opposing, end them? Shakespeare asked.

People have turned ungrateful almost en masse. They would do anything, even for gaining nothing.
Wretchedness has engulfed the world. Do we see any light at the end of the tunnel?

No doubt, Planet Earth is a fragile thing compared to the unfathomable Cosmos. Even human judgement on the wrong-doings cannot forgive the misdeeds. Will the Gods forgive the evil world?

Intra-party problems the bane of Kerala and Karnataka Govts

By O.J.George

One should admire the Congress Party for its remaining as the main political entity capable of ruling the country even after enjoying the spoils of office since Independence, barring roughly ten years of rule altogether of various other dispensations at the Centre.

It should have disintegrated and degenerated into a non-entity considering the squabbles for pecuniary and other advantages of the political players, judging by the performance of the Opposition bandwagons from time to time when they got power.

There have been a lot of individuals in the Congress Party as well who had indulged in pleasures, grabbing, machinations and money making, but almost all of them emptied themselves out one or the other times.

There were a lot of expectations when the CPM-led V.S.Achuthanandan Government assumed office.

But the people have a feeling that the ruling machinery is working in fits and starts and nothing goes smoothly.

Even if there is a will for some people to deliver the goods, inbuilt opposition to good governance based on personal animosity is standing in the way of performance to the level it is capable of achieving otherwise. No doubt, it is limping forward.

Reports of Smart City woes, PDP ties, Munnar action, Lavalin involvement and the like would not help the common man to fill their tummies.

Prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing, even as the haves and the gullible go for a suicidal drinking binge.

Thieves, racketeers and the mafia are flourishing. No doubt, these illegal operators should be reined in, otherwise, normal life would not be possible.

One thought the BJP Government in Karnataka would be able to do exceedingly well considering the mandate BS Yeddyurappa had got.

Intra-party squabbles have stymied his functioning. Lately, the Chief Minister himself has come out in the open bemoaning that he should not have compromised his values for sustenance of his government. That appears to indicate that he has hit rock bottom in his survival bid.

The ranting and raving, be it in Kerala, Karnataka or anywhere else, will not help to serve the people at large.