Jairam Ramesh has spoiled himself, no one can save him

The environment is definitely hostile for our know-all Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. For him the fall would be too much.

Predictably, the Opposition has been clamouring for his scalp. The Congress Party cannot save him. Maybe, he thought he could have his way because of his proximity to the Gandhi family. This time, nothing is going to help him.

Even a school boy would not utter words like the ones he splashed around in a cavalier manner in China. Jairam Ramesh has been too much involved in climate change projects and anxiously rigid with ideas, some of which were unworkable in his capacity as a minister.

What is the great idea now about his pacifying letters drafted to the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi and meeting Home Minister P.Chidambaram?

The deed is done and he has to bear the consequences. Thinking about informed persons like Jairam Ramesh and Shashi Tharoor, one would wonder what happened to these fellows when ministership came by their way.

Could it be suicidal for the UDF, minus Mani and Joseph, in a three-cornered Assembly elections?

By O.J.George

Kottayam: The Left, particularly the CPM, has reasons to cheer about in West Bengal and Kerala, at least for the time being. It is not because of the good works done by the respective ruling fronts in both the states, headed by the CPM. The golden opportunity has come to it because of the bickering in the rival fronts in both the states headed by the Congress Party.

In West Bengal, Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is on a hell-bent rush to dethrone the CPM-led front government. She would like to take the credit solely for herself rather than sharing it with the Congress Party. Definitely, she has made inroads into the pocketboroughs of the CPM held in a vice grip all these three decades of time. The grip is loosening. No, the party has lost its grip with the people on a large scale, may be due to incidents like Nandigram and others. Global publicity through increasing number of television channels has also gone against the CPM-led front there.

Mamata Banerjee is not prepared to give even a little credit to Sonia Gandhi-led Congress Party in whose government at the Centre she is a Cabinet minister. In the election to the local bodies, she has conceded a few seats to the Congress which feels that these were simply unwinnable. The Congress retaliated by affirming it would go alone in the ensuing municipal elections. The writing on the wall is clear, the Congress-Trinamul bonhomie is over. The near-drubbed CPM would naturally gain from the rift in the rival camp.

In Kerala, the Left, particularly, the faction-ridden CPM, can definitely feel happy about the public bashing by the Congress and the Kerala Congress c(M). Kerala Congress(M) supremo K.M.Mani has been publicly criticised by various senior leaders of the Congress Party as well as junior functionaries at the district and local levels over the merger of the P.J.Joseph faction, which was with the LDF till the other day, with the Mani faction.

Since the differences have trickled down to the grassroots level, there Is no point in making efforts to bring about a patch-up. Muslim League leader P.K.Kunjalikutty, who had taken the initiative on his own to solve the problem, has given up his effort.

The Catholic Church, to which Mani and Joseph belong, is keeping guarded silence over the developments, for it cannot publicly vouchsafe for sealing the merger of the Mani and Joseph factions.

But everyone, even those who outwardly deny such interventions, know it for a fact that the church or some of its leaders have blessed the political matrimony.
The Congress-led UDF is not in a position to convene a meeting of the leaders of its front. Things have gone further down the patch-up level, for Mani has made it clear there is no going back for him as far as the merger issue concerned. He has urged his followers to muster strength on a greater level, affirming when strength is earned, seats would come round automatically.

Congress is willing to part with only the number of seats allotted to the Mani faction as usual even if P.J.Joseph group is drafted into the Mani faction. Mani and Joseph know it for a fact that even if they contest elections alone, they would get substantially more than this number of seven or so offered by the Congress. Splinter Kerala Congress groups led by R.Balakrishna Pillai and T.M.Jacob may say Mani’s move is suicidal, for their parochial gains.

Could it be suicidal for the UDF minus Mani and Joseph in the ensuing three-cornered Assembly elections?

Do we smell the emergence of a third front in Kerala during ensuing Assembly elections?

It may be far fetched, but politics in Kerala may be in for some change. One cannot say it with certainty, but the rumblings between Congress Party leaders and Kerala Congress (Mani) group may go out of hand in course of time.

The outbursts by the Congress leaders, particularly those of the second and third rung leaders may have irked Mani to his tether’s end.

The stiffness of Mani could definitely be a body language akin to intolerance against the Congress for whipping up an unnecessary controversy over the merger of Mani and P.J.Joseph factions of the Kerala Congress factions.

The Congress Party may have been flabbergasted by the sudden announcement of the merger.

Leaders of the Congress Party may have been sitting pretty happily over the portends of their snatching power so easily in the ensuing Assembly elections in 2011.

Panchayat elections in 2010 could also have been favourable. The Congress Party would be getting a major chunk of the seats. Almost all the seats given over to the erstwhile DIC in the last elections could also be cornered by it, minus a few seats being given to the Janata Dal of Veerendrakumar.

Now things may be going out of their control. A strengthened Kerala Congress may not be willing to sign on the dotted line.

Unless the Central leadership of the Congress steps in and saves the situation, the whole scenario may go out of hand one time or the other.

Narco test never had any legal binding, now it is officially stricken out

Narco analysis test, brain mapping test and polygraph test have been declared invalid by a bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice K.G.Balakrishnan.

Narco test, definitely, was something bizarre. We have seen the videos, on television channels, of narco analysis test conducted on Sister Sephi and Fr Thomas M Kottoor. Another priest, Fr Poothrukka, was spared because of his ill health.

By injecting chemicals into the human body, he/she is numbed and made to answer questions. The victim fumbles something , and sometimes goes into unconsciousness, again awakened and asked questions.

The Supreme Court has now ordered that such tests cannot be done without the consent of the parties concerned. In the normal course, no one will willingly take on this injurious test.

The CBI and the police maintain that as there is no room for third degree methods in investigation, narco analysis and such other tests are essential.

Narco analysis test results have never been taken as pieces of evidence in courts of law. But these tests provided clues to the investigating agencies as to the direction which they should take in arriving at conclusions.

It would definitely be humane to dispense with such tests if we can go ahead with investigation otherwise.

Do we perceive the absence of a Karunakaran touch in dealing with the merger of P.J.Joseph and K.M.Mani factions?

Clearly, the merger of P.J.Joseph-K.M.Mani factions has been mishandled at the UDF level, particularly by some Congress leaders. No doubt there would have been many other ways of dealing with dilemma, had the leaders tried to do so than washing the dirty linen in public.

A P.T.Thomas, M.I.Shanawaz and the like vigorously speaking against the merger would not be salubrious for the UDF.

Think of the situation being handled by K.Karunakaran, were here at the helm of affairs now. He would not have, in the first instance, remained oblivious of the goings-on before hand. He would have devised ways in which the Congress was definitely benefiting.

Splitting and splintering Kerala Congress groups was in a way a pastime for him. The-then powerful Kidangoor Gopalakrishna Pillai was packed off to Singapore on a gubernatorial assignment on completion of which he became a nobody. The NDP had to pack up.

In the instant case, P.J.Joseph does not seem to be in glee about the merger. His coterie is definitely pleased. Mons Joseph would have been nowhere otherwise, for Kaduthuruthy would have gone to someone else. Ettumanur would be gobbled up by Congress. Now Congress is taken unawares and its plans are going awry.

Mons Joseph now claiming that he was proud of being a minister in the Achuthanandan ministry is ludicrous. He cannot explain away the precarious situation.

One should have seen the happy face of Dr K.C.Joseph on television channels when he spoke after demitting office as a member of the public service commission. He seems to have already cornered Kuttanad from where he has been eased out by various compulsions, particularly the arrival of an economic giant there to oppose him.

T.U.Kuruvilla is as good as dead-wood and he would not mind being a commoner.

Surendran Pillai knows it for a fact he would never be a minister if he does not grab the opportunity now, staying with P.C.Thomas.

What is Congress up to in opposing merger of Joseph and Mani factions?

It is somehow inscrutable why Congress is this vehement in opposing merger of Joseph and Mani factions of Kerala Congress. It is already preparing to receive the R.Balakrishna Pillai faction of Kerala Congress into the party. The moment Congress gives the green signal, Pillai and son actor Ganeshkumar would plunge into the Congress Party.

If the reticence is only to put Joseph in the hot Sun for some time and extract some sort of a surrender from Mani, it would be sadly mistaken. True, Congress may not be happy about Kerala Congress strengthening itself.

In politics, minuscule issues had bloated out of proportion and brought about unforeseen consequences. Perhaps, the very formation of Kerala Congress could have been avoided, if some leaders had shown diligence.
You cannot dismiss Kerala Congress as such, with whatever foibles it has. It is a power to reckon with in various parts of the state.
And Congress is not that steely strong. Holding party elections would render it shattered with group manoeuvres. Already the situation has started going out of control. It seems the high command has seen to the danger and issued instructions to sort out the leadership issue through consensus.

No doubt, the LDF would not be bothered about anyone leaving the front now. Its concern for power grabbing would be in 2016, by when, hopefully, Pinarayi Vijayan would have emerged clear and clean from Lavalin allegations. Legally proving the charges is a little difficult.

Anyway V.S.Achuthanandan would complete his five-year term, without the heartiest support of the party runners.

Congress aiming to grab power without Kerala Congress appears to be ludicrous.

P.J.Joseph may officially sever 3-decade-long ties with CPM-led LDF today

Kottayam: Today is the D- day for P.J.Joseph to sever his three decade-long ties with the CPM-led LDF. No doubt, the state committee meet of his group of the Kerala Congress would decide to merge into the group led by K.M.Mani, whose group is a partner of the Congress-led UDF.

Disgruntled elements P.C.Thomas and a few of his colleagues are meeting separately to ‘expel’ P.J.Joseph from the party which exists in the name of none other than P.J.Joseph and to elect a new chairman, none other than P.C.Thomas. This dissident group has the support of one MLA, V.Surendran Pillai whose ambition to become a minister is close at hand for realization. He may be a minister for at least six months.The erstwhile Joseph would have the distinction of metamorphosing all MLAs into ministers- Joseph, T.U.Kuruvilla, Mons Joseph and now Surendran Pillai. What is the harm in Surendran Pillai becoming a minister, provided the LDF gives the green signal at least after some time?

P.J.Joseph would resign from the ministry today, and he may hand over the resignation letter to Chief Minister V.S.Achuthanandan, perhaps, on May Day.
Congress Party is at a great disadvantage. Its followers were spanking Joseph group all these years. All on a sudden how can the Congress activists whitewash Joseph et al? But, even though there may be sound and fury initially, they will have to sing hallelujah to Mani, Joseph and all.

It would be erroneous to completely ignore Mani. In politics, minor developments have resulted in major devastations. Could there be a third front, if Mani is ignored?
Interlocutors for Joseph might have bargained for positions for their well being. Mons Joseph who had no chance to survive might have ensured his Kaduthuruthy borough. Francis George may be satisfied with an Assembly seat. Will Congress accede a Rajya Sabha seat to Joseph at some point of time in the future?

Everything would be safe and secure, provided the goings on conclude as anticipated.

Life is like that, now P.J.Joseph would be a saint to those who abhorred him earlier

By O.J.George

Looking back, one could glimpse into the taunts received by P.J.Joseph at one time. Now the same people who abhorred him earlier would carry him along as a saint.

How ephemeral people’s thoughts are? Man was created only a little less than God Almighty, in his image. But this little less could be nothing but lack of consistency.

One Smart Alec used to tell me we are Ek Din Ka Sultaan (Sultan for a Day). Make hay while the Sun shines. Poor me, I have only revulsion for them.

The world is turning topsy turvy, literally and figuratively. Coming to figuratively. One senior journalist is reported to have taught journalism students like this. What is a figurative intro? It is an intro in which there is a figure!!! Great worthies indeed!!!

Ignorance being flaunted as erudition and misleading young minds. And they take pride in that.

Now the political scene in Kerala would be amusing, with a lot of people falling for a feast.

There have been many voices from within regarding Naxal massacre

BY O.J.George

It seems there have been many voices within regarding the massacre of CRPF personnel by Maoists in Dantewada and the Prime Minister is not happy about the precarious situation.

No doubt, in a democracy anyone can voice his opinion. Diverse opinions add strength to the polity. But the comments should not appear to exhibit the divisive nature of the society with regard to tackling Naxal menace.

In this regard, the BJP’s open call to Home Minister P.Chidambaram not to quit over the Dantewada massacre was an excellent overture at upholding national interests. It did not pick holes at a crucial time. The Left does not seem to be that decorous in this regard. Even today, Sitaram Yechury has been harping on the terms of the buck stopping at the Home Minister’s desk.

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had not taken kindly to the reference made by Chidambaram that the buck stops at the CM’s desk regarding the massacre in West Bengal. And Chidambaram had not evaded responsibility with regard to the Dantewada attack. He had said the buck stops with his desk. With that, the Left should have stopped harping on the use of the term, buck.

We may need a more cogent approach to dealing the deadly menace of the Naxals who are exploiting poverty and lack of development in much of their embedded areas. Poor tribals are taken advantage of citing the inaction of the government in providing holistic development. Maoists themselves would not be able to solve these problems at one go, if they are given the reigns of power in these areas.

The government, on its part, should see to it that the arms of administration reach the affected areas. Otherwise, the free-run of the Maoists would continue to prevail and in future the problem would worsen to unmanageable levels. Reach out to the left-out areas and ensure prevalence of administration.

Chidambaram has been doing a fine job as Home Minister; One setback should not demoralise him

By O.J.George

The latest news report refers to a letter sent to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh by Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram owning up the full responsibility for the massacre of CRPF jawans at Dantewada in Chhattisgarh the other day.

He has also saluted the jawans who had laid down their lives for the security of the nation.

Chidambaram has taken moral responsibility as CRPF comes under the Home Ministry. The operation in Dantewada against Maoists was a joint one. The State government and the CRPF had done the job together.

In fact, the state government’s intelligence agencies should be more privy to the nitty gritty of logistics of the Naxal-infected areas.

CRPF jawans who are drafted from different parts of the country may not be aware of the pitfalls lurking at every point. They do their duty and follow orders.

Someone might have tripped the Maoists about the operational details or there might have been someone within the ranks of those who are aware of the exercise at least indirectly supportive of the Maoists.

Anyway, an inquiry is on to pinpoint the failure. There should be no ground for finding fault with Chidambaram, who otherwise has been doing a fantastic job as Home Minister.

Let us strengthen his hands to undertake projects that would result in a clean job of wiping out the menace of Maoists, who should not be under rated.

Gala day for education for all

By O.J.George

April 1, 2010 would be a historical day in the annals of India history, for implementation of compulsory education for children between the ages of six and 14.

Think of the situation, at least one crore children have been going without education in this country. They will all get an opportunity to learn the three R’s.

After the age of 14, all opportunities should be given for the exceptionally talented among them to pursue higher education, even if their finances don’t permit them to do so.

Scholarships, fellowships and grant assistance should be provided to them.

It is wholesome relief that the authorities have noticed the essential thing. India is a nation of young people. The young people should not go uneducated.

Education emancipates them, empowers them, and enlists them in the process of development of the nation.

The state governments should carefully utilise the funds devolving on them from the Centre and facilitate fuller education of the hapless children.

Perhaps in states like Kerala, the problem of children going uneducated may be less compared to other states. But even if there are a few among the tribals or unaccounted, or among the migrants from other states, they should be given all avenues for education.

In the years to come, no one can flourish in society without education, computer knowledge and awareness of societal developments. No one should fall back in life because of lack of opportunities.

The mind is all-powerful, either for evil or good; bomb planting on plane, wheel-chair-borne old woman cheated by nurse, woman killed,ear chopped off

By O.J.George

What are we being fed almost every day with news pieces of perverted minds?

A crude bomb was planted on a Kingfisher flight in Thiruvananthapuram on March 21 and the culprit appears to be soft handled on his plea that he was trying to teach a lesson to his colleagues or someone else. He had to get a crude bomb first and then plant it on the plane whose precincts should otherwise be sanitised. The mind is perverted.

An old, wheel-chair-borne helpless woman in Kottayam was duped by her home nurse worth about Rs 75 lakh over a period of more than a year. The nurse and her paramour were having a gala time spending the money of the old woman.

In Palakkad, a woman was killed, her mother hacked (still lying unconscious) and the booty taken away. The thieves did not have time to take out ear ornaments in the normal way. They chopped off the ear and fled.

Earlier, a morning walker at Varkala was simply knifed to death, another was wounded. The act, it seems, was meant to secure social equity.

The minds are very powerful for the acts concocted by them. No computer chip would size up with the enormity of the possibilities arising from minds, evil or good.

World’s Last Chance people say if we remove one ‘o’ from good, it becomes God. They also something about Satan permeating everywhere, even Vatican, for not punishing the priest who abused 200 deaf chlldren in the US years ago.

Whatever it is, would we not see some demonising in one form or the other everywhere?

Communal sensibility could have been shattered; thank God, situation is under control

By O.J.George

What happened at Newman College, Thodupuzha, during an examination for internal assessment for the Malayalam paper of second semester BCom students is prima facie appalling.

Students were asked to punctuate a passage, apparently a conversation between the Prophet and God Almighty. The passage was no doubt sacrilegious and defaming.

The comment of Education Minister M.A.Baby that no man of common sense would do this is genuine. It was Prof T.J.Joseph who was responsible for compiling this question paper.

The management has suspended this man from service. The question is what this professor was professing in his life.

It seems the government is trying to pin him down to see whether there was a deliberate attempt to unsettle communal harmony in the state.
Reports say the professor is absconding. No one should tinker with society’s peace and tranquillity.

Mayawati in garland conundrum

By O.J.George

UP Chief Minister Mayawati is again in a controversy for accepting a garland furtively made of Rs 1,000 notes at the rally which was organized to celebrate 25 years of the BSP founded by her mentor, the late Kanshiram.

In fact, Mayawati need not be unduly perturbed about the party leader receiving money during such occasions. For, that has been the modus operandi of celebrations of the BSP.

But now she has found herself in a bind only because the Income Tax Department has come calling on her to explain the source of the huge input of currencies.

Now Mayawati has convened a meeting of her ministers, MPs and MLAs to sort out the issue. Naturally, they would be asked to own up in part funding for the garland. No doubt, they might have worked overtime at fund mobilisation.

An initial estimate was that the garland would come to Rs five crore.But Congress leader Digvijay Singh has come up with a calculation arriving at the figure of Rs 22.50 crore. The garland was 10 metres long, each ring had 45 1000-notes, and each cm had five such rings. Well, the calculation is perfect, as per the version of Digvijay Singh.

This is only with regard to the garland, but there were other forms of opulence about which the party has never been ashamed.

Meanwhile, Mayawati has asked for launch of a high-level probe into the release of honey bees at her function when the garland was adorned on her. For some time, a swarm of honey bees hovered around her head, irritating her! Many are the devious ways of politics.

Lo, foreign universities are coming!

By O.J.George

India may become an international hub of foreign universities and other institutions of excellence soon. For, the Union Cabinet has approved a bill called Foreign Educational Bill.

The procedure for bringing in the bill has been in the offing for some time, from UPA I governmental bandwagon. But the Leftists were dead against allowing foreign varsities come in and do business in the education sector.

Times are changing as we have already opened up vistas of knowledge to our people through many tools.

Popularisation of internet, spilling of an avalanche of information at the press of a button and conveyance of all sorts of ideology, thinking and peals of wisdom have broadened the horizons of Indian people as well on an intellectual plane.

Efforts at putting an iron curtain over the information explosion is not feasible. One cannot close the door to the infusion of invaluable information.

Even before that some of the best educational institutions in the capitalist countries had good centres of excellence teaching Leftist ideas, Marxism etc in addition to their other pet subjects. The Leftists need not worry about obliteration of teaching covering their spheres in these foreign institutions.

There would be no harm in foreign varsities of the likes of Oxford, Cambridge, Harward, Stanford, London School of Economics and the like opening shop here and imparting training to those who seek it in India itself.

No one can block huge developments in the education sphere. Let all good institutions from across the oceans come here for mutual benefit.

Not agitation by women, but the goodwill of men contributing to women’s reservation

By O.J.George

There were reports in patches by some women’s associations that the agitations launched by them from time to time have culminated in the conferment of one-third quota for women in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies.

No doubt, the women have been making a clarion call all these years. And it was just and fair that they have been campaigning for a just cause.

But don’t forget that all menfolk think like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Yadav.

There are millions of men who do not fall under anti-women planks who have contributed to creating a mindset that would allow greater participation for women in public life.

In fact, some men were finding easy justification for denying more women’s representation pointing out undesirable tendencies that prevailed among the fairer sex which should only be ignored. There would always be some blemishes, but those shortfalls should not be generalised.

In the years to come, the women would behave in a better and far more desirable way than many of the menfolk.

If the women do not perform the way they are expected to, they would naturally be in bad light. And they cannot afford to do that.

Heavens are not going to fall if more women come up to don positions of political power.

The arguments for deferring the women’s reservation bill for inclusion of a quota within a quota for minorities and the like is only a ruse to scuttle the piece of legislation that is going to transform the very functioning of the polity.

In the years to come men will have to concede fifty per cent of reservation for women. Let there be no perfunctory handling of the issue.

The Yadavs could not prevent passing of Women’s Reservation Bill, however hard they tried to scuttle it

By O.J.George

It goes to the credit of the fledgling democracy of India that the main Opposition party and the main ruling party joined together to pass the historic women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday with two-thirds majority of the members present and voting as required for a Constitutional amendment.

Now it has to be passed by the Lok Sabha as well as more than half of the state legislatures for the law to become a reality.
There are a few capable women in various spheres of life in India, but now they would get one-third reservation as per law. No one can prevent them from contesting in seats allotted to them.

The chauvinistic menfolk were, it seems, against the rotational reservation to women , seatwise. The stalwarts who were guarding particular constituencies as their lifetime fiefdom will have to look to other places when their own constituencies get reserved for women. Maybe they will ask their spouses to contest from such seats.
Times are changing and the writing on the wall has to be respected. Women who are better finance managers at home can take over many functions in a responsible manner. Those who condemn them, taking stray cases of aberration, would be in for a surprise when women take up their legislative functions effectively.

Passing of this piece of legislation has not been easy, for there have been attempts during the last 14 years and all the time it got scuttled. Now there has been a concerted attempt and the players deserve kudos for seeing the bill through. If it can be passesd in the Rajya Sabha, it could very well be followed through in the Lok Sabha as well.

The male chauvinists are not prepared to give up; Women’s reservation bill passing an uphill task

By O.J.George

By now it is clear about one thing. No one can say it with precision whether the women’s reservation bill would be passed. A series of adjournments, uproar whenever the Houses reconvened, the unjustifiable act of desecrating the Rajya Sabha chairman and such sequences permeated in the seats of Indian democracy that is Parliament.

Monday’s proceedings would show democracy of the type we proclaim has not evolved to the desirable extent.

Physical obstruction of proceedings in a democratic set-up undermines the very credibility of the House. Snatching papers from the chair, damaging his microphone and the like occurred in the elders’ house.

Women deserve at least 50 per cent reservation, but the attempt to give them one-third representation has been hanging in limbo for the last one and a half decades. Various governments which attempted to provide reservation to women had become unsuccessful.

With the sort of conduct that prevailed in both Houses on Monday, one cannot hope to see the bill passed on Tuesday as well.

Those who oppose the bill flaunt the argument that there should be sub-quota for Muslims and Dalits within the one-third provision.

It was the raj of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav that prevailed on Monday. Would Tuesday be different?

Congress cannot be trapped on fuel prices hike, Sonia has said the final word

By O.J.George

The combined Opposition has been trying to corner the Congress Party and its UPA II allies on the issue of hike in prices of petrol and diesel.

The Left parties have been one with the stance of the BJP and allies in opposing the fuel prices increase.

It seemed the Opposition has been gaining an upper hand on the issue as the common man is also furious about the hike, which will cause a spurt in prices of essential commodities in a market which was already on a high on the front.

Someone thought Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was being cornered in the wake of stiff resistance from DMK of M.Karunanidhi and Trinamul Congress of Mamata Banerjee.

But lately, there were overtures from DMK and Trinamul that they were close-knit with the UPA II Government.

To cap the strategic position of the Congress party, its president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday addressed Congress MPs , after a gap of six months, driving the point home that food security and prices were a top priority.

But she was careful enough to defend Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee by saying he has done a deft balancing of the budget.Resources have to be found for implementing social welfare measures.

Sonia Gandhi also drew inspiration to cite the presentation of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament on the world women’s day on Monday. Reservation, when implemented, would be a gift to the women.

BJP leader L.K.Advani has always been keen to castigate Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, this time he picked on Dr Singh for resuming India-Pak talks at the nudge of the US.

Dr Singh has been quick to notify Advani about the importance of back-channel diplomacy. A lot of behind- the- curtain talks were held between the-then Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott during the BJP-led NDA regime.

Congress think-tank has been active, it seems, and its policy and administrative measures cannot be taken advantage of by rivals for political reasons.

Mind you, Sonia Gandhi has fallen in line to defend her flock.

Sun rays, sea water may be tax source in the future when fossil fuel becomes extinct

By O.J.George

For every government, getting some quick bucks by way of tax on the most consumed item is a priority.

It would dole out figures of mounting non-plan expenditure, escalation in standard of living caused by pay revision, pension and what not for cornering the levy.

No doubt, the non-plan expenditure is on the rise, but nobody takes cognizance of the losses on account of mismanagement in various spheres.

Fuel price hike in the form of enhancement of excise duty or sheer increase in administered prices directly (that is also on the way) affects everyone.

Even the poorest of the poor is hit on account of intrinsic escalation of prices of essential commodities fomented by huge transportation costs.

All the same, fuel is the easiest item on which the tax master wields his stick as it yields thousands of crores of rupees. There may be jugglery in figures as well. No one may know the exact amount realised.

An education cess can be levied, railway safety fund can be realised on every litre of petrol and diesel.

Nitish Kumar, when he was the railway minister, collected cess on fuel and rightly kept a separate fund for railway safety operations.

When Lalu Prasad Yadav became Railway Minister he simply cornered the amount for general expenses wiping out the separate account for safety. He was bandied about as the efficient railway minister on account of the bounty he got from the safety fund.

Now the future of fossil fuel on planet Earth is bleak. It may last for a couple of decades and become extinct.

By then, hydrogen fuel , solar energy etc may be the captains of the energy sector. Finance Ministers may charge tax on every Sun ray.

Sea water ( H2O) may be utilised for extracting hydrogen for fuelling vehicles.

Now we are scouting for some kind of fossil fuel from beneath the so-called ice sheets lying dormant in caves on the Moon. There the Sunrays cannot reach the ice sheets.

Otherwise, milling one tonne of Moon soil (not at all areas) may yield one litre of water, scientists now say.

We are hoping to bring back lithium and other rare elements to Earth to energise us. At the same time, it would be interesting to note that the scientists wait for an opportune moment when there would be no rain or storm to send out a rocket from the atmosphere of Earth. The elements cannot be tamed easily.

Next generation tax could therefore be on Sunrays and sea water, before the-then government imposes import duty on lithium and other rare elements from Moon.