An excellent article in Daijiworld.com by my friend Dr Derek Lobo.... which should be an eye opener to all the politicians in India - not only of BJP.... It is a good analysis, and I echo the good doctor's sentiments expressed herein...
The message to Advani is most apt: people could see through him and his histrionics - instead of projecting himself as a strong leader, he chose to canvass negatively against an opponent of impeccable credentials and integrity. Living in a glass house himself, he chose to throw stones at the other who was protected with a development oriented rockhard fortress of honesty and integrity - ending with his own glass house shattered in return by the people's electoral brickbats as verdict. He had failed to realise and recognize the pile of garbage in his own eye before trying to pick the spec of imagined dust from the eye of a man like Man mohan Singh.
Maxwell Pereira
"I have Voted, I have Spoken, I have Conveyed Strong Messages"
By Dr Derek Lobo, Mangalore
May 19, 2009
The people of India have spoken through the deft handling of their fingers over the electronic voting machines over a 5-phase mammoth election with results announced on 16th May 2009. There were many pre-poll and post-poll predictions, most of them pronouncing that it will be a close race with the UPA holding a slight edge. The prediction about the Congress being the single largest party and that the Congress-led UPA will form the Government has come true but none expected that the Congress alone would cross the 200 mark and that the UPA will almost edge the magic figure of 272.
The people have spoken decisively in favor of progress, development and a truly secular agenda, endorsed the efficiency and integrity of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the mature leadership of Sonia Gandhi. They have also spoken in favor of the youth aspirations and pro-poor needs projected by Rahul Gandhi and his youth brigade in the Congress. WELL DONE !
Before proceeding further, we the people wish to place our deep appreciation and thanks to the Election Commission of India for efficiently and successfully conducting the world’s largest democratic process in a free, fair and generally peaceful manner. The month long 5-phase election was tortuous and the wait for the results agonizing but given the largeness of the country and the enormity of voters, this was required. We are relieved that deficiencies like “booth capturing” and “bogus voting” are a thing of the past.
We the voters have also conveyed several messages and some reprimands. Let us look at some of the reprimands :
Message-1 – To the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) – The people have said “We are interested only in development, jobs, water, irrigation, electricity, roads, remunerative prices for our agricultural products etc. We do not support any communal agenda or divisive policies. One of the great assets of our beloved country is the beautiful mosaic of “Unity in Diversity”. We want to sustain and preserve that asset. We also see through duplicity; For example, you criticize other parties for promoting dynastic politics but you do the same; you accuse other parties of purchasing politicians but you do the same; You initiated the Nuclear deal with the USA when you were in power but opposed the deal when you were in opposition”.
“If you subject yourself for unbiased introspection, you should be regretting the adventure or misadventure of your affiliates in Orissa. The attacks on Christians in Orissa has resulted in your party being almost wiped out in that state and in the process, you lost an important ally along with some 8-10 Lok Sabha seats. Your subtle projection of Narendra Mody as a future Prime Minister and the tacit support to the hate speech of Varun Gandhi, resulted in some of your allies getting jittery and wanting to leave NDA. Instead of your pre-occupation with people being converted, we hope you will really convert yourself as a party “with a difference” in the next 5 years and function as a constructive opposition. We may then consider you favorably in 2014 ”
Message-2 – To Sri LK Advani – The people seem to have said “ You have our sympathies that you lost your chance to be Prime Minister. However, a Prime Ministerial candidate should project and highlight one’s own capabilities, experience, talents and achievements and not harp upon the real or perceived weakness of the opponent. Dr Manmohan Singh is an internationally renowned and respected personality, an honest and upright leader guided by the best interests of our country, a financial wizard credited with the financial stability of India and an embodiment of integrity, gentleness and gentlemanliness. He has impeccable credentials and a Curriculum vitae that is the pride of every Indian. You seem to have missed all this and repeatedly called him as the “weakest Prime Minister of India”. Well, we thought you are weak and do not have the strength to be our Prime Minister”.
Message-3 – To Chief Minister Yeddyurappa of Karnataka – You might wonder why we are reprimanding you when we should be congratulating you on the creditable performance of BJP in Karnataka in contrast to the rest of the country. Well, perhaps ‘reprimand’ is not the right word but we wish give you a little warning. First of all, the credit for the BJP success in Karnataka should largely go to a faction-ridden and disorganized Congress Party and its lackluster campaign, added by the JDS factor in many constituencies. We hope the good performance of BJP does not result in the conclusion that the assaults on Churches in Karnataka and the attack on innocent girls in a pub in Mangalore had no impact. These attacks have weaned away thousands of urban educated voters, specially the youth from the BJP. Please note that the party which prided itself as being strong in Urban areas has scored a ZERO in all the four metros – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and in several major cities – Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kanpur, Nagpur, Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Hyderabad, Vishakapatnam, Madurai, Mysore, Trivandrum, Ernaculum. Bangalore and Mangalore have been the only exceptions but sometimes the impact of wrong actions occurs more in far away places! Therefore, please control the fundamentalist and fanatic elements that attacked churches or pubs and ensure that they never occur on the soil of Karnataka again. Otherwise, in the next elections, Karnataka will do to Congress what Andhra, Rajastan, Haryana, Uttaranchal and Delhi did during these elections”.
Message-4 – To the UPA Allies like RJD, LJP, PMK and SP – The people seemed to have said “We are a little tired of too many Regional parties trying to hijack national interests. One of the important ingredients of leadership is to closely monitor the pulse of the people and conduct an independent unbiased assessment of your strength and popularity. If you had done that, you would have made a realistic seat adjustment with the Congress in Bihar and UP and PMK with DMK-Congress in Tamilnadu. Instead each of you projected exaggerated claims, tried to humble a national party like Congress and in the case of PMK, a strong Regional party like DMK and in the process caused yourself great damage. We hope the lesson is clear”.
Message-5 - To the Congress Party in Karnataka – The people wish to say “You should be ashamed of your performance in Karnataka. You can justifiably take credit for the BJP victory in the state, which you facilitated through the internal fights and animosities within your party. This caused an enormous delay in the selection and announcement of candidates leaving no time for planning, strategizing or systematic campaigning. We did not know who the Congress candidates were even a month before the elections whereas the BJP candidates or their representatives were able to meet us personally and received our votes. All that we can say is – Better luck next time”
A word of appreciation – To Nalin Kumar Kateel, the winner in Mangalore. “Congratulations Nalin Kumar – your youth, clean image and grass-root level identity was certainly a factor that propelled your victory but we think your admirable gesture in touching the feet of your opponent as a mark of respect fetched you 40,000 extra votes – the margin of your victory. We hope you will not conduct the exercise of who voted for and against you but work for everybody and for the progress and welfare of the people of DK district. Good luck to you”
Tuesday 19 May 2009
Sunday 10 May 2009
090510: Tale of two retired IPS officers
Tale of two retired IPS officers (Comment)
Maxwell Pereira - Indo Asian News Service
May 10th, 2009 - 12:55 am EST By Sindh Today
http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/94953.htm
Both retired from the elite Indian Police Service (IPS) - one on superannuation and the other prematurely on own volition. One to settle down in Gujarat and the other in Orissa - states that saw large-scale communal violence this decade. One is now engaged in crusading for human rights to bring justice to victims of carnage; the other allegedly spewing venom and hatred to arouse communal sentiment for political gain and more.
R.B. Sreekumar was additional director general in the Gujarat police heading state intelligence during the 2002 riots. He raised his voice against unconstitutional directives by politicians and seniors asking the police to turn a blind eye at frenzied zealots wreaking revenge on Muslims for the Godhra train killings.
In the aftermath, he gave statements to the National Human Rights Commission, the Election Commission of India and the Nanavati Commission indicting the state government for its role in the riots.
He accused Chief Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of hatching the anti-minority carnage, and the state government of violating basic police regulations by allowing bodies of people killed in the Godhra fire incident of Feb 27, 2002, to be paraded through Ahmedabad - to instigate crowds and provoke them to violence. He was privy to the then police chief’s anguish over instructions to “…give a free play to the Hindu ire for next three days”.
Sreekumar also accused his colleague, the then police commissioner P.C. Pande, of colluding with the Modi government to delay imposition of curfew - to facilitate the parading of the bodies - and of taking no action to prevent communal riots from erupting, which resulted in nearly 2,000 people being killed.
For his stoic and courageous stand defying the official government line, Sreekumar suffered - he was transferred to positions with no responsibility; and denied due promotion to the rank of full director general of police (DGP).
This did not deter him from fighting to protect law and human rights. He fought his victimisation, and won the legal battle to secure his full rank as DGP after retirement. Settled in Gandhinagar, he strives to work for justice to the victims of the Gujarat genocide. Happy over the judiciary’s commitment to ensuring justice, in the recent Supreme Court directive to the Special Investigation Team to inquire into the alleged role of Modi in the post-Godhra carnage - he finds vindication of his own stand, and the country’s secular fabric protected.
Ashok Sahu is the other officer - originally of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre of the IPS - who resigned from service to settle down and join the BJP in his native state. Currently reputed to be Hindutva’s poster boy in Orissa, he is also president of the Hindu Jagaran Samukhya, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh.
Local cadres are apparently awed by Sahu’s claims of having “terrorised ULFA” (the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assom) during his Assam tenure; he is now accused of having found other targets to terrorise in his native Orissa.
The work of Christian missionaries and the impoverished tribal Christians have become his arena to denounce consistently, cultivating for himself the image of a crusader for Hindus. In the August 2008 killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, Sahu and his colleagues in the Sangh Parivar found an opportunity to target further the Christians in Kandhamal by blaming them for the killings.
There followed then the worst ever carnage on Christians in India - of pogrom proportions like those in Gujarat of 2002. Fanatical mobs ran amok attacking and killing Christians, raping nuns, looting and burning churches, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions run by Christians on the allegation that they were behind Laxmanananda’s murder.
With the announcement of elections this year, Sahu became the BJP candidate for the Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat - in a gamble that piggybacking on the emotive issue of Saraswati’s killing he would surely win - to become the face of hardline Hindutva in Orissa. Laxmanananda’s murder was a handy election issue.
So, despite the arrest of CPI-Maoist leader P. Rama Rao alias Uday and his confession to the killing of Laxmanananda, Sahu continued with his campaign to blame and accuse Christians for it.
Apparently Sahu’s popular façade of being above the law by not caring or fearing the law which he had once sworn to protect, couldn’t last forever. His hate campaign was eventually taken adverse note of by the election authorities and local administration.
Just before the campaign period was to end Sahu was arrested by the Orissa police for his hate speech made at a rally in Raikia. Sahu was released on bail within three days. Most poll observers believe it was part of Sahu’s larger scheme to get arrested and gain electorally as a martyr for the Hindu cause.
Sreekumar and Sahu have their admirers and detractors - both are considered dedicated crusaders committed to their individual cause. Who deserves support - the one with courage and integrity to fight for justice, or the one accused of perpetrating hate and violence in the name of nationalism for political gain? Only time will tell how true or pseudo we people are, and who ultimately wins in this our so-called moralistic, tolerant and constitutionally declared democratic and secular polity.
(10.05.2009 - The author is a former joint commissioner of Delhi Police. He can be reached at mfjpkamathatgmail.com)
Comments:
Swati Parashar swati.orf@gmail.com : 2009/5/10 : London/UK
How unfortunate! and we thought in the All India Services one is taught that everyone is euqal in our country and that we are a truly secular democracy.....Its shameful, when people support communalism of such proportions as what happened in gujarat or orissa....I went to an Irish catholic school and being a Hindu was never a contradiction with my adopted christian ethos.....
what our country lacks is a genuine public discourse on secularism.....whats ironical in ur story is that both officers are Hindus? or so I assume? one decided to retain humanity and the other blinded by his communal vision. I also lament the lack of justice in our country when it comes to communal riots/crimes of all sorts......No justice..:(
Anil Chowdhry anil.chowdhry@gmail.com : 2009/5/10 : Delhi
Attaboy Maxie!
Pranita Das pranitadas2002@yahoo.com : 2009/5/10 : ??
its easy to analyse from a distance
Can the persons born and brought up in high-rise flats in metros ever understand the ground realities in traditional Indian remote pockets like Kandhamal. These persons who only get to see framed sky from their window can never assess the vastness of issues in any Indian village.
For whom grass may be reminding of lawns can never think of why frictions occur in lush green forests. The irony is that with a preconceived mindset usually the journos and desktop social activists from metros rush to remote areas of the country when any mishap occurs like the communal tension in Kandhamal.
Within a few hours they become wise 'seers' of the situation and never forget to bloat up any situation to make themselves sound like reporting from war torn areas in their Piece to Camera (PTC) to increase the TRP of their channels and their clout with their bosses. We the people close to ground feel what they report is nothing but coloured presentations of their pre-conceived ideas. We await for the day when we will have sons of the soil reporting the truth for us.
Proximity has no meaning in reporting for prime time media. Reporters and human right activists air dashing from thousand kilometers understand the incidents of Kandhamal better than the lowly 'moffussil' reporters near the spot.
Without knowing Oriya Naveen understands dreams of Oriyas better than they themselves. So, it is quite understandable that the people who do not know language and culture of Orissa would understand and report Kandhamal in better way. May be the same thing happened in Gujarat. So, the common mass had no link with the thinking of social activists and upmarket reportage. It is for sure even the 'capital'-ist reporters of Orissa have little or no knowledge of Kandhamal except for 'bioscope' provided by NGO and missionary heads who are also not from Orissa.
The irony is that after retirement the bureaucrats and police officials start realising many things which they never could understand while they were enjoying power.......Pranita Das
Veena Ginobili veena_820@yahoo.com : 2009/5/10 : ??
I just read the article in Manorama English edition about the 2 IPS officers titled "A study in contrast: Tale of two IPS officers". Thank you for this article.
I was reminded of this quote when I read your article: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".
I thank you for your courage. Regards, Veena
Surender Bhutani suren84in@yahoo.com : 2009/5/10 : Warsaw
Suernder Bhutani in Warsaw
Timely comments by you are worth admiring.
Keep it up Max.
best regards, Surender
Joseph Vas josephvas7@gmail.com : 2009/5/10 : ??
IPS training is unique in our country
Thank you for posting the tale of two IPS officials Mr. Sreekumar and Mr. Sahu.
One upholding the human rights and the other stampting them and hurting the feelings of people to ride high on the wave of hatred.
One suffering all promotion for the sake of justice and truth.
Other piggybacking on the hate campaign to contest election.
Then ours is a country where we have various types of people.
Religion is deeply ingrained in our blood. whatever religion we may follow it gives us some sort of sensitive feeling to fight for it's cause - whether it may be right or wrong.
There have been so many fights in the history of our country which have caused so many deaths and hatred.
We have even lost one of our great leader the founder of our freedom Mahatma Gandhi. We have not learned the lesson of tolerance and respect for each other.
Let us hope it is not too late when our people become fragmented by hate.
I am praying and wishing that we become sensitive to each other respecting each other for the faith one holds and believes...... Fr. Juze Vaz svd
S BHARGAVAN sbharg@gmail.com : 2009/5/10 ??
And that was great..we do hear a lot of examples of both kinds ..only wishing all the times that majority be of Sreekumar's type....we had enough of troubles around to make a living in these recession and should we have more unwanted things
S Bhargavan
Suman Dubey xxxx@gmail.com : 2009/5/11
…….. hope that ******* loses!
S... (identity with held on request) : 2009/5/10 : USA
Awesome....! Well done... what a crisp and clear article! Really really enjoyed it.
You words brought the anger out in me, especially when reading about the second retired officer running for a seat in the Parliament! What nerve... surely there should be a pre-requisite that anyone who's been arrested or accused of a crime cannot stand for elections?? I guess, then there'd be no one left to stand for elections ;) .......also worried over how you keep stoking these dragons... watch out for vendetta......
Francis Aranha : 2009/5/11 :Delhi
Nice!
Its like Marc Antony's speech..."for Brutus is an honorable man!"
ahmad anis : 2009/5/11 : ??
an eye opener for many:
I commend you from the core of my heart for bringing to the people the tale of these two officers. This should be an eye opener for many.
Both the officers took oath to protect the constitution and law of the land.
Now the question arises where lies the fault. . . . somewhere in the training? ....or the family values? ....or the upbringing or what???
India, a vast country with so many diversities religious, cultural, linguistic, climatic, regional and so on, is a beautiful Country.
I just don't understand why people like Sahu are out to spoil this wonderful fabric of our country. How long would this continue???? How Long???
Faiz ahmed Faiz the famous Urdu Poet said:
"We remain strangers even after so many meetings
Blood stains remain even after so many rains"
May Almighty Bless You!!!!! .....Anis Ahmad
Renu Kaul Verma : 2009/5/11 : Delhi
That is the tragedy of this country. Had the educated elite been one in fighting injustice, we would not have been ruled by the bloody goons.
F COLASO : 2009/11/05 Bengaluru
Well said. You have very nicely and clearly expressed sentiments about these two retired senior IPS officers which I fully share and which I had wanted to express myself. I feel that in the case of Ashok Sahu the local police deliberately delayed in arresting him and assisted in his obtaining bail giving him the maximum publicity in his campaign.
In my view most of our officers who otherwise make such grandiose postings on all sorts of subjects, fight shy of discussing important subjects pertaining to the Police which are unpleasant and do not reflect well on the Service even when these subjects are of professional relevance or importance. These include the role of the Police in the Sikh riots of 1984, the Gujarat riots, the demolition of the Babri masjid, the 1992 Mumbai riots, the carnage in Kandhamal and the communal incidents in Mangalore. In all these you will agree the Police not only abdicated their responsibility in maintaining law and order but blatantly assisted one group against the other clearly demostrating their communal bias......Francis
Rohit D'souza : 2009/5/11 UK
excellent article and very well written. I am proud of your fearlessness to stand against the lunatics of our times. The crowds can write articles over articles, the Priest and the Bishops try their best to let others know the truth, but when articles are written by fellow IPS officers, the arrow strikes deep. Your article is sure to raise eye brows - of the bureaucrats, and ruffle the feathers of the so called protectors of the law. But at the end I am sure it will bring peace in the long run – peace, when people know the truth and make the right choice.
KS DHINGRA : 2009/5/12 Delhi
Thank you. I agree that it is yet another scene of the classic, eternal battle we are witnessing between the forces of Good, against forces of Evil. Unfortunately, we are noticing more and more the victory of evil in our Country and for that reason, people like you and me feel frustrated, sad and hopeless. We just wait for a miracle to transform our society and that ofcourse is a passive response. Some of us like to think that we influence society by personal example of achievement of success in life, alongside the practice of conduct in line with the tenets of ethical, virtuous and other related attributes of the Good. We hope to influence society in favour of Good. You ofcourse are fighting far more actively in your own way. God bless you and keep up the Great Spirit ! ......Kuldip
Nelson Lewis : 2009/5/12 :
It is quite interesting to read about two contrasting personalities in Mr. R.B. Sreekumar and Mr. Ashok Sahu.
I have read a lot about P.C. Pande, formerly Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, and later D.G.P.Gujarat - as this man was Narendra Modi's most obedient boy, we could say that he was an incompetent police officer.
Have your read the book, "The Stalker Affair" by Mr. John Stalker, who was the Deputy Chief Constable of the Manchester Police and was suspended by his superiors as he, during the course of investigation, was about to expose many skeletons in the cupboard and the culprits who had cold-bloodedly bumped off certain innocent Irishmen?
I take this opportunity to wish you all the best.
Nelson Lewis
Limca Book of Records' Holder, 2003 & 2004
Maxwell Pereira - Indo Asian News Service
May 10th, 2009 - 12:55 am EST By Sindh Today
http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/94953.htm
Both retired from the elite Indian Police Service (IPS) - one on superannuation and the other prematurely on own volition. One to settle down in Gujarat and the other in Orissa - states that saw large-scale communal violence this decade. One is now engaged in crusading for human rights to bring justice to victims of carnage; the other allegedly spewing venom and hatred to arouse communal sentiment for political gain and more.
R.B. Sreekumar was additional director general in the Gujarat police heading state intelligence during the 2002 riots. He raised his voice against unconstitutional directives by politicians and seniors asking the police to turn a blind eye at frenzied zealots wreaking revenge on Muslims for the Godhra train killings.
In the aftermath, he gave statements to the National Human Rights Commission, the Election Commission of India and the Nanavati Commission indicting the state government for its role in the riots.
He accused Chief Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of hatching the anti-minority carnage, and the state government of violating basic police regulations by allowing bodies of people killed in the Godhra fire incident of Feb 27, 2002, to be paraded through Ahmedabad - to instigate crowds and provoke them to violence. He was privy to the then police chief’s anguish over instructions to “…give a free play to the Hindu ire for next three days”.
Sreekumar also accused his colleague, the then police commissioner P.C. Pande, of colluding with the Modi government to delay imposition of curfew - to facilitate the parading of the bodies - and of taking no action to prevent communal riots from erupting, which resulted in nearly 2,000 people being killed.
For his stoic and courageous stand defying the official government line, Sreekumar suffered - he was transferred to positions with no responsibility; and denied due promotion to the rank of full director general of police (DGP).
This did not deter him from fighting to protect law and human rights. He fought his victimisation, and won the legal battle to secure his full rank as DGP after retirement. Settled in Gandhinagar, he strives to work for justice to the victims of the Gujarat genocide. Happy over the judiciary’s commitment to ensuring justice, in the recent Supreme Court directive to the Special Investigation Team to inquire into the alleged role of Modi in the post-Godhra carnage - he finds vindication of his own stand, and the country’s secular fabric protected.
Ashok Sahu is the other officer - originally of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre of the IPS - who resigned from service to settle down and join the BJP in his native state. Currently reputed to be Hindutva’s poster boy in Orissa, he is also president of the Hindu Jagaran Samukhya, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh.
Local cadres are apparently awed by Sahu’s claims of having “terrorised ULFA” (the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assom) during his Assam tenure; he is now accused of having found other targets to terrorise in his native Orissa.
The work of Christian missionaries and the impoverished tribal Christians have become his arena to denounce consistently, cultivating for himself the image of a crusader for Hindus. In the August 2008 killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, Sahu and his colleagues in the Sangh Parivar found an opportunity to target further the Christians in Kandhamal by blaming them for the killings.
There followed then the worst ever carnage on Christians in India - of pogrom proportions like those in Gujarat of 2002. Fanatical mobs ran amok attacking and killing Christians, raping nuns, looting and burning churches, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions run by Christians on the allegation that they were behind Laxmanananda’s murder.
With the announcement of elections this year, Sahu became the BJP candidate for the Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat - in a gamble that piggybacking on the emotive issue of Saraswati’s killing he would surely win - to become the face of hardline Hindutva in Orissa. Laxmanananda’s murder was a handy election issue.
So, despite the arrest of CPI-Maoist leader P. Rama Rao alias Uday and his confession to the killing of Laxmanananda, Sahu continued with his campaign to blame and accuse Christians for it.
Apparently Sahu’s popular façade of being above the law by not caring or fearing the law which he had once sworn to protect, couldn’t last forever. His hate campaign was eventually taken adverse note of by the election authorities and local administration.
Just before the campaign period was to end Sahu was arrested by the Orissa police for his hate speech made at a rally in Raikia. Sahu was released on bail within three days. Most poll observers believe it was part of Sahu’s larger scheme to get arrested and gain electorally as a martyr for the Hindu cause.
Sreekumar and Sahu have their admirers and detractors - both are considered dedicated crusaders committed to their individual cause. Who deserves support - the one with courage and integrity to fight for justice, or the one accused of perpetrating hate and violence in the name of nationalism for political gain? Only time will tell how true or pseudo we people are, and who ultimately wins in this our so-called moralistic, tolerant and constitutionally declared democratic and secular polity.
(10.05.2009 - The author is a former joint commissioner of Delhi Police. He can be reached at mfjpkamathatgmail.com)
Comments:
Swati Parashar swati.orf@gmail.com : 2009/5/10 : London/UK
How unfortunate! and we thought in the All India Services one is taught that everyone is euqal in our country and that we are a truly secular democracy.....Its shameful, when people support communalism of such proportions as what happened in gujarat or orissa....I went to an Irish catholic school and being a Hindu was never a contradiction with my adopted christian ethos.....
what our country lacks is a genuine public discourse on secularism.....whats ironical in ur story is that both officers are Hindus? or so I assume? one decided to retain humanity and the other blinded by his communal vision. I also lament the lack of justice in our country when it comes to communal riots/crimes of all sorts......No justice..:(
Anil Chowdhry anil.chowdhry@gmail.com : 2009/5/10 : Delhi
Attaboy Maxie!
Pranita Das pranitadas2002@yahoo.com : 2009/5/10 : ??
its easy to analyse from a distance
Can the persons born and brought up in high-rise flats in metros ever understand the ground realities in traditional Indian remote pockets like Kandhamal. These persons who only get to see framed sky from their window can never assess the vastness of issues in any Indian village.
For whom grass may be reminding of lawns can never think of why frictions occur in lush green forests. The irony is that with a preconceived mindset usually the journos and desktop social activists from metros rush to remote areas of the country when any mishap occurs like the communal tension in Kandhamal.
Within a few hours they become wise 'seers' of the situation and never forget to bloat up any situation to make themselves sound like reporting from war torn areas in their Piece to Camera (PTC) to increase the TRP of their channels and their clout with their bosses. We the people close to ground feel what they report is nothing but coloured presentations of their pre-conceived ideas. We await for the day when we will have sons of the soil reporting the truth for us.
Proximity has no meaning in reporting for prime time media. Reporters and human right activists air dashing from thousand kilometers understand the incidents of Kandhamal better than the lowly 'moffussil' reporters near the spot.
Without knowing Oriya Naveen understands dreams of Oriyas better than they themselves. So, it is quite understandable that the people who do not know language and culture of Orissa would understand and report Kandhamal in better way. May be the same thing happened in Gujarat. So, the common mass had no link with the thinking of social activists and upmarket reportage. It is for sure even the 'capital'-ist reporters of Orissa have little or no knowledge of Kandhamal except for 'bioscope' provided by NGO and missionary heads who are also not from Orissa.
The irony is that after retirement the bureaucrats and police officials start realising many things which they never could understand while they were enjoying power.......Pranita Das
Veena Ginobili veena_820@yahoo.com : 2009/5/10 : ??
I just read the article in Manorama English edition about the 2 IPS officers titled "A study in contrast: Tale of two IPS officers". Thank you for this article.
I was reminded of this quote when I read your article: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".
I thank you for your courage. Regards, Veena
Surender Bhutani suren84in@yahoo.com : 2009/5/10 : Warsaw
Suernder Bhutani in Warsaw
Timely comments by you are worth admiring.
Keep it up Max.
best regards, Surender
Joseph Vas josephvas7@gmail.com : 2009/5/10 : ??
IPS training is unique in our country
Thank you for posting the tale of two IPS officials Mr. Sreekumar and Mr. Sahu.
One upholding the human rights and the other stampting them and hurting the feelings of people to ride high on the wave of hatred.
One suffering all promotion for the sake of justice and truth.
Other piggybacking on the hate campaign to contest election.
Then ours is a country where we have various types of people.
Religion is deeply ingrained in our blood. whatever religion we may follow it gives us some sort of sensitive feeling to fight for it's cause - whether it may be right or wrong.
There have been so many fights in the history of our country which have caused so many deaths and hatred.
We have even lost one of our great leader the founder of our freedom Mahatma Gandhi. We have not learned the lesson of tolerance and respect for each other.
Let us hope it is not too late when our people become fragmented by hate.
I am praying and wishing that we become sensitive to each other respecting each other for the faith one holds and believes...... Fr. Juze Vaz svd
S BHARGAVAN sbharg@gmail.com : 2009/5/10 ??
And that was great..we do hear a lot of examples of both kinds ..only wishing all the times that majority be of Sreekumar's type....we had enough of troubles around to make a living in these recession and should we have more unwanted things
S Bhargavan
Suman Dubey xxxx@gmail.com : 2009/5/11
…….. hope that ******* loses!
S... (identity with held on request) : 2009/5/10 : USA
Awesome....! Well done... what a crisp and clear article! Really really enjoyed it.
You words brought the anger out in me, especially when reading about the second retired officer running for a seat in the Parliament! What nerve... surely there should be a pre-requisite that anyone who's been arrested or accused of a crime cannot stand for elections?? I guess, then there'd be no one left to stand for elections ;) .......also worried over how you keep stoking these dragons... watch out for vendetta......
Francis Aranha
Nice!
Its like Marc Antony's speech..."for Brutus is an honorable man!"
ahmad anis
an eye opener for many:
I commend you from the core of my heart for bringing to the people the tale of these two officers. This should be an eye opener for many.
Both the officers took oath to protect the constitution and law of the land.
Now the question arises where lies the fault. . . . somewhere in the training? ....or the family values? ....or the upbringing or what???
India, a vast country with so many diversities religious, cultural, linguistic, climatic, regional and so on, is a beautiful Country.
I just don't understand why people like Sahu are out to spoil this wonderful fabric of our country. How long would this continue???? How Long???
Faiz ahmed Faiz the famous Urdu Poet said:
"We remain strangers even after so many meetings
Blood stains remain even after so many rains"
May Almighty Bless You!!!!! .....Anis Ahmad
Renu Kaul Verma
That is the tragedy of this country. Had the educated elite been one in fighting injustice, we would not have been ruled by the bloody goons.
F COLASO
Well said. You have very nicely and clearly expressed sentiments about these two retired senior IPS officers which I fully share and which I had wanted to express myself. I feel that in the case of Ashok Sahu the local police deliberately delayed in arresting him and assisted in his obtaining bail giving him the maximum publicity in his campaign.
In my view most of our officers who otherwise make such grandiose postings on all sorts of subjects, fight shy of discussing important subjects pertaining to the Police which are unpleasant and do not reflect well on the Service even when these subjects are of professional relevance or importance. These include the role of the Police in the Sikh riots of 1984, the Gujarat riots, the demolition of the Babri masjid, the 1992 Mumbai riots, the carnage in Kandhamal and the communal incidents in Mangalore. In all these you will agree the Police not only abdicated their responsibility in maintaining law and order but blatantly assisted one group against the other clearly demostrating their communal bias......Francis
Rohit D'souza
excellent article and very well written. I am proud of your fearlessness to stand against the lunatics of our times. The crowds can write articles over articles, the Priest and the Bishops try their best to let others know the truth, but when articles are written by fellow IPS officers, the arrow strikes deep. Your article is sure to raise eye brows - of the bureaucrats, and ruffle the feathers of the so called protectors of the law. But at the end I am sure it will bring peace in the long run – peace, when people know the truth and make the right choice.
KS DHINGRA
Thank you. I agree that it is yet another scene of the classic, eternal battle we are witnessing between the forces of Good, against forces of Evil. Unfortunately, we are noticing more and more the victory of evil in our Country and for that reason, people like you and me feel frustrated, sad and hopeless. We just wait for a miracle to transform our society and that ofcourse is a passive response. Some of us like to think that we influence society by personal example of achievement of success in life, alongside the practice of conduct in line with the tenets of ethical, virtuous and other related attributes of the Good. We hope to influence society in favour of Good. You ofcourse are fighting far more actively in your own way. God bless you and keep up the Great Spirit ! ......Kuldip
Nelson Lewis
It is quite interesting to read about two contrasting personalities in Mr. R.B. Sreekumar and Mr. Ashok Sahu.
I have read a lot about P.C. Pande, formerly Commissioner of Police, Ahmedabad, and later D.G.P.Gujarat - as this man was Narendra Modi's most obedient boy, we could say that he was an incompetent police officer.
Have your read the book, "The Stalker Affair" by Mr. John Stalker, who was the Deputy Chief Constable of the Manchester Police and was suspended by his superiors as he, during the course of investigation, was about to expose many skeletons in the cupboard and the culprits who had cold-bloodedly bumped off certain innocent Irishmen?
I take this opportunity to wish you all the best.
Nelson Lewis
Limca Book of Records' Holder, 2003 & 2004
Tuesday 5 May 2009
090504: Reflections on Post poll scenario
Now that most of the election process is over, and all that separates us from the verdict is the last phase and then the waiting period for Counting Day, it is time to reflect, let fly one's imagination, our analytical acumen, to speculate into the endless skies.... and give vent to our ability to predict on what's in store... ....on which way did the voter mind sway? ....on what now the fate of the contesting parties? ....on who sent into oblivion and in whom has fresh trust been reposed? .....on who forms the government; ...and on what is the common citizen's fate in the hands of the new government?
All the TV channels are at it - doing just the very same thing in full steam; and there is no dirth of cacophony on this score.... albeit accompanied by the rare intellectual fare too.
As for me, ...well to be honest, one tends to not delve much on our laudable democracy and our democratic institutions, ....no less the elections to it and its results. As a friend put it, "....the amount of money being spent on every party candidate throws the election law into undemocratic territory". So there abounding cynicism all round...
As I see it, whatever be the result, by and large the common man wil still continue to get to wherever it is he has to, to earn his daily bread - irrespective of what politically happens around him, which in academic sense in any case would be an additional labour of love which we'll profess to enjoy "because it is our birth right" being citizens of our great country.
However, and despite the fact that the firmly entrenched era of coalitions is here to stay and has rendered the scenario at the centre totally dismal, and despite the fact that political dispensation after elections is by and large autocratic, especially in the states, .....it is also the one strand of strength that provides hope and confidence to cope with or capitalise on whatever happens as a consequence of such things - including the election.
That having said, and having digested dozens of discussions and debates on the idiot box on this very issue over past few days, i do find the need now to give some serious thought to the post poll scenario - on what entails and what it portends. In this exercise I have been helped by a revered friend, former Justice David Annousamy, whose analysis and reflections on this I find worthy to share...
Reflections on Post poll scenario
Factors in play
Every one finds the election process too long and is impatient to know the results. Of course the candidates and their supporters are very anxious; they wait with hope mixed with apprehension. The common citizen is simply curious. He knows that nothing is going to change substantially. Yet there is a ray of hope for a government more responsive to the feelings of the people and less tainted by corruption.
It is almost certain that results are not going to be akin to those of the precedent election, for various reasons: the new delimitation of constituencies has afforded the urban population a greater say; on account of a new batch of young people joining the electorate, the ratio of literates in the electorate has increased; the percentage of votes has come down showing the fall in the participation of non committed voters, who usually play an important role in tilting the scale.
In fact the bulk of voters are already decided even before elections are announced because they are committed to a particular party. For others considerations weighing in their mind are of various sorts: purchasing power, unemployment, availability of water especially in this dry season, security, direct tax, reservations, caste, religion, new face, seasoned performer, performance of the party at the helm of affairs in the State or Union. One or more of these factors determine their choice.
What are the steps taken by candidates to induce the voters in their favour. The normal way consists of convincing the voter by highlighting in the manifesto their position on vital issues. All parties have equally failed in this respect. First in including in manifestoes items blatantly impracticable, they have stripped them of credibility. Secondly the manifestoes do not disclose any information regarding what the party in power has achieved during the past five years. Those who were in the opposition have missed the opportunity of listing the controversial laws they opposed and the objectionable steps of the government they prevented.
Candidates have instead preferred to entertain, to impress, to condition and even to corrupt the voters with the aim of drowsing the reason of voters and inducing them to act on feelings aroused. This naturally involved a showy and noisy campaign entailing wasteful expenses and nuisance to citizens. However this operation will not have a big impact on the ultimate result since the performance of candidates in this field is almost equal. If all parties sincerely agree not to indulge in such onerous campaign it could be avoided. But they will not agree, each one nurturing the apprehension that the others may covertly influence the elector. This kind of disparaging election campaign will disappear only if a large chunk of the electorate expresses publicly its repulsion to it. The Election Commission has already brought down these crude forms of campaign; its action is expected to go further.
The last factor which has a heavy bearing on the results consists of alliances. In our antiquated electoral system, alliances allow parties to get more seats than the overall number of votes secured by each of them would warrant. In the present election the fight is mostly triangular instead of the bipolar competition which prevailed in 2004, so the number of parties in each alliance is less and the effect of alliance will be lesser though not negligible.
Possibilities
The determining factors having considerably changed, the final outcome is anybody’s guess. One thing is almost certain, the government will be a coalition one. Three possibilities exist: the leader of the coalition may be from the Congress, the BJP or another party. In the last election the percentage of votes secured by the Congress and the BJP put together was only 48.65 % as against 51.35% for all other parties. So the third possibility is not to be brushed aside lightly. The difficulty for this third combination resides in finding a leader acceptable to all the members of the coalition and able to keep them together till the end of the legislature. He has to synthesize in his mind all hues of opinion of the coalition and shed his personal preferences.
Whatever the emerging coalition, its composition is not also easy to predict. Almost all parties expect a realignment of political forces after the announcement of results. Some parties are keeping their option open. Some others anticipating more or less the results have already given thought to the combinations possible. They are making contacts with other parties secretly or expressing publicly their preferences. What they are saying and doing during this long period of incubation of results may change completely at their announcement, which may spring surprises to all. Ultimately the arithmetic of seats secured by various parties will be determinant.
One disturbing feature is that parties do not feel bound by the ties of the pre-electoral alliances. In their calculations alliances were meant only for the purpose of securing the maximum number of seats in order to be able to have a good bargaining position in the post poll scenario. This is quite unfair to electors and even undemocratic. Participation in a coalition against the alliance would amount to violation of the electorate mandate. A member of the party who voted for a candidate of another party on the basis of the pre-electoral alliance would legitimately feel deceived if the candidate for whom he voted goes in a coalition against his party.
Though many combinations are possible there are some incompatibilities. For instance the DMK and the AIDMK will not accept to be in the same boat on account of the personal differences of the leaders; similarly the Congress and the BJP will not come together on account of ideological difference on the religious issue.
Whatever the combination, there will be much parley about the number and the nature or ministerial portfolios which each party would get. The Prime minister would be wise in allotting to each party the portfolios relating to matters which the party highlighted most in its manifesto.
One error which is often made at the time government making and which proves deceptive sooner or later is the fact of one party coming forth to support he government from outside. There is no room for this category in the system. Either you are in the government, you participate to its decisions and you are collectively responsible for them or you are in the opposition. A party saying that it will support the government form outside, is only deceiving the government in order to get some benefits, since such a stand does not carry any firm undertaking and the party is free to disapprove the government at any time on any issue.
The proper course for a party opting out of the government is to sit in the opposition and play its role as such. Being in the opposition does not mean rejecting all steps taken by the government. The opposition has to be selective, taking a stand according the merits of the issue and proposing welcome amendments to government bills. Further for the purpose of taking important measures the government would require the support of at least part of the opposition, if it does not enjoy the majority in the Rajya Sabha. That will become indispensable for constitutional amendments. Such support to the government is expected from the opposition for all measures in the interest of the nation, which does not run counter to the manifesto of the party.
Norms for the appointment of government
If no party or alliance gets a clear majority, the President has to display sagacity and to follow the accepted norms. There is no rule like asking the largest party to form the government. Such party may have all the others against it and not be able to survive. The task of the President is to find out the leader able to muster the majority in the Parliament and to provide a stable government. For that purpose she may take all rightful and straightforward steps in consonance with the dignity of the office. She may hold consultation with any one likely to enlighten her; she may consult the head of parties, individually or in groups. She may also use her secretariat to get the information she requires. She should not ask the political leaders to provide any proof of their statements. That would be unbecoming of the President and an insult to leaders. If the President is not convinced of anything reported to her, she has other ways to check the input he receives.
In our country a disgraceful practice has taken shape namely the fact of political leaders thronging the Rashtrapathi Bhavan staking a claim to form a government, which discloses greed for power. Any one desirous only to serve would wait till he is invited by the President to form a government. It is obvious that any person capable to muster a majority in the Parliament will necessarily be consulted by the President. In the process of the formation of the government it is the President who will prove active because it is her concern in our system. The political leaders have only to provide her with necessary information.
Once the President has chosen her Prime Minister she should not ask him to prove his majority within a stipulated period. That will show that she herself is not sure having made the right choice. Further such a step would amount to a conditional appointment of the Prime Minister which does not find a place in our scheme of governance. Once the appointment is made the president’s role comes to a halt. She has no power to take any action against a Prime minister who does not seek the vote of confidence as prescribed. Further a minority government is an accepted possibility to a certain extent. It is for the Prime minister to seek a vote of confidence as and when he requires it. It is for the opposition to table a motion of no confidence at the time it feels opportune.
Common minimum programme
Whoever is appointed as Prime minister, the stability of the government would depend mostly on the way the common minimum programme is adopted by the parties forming the coalition. Parties so far were inclined to divert their energy on the allocation of portfolios and to consider the CMP as a mere power sharing formality. Each minister pursued the programme of his own party as if that party was in the saddle by itself. Contradictions in speeches and actions of various ministers were surfacing and coalitions collapsed. Common exercise of power implies confluence of minds. Parties in coalition will have to share an integral vision of India with its diversity in all respects, for five years. They should pay their utmost attention to the elaboration of the CMP. No item should be accepted by the partners half heartedly. The CMP so cobbled should be submitted to the Parliament and get wide publicity. That will become the post poll manifesto binding all the members of the majority, who will have to reconcile themselves with keeping in abeyance their respective opinions.
The CMP will be the common denominator of the manifestoes of the parties composing the coalition. No party can reasonably accept in the CMP any item clearly contrary to the manifesto professed by it; that will be contrary to the mandate received from the people. The elaboration of the CMP would prove easy if party manifestoes have been prepared seriously. The reading of manifestoes in this election leaves the impression that they are not schemes of governance intended to be implemented but tools to get votes by making promises alluring each segment of population, often with deceitful intentions. The manifesto has to be realistic, based on the possibility in the best circumstances, taking into account the finance, the technology and the quality of manpower required.
It is therefore imperative to move to a position consisting of considering the manifesto as a contract between the electorate and the elected members. Any member acting blatantly against any item of the manifesto through his vote or his action should be liable to be disqualified by an independent Authority. It would be advisable that the manifesto contains a preamble embodying the political philosophy of the party which will disclose the approach to problems susceptible to arise. That is to be followed by the list of important steps taken during the past legislature and the programme proposed to be achieved in the subsequent years ,which will be the a kind of five year plan binding all the members elected under its banner.
Democracy which means government by the people implies a carefully crafted manifesto, an electoral campaign explaining the manifesto and a governance in accordance with the manifesto.
All the TV channels are at it - doing just the very same thing in full steam; and there is no dirth of cacophony on this score.... albeit accompanied by the rare intellectual fare too.
As for me, ...well to be honest, one tends to not delve much on our laudable democracy and our democratic institutions, ....no less the elections to it and its results. As a friend put it, "....the amount of money being spent on every party candidate throws the election law into undemocratic territory". So there abounding cynicism all round...
As I see it, whatever be the result, by and large the common man wil still continue to get to wherever it is he has to, to earn his daily bread - irrespective of what politically happens around him, which in academic sense in any case would be an additional labour of love which we'll profess to enjoy "because it is our birth right" being citizens of our great country.
However, and despite the fact that the firmly entrenched era of coalitions is here to stay and has rendered the scenario at the centre totally dismal, and despite the fact that political dispensation after elections is by and large autocratic, especially in the states, .....it is also the one strand of strength that provides hope and confidence to cope with or capitalise on whatever happens as a consequence of such things - including the election.
That having said, and having digested dozens of discussions and debates on the idiot box on this very issue over past few days, i do find the need now to give some serious thought to the post poll scenario - on what entails and what it portends. In this exercise I have been helped by a revered friend, former Justice David Annousamy, whose analysis and reflections on this I find worthy to share...
Reflections on Post poll scenario
Factors in play
Every one finds the election process too long and is impatient to know the results. Of course the candidates and their supporters are very anxious; they wait with hope mixed with apprehension. The common citizen is simply curious. He knows that nothing is going to change substantially. Yet there is a ray of hope for a government more responsive to the feelings of the people and less tainted by corruption.
It is almost certain that results are not going to be akin to those of the precedent election, for various reasons: the new delimitation of constituencies has afforded the urban population a greater say; on account of a new batch of young people joining the electorate, the ratio of literates in the electorate has increased; the percentage of votes has come down showing the fall in the participation of non committed voters, who usually play an important role in tilting the scale.
In fact the bulk of voters are already decided even before elections are announced because they are committed to a particular party. For others considerations weighing in their mind are of various sorts: purchasing power, unemployment, availability of water especially in this dry season, security, direct tax, reservations, caste, religion, new face, seasoned performer, performance of the party at the helm of affairs in the State or Union. One or more of these factors determine their choice.
What are the steps taken by candidates to induce the voters in their favour. The normal way consists of convincing the voter by highlighting in the manifesto their position on vital issues. All parties have equally failed in this respect. First in including in manifestoes items blatantly impracticable, they have stripped them of credibility. Secondly the manifestoes do not disclose any information regarding what the party in power has achieved during the past five years. Those who were in the opposition have missed the opportunity of listing the controversial laws they opposed and the objectionable steps of the government they prevented.
Candidates have instead preferred to entertain, to impress, to condition and even to corrupt the voters with the aim of drowsing the reason of voters and inducing them to act on feelings aroused. This naturally involved a showy and noisy campaign entailing wasteful expenses and nuisance to citizens. However this operation will not have a big impact on the ultimate result since the performance of candidates in this field is almost equal. If all parties sincerely agree not to indulge in such onerous campaign it could be avoided. But they will not agree, each one nurturing the apprehension that the others may covertly influence the elector. This kind of disparaging election campaign will disappear only if a large chunk of the electorate expresses publicly its repulsion to it. The Election Commission has already brought down these crude forms of campaign; its action is expected to go further.
The last factor which has a heavy bearing on the results consists of alliances. In our antiquated electoral system, alliances allow parties to get more seats than the overall number of votes secured by each of them would warrant. In the present election the fight is mostly triangular instead of the bipolar competition which prevailed in 2004, so the number of parties in each alliance is less and the effect of alliance will be lesser though not negligible.
Possibilities
The determining factors having considerably changed, the final outcome is anybody’s guess. One thing is almost certain, the government will be a coalition one. Three possibilities exist: the leader of the coalition may be from the Congress, the BJP or another party. In the last election the percentage of votes secured by the Congress and the BJP put together was only 48.65 % as against 51.35% for all other parties. So the third possibility is not to be brushed aside lightly. The difficulty for this third combination resides in finding a leader acceptable to all the members of the coalition and able to keep them together till the end of the legislature. He has to synthesize in his mind all hues of opinion of the coalition and shed his personal preferences.
Whatever the emerging coalition, its composition is not also easy to predict. Almost all parties expect a realignment of political forces after the announcement of results. Some parties are keeping their option open. Some others anticipating more or less the results have already given thought to the combinations possible. They are making contacts with other parties secretly or expressing publicly their preferences. What they are saying and doing during this long period of incubation of results may change completely at their announcement, which may spring surprises to all. Ultimately the arithmetic of seats secured by various parties will be determinant.
One disturbing feature is that parties do not feel bound by the ties of the pre-electoral alliances. In their calculations alliances were meant only for the purpose of securing the maximum number of seats in order to be able to have a good bargaining position in the post poll scenario. This is quite unfair to electors and even undemocratic. Participation in a coalition against the alliance would amount to violation of the electorate mandate. A member of the party who voted for a candidate of another party on the basis of the pre-electoral alliance would legitimately feel deceived if the candidate for whom he voted goes in a coalition against his party.
Though many combinations are possible there are some incompatibilities. For instance the DMK and the AIDMK will not accept to be in the same boat on account of the personal differences of the leaders; similarly the Congress and the BJP will not come together on account of ideological difference on the religious issue.
Whatever the combination, there will be much parley about the number and the nature or ministerial portfolios which each party would get. The Prime minister would be wise in allotting to each party the portfolios relating to matters which the party highlighted most in its manifesto.
One error which is often made at the time government making and which proves deceptive sooner or later is the fact of one party coming forth to support he government from outside. There is no room for this category in the system. Either you are in the government, you participate to its decisions and you are collectively responsible for them or you are in the opposition. A party saying that it will support the government form outside, is only deceiving the government in order to get some benefits, since such a stand does not carry any firm undertaking and the party is free to disapprove the government at any time on any issue.
The proper course for a party opting out of the government is to sit in the opposition and play its role as such. Being in the opposition does not mean rejecting all steps taken by the government. The opposition has to be selective, taking a stand according the merits of the issue and proposing welcome amendments to government bills. Further for the purpose of taking important measures the government would require the support of at least part of the opposition, if it does not enjoy the majority in the Rajya Sabha. That will become indispensable for constitutional amendments. Such support to the government is expected from the opposition for all measures in the interest of the nation, which does not run counter to the manifesto of the party.
Norms for the appointment of government
If no party or alliance gets a clear majority, the President has to display sagacity and to follow the accepted norms. There is no rule like asking the largest party to form the government. Such party may have all the others against it and not be able to survive. The task of the President is to find out the leader able to muster the majority in the Parliament and to provide a stable government. For that purpose she may take all rightful and straightforward steps in consonance with the dignity of the office. She may hold consultation with any one likely to enlighten her; she may consult the head of parties, individually or in groups. She may also use her secretariat to get the information she requires. She should not ask the political leaders to provide any proof of their statements. That would be unbecoming of the President and an insult to leaders. If the President is not convinced of anything reported to her, she has other ways to check the input he receives.
In our country a disgraceful practice has taken shape namely the fact of political leaders thronging the Rashtrapathi Bhavan staking a claim to form a government, which discloses greed for power. Any one desirous only to serve would wait till he is invited by the President to form a government. It is obvious that any person capable to muster a majority in the Parliament will necessarily be consulted by the President. In the process of the formation of the government it is the President who will prove active because it is her concern in our system. The political leaders have only to provide her with necessary information.
Once the President has chosen her Prime Minister she should not ask him to prove his majority within a stipulated period. That will show that she herself is not sure having made the right choice. Further such a step would amount to a conditional appointment of the Prime Minister which does not find a place in our scheme of governance. Once the appointment is made the president’s role comes to a halt. She has no power to take any action against a Prime minister who does not seek the vote of confidence as prescribed. Further a minority government is an accepted possibility to a certain extent. It is for the Prime minister to seek a vote of confidence as and when he requires it. It is for the opposition to table a motion of no confidence at the time it feels opportune.
Common minimum programme
Whoever is appointed as Prime minister, the stability of the government would depend mostly on the way the common minimum programme is adopted by the parties forming the coalition. Parties so far were inclined to divert their energy on the allocation of portfolios and to consider the CMP as a mere power sharing formality. Each minister pursued the programme of his own party as if that party was in the saddle by itself. Contradictions in speeches and actions of various ministers were surfacing and coalitions collapsed. Common exercise of power implies confluence of minds. Parties in coalition will have to share an integral vision of India with its diversity in all respects, for five years. They should pay their utmost attention to the elaboration of the CMP. No item should be accepted by the partners half heartedly. The CMP so cobbled should be submitted to the Parliament and get wide publicity. That will become the post poll manifesto binding all the members of the majority, who will have to reconcile themselves with keeping in abeyance their respective opinions.
The CMP will be the common denominator of the manifestoes of the parties composing the coalition. No party can reasonably accept in the CMP any item clearly contrary to the manifesto professed by it; that will be contrary to the mandate received from the people. The elaboration of the CMP would prove easy if party manifestoes have been prepared seriously. The reading of manifestoes in this election leaves the impression that they are not schemes of governance intended to be implemented but tools to get votes by making promises alluring each segment of population, often with deceitful intentions. The manifesto has to be realistic, based on the possibility in the best circumstances, taking into account the finance, the technology and the quality of manpower required.
It is therefore imperative to move to a position consisting of considering the manifesto as a contract between the electorate and the elected members. Any member acting blatantly against any item of the manifesto through his vote or his action should be liable to be disqualified by an independent Authority. It would be advisable that the manifesto contains a preamble embodying the political philosophy of the party which will disclose the approach to problems susceptible to arise. That is to be followed by the list of important steps taken during the past legislature and the programme proposed to be achieved in the subsequent years ,which will be the a kind of five year plan binding all the members elected under its banner.
Democracy which means government by the people implies a carefully crafted manifesto, an electoral campaign explaining the manifesto and a governance in accordance with the manifesto.
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