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Open Forum
Ram Temple Consecration: FAREWELL TO SECULARISM?, By Dhurjati Mukherjee, 17 January 2024 |
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Open Forum
New Delhi, 17 January 2024
Ram Temple Consecration
FAREWELL TO SECULARISM?
By Dhurjati Mukherjee
The consecration
of the Ram temple on January 22 may well have the country anoint a Hindu
religious city in Ayodhya like the Vatican City of the Christians or Mecca of
the Muslims, though it has always boasted of being secular. The Father of the nation,
Mahatma Gandhi, or even his direct followers and philosophers could have never
imagined that secularism would yield place to majoritarianism-- the transformation
that has taken place in the last decade raising a lot of heat and dust.
Apart
from the allegation that the consecration of the temple has been timed just
before the Lok Sabha elections, what is more surprising is the Prime Minister’s
claim that God had chosen him as “an instrument to represent all Indians during
the consecration”. This, in response to questions being raised over his
pre-eminence at the event. Modi said he had begun his 11-day special observance
as prescribed in the scriptures to “awaken divine consciousness” within himself
in the lead-up to the consecration. However, he did not specify what he meant
by special observance.
Though
the secular spirit is now being slowly vanishing from society, Mahatma Gandhi
himself never went to a Hindu temple. Only once he visited the Meenakshi temple
in Madurai in 1946 after the shrine was opened to Dalits to enter the premises.
Though Gandhiji described himself as a Hindu, his writings bear testimony to
his profound religious feelings, his understanding of Hinduism which was
completely different from what we see today and his chosen mode of worship was
inter-faith meetings, held in open grounds where Hindus, Muslims, Parsis,
Sikhs, Jains and Christians would pray together from verses of all scriptures.
The Mahatma tried to show that India belonged to all faiths equally and
propagated the essence of different religious faiths and doctrines.
The
Mahatma believed in the plurality of religions and abhorred any concept of the
superiority of some races or religions. Stressing the need for equal respect
for all religions, Gandhiji observed: “While I believe myself to be a Hindu, I
know that I do not worship God in the same manner as any one or all of them”. This
perception of the Mahatma cannot be said to be the majority view in the society
today. The ruling dispensation has made us believe that we should be proud of
our religion and in the process, denigrate other religions and the sentiments
of those who do not subscribe to the Hindu line of thinking.
It would
be pertinent here to mention that just a few days back, over 3000 Christians
from across the country registered a protest against community leaders’
culpable silence on minority rights and other grim realities while
participating in the Prime Minister’s Christmas celebrations. In an open letter
released recently, it stated: “The hard truth is that the Prime Minister and
his government have consistently disregarded their constitutional mandate, be
it to the minorities, the Adivasis, the Dalits, the backward castes, the
farmers, labourers, migrants etc. hence their gratitude to the Prime Minister
was not in our name”.
The
letter further emphasised that since 2014; in particular, Christians in India
have been victims of continued attacks and vilification from members of the
ruling establishment across the country. It was indeed distressing to note that
the letter even referred to Christians and Christian schools which “have been
hounded and harassed, their places of worship destroyed, they have been denied
their ordinary rights as citizens and been subjected to denigration and demonisation.”
If this
happens to be the attitude of the Christian community, one can easily presume
how the Muslims have been treated or, to use the right phrase humiliated, and
what they think of the present government and its attitude towards the
minorities. Obviously, the present genre of Muslims cannot be blamed for what
their forefathers have done, and they have a right to life, being citizens of
this democratic country.
This
brings us to the moot question i.e., while Ram is being worshipped and a grand
temple being built in his honour, can the country claim to have introduced ‘ram
rajya’ in India. The answer obviously is a big no. The ruling dispensation
has been rather poor in matters of governance and the entire development
process has largely ignored the lower echelons of society. The bottom tiers of
society have been greatly affected as the disparity in society has widened. Not
just income disparity between the rich and the poor but also between the urban
and the rural class, between the formal and the informal sectors, between
industrial workers and farmers etc. In the context of such development, all
talks of India emerging the third largest economy by virtue of increased wealth
of business tycoons such as Ambanis, Adanis and the Tatas appear meaningless.
Truth,
justice, equality are steadily vanishing from today’s society where violence,
jealousy and hatred is manifest. Thus, while eulogising Ram without following
the principles that he stood for and the way he ruled his kingdom smacks of
nothing but hypocrisy. Moreover, unlike Swami Vivekananda, Lord Ram is just a
mythological figure as the Anthropological Survey of India (ASI) did not find
any scientific evidence of Ayodhya being his birthplace.
Moreover,
religion has always been regarded as a private affair, but the ruling
dispensation has made it a political issue, obviously to reap benefits from the
coming Lok Sabha elections due shortly. While the Congress has decided to
boycott the inauguration on these grounds, the three Shankaracharyas have also
decided to skip the event for being held against what they consider
scripture-mandated norms.
It may
be mentioned here that Jawaharlal Nehru had adopted a stance, underlining the
need for the State to keep its distance from religion. However, the current
Prime Minister has projected himself as the sole guarantor of Hindu religion
and his party, along with the RSS, to propagate and spread Hinduism in the
world, though of a distorted version, much different from Vivekananda’s
approach of unity of all religion.
A
section of political analysts and sociologists are quite surprised at the
trajectory of the country’s political development to being a Hindu state. All
the fanfare about the Ram temple is just to ensure that the BJP is assured of a
landslide victory in the elections. And this is destined to happen as education
and awareness has yet to trickle down to the masses in the backward areas of
the country. They leave their destiny to the almighty.---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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Speaker Speaks But…: DEPOLITICISE OFFICE, By Poonam I Kaushish, 16 January 2024 |
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Political Diary
New Delhi, 16 January
2024
Speaker Speaks But…
DEPOLITICISE OFFICE
By Poonam I Kaushish
Fatigued and bored of next week’s consecration of Lord Ram
at Ayodhya ? Flip attention to the west coast where a first rate emotion-filled
politico-drama is being enacted. Over Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Narwekar
taking over 18 months to rule the legislative wing of Shiv Sena led by Chief
Minister Shinde with 40 MLAs was the Party and not Thackeray’s faction, but
refused to disqualify his 16 legislators.
But post decision, given the high stakes, this order has
wider implications as both derive legitimacy from their association with late
Babasaheb Thackeray and the Party unit. Undeniably, the Speaker’s ruling has
lobbed the ball back to the Supreme Court as it is on slippery grounds when
tested against the anti-defection law which is built around a Party, not the
legislative unit.
Narwekar
maintained he could not ascertain which faction is the “real” Party since the Sena
Constitution and leadership structure of 1993 did not provide conclusive
answers and discounted Thackeray’s plea that Sena’s amended 2018 Constitution
made him Party Chief. He also ignored Supreme Court’s ruling May which held the
legislative unit has no existence independent of the Party as it fields
candidates who contest on Party symbol. Perhaps he based it on Election
Commission’s ruling which granted Shinde the Party symbol.
This
mess started in June 2022 when Shinde split with 40 MLAs dethroned the
Thackeray-NCP-Congress led MVA and formed a Government with Fadnavis’s BJP. Thackeray,
initiated disqualification proceedings and MVA appointed Dy Speaker obliged.
Shinde challenged this in Supreme Court which stayed rebels disqualification
till it heard the case in totality. It allowed Election Commission to decide
which faction would lay claim to original Party.
It is all very well for Shinde to
claim Balasaheb’s legacy but it remains to be seen if he can win over cadres
since the Sena’s inheritance is the late founder’s memory and the Party has
been his extension. Can the new leadership set aside Balasaheb family’s pitch
for his legacy?
At one level the battle should serve
as a warning for individual/family-centric Parties to set their house in order
and streamline functioning including holding organizational elections. At
another, defection has become a part of politics. However, fractured verdicts
do not give licence for a free-for-all politics of gaddi and gaddari which has
become chalti ka nam gaddi, with no
stops in sight!
The
issue is not whether Thackeray’s Sena moves Supreme Court on Narwekar’s
decision as the ruling has politics written all over it, neither that Parties have
used Speaker’s post as lollipop to reward and oblige a Party worker. Or,
whether a political appointee
should continue to be arbitrator in matters pertaining to legislators’
defection? And that it has sounded another death knell of a Constitutional
institution. But why Speaker is so important in the Constitutional
scheme of things?
If a Party splits
the Speaker decides whether it is a “split” or defection case. His ruling is
binding. By this one act he can “destroy” a Party and facilitate another’s
rule. Recall, Chandra Shekhar’s famous split which led to VP Singh’s Government
fall. Worse, its par for the course when MPs-MLAs-Speaker
roles are inter-changed at a drop of a hat. Whereby, ruling Party Ministers,
MPs and MLAs accept Speakership only to exploit the office for richer political
dividends. Whereby, it is increasingly difficult to keep track of Minister’s
becoming Speaker’s and vice versa.
From second
Speaker Ayyangar who became Bihar Governor on his term’s expiry to GS Dhillon
and Manohar Joshi who switched roles from Ministers to Speakers, Balram Jhakar
never concealed his identity as Congressman, Rabi Ray lived up to his Janata
Party’s expectation and Shivraj Patil who post Speakership, lost the
re-election, but was nominated by Congress to Rajya Sabha and anointed Home
Minister. In UPA I Congress MP and Minister Meira Kumar became Lok Sabha
Speaker in UPA II. Today eyebrows are not even raised.
All, conveniently forgetting the
Speaker represents the House, its dignity, freedom and liberty. According to Erskine
May, “The House has no Constitutional existence without him.” He has to ensure
Opposition has its say even as Government has its way. His rulings
and decisions can make or break the ruling Party. His casting vote can swing
the balance either way. Expected to be above Party politics and not the ruling Party’s
puppet.
Besides, his
powers to use, misuse or abuse Anti-Defection Act which
bestows the power of deciding whether a representative has become subject to
disqualification, post their defection on the Speaker offering ample scope to
him to exercise discretion and play political favourites, ignoring the letter
and spirit of the Act.
The entirety of a Speaker’s
decisions can also be an inducement for abuse. During Parliament’s winter
session over 146 MPs were suspended while protesting or during the. monsoon
session 2022 when 27 MPs were suspended. Ditto in 2016 when almost all DMK MLAs
were evicted en masse from Tamil Nadu
Assembly or the violence in erstwhile J&K Assembly resulting in PDP leaders
hurling abuses and pedestal fan at the Speaker, raise crucial questions about our
democracy’s health.
Such suspensions are increasingly
becoming common across Parliament and State Assemblies, with a partisan Speaker
in the vanguard of eroding India’s democratic character. Bringing things to
such a pass whereby a Speaker seems to have acquired a “larger than life image
and role” and has become the primus entre
peri.
A kind of a demi-God who can do no
wrong and whose actions are unquestionable. Forgotten in the quintessential
position, is the Speaker who is essentially servant of the House has fast
become its master, thanks to rules of procedure. Highlighting, falling
standards in conducting legislative business in Parliament and Assemblies and the need to clearly define these.
Undoubtedly, the Speaker’s position
is paradoxical. He contests election for Parliament or State Assembly and then
for the post on a Party ticket, and yet is expected to conduct himself in a
non-partisan manner, all the while being beholden to the Party for a ticket for
the next election.
Confided a former Lok Sabha Speaker:
“We are elected on Party tickets with Party funds. How can we claim
independence? Moreover, even if we resign on becoming Speaker, we would still
have to go back to the Party for sponsorship for next election.”
Where does one go from here? Time to
look afresh at the Speaker’s powers, depoliticize his
office and promote neutrality.
Under Westminster model, Speaker resigns from his Party on his
election and is re-elected unopposed in subsequent elections in the House of
Commons. Lok Sabha and Assembly Speaker’s impartiality is more important as he
has more absolute powers than his House of Commons’s counterpart.
Succinctly, the
Speaker is of the House, by the House and for the House. He has to place himself in a judge’s position, not
become partisan so as to avoid unconscious bias for or against a particular
view thus inspiring confidence in all sections of the House about his integrity
and impartiality.
Late CPM MP
Somnath Chatterrjee is a beacon. He refused to resign as Lok Sabha Speaker after
Left withdrew support to UPA I Government over the Indo-US nuclear deal in July
2008. Saying Speaker’s office was a high Constitutional post and above
politics. Like him we need to adopt the maxim: “Once a Speaker, always a
Speaker.” What gives?----- INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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Budget & The Voter: HOPES FROM ‘BARE-BONE AFFAIR’, By Shivaji Sarkar, 15 January 2024 |
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Economic Highlights
New
Delhi, 15 January 2024
Budget &The Voter
HOPES FROM ‘BARE-BONE AFFAIR’
By Shivaji Sarkar
The
Union Budget 2024 may not be a glittering box butcould reveal a lot on the
Hindutva economy driving the country on to the fast track. It may not be
populist but may have lot for the electorate of ‘New India.’
Over the
decades a norm has evolved of presenting an interim budget lest the incumbent
government could take an advantage in elections. Being the election year, it does
not prevent the new budget from coming out with certain surprises as the Constitution
does not have any provision for an interim statement of accounts. It will be in
that sense a normal budget and the government is within its right to include
any proposal.
It may
spring surprises and consolidate the Hindutva importance on swadeshi-led
overall growth creating bonanza for investments. All sectors of industry and
finances may have a platter and it may go far beyond hackneyed tax reforms.There
is elation in official circles about the GDP numbers that is hoped to touch 7.3
percent and a four trillion level. The questions on calculating methodology,however,
are disposed as theoretical.
Some sections
of the media announced the income tax limit would be raised to Rs 7.5 lakh to
lure the voters, but it wasdenied later. People, however, forget that with the
last raise in the limit, the effective exemption is around Rs 7 lakh. So, it
does not require an announcement.Finance Ministry officials indicate that the
interim budget may have a waiver of tax collected at source (TCS) on individual
overseas credit and debit card expenditures up to Rs 7 lakh a year. This is in
the realm of speculation and helps only the most affluent.
There
are hopes that in view of the impending elections and unpopularity of the
vehicle scrapping policy, government might extend the lives of the vehicles,
particularly cars and tractors, as these hit largely the lower strata, or
upcoming middle class and farmers the most. This apart it is being said that
such vehicles have the lowest emission level of around 1 percent and are no way
the polluters.
The western
Uttar Pradesh farmers, strong supporters of BJP, are up in arms to protect
their diesel tractors. It is hurting the country’s economy. Most in the
government and even in the organisations related to the NDA want that such
moves which lead to unpopularity must be rectified. They believe that it gives
the Opposition an edge on populist issues such as vehicle scrapping, apparently
a move by the automobile makers’ lobby to boost their profits. Besides, farmers
are sensitive to many new developments. Their Kisan Samman Nidhi or farmers’
pension of Rs 6000 a year may see an increase to Rs 8000. The allocation of Rs
60000 crore a year might go up in the range of Rs 70000 crore.
While
putting curbs on diesel in the country, exports of diesel by private refineries,
including the Russian refinery in India, Nayara, have increased manifold to
Europe and the US as their profits swell. Transporters and others want
restrictions removed on domestic use of diesel and diesel vehicles. They have
also repeatedly said that car scrapping is unique to poor India. Nowhere in the
world, even in affluent US or Europe, vehicles are scrapped, and these are
allowed to ply for 40 years as scrapping hurts generation of wealth. It may be a
good move and help poll more votes, but whether it’s going to happen now is
anybody’s guess.
Concerns
have been expressed over the high petrol road cess and tormenting road toll
collections. The NHAI needs about Rs 1.25 lakh crore a year, but the total
collections are several times more in the range of Rs 7 to 10 lakh crore a
year. This is stated to hurt businesses. Transporters want it replaced by an
annual contribution on each truck and allowing free movement of non-commercial
vehicles. Lower rates and no toll gate are also stated to check inflation and
boost domestic tourism industry. These potent issues could have positive impact
in the elections.
Some of
the key political concerns are the poor, women, youth, farmers, and tribals, as
the BJP-NDA aims a third term in office over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
stress on ‘inclusive growth’. The Union Budget 2023 too had stressed on these
sectors. It is believed to have paid dividends politically in the recent
elections to five States--Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana
and Mizoram.
There is
speculation that schemes meant for these sections of society might get more emphasis.
Education and skill development might get attention to address the aspirations
of the youth. The youth at age 18, comprising the first-time voters, are
considered an asset for the Sangh Parivar. Similarly, many more welfare schemes
for women are likely to be formulated.
Recall,
the Congress too had eyed these issues, particularly aimed at the women in
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan along with lowering LPG cylinder prices. It would
be interesting to watch how Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tailors her
budget speech on February 1 on this focal point. Political concern for women is
also because it’snow believed that they direct the polling trend significantly.
Earlier, this was the male preserve in rural India. Now vocal women are said to
challenge the male domination and often youth and rural farm workers are getting
swayed by their opinion.
Additionally,
tribals and other backward classes have stood largely with the ruling combine.
It might not be a surprise to see special programmes being announced for them. Prime
Minister Modi while flagging off the Vikasit Bharat SankalpYatra at Khunti in
Jharkhand had specifically mentioned that some sections which were not
beneficiary of many schemes would now be on government’s agenda. They may get a
substantial share of allocations and it could be the same for the hills and the
North-East.Ekalavya Model schools too may get further attention to connect with
the people in remote areas.
Sitharaman
herself has downplayed expectations stating that it would be a “bare-bone
affair”. This means the major concern is to have the appropriation bill passed
to keep the wheels moving till June. Practically it may focus on fiscal
discipline, check on expense limits, no major tax reforms though populist
policy shift and future path reset is possible. It could do certain course
corrections to address the growing debt for an economy touching four-trillion
mark. Many hopes even from bare bones!---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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National Rail Plan: WIDER EXPANSION CRUCIAL, By Dr. Oishee Mukherjee, 13 January 2024 |
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Events & Issues
New
Delhi, 13 January 2024
National Rail Plan
WIDER EXPANSION CRUCIAL
By Dr. Oishee Mukherjee
Amid the
decade when there is a cry the world over to lower emissions, it is but
necessary that more attention to be given to railways. Its recent plans have
evoked much interest. As there is a crisis in getting a confirmed ticket in the
place and class of one’s choice, there is an imperative need for wider
expansion of the railway network in India.
It was
heartening to hear that there has been a decision to run 3000 additional mail,
express and passenger trains in the next four-five years to tackle the huge
problem of wait-listed passengers who cannot undertake their journeys.
Obviously, it is expected that the expansion would be in the routes where there
is lot of congestion, mainly in the metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore,
Kolkata, Hyderabad and various tourist centres. Currently, around 500 crore
passenger trips are undertaken annually and this is likely to touch 1000 crore
in the next five years.
The
second major development follows from the first, i.e. to increase the number of
trains, there are plans to augment track capacity. In fact, recently Prime
Minister Modi flagged off 6 Vande Bharat Express trains and 2 Amrit Bharat
trains. The railways proposed a Rs 4.2 lakh crore mega plan for multi-tracking
of seven high density corridors – Delhi-Howrah, Mumbai-Howrah, Delhi-Mumbai,
Delhi-Guwahati, Delhi-Chennai, Howrah-Chennai and Mumbai-Chennai – for
introduction of faster passenger trains and quicker movement of freight. This
is, necessary as the speed of trains is quite slow compared to global standards
and very slow compared to the Western nations.
The
Railways Ministry from 2024-25 to 2033-34, plans to lay third and fourth line
on different stretches of these corridors according to the traffic
demand. The plan also includes construction of flyovers and underpasses,
among plans to introduce more modern trains like Vande Bharat with sleeper
facilities that have a maximum design speed of 220 kmph. In all 233 projects have
been identified that need to be undertaken on these corridors, which have
breached the saturation point and 200 such works will be completed in the first
phase—in next three years.
Union Railway
Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, outlined the transformative impact of seven
multi-tracking projects valued at Rs 32,500 crore, which received Cabinet
approval. These would propel the Railways into a new era of efficiency and
capacity expansion, with combined length expected to add 2,339 km to the
existing rail network.
The envisioned
outcomes are not limited to mere expansion but extend to relieving congestion
and enhancing operational efficiency, across 35 districts, spanning States of
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana,
Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Apart from the infrastructure enhancements, these
projects are anticipated to augment freight capacity significantly,
accommodating approximately 200 million tonnes of additional freight traffic
annually.
Though
in tune with the National Rail Plan (NRP) for India, 2030, overall capacities
are being augmented, both in passenger and freight traffic, there is need to
think about affordability of all sections of the population. Indian railways has
a huge network but the average speed is one of the slowest in the world. The
need for faster trains can’t be doubted but fare structure must be such that it’s
affordable, at least to the middle-income sections. The fare of Vande Bharat
trains is higher than those of the Shatabdi and the dynamic fare system makes
it still higher.
Under
the Rajdhani pricing system, the base fare jumps by 10% for every 10% seats
booked, with a ceiling of 50% hike above the base fare. Unless the dynamic fare
structure is changed, travel by faster train will remain high and beyond the
capacity of a large section of people. Thus,
in planning more mail and express trains, there should be faster trains like
Amrit Bharat Express trains that are affordable to the lower income sections
and EWS facilitating their travel to their native villages.
It can
be admitted that a major milestone in the journey of the railways is the
development of automatic electronic block signalling systems at railway
stations. The automatic signalling system has been installed in 530 kms during
2022-23, as compared to 218 kms during 2021-22, registering an increase of over
143 per cent. This takes a lot of care in increasing line capacity and safety
measures on tracks.
The
government in the past few years also focussed on doubling of tracks with the
purpose to reduce or minimise train traffic. In budget 2023-24, Indian railways
has allotted Rs 30,749 crore just for doubling of railway tracks. This has not
only improved operational efficiency but also allowed for smooth movement of
trains.
In
building the much-needed infrastructure, huge financial requirements are
necessary for which resource generation needs to be found. In this regard,
upgradation of stations and giving space to the private sector has been a major
initiative. With over 400 redeveloped railway stations, these spaces are now
mostly congestion-free with non-conflicting entry and exit points. As per
figures available, Andhra Pradesh has 72 stations for transformation, Bihar 86
and Gujarat 87 railway stations for upgradation among other states. Another
source of generating revenue is upgrading the retiring rooms, with deluxe
facilities, and increasing their number so that both people on official work as
also tourists can use these.
Though
there could be a rise in passenger and freight fares, which have already
happened, there is a need to look into amenities, which are much below
standards. The unclean toilets of mail/express trains, specially in the sleeper
coaches, not to speak of the unreserved ones, has to be improved with proper maintenance
to ensure adequate supply of water during the full course of the journey.
A more disturbing
development is the occurrence of frequent accidents, which even after a lot of
progress in automatic signalling has not been curbed. Special efforts need to
be given in ensuring that accidents do not happen, and the unmanned tracks
cannot be allowed to continue.
Finally,
modernisation and expansion of railways in the country is imperative and has
the potential to boost up economic growth and bring about social integration.
The priority given to railways has been a right decision of the ruling
dispensation and it is expected that the network, performance, speed, passenger
facilities and safety measures would be taken care of in the coming
years. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News &
Feature Alliance)
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Opposition Is Coming Alive, By Inder Jit, 11 January 2024 |
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REWIND
New Delhi, 11 January 2024
Opposition
Is Coming Alive
By Inder
Jit
(Released
on 21 October 1980)
New aspects of our national life have caused thinking democrats
greater concern in recent months than the state of the Opposition. Mrs Gandhi,
many have felt over the months, was lucky in getting a massive majority in the
Lok Sabha on a minority mandate. But she has been luckier having on
Opposition which is not only divided and in disarray, but to quote a veteran
observer, is “stupid and impotent”. Happily for these democrats, the situation
is beginning to change and look up. It is no longer as hopeless. After months
of distressing inactivity and despair, the Opposition is showing signs of
coming alive again. Moves are afoot for joint action against the Congress (I)
“misrule and abuse of power”--- and Mrs Gandhi’s failure to provide a
Government that works. Simultaneously, efforts are on both openly and behind
the scenes for forging some understanding among the Opposition parties. Unlike
in the past, no one talks these days of Opposition unity or alliances. The
emphasis is now on realism and pragmatism --- at least in talk.
Mrs Gandhi showed between March 1977 and the end of 1979 how an
Opposition leader and party could function. The 1977 poll cast her in the
dumps. She was written off by almost all the party leaders, political analysts
including myself, and the people at large. Even prominent Congress (I) men
quietly went along with the assessment. But Mrs Gandhi determinedly rode back
to power with a bang. Many were bitterly critical when following her defeat she
turned up unannounced at an Arab national day reception in response to an
invitation sent as a matter of courtesy. In retrospect, however, the message
she put across was clear --- a message which eventually helped her to win back
the support of the Muslims at home. (Remember, the banquet hosted in honour of
Mrs Gandhi by the Saudi Ambassador in New Delhi on the eve of the Lok Sabha
poll.) Not a few ridiculed her visit to Belchi atop an elephant and her efforts
to woo the Harijans. Here again she proved right and the others wrong.
Many scoffed at Mrs Gandhi’s decision to split the Congress early in
1979 and felt that this would hasten her end politically. But here, too, her
strategy yielded rich rewards. Few then saw the real purpose behind her
surprise move. It, no doubt, cut her strength in the Lok Sabha to less than
half and ended her party’s pre-eminence as the official Opposition. But it gave
her a well-knit and committed task force. (“What counts in a fight ultimately”,
analysed a Congress (I) leader, “is the strength of the stick, not its length”.)
Thereafter, she utilized every opportunity in Parliament to hit at the Janata
Government. Mr C.M. Stephen’s disenchantment with the Congress (U) was
exploited to get for her group one of the Lok Sabha’s most effective Opposition
leaders ignoring the fact that he had strongly supported her expulsion from the
party. Much else followed and Mrs Gandhi shrewdly got a great deal of mileage
out of both the Kanti affair (thanks to the tactless Morarji-Charan Singh
correspondence) and her expulsion from the Lok Sabha -- and imprisonment.
The Opposition has of late started planning popular campaigns to
assert its identity --- individually or collectively. A six-party front has
been formed at the national level comprising CPM, CPI, Forward Bloc, RSP, Lok
Dal and Congress (U) for united action on three specific issues initially ---
rising prices, communalism and civil liberties. The state units have been left
free to formulate their own programmes and also to choose the participants in
the light of local compulsions. The Front has, for instance, persuaded the
Janata Party to join hands with it in Maharashtra even though it has chosen to
keep aloof at the national level. More than one lakh persons have courted
arrest in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to protest against rising prices. The
Bharatiya Janata Party has, meanwhile, launched on its own a movement against
the National Security Ordinance all over the country.
Simultaneously, efforts are on among erstwhile constituents of the
Janata to revive the old party as an alternative to the Congress (I). (Contrary
to a popular impression, the six parties constituting the Left Democratic Front
have not come together. “We are not a front or an alliance for fighting the
elections or forming a government”, EMS told me. “Haste, as the Janata
experience shows, can become counter-productive. We, therefore, prefer to move
slowly.”) A convention of four middle-of-the-road democratic parties ---
Congress (U), Lok Dal, Janata Party and the Janata(S) was held in Patna on
October 7 for evolving a national alternative. An eight-man committee was
formed to sound the respective party High Commands on the desirability of their
merger. Significantly, it warned the four High Commands that if they failed to
bring about a merger by December 31, another state level convention would be
held in January to take a concrete decision.
The outcome of the move is anybody’s guess. But it should not be
dismissed out of hand simply because the initiative has been taken at the state
level. Important persons, who enjoy status in their respective parties, are
actively involved in the new exercise. They include Mr S.N. Sinha (Janata), Mr
S.N. Mishra (Lok Dal), Mr Abdul Ghafoor (Congress-U) and Mr Bhola Prasad Singh
Janata(S). Furthermore, the exercise is not isolated. Exploratory talks in the
same direction have taken place in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal,
Rajasthan and Karnataka. Similar conventions are proposed to be held in the
other states. True, a section of the leaders in all the four parties is opposed
to the move. Some even tried to sabotage it at the start. (Mr Madhu Limaye, for
instance, got Mr Karpoori Thakur to stay away from the Patna convention. Mr
S.N. Mishra and a few others, however, went ahead.) But the second-line
leadership, by and large, is not averse to the idea.
Most of the younger leaders in the four parties appear agreed on the
broad diagnosis of the disease. The Janata, they argue, collapsed because of
the clash of personal ambitions between Mr Morarji Desai, Mr Charan Singh and Mr
Jagjivan Ram. Several others played the game of the three leaders in the hope
of promoting their respective interests. (Most ministerial plums in free India
have gone to people on the basis of who is with whom and not strictly on the
basis of merit or who can handle which job.) Things, it is said, may not have
come to the tragic pass they did in 1979 if only an interesting suggestion
informally made by the President, Mr Sanjiva Reddy, to the three top leaders
had been accepted by them. Mr Reddy, I now learn, proposed at one stage that
all the three might hold the office of Prime Minister for equal periods in turn
as had been done in Japan among the members of the ruling alliance on
occasions.
What of the remedy? Opinions vary. The younger leaders in the Lok Dal,
Congress (U) and Janata (S) feel there should be no difficulty in their coming
together with the Janata, thanks mainly to the common Congress culture,
provided the “oldies” are willing to call it a day. But the latter is easier
said than done. There is little likelihood of either Mr. Charan Singh or Mr.
Jagjivan Ram and other top Congress (I) leaders retiring. Mr Morarji Desai
alone has indicated his decision not to accept any office. This has enabled the
Janata to be one up on the others and to think and plan in terms of offering
itself as an alternative to the Congress (I). As a Janata leader summed up: “We
have the potential, even if we lack the inherent strength today. We offer a
young, collective leadership. We have a clean image. And, we are working hard
to build up an organisation from the grassroots. We shall be glad to welcome
back old friends and seek the cooperation of new ones on a selective
basis.”
Ultimately, however, the battle of the alternative, so to say, will
not be won by any fresh unity or the creation of an alliance or front. The
outcome will depend upon the ability of the Janata with or without the other
parties, the BJP, which has homogeneity and dedicated cadres, and the Left
Front representing the Communist culture to win back credibility among the
masses and to function effectively as the Opposition. Parliament offers a
powerful forum for exposing the Government and influencing the people. Mrs
Gandhi used it to great advantage. But the Opposition has not been able to push
the Government into the dock even where overwhelming facts, as against
allegations, have been laid bare in various scandals. Issue after issue is
raised each succeeding day by the Opposition in the two Houses. But nothing is
done to pick on one or two and follow them up effectively. Not enough is being
done outside either. Coming alive is fine for the Opposition and welcome.
But this by itself will not do. The Opposition must plan its strategy and
tactics. It has still much to learn and unlearn. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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