Sheila Dikshit is in big time mess, or is she ??? First of all, turns out that she is not blamed for corruption and the media indictment should be taken with a bag of salt. Most people commenting on this are taking into context that the Government has recently been in the dock for corrupt practices and in that back drop we are seeing devils where none exist. I know we must hold the government accountable where its necessary and its not wrong if we are asking questions to the Delhi Government about its spending pattern but we need to factor in a few facts before we lynch Sheila Dikshit's credibility in public.
1. The Government of Delhi is not like every other state government. Even though its elected and legislates for the city of Delhi, many arms of the state machinery are not under its control. Its peculiar to Delhi but its true. For starters, the Delhi Police is answerable to Union home ministry and its not under the Delhi Government. Yet after every rape in the capital we blame Sheila Dikshit (CM) for security concerns. The MCD and NDMC (municipal corporations) are controlled by the BJP (opposition) and are not under the control of the Delhi Government. The DDA (Delhi development authority) is answerable to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi and not to the Chief Minister. Only the the ministry of PWD is under the control of the CM.
2. Sheila Dikshit has all the accountability but very few powers in the Governance structure of Delhi.
3. She was not involved in the Common wealth games until 2008. She got involved after concerns were raised by several sectors about preparedness of Delhi for the games and the Prime Minister intervened and asked her to take control of the infrastructure development. In a race against time, she did manage a pretty decent job. Even during final 3 months, she took control of the games village and made it high class from high crass.
4. Estimation for infrastructure development is rudimentary in India. I cannot think of any project that can be finished in time and within budget. Its been a problem and it happens all over the country. The Bandra-Worli sea link was estimated to be completed in a budget of 400 crores and within 3 years. It was completed in 8 years after spending 1600 crores. Is that corruption ??? At worst it is mal-administration. So if Sheila Dikshit spent 4.8 crores/ km on road pavement; we need to compare it with national average to understand that it was within limits.
5. No one seems to ask if the company Space age who imported lights for Delhi, had actually underwritten its inventory to avoid custom duty on the bulbs. If they did, then the company must be prosecuted for mis-representing facts and avoiding custom duties rather than going after the Delhi Government for bloated expense.
6. If someone takes up additional responsibility and delivers an exceptional event on world forum, they need kudos and not brickbats. If there were some decisions that caused excess expense, then I request the people to allow her to explain her stand. If we have to ask her to resign, then so must every CM who cannot complete infrastructure projects in time and within budget.
So long.....
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Majority wins !!!!
"Jo jeeta wohi sikandar". This is the theme of all democracy. In democracies all over the world, Presidential or Parliament, the rule of the game is one word - majority. You need a majority in the house of representatives i.e. Lok Sabha in the case of India; House of commons in the United Kingdom or the Congress in the US. It makes sense to have the Government have their nominees and take the accountability.
In most democracies around the world, the incumbent makes appointments using his executive power and this decision has to have the backing of the majority in the house of representatives. In case of Parliamentary system the backing is implicit but in the Presidential system, this is explicitly done. In short, the executive is empowered with the mandate of the people and accountable for the decisions taken during the term in office. Now, no where except in India, that people are saying the following "we mandate you to take decisions on our behalf, but we do not trust you, so you must involve a healthy mix of people outside the government to take these decisions". Its absurd and the executive cannot function in this manner. You cannot hamstring the executive by taking over its power or eroding it. If we need a stable India, we must allow the executive to function. Despite my political leanings, I have been pretty clear in my mind about the constitutional obligations of every limb of the constitution. We need a healthy Judiciary who functions independent of the legislature and the executive and provides a legal remedy for laws enacted in violation of the constitutional spirit or sets aside executive orders which are "not in law". I feel this should be the ambit and limit in which judiciary must function. Executive must take accountability of all the laws made and execute them in the letter and spirit of the constitution. Law and order and national security must also be solely the prerogative of the executive. The Legislature must at all times limit itself to making effective laws and discuss the workability of existing laws. If each limb works within its limits, we have a wonderful and functioning democracy. Problems occur when one starts to get into the ambit of the other.
Today, I read in an editorial column of the Times of India about appointment of Lok pal. It seems to the editor that if a Government appoints the Lokpal, then it would not be independent. I would like to question this. We must know that the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is appointed by the President, armed with executive orders by the cabinet. The COAS /COAF/CONS (various defense heads) is appointed by the Government. The Chief Justice of all the high courts are appointed by the CJI with advice from the Government. Union government appoints all the IAS officers of union cadre with Chielf Election Commissioner, Comptroller & Auditor General and Chief Vigilance Commissioner included. We know in the past excellent people have occupied these eminent offices and there are various appointments that have gone bad (from time to time). Since we do not shower accolades of appointing a bright officer upon the executive, we must not blame it for a few bad appointments (unless mala-fide intent is proved). This brings me to my question. Why is the Lok Pal a holy cow whom the union government can not appoint. How come conflict of interest occurs in this one appointment, when in all other appointment, especially the Chief Election Commissioner (for electoral benefits) we don't question the Government. I find it a strange argument. Be that as it may. In some situations, people do not reason to logic and this happens to be one such occasion.
Democracy works best in a rule of majority of voices (since unanimity is impossible). In this case, the Government is the majority (unless voted out in the Parliament) and hence the opposition and civil society groups must respect that. Its good to show your dissent and make your voice heard, but its bad to cry hoarse and throw tantrums if your opinion is not adopted by the majority. As a majority, the Government holds the right to rule (for the period of the mandate) and should be allowed to rule. NO ONE MUST OVERRULE the government. If the days come when a minority decides, we will be greatly disadvantaged and governance paralysis will set in. I hope the Union government is listening and hopefully the PM enforces his authority and command as the Chief executive to the President of India.
So long....
In most democracies around the world, the incumbent makes appointments using his executive power and this decision has to have the backing of the majority in the house of representatives. In case of Parliamentary system the backing is implicit but in the Presidential system, this is explicitly done. In short, the executive is empowered with the mandate of the people and accountable for the decisions taken during the term in office. Now, no where except in India, that people are saying the following "we mandate you to take decisions on our behalf, but we do not trust you, so you must involve a healthy mix of people outside the government to take these decisions". Its absurd and the executive cannot function in this manner. You cannot hamstring the executive by taking over its power or eroding it. If we need a stable India, we must allow the executive to function. Despite my political leanings, I have been pretty clear in my mind about the constitutional obligations of every limb of the constitution. We need a healthy Judiciary who functions independent of the legislature and the executive and provides a legal remedy for laws enacted in violation of the constitutional spirit or sets aside executive orders which are "not in law". I feel this should be the ambit and limit in which judiciary must function. Executive must take accountability of all the laws made and execute them in the letter and spirit of the constitution. Law and order and national security must also be solely the prerogative of the executive. The Legislature must at all times limit itself to making effective laws and discuss the workability of existing laws. If each limb works within its limits, we have a wonderful and functioning democracy. Problems occur when one starts to get into the ambit of the other.
Today, I read in an editorial column of the Times of India about appointment of Lok pal. It seems to the editor that if a Government appoints the Lokpal, then it would not be independent. I would like to question this. We must know that the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is appointed by the President, armed with executive orders by the cabinet. The COAS /COAF/CONS (various defense heads) is appointed by the Government. The Chief Justice of all the high courts are appointed by the CJI with advice from the Government. Union government appoints all the IAS officers of union cadre with Chielf Election Commissioner, Comptroller & Auditor General and Chief Vigilance Commissioner included. We know in the past excellent people have occupied these eminent offices and there are various appointments that have gone bad (from time to time). Since we do not shower accolades of appointing a bright officer upon the executive, we must not blame it for a few bad appointments (unless mala-fide intent is proved). This brings me to my question. Why is the Lok Pal a holy cow whom the union government can not appoint. How come conflict of interest occurs in this one appointment, when in all other appointment, especially the Chief Election Commissioner (for electoral benefits) we don't question the Government. I find it a strange argument. Be that as it may. In some situations, people do not reason to logic and this happens to be one such occasion.
Democracy works best in a rule of majority of voices (since unanimity is impossible). In this case, the Government is the majority (unless voted out in the Parliament) and hence the opposition and civil society groups must respect that. Its good to show your dissent and make your voice heard, but its bad to cry hoarse and throw tantrums if your opinion is not adopted by the majority. As a majority, the Government holds the right to rule (for the period of the mandate) and should be allowed to rule. NO ONE MUST OVERRULE the government. If the days come when a minority decides, we will be greatly disadvantaged and governance paralysis will set in. I hope the Union government is listening and hopefully the PM enforces his authority and command as the Chief executive to the President of India.
So long....
Friends with benefits
Hello guys. On the occasion of friendship day 2011, I would like to write some thing about a certain kind of friendship- Friends with benefits. First of all, get your mind out of the gutter and think straight for once. I am not talking of the kinda "friendship" where you get extraneous benefits from a "friend", I am merely talking of a set of people who if turn into friends, will cause a lot of benefits for the rest of us. Lets call these friendships as "Friends with benefits" for our convenience.
USA-Muslim world: I cannot think of the last time the US has not screwed with a Muslim country. The US stand for democracy and universal human rights and yet they have very close associations with autocracries, theocracies, monarchies and dictatorships. The problem with the US is that its double faced foreign policy. World over, the US President makes public speeches about the need to conserve democracy and spread it. However, when it comes to spread of democracy, it chooses to unseat governments in small Muslim countries and place a "democratically" elected government who works for the US interests. There are major Arab countries with whom the US have oil interests and trade and most of these countries are Monarchies and yet the US don't seem to have trouble with them. China antagonises the US often and the US ignores these public dares by China because of trade interests. This screwing around with small countries in the Muslim world is not helping the US or the world. The double faced foreign policy is creating a lot of bad blood in the Muslim world against the US and its allies. Hence the attacks around the world on US citizen and embassies. If the US invests in friendship with the Muslim world and genuinely respects the sovereignty of these countries, maybe the entire world gets the benefits of this friendship and it stalls the bloody attacks that happen around the world by jihadi terrorists.
Government of India and Anna Hazare: There has been no serious governance business in India for almost a year now. The more the government is conceding, the more is being asked by it to concede. Sometimes the government is too obdurate and there are times when its too lax. All in all the grandstanding is not helping anyone. The Government is right in its place to rub in the fact that it holds the right to draft legislation and the civil society can lobby hard but must not force the hand of the Government. Social activists are right up to a point saying we have seen a lot of corruption and its time we act strongly. However, some foolish lawyers on the activist side are nudging them into taking unrealistic maximised approach. This "all or nothing" zero sum game is not helping the same people whose cause they are espousing. The Government needs to be more gracious and see the politics behind the fasts and acknowledge the fact that they this is not a suitable time for them to take on the activist. No one is conceding an inch and nothing is moving forward. Its time, the government shows some large hearted-ness and provides the activist with a long rope. If he remains obdurate, sooner or later he will hang himself using the rope provided. I still stand by my assessment that in collaboration both sides have to concede some ground, the Government can't afford to trounce all demands of civil society while the civil society cant appear to take joys by embarrassing the government into accepting their bill verbatim. Their friendship and collaboration would benefit the 1.2 billion Indians.
Government and the opposition: Time and again, we have seen the two national parties at each other's throats for silly political brownie points. We do not have a proper sensible political discourse as all the sane voices are drowned in silly political up manship. Even in important legislative business when the nation stands to gain, they oppose for the sake of opposing. Goods and service tax regime, Direct tax code, Lokpal bill, land acquisition bill, Women's reservation bill.... the list of pending legislation is long and yet everyday the Parliament is adjourned. Can't these parties be more responsible and keep their politicking to outside the Parliament and maintain strict professionalism inside. I think it can be done. You can debate and legislate inside the house and fight out political battles in the streets and news studios. Instead what we have today is political fights are fought on the floor of the house and legislative debates are held in news studios. India will benefit hugely if the main political parties of India maintain minimum friendship within the perimeter of the Parliament.
You get the drift... So long.....
USA-Muslim world: I cannot think of the last time the US has not screwed with a Muslim country. The US stand for democracy and universal human rights and yet they have very close associations with autocracries, theocracies, monarchies and dictatorships. The problem with the US is that its double faced foreign policy. World over, the US President makes public speeches about the need to conserve democracy and spread it. However, when it comes to spread of democracy, it chooses to unseat governments in small Muslim countries and place a "democratically" elected government who works for the US interests. There are major Arab countries with whom the US have oil interests and trade and most of these countries are Monarchies and yet the US don't seem to have trouble with them. China antagonises the US often and the US ignores these public dares by China because of trade interests. This screwing around with small countries in the Muslim world is not helping the US or the world. The double faced foreign policy is creating a lot of bad blood in the Muslim world against the US and its allies. Hence the attacks around the world on US citizen and embassies. If the US invests in friendship with the Muslim world and genuinely respects the sovereignty of these countries, maybe the entire world gets the benefits of this friendship and it stalls the bloody attacks that happen around the world by jihadi terrorists.
Government of India and Anna Hazare: There has been no serious governance business in India for almost a year now. The more the government is conceding, the more is being asked by it to concede. Sometimes the government is too obdurate and there are times when its too lax. All in all the grandstanding is not helping anyone. The Government is right in its place to rub in the fact that it holds the right to draft legislation and the civil society can lobby hard but must not force the hand of the Government. Social activists are right up to a point saying we have seen a lot of corruption and its time we act strongly. However, some foolish lawyers on the activist side are nudging them into taking unrealistic maximised approach. This "all or nothing" zero sum game is not helping the same people whose cause they are espousing. The Government needs to be more gracious and see the politics behind the fasts and acknowledge the fact that they this is not a suitable time for them to take on the activist. No one is conceding an inch and nothing is moving forward. Its time, the government shows some large hearted-ness and provides the activist with a long rope. If he remains obdurate, sooner or later he will hang himself using the rope provided. I still stand by my assessment that in collaboration both sides have to concede some ground, the Government can't afford to trounce all demands of civil society while the civil society cant appear to take joys by embarrassing the government into accepting their bill verbatim. Their friendship and collaboration would benefit the 1.2 billion Indians.
Government and the opposition: Time and again, we have seen the two national parties at each other's throats for silly political brownie points. We do not have a proper sensible political discourse as all the sane voices are drowned in silly political up manship. Even in important legislative business when the nation stands to gain, they oppose for the sake of opposing. Goods and service tax regime, Direct tax code, Lokpal bill, land acquisition bill, Women's reservation bill.... the list of pending legislation is long and yet everyday the Parliament is adjourned. Can't these parties be more responsible and keep their politicking to outside the Parliament and maintain strict professionalism inside. I think it can be done. You can debate and legislate inside the house and fight out political battles in the streets and news studios. Instead what we have today is political fights are fought on the floor of the house and legislative debates are held in news studios. India will benefit hugely if the main political parties of India maintain minimum friendship within the perimeter of the Parliament.
You get the drift... So long.....
It feels good to have someone to blame
Human beings are above all in the hierarchy of living beings not because they have a more developed brain than others, its mostly because they have the power of will and an ability to reason. Most living beings are instinctive and lead their life by answering to their basic instincts, except for human beings. We are bestowed with the power to reason and a strong will power to overcome our instincts and act in a distinguished manner as compared to other living beings. However, in the face of adversity, human beings lose the power to reason and the will to distinguish between right and wrong and tend to become as instinctive as most animals do. We popularly call this "lynch mob mentality". This a useful mechanism used by human beings to vent off their frustration and get back to normalcy. If we do not have this from time to time, then with the amount of frustrations that we face in our life, we would fuse sooner than later.
Today, we face a tough life. We face pressures at work, pressures in our relationships and many a times economic pressure. In the face of so many adversities, we usually want one avenue where we can blow off the steam and restore the balance. This explains the need for a 4 day party schedule that begins from Thursday night. Having a "good time" with friends over a few drinks and chats kinda helps you get over yourself and feel at ease again. It helps you go to work with enthusiasm (even though your boss is giving you a hard time); it gets you home with a smile (even though after a long day of work you don't want to invest more into a relationship) also it helps you get over many adverse situations. The party culture of the cities actually helps them get over many a troubles in their life over a few drinks. I do not for a moment suggest alcoholism helps. I am merely saying that the dim lights, surround sound in high decibels and a dance floor acts as a perfect ambiance to lose yourself and be "happy" for a while. This also explains how urban population is indifferent to the political climate and no matter what adversity comes, "aal iz well" is the mantra for them. Life in a rural setting is a little different. They live with limited means and suffer most of the brunts of life that a urban resident suffers. When they try and talk it out on village forums, they realise, every other person is as miserable they are and this collective misery angers them. They lash out at the Government for making their life miserable and for not being able to provide them with suitable means to livelihood. This explains why Governments are more in tune with rural problems. They know that incurring the wrath of rural population would mean losing the elections while urban voters hardly care who is ruling them and have found refuge elsewhere.
But, I digress. I was talking about the lynch mob mentality. Every once in a while, when faced with a lot of troubles, we tend to blame others for our misfortunes and feel solace in this. It makes us feel better that some one else is responsible for our misfortunes and it gives us the momentary feel-good factor. In most cases its the government. People around the world, love to trash their governments and politicians alike. They like to blame all the bad things happening to them on the government and in most cases like to take credit for all the good things happening around them. Its part of the job and kinda of an occupational hazard for the Government. Today, when we see unprecedented events happening around us and it makes me wonder why is it that all of sudden anything the government does is falling in the domain of negativity. Actually, I did analyse and these are the findings.
1. People are faced with inflationary economy and the current trends are digging a deep hole into their pockets and savings are taking a dip. Normally inflationary trends are temporary till the demand supply mismatch is corrected, but in our case firstly due to an absentee agriculture minister and then due to global fuel price hike, inflationary trend is rather extended one and this is hitting people hard.
2. There is a an anti Government propaganda going on all around and competitive politics is making it more difficult for normalcy to return. Look at the US, even though its obvious that defaulting would be disastrous, opposition parties were indulging in political brinkmanship. Look at the London riots. Propaganda against the elected government is working because of adverse economic conditions. Even in India, the feeling has set in that if not for the huge amount of corruption, we would have better living condition. Now this is totally false propaganda and is only to feed the gullible. We must know that the moment inflation comes under control and household expenses will normalise, no one will be out with Anna Hazare or Ramdev or the opposition to shout slogans against the Government.
3. Government is the fall guy and will be the fall guy for all wrongs that happen. They should be gracious to accept the failings and let it pass rather than contest it. Over a period of time, people do realise on their own that some of their actions were absurd and will support their Government. Its not if, its when.
4. India is very unique where people like to do grandstanding rather than debate on substantial issues. So we have lot many opposition parties oppose the Government for the sake of opposing without any substantial points. If you ask them for inputs on how to tackle corruption, or price rise or terrorism they will not give you points on how they would tackle such a situation, instead they will go on harping on how the government is wrong and should be voted out of power. Its rather amazing that we fall for shallow propaganda always.
These are some of the issues that are causing some major grandstanding in all facets of governance today. I hope the media is listening. As a consumer of media, I would like to see valid and measured debates in our news studio, but all I see is one sided government bashing with even the news anchor taking sides to almost grill the government representative. Lets even it out guys. Lets show we are a democracy and not a mobocracy.
So long.....
Today, we face a tough life. We face pressures at work, pressures in our relationships and many a times economic pressure. In the face of so many adversities, we usually want one avenue where we can blow off the steam and restore the balance. This explains the need for a 4 day party schedule that begins from Thursday night. Having a "good time" with friends over a few drinks and chats kinda helps you get over yourself and feel at ease again. It helps you go to work with enthusiasm (even though your boss is giving you a hard time); it gets you home with a smile (even though after a long day of work you don't want to invest more into a relationship) also it helps you get over many adverse situations. The party culture of the cities actually helps them get over many a troubles in their life over a few drinks. I do not for a moment suggest alcoholism helps. I am merely saying that the dim lights, surround sound in high decibels and a dance floor acts as a perfect ambiance to lose yourself and be "happy" for a while. This also explains how urban population is indifferent to the political climate and no matter what adversity comes, "aal iz well" is the mantra for them. Life in a rural setting is a little different. They live with limited means and suffer most of the brunts of life that a urban resident suffers. When they try and talk it out on village forums, they realise, every other person is as miserable they are and this collective misery angers them. They lash out at the Government for making their life miserable and for not being able to provide them with suitable means to livelihood. This explains why Governments are more in tune with rural problems. They know that incurring the wrath of rural population would mean losing the elections while urban voters hardly care who is ruling them and have found refuge elsewhere.
But, I digress. I was talking about the lynch mob mentality. Every once in a while, when faced with a lot of troubles, we tend to blame others for our misfortunes and feel solace in this. It makes us feel better that some one else is responsible for our misfortunes and it gives us the momentary feel-good factor. In most cases its the government. People around the world, love to trash their governments and politicians alike. They like to blame all the bad things happening to them on the government and in most cases like to take credit for all the good things happening around them. Its part of the job and kinda of an occupational hazard for the Government. Today, when we see unprecedented events happening around us and it makes me wonder why is it that all of sudden anything the government does is falling in the domain of negativity. Actually, I did analyse and these are the findings.
1. People are faced with inflationary economy and the current trends are digging a deep hole into their pockets and savings are taking a dip. Normally inflationary trends are temporary till the demand supply mismatch is corrected, but in our case firstly due to an absentee agriculture minister and then due to global fuel price hike, inflationary trend is rather extended one and this is hitting people hard.
2. There is a an anti Government propaganda going on all around and competitive politics is making it more difficult for normalcy to return. Look at the US, even though its obvious that defaulting would be disastrous, opposition parties were indulging in political brinkmanship. Look at the London riots. Propaganda against the elected government is working because of adverse economic conditions. Even in India, the feeling has set in that if not for the huge amount of corruption, we would have better living condition. Now this is totally false propaganda and is only to feed the gullible. We must know that the moment inflation comes under control and household expenses will normalise, no one will be out with Anna Hazare or Ramdev or the opposition to shout slogans against the Government.
3. Government is the fall guy and will be the fall guy for all wrongs that happen. They should be gracious to accept the failings and let it pass rather than contest it. Over a period of time, people do realise on their own that some of their actions were absurd and will support their Government. Its not if, its when.
4. India is very unique where people like to do grandstanding rather than debate on substantial issues. So we have lot many opposition parties oppose the Government for the sake of opposing without any substantial points. If you ask them for inputs on how to tackle corruption, or price rise or terrorism they will not give you points on how they would tackle such a situation, instead they will go on harping on how the government is wrong and should be voted out of power. Its rather amazing that we fall for shallow propaganda always.
These are some of the issues that are causing some major grandstanding in all facets of governance today. I hope the media is listening. As a consumer of media, I would like to see valid and measured debates in our news studio, but all I see is one sided government bashing with even the news anchor taking sides to almost grill the government representative. Lets even it out guys. Lets show we are a democracy and not a mobocracy.
So long.....
Friday, August 5, 2011
"Such a Laila you are....."
Indians have contributed so many words, phrases, slang to the English language; sometimes to enrich it and sometimes because we genuinely did not know the English equivalent of a vernacular word. Most of the phrases used in Indian English are not a part of ENGLISH. Yet we use them time and again and the funny part is, people all over the world have began to understand what we mean when we transliterate a vernacular phrase into English with such seamless ease that would shame the purists. "Chutney" is the word that now find mention in the oxford dictionary as accompaniment for "Idly" - which is also an Indian word. Most of these words which are not English have found acceptance because the world loved Indian cuisine and had to use the terms the Indians use, due to lack of relevant words in the English language. Similar explanation can be given about the word "Chaai", now in this case, we have a relevant word Tea, but the way Indians serve their tea is way too different from the way tea is being served world over. Hence the acceptance of the term "Chaai". I could list so many words on similar lines being accepted in the English language.
Now lets move on to the phrases, "Don't eat my head" is a toto Indian-English phrase which is equivalent of "Don't get on my nerve" in English. Yet world over, Indians make use of this phrase and are perfectly understood. Then there are cases where Indians use local equivalence of and English phrase. Like a phrase say, "They are like romeo-Juliet" becomes "They are like laila-majnu". No one knows who the hell Laila is or who Majnu was, but we replace them conveniently with the immortal characters of Shakespeare while depicting endless love. Now, today, I propose to add a new phrase that I assume will gain acceptance sooner than later. When someone is sweet to you or goes out of the way to accommodate you, you tend to say, "You're such a sweet heart". Let me introduce the Indian equivalence which I hope will be accepted world over (fingers crossed).
Phrase: "Such a laila you are" :: equivalent to "you are such a sweet heart", changes observed as Indians don't go by the grammar to frame a sentence but go by the words that explain the feelings behind the words. In this phrase the feeling to be conveyed is the excess of sweetness and hence most Indians will begin it with a 'such'.
Origins: Now all of you might be wondering, "who the hell is laila", well at least most of you :P. To tell you the truth guys, I don't know either. She does not epitomise love or friendship or care. Nor is she part of some eternal couple like Romeo and Juliet. So its absolutely okay if none of us had heard of her or have seen her. Let me describe Laila as I have heard. She is this girl-next-door who goes out of the way to keep the important people in her life happy. She is the one who makes them feel special and wanted. She is a shoulder whom you can count on when you need to cry , she is a ear to you when you want to bitch about anyone and everyone, she is a girl you can count on to stand by you when things are going tough but more than anything else, she is the one who makes you feel that she stands to gain from your friendship with her. In short, she is so much more than a sweetheart.
So the next time you find such a person make sure you say "Such a laila you are". :D
So long.....
Now lets move on to the phrases, "Don't eat my head" is a toto Indian-English phrase which is equivalent of "Don't get on my nerve" in English. Yet world over, Indians make use of this phrase and are perfectly understood. Then there are cases where Indians use local equivalence of and English phrase. Like a phrase say, "They are like romeo-Juliet" becomes "They are like laila-majnu". No one knows who the hell Laila is or who Majnu was, but we replace them conveniently with the immortal characters of Shakespeare while depicting endless love. Now, today, I propose to add a new phrase that I assume will gain acceptance sooner than later. When someone is sweet to you or goes out of the way to accommodate you, you tend to say, "You're such a sweet heart". Let me introduce the Indian equivalence which I hope will be accepted world over (fingers crossed).
Phrase: "Such a laila you are" :: equivalent to "you are such a sweet heart", changes observed as Indians don't go by the grammar to frame a sentence but go by the words that explain the feelings behind the words. In this phrase the feeling to be conveyed is the excess of sweetness and hence most Indians will begin it with a 'such'.
Origins: Now all of you might be wondering, "who the hell is laila", well at least most of you :P. To tell you the truth guys, I don't know either. She does not epitomise love or friendship or care. Nor is she part of some eternal couple like Romeo and Juliet. So its absolutely okay if none of us had heard of her or have seen her. Let me describe Laila as I have heard. She is this girl-next-door who goes out of the way to keep the important people in her life happy. She is the one who makes them feel special and wanted. She is a shoulder whom you can count on when you need to cry , she is a ear to you when you want to bitch about anyone and everyone, she is a girl you can count on to stand by you when things are going tough but more than anything else, she is the one who makes you feel that she stands to gain from your friendship with her. In short, she is so much more than a sweetheart.
So the next time you find such a person make sure you say "Such a laila you are". :D
So long.....
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Governance paralysis
I don't remember, over the past year if there was any decision taken by the Government that was not torn into by the opposition. I am not talking about the central Government, even various state Government and local bodies. Ever since we have taken the word "corruption" seriously and have been tearing into our administrators for alleged misappropriation of funds, no one seems to be willing to take any kind of administrative decisions. At every level, bureaucrats and politicians are stalling important projects just to ensure that they are not flouting any rules; also, if any of their decision can be misconstrued as an act of ommission or commission. Today its a sad state of affairs where most of the politicians who are corrupt are daring the system and making money and the few honest ones are scared to take decisions because they don't wish to be embroiled into controversies that do not exist. Today, in high inflationary times, the most cheap item is reputation of other person. We have stooped to a level wherein we can tarnish any one's image with few allegations and when proved wrong, nothing is done to make good for the damage caused. Gone are the days when people and institutions were responsible for their words and deeds alike. Today, cut and run seems to be the order of the day.
Let me state a relevant example. Couple of days ago, my room mate walks into my room and says " Dude! the PM is indicted in the 2G scam". I was shocked to the core. From the days I have followed politics in India, I have never seen or heard anyone questioning the intent and conduct of Dr. Manmohan Singh, as a bureaucrat; as a Reserve bank Governor; as Minister of Finance or most recently as the Prime Minister. Even if you line up a thousand people Indians or otherwise; layman or world leaders; politicians or economists, it would be difficult to find a single person who would question the integrity of Dr. Manmohan Singh. People may question his style or differ with his policies, but not one would say he is corrupt. For all practical purposes, he is like Yudhisthira, above all this mess. So you can understand my concern when I heard about his indictment by a court of law. My belief in goodness was shaken to the core. When I switched on the television, no doubt there was a ticker "PM indicted in 2G scam..". After watching the news for the next 15 minutes, it dawned upon me that some accused in the 2G scam (who was a former Minister) had, in his defense to the charges said that a few of the decisions were taken keeping the Prime Minister in the loop. He conveniently hid the fact that the parts discussed with the Prime Minister were later changed by him and this event caused the financial loss. I do not understand the word "indictment" in this context. Are we using a defense used by an accused to tarnish the image of our PM? Was the news channel unaware of the meaning of the word "indict"? The journalists who are crafty with words when it deals with people's reputation are very careful when they defend themselves. The ticker ran the entire night despite being pointed out by several legal luminaries that the word "indict" in this context is outlandish. Be that as it may, there was no regret expressed either, they simply moved on leaving scores of us with the impression that the CBI court had indicted the PM of wrong doing.
We Indians were known for blatant breach of privacy, now we are also using our media for slandering and rumour mongering. With everyday that's passing by, so many skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboard about how media is being used to settle political scores, it has become imperative that we rein them in. My prayer to the Supreme court of India would be, "Your honor, I know we are a free country with certain rights which are fundamental so far as they don't impinge upon the fundamental rights of others. If we allow media to slander and tarnish reputations with impunity by upholding their "freedom of speech", the people whose right to live with respect which is being wrongly trampled upon, should be compensated for the loss". Like the ancient Greece, we must hold the messengers accountable to the words that slip out of their mouth. If slandering the judiciary can amount to "contempt" and the person faces punishment, we must also hold people making light comments about major institutions like the President, the Prime Minister, the CAG, the Parliament, the CVC and CBI in "contempt" and if proven frivolous, the person must face punitive action for misusing the "freedom of speech".
I would like to state at the outset, constructive criticism must be always welcome. My problem is with the TRP hungry media who manufacture 'headlines" to capture eyeballs. In many cases, there is hardly any link between the headlines and the content. I object to criticism of the nature where you attach motives where none exist. I agree the Government is answerable to the people as they are our custodians and as tax payers we should question them. The way we frame these questions is very important. When a journalist with no experience of economics or finance whose only exposure to the banks is while he withdraws funds from ATM, sits in judgement of a policy decision made by people who have spent entire life in economics, and makes light of it, it insults my intelligence and the intent of those making these decisions. If every aspect of my day to day work has to explained at the end of the day to a dimwit who then suggests you alternatives and attaches mala-fide intent, I would be pissed off. I would rather avoid taking a decision and procrastinate every small decision for fear that if I go wrong, it would not be a honest mistake, it would be a "colourful" scam. Today this fear has gripped our bureaucracy and politicians. People whom we have elected to take decisions on our behalf are doubting their ability to make the said decisions. There are people who suggest having a referendum on all decisions but they constitute a dumb minority who have given up on the system we have. The only reason Mumbai could not get CCTV surveillance was because no one wanted to take a call on which company to tender for procurement. No one wanted to be blamed for receiving illegal gratification because they chose A instead of B. In the end, the city of Mumbai loses out on security apparatus. My point is, in the process to make them accountable, don't go to the extent of micro management that it becomes impossible to make day-to-day administrative decisions.
My favourite quote by Dr. Manmohan Singh (PM, India) to the bureaucrats, "If 5 out of 10 decisions taken by you are proven right post-facto, you are doing an excellent job". We need to let it be known that humans are supposed to err and many times when you make a policy decisions, you do not have all facts in front of you. Yet you take tough decisions, some of them work out some others fail. As long as your intent was clear, you should not fear taking decisions. I hope this message is being passed on by the political bosses to the bureaucrats working under them, cos if they don't, governance will be crippled and the India story will have an unnatural death.
So long...
Let me state a relevant example. Couple of days ago, my room mate walks into my room and says " Dude! the PM is indicted in the 2G scam". I was shocked to the core. From the days I have followed politics in India, I have never seen or heard anyone questioning the intent and conduct of Dr. Manmohan Singh, as a bureaucrat; as a Reserve bank Governor; as Minister of Finance or most recently as the Prime Minister. Even if you line up a thousand people Indians or otherwise; layman or world leaders; politicians or economists, it would be difficult to find a single person who would question the integrity of Dr. Manmohan Singh. People may question his style or differ with his policies, but not one would say he is corrupt. For all practical purposes, he is like Yudhisthira, above all this mess. So you can understand my concern when I heard about his indictment by a court of law. My belief in goodness was shaken to the core. When I switched on the television, no doubt there was a ticker "PM indicted in 2G scam..". After watching the news for the next 15 minutes, it dawned upon me that some accused in the 2G scam (who was a former Minister) had, in his defense to the charges said that a few of the decisions were taken keeping the Prime Minister in the loop. He conveniently hid the fact that the parts discussed with the Prime Minister were later changed by him and this event caused the financial loss. I do not understand the word "indictment" in this context. Are we using a defense used by an accused to tarnish the image of our PM? Was the news channel unaware of the meaning of the word "indict"? The journalists who are crafty with words when it deals with people's reputation are very careful when they defend themselves. The ticker ran the entire night despite being pointed out by several legal luminaries that the word "indict" in this context is outlandish. Be that as it may, there was no regret expressed either, they simply moved on leaving scores of us with the impression that the CBI court had indicted the PM of wrong doing.
We Indians were known for blatant breach of privacy, now we are also using our media for slandering and rumour mongering. With everyday that's passing by, so many skeletons are tumbling out of the cupboard about how media is being used to settle political scores, it has become imperative that we rein them in. My prayer to the Supreme court of India would be, "Your honor, I know we are a free country with certain rights which are fundamental so far as they don't impinge upon the fundamental rights of others. If we allow media to slander and tarnish reputations with impunity by upholding their "freedom of speech", the people whose right to live with respect which is being wrongly trampled upon, should be compensated for the loss". Like the ancient Greece, we must hold the messengers accountable to the words that slip out of their mouth. If slandering the judiciary can amount to "contempt" and the person faces punishment, we must also hold people making light comments about major institutions like the President, the Prime Minister, the CAG, the Parliament, the CVC and CBI in "contempt" and if proven frivolous, the person must face punitive action for misusing the "freedom of speech".
I would like to state at the outset, constructive criticism must be always welcome. My problem is with the TRP hungry media who manufacture 'headlines" to capture eyeballs. In many cases, there is hardly any link between the headlines and the content. I object to criticism of the nature where you attach motives where none exist. I agree the Government is answerable to the people as they are our custodians and as tax payers we should question them. The way we frame these questions is very important. When a journalist with no experience of economics or finance whose only exposure to the banks is while he withdraws funds from ATM, sits in judgement of a policy decision made by people who have spent entire life in economics, and makes light of it, it insults my intelligence and the intent of those making these decisions. If every aspect of my day to day work has to explained at the end of the day to a dimwit who then suggests you alternatives and attaches mala-fide intent, I would be pissed off. I would rather avoid taking a decision and procrastinate every small decision for fear that if I go wrong, it would not be a honest mistake, it would be a "colourful" scam. Today this fear has gripped our bureaucracy and politicians. People whom we have elected to take decisions on our behalf are doubting their ability to make the said decisions. There are people who suggest having a referendum on all decisions but they constitute a dumb minority who have given up on the system we have. The only reason Mumbai could not get CCTV surveillance was because no one wanted to take a call on which company to tender for procurement. No one wanted to be blamed for receiving illegal gratification because they chose A instead of B. In the end, the city of Mumbai loses out on security apparatus. My point is, in the process to make them accountable, don't go to the extent of micro management that it becomes impossible to make day-to-day administrative decisions.
My favourite quote by Dr. Manmohan Singh (PM, India) to the bureaucrats, "If 5 out of 10 decisions taken by you are proven right post-facto, you are doing an excellent job". We need to let it be known that humans are supposed to err and many times when you make a policy decisions, you do not have all facts in front of you. Yet you take tough decisions, some of them work out some others fail. As long as your intent was clear, you should not fear taking decisions. I hope this message is being passed on by the political bosses to the bureaucrats working under them, cos if they don't, governance will be crippled and the India story will have an unnatural death.
So long...
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
If I had a million dollars, I'd be rich....
This one line summarises the current state of affairs in India. We have been faced with worst set of political and corporate scams and no one wants to make the wrong doers accountable and to make them answer tough questions. Actually, all we want to know and wish to know is how such a huge scam could occur and what lessons were learnt from it. Instead, we are baiting for the blood of these wrong doers and forgetting the lessons to be learnt. In such a scenario, another scam is just waiting to happen and we would once again be up in arms against the Government for napping. I do not understand once the case is heard by the court, why do we need to run a campaign on it. One thing, you are depriving the debate space for corrective measures by using it for harping on the scams and its political fallout, but most importantly, the court proceeding will not be affected by running a campaign on a sub judice matter. So we are in fact wasting our breath by still dissecting a problem long after it has been identified and when we should be discussing solutions.
Indian Parliament has so many self correcting mechanism that if they are allowed to function, no scam should ever occur. First, we have the option of discussion of bills on the floor of the house. It’s a forum to take into account where various political parties stand on any piece of legislation. Once the discussions are done and the view points noted, the bill moves to a standing committee which examines the bill threadbare and allows civil society an opportunity to provide the inputs. Then the bill is voted upon by both houses of Parliament and then seeks the approval of the President before it becomes a law. So, the laws of our country have the blessing of majority voice of Parliament and hence all the members are accountable for the laws we have. Secondly, we have all policy decisions being brought before the Parliament for informing the people about the Government policies and people who do not agree have a forum to register their disagreement. The Parliament has a Public accounts committee that goes through the Auditor report on Government spending and discrepancies. Also, there are sub committees headed by distinguished and veteran Parliamentarians for various Governmental initiatives where inputs can be provided by people who actually seek to make their voice count.
The law and order apparatus is also based on similar belief. It has a self correcting mechanism and it is incumbent upon the senior official to be accountable for the actions of those reporting directly to him. So if a constable is corrupt, then the SHO is accountable for it…so on …to the Police Sub inspector.. to the Circle officer …to the Superintendent … to the DCP and the Commissioner. Our Constitution provides for several levels of checks and decentralizes the duties but consolidates authority in the upward direction. Even the power of Governance is distributed between the Executive (headed by the Prime Minister), the Legislature (to make effective laws) and the Judiciary (so see that the letter and the spirit of Constitution prevail). Each leg of the Constitution acts as a check/balance for the powers of the other leg and together they run the show. If one of the legs malfunctions, the other takes it upon them to sound the errant and try for a course correction. If any systemic problem is identified then each leg of the Constitution must resort to self correction. I know this is a long and tedious process but it is the only effective and lasting solution.
Now, there is a case for creation of an ombudsman or “Lok Pal” who will look into malfunctions in the executive and bureaucracy. There is a huge outcry to include the legislature and the judiciary. I think we must ask ourselves one question, if we do not trust our elected representatives with absolute power and want a judiciary to keep a tab on them, how can we trust a nominated body like the ombudsman with absolute power to prosecute. Who guarantees that this unchecked authority will not get involved in system corruption like the one that’s crippling our other institutions? If several levels of checks provided by our constitution can fail, then it is only a matter of time that the ombudsman fails. When it does, don’t we need to install a proper systemic check so that it does not create a crisis beyond repair? I know, betting on the ombudsman to fail seems cynical and negative, but we must factor in the fact that all institution were created with the public good in mind, however, over a period of time, they began malfunctioning and corruption crept in. We need to factor in that eventuality and not wait for the malfunction to set in before we begin looking for checks and balances. Also, if we have decided not to trust any of our existing institutions, then aren't we being hypocritical in reposing all our faith on an institution that does not even exist. Are we in the wrong for saying, “if we had an ombudsman, this would never happen” when we are not sure how an ombudsman would actually function. Are we trying to seek momentary happiness by looking for a panacea for all our problems, so that we feel we are in safe hands? When this illusion ends, will we be better off or worse off? We need to ask these tough questions to ourselves and the dream merchants (read India against corruption campaign) who are trying to sell this dream. It is very easy to say all my problems would go away if I had a million dollars and was rich; until you actually have it, you can never be sure if you will be better off or worse off. So isn’t it better to make the best use of existing resources and force our institution to self regulate. It will take a long time… maybe 10 years.. maybe more. Trust me; it is the only solution that will last because no one likes a big brother watching over our shoulders. We have to enforce high accountability rather than increase the number of regulators because even the regulators can fail.
So long….
Why our parliamentarians must watch Zindagi na Milegi Dobara
Let me start with the premise that I have watched the movie and it could not satisfy me; but that’s just me. I expect a lot more from a movie than a narrative about a foreign locale. Anyway, I am not here to provide feedback to excel entertainment on their latest production, I am here to impress upon our parliamentarians to make use of TODAY rather than keep procrastination. I only want to state that now, more than ever, when people are questioning the whole point of having Parliament as a forum if the entire political class uses it for mere theatrics than substance filled debates, we need the politicians to not disappoint us. In the past, we've had the likes of Sharad Yadav (MP, Janata Dal (U), Bihar) who infamously said on the floor of the house “women’s reservation bill will be passed over my dead body”; we've had a Sushma Swaraj (Leader of opposition) who feels everything that goes right in this country is God’s grace and everything that goes wrong is the Prime Minister’s fault. It’s been a long time that we have seen gripping debates in the Parliament solely based on facts and numbers. We want to see debates not disruptions and they better get this point. At all costs the Parliament should be allowed to run. People who want their voices to be heard, will stay back and debate and as for the rest, they have the television studios for theatrics. So guys, please seize the moment, stand up and be counted.
The Parliament has been convened by the President for the monsoon session and in a run up to this we have had several un-precedented events. First, we have the fallout of many financial irregularities that has been gripping the imagination of our nation. So far, we have seen peace meal explanations given by the government on various media platforms. These media platforms are basically used for grandstanding and no one comes to these studios with intent to debate the topics. The sad part of the story is, no one wants to let us know the real truth behind these acts of omission and commission and every political party is trying to build a smokescreen and making a virtue of a necessity. My point to the politicians is simple: As the citizen of this country,” WE MUST KNOW THE TRUTH”. We must understand where our representatives stand on issues that matter to us. The truth of the matter is no one wants to let us know the truth. Each political party sends a green horn to the news studio and the dumb-ass just stands there defending his party line. Every charge is not answered on the merits, but on politics. Someone needs to tell these “party spokespersons” that pointing to your opponent’s mistakes don’t automatically defend your stand. Every criminal act has motive and logic behind the act, and all we want to know is how you face the charge and what the intention was. We understand that even the Prime Minister can make mistakes (policy failure, wrong appointments etc.) and as humans we err before we get it right. All we ask of you is to explain your intent and reasoning behind your decisions and leave to us to judge if it was an honest mistake or mala-fide intent. We don’t want to know how your political party is less corrupt than that of your opponent. So my point is, if you harp on the fact –“Parliament is Supreme”, show it on the floor with issue based debates. Throw your punches on the Prime Minister, make it very very personal battle, make it no holds barred but for God’s sake don’t mess around with your electorate. Our only problem is you guys don’t debate. In television studios you say “Parliament is the forum for debates” and when the Parliament is in session, there is abysmal attendance and mostly disruptions. The “common man” is frustrated that either ways his representatives are not responding to his queries. Its time we raise the level of political discourse in this country; do it now voluntarily, else it will forced upon you by the likes of Anna Hazare.
We have seen many a protests and “fasts” and other unnatural and banal actions by “civil society” groups. We have Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Bengal faced with farmer protests every other day over land acquisition. The problem is well known and ancient land-acquisition law of 1894 that is being used in 2011. Even the Supreme Court has struck down several shady land deals by the Government of UP recently stating we need a better law. So we have an immediate problem to address. Anna Hazare and his group of “distinguished morons” are going around holding referendum in Kapil Sibal’s constituency. Annaji, why are you making it personal? Mr. Sibal is doing his job as a Minister and you are doing yours. If you have a right to opinion, so does he. Now it is for the collective wisdom of the Parliament to debate and pass the Lokpal Bill. You have a right to hold “referendum” as you call it, but Parliament also has a right to ignore its outcome. Government is your friend and not your enemy; you should use your pull with the people to impress upon the Government not to antagonise it by going tom-tom about the PM being corrupt. We know it’s the absurdity of Mr. Kejriwal and the Bhushans that you are mouthing, but in the days to come, you will stand to regret the fact that you were being used by them. We have several financial bills like the Goods and Service Tax regime, Direct tax code, Foreign Direct Investment in Retail, NREGA amendment bill which are necessary for kick starting second level reforms in various sectors. A new telecom policy needs to be worked on, foreign university bill for HRD, Communal violence bill are also waiting to be tabled in the house. So in layman terms, there is enough work to last the 40 days that Parliament will function and we want the Parliamentarians to make use of every bit of it. Of course, we will have a bit of nudge and push to the Government by the opposition and there will be time for passionate speeches and the Prime Minister’s response; but all of this will be lost if we don’t allow the Parliament to function.
In the past, we have made a mockery of the Parliament and it has resulted in people daring to question the forum and wanting to create laws at Ramleela maidan and Jantar Mantar. When its turf is threatened, even an animal fights back and here, we have people directly wanting to take over the process of legislation and our legislators are still busy fighting each other. For every Raja there are Reddys and for every Ashok Chavan there is Yeddy. So please stop fooling around and make the best of this opportunity. You may not a get a second chance to win back your credibility and establish the supremacy of Parliament, so please don’t let it go down the drain.
So long…
The Parliament has been convened by the President for the monsoon session and in a run up to this we have had several un-precedented events. First, we have the fallout of many financial irregularities that has been gripping the imagination of our nation. So far, we have seen peace meal explanations given by the government on various media platforms. These media platforms are basically used for grandstanding and no one comes to these studios with intent to debate the topics. The sad part of the story is, no one wants to let us know the real truth behind these acts of omission and commission and every political party is trying to build a smokescreen and making a virtue of a necessity. My point to the politicians is simple: As the citizen of this country,” WE MUST KNOW THE TRUTH”. We must understand where our representatives stand on issues that matter to us. The truth of the matter is no one wants to let us know the truth. Each political party sends a green horn to the news studio and the dumb-ass just stands there defending his party line. Every charge is not answered on the merits, but on politics. Someone needs to tell these “party spokespersons” that pointing to your opponent’s mistakes don’t automatically defend your stand. Every criminal act has motive and logic behind the act, and all we want to know is how you face the charge and what the intention was. We understand that even the Prime Minister can make mistakes (policy failure, wrong appointments etc.) and as humans we err before we get it right. All we ask of you is to explain your intent and reasoning behind your decisions and leave to us to judge if it was an honest mistake or mala-fide intent. We don’t want to know how your political party is less corrupt than that of your opponent. So my point is, if you harp on the fact –“Parliament is Supreme”, show it on the floor with issue based debates. Throw your punches on the Prime Minister, make it very very personal battle, make it no holds barred but for God’s sake don’t mess around with your electorate. Our only problem is you guys don’t debate. In television studios you say “Parliament is the forum for debates” and when the Parliament is in session, there is abysmal attendance and mostly disruptions. The “common man” is frustrated that either ways his representatives are not responding to his queries. Its time we raise the level of political discourse in this country; do it now voluntarily, else it will forced upon you by the likes of Anna Hazare.
We have seen many a protests and “fasts” and other unnatural and banal actions by “civil society” groups. We have Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Bengal faced with farmer protests every other day over land acquisition. The problem is well known and ancient land-acquisition law of 1894 that is being used in 2011. Even the Supreme Court has struck down several shady land deals by the Government of UP recently stating we need a better law. So we have an immediate problem to address. Anna Hazare and his group of “distinguished morons” are going around holding referendum in Kapil Sibal’s constituency. Annaji, why are you making it personal? Mr. Sibal is doing his job as a Minister and you are doing yours. If you have a right to opinion, so does he. Now it is for the collective wisdom of the Parliament to debate and pass the Lokpal Bill. You have a right to hold “referendum” as you call it, but Parliament also has a right to ignore its outcome. Government is your friend and not your enemy; you should use your pull with the people to impress upon the Government not to antagonise it by going tom-tom about the PM being corrupt. We know it’s the absurdity of Mr. Kejriwal and the Bhushans that you are mouthing, but in the days to come, you will stand to regret the fact that you were being used by them. We have several financial bills like the Goods and Service Tax regime, Direct tax code, Foreign Direct Investment in Retail, NREGA amendment bill which are necessary for kick starting second level reforms in various sectors. A new telecom policy needs to be worked on, foreign university bill for HRD, Communal violence bill are also waiting to be tabled in the house. So in layman terms, there is enough work to last the 40 days that Parliament will function and we want the Parliamentarians to make use of every bit of it. Of course, we will have a bit of nudge and push to the Government by the opposition and there will be time for passionate speeches and the Prime Minister’s response; but all of this will be lost if we don’t allow the Parliament to function.
In the past, we have made a mockery of the Parliament and it has resulted in people daring to question the forum and wanting to create laws at Ramleela maidan and Jantar Mantar. When its turf is threatened, even an animal fights back and here, we have people directly wanting to take over the process of legislation and our legislators are still busy fighting each other. For every Raja there are Reddys and for every Ashok Chavan there is Yeddy. So please stop fooling around and make the best of this opportunity. You may not a get a second chance to win back your credibility and establish the supremacy of Parliament, so please don’t let it go down the drain.
So long…
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