VOX POPULI

by

Aam Admi

Issue: 121

Date: 14.07.2012

Contents:

1. P Chidambaram's Crass Comment About The Middle Class

2. Lack Of Coordination Among Indian Law Enforcement Agencies, The Cause For Terror Attacks

3. The ‘Time’ Underachiever Manmohan Singh

P Chidambaram's Crass Comment About The Middle Class

Home Minister P Chidambaram's comment about the middle class being able to buy mineral water at Rs. 15 a 1L bottle and buying their children a Rs. 20 icecream cone shows the crass attitude that leaders of our political class have towards the aam admi of this country. This nothing new actually since all leaders and particularly the Finance Ministers of our country, which portfolio Chidambaram has handled many a time, have always used the middle class as a punching bag. Like they say in a sandwich what lies in between the slices of bread is what makes it interesting. Thus in the same manner the Indian middle class is sandwiched between the super rich and the extremely poor and has had to bear the brunt of many an excess mainly financial in every single Budget that has been presented in this country for the last 65 years. Inspite of paying the largest block of both direct taxes and also contributing a very large portion of the indirect tax revenue because of the consumerist boom, the middle class continues to be pummeled by our government since it has no voice in the affairs of the country except at election time. Where the super rich can resort to lobbying using their resources as highlighted in the Nira Radia incident during the exposure of the 2G scam and the cause of the poor are taken by many a NGO as also the government in terms of poverty alleviation measures, one needs to ask whether anyone in this country has taken up the cause of the middle class. It is only in the last decade or so have we seen the tools of the Consumer Courts and the RTI functioning somewhat to alleviate the problems of the middle class. When P Chidambaram talked of the middle class, he also talked of villages in our country that have not seen a metalled road in their lifetime. He mentioned this in a very casual manner as if the government is doing them a big favour. Is this not shocking that a senior functionary of this government and part of the Congress party which has ruled this country for more than 50 years since Independence has been unable to provide every single village in this country a metalled road? How can he have the temerity to say this? Does he not have the modicum of of responsibilty and shame that they have not been able to provide for this essential need? Not only this Chidambaram continued to talk about the 'slight increase' in prices of essential commodities has been because of the increase in the MSP's to the farmers. Firstly, the increase in prices over the last 3 years for almost everything that an aam admi needs for civilsed living has been anything but 'slight'. Secondly, no aam admi of this country grudges the farmer getting better prices for his produce but the increase seems to be going to the vested interests controlled by the political class like distributors and traders and to the politicians themselves who deliberately manipulate prices of commodities to earn windfall gains like in the case of sugar and cotton. There is no need to mention the name of which politician gained from these 2 commodities since it is an open secret. Thirdly, that farmers are not benefiting from the price increases of the commodities in the market place is evident by the rate of increase of retail prices in the market for almost every single commodity is much higher than the rate of increase in the MSP's of the same commodities. Concluding on this issue Chidambaram blaming the media for twisting his comments is rather crude and unfair since then he should give out a handout before his press conferences on what the media should write irrespective of him saying something completely different since the media cannot read Chidambaram's mind. It is not that Chidambaram is alone in exhibiting such crass attitudes towards the citizens of this country but almost every single person in the Cabinet and the only solution to this seems to be to publicly flog them in Vijai Chowk with national TV coverage. It is not that Pranab Mukherjee should think that he has escaped this punishment since he should also get it for his irresponsible and inefficient handling of the economy and putting the whole country into an unescapable financial mess, before he climbs Raisina Hill to enter Rasthrapati Bhawan.

Lack Of Coordination Among Indian Law Enforcement Agencies, The Cause For Terror Attacks

With the Indian law enforcement agencies fighting over the custody of Pakistani terrorist Abu Jundal including the NIA which has gone to court seeking handing over of the above named, one wonders how P Chidambaran, our Home Minister can start accusing Pakistan of State involvement in the 26/11 incident. This is not to contest Pakistan's involvement but to bring home the fact that when interrogation seems incomplete why are we blowing our mouths on the issue since only if we have rock-hard, solid evidence implicating Pakistan it is only then that that country will take heed of the matter. Also contrast this with Ajmal Kasab against whom we have CCTV recordings showing him shooting down our innocent civilians and having been awarded the death sentence, we are still pussyfooting around in carrying out the sentence. Thus based on some leads during an interrogation we start accusing a die-hard enemy nation like Pakistan who has a hide thicker and tougher than a rhinoceros but one of their terrorists caught red-handed we pamper by feeding him biryani in jail at some Rs. 21 crores cost when last estimates were made. The fighting among our law enforcement agencies has been the cause for many a terror attack in this country including 26/11 when warnings from one or the other agency are not given credence and terror alerts are left on desks weeks together with no action taken against them. This precisely is the problem in our preparedness in fighting terror where each law enforcement goes its own way and the terrorists take advantage of this lacunae and kill innocent civilians. It is time to change and improve our alertness, informer networks and time bound investigation ability so that we ward off terror attacks before they even occur.

The ‘Time’ Underachiever Manmohan Singh

The Underachiever tag that Time magazine has affixed to Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister is nothing new and was known to Indians all along. Those who keep track of the political and economic scene here are well aware of this syndrome of the PM. The need to run to Sonia Gandhi for every little thing in government, the 'policy paralysis' plaguing the UPA-2 and rarely being seen in the event of any tragedy that affects the nation and even then half a step behind the Grand Dame and even more rarely speaking to the country or to its press except 30,000 feet of the ground while returning or going from some foreign trip or other, are these not symptoms of the Underachiever disease. Thus Time is not at all wrong when it correctly criticised Manmohan Singh. As for the Congress grouse about asking what is Time magazine, it shows up their own crass ignorance. Further when there are positive reports in the Western press about the PM or for that matter any politician or celebrity from India, we go out of the way to bask in that halo, but when there is criticism then we ask - Who is Time or What is Time? Essentially is that not a philosophical question! Therefore let us not be puerile in these matters and accept criticism when it is valid and due.

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