by
S Kamat
as
Aam Admi
Issue: 272 Date: 11.03.2019
Contents:
1. Rafael Deal Papers 'Stolen' From MoD: New Highs or Lows Of The Incumbent
BJP Government
2. NGO Report Based Upon RTI On Women's Security Calls The Bluff On BJP
Government Claim
3. Outrageous Adspends & Distorted Priorities
4. Strikes Against Terror Should Be SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
Rafael Deal Papers 'Stolen' From MoD: New Highs or Lows
Of The Incumbent BJP Government
One cannot understand whether to call the incumbent BJP government's Attorney General's performance before the Supreme Court in the Rafael case as a high or a low when he claimed that the papers related to the aircraft deal were 'stolen' from the Ministry of Defence! One would assume that he is presenting the official line of the government. Then he needs to explain how a Top Secret file on a deal which the government has all along been invoking national security to release even the smallest of details within the country has been 'stolen'. Is this just a ploy to again extricate the government from an embarrassing position and to browbeat the newspaper taking the lead to expose the matter and the other litigants? This kind of thing was done in the recent past again in the Rafael case by word play when a procedure outlined of the deal going to the PAC and the CAG was shown in such a way that the Supreme Court believed that the process was gone through for the Rafael deal and the SC quoted this in their judgment. The government though was nimble footed enough to point out the error and apologise for it lest they be accused of using sleight of hand tactics in the case. At this instance of sensitive documents getting stolen and that too from the Ministry of Defence it may not be erroneous to assume that the entire Rafael deal papers at this very moment may be with our enemy states like Pakistan and China while the government is taking the holy position of national security for releasing to people within the country. This present government has this avoidance issue of not addressing the core matter. Like here the basic thing is how did the papers get 'stolen' from the MoD and not how the papers are being used thereafter. Similarly the AG in his arguments in the SC is invoking that the case before it has the capacity to destabilise the present government and threaten the security of the State which is nothing but an attempt to magnify the likely impact and also to browbeat the SC. This is also yet another stratagem to draw a veil over their misdeeds and stop the real truth about the Rafael deal to come out. One is sure that the SC will see through this design of the government. We have another turnaround by the AG, the very next day of claiming that the MoD papers were stolen, he has come up with the blasé explanation that his choice of words was more strong than intended and he meant that the papers were only photocopied. With the AG, the problems related to mismatch between intent and English composition, text and grammar, is getting to be once too often and considering his age and the necessity of upholding the high standards of this august office, one thinks Mr Venugopal should call it a day and resign from his position.
NGO Report Based Upon RTI On Women's Security Calls The Bluff
On BJP Government Claim
The Times Of India, Mumbai in its 6th March 2019 edition on its first page carried the headline - Rape and molestation cases almost double in Mumbai city in 5 yrs: Report, while on P21 you had a full page ad with the PM's picture on it claiming - Safety of Women: One Resolve Many Initiatives. The report prepared by a NGO and based upon RTI's filed with the appropriate authorities gives the lie to the PM's claim of providing improved safety and security for women. So can one say that this government's efforts on women's security have not worked?
Outrageous Adspends & Distorted Priorities
There should be a limit set on advertising by the government to blow its own trumpet or promote any of its functionaries like in the present instance of plugging for Narendra Modi in the ad campaign whose theme is - Namumkin Ab Mumkin Hai. The outlay for these campaigns along with other adspends of this government are close to some Rs. 2500-3000 crores. This kind of money is outrageously high and a complete waste. If the intention is to inform then the campaigns can be scaled down or other methods used to carry the message to the people. Like the BJP has been touting a door to door campaign thus it can have its functionaries across the country visit people's houses and inform them about these matters. Also in a country where malnutrition is rampant among children, where we have destitute and orphaned children spending amounts of the order as above is clearly callous. Again we have lately this excessive love professed towards the bovines and the cow in particular with a National Committee formed to suggest measures with an outlay of some Rs. 750 crores allocated to it. As outlined above when children need care should we not concentrate on taking care of humankind first before we descend to the cow and the animal kingdom. Clearly a case of distorted priorities! Postscript: As we come closer to the Ides of March, 15th that is, we are seeing a splurge of full page ads that spell out the achievements of the present government with a pic of Narendra Modi. The national newspapers are carrying 6-8 such ads every day and we will probably see more of them as we come closer to the announcement of election dates after which the election code will apply and no more ads can be released. For those familiar with ad campaigns such ads across all national newspapers cost a massive amount of money running into thousands of crores. At the same time in the Times of India, Mumbai edition of today, 8.3.2019, you will find a news item that says - TIFR, one of the premium research labs in the country has paid only 50% of the salary for Feb 2019 to its staffers and post-doctoral research scholars numbering a total of some 3000 persons. The reason is paucity of funds. This is the position with Narendra Modi and his government. All bluff and bluster, half baked truths, incompetent management, petty tendencies to settle scores and creation of a raid raj to silence critics. Update: On the TIFR Issue when news of the short payment of salaries went viral, the government got into firefighting mode sending in the funds blaming the problem on a technical glitch in the accounting system. Other not so well known institutions may not be so lucky.
Strikes Against Terror Should Be SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
Sanity in the national discourse seems to be presently at a premium. The levels to which this is descending is alarming to say the least. Post-Pulwama the fact that we launched a strike in Pakistan at Balakot is more important than counting the number of dead. A death count of 40 against 250 or 300 or 350 is no equity since lives lost are far more important to each side. That we served on Pakistan a clear declaration of intent was the motive message. That our IAF conducted an operation flying the Mirage 2000 called the 'widow makers' and the MIG21 also known as the 'flying coffins' successfully carried out a sortie deep inside Pakistan territory is great credit to our flying men. That Abhinandan in his aged MIG21 brought down a F16 reminiscent of our Gnats taking down the then famed F84 Sabre jets during the 1965 conflict shows the skill of our pilots and that it has not waned over time. The important lesson in all this is the message to Pakistan that they cannot get away with murder any longer on the pretext of state, non-state actors and a faux liberation movement and that India will act. It was an exercise in setting expectations. With the earlier ground surgical strike and now the air strike the cementing of the message is complete. It was long known that India would never retaliate but the two strikes has now changed all that. In fact we need to sustain this line of action and make it our SOP - Standard Operating Procedure, now. Terrorism is like a hedge or weeds in your garden it needs trimming and extraction once too often. Thus military action across the border and inside Pakistani territory should be done regularly and carried out with great precision. In fact in this we need to take out a page from Israel's book which with deliberation and confirmed intent takes out any threat in its vicinity hemmed in as it is by all enemy nations whenever it sees a threat to its people and/or assets. It is rare that any great diplomatic uproar is caused against Israel when it acts against terror targets in its vicinity. So when you see a good thing going, we should with all grace compliment the present government. It is also natural that the BJP and its allies will crow about it.
****************************
No comments:
Post a Comment