Vox Populi Issue N012

VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 012

Issue Date: 26 Dec 2022

Contents:

1. India's Economy In The Wrong Hands

2. The Recent Chinese Incursions At The LAC 

3. The Football World Cup 2022 at Qatar Was Messi's

India's Economy In The Wrong Hands : 23 Dec 2022

There is a pattern in being superficial with the BJP doing this all the time. The other day in Parliament the TMC MP Mahua Moitra raised the question as to who is the real 'Pappu' by citing real economic issues and demanding answers from the Finance Minister. But Nirmala Sitharaman replied a few days later turning on the heat and blaming Bengal for being the 'Pappu' for not accepting some of the Centre's supposedly people beneficial schemes. She did not utter a single word in reply to any of Mahua Moitra's arguments. This is typical strategy of a person when they cannot reply directly to accusations, to deflect and attack the other party on matters unrelated to the issues that are being raised. One also feels that the present Finance Minister is not up to the mark on her job and fails to comprehend matters that comprise her portfolio. She is also bound to be tongue-tied if and when she replies to P Chidambaram's revelations in the Rajya Sabha lately wherein he stated that the share of corporate taxes paid is dropping over the years from the total direct taxes collected. This is particularly so since 2014. With the economy growing at whatever rate, where it is expected that corporate taxes should also be growing, the reverse trend is rather disturbing. This would mean that the resource burden for spending on the economy is shifting more to the individual taxpayer than the corporate sector. Thus the corporate sector has been seeing its profits growing over the years and have also been retaining it. This means that the charge that BJP has been lenient to the corporate sector and has been in their pockets is more than true. This would also mean that the corporate sector has sufficient resources to invest in the economy but even then despite exhortations from the Finance Minister they are refusing to do so. There was another report in the papers that with the lakhs of crores of bad debts that the banking sector has written off to decorate their books the beneficiary of these loans are laughing all the way home for being let off the hook so lightly. Thus it is clear that with the economy in the wrong hands it will be difficult for the country to turn around in the post-Covid scenario and now with the virus rearing up its head once again. 

The Recent Chinese Incursions At The LAC : 21 Dec 2022

Our External Affairs Minister (EAM)Jaishankar has joined issue with Rahul Gandhi and raised in Parliament that the latter should not have used the word 'pithai' in the context of the clash between the Chinese soldiers and Indian jawans in the Tawang region recently. According to Jaishankar it disrespects our jawans. When will the BJP stop making plays with semantics rather than deal with reality. If there was a clash as reported with canes and sticks there would be 'pithai' on both sides. There is no question of disrespect since our jawans are at the borders to fight and give as much and more than they get. Thus giving 'pithai' and taking  'pithai' is part of their job. Therefore the BJP should say what is the actual reality and deal with it. This reality is also actually seen by our soldiers standing guard on the icy heights and it is only our BJP Ministers and leaders who with their words try and decorate it as if it is something else. Our Defence Minister talking of giving the enemy a bloody nose and the Chief of Army Staff saying that they are ready to meet any threat, should stop rattling their swords in the scabbards and take them out and show what they are capable of. The EAM also said in Parliament that the Army has scaled up its strength at the LAC in recent times but even then we get regular border incursions by China. Does this mean China does not even bother about our Army build-up? The consistent attempts to hide facts about the Chinese aggression on our borders is leading to the perception of a different reality than what is on the ground. Even in the Galwan incident with China sometime back initially it was said that there were no casualties on our side and that our soldiers had inflicted severe damage on the aggressors. But finally it came out that we lost 21 soldiers while the Chinese lost only 4. Our jawans are being used as cannon fodder from incidents ranging from Pulwama to the Galwan valley and now Tawang. This has to stop and India has to place action before words so that the enemy is more wary about us. Concluding we need a White Paper on the China aggression on our borders all along the LAC so that the country knows the true reality and not the manufactured one by the BJP that is diluted and wish-washy. The earlier the White Paper is presented in Parliament it is better. 

The Football World Cup 2022 at Qatar Was Messi's: 20 Dec 2022

From the scorn, derision and ignominy after their losing to Saudi Arabia in their opening match at the Football World Cup 2022 at Qatar, Argentina led by the indomitable Lionel Messi has risen from those ashes like a Phoenix to lift the Jules Rimet trophy by beating France in the final on the night of 18 Dec 2022. This achievement has been stupendous with Messi leading from the front to motivate and push his team to greater endeavour and leaving his mark on every single game that Argentina played at this tournament. One needs also to mention Lionel Scaloni, the Argentina coach, who kept the team fighting through the matches ringing in the changes to ensure victory for Argentina after the initial debacle. Even in the final match yesterday, that was played by both teams with rare spirit and indomitable courage and determination to combat the fluctuating fortunes Messi and Argentina showed fortitude in coming through the penalty shoot out at the end. France were brave losers with Kylan Mbappe not saying die until the very end when those missed penalties cost France the Cup. Penalty shootouts are not the best way to decide the winner but for lack of a better alternative, it has to be there. That the game dubbed as the best final ever at a World Cup should be decided on penalties was also rather unfortunate. But it was a fitting victory for Messi and Argentina after 36 years and which lifts Messi into the heady pantheon that is occupied by Pele and Maradona. 

The Football World Cup 2022 at Qatar that started on all the wrong notes like the inhuman treatment of workers who built the stadia and other infrastructure and the criminality in Qatar of the LGBT people threw up a lot of insights as it went along. That alcohol in the stadia is not important for great football. That Asia and Africa, with Morocco particularly showing rare skill, grit and determination to reach the semi-final stage, are rising stars of a game long dominated by Europe and South America, for which reason Germany was unable to move to the knockout stage in the tournament. Showing the door to the ageing stars like Ronaldo and an injured Neymar having to walk away in tears. This was also the World Cup that anointed Messi as King of Football but recognised in Mbappe a rising star chafing at the reins to take over. Everyone’s turn will come but ultimately this World Cup proved that it is football above all that won and the quality of the games at the tournament was nothing short of exceptional.

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If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to: 

S Kamat

Mob: 0 7218698906  

Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com

Vox Populi Issue N011

VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 011

Issue Date: 19 Dec 2022

Contents:

1. China Starting With Covid All Over Again?  

2. Launch 'Surgical Strikes' Against China To Clear Them Off Our Land

3. Of Corruption & Criminality in Politics

4. The State of India's Democracy

China Starting With Covid All Over Again? : 18 Dec 2022

Sometime back there was a forward doing the rounds on WhatsApp that finally Covid has decided to - WFH : Work From Home, referring to the surge in Covid cases in China and  to the fact that as commonly believed the virus commenced its journey around the world from that country and it had gone back finally. However, it is surprising that with rigid government control and their 'Zero Covid' policy towards the virus, China who was so successful in controlling the spread of the pandemic in the initial stages and during successive waves should now fail to bring the current surge under control. Newspaper reports and pictures show deserted streets in Beijing which highlights the risk to the world of the pandemic getting ready for yet another circumnavigation of the world from where it all started in the first place. This will be a disaster and it is high time that China got its act together to bring the virus under control. 

Launch 'Surgical Strikes' Against China To Clear Them Off Our Land : 16 Dec 2022

In the context of the recent incursion of China’s soldiers in the Tawang sector and their skirmish with Indian troops, now is the time for Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, to 'walk the talk' and give the enemy eyeing Indian territory and intruding into it - 'a bloody nose'. He has said that he would do this many time while talking about our defence preparedness. So this is the time for him to show that he means what he says and can take action. The last time that China intruded at Galwan we lost some 21 soldiers. Thus with the repeat incursion which is provocation enough, this is the time for Rajnath Singh to retaliate. He has also said that India will not hesitate to launch 'surgical strikes' against the enemy. Let him do that now and clear the entire LAC from Chinese soldiers, encroachments and defensive installations that they have built there. The Chinese strategy has always been to intrude into Indian territory and then declare the area that they have secured control as a DMZ (De Militarised Zone) and say that Indian soldiers cannot patrol these areas and need to stay out of there. By putting this stratagem to work China has now control of hundreds of square Km. of our territory all along the LAC and India is doing nothing about this. It is in fact hiding this fact and claiming that this is is not true to quell the likely uproar within the country. So Rajnath Singh, come out with the truth and take back our lands that have fallen into the hands of China.

Of Corruption & Criminality in Politics : 15 Dec 2022

The candidates standing for elections in India file an Asset Declaration with the Election Commission in which they list their property and other assets that stand in their name. This practice has been in force for quite some years now. in the latest Assembly elections, among the MLA's declared elected, more than 80% crorepatis were found in both the Gujarat & Himachal Pradesh assemblies. At the same time 22% of these MLA's had criminal cases against them in Gujarat while in Himachal Pradesh 41% had criminal cases against them. This is the pattern across India with the figures deteriorating as you go through the Hindi belt of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Now one cannot understand if the candidates regularly file Asset Declarations, then surely these are not for record purposes and some action is expected against them. Why the Election Commission does not refer these for investigation to the Income Tax Department to find out if these assets were acquired through their declared source of income or are disproportionate and have been illegally acquired, is anybody's guess? In the same manner many a time we have been told that candidates with criminal cases should not be allowed in our Legislatures but sadly nothing is being done in this regard. There needs to be legislation brought in disallowing candidates with criminal cases from standing for elections. This will hopefully cleanse our Legislatures from disreputable characters. Unfortunately in the recent elections to the 2 States and the MCD it was found that upcoming parties like AAP had more candidates with criminal cases than other political parties. Thus one would assume that this trend is not on the wane but is here to stay. 

The State of India's Democracy: 13 Dec 2022

The state of India's democracy is reflected in the many instances where it is infringed with impunity. Apparently we have all the freedoms as given in the country's Constitution. But in reality everything is conditional. We have the Home Minister of the country say the other day that after 2002 the troublemakers will not 'dare' raise their head in Gujarat again. The Election Commission finds nothing wrong in this since no community was named by Shah and ignores the implied reference to the Gujarat riots. The lesser version or the more grievous version of this, you take your pick, is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh who presides over Bulldozer Raj meaning the houses of rioters are demolished without any recourse allowed to them on the plea that they are illegal. State terrorism is another word for this where intimidation of citizens is executive policy. Interestingly the majority of those whose houses are demolished are that of Muslims. The bulldozer policy has reached Kashmir where the other day a terrorist's house was razed to the ground. One does not know whether it was illegal or not. One does not know whether his family is having alternate shelter. One does not know whether in the height of winter where temperatures in the Valley have been plummeting below zero degree, it is humane and proper to do this if his family was staying there. 

Inspite of the horrendous Nirbhaya rape case in Delhi in 2012 which raised the question of women safety, where a woman could be raped by a group of men in the heart of Delhi, the nation's capital, we have similar cases occurring with clockwork regularity across the northern States of the country. A decade has passed by but women safety remains as much as a concern as it was earlier. Recently Bilkis Bano, the pregnant woman who was raped during the 2002 Gujarat riots, has decided to go to the Supreme Court against the State government's decision to release her rapists from jail on grounds of 'good behaviour'. She fears for her life if the rapists are allowed to roam free in Gujarat. It is not only Bilkis but also a woman in Karnataka who had accused a seer in Chitradurga of raping her 2 minor daughters. The seer is also believed to have sexually assaulted other girls and on these charges has been arrested. But now the woman who had accused the seer of rape is being charged with being involved in a conspiracy to defame the seer. The woman who was without her husband had taken shelter in the seer's ashram when the rape incident of her daughters had occurred, was forced to leave the ashram. Those who tried to provide help to her were threatened to stay away. The police also seem to be involved in supporting the conspiracy charge and have been harassing the woman. Now this woman is a Hindu. Thus women of any religious persuasion are fair game today in 'democratic' India.

Law and order is another area where the situation is becoming progressively alarming. After the ghastly murder of Shradha by her live-in partner Poonawala in Delhi, there have been a spate of 'me-too' kind of murders across northern India including Bengal where close family or with those with relationships have been killed, dismembered and disposed off in suitcases, gunny bags and the like. Safety of people which is one of the cardinal principles of democracy is given the go-by in 'democratic' India today.

Not only that the minorities and lower caste people are being systematically attacked more so those of the Muslim community. Starting from students to journalists Muslims find themselves in jail for the flimsiest of reasons and once there the net of their offences is deliberately widened to ensnare them in the judicial process as long as possible. We even had a student being called 'Kasab' by a professor at the reputed Manipal University in Karnataka since ostensibly he had a name sounding similar to that of the terrorist and when objected to by the student said it was a joke! The head scarf worn by Muslim women, the hijab, was not only in the news in Iran but had hit headlines in India too as also the matter had reached the Supreme Court. The issue here was very simple where the hijab is particularly worn in the Malabar and Dakshina Kannada region for generations and is an external covering and has nothing to do with education which is a matter of the mind. People who are agenda-driven raise these issues and matters come to a head with the hands of the courts being forced like in this matter the Supreme Court finally ruled that the school or college uniforms need be strictly followed. This issue disrupted classes and the lives of some of the protesters who were rusticated from educational institutions and others who were dismissed from jobs. In such matters nothing happens to the instigators who go about their normal lives. It is the simple students and others who suffer. 

It is not just the minority community but also the lower castes and tribals are being treated shabbily and shame and insult is being heaped on them if they deviate an inch from the track laid out from them. One feels ashamed that this continues even today in the 75th year or Amrut Mahotsav of India's independence from the British, our principal colonial rulers. We according to Modi speaking to the media before the opening of the winter session of Parliament said that India in its Amrut Kaal will show the way to the world. But one thinks that he has to look back at his own home and country and put it in order before he attempts to give lessons to the world. 

The problem with our leaders and our governments is that they remain in denial and refuse to accept even if world leaders and other countries highlight the issues in India that relate to the minority communities and the underprivileged as also women. UN Secretary General Gutteres on his last visit to India had mentioned these issues but was met with a rebuttal from our Foreign Minister that it is all an attempt to show India in a bad light to the world. The USA had also raised the issue of human rights atrocities sometime back on the minority communities and women at the level of the Secretary of State but India responded by saying that the USA need concentrate on its own human rights record relating to the black, Hispanic and the underprivileged which is pretty bad. Similarly the other day when India took over the helming of the UN Security Council for this month - Dec 2022 - and in the media briefing for that the India UN Permanent Representative responding to a question about the state of democracy in India in the context of reported atrocities on the minority community and weaker sections of society, said that India does not need lessons in democracy from anybody since Indian democracy has sustained through the ages and will remain strong and vibrant. These are semantics played around with by diplomats and politicians that is intended to deflect and hide the deeper malaise that is eating away at the roots of Indian democracy and converting it into an autocracy of a small minority of doggedly communal minded people. 

                                                           ****************

If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to: 

S Kamat

Mob: 0 7218698906  

Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com

Vox Populi N010

VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 010

Issue Date: 12 Dec 2022

Contents:

1. Vice-President Dhankar In Feisty and Combative Mode 

2. Modi's Insolent Democracy

3. Bilkis Chali SC - Supreme Court

Vice-President Dhankar In Feisty and Combative Mode : 11 Dec 2022

Vice-President Dhankar in his first address to the Rajya Sabha stoked controversies by raising issues like the doctrines of separation of powers of the 3 arms of government that must be respected and that the judiciary should not have struck down the National Judicial Appointment Commission (NJAC) bill overwhelming passed by Parliament as it went against the will of the people and Parliamentary democracy. One thinks that all this was unnecessary for his opening address and he should have treaded the path of caution and followed decorum. Dhankar has thus opened his innings in the Rajya Sabha continuing in the same vein as in Bengal where he was constantly creating nuisance to a democratically elected government of the TMC. 

Thereafter on the Rule 267 issue where declared business of the House can be stopped or postponed to take up any issue raised by one or more members of the House is a time honoured procedure allowing members to take up matters of perceived urgency. Now Dhankar has said that this will be allowed only if more full clarifications are given by the member/s on the matter that they want to take up. This negates the urgency aspect by instituting another process to be complied with before the matter can be heard in the House. 

Further Dhankar is echoing the stand of the BJP and the present government on matters like India's low standing on the the World Hunger Index claiming that this is done by a private body and its credibility is suspect. Little does he realise that almost all rating agencies around the world are private who build their credibility over years by their methodology and acceptance from other institutions including governments. That they have rated our neighbours in South Asia higher than us using the same methodology is something that Dhankar is missing and that there is no reason for them to pick on India and deliberately show it in a bad light. If we have any issues with the processes followed by the rating agency then we should engage with them and bring to their notice what India has done during Covid particularly to alleviate hunger like giving 5 Kg. of rice free to each BPL household etc. That majority of this rice finds its way back to the black market channels since the beneficiaries sell this to generate cash for their daily needs other than rice, which is something which Dhankar may not be aware or if aware is deliberately keeping his eyes away from it. Concluding, Dhankar has probably not heard of the tradition in Indian Parliament that Vice-Presidents are to be seen but not heard. Maybe with a quiet President Murmu, Dhankar wants to come out on his own and into the limelight and therefore showing his feisty and combative mode from the beginning. 

Modi's Insolent Democracy : 10 Dec 2022

Modi's road show in Gujarat on Election Day is again that in-your-face pugnacious attitude of his, saying I will do this. Let me see what you can do about it. Insolence is Modi's hallmark. This message is to the Opposition considering that the Election Commission is in his pocket and they would not dare take any action. Where it is expected that the Prime Minister of the nation would set an example by following the election norms. Modi does the complete opposite. He goes out and publicly and brazenly flouts the Election Commission guidelines. Where the lead as the custodian of democracy is with the Prime Minister, Modi makes light of it. That is the problem. 

Bilkis Chali SC - Supreme Court : 6 Dec 2022

We talk of justice for women in India. This is the story of Bilkis who while pregnant in 2002 was raped by a group of men during the then riots in Gujarat. She had to go through many pains to register the case and get it to come to the courts. Fearing that she would not get justice in Gujarat courts, the case was transferred to Maharashtra. After due process of hearings, the rapists were given life sentences. Bilkis though not happy since she had wanted the death penalty for the attackers had to be content with the life sentences. She would have preferred incarceration for life as punishment for her attackers, but that was not to be. Bilkis went back to her normal life thinking the black memories of that fateful day in 2002 were over. Flash forward on the case to 2022. Bilkis receives a jolt in her humdrum life with the news that all the rapists involved in her case have been released from jail. Unknown fears haunt her now. Will the rapists seek revenge against her for having put them in jail? Bilkis has heard that the State government has released them under some amnesty. She has also been told that upon the rapists release from jail, they were felicitated with garlands at a public function. This makes Bilkis worry more. Since 2002 it has been a BJP government in Gujarat and if the rapists have its support, then Bilkis has nowhere to hide. Earlier she had never thought of hiding. But then now her adversary is powerful and is all around her. In every passing shadow that she notices around her, she sees a lurking attacker and fears for her life. Her peace of mind has been shattered for herself and for that of her family. Bilkis has heard that the Central government had given a general amnesty in this year, the Amrut Mahotsav of our Azadi, to release prisoners from jail but this did not cover rapists to be specific. Then how was it that her rapists were released. She has again heard that they walked out of jail on the same day the Central government circular as mentioned above was received in Gujarat. Some people have been telling her that the Gujarat government had made some committee earlier and that it recommended that the rapists be released for good behaviour.  The Gujarat government had referred to the Central government this committee's report but then no one seems to know what the Central government had said on the matter, whether to release them or not. But in any case all this does not matter now since the rapists are roaming free in Gujarat. All this uncertainty and fear about what would happen to her, has aggravated Bilkis' apprehensions. To resolve this Bilkis has decided to go to the Supreme Court to seek succour, re-assurance and relief that justice is still alive and kicking in India. Will Bilkis be successful in her mission? Will India give her justice? 

                                                           ****************

If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to: 

S Kamat

Mob: 0 7218698906  

Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com

Vox Populi N009

VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 009

Issue Date: 5 Dec 2022

Contents:

1. Modi as Ravana

2. BJP Should Think Before They Speak

3. Modi Should Lead By Example In Following The Constitution

Modi as Ravana : 4 Dec 2022

Kharge's Ravana comment about Modi has brought him & also Rajnath Singh seek apology. Rajnath's sycophancy in recent times is also stunning. What a change from a one-time contender for the PM's post against Modi to a meek follower now. While Modi & the BJP speak what they like about our past and present leaders who hold contrary positions to them but then there is no question of an apology from them about what they say. Even Amit Shah the other day had said that during election times, people say many things but we should not stretch them too far. This was in the context of some BJP leader saying Rahul Gandhi now looks like Saddam Hussein. Should Modi not heed Amit Shah's advice. Oh! Sorry! One got the perspective wrong. It is not that the Great Leader follows his close advisers but it is the followers who dumbly heed the sayings of the Great Leader.  In fact Modi should have been happy to be called Ravana since he is elevated into a mythological epic while on the other hand his penchant is that he like a crab keeps pulling down his political opponents. When Modi speaks leading up to any elections, the language  that comes out of his mouth is that of an uneducated, uncouth and illiterate person. Is he not aware that in this he is being hurtful? While when others speak about him which is not to his liking, he is quick to assume the robe of the PM and claim umbrage by saying that this is what they talk about the PM! Is that double standards or a psychiatric disorder like that of a schizophrenic personality? Modi should better consult a  psychiatrist and get his mind reordered.

BJP Should Think Before They Speak: 2 Dec 2022

Amit Shah has in a friendly avatar been saying that Rahul Gandhi should not take seriously the comments made by the BJP people about his present appearance which they claim looks like Saddam Hussein. Smriti Irani has also pitched into the matter saying something very obtuse which no one has understood. Amit Shah has clarified that during elections many people say many things, people enjoy them. But it does not affect the voting pattern and such comments need not be stretched. Firstly, who is stretching the matter it is the BJP and that too a Central Minister. So should BJP not put their own house in order and put a stop to these things? Secondly, we all recall Modi saying that Rs.15 Lakhs will be credited into every Indian's bank account after bringing back the black money from abroad. At that time also Amit Shah when reminded that this did not happen had said that during elections many people say many things. That is the credibility of Modi & the BJP. Thirdly, with Rahul Gandhi the equivalence with Saddam Hussein is only the supposed appearance but with Modi & Amit Shah the similarities with the Iraqi dictator run deeper. Saddam Hussein had launched many pogroms at many times against his enemies amongst the Shias and the Kurds in Iraq. The same thing was done by the infamous BJP duo of Modi and Amit Shah in the 2002 Gujarat communal riots. The recent statement by Amit Shah that the 2002 riots have taught a lesson and that there would be no more riots in Gujarat is the pugnacious face of the BJP built on the foundations of erroneous pride and completely wrong action. On such attitudes is the worry for the country as to what would happen to India. Thus there is a more direct relationship between Saddam Hussein and the top BJP leadership in thought, word and deed than Rahul Gandhi which is what the BJP cadre should remember. There is a saying - Look Before You Leap, apart from which for the BJP another saying applies - Think Before You Speak.

Modi Should Lead By Example In Following The Constitution: 30 Nov 2022

We have our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Constitution Day, 26th Nov, exhorting citizens to be conscious and perform their fundamental duties. Now who will remind Modi to do the same since day in, day out we have him and his government infringing and deliberately eroding the values enshrined in the Constitution. The glaring example being the Demonetisation exercise he did in Nov 2016 which was essentially in the RBI's domain according to the Constitution. And the latest being the appointment of the Election Commissioner Arun Goel at breakneck speed of 24 hours where there were other capable candidates who could have served for longer tenures. Not only that where the Election Commissioners are expected to have a term of 6 years according to the Constitution, none of them appointed by Modi's government until now have had tenures more than 2-3 years. The tearing hurry to appoint Goel as Election Commissioner is possibly with an eye on the Gujarat elections. If any matter is referred to the Election Commission then with just two members there could be a deadlock and hence the hurry to send another Commissioner quickly, a man committed and obliged to the BJP, who can resolve matters in favour of the ruling party. And these are the people like Modi who lecture us on performing our fundamental duties. 

                                                           ****************

If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to: 

S Kamat

Mob: 0 7218698906  

Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com

Vox Populi Issue N008

 VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 008

Issue Date: 28 Nov 2022

Contents:

1. Protect Our Women From Male Homicidal Perverts

2. Of 'Pariah' Nations & 'Pariah' Parties

3. Saudi Arabia Stun Argentina at World Cup

Protect Our Women From Male Homicidal Perverts : 27 Nov 2022

The Maharashtra Police pursuing the complaint filed by Shradha Walkar with the Vashi police in Nov 2020 against Poonawala which claimed that he was physical assaulting her and had threatened to kill and cut her into pieces, could have saved a young life curtailed so cruelly in its prime. Though Shradha had withdrawn the complaint later, the police could have still organised a joint meeting of the two and given both some sane advice from the experience of the police in such cases. This hopefully would have drilled some caution into Poonawala. The problem with the police in our country is that they are overworked and they rarely look beyond what is obviously apparent. Going the extra mile is never done unless there is a pecuniary self interest involved. However, in such cases further enquiries should have been undertaken. Or there should be a procedure set up that complaints or cases related to violence against women should be referred to the nearest All Woman Police Station. Hopefully, the woman police would go into the matter more exhaustively. This is of utmost necessity since on the heels of the Shradha Walkar killing we have had a series of horrifying murders of women and unless quick exemplary punishment is not given, we will continue to see our women getting killed in most brutal circumstances. The Nirbhaya rape case and in its aftermath has not seen the rape cases against women particularly north of the Narmada reduce in any case, thus we need an attitudinal and cultural shift of mindset in our society of protecting our women from unbalanced and perverted men with homicidal tendencies.

Of 'Pariah' Nations & 'Pariah' Parties : 25 Nov 2022

The North Korean President's sister made the following comments about South Korea the other day, that they are 'idiots' and 'a running wild dog gnawing on a bone given by the US' & their previous presidents a 'rat' and a 'prostitute'. The BJP leaders in the run-up to the Gujarat Assembly elections have said that they will strip Kejriwal naked and send him back to Delhi and also saying that Rahul Gandhi's appearance now during the Bharat Jodo Yatra is like Saddam Hussein and that he should have tried to look like Vallabhai Patel or Nehru or even Gandhiji. The latter comment about Rahul Gandhi is the typical make-believe games that the BJP plays of faking things and covering up reality. Rahul Gandhi if he has grown a beard during his padayatra will look like himself, if anyone thinks he looks different then it is in that person's imagination. These BJP leaders try to outdo each other in saying outrageous things to catch the headlines without applying their minds to logic and reason. Thus our BJP leaders are making statements equivalent to those made by North Korea a 'pariah' nation thus putting them on par to being called a 'pariah' party.

P.S. The BJP has taken umbrage of Narendra Modi being bracketed with MBS of Saudi Arabia who was accused of murdering a journalist Khasshogi but allowed to visit the USA since being the Head of State he gets diplomatic immunity. Narendra Modi had not been allowed into the USA because of being an accused in the Gujarat riots cases that happened in 2002 but was exempted after 2014 once he was elected Prime Minister. The honours list of those accorded this facility includes the Heads of State of Haiti and 2 countries from Middle Africa. Eminent company our Prime Minister keeps in a special and exclusive club!

Saudi Arabia Stun Argentina at World Cup : 23 Nov 2022

With the stunning defeat of Argentina by Saudi Arabia at the football World Cup, the game is turning to be a great leveller. Reputation and form have this year in football been tossed aside and the best side on the day have won showing the door to the big names across Europe. In the EPL teams like Brentford, Leeds United and Brighton have shown the door to the giants like Liverpool and Manchester City. Manchester United has been a pushover currently for any team so they do not count. In Italy, Juventus has been struggling as also teams like AC Milan and Inter against the lesser teams. In Spain, Real Madrid has had unexpected defeats while Barcelona is a pale shadow of its past greatness and are anybody's to overcome. In France, PSG is the only team that has maintained its top reputation. Lets see what more the World Cup brings!

P.S. The very next day Japan upset mighty Germany. Both Argentina and Germany were humbled against the run of form. Keep watching the World Cup for more unexpected results.

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If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to: 

S Kamat

Mob: 0 7218698906  

Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com

Vox Populi Issue N007

 VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 007

Issue Date: 21 Nov 2022

Contents:

1. The Ronaldo Story

2. Criticising Nehru & Others by Modi & Other BJP Leaders

3. Putin's Misadventure in Ukraine

4. Bringing the T20I World Cup Cricket Trophy Home To London

5. The BJP's Double Engine Government

The Ronaldo Story: 20 Nov 2022

Ronaldo after a long silence and many slights by manager Ten Hag has finally spoken and decided to come clean about his problems with Manchester United. Like they say it is never too late. With Ten Hag not putting Ronaldo in the starting line-up on many occasions during the current EPL season, there was not much choice left for Ronaldo. Overall if you see without Ten Hag football will not be the loser but if you do not have Ronaldo on the field football is the biggest loser and more so to the fans. Ten Hag has recently made a statement that Manchester United can do without Ronaldo. That we have been seeing with the team's up and down performance, more down than up, lately. Also Ten Hag has nothing much to commend himself as a coach but for a truncated stint at Bayern Munich and then a longish term at Ajax. Ajax is not so much a top tier side in European football these days. Thus Ten Hag's credentials are suspect as also his ability to deal with top tier players and teams. He could have handled the whole matter with Ronaldo differently and with more finesse. There was no need to stir up things to a flashpoint. There is a possibility also that Ten Hag may have deliberately ignited this issue to save his skin from getting fired because of the clubs ragged performance after he took over. There were a number of celebrated sackings of coaches in the EPL like Tuchel at Chelsea and also across Europe. So what better than to make out an issue out of Ronaldo who is bound to attract headlines and divert the media and club management attention away from Ten Hag himself. In that he has been very successful one must admit as we see how the issue has shaped up. One must however admit that Ronaldo has also been at fault, first as a senior player he should have respected the team management decisions about his playing times in the matches in the interest of discipline. And secondly, in giving the TV interview, possibly in contravention of his contract which will get him into trouble. It is being reported now that the club has been consulting their lawyers in trying to find a way on how to deal with the problem. When lawyers get into the act it is hard for players to get the upper hand and it will be very unfortunate if Ronaldo has to leave Manchester United. But one must say that Ronaldo has got his timing right, in fact perfect, in precipitating the matter. With the football World Cup commencing on 20th Nov and Ronaldo leading Portugal in the Cup, he will be doing what he likes best, playing football. While Ten Hag and the club management at Manchester United is kept occupied with what to do with Ronaldo when the EPL resumes on Boxing Day. If Ronaldo does well at the World Cup with Portugal, he ups his value. If he realises that then it will be good for the World Cup and we should be able to see great football. If he does not do well at Qatar then with the likelihood of Manchester United closing their doors on him, he may have to consider going out to pasture in the US or elsewhere. Australian football has already said that they would welcome him but the compensation package may not be as good as his present one. Ronaldo one way or the other will have to take a hit at the fag end of his career. This is rather unfortunate and football will be the greatest loser. The best way out of this mess is to have Sir Alex Ferguson step in. He was instrumental in getting Ronaldo to join Manchester United this time. He can prevail on the club management to have Ten Hag leave the club and get some other manager and have Ronaldo continue with Manchester United. That will be the best thing for football and Manchester United, one feels since Ten Hag is disposable while Ronaldo is less so. Whether the Glazers will accept it or not is another story.

Criticising Nehru & Others by Modi & Other BJP Leaders: 18 Nov 2022

The tendency of the BJP leaders with Narendra Modi in the lead of slandering our past leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and others is shameful. The latest to make a statement against Nehru is Central Minister Rijiju who one wonders whether he was even born when Nehru was alive. These people are aping Modi in criticising our past leaders with the intention probably of pleasing him, in the manner of - Follow The Leader. The present crop of leaders that the BJP has are no comparison to our past leaders and do not have even a fraction of the personality that the earlier leaders possessed, let alone try to compare themselves and their present achievements and contributions to the nation, with those of the past leaders. The present lot also fail to realise it is easy to now sit and criticise these past leaders since we are not fully aware of the situation and circumstances that prevailed when they took whatever decisions. Instead of delving into the past our current leaders of the BJP and other parties should concentrate on the present and tackle the prevailing problems that are on their plate. A self-review of their actions and activities will show on their part complete ennui and mishandling in dealing with matters presently in front of society and the State. This is precisely the reason why the country is hurtling down the slippery slope of performance in all spheres of activity be it economic or otherwise. The present critique brigade of our  past leaders should think of how history would judge them and their performance maybe 50 years hence. Or maybe they will be completely ignored for not having done anything meaningful in public life. 

Putin's Misadventure in Ukraine: 17 Nov 2022

Putin in the Ukraine war has unintentionally one would assume exposed the vulnerabilities of the Russian military apparatus. The latest withdrawal from the Kherson area emphasises this. It is not only just that but there have been reports that the Russian army has been running out of ammunition and supplies have been coming in from even North Korea via the Gulf. The continuing war will thus end up not serving Russia's interests and in the event of a military confrontation with the West in the future it will have to deal with a more aggressive NATO and the US. The West have in the battlegrounds around the world in modern times like in Afghanistan and Iraq have used these conflicts to test their latest armaments and weapons and thus improve their military capabilities. In contrast Putin in Ukraine has exposed to his enemies the flaws that are existing in the supposed might of an armed Russia. Thus it would leave Russia as a doddering old man wagging its atomic weapons as a last resort. In Putin's misadventure in Ukraine has been laid the ground of Russia's demise as an influential member of the world polity.

Bringing the T20I World Cup Cricket Trophy Home To London: 15 Nov 2022

In the T20I World Cup cricket final England at Melbourne y/day, 13th, again showed consistency in disposing off their opponents, Pakistan who were a pale shadow of the team that beat the Kiwis in the semi-finals. England after some reversals in the league games peaked at the right moment. Buttler's understated captaincy, Curran and Rashid's ability to lock down the opposing batsmen and Stokes' 'Rock of Gibraltar' act brought the T20 trophy home. What a cricketer, this Stokes is, a Mr Cool like no other. One still remembers his innings against Australia in England at Headingley in 2019 where he stood like a wall against the pace trio of Cummins, Hazlewood and Pattinson with the help of the tail and took England to victory with an unbeaten 135. As Buttler commented earlier with Stokes in the team and at the crease at crunch time, he has less of worries. Stokes proved this and more during the finals on Sunday. Congratulations to England for adding the T20I World Cup trophy to the ODI trophy already with them. Way to go Buttler, Stokes and the rest of the English team.

The BJP's Double Engine Government: 14 Nov 2022

The BJP has for long been touting the Double Engine model of having the same party in power in the States as that at the Centre. There is undoubtedly some merit in that argument and where it happens in the normal course it is alright. But we have seen since 2014, what happens if this does not work out through the ballot the BJP goes all out to engineer it through Operation Lotus of toppling governments. The process involves the buying out of the other party legislators through the massive war chest of funds that the BJP now commands. When even this does not work the BJP then uses the Governor Torpedo to create nuisance for legally elected governments in its attempt to de-stabilise them. Every single non-BJP government in the States has had and is having varying degrees of interference by their Governors, notorious among which was Vice-President Dhankar who was elevated to his present position as a reward, one would assume, because of the constant pestering he was indulging in against Mamata Banerjee's TMC government in Bengal. This will undoubtedly encourage other incumbent Governors to intensify their nuisance in hopes of better loaves of office. Thus the BJP's motto seems to be Double Engine government at any cost. Come Hell or High Water!

                                                   **********************

If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to: 

S Kamat

Mob: 0 7218698906  

Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com

Vox Populi Issue N006

VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 006

Issue Date: 14 Nov 2022

Contents:

1. Is the Supreme Court always right? 

2. Another World Cup Gone! No trophies. How long do we have to wait?

3. The Demonetisation Spin 

4. Cyrus Mistry Accident To Be Proceeded Against by Maharashtra Police 

Is the Supreme Court always right? : 13th Nov 2022

The rape and murder of a 19 year old girl in the Chawla area of Delhi during 2012 and the recent acquittal of the assailants on procedural issues by the Supreme Court is a sad commentary on the justice system of India. The High Court had while sentencing the rapists to death described the case as 'rarest of the rare' considering the cruelty and bestiality exhibited. The Supreme Court though admitting that the assailants had committed a heinous act decided to let them off on counts of shoddy investigation by the Delhi Police. This one thinks is an error on the part of the Supreme Court since it sends out the wrong message out to society particularly future rapists who will try to buy out the system and thus go scot free. What the Supreme Court could have done is either referred the case back to the High Court and instructed it to order a re-investigation so that proper punishment could be meted out to the assailants. One does not expect the Supreme Court to throw up its hands on procedural issues and as a consequence of that acquit offenders. The disturbing part of this judgment by the 3 Judge Bench was that it comprised the earlier Chief Justice of India, Justice Lalit. One would think the last few of his judgments before he retired. 

Another World Cup Gone! No trophies. How long do we have to wait? : 

12th Nov 2022

The semifinal clash with England in the T20I World Cup at Adelaide was a disaster for India. It showed up yet again the inability of ours to defend scores, any scores. The 169 for victory that India put up for England to get was not a bad score. It was our bowlers who let us down and Rohit Sharma failed in to ring the proper bowling changes. There is nothing to take away from Buttler and Hales who put up a classic show of aggressive batting and sent our bowlers on a leather hunt. Our cricketing team strategists including Rahul David, the coach, have not drummed into the bowler's heads that in T20 sometimes taking wickets is not important but you got to contain the batsmen and give away less runs. Rohit on his part sometimes does not see things correctly. Like going into the middle overs when our bowlers were being hit all around the park, he should have brought Shami in earlier. Granted Shami is more effective with the older ball and in the end covers he takes wickets. But when your other bowlers are leaking runs bring Shami in to see if he could stem the tide. Finally when Shami was given the ball he did give away less runs than the others and he got the first real chance of a wicket, which catch Surya Kant Yadav muffed. Anyway with the current squad and with Kohli coming into form we had a real shot at the T20I World Cup this time which was not to be. We can console ourselves that there will be another time, another trophy, another place and wish our cricket team all the best. They played well but they need to show endurance and stay the course for the full championship. They also need to remember that we criticise them so that they can do better the next time. 

The Demonetisation Spin : 11th Nov 2022

Leading up to the anniversary of Demonetisation on 8th November, there have been many stories doing the rounds of the media. These are more in the nature of a spin on the pros and cons of the Demonetisation exercise. It is precisely in these conflicting stories that India's credibility about any economic figures lies in tatters. Just about a week ago it was reported that cash in the economy is much lower than what it was in 2016. Then a few days back we are told that the cash is almost at double the level it was in 2016. The latter report is more plausible since in multiple reports over the years since Demonetisation it was stated that the cash use in the economy has not fallen. In contrast it has risen signifying that the transition towards a digital economy is slowed down. It is not that card transactions have reduced. They have also shown growth, what we call organic growth consistent with their trends but nothing dramatic to indicate that it is replacing cash on a massive scale. In India we need to understand that public acceptance of any measure is slow. This is because of our diversity both geographical and economic. Unless an individual is able to rationalise the measure in his mind, he rarely accepts it. The political leadership if they are in a hurry like in this measure of converting people to plastic money, they will always fail or come up a cropper. Media also complicates these issues by not reporting the correct news. Media today, a majority of them owned by large industrial groups are agenda driven and play up to vested interests for their own reasons. It is rare to see any independent media entity which reports the news as it is. In the above context, there was a media report the other day citing a lady Dy Governor of the RBI saying that the buoyant GST collection and increased direct tax growth was related to the better compliance that Demonetisation has engineered. One does not know whether Shaktikanta Das' tenure is scheduled for completion making this lady to laud the incumbent government to earn brownie points for her candidature to seek the Governor's chair. The increased GST collection is like a misconception since earlier the majority of the Sales Tax would have been collected by the States but now everything comes to the Centre. So the Centre's pile has grown bigger giving the relatively false impression that the indirect sales tax, now called GST, has grown. As for direct taxes the coverage is still very low compared to developed countries and trends of increased compliance are good and healthy though how Demonetisation can be linked to buoyancy in income tax is not understood. 

Cyrus Mistry Accident To Be Proceeded Against by Maharashtra Police : 

8th Nov 2022

The Maharashtra police is understood to have filed a case of rash driving against the lady gynaecologist Pandole who was at the wheel of the Mercedes Benz car which met an accident and in which Cyrus Mistry and one other person died. This is the correct way to go. There has been a lot of spin attempted about the accident ranging from problems with the car to the design of the highway at the point where the accident happened. On the latter even our Central Minister of Road Transport, Nitin Gadkari has joined issue claiming that the highway at that point indeed narrowed and he would in the future have foreign experts design our highways, in contrast of his present stand to support local highway engineering experts. All this is being clearly done because the Pandoles are well-off and one would assume well connected. The system clearly is out to protect them and transfer blame to other entities so that they get off scot-free in this incident. This should not be allowed. One has all the sympathies for those involved in the accident but the driver should take responsibility. Here we need to state that highway driving is not easy and one needs to be used to it. It is also far removed from city driving and that is where lady driver lapsed into error which led to the accident. If it were not for the death of Cyrus Mistry in this accident and the hi-profile nature of the other occupants of the car, this incident would just have been written off as yet another highway accident adding to the rising statistics of such cases. 

                                                   **********************

If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to: 

S Kamat

Mob: 0 7218698906  

Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com

Vox Populi Issue N005

VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 005

Issue Date: 7 Nov 2022

Contents:

1. Modi's Doublespeak on Corruption

2. India In Denial Re Economic Problems

3. One Nation, One Uniform, for the Police, Another Kite Flying Exercise by Modi! 

4. Scrap the Position of Governor from our Political and Institutional Charter

5. Lessons in Democracy From The UK

Modi's Doublespeak on Corruption : 6 Nov 2022

Modi while speaking to the Central Vigilance Commission at a function in Vigyan Bhawan on 3rd Nov 2022 asked them not to spare the corrupt however powerful they may be or connected with vested interests. At other times Modi has said that corruption is the bane of the country and we need to destroy it. However, his speech seems to be variance with his actions on the issue and his penchant to look the other way when his BJP functionaries are involved in corrupt actions. Recently we have had headlines in the paper from Karnataka on the news of cash in Deepavali gift hampers ranging from Rs. 1 - 1.5 Lakh given to journalists from the CM Bommai's office. The news of this came out since some of the journalists who were sent the hampers with the cash returned them to the CM's office. The BJP remained in denial of the incident and there was no comment on this from Bommai's office or from the higher ups in the party echelon. 

There have been cases in Goa of corruption in which BJP politicians from outside the State have also been involved. There is the case of the construction of a bungalow in Old Goa on heritage land adjacent to ASI protected monuments by Mumbai based Chudasama, one of the earlier spokespersons for the BJP and the excise licence for Silly Souls Bar & Restaurant case in which Smriti Irani is involved. In both cases the concerned officials were bribed to give sanctions for construction on the pretext that it was renovation of a shed on the property in the first and licences for bar operation in the second. Not only that when the cases were brought to public notice the BJP functionaries mentioned resorted to misuse of their political power by getting the concerned officials transferred. In the first the Superintending Engineer of the ASI was shunted out for having served a show-cause notice as to why the bungalow should not be demolished. In the second the Excise Commissioner was transferred when he had similarly asked why the bar licence should not be cancelled. 

Thus Modi's talk seems to be at variance with his actions to stem corruption. It is this blow hot, blow cold policy by Modi which has encouraged the nefarious people to continue with their activities. In 8 years  the country has been brought to its knees. Another term to Modi & the BJP in 2024 will make India go down and out forever.

India In Denial Re Economic Problems : 4 Nov 2022

The impact of the Covid pandemic has been less because of the economic policies pursued by the present government is what Modi claims. The hollowness of this statement can be checked if women employment is verified to show that it has fallen over the last 3 years as also the number of suicides that have increased among daily wage labour and in the unorganised sector workforce. The number of MSME's that have closed down in the same period is alarming and signifies the distress that is widespread in the country. Unemployment is another issue that indicates the state of the economy. The proof that jobs are just not there is exemplified in the fact that Modi himself has been organising Job Fairs across the country lately and distributing appointment letters to more than a million unemployed. Modi and his government needs to understand that they cannot continue to remain in denial about the dismal state of the Indian economy. Apart from the urgent need to control inflation and stimulate growth, we need to improve our efforts in promoting our economic efforts. We are part of the world economic scenario and thus have to become a serious player therein. There is thus the need to engage effectively with world economic indice formulators like Global Hunger Index etc. etc. and get them to revise their positions re India. We need to keep them informed about the efforts that we take like in the case of hunger, that we have been during the pandemic and even up to now have been giving free rice, grain and essential food items to a humungous number of people amounting to some 80 million. No country in the world would have done so much to feed so many to alleviate the pangs of hunger. Thus one would believe that we are not keeping the world informed about what measures we are taking and what we are doing. The simple philosophy in this is that what works for the rest of the world should also work for India in terms of the ratings agencies and there is a need of a healthy interaction with them. No one is sitting out there in the world trying to deliberately pull India down. In fact many countries still look up to India as a leader and follow us. Therefore we should drop this negative and peevish attitude of looking down upon oneself and engage in world matters with more forthrightness, clarity and confidence.

One Nation, One Uniform, for the Police, Another Kite Flying Exercise by Modi! : 

2 Nov 2022

Modi had earlier been putting forward the idea of - One Nation, One Vote, which he does not follow now as a step-by-step process as clearly shown in not declaring the election schedule for Gujarat along with that of Himachal Pradesh. Thus Modi's latest of - One Nation, One Uniform, for the police, just like the One Nation, One Vote, is yet another idea up in the air, in the manner of flying kites without any intention to see it actually happening. This proposal is one that impinges on the State's charter and goes against the spirit of federalism as enshrined in the Constitution. The problem with Modi  is that he wants everything to be centralised and under the Centre's control so that it is all under his thumb. This cannot be allowed to happen. Let the States have the freedom to decide what they want and what is good for them. 

The delay in announcing the schedule for the Gujarat elections is becoming more and more clear with the slew of projects that Modi is announcing for the State with the latest being the launch of the Tata-Airbus joint venture  for the manufacture of military transport aircraft. There are more sops and projects on the anvil that are being rushed through before the Election Code of Conduct comes into force once the election schedules are announced. The Morbi bridge collapse is one such project that was accelerated for opening on 26 Oct before the Gujarat elections and see what has happened. Though Modi will not allow even this disaster in which some 130 people have died to escape from his efforts to garner voter's sympathy and is extracting the maximum mileage out of it by shedding crocodile tears on the tragedy, announcing monetary relief for the dead and wielding the stick apparently by arresting the contractor and some 8 indirectly responsible people claiming their involvement in the accident. Why was it necessary to open the bridge on 26 Oct? Why could the contractor not have been allowed to complete the restoration work comfortably and then open it to the public? After all it was a more than 100 year old bridge. One is not saying that Modi is directly responsible for the incident but in the culture before elections where people surrounding him believe that anything goes and everyone wants to please the Emperor, such things are bound to happen. One can leave the dogs of war, to use an analogy with elections, loose but one needs to have the competence and ability to exercise control on them. 

Scrap the Position of Governor from our Political and Institutional Charter: 

31 Oct 2022

One thinks that the time has come to seriously review the positions of the Governor of our States. The powers with them are mostly titular. The Governor is a hangover from the British Raj and the time has come to eliminate it. The constitutional position of being the head of the State can be reviewed and seen whether it is at all necessary and/or alternate methods of governance evolved. Over the years the position of the Governor has degenerated and today it is occupied by men of lesser stature and import than in the past. Where political parties in power see this as a position wherein to shunt their superannuated and/or undesirable members in what is called boot them upstairs in management parlance, some of the persons thus being acted upon resent this action of removing them from active politics. There are others who enjoy the perks and benefits of the Governor position which provide for palatial accommodation, courtesy the  British Raj , and the pomp and benefits of protocol. They thus luxuriate in this in pampered retirement. It is not that the first category does not enjoy these benefits but they chafe at the reins of abstaining from the din and clamour of active politics. This resentment festers and they begin to interfere with the State's administration. This is more so where the political party in power in the State is other than the one at the Centre. We are seeing this happening around us across the country with the spats between the AAP and the LG in Delhi leading the pack down to varying intensity up to Soren in Jharkhand being pestered by the Governor. When there are valid issues where the Governor has to intervene there is no problem but needless interference with an elected representative of the people running an authorised government is where the principles of democracy are overthrown. This should not happen. Thus we need to scrap the position of Governor from our political and institutional charter.

Lessons in Democracy From The UK: 30 Oct 2022

Our politicians have noticed a man from the minority community, Rishi Sunak, in the UK taking over the reins as Prime Minister. But they have failed to spot the message in the event that preceded this. That is when Liz Truss's resigned saying that she is quitting because of her inability to deliver the mandate that she had promised to the people. This is how true democracy works as demonstrated by the country that gave the world Parliamentary Democracy. In contrast what do we do in India. Election Manifestos (EM) are declared religiously before each election. These become waste paper or raddi, the moment the election results are announced. Rarely are the matters that are promised in the EM's acted upon by the political parties. More often than not the elected leaders and their political parties take the people for granted in the periods between elections. These mostly corrupt leaders ride on the backs of the electorate to feather their nests  in self-seeking and money making agendas until the next election schedule is announced. Time for us to change and follow democracy in its true spirit and principles as shown by the UK.  

                                                   **********************

If you have any issues with the contents of this blog, you can respond to: 

S Kamat

Mob: 0 7218698906  

Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com

Vox Populi Issue No. N004

 

VOX POPULI  

by 

AAM ADMI 

Issue No. : N 004

Issue Date: 31 Oct 2022

Contents:

1. A Hypothetical Look of Fighting Wars by Using India's Indigenous Technology

2. Are Our Politicians Crazy? 

3. Rishi Sunak  As the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

4. Kohli Wraps Up Indo-Pak Match In Style at Melbourne

A Hypothetical Look of Fighting Wars by Using India's Indigenous Technology: 

28 Oct 2022

The DefExpo held recently in Gujarat was used as a platform by PM Modi and the Chiefs of Staff of the 3 services to extol the virtues of fighting wars by using India's very own indigenous technology. There can be no other ingenuous statement than this. However, before we start on this issue we need to recognise that in these, our modern, times there is no need for war. War in its performance and in its aftermath inflicts a huge cost both material and human on all countries involved and leaves the economies shattered for some and inflicts irreparable losses on others. 

With that in mind let us look at India's weapon capabilities. In a theatre of war there are many categories of arms that are required ranging from the pistols or revolvers which in their modern avatar are called automatics to rifles, today called SLR's, and then to larger weapons like tanks, artillery guns and going up the scale to missiles and ultimately nuclear weapons. The Air Force and the Navy have their own unique weapon range though at the lower end of the scale, they share the use of similar weapons as the Army. It is, however, unfortunate that India does not make the full range of weapons that are required in a war scenario by all the 3 arms of our Services.  Therefore using Indian arms in the next war with any enemy is a recipe for losing it. Why people like Modi encourage such thoughts is not understood since it can be seen to only seek very temporary and cheap mileage of pseudo-nationalism? Where our Service Chiefs are required to maintain an independent stance from the political establishment, we are finding these days a certain amount of sycophancy from them while dealing with political leaders particularly  Narendra Modi. They need to eschew such behaviour since an independent armed force is an important pillar and guardian of any democracy. 

Coming back to wars, they are today fought with technology and not with standard or conventional arms. You have to ask Modi why he made such a big deal of acquiring the Raphael fighter jets from France on the plea of improving our strike capability. We could have remained with our indigenously designed and manufactured Tejas. Though one must grant the present political establishment that they have decided to support the replacement of the ageing Russian MIG21 fighter fleet with the Tejas fighter jets. Similarly, we are risking the ire of the USA by getting the artillery capabilities of the Russian S400 batteries. Israel is also a major supplier of hi-tech EWS (Electronic Warfare Systems) to enhance the edge of our defence systems. The problem with Modi and his kind is that because of lack of education they tend to develop a one-track mind and speak at forums without thinking and wanting to convey what they believe is the audience expectation. This is a very limited and blinkered approach. 

Granted that Modi made the statement that we would fight wars henceforth with India made arms. But for that he needs to thank his predecessors for having laid the foundations which are today bearing the fruition of the manufacture of arms ranging from SLR's to missiles to nuclear weapons. If these foundations had not been laid then whatever is available today would not have seen the light of day today for Modi's bombastic flights of fancy. Because since 2014, the year Modi came to power, there have been no investments in factories or projects relating to defence or national security. 

Are Our Politicians Crazy? : 27 Oct 2022

Our politicians are a strange lot. When Rishi Sunak was appointed as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, across party lines our politicians saw it primarily as a person of the minority community getting the top post and with those in the Opposition parties drawing parallels that it should happen in India. It was also the aspect of a person of colour who became Prime Minister because of  Sunak's competence which also commanded respect among the Tory MP's which two issues, one thinks were more important. 

In a similar strange situation, we have Arvind Kejriwal seeking the images of Lord Ganesha and the Goddess Lakshmi on our currency. Some of the BJP leaders have commented on this saying that the AAP leader is seeking to prove his Hindu credentials.  In fact it is quite the opposite. If Kejriwal is practising the Hindu religion then he should not have proposed this. We need to keep our Gods and their images inviolate and keep them on a pedestal and not draw them down to matters of currency that keeps changing hands multiple times. If you see the condition of our currency notes in circulation, in the majority they are the dirtiest and the most ill treated and mutilated in the world. Imagine Ganesha and Lakshmi images on them creased, folded, torn and stained. Do our Gods deserve this from those who claim to be their believers? 

Thus with the above we need to see if the heads of our politicians are screwed on properly that bring these distorted and downright crazy ideas into the public domain just to seek cheap publicity. 

Rishi Sunak  As the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: 26 Oct 2022

Rishi Sunak may be considered as the 'sacrificial pig'  by many of the Tory MP's who supported him in his bid to become UK's PM. The logic for this is the same as when Liz Truss was elected PM over Sunak. Apart from that none of them would want the 'hot seat' of the PM's chair now with the financial mess that the country is in, fearing that they would possibly break the record of the shortest tenure of PM that is held by the previous incumbent now. Thus  Rishi Sunak has admittedly the best credentials for the job given his track record as Chancellor of the Exchequer lately and after having weathered the economic storms during the Covid pandemic. Once he has been able to steer the UK out of the economic quagmire and into calmer waters, then would be possibly the time to take out the knives again by the Tory naysayers. Until then Sunak's adversaries will sharpen their weapons of choice. But for Sunak these are matters of minor concern since he has been steadfast in his commitment in seeking the job of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He should take up the challenge and show the people of the UK and the world what he a man of colour and of Indian origins as also the youngest can do as Prime Minister of one of the leading countries of the world. Just like Virat Kohli played that ethereal knock at Melbourne to carry India home in the match against Pakistan on 23 Oct so also should Rishi Sunak rise to the occasion and show his prowess as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We wish him all success. He has indeed made India proud. 

Kohli Wraps Up Indo-Pak Match In Style at Melbourne: 25 Oct 2022

In the Indo-Pak cricket match played at Melbourne as part of the T20I World Cup on 23 Oct 2022, Virat Kohli silenced his critics in exceptional style. After all the hullagulla being made out about the loss of form that was plaguing Kohli's game, he has come out from that debacle and showed the truth in the statement that - Form is temporary but class is permanent. And Kohli has got class. The 82 not out was scored under tremendous pressure with India having lost 4 quick wickets and that too in an Indo-Pak cricket match. It was as if Kohli was carrying India's prestige  singlehandedly on his shoulders though Hardik Pandya at the other end gave him more than adequate support. Some of the shots that Virat played were unimaginable particularly the two 6's in the same over against the pace bowler Rauf were sublime. Even after Hardik Pandya got out things were not easy and the match went down to the last ball in the last over with 1 run required. This Ashwin got easily by chipping over the fielders who were closing in to stop the single. And then King Kohli went into raptures deservedly and gracefully accepted the kudos from his teammates. The first match of the T20I World Cup was sealed, signed and delivered by Virat Kohli to set up a blazing start to India's campaign in the tournament. We hope they will come back with the trophy this time. 

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S Kamat

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