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.
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.
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S Kamat
Mob: 0 7218698906
Email: kamatsrinivas@hotmail.com
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