tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59933289261896871182024-03-07T23:30:56.564-08:00first person accountSuvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.comBlogger1017125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-81638868425591799822019-02-22T02:36:00.002-08:002019-02-22T02:36:44.992-08:00 Congress upbeat mood in Delhi
Aam Admi Party (AAP) Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwali is trying to give the message among the Muslim voters that Congress is not very serious in ensuring the defeat of BJP in Delhi.He says that if Congress was serious, it would have responded positively to his call for alliance to fight together in Lok SAbha elections to ensure the defeat of BJP. He wants to impress up on the Muslims, SCs and other weaker sections of the society that his party APP is only able to defeat BJP.
It is APP which has dented into the entire vote banks of Congress party and wiped it out in 2015 Delhi assembly. Naturally, there would be deep grudge among Congress leaders and workers against APP. One thing also matters here behind APP’s eagerness to strike alliance with the Congress is its failure in governing Delhi as it had promised to Delhiites. There has been no development of any worth in the last four years. Except free water and electricity to a limit, no benefit for Delhiites from the APP government is discernible. That why disillusionment of Delhiites with AAP govt. has developed.
Presently, Congress has no presence in the Delhi assembly. But with the passing of time, Congress vote banks started returning to its fold which is reflective in the result of by-election and Delhi Municipal elections. It is only the Congress party whose percentage of vote has gone up while the percentage of votes for BJP and AAP both has gone down. It is also simple arithmetic that if the vote polled by APP and Congress are taken together, it is higher than what the BJP polled in 2014 Lok Sabha and 2015 assembly elections in Delhi.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is eager to strike alliance with the Congress. He blames that Congress appears to be arrogant. However, the newly appointed Delhi Congress Chief Sheila Dixit, who was Chief Minister of Delhi for 15 years in a row, says that Kejriwal has not met her. Sheila Dixit wants to fight alone and she does not appear to be in favour of alliance with APP. Sheila's predecessor Ajay Maken was also not in favour of any alliance with APP in Delhi. They are of the view that it was APP which wiped them out from Delhi. With the victory in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the Congress is in upbeat mood. The minority and other weaker sections of society have started coming back to Party. The resurgent Congress feels that if they fought unitedly, they would defeat BJP single-handedly.
Though the aim of both Congress and AAP is to defeat the BJP, the Congress and the APP cannot do it on their own. So, it would be better for both to tie in alliance for fighting Lok Sabha elections. It is reported that AAP is ready to concede three Lok Sabha seats to Congress. But Congress intends to do some hard bargaining to get one more seat. It cannot be said that there would be no alliance between the two as the top leadership of the party is still to indicate its view on it.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-33060476784011595842019-01-24T04:23:00.000-08:002019-01-24T04:23:08.250-08:00Congress party’s masterstroke
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has played a masterstroke by appointing his charismatic sister Priyanka Gandhi as party General Secretary in charge of East Uttar Pradesh. In view of the coming Lok Sabha elections, the official entry of Priyanka Gandhi in active Congress politics will certainly influence the national political equation. She is also the last weapon from Congress’ arsenal.
In a massive overhaul of the party, Congress President has also appointed two General Secretaries- Jyotiraditya Scindhia and KC Venugopal. Scindhia has been given charge of West UP and Venugopal of the organization.
The official announcement of the entry of Priyanka Gandhi in Congress party active politics has swept the party workers, leaders, cadres and sympathizers off their feet in joy and revelry. All over the country, Congress party workers started dancing in joy. Her entry will certainly infuse energy in Congress workers.
Though the ruling BJP has said that Priyanka's entry in Congress means that it has accepted the failure of its President Rahul Gandhi, they have really been jolted. Undoubtedly, Priyanka Gandhi has attraction, craze and popularity among Congress workers and common people all over the nation. She resembles her grandmother former PM late Indira Gandhi. She speaks mixes and connects with the common people in the same way as Mrs. Gandhi was doing in her own days. People see the reflection of Indira Gandhi in Priyanka.
Congress workers have started giving slogan like," Priyanka Nahi Anndhi Hai Doosri Indira Gandhi Hai".
After the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, Congress was left in wilderness. After this alliance, Congress President Rahul Gandhi had given indication that Congress would stun all and fight on all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. As Uttar Pradesh is the largest and the most important state politically, Priyanka's entry in the Congress active politics would certainly matter most. She has a natural attraction among youths, women and common people. She mixes, interacts and talks with them naturally. She appears to be a gifted politician. She is young, energetic and attractive.
Though she will have to face BJP's star campaigner and tallest leader Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also the most popular leader in the country currently, it is to be seen how Priyanka Gandhi addresses the common masses to attract them towards Congress party in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi- the parliamentary constituency of PM and Gorakhpur - the bastion of CM Yogi fall in eastern Uttar Pradesh. It is also necessary to be in the reckoning in eastern Utter Pradesh for the power of Delhi. Priyanka's official entry in Congress party will certainly give energy to its workers and it will also lift their morale. Though it is too early to say to what extent her entry would influence the outcome of Lok Sabha elections in 2019 in favour of Congress party, one thing is certain that now it would definitely play on the front foot with Priyanka as its master blaster.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-31161618194500647612019-01-19T04:12:00.001-08:002019-01-19T04:12:18.349-08:00Mamata shows her strength
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Bannerjee has shown her strength by organizing a mammoth rally at Brigade Ground in Kolkata. Mamta has called that Modi govt. is past expiry date. About 20 Opposition parties have participated in the mammoth gathering against the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre. They wanted to project themselves as the unifying force and BJP as dividing elements of the country. The mood of the opposition parties, especially Congress party, is upbeat after defeating the BJP in the recently concluded three assembly elections on the state of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. The alliance between Mayati's BSP and Akhilesh Yadav's SP has also boosted them morally.
Undoubtedly, Mamata is one of the towering leaders in the opposition camp. She holds sway in Kolkata and no opposition leader either from the Left, Congress or BJP is there to challenge her. In the last Lok Sabha elections, TMC had won 34 Lok Sabha seats from Kolkata.
The intention behind organizing a massive meeting of opposition leaders under the leadership of Mamata Bannerjee is to give the clear message that in the race for the post of Prime Ministership, she is ahead all of the opposition leaders. Her party TMC projects her as the strongest claimant for the post of Prime Minister among opposition leaders.
One thing is clear that 2019 is not going to be 2014 for the BJP. There is no wave this year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is certainly the single most popular leader in the country. He is far ahead of all leaders in popularity. But as far as the performance of his government is concerned, the disillusionment has set in among the people. The rising unemployment, intolerance, agrarian crisis and economic mismanagement have given fodder to the opposition leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has failed to deliver on the promises that he made to the people in 2014 at the time of electioneering.
It is not only Mamata Bannerjee puts forward her claim on the post of PM, but also Mayawati, Mulayam, Sharad Pawar, KCR Rao, Chandrababu Naidu. Though Congress has not formally projected its party president Rahul Gandhi as Prime Ministerial candidate for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, demands have started coming from certain quarters of the party to project him as PM candidate. One thing is also clear that among the leaders of non-BJP political parties cannot be PM without the support of Congress.
Mamata has shown her strength to the BJP as well as other opposition parties that she is one of the strongest claimants for the post of PM. The ruling BJP always hits on opposition weak spot by asking who is your prime ministerial candidate. It is true of their saying that opposition leaders positions are like One Anar, Sao Bimar. The opposition parties must sit together and reach a consensus on the issue of the prime ministerial candidate. Undoubtedly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a charismatic leader of BJP. He is capable of winning elections for the party single-handedly. He appeals to the people. Despite the sharp decline in the popularity of BJP, PM Modi is still the most popular leader in the country.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-35241885147547066562019-01-14T04:30:00.000-08:002019-01-14T04:30:01.487-08:00SP-BSP alliance sans Congress is incomplete
Burying all past differences, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have struck alliances for the Lok Sabha elections this year. Both are the premier political parties of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Uttar Pradesh is not only the largest state but also politically most important in the country. Without winning Uttar Pradesh, no party can rule at the Centre in Delhi. It is also correct to say that the road to power in Delhi passes through Uttar Pradesh.
SP and BSP had fought together in the three Lok Sabha by-polls against the BJP for three seats in the state and they won all. The ruling BJP could not retain any one of the three seats from the state. It clearly reflected that if these two leading political parties fought together, they would win most of the Lok Sabha seats from the state. They would certainly together give tough challenge to the ruling BJP in the state. BJP had won 71 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh. It is difficult, if not, impossible to repeat its previous performance.
But the SP and the BSP have committed a blunder by keeping the grand old Congress Party out of the alliance. Both SP and BSP have agreed to fight on 38: 38 Lok Sabha seats in the state, leaving two seats Raeberali of Sonia Gandhi and Amethi of Congress President Rahul Gandhi for them. They would not field their candidates in the Gandhi pocket boroughs. But by leaving the Congress party, BSP and SP have not acted according to the demand of the situation where it was necessary to keep the secular votes undivided.
No political party can doubt on the secular credentials of the Congress party. So, it has large number of secular votes in Uttar Pradesh. The weakness of the Congress party in the state is only due to its organization. It is because of a strong organization in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan that it wrested power from the BJP after years in the just concluded assembly elections there. So, it is clear that the Congress party is resurging very fast. When left out of SP, BSP alliance, it has decided to fight on all 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh. RLD of Chaudhary Ajit Singh has also been left out. There is possibility that Congress may ally with it in the coming Lok Sabha elections.
It also must be clear for all aspirants such as Mayawati, Mulayam, Mamta, KCR and others for the post of Prime Minister that they cannot be PMs without the outside support of the Congress. Congress party is still the largest party among the opposition ones in the country. It has also shown in three assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh that it can defeat BJP if fought one on one. So, Congress may be a dark horse at present in Uttar Pradesh, but it has the guts, ability, and capability to spring a surprise in the Lok Sabha elections.
There is a difference between by poll and general election. By winning three seats in by-polls together, BSP and SP must not be a delusion that the same outcome will come in general elections.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-57918879153097876262019-01-07T04:43:00.000-08:002019-01-07T04:43:00.638-08:00Endeavour to keep upper castes in good humour
The Union Cabinet has reportedly taken a decision of granting 10 reservations in govt. job and educational institutions for economically weaker section of upper castes. With the public anger mostly of upper castes in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattishgarh against the BJP where it has also lost assembly elections, Narendra Modi government decided to get back its support base by granting reservation to the economically weaker section of the upper caste.
The way the Modi govt. dealt with Atrocity Act against SC/ST, paying no respect to Supreme Court observation regarding it, the upper caste people all over India especially in UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and other Hindi speaking states went against the BJP. Upper castes- Brahmins, Rajputs, Baniya and Bhumihars - are BJP's main support base all over the country. After having lost assembly elections in three Hindi heartland states, BJP realized that if it failed to assuage the hurt feelings of upper castes due to its stand in Atrocities Act against SC/ST, it would be very difficult to win 2019 Lok Sabha elections. So, in view of the coming general elections, this is a very big move of the Narendra Modi government. It may prove to be game changer.
Modi govt. is likely to move the bill for 10 reservations for economically weaker section of upper castes in govt. jobs and educational institutions. One thing is certain that no party will outwardly oppose the reservation move. As the issue of reservation has been a great political instrument in the hands of ruling political parties since independence, it has been used to guard the political interest of the ruling party.
Reservation policy was implemented for a certain period of time and it was also decided that after that an appraisal would be made to know whether it needed to be extended or not. Reservation must not be a permanent supporting system for anyone. But no appraisal was ever made since reservation policy was implemented and contrary to it, it was extended several times to reap only political benefits.
Very few who deserve reservation have got it. Most of the reservation benefits have gone to the people among reservation category who are well off. The politics of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi party in Uttar Pradesh and RJD in Bihar is based on caste-based reservation policy. SP of Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD of Lalu Prasad Yadav in UP and Bihar respectively came to centre stage of national politics only after the implementation of Mandal Commission under which 27 % reservation was given to OBCs in govt. jobs and educational institutions. Mandal commission was implemented by the VP Singh government in 1990.
Now, BJP plays the card of reservation. It is purely a political move to retrieve its position among its upper caste support base. Supreme Court has already drawn a line of demarcation in regard to the reservation. It has already said that there cannot be more that 50 % reservation. So, to implement 10 per cent reservation for economically weak upper castes, the ruling BJP will have to move for the amendment to the relevant section in the constitution. The policy of reservation has been used only for the sake of political interest in the country so far. So, it would be better if reservation policy is done away with in totality and the field must be left open for all in equal proportion. It would also be much better and more profitable that if instead of reservation in government jobs, govt. should help the poor students irrespective of their caste, community and creed economically pursue the study.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-75164624543670677632018-12-14T04:47:00.002-08:002018-12-14T04:47:42.505-08:00Rahul strikes a fine balancing act
Winning elections is one of the most difficult tasks for a political party, especially when its popularity is at its all-time low. Here is what happened with the Congress. The party won anyhow three state assembly elections - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh- which were under the BJP rule for years. It is a very big achievement of the Congress party in the face of the rising popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leadership.
But even after winning elections, there arose a big problem of choosing the candidates for the posts of Chief Minister among the young and the veteran old guards at least in the case of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for the party President Rahul Gandhi. It was proving to be an Achilles heel for him. Though the case of Madhya Pradesh was settled with the choice of CM's post between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia fell on Kamal Nath because of his being a senior, astute, resourceful and veteran politician. As hardly four months away from now, the 2019 Lok Sabha elections are going to be held. It will be the final war between Congress and BJP. That is why Congress made Kamal Nath MP CM.
Though Jyotiraditya is a young, energetic and popular leader of the Congress party, Kamal Nath is veteran old guard who began his politics with late Sanjay Gandhi. He was in the front of Sanjay brigade at that time. He has also been very close to Nehru-Gandhi family, the power centre of Congress party. On the other hand, Jyotirdiya Scindhia has also been very close to Rahul Gandhi. He is a prominent face of Rahul's young brigade in the Congress party. He was also the convenor of Madhya Pradesh assembly election campaigns. He campaigned hard and made a great contribution to the victory of the party in the state, though with a marginal gap. He was also a strong contender along with Kamal Nath for the post of Chief Minister of the state. The MP state legislature party could not reach on a consensus candidate for the post and left it to Congress President Rahul Gandhi to choose one of the two.
It was a very difficult task. Gandhi had to maintain a fine balance between the young and the old in the party in view of the war at hand in 2019. But considering the experience and contacts across the like-minded political parties, the choice with the consent of Jyotiraditya Scindhia went in favour of Kamal Nath and ultimately the Congress party declared him as party MP CM.
The same problem is in Rajasthan. Here also, there are two contenders - Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot- for the post of Chief Minister of the state. Ashok Gehlot is experienced, veteran and has adorned the post of CM twice. He is also a very popular politician in the state. On the other hand, Sachin Pilot is young, energetic and popular among the youth in the state. He has also been state party president. He also claims the post of CM very strongly. Newly State Congress legislatures left the decision with Congress Party President Rahul Gandhi to take. Again, he was put in a delicate situation. He had to manage and strike a fine balance between the old and the young keeping in view the great battle of 2019 Lok Sabha elections lying ahead. But again, he solved the problems with exemplary alacrity through consensus by choosing the veteran Ashok Gehlot as the CM of Rajasthan. At last, Rahul Gandhi tweeted with himself in the middle of Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindhia in the first photo and Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot with himself in the middle in the second photo. These two photos clearly reflected that at last, the unity in party prevailed. One thing that also came out this is that Rahul Gandhi left no stone unturned in finding consensus and unanimous opinion on any issue in the party.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-15874217698476261052018-12-13T04:54:00.001-08:002018-12-13T04:54:45.836-08:00RBI Governor must be an economist of eminence
The Governor of the Reserve Bank of India must have enough knowledge about the domestic and international economy to formulate planning and policy of the Central Bank. Shaktikanta Das, a Tamil Nadu cadre retired IAS officer, has been appointed as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. He has been appointed RBI governor in the wake of the abrupt resignation of Urjit Patel as RBI governor in the middle of a tussle with the government on autonomy and other related issues.
The importance of the RBI governor must not be underestimated and no one howsoever senior bureaucrat he or she might be made governor without expertise in economics. The post of the governor of RBI demands expert knowledge in the subject of economics. World fame economist and former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh had also been the governor of RBI. Before and after Dr. Singh, several economists of eminence have adorned the post of RBI governor.
It is not only administrative knowledge and experience but also required to be an authority on Economics to become the governor of RBI. Yes, Shaktikants Das, a Tamil Cadre IAS officer, who has served with the state government in the department of finance and other economic-related wings. He was also associated all his career at the Centre as well as in the state with finance departments. But his working with finance department at the Centre and in the state doesn’t make him an eminent economist of the nation. His credentials for being the governor of RBI is totally unfit and unsuitable. Before Urjit Patel, Raghuram Rajan was the RBI governor. He was known for mastery in modern economics. This is the reason that even a senior BJP leader from Gujarat Jay Narayan Vyas, who was also a minister in Narendra Modi Cabinet when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, has rightly poked the new RBI governor Shaktikanta Das not to make it a history. He has questioned his knowledge about economics. New RBI governor Shaktikanta Das is MA in history from the Delhi University. As far as academic credentials for being RBI Chief is concerned, Mr. Das fits nowhere.
The appointment of Shaktikanta Das as RBI governor by Narendra Modi government clearly reflects its lack of knowledge about who is fit for what job. It also clearly appears that there is an acute shortage of talents in the Modi government. Union Finance minister Arun Jaitely is not proving to be an able one for the post. Jaitely has defended new governor by enumerating his postings all his career in the finance departments. As far as theoretical knowledge about economics is concerned, it is impossible without academic qualification in the subject. So, appointing Mr. Shaktikanta Das as RBI governor, Narendra Modi govt. has done no good to the economy of the country.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-31189945292311765662018-12-12T04:43:00.002-08:002018-12-12T04:43:46.632-08:00Vote for change
People's yearning for change in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh has resulted in the defeat of the ruling BJP in all these three states. The change and the anti-incumbency factor worked against the BJP. The underestimation of the opposition Congress by the BJP also contributed to its defeat. BJP was in the delusion that now Congress stands defamed among the people and its leadership is novice without any determined purpose and direction. So, people will never look towards it. But the youthful leadership of Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his effort to present a united face of the party in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan resulted in the win.
Except for Chhattisgarh where Congress swept the BJP, it faced a tough contest in both Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Despite ruling for 15 years, BJP under the leadership of the outgoing Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave a tough fight to the Congress and the difference in the number of winning assembly seats between the two parties is marginal. BJP has won 109 and Congress 114 in the 230 member assembly of Madhya Pradesh.
BJP had been ruling Chhattisgarh for the last 15 years. Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajastha were the strong bastions of BJP in the Hindi heartland. The defeat here by the Congress gives an ominous signal for it in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Though the just-concluded assembly elections were considered to be the semi-final before the final of 2019 Lok Elections, it is not necessary that semi-finalist always wins the final. But the victory of Congress party in these three BJP-ruled states has at least boosted the morale of its workers, leaders and top leadership.
After 2014 worst-ever defeat, the party cadres were demoralized by one defeat after another. Congress party leadership realized that to win the election against the formidable political opponent like BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he will have to work 24x7. Congress party President Rahul Gandhi laboured hard and led the party from the front in all these election-bound states. His hard labour and concerted effort yielded fruit that within a year of taking over the mantle of the party, Congress has wrested three states from the BJP.
Congress alliance with TDP against TRS in Telangana has failed completely. TRS under the leadership of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao routed the Congress - TDP alliance and won the assembly elections with a massive mandate. He came back to power on a very strong wicket. Congress party has also lost its last N-E state of Mizoram where MNF ruled the roost. It won the elections handsomely.
BJP must learn a lesson from this that the people know everything. Only tall talking cannot yield fruit for a long time. The people want to work on the ground. Firing in air cannot serve the purpose. The popularity of Prime Minister can no longer help BJP win elections without doing anything concrete on the ground. Yes, PM Narendra Modi is still the most popular leader of the country. But when the issue of hunger, unemployment, health facility, price rise comes to the fore, the reality of the ruling party is exposed. People want work and nothing else.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-62127693258067894152018-10-09T06:05:00.001-07:002018-10-09T09:45:08.427-07:00#MeToo campaign also gathers momentum in India
It is good that #MeToo campaign is also gathering momentum in India with the revelation about sexual harassment by one woman or the other on daily basis. Casting couch had already been there in Bollywood. Here also under #MeToo campaign, Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta has alleged that veteran actor Nana Patekar had sexually harassed her. After her recounting of alleged sexual harassment by Nana Patekar, some other Bollywood actresses have also come forward with the story of her sexual harassment by the actors.
Woman and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has rightly said that action should be initiated against all those who are accused of harassing the woman sexually. A news editor of a prestigious English Newspaper has reportedly resigned from his post over the charges of sexual harassment.
#MeToo campaign launched by the women is a courageous act. It reflects that women are no longer subservient to the men. They have also gathered the courage to raise voice against any kind of harassment. It also shows that the time is changing very fast with growing awareness among all sections of the people.
Ten years back, the woman did not have the courage to raise her voice against the highhandedness by the man. #MeToo has infused courage and confidence among women all over the world. The incident of casting couch or sexual harassment has been found on large scale in the entertainment industry. Two to three cases of sexual harassment under #MeToo campaign have come to light. The field of journalism is also not free of the incident of sexual abuse.
All men must realize now that women can no longer be intimidated to keep silence over their acts of molestation and sexual abuse against them. Rape and other kinds of sexual abuses must be kept under the category of heinous crime. The govt. must support #MeToo to boost and encourage women to raise voice against all kinds of injustices against them.
#MeToo campaign helps the women empower themselves in the society. It is because of this campaign that those who are involved in sexual abuse against the women would always be in fear that their acts of misdeed could come any time to light.
The #MeToo storm has gathered momentum with more women recounting their experiences of sexual harassment in the entertainment and media industry; leading to actor Rajat Kapoor apologizing for his alleged misconduct and AIB facing uncertainty after two members distanced themselves from the comedy group under a cloud. The Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) has also rightly called upon media houses to set up institutional mechanisms for complaints of sexual harassment. It is true that many of the complaints have gone unheard despite being brought to the notice of the authorities concerned. It is disturbing and a matter of grave concern. More and more victim women must come forward and expose the victimizer. # MeToo campaign was born amidst Tarana Burke narration of sexual abuse that left her speechless. It happened in 1997.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-7399903361415979852018-09-06T06:13:00.002-07:002018-09-06T06:13:35.172-07:00Two-plus-two dialogue must be meaningful
The first edition of two-plus-two talks begins in New Delhi between India and the US. The Indian side is represented by the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the US is represented by its Secretary of State Pompeo and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis. The talks were held in a very cordial atmosphere. Now, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in New Delhi for talks, they'll seek to bring the two countries closer than they've been since the Cold War. Their agenda for talks is believed to include key issues such as anti-terrorism, maritime security and countering China's growing influence in the Indian Ocean.
There is no doubt that this two-plus-two talk will strengthen the relations between the two countries. But at the same time, it is also necessary that the agenda of talks must be discussed threadbare and all efforts must be made to find how to fight terrorism to finish in right earnest.
There is a natural similarity between the US and India. The US is the oldest democracy of the world while India is the largest one. Both attach utmost importance to the freedom of individual and both are against any kind of discrimination. There is religious freedom in both the countries. There cannot be any discrimination against anyone on the basis of caste, creed and religion. Both believe in the theory of peace and progress. Both are adamant to fight terrorism to the finish.
The US appears to be distancing from its blue-eyed boy Pakistan for its roguery and deep involvement in abetting, aiding, sponsoring and encouraging terrorism in the recent years. But the need of the hour for it is to cut off all relations with Pakistan. The US is advocating for cutting down financial assistance to Pakistan as its fight against terrorism is not satisfactory. But it must know clearly that the terrorism has been the instrument of state policy of Pakistan. It has not abandoned this policy since it adopted just after it came into existence.
There is also no secret that Pak military is the head of all terrorists’ activities and no democratically elected government dare defy it. Whenever the democratically elected Pak govt. ignored its military’s dictation on the issue of terrorism, the coup has been staged and the govt. is thrown out of power. It has been the history of Pakistan.
So, visiting Pakistan by the US secretary of state and Defence Secretary before taking part in the two-plus-two dialogue with India in New Delhi does not hold good for the relations between the two countries. The question here arises that when the US is well aware of Pak's deep involvement in promoting terror not only against India but also the entire world, why does it hesitate to take strict action against it for once and all? What was the need of the US to send its Secretary of state and Defence Secretary to pacify new Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan? Strengthening relations with India is good for peace and progress in the region, but it will be better if the US stops all financial assistance to Pakistan for its total failure on the issue of acting against its home-grown terrorism. The US must ensure by putting pressure on Pak that its soil is not used for operating terror against India. The message against terrorism must come out loud and clear of the two-plus-two dialogue between India and Pakistan.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-40411318197989177392018-09-05T06:01:00.002-07:002018-09-05T06:01:55.898-07:00 Take a judicious decision on SC/ST Act
The Parliament has unanimously upturned the Supreme Court decision about the SC/ST Act. The apex court decision is that the FIR cannot be lodged without the approval of the police officer of the Deputy Superintendent level and arrest cannot be made before investigation about the authenticity of the complaint. The SC/ST people all over India had called Bharat Bandh, created chaos on streets and destroyed public property on the large scale against the SC’s decision. The apex court verdict in regard to SC/ST was judicious and no upper caste people oppose it.
But the Narendra Modi government at the Centre along with the support of all opposition parties upturned the SC decision and passed the bill incorporating stern clauses in it. Now, it has been enacted as the bill got the President's assent. The upper caste people across the nation are up against the SC/ST act, which has been arbitrarily promulgated by the government to keep the community in good humour only for the sake of vote bank politics. SC/ST constitutes 20 per cent of the total population of the country. No political party can afford to take their annoyance. So, it is only because of the vote bank politics that the sterner laws have been enacted by the Parliament to win the favour of the community without taking into considerations its misuse with malice against the upper caste.
With the passing of the SC/ST bill, a fierce opposition by the people of upper caste has been recorded across the nation. The upper caste people in Madhya Pradesh even allegedly threw sandals and chappals at the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan election cavalcade. It is not only MP, but almost all states of north India have witnessed vehement opposition to SC/ST act enacted by the Parliament.
The Upper caste people have rightly charged the government and all other political parties with dividing the society. The new SC/ST act is more stringent than the laws framed by the British rulers. They have described it as a black law. No upper caste man/woman is against favours and privileges conferred on SC/ST by the govt. They have been availing of various government facilities since the Constitution came into force. Has anyone belonging to upper caste ever raised any voice against it? They are also against any kind of atrocity on them. But the law enacted by the government empowers the police to arrest any upper caste man/woman howsoever high social prestige he/she may enjoy at even minor charge against him or her levelled by the SC/ST people. It is going to be a draconian law against the upper caste people. The move by the government with the support of all opposition parties amply reflects that they have played at the SC/ST tune only to please them. The upturning of the Supreme Court decision about the SC/ST by the Parliament unanimously has hurt the psyche of all upper caste men and women in the country. The political parties have no right to insult, humiliate, suppress and harass one community at the cost of another only for the sake of garnering votes.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-19172499878956454082018-09-04T06:08:00.001-07:002018-09-04T06:08:27.559-07:00 Petrol, diesel prices up, rupee down to all-time low
The price of petrol and diesel is going up and up on daily basis. It has touched a record all-time high. On the one side petroleum prices are rising unbridled and the value of rupee against the dollar is falling and has touched all-time low on the other. The rising prices of petrol and diesel have a cascading effect on all essential commodities, and ultimately the common poor people are burdened.
As far as the NDA govt. at the Centre is concerned, it washes its hands off the rising prices of petrol and diesel by saying that it is because of international market behaviour that they go up. The price of petrol in Mumbai has crossed Rs. 80 per litre while it is to touch Rs. 80 in Delhi. With the increase in the price of diesel, the carriage cost of all commodities of daily use naturally goes up, and that is transferred to the consumers. So, ultimately the common consumers bear the brunt most due to rise in petroleum prices.
Here, the double game of the NDA govt. at the Centre is exposed. When the crude oil prices in the international market were at its lowest level two years back, the govt. did not cut down the prices of diesel and petrol nor did it slash the excise duty and tax to benefit the consumers. It said that the profit earned from the petroleum products in terms of excise duty and taxes will be used to benefit the consumers when the price of crude would go up in the international market. In the prevailing scenario of the international oil market, the rise in the price of petrol and diesel is a must. But by cutting down the excise duty and other taxes levied by the states and the Centre and bringing the petroleum price under GST, the govt. can provide relief to the customers. But it is itself trying to earn a profit by imposing excise duty and other taxes on petrol and diesel.
The weakening of rupee against the dollar is also a major cause of concern for the government. It has gone all time low. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all the senior BJP leaders had criticized the previous UPA government of Dr. Manmohan Singh for the unbridled rise in the price of petroleum products and the falling value of rupee against the dollar. But at that time, the record was not made as they have done now. PM Modi and other BJP leaders made a mockery of the previous govt. for its inaction to bring down the prices of petroleum products. They claimed that they would bring them down this way or that way. But now, they wash their hands off any accountability and cite international market price as the cause behind the rise in prices of petrol and diesel.
It appears that everything has been left to the mercy of gods. No effort is being made by the Ministry of Petroleum to halt the rise in petrol and diesel prices. The time has come for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene to stop the rise in the price of diesel and petrol any more.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-75995725818745062482018-08-28T06:45:00.003-07:002018-08-28T06:45:58.549-07:00Pandit Nehru was the apostle of peace, progress and development
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru is not only the first Prime Minister but also the maker of modern India. He may be the first among equals if we talk of all the PMs of the country so far, but he is the only one who made a great sacrifice for the freedom of the country by passing his youthful days in different jails of the country. He has been considered to be the statesman of the international repute. As far as the freedom fighters are considered, he is the greatest after the father of the nation Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi. Pt. Nehru spent his youth in different jails during the freedom struggle. Pt. Nehru's contribution is only second to Mahatma Gandhi in freeing the nation from the shackles of British rulers.
Pandit Nehru was not only the leader of India but also the world. He gave the nation a direction of peace, progress and development. He made an immense contribution to the launching of the Non-aligned Movement to make the world multi-polar. He had a scientific bent of mind and laid the plinth of industrialization and helped much in developing scientific temper in India. All symbols of progress in the country so far testify the fact that Pt. Nehru was the apostle of peace, progress and development. He was a liberal, forward-looking, progressive, vibrant and multi-faceted personality.
If anyone in India thought about the development of the nation, it was Nehru who was the first to do so. He has been incomparable all his life. He was a giant while other PMs were dwarf before him in terms of political and national stature if we ever tried to put him in their line. In the given position of Pt. Nehru, any attempt by the incumbent government at the Centre to undermine Nehru Memorial Museum and Library at the historic Teen Murti Bhavan in New Delhi where he spent his life as the first Prime Minister of India would certainly boomerang on it.
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library has kept the memories and description of the legendary Pandit Nehru. His contribution and works for the nation would prove to be an inspiration for the coming generations. He was a versatile genius. Pt. Nehru also wrote books of world repute. He was an acclaimed political leader. He led the nation from the front before and after the Independence. He was a true democratic who never undermined his political opponents and rivals despite being the most popular mass leader of the country. He was very fond of children. Which is why he was also called Chacha Nehru. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has rightly written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to leave the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) "undisturbed". He has rightly said that this would be respecting both history and heritage.
The NMML was established in the memory of India's first prime minister and the museum at the Teen Murti House has preserved some rooms as they were at the time of Nehru's death.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-53964913643754836502018-08-17T05:55:00.001-07:002018-08-17T05:56:11.729-07:00A legendary political personality with national vision
Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was the tallest statesman,
political leader, parliamentarian and multi-faceted personality after
country's first PM Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. His sad demise has created
a vacuum, which cannot be filled. In his more than six decades of
political life, he has been flawless in all fields whether it is public
or private.
Former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee was lovingly called Atal Ji by his
friends, fans and followers. He was a versatile genius and outstanding
poet. His poetic talent was incomparable. He was the last leader of his
generation, who treated his political opponents as rivals, but not as
enemies. He was the first Indian representative at UNGA who spoke there
first time in Hindi. He was opposition leader at that time when the
then Prime Minister Narshimha Rao sent him to UN to represent India. It
was his political astuteness, diplomatic skill, liberal outlook and
forward looking qualities that attracted the attention of the ruling
party despite the fact that the party he represented was ideologically
opposite to it. He was an extraordinary orator and exponent of
political conscious. He was a political genius and it was his qualities
that despite major differences with the ruling Congress party, he
always supported the government on foreign issues in the interest of
the nation.
Atalji was a true democrat and nationalist who always kept national
interest uppermost. He was the member of Parliament for more than 5
decades. It was Atal Behari Vapayee about whom Pt. Nehru had said that
one day he would become the Prime Minister of India. Nehru always
praised Atal's oratorical talent. It would not be out of place to say
that former PM Atalji was Pt. Nehru of the BJP. He was loved as much by
his party workers as by others. His contribution to the nation building
is immense. He was always positive. As Prime Minister of the nation,
the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojna has been his brainchild. He became PM of
the nation three times.
Atalji never belittled the development made by the Congress government
for the nation after India got Independence. He said that if he would
say that there was no development work in the last 50 years, it would
be undermining the nation. The nation has developed in the last 50
years, but a lot still to be done. He was a large-hearted politician.
It is who said about Pakistan that we can change friends but we cannot
change neighbour. With broad thinking, he started peace process with
Pakistan despite its misadventure like Kargil war.
Atal Behari Vajpayee was a true democrat and believed in the principle
of live and let live. In Atal's demise, BJP has lost its jewel while
nation has lost her great son. He was one of the ablest sons of Mother
India. People, political leaders and workers irrespective of their
affiliation, all loved him very much. We along with the entire nation
condole his death.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-32464130543248160372018-08-08T06:21:00.001-07:002018-08-08T07:00:30.644-07:00Legendary Dravidian politician
Kalaignar M Karunanidhi, five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, one of the tallest political personalities of the nation and the symbol of regional politics, is dead. The entire nation is sad and shocked at his demise. He was 94-year-old. His death has created a vacuum not only in Tamil but also national politics as he was regarded as the master of alliances.
It was his political shrewdness that he had aligned with both former Prime Minister Atal Behari -led NDA govt. and the previous Dr. Manmohan Singh -led UPA govt. at the Centre. He knew the pulse of the people. His mentor was great Annadurai, the exponent of Dravidian politics in Tamil Nadu.
Karunanidhi was the champion of Dravidian politics and he was also a blue-eyed man of Anna Durai. It was Karunanidhi who under the leadership of Annadurai led the anti-Hindi movement.
Karunanidhi was against the Brahmanism way of life, culture and tradition and launched an anti-Brahmin movement. He was also a great Tamil Literary figure and excellent scriptwriter. His command on Tamil literature was very strong. He mesmerized the audience before whom he gave a political speech. With the selection of word aptly appropriate to the occasion, he kept his audience spellbound. With his strong political clout and connection with the commoners in Tamil Nadu, he became the Chief Minister of the state for five times. He was so expert in sewing alliance that he even aligned with the BJP which is dead against the things he stands for.
Karunanidhi was also one of the most respected politicians of the country. Both Congress and BJP national leaders hold him in high esteem. With the rise of MG Ramachandran in Tamil politics, he posed a challenge to Karunanidhi but his sheer determination and political guts always kept him ahead of all.
The AIADMK government of EPS in Tamil Nadu must pay due respect to the departed leader. Karunanidhi was a grass root politician and he connected himself with the people on the ground even when his party DMK was out of power. Power matters nothing before his colossal personality. His death has caused a great loss for the people of Tamil Nadu. His contribution to the development of Tamil Nadu is incomparable. He made an invaluable contribution to the development of the state. It appears in Tamil Nadu that in his death, the people have lost their family member. It was so great a connection with the people of the state that everybody feels as he/she lost his/her own family member. He was a leader of the masses. His charismatic personality attracted people very much in Tamil Nadu. In his death, Tamil Nadu has suffered a great loss.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-20441946476747939872018-08-07T06:33:00.001-07:002018-08-07T06:33:43.215-07:00Nitish under pressure to act
The alleged rape of girls in the Muzaffarpur shelter home hangs the heads of all the people of Bihar in shame. It is a sheer act of negligence and callous approach towards running the shelter home by the state government through its chosen and favourite NGO. The husband of the Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma is also under the cloud. The entire opposition parties in the state, including some BJP leaders demand the immediate resignation of the Minister. They have also staged a massive protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and demanded the resignation of the Social Welfare Minister on moral ground at least.
Though the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar held an hour-long press conference and brought the senior most officers of the departments concerned before the media at the press conference, he rejected outright the opposition demand of the Minister's resignation. He said that there was systemic failure because of which this shameful incident has occurred. He also commented on some opposition leaders, who held a protest at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi, saying that it would be better if they had looked their face in the mirror.
Muzaffarpur incident of alleged rape of girls is a blot on the head of the state. It is clearly the case of negligence and it has taken place under a nexus between the politicians close to power in any way and the criminals of Muzaffarpur. It is not only the state administration but also police and intelligence agency of the state has completely failed. The TISS report, which revealed the sordid incident of rape of girls, awakened the Nitish Kumar govt. after three months to initiate action. Some Brajesh Pathak whose the NGO was reportedly running the shelter home in Muzaffarpur is alleged to be the kingpin of the horrible incident of rape.He is also reportedly very close to the ruling politicians. Muzaffarpur incident also clearly shows that no crime on major level can be committed until and unless there is a deep nexus among politicians, police and administration. It also appears clearly that administration and police departments are hand in glove in not action against the culprits in time.
Since Nitish Kumar went into the lap of BJP in Bihar, crimes have shoot up instead of going down in Bihar. CM Nitish Kumar was known for good governance and that is why he is also called Sushan Babu in Bihar. But since he re-aligned with the BJP in the state, crimes and corruptions have shot up. Law and order has fallen to its lowest ebb. Sushasan Babu is no longer proving to be effective in dealing with the prevailing situation in the state. Moral compunction calls for the resignation of Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma over alleged rape of girls in Muzaffarpur shelter home. It is also the moral responsibility of CM NItish Kumar to ask her to resign till the time investigation is over and all clouds over her husband drift away. Otherwise, his reputation of Sushan Babu will itself come under the cloud.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-63179700514377787202018-08-06T06:03:00.000-07:002018-08-06T06:03:22.030-07:00Cong's smart move for unity
Congress Party is ready to forgo PM candidature claim prior to LS elections so that no hurdle could come in uniting all the opposition parties under one banner of Mahagathbandhan against the ruling BJP-led NDA. Though Congress President Rahul Gandhi had expressed that if his party emerged as the largest single party, he would be PM. He said this in reply to a question. Congress Working Committee had also decided to project its natural choice of Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate in the elections. But now observing that no unanimity among the opposition parties could be reached with Rahul Gandhi as PM candidate before the Lok Sabha elections, it decided to take decision on this issue after the result of Lok Sabha elections who should lead the opposition. It means that this contentious issue of leadership will be decided post poll.
It clearly reflects that Congress party is bent on uniting all the opposition parties against the ruling BJP-led NDA. Its main aim is to unseat the Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Lok Sabha elections. Leaving the issue of Prime Ministership to be decided post-poll is a smart move of the Congress Party.
The party which emerges as the largest after the elections will lead the coalition. One thing is also crystal clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the single most powerful leader in the country. The ruling BJP has a great asset in him. No leader from any opposition party stands anywhere before him. Currently, there is no match for PM in the country so far as the leadership issue is concerned.
It is a good move by the Congress party that it has left the decision on the issue of combined opposition party for PM candidate post poll. Otherwise, the Lok Sabha elections might turn out to be on presidential cult in which PM is much taller than any other leader from the opposition camp.
The elections will be fought as presidential one where personality matters and every other thing takes the back seat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the undisputed leader of his party whereas there are as many claimants for the PM candidate as the parties constituting the Mahagthbandhan are. Some parties in the opposition camp are in no mood to accept Rahul Gandhi as their leader their leader. So, Congress realized that it is not important that who leads the opposition camp but to unseat PM Modi from power in Lok Sabha elections 2019.
Currently, there are at least 7 to 8 claimants for the post of PM. But the decision is to be taken on the issue of leader when the result will be announced. Whichever party emerges as the largest one its leader will lead the coalition or Mahagathbandhan.
As far as stature of PM Modi is concerned, it has no match in the opposition parties. PM Modi's charismatic personality holds the audience spell-bound. He connects with the people in one go. His speech is very appealing and his track record is unblemished. Congress has to unite the opposition parties to give a formidable challenge to BJP. Otherwise, PM Modi’s victory juggernaut is impossible to stop.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-75215027438969607812018-08-02T06:11:00.002-07:002018-08-02T06:23:09.950-07:00Political point scoring over NRC
The uproar in Parliament over the release of National Register of Citizens (NRC) draft dropping out 40 lakh people from it is deliberately created by the opposition and ruling parties for polarizing their respective voters. Parliament has almost come to a standstill for 3 days over NRC issue. All are unaware of the ground realities in Assam after the release of NRC but speaking over it full-throated in Parliament.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee is raising the issue of discrepancy in NRC and the deliberate attempt to polarize Hindu voters by the BJP in its favour over the alleged dropping out 40 lakh people from it of a particular community. Mamta's TMC and Congress are opposing the way NRC Draft has been prepared. While the ruling BJP is making it an issue to fight elections in 2019. BJP claims to be the only saviour of the Hindu community. But it must be understood that the nation belongs to all and the government in power has to treat every citizen irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, community and belief equally. India is a sovereign secular democratic republic. There cannot be any discrimination against anyone on the basis of his/her caste, region, religion. But here in the country caste, creed and religion play a vital role in the victory and defeat of a political party. Even the political party whose base is secularism sometimes deviates from its ideological belief in the hope of garnering votes of a particular, caste and community.
Though the govt. has assured the people whose names have not figured in NRC draft that they need not be panicky, there is recourse in place for correction in the NRC draft. They have been given time for removing the grievances about their names not figuring in it. Though NRC campaign is, especially, meant for Assam and it is going on the order of Supreme Court. It is monitored and supervised by the apex court. SC has also ordered not to resort to any coercive measure against all those who have not made to NRC draft. They are the citizens of India till the final verdict in this regard. So, they have nothing to fear. Undoubtedly, the campaign for NRC is massive and on the large scale in Assam. The discrepancy has been there in the NRC draft on the large scale. Otherwise, one family member has not made to the NRC while another of the same family has made to it. So, the debate and discussion in Parliament should be on how to set everything right in NRC.
By not allowing the BJP president Amit Shah speak on the issue of NRC in Rajya Sabha, opposition members have shown disrespect to the House. Mr. Amit Shah is the President of the ruling BJP. He has every right as the member of the Upper House also to speak his party's views on the burning issue of NRC. Opposition blame against the ruling the BJP holds some water that NRC draft was deliberately released in view of the coming assembly elections in MP, Rajasthan and Chattishgarh by the end of the year. NRC draft has created human tragedy in Assam. So, the politicians and MPs belong to ruling as well as opposition party must not make it an issue of politics in view of the coming assembly elections.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-22360355778177403022018-08-01T06:05:00.001-07:002018-08-01T06:05:51.817-07:00Show magnanimity towards India in terms of the relation
With the victory of Imran Khan and his party Pakistan Tahreek-e- Insaf (PTI) emerging as the largest one after the results of the elections held in there recently, there appears to be building a positive atmosphere. It also shows the role of democracy in our neighbourhood. Pak PM -designate Imran Khan is yet to show magnanimity in terms of improving relations with India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already greeted Imran for his victory in Pak elections. PM's greeting to him clearly shows that how much importance India attaches to democracy.
All hope that the relation between Pakistan and India will improve with Imran Khan PM -designate of Pakistan assuming his office after taking oath. It is all likelihood that Imran will form govt. in coalition with the like-minded parties. Though like all other political players of Pakistan, Imran has also never fallen short of India bashing during his electioneering. It is necessary in Pak to adopt anti-India stance by the political party leaders irrespective of their affiliations to be in reckoning.
As Pakistan army is instrumental in all democratically elected governments in formulating policy on India, Imran govt. too will bow to them. They have strong control on all activities of the Pak government in relation to India. Imran Khan has also been portrayed as the stooge or puppet of the Army. He is considered to be the blue-eyed boy of the army. Imran Khan PM-elect of Pakistan is expected to invite PM Modi to participate in his oath taking ceremony which is to be held on August 11, 2018. Whether PM would go to Pak to attend his oath taking ceremony or not is yet to be decided, one thing is clear that Imran may emulate him. PM Modi had also invited former PM Nawaz Sharif to attend his oath taking ceremony as PM but how much relation between the two countries improved is all before us.
To act against the perpetrators of Mumbai attack of 26/11 is the main demand of India before Imran. It will expose him before the world that how serious he is in taking action against the home-grown terrorism. It will be also tested how much control the Army exercises on him. The Army and the government have given patronage to the perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai attack in Pak. Imran Khan has been a world famous cricketer. He is expected of displaying sportsman spirit by coming out of the dragnet of the army, which forces every democratically elected government there to toe its line. Otherwise, confrontation starts between the two and ultimately ends in the coup by the army. The history of Pakistan is that it has been ruled by military half of the period since it came into existence in 1947. We hope a new dawn with the Imran Khan becoming the Pak PM.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-34255791431833313312018-07-31T06:30:00.001-07:002018-07-31T06:31:47.988-07:00 NRC must strike balance
With the release of National Register of Citizens draft in Assam, a serious and massive political controversy has arisen. In the first place, NRC draft is apparently discriminatory between two communities. NRC campaign was started especially for Assam to single out all illegal immigrants living in the state for decades. It is a massive campaign involving govt., private personnel and a huge amount of state exchequer.
It has been clearly discriminatory. 32.9 million had applied for entering their names in NRC. Out of 32.9 million people, 40 lakh could not make to it. They have been labelled as illegal immigrants and thereby they are on the verge of losing citizenship. It appears like a human tragedy.
The opposition parties- Congress and Mamta Bannerjee TMC - charge that it is the machination of BJP state and Central government to exclude Muslims and non-Assamese living the state for decades. The discrepancy on the large scale in NRC has come to the fore. Even all members of a certain family were not included in NRC. For example; the name of a man, his wife and son has figured in NRC but his daughter has been excluded. What a mishandling committed by the state govt. employees at a local level while preparing the NRC. There must be an honest approach sans any political interest to prepare NRC.
BJP and opposition parties blame each other for building their respective vote bank. Opposition parties allege that the NRC in Assam is the handiwork of BJP to polarize Hindu voters in its favour while it alleges them that they are shielding illegal immigrants from Bangladesh only for the sake of protecting their vote bank. NRC must be prepared with the view to entering all genuine and bonafide citizens in it irrespective of their caste, creed, belief and religion and community. At the same time it must be ensured that no illegal immigrants could make to it at any cost.
It is correct to say that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have migrated to Assam,West Bengal and other north-eastern states of the country on a large scale. They have in the past posed a serious security problem for India. So it must be ensured that neither the genuine and Bonafide people could be excluded nor the illegal migrants from Bangladesh make them to NRC. The issue of illegal immigrants is not new in Assam. It has been there for decades. As is the habit of Congress government, this issue had been hanging in balance for decades. The illegal immigrants are those who have crossed over to India from across the border after March 25, 1971. No political party whether ruling or opposition should speak in favour of illegal immigrants. The illegal immigrants on large scale have disturbed the demographic balance of the state of Assam. The foreign national issue has already rocked the state in the 1980s. So, the ruling and the opposition must work together without creating any panic among the people that those who have not made to NRC will lose citizenship thereby everything they have earned in the last forty years. They have ample time for recourse to making claim to the citizenship.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-84914119205221167642018-07-28T06:01:00.000-07:002018-07-28T06:01:32.074-07:00Shameful incident at shelter home in Bihar
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had been known for good governance. That is why he was also called 'Sushasn Babu. But now, the tag of sushasan appears to be slipping off him. He came out of Grand Alliance only due to deteriorating law and order situation and rising crime in the state and he considered his alliance partner RJD workers and leaders for it. So, to maintain his image of governing the state well, he came out of it and formed a government with BJP under NDA banner which he had left after more than 20 years of association in 2014 to fight assembly elections in 2015 with Congress and RJD. But since he formed govt. with BJP in Bihar last year again, the law and order situation continued to deteriorate.
The incidents of rape, murder, kidnapping, extortion continued to appear in the newspapers at regular intervals. CM Nitish Kumar has so far done nothing in the last one year to tighten law and order in the state. The horrifying stories emerging from the shelter home in Muzaffarpur about the 29 girls, who were sexually assaulted. The girls were duped, drugged and raped. They were tortured beyond any imagination. The girls, who told the state women Commission Chairperson their misery, raise the hair on its end. The operators and the visitors to the shelter home allegedly raped and beat the girls mercilessly. They were treated worse than animals. They were so much fearful of the operators and visitors of the shelter home that they did not ever tell their misery to the visiting state women commission members that they were treated so badly. When any official visited the shelter home and asked the girls what problems were being faced by them, they did not tell anything as oppressors always sitting by their side.
All these incidents of crime show that law and order in the state is deteriorating day and day and there is law fear of law in the state. Nitish Kumar in this stint of power does not deserve to be given any credit for governing the state well.
RJD is undoubtedly the largest political party in the state. Its boss Lalu Prasad is facing corruption cases and going in and out of jails frequently. Despite the taint of corruption with RJD supremo, it has still its strong grip on its vote bank of Yadav and Muslim. RJD is attacking the Nitish Kumar govt. day and night.
It is the responsibility of the Bihar govt. to order for a thorough probe of what happened in the shelter home in Muzaffarpur. This incident is a blot on the head of the state It is the shameful incident and the perpetrators of this crime must be awarded deterrent punishment.
The reports of repeated sexual abuse of inmates at the short stay home in Muzaffarpur came to light after Mumbai’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) carried out a social audit of shelter homes across Bihar last year. The Institute submitted its report in April this year. The govt. lodged a first information report on May 31.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-33328357692589032242018-07-26T05:43:00.001-07:002018-07-26T05:43:27.751-07:00Heavy rains submerge Delhi in water
The chaotic condition prevailed at every important intersection. It appeared as if the national capital turned into a pound. Everywhere only water was seen. All the drains were choked and there was no way to drain out the water accumulated on the streets and in colonies due to heavy rains. It is the total failure of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Govt. in carrying out their duties properly. Traffic was severely affected due to heavy rains in the national capital with waterlogging contributing to chaos at various intersections. Vehicular movement was also severely affected at the underpasses and flyovers.
The traffic police had to issue advisories with alternate routes on its Twitter handle for motorists. Heavy rains lashed the city overnight and continued till the morning. The weatherman has predicted more rainfall during the day. The national capital Delhi witnessed heavy rains in the morning. The civic bodies in the city are under the control of the BJP. They are governed by it for the two consecutive terms. Coincidently, the BJP is also in power at the Centre. Delhi being the national capital of the country, the police, land and general law and order are under the Central Govt. So, the responsibility also lies with them to take care of the city. The state govt. of Delhi cannot do anything with it. Delhi is yet to get full statehood. That is it is up to the Central government to look after the upkeep of the national capital. The period of the rainy season is fixed. So, the local bodies should have started preparation to deal with waterlogging in advance. Waterlogging in the national capital has become a perennial problem. No corner of Delhi whether it is VIP area or general one, waterlogs even after a light rain of short period. Waterlogging causes traffic jams for long hours and the resultant problems are faced by the common Delhiites. The officer goers cannot go office on time and the children don’t reach their schools due to sticking in long traffic jams.
This is also not the first time that waterlogging has taken place all over the national capital after a heavy rain. It is a perennial disease which has become incurable. The successive governments at the Centre and in the state have failed to do away with the problems of water logging in the capital. Fundamentally, the municipal corporation is solely responsible for the worsening civic condition of the city. As corruption is rampant at every level there, no one carries out one’s responsibility. Municipal staff go on strike every now and then. There needs to be an honest and strict nodal officer in the four municipal bodies to ensure that all preventive measures have been taken before rainy season or not. As the major responsibility for the upkeep of the city lies with MCD and it is under the BJP, the state govt. has little to do with this affair.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-14262278668660157692018-07-25T06:18:00.000-07:002018-07-25T06:18:07.547-07:00Need for re-thinking on reservation policy
Witnessing the violence on large scale during every strike, bandh, dharna, protest and agitation for the demand of reservation in educational institutions and government job, it appears that the time has come for re-thinking and reviewing the reservation policy by the government of the day. The successive governments at the Centre have dared not give a re-look to reservation policy lest it loses the votes. Reservation should only be availed by the people, who are needy and the economically weak irrespective of their caste and region.
Has any government ever made an appraisal of the reservation policy in the last 50 years? Whether this policy has been beneficial for the people for whom it has been formulated or not must be determined. At the time of introducing reservation for SC/ST, it was decided that its appraisal will be made every 10 years and after that it would be decided whether to continue it or not. But that did not happen only because of the politics of vote bank .
Marathas in Maharashtra and Mumbai have been agitating for the demand of reservation in educational institutions and government jobs. They were considered to be the dominant section in society of Maharashtra. They had enough landed property and they were solvent. With the passing of time, they felt threatened by the people of backward community on the basis of their reservation in education and job. Backward people on the basis of education and job left Marathas behind in society.
Feeling to be out of reckoning in Maharashtra, the Marathas resorted to agitation, which has also reportedly turned violent in different parts of the state, including Mumbai. On witnessing violence by the protesters, the agitation and bandh was reportedly called off.
Every individual and group has fundamental right to stage dharna, protest and start agitation for their demand but at the same time no one has any right to take law into one’s hand or go on rampage. The agitation, protest, dharna and strike must be peaceful. Protesters cannot be allowed to create violence. Law must deal with law breakers stringently.
As far as reservation is concerned, it must be given to only those who are economically weak. It must be given irrespective of caste, religion and creed. There must only be one criterion that is economic. Since the reservation in education and govt. job for OBC, SC/ST was introduced in the Constitution, it has never reached those who really need it in society. The benefits of reservation have only been availed by the rich people among the reservation categories. The poor among them s never availed the benefits of reservation. Mostly the poor among them could not receive education to get job in government. It has happened only because of poverty. So, the reservation should only have one criterion that is economic. Irrespective of caste, religion and creed, all those who are economically weak must be given reservation.
It is no justification that the people belonging to upper caste cannot get reservation even if they are poor in society. Government of the day must call an all party meeting and work for developing consensus to give a re-look to the reservation policy. Otherwise, the violent agitation by the people of this and that community, caste will continue for reservation.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-75106390357283313282018-07-24T06:20:00.000-07:002018-07-24T06:20:17.474-07:00Stop mob lynching forthwith
It is no justification to use the previous incident of mob lynching even of greater magnitude as a cover for the present ones, which occur mostly in BJP ruled states, by the Union Ministers and BJP leaders. There can be no defence for mob lynching. It is the black spot on the face of the country. The killing of Rakbar Khan by a group of so-called Gaurakshaks in Alwar of Rajasthan is nothing but the increasing brutality. They commit a heinous crime knowing that no police will ever dare act against them. In the same district of Alwar in Rajasthan Pehlu Khan was lynched to death by a group of so-called Gaurakshak last year. It is the sing of total failure of law and order in the state.
The callous and negligent approach of the police in Rajasthan shows that they took three and half hours in taking the injured Rakbar to hospital for treatment. The police inaction is surprising that the hospital is only 6 Kms away from there and they took three and half hours in reaching there. They attached more importance to their tea break on way to hospital than admitting injured Rakbar without any loss of time to save his life. He was declared brought dead by the doctor. The local MLA alleges that Police beat Rakbar to death. Whether police beat him or not is a matter of investigation but one thing clearly reflects that they considered it important to take the two cows recovered from Rakbar’s possession to the shelter first. They did not show any seriousness to save the life of Rakbar.
Rakbar Khan was a cattle rearing farmer living in the district of Alwar in Rajasthan. He was reportedly transporting two cows and on suspicion of smuggling them, a group of Gaurakshak was lying in wait on the way for him to attack. They beat him so mercilessly that he lost his life. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhraraje Scindhia has said that strict action will be taken against the culprits but what about the police action? Had the police force been tightened in the state the two incidents of mob lynching in which two men of particular community within two years would not have died.
The law and order is a state subject and the Rajasthan Govt. has completely failed to maintain it. A Union Minister and senior BJP leader from the state in his bizarre reaction to the killing of Rakbar Khan by the mob that it is occurring to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rising popularity. It is absurd and uncalled for. Another Union Minister equates present day incidents of mob lynching to the incident of Sikh riot which occurred 3 decades back. Yet another Union Minister garlands the people accused of lynching on their bail from the court. When this is the attitude of the ministers in the government, it is foolishness to expect any action from them against mob lynchers. If the opposition raises voice against the mob lynching, the ruling political party gives it political colour. The need of the hour is to stop lynching forthwith. Otherwise, the message went loud and clear that mobocracy reigns supreme in the land of Buddha, Jain and Mahatma.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5993328926189687118.post-24112273931695234132018-07-23T05:35:00.003-07:002018-07-23T06:09:12.576-07:00Congress projects Rahul as its PM candidate
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has presided over the newly reconstituted Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body, for the first time. CWC has authorized Mr. Gandhi to take a final call on sewing up alliances with the like-minded political parties. Rahul Gandhi has asked party leaders to explore the possibilities of alliances in the coming Lok Sabha elections to throw the BJP-led NDA govt. out of power. He has also asked his party workers to fan out all over the country and raise the issue of corruption in Rafale purchase deal with France by the government.
Some senior Congress leaders have targeted to win 150 Lok Sabha seat as they are of the view that there is one to one fight in about 15 states. Congress will have a straight contest with the BJP or any other party in 15 states which account for 169 Lok Sabha seats. In 264 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress will have to be dependent on its alliance partners. So, alliance and coalition with like-minded parties will be seriously undertaken.
CWC has also projected Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial face of the party in the coming Lok Sabha elections. Though the Congress party is itself skeptical about Rahul's acceptance by its alliance partners as a leader, it is its own decision. But it is the choice of the political party which matters most in projecting its leader. What will be the final call of the alliance partners on leadership issue is yet to be seen?
Though coalition politics has not been successful so far and its experience has also not been good, it is to be seen how Congress succeeds in sewing up an alliance with the like-minded political parties. As far as the position of Congress in the two most politically important states -Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is concerned, it even cannot stand up without the support of the alliance partners. Congress earnestly needs Samajwadi or BSP in Uttar Pradesh and RJD in Bihar.
The position of the Congress party has reached to such a passé as moribund because of the sheer negligence of the state leaders to rejuvenate it. In both Bihar and UP, state leaders have been neglecting the organization since the Congress party was thrown out of power in 1990. It has been gasping for breath there since then. The organizational set-up of the party in both the states is in mess. It is the weakness of Congress organization that the SP and the BSP in UP and the RJD in Bihar respectively does not attach much importance to it.
The road to power in Delhi passes through UP. So if the Congress party sees its stake at power, it has to cobble up alliance with SP and BSP in UP and RJD in Bihar. Congress party President Rahul Gandhi must pay attention to infuse confidence by overhauling the organizational set-up in UP and Bihar from village to state capital level on a priority basis. The Congress is on death bed in these two states. It requires proper medication in these two states to come back to life again and occupy its pre-imminent position. Time is running out fast. So, if Congress is to be in the reckoning for power, it must strengthen the organizational set-ups first in UP and Bihar.
Suvashanand Mishrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00640889486434525941noreply@blogger.com0