ASK PRABHU / AUGUST 25, 2008

Is BSP chief Mayawati India's 'Barack Obama'?
Whose status are you trying to raise? Obama's or Mayawati's? By the way, Mayawati has won the confidence of around 200 million people of Uttar Pradesh as against a little over 300 million of the US who are yet to make up their minds about Obama.

-Asked by Akhil akhilmehra987@gmail.com

Why is the condition of roads in India so horrible?
Poor quality of material used for construction of pavements and roads coupled with corruption are converting roads into potholes.
Your views on national issues seem to be driven by some ideology; these are not from an independent analyst.
Yes. I am committed to India and Indian ideology.
Manmohan Singh has been made to face the odd music of 61years of the Centre's misrule in Jammu and Kashmir. I am afraid he will be made a scapegoat for the liquidation of India that we inherited from the British rule. Please comment.
The British left India 61 years ago.
V.N. Gadgil had said long back that the Congress party will be destroyed under Sonia Gandhi's leadership. Don't you think it is precisely happening now?
Poor Vithal Gadgil, a great friend of mine, had a great sense of humour.
Do you know much about Hindu mythology and the saints of India? Do you accept the law of Karmic destiny? Have you read the Bhagavad Gita, Yog Vashishtha, Panchdashi or Vichar Sagar? May god give wisdom to you and bless you.
Thank you very much for your kind wishes.
You have called a spade a spade in the article Villains of the Valley and showed that you care for truth. Psuedo-secularism is killing India's interests. Why don't you keep on writing such good articles again and again?
Thank you very much. As a journalist, I will continue doing what is good for journalism.
Can you do something to improve the standard of boxing and wrestling in the country?
We can cover them and encourage them.
China has been pushing the Han people into Tibet, Pakistan is pushing their people in the PoK. Should India do the same to change the demographic balance in J&K?
Your suggestion is dangerous.
One third of world's poor lives in India. Around 40 million earn less than $1.25 per day and 83 million less than $2 per day. When will India wipe out such inequality and stop adopting policies that favour a handful of capitalist businessmen?
India does need an economic policy which will reduce inequalities much faster than what is being witnessed now.
I would like to appreciate you for the article Villains of the Valley; it was not only bold but also thought-provoking. What is the punishment for these villains?
Some of them are politicians and they can be punished by the people only.
What will be Chiranjeevi's prospects in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections?
If I go by the massive response he got at his rally, I see a second NTR in the making.
Why doesn't the government ban political parties from calling bandhs? Why can't the Supreme Court ban bandhs or strikes?
You cannot ban any peaceful expression of dissent against policies of the government or any other act which people consider discriminatory or bad for them.
Do you have an accredited journalist like P Sainath to cover farmers' suicides in the country?
We have many credible and knowledgeable correspondents who are capable of covering such tragic events whenever they come to our notice.
The CRPF opens fire on peaceful rallies in the Valley, but becomes a mute spectator in Jammu. Why?
If you go by the number of people killed, I don't find much difference.
You said, "First-hand knowledge is always better than second or third-hand knowledge" when asked about ISRO's manned mission to moon. What will the scientists do with the knowledge? Isn't it just a space race of no use?
If I accept your argument, then why do students appearing for exams read different books?

Isn't Mamata Banerjee trying to gain political mileage over Singur rather than sincerely taking up the issue of farmers?
No politician takes up a cause unless there are votes for him or her in it. But, Mamata has, for the first time, chosen to fight for a cause which looks like a winning formula for her.
-Asked by Prakash prakashan_vayalapra@yahoo.co.in

Wasn't it the murder of democracy in J&K when the Centre dismissed Sheikh Abdullah's govt in 1953? When no elections were held from 1953 to 1975, how did the legislators enact laws during that period?
Why are you talking about history?
Your show Seedhi Baat has become monotonous and stale. When will you stop showing it?
Since you are still watching it, I hope to continue it for some more time and make it more interesting for you.
India Today is full of glamour and glitz and has no proper content. Is this how you run a magazine?
If Mayawati, Amar Singh, Prakash Karat, L.K. Advani and Manmohan Singh are part of the glamour world, I wonder from where you learnt your vocabulary.
Why don't you cover burning issues in south India?
There are no burning problems in South India which we have ignored.
Why isn't the Congress-led government working to control Inflation?
The government is trying to contain inflation because it wants to win an election.
Why doesn't the PM give us a current status report on the country?
I don't know what you mean by status report.
Manmohan Singh said that Advani was sleeping when terrorists attacked the Parliament. Now what is his home minister doing when Kashmir is burning?
The Home Minister is busy chairing various committees and panels constituted by the Prime Minister to resolve the issue.
Why can't we have a more responsive public litigation system so that we are not befooled by companies minting money at our expense?
Public Interest Litigation has often been misused by various individuals and even corporates for settling personal scores against their rivals.
In your cover story (September 1, 2008), why did you exclude Jawaharlal Nehru, Hari Singh and Sheikh Abdullah as the real villains, whose indecisiveness and inaction 62 years ago gave rise to the present imbroglio in Kashmir?
We are talking of the present and not the past. History need not be reported all the time.
Why did India Today not announce any incentives for our Olympic heroes?
As a media organization, we don't indulge in such schemes. It is our job to recognize them by writing about their achievements and that is a bigger incentive than any amount of money can get them.
Is it fair that students from other parts of India cannot seek admissions and appointments in J&K, whereas the Kashmiri separatists and their supporters can seek admissions and even buy property anywhere in the country?
The state of J&K has a special constitution under Article 370 which was given as a gift by the Indian Parliament and the Indian Constituent Assembly to the people of Kashmir in view of its voluntary merger with the Indian Union.
How would the patrolling soldiers of the Indian Army have felt when protesters shouted slogans like "Bharat teri maut aayi, Lashkar aye, Lashkar aye" in front of them at Srinagar on August 23?
They must have felt depressed but they could not fire as the protestors were peaceful and just expressing their feelings against India.
Are RSS members barred from becoming IAS/IFS officers?
Officially, there is no ban on RSS affiliation of any candidate who appears in competitive examinations for All India Services.
The Centre pleads in the Supreme Court for extending the ban on SIMI as a terrorist organization whereas the UPA allies Laloo Prasad Yadav, Ram Vilas Paswan and Mulayam Singh Yadav extend political and moral support to SIMI. How do you reconcile?
That's the magic formula for keeping the UPA alive.
Was Abhinav Bindra's achievement as the first Indian to win Olympic gold in an individual capacity not enough for you to do a cover story on him in India Today?
Unfortunately, we had an Independence Day special issue which was planned a few months in advance.

Was Abhinav Bindra's achievement as the first Indian to win Olympic gold in an individual capacity not enough for you to do a cover story on him in India Today?
Unfortunately, we had an Independence Day special issue which was planned a few months in advance.
Are there no brave men like Sardar Patel to rule India and solve the Kashmir issue and terrorism, once and for all?
There is no political will to resolve the Kashmir issue. We have powerful leaders, but none with the courage to do what Patel did. It is lack of courage, not leadership.
I am a 15-year-old girl participating in a debate: 'India can push for growth ignoring inflation that affects most Indians'. Please help me with some points to substantiate my claim that growth should run parallel to rising inflation.
Economists are divided as usual on the models of economic development ever since the US became a super power; the economists believe that supply-side economics is better for faster economic growth as it creates massive supply of goods and services and generates employment.
When will we see Gauri Khan (Shah Rukh Khan's wife) in Seedhi Baat?
Whenever her dear husband gives her permission to speak. She may get more publicity than King Khan.
What is the future of industrial development in West Bengal?
It is directly related to the future of the CPM. Marx, Marxists and markets cannot co-exist.
Can vote-bank politics be done away with if the government ruling at the Centre gets an eight-year tenure?
In the current political scenario, it is difficult to predict the survival of a government in a five-year term.
How can I approach the high command in the Congress to complain against a non-performing Congress MLA?
Address you letter to Mrs Sonia Gandhi, AICC president, 10 Janpath, New Delhi-110001.
Can't a legislation be enacted to recall elected representatives if they work against the interests of the voters?
According to the Constitution, only Parliament can enact such a legislation.
People living in smaller cities have started dreaming big. Please comment.
Great news. Good for India, because India lives in small cities and villages.
What if military training is made mandatory for the youth in India?
In a huge country like India, nothing can be made mandatory.
Should we educate children involved in child labour and provide employment to their parents?
There are various child welfare schemes run by the Centre and the state governments.
Why doesn't the government take any action against Arundhati Roy for her anti-national comments on Kashmir?
Our government believes in excessive democracy and freedom of speech and thought.
Why did Arundhati Roy advocate freedom for Kashmir while addressing a meeting in the Valley?
As you know, she is a writer of fiction, and she makes money from writing books.
Shouldn't the central government cut salaries of bureaucrats as its gigantic size causes huge economic burden on the country?
No. Government should not cut salaries, but the numbers.
Will Sonia Gandhi project Manmohan Singh as prime ministerial candidate before the next LS polls?
When Sonia Gandhi was asked this question recently, she shot back "why not?"

Can I see Abhinav, Sushil and Vijender in Seedhi Baat?
Let the remaining two come back from Beijing with medals and I will try to talk to them.
What do UPA and its allies mean when they talk about division of secular vote?
No. Basically, they talk of the division of anti-BJP votes which come from various communities and not only from the Muslims.
You said that the RAW is shame of India because it always anticipates but never strikes. Can you just justify this statement?
The organization has been embroiled in various controversies.
Can Narendra Modi ensure a landslide victory for BJP under his leadership?
I don't think Modi has acquired such a national status that he can ensure a landslide victory for his party.
Why does the RBI borrow money from World Bank?
RBI never borrows money from the World Bank.
Why does the media project only IITs and IIMs, when there are so many other good institutions of higher education?
Because the IIT and IIMs fall within one category whereas there are over 10,000 colleges across the country.
Why is the Delhi government so adamant on completing the BRT project?
The BRT project has been suspended temporarily.
Why do you say Rajiv Gandhi was a Brahmin even though her mother, Indira Gandhi, was married to Feroze Gandhi?
Because of the perception that Rajiv Gandhi came from a Brahmin lineage.
Isn't Congress the only party which can give stable and efficient govt at Centre?
What was wrong with the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government?
Why isn't the PM trying to resolve the Amarnath land row?
If it was within the powers of the Prime Minister, do you think he would have not used his authority to resolve it?
Shouldn't Abhinav Bindra be nominated to Rajya Sabha?
He is too young to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha.
How can we avoid communal clashes and make India peaceful?
Let us all follow the rule of law and everybody should be treated at par.
Shouldn't the government develop Special Farming Zones to boost growth of agriculture in Bharat?
Bharat is still known as a krishi pradhan desh—agricultural economy.
Was Somnath Chatterjee's defiance of the party whip justified?
No. If you are a member of a party, you must accept its discipline and follow the whip.
Why do Kashmiri people need freedom from India?
Hurriyat leaders, and not Kashmiris, need freedom from India.

Is it necessary to offer huge sums to Abhinav Bindra, who already has a sound financial background?
It's not a question of money being offered to him.
What would be the biggest challenge before country's first Dalit PM?
To get over centuries old caste bias against Dalits.
Why couldn't the J&K issue be resolved in past 60 years?
Because of vote-bank politics.
Does the United Nations have any jurisdiction over Jammu and Kashmir?
No. They don't.
Can you please publish Ask Prabhu Q&As in the India Today magazine as well?
I would love to publish it in India Today but space in the magazine is limited and newsprint very expensive.
Why do states honour only their own sportspersons?
States are like a family, and it is within their rights to honour players which were born in these states.
Isn't the BJP taking advantage of the Amarnath land row?
The BJP is after all a political party, and it will use all the opportunities to win an election.
Can the continuation of caste-based reservation be justified?
Reservation policy for backward communities is a recent phenomenon except in the south.
My daughter is in a good job and I want her to settle down soon. When will I have some financial freedom?
I don't understand your question.
Do Hindu Brahmins have any future because they get abused by leaders and receive no state benefits?
You must be joking. As far as I know, Brahmins are still getting alms from the birth, death and even after the death of a human being.
What do you feel about Arundhati Roy’s comment that "Kashmir needs freedom from India"?
Since she hardly stays in India, I can imagine her psyche.
What did Shivraj Patil mean when said on Seedhi Baat that "all misdeeds are being done in Jammu by aapke dost"?
You heard me telling he was also my dost!
I'm a RSS swayamsevek. Will you please let me know about Article 370 and the solution to PoK?
You have to forget about PoK. You have to think about how to retain what you have.
Does the Centre have any right on Kashmir's territory because it does nothing when separatists openly declare it as a free land or a part of Pakistan?
Kashmir is an integral part of India, and with such a strong democracy that we allow even extremist and separatist voices to express themselves as long as they are peaceful.
Can't we have a Sanskrit name for 'Air Force One' in India?
They have been appropriately named because they are operated by the Air Force for flying the President and the Prime Minister.