Seedhi Baat / Shivraj Patil/Aajtak, August 17, 2008

Divisive forces to blame for J&K mess'

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil talks about the Amarnath land row, regional imbalance and the UPA govt's performance among other things in Seedhi Baat for Aajtak.
Watch video Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6

Power & Politics/ Mail Today, August 18, 2008

IF YOU think the UPA’s four- year- long nightmare ended on July 22, wait a minute. The government may no more be dependent on the 59 MPs from the solid Left Block in the Lok Sabha but with payback season at hand, fresh nightmares are threatening to ruin what it was thought would be a seamless run up to the elections.
And Shibu Soren isn’t the only one who is giving sleepless nights to Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, although it beats me how the UPA could concede his demand considering that the Jharkhand’s chief minister is not decided by the largest party in the Assembly but by the eight Independents, one of whom, Madhu Koda, now occupies the office. The Independents are hardly likely to oblige a government on its last legs when they know they have three more years in the legislature before the people make up their minds again.
But the real problem for the government, very acute at that, lies elsewhere.
It’s the Samajwadi Party, whose new found love for the Congress was what saved the government last month. As gratitude, Manmohan and Sonia are ready to offer ministerships to its members, but the SP will settle for nothing less than eight posts — five at the Cabinet level and three ministers of state.
The logic goes thus: the SP has 36 MPs making it the second largest contingent in the ruling establishment and if Lalu’s RJD with considerably less MPs can have three Cabinet Ministers and two ministers of state, five senior plus three junior ministers is the minimum they will settle for.
Manmohan’s problem are compounded by the fact that there is only one vacancy, in the Coal Ministry.
Lucrative as it is, it cannot make up for the many others they have set their eyes on. Mulayam Singh Yadav has made it amply clear his party will not settle for new ministries that may be carved out — minor Irrigation and that sort of stuff. They only want major portfolios.
Manmohan and Sonia cannot ask the allies to withdraw ministers to accommodate the SP’s demands, so the two have drawn up a Kamaraj Plan 2008 which involves many senior ministers being asked to give up office for party work in the belief that in an election year, that is the more onerous task carrying much more responsibility.
They include Arjun Singh, AK Antony, Shivraj Patil, AR Antulay, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Jaipal Reddy, Sis Ram Ola, Mahavir Prasad, PR Kyundiah, Santosh Mohan Dev, Saifuddin Soz, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Murli Deora, all Cabinet Ministers, Oscar Fernandes and Vilas Muttemwar, both ministers of state with independent charge and MoSs, E Ahmed, Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Anand Sharma, Ashwani Kumar and MH Ambareesh. Some of them won’t be missed, like Ambareesh, who I doubt knows where his office is located.
The list has thrown up fresh problems because each of them represents a caste or regional pressure group which the government can offend at its own peril. Besides, the list comprises Congressmen with loyalties split between Race Course Road and 10 Janpath. Thus if Manmohan wants to get a non- performer out, his proximity to 10 Janpath may ensure he hangs on. And vice versa. It remains to be seen how between them, the UPA Chairperson and the Prime Minister sort this out. But sort it they must. Otherwise Mulayam’s promise of seat adjustments and joint campaign in Uttar Pradesh may remain just that – a promise. It could put the parliamentary careers of some high profile Congress MP's in jeopardy.

Snippets / Mail Today, August 18, 2008

Singh-Sen mutual admiration society

LIKE birds of a feather, Manmohan Singh and Amartya Sen have flocked together for much of the last five decades. They parted economic paths only the last decade and a half, which saw Manmohan become the most forceful votary of market forces while Sen, as the Nobel citation read, “ combined tools from economics and philosophy to restore an ethical dimension to the discussion of vital economic problems.” Yet, they form a little two- man mutual admiration society. But it was only recently that Manmohan felt the need for the “ aam aadmi connection” and use Sen to project the government’s pro- poor credentials, at the annual memorial lecture for veteran Communist Hiren Mukherjee, to coincide with the start of the Monsoon Session. Sen agreed, but there were minor hiccups though. The Lok Sabha had been through one of the bitterest sessions last month during the confidence vote. So, how does one balance Sen’s tight schedule with a one- day session in Central Hall that would ensure a decent presence of MPs. Someone, and I won’t tell you who, hit upon the brilliant idea of convening meetings of all 42 parliamentary standing committees which would ensure that each MP was in Delhi, even if not in the House. And so, Central Hall brimmed, not so much with elected MPs as with special invitees.
Singh toasted Sen saying the UPA’s policies and programmes were largely drawn from the Nobel Laureate’s world view. Sen’s words were music to Congress ears as he criticised the Left for making such a big deal of the N- deal instead of taking up bread and butter issues. Did I talk of a mutual admiration society?

FOR one known to be a reluctant public speaker, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did a remarkable job from the Red Fort on I- day. What was more surprising was that he kept going for over 45 minutes leaving no one in doubt that it was an election speech. Though his speech writers medium was Hindi, it was Urdu, a language that he is comfortable with, that dominated as he listed the achievements of his government— the loan waiver, increased farm credit, Bharat Nirman etc etc.
I was in the Aaj Tak studio doing a special I- day programme when SMSes started flowing about the lack of any reference to Abhinav Bindra’s remarkable feat in Beijing, which I think has been the most inspiring feat during the last four years.
More than nine per cent growth, which is anyway down now, more than the Nano car, which will become outdated someday, more than the loan waiver which is money down the drain, Abhinav’s gold will glitter forever.

WE don’t need the weatherman to tell us we have had one of the wettest monsoons in a long time, yet there is no sign of when the Monsoon Session of Parliament will be called. More questions: If and when it is called, will it turn out to be the last? The government’s reluctance to convene the session is understandable as the treasury is nearly empty and it will have to seek approval for demands for supplementary grants amounting to nearly Rs 60,000 crores. But even without Shibu Soren upping the ante, the government is unsure of a majority and I suspect its fear that defeat of a money bill makes it imperative for the government to quit, is forcing it to tread very very carefully. Normally supplementary demands are made during the winter session, but if the government can get these passed in the monsoon session, the last session itself could be done away with.
So goes the reasoning. Thus the pay hike for babus. The matter was in cold storage for months and it was only last week that Finance Minister P Chidambaram was asked to prepare a Cabinet note. The hike will cost the country an additional Rs 22,000 crores, needless to say, without any improvement in performance.
But in an election year which MP would oppose it? It is the government's hope that in the process the supplementary grants would pass through and curtains could be drawn on the 14th Lok Sabha.

Rigging for revenge

THE END of a relationship spanning four decades can be traumatising but it hasn’t taken Somnath Chatterjee long to recover and find happiness once again. Shorn of Marxist fetters, the Lok Sabha Speaker is clearly enjoying the freedom.
Though he prefers to keep a low profile, there is no shortage of people wanting Chatterjee, winner of the “ Outstanding Parliamentarian award” to deliver a speech, inaugurate a school or chair a seminar.
Under him, the Lok Sabha secretariat has become hyper active, particularly the Public and Press relations wing; there have been days when I have got as many as five SMSes from his secretariat. Expelled by the CPI( M) a day after the trust vote, he is off limits for his erstwhile comrades but his new friends have been quick to embrace him, particularly those in the Congress.
If Manmohan, Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders dropped by to greet him on his birthday with bouquets for the photo- ops, last week, the Hiren Mukherjee lecture in Parliament’s Central Hall gave Congressmen one more chance to sing his paeans. Manmohan termed Chatterjee “ the true inheritor of the legacy of Hiren Mukherjee”. The Marxists must be livid, but there is little they can do today. Chatterjee says he will no more fight elections, but if he changes his mind and seeks reelection from Bolpur as a Congress candidate, the Marxists can take sweet revenge by doing something they are very good at : rig votes, to make sure he loses.

ASK PRABHU / AUGUST 14, 2008

Who is ruling the country—Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi or the U.S.?
The people of India.

Will the Congress return in power with Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister after the general elections?
Too early to predict an election. The UPA has not declared its Prime Ministerial candidate for 2009.
Is there any need to buy three 'Air Force Ones' in India?
Because there are two dignitaries who need it—the President and the Prime Minister. A third is kept on standby.
Will the two words Impotent India have any impact on the Home Minister?
I think it did. It was only after our cover that he started moving around, talking to all political parties for resolving the issue.
What should we do to change the vote-bank politics, mother of all evils?
Vote against those who indulge in it.
Why do roads everywhere in India have so many potholes?
Because the roads are dug out by a powerful nexus of politicians and engineers who siphon money out from the material used in road construction.
Why are criminals/terrorists allowed to cover their face when police arrest them?
The Indian Penal Code prohibits the police from showing the faces of criminals before they are identified in the presence of a judicial authority.
Was Kalyan Singh's removal from the BJP after 1999 elections the reason behind the BJP's poor performance in UP?
That is history. But why did the BJP suffer its worst defeat in the last assembly election when Kalyan Singh himself was the chairman of the campaign committee?
Did Governor N.N.Vohra take members of the Shrine Board into confidence before writing to the Chief Minister in June that the Board no longer needed the allotted land? On what basis he took a decision on such a sensitive issue?
I don't know on what basis Vohra came to that conclusion.
Is Mukesh Ambani supporting Mayawati to be the prime minister?
How do you know? Please let me know and I will investigate for you.
I don't think we have the political will to solve the Kashmir issue.
I agree with you. There is no political will to resolve this issue. It is the fear of losing votes that has led to the killing and suffering of ordinary people.
Manmohan Singh said on July 22 that when Gujarat was burning the then Home Minister Advani was sleeping. Now, when Jammu is burning, isn't his Home Minister also caught napping?
Both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister failed to anticipate the gravity of the situation when Governor N.N. Vohra reversed the allotment of land to the shrine board.
Should Jammuites also pick up guns to be taken seriously by the government?
Guns are louder, but their impact doesn't last longer. Every problem should be resolved through dialogue and peaceful protest.
The PDP leadership openly supported the march to PoK along with the separatists and trucks full of fruits in protest against the agitation in Jammu. What does it show?
It shows their intention to retain base in the Valley.
Will Abhinav Bindra's feat encourage budding sportspersons to take up sports other than cricket?
Yes. Bindra is now India's pride. And in return, India has become magnanimous in giving him huge cash awards, which should be an inspiration for budding sportspeople who have seen big money only in cricket.
Will Abhinav Bindra's gold spur the Government to come up with better infrastructure for sports, other than cricket?
To be fair to the Government, it has been doing a lot for other sports during the past few years.

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Seedhi Baat / Aajtak, August 10, 2008

Watch Seedhi Baat with Vivek Oberoi

Power & Politics / Mail Today, August 11, 2008

THERE are somethings that you can’ttake away from theAbdullahs, both fatherand son. Qualities likeunquestioned nationalism,unwavering loyalty andtheir fetish for political theatrics.
The first is somethingthey have inherited, the secondthey have imbibed in recenttimes.
What’s happening in Jammu & Kashmiris shameful, to put it mildly. Lastweek, Abdullah pere roared, “DoesFarooq Abdullah need a passport to goto Jammu?” Just two weeks earlier,Omar had made a passionate speech inParliament where he defended the revocationof the Amarnath Shrine land,saying, “It is an issue of our land, wefought for it and will continue to fightfor it till we die”. The statements mirrorthe conflicts between the nationalistand the politician. There was a timewhen people would have looked up toFarooq, a proud Indian, for the rightanswers. Because he was known tostand between the ordinary people ofKashmir and terrorists. They didn’tquite call him The Wall. But he was.
Don’t forget that successive governmentsat the Centre, whatever theirpolitical colour, had picked him out torepresent the country and take onIndia baiters at various internationalforums, a job he did with unmatchedpanache. And his National Conferencewas the only party that wonseats in all parts of the state includingthe Jammu region. Today, Farooq’ssole objective isto win elections,and in theprocess thatnationalist witha higher sense ofKashmiriyat hasvanished. Whateverhappenedto the master ofthe middleground?Steeped in theworst kind ofcompetitive politics,he hasended up supportinghis arch rival Mehbooba Muftisinging Governor NN Vohra’s praisedespite the fact that it was his orderrevoking a Cabinet decision that hasbrought the state to such a dreadfulpass, leaving the UPA scratching itshead to find out where things wentwrong.
Farooq’s unstinted support to theGovernor is somewhat ironic becausehe has had a history of skirmisheswith governors in the past. Twicewith Jagmohan: first when the governorsacked him; later, as a protestagainst the VP Singh government’sdecision to reappoint Jagmohan asgovernor, Farooq actually quit. Now joined hands with a governorwhose actions have doneimmense damage to the verycause that they have alwaysstood for. In New Delhi’s chatteraticircles where the Abdullahsare a permanent fixture,they are of late having troublefending off questions abouttheir recent stance.
Their friends feel let down,having expected them totread the middle path andcome up with solutions thatwould be acceptable to bothsides. For unlike Vohra whohas no local stakes and willcomplete his assignment andreturn to Delhi to live underthe protection of Black Cats,the Abdullahs’ future is linkedto that of Kashmir. It’s inexplicablethat they have chosen tojoin the fringe parties. In doingso, they have shrunk themselves.
Once their appeal waspan-Indian. I hope it won’thappen but the day may not befar off when they fail to matteranywhere except the 100-oddsquare kilometres that is Srinagar.

What a fall!

WILL the real Kamal Nath please stand up? The CommerceMinister, who owns resorts and runs a helicopter charterservice, is known to be more at home with the Page-3 population.
He has suddenly turned farmer- friendly and his greatexertions have even got him into The New York Timesand TheEconomistas the man who derailed the Geneva round of theDoha talks. Though never involved in the task of musteringsupport for either the nuclear deal or the trust vote, he flewback to Delhi to vote for the trust motion and got back in timeto stall the pact. His reasoning: “I am all for commerce, butabsolutely against depriving anyone of livelihood security”.It is a line that his spin doctors will find useful since a vacancyfor the Madhya Pradesh chief minister’s job is due to comeup in a few months’ time and he may finally have found theright plank.