Democracy!

I was watching television yesterday evening, and the breaking news was the
disappearance of the chopper in which the CM of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. YSR, was
flying.

The chopper went down in a jungle, off Chittoor. A dense forest of 3000 sq.
kms, naxal infested, and dangerous even for security forces to venture into.
Security agencies went into a tizzy. 6000 troops and personnel being
deployed to hunt down the missing chopper. Sukhois flying low altitude with
night vision cameras, army choppers flying with flood lights, tribals and
police on the march. NASA brought in to beam in real time images of the
forest to hunt for any signs of movement.

It was amazing the amount of technology that can be harnessed in a backward
country like ours to hunt down a missing CM. It is a matter of national
shame that the chopper carrying his contingent was overdue on its flight
worthiness certificate, and there was no SOP or standard op procedure in
case something like this happens. Security agencies were caught unawares on
what to do, and thus lost the golden hours when a crash site has not yet
disintegrated totally.

When so much of technology can be brought in to hunt some one very
important, then why can’t it be used to hunt down the naxals? The naxals or
the more popular name of Maoists are increasingly being heard of in the
media, holding vast stretches of the country on tenterhooks, with their
demands, revenge killings, and rampage.

Chattisgarh, Jharkand and a few other states have become their home turf. We
hear from the media that external forces hostile to India are training and
equipping them. The same is said of all movements that disrupt the way of
the democracy in our country. The guns come from abroad, their camps are
situated abroad to train them. But they all are Indians.

Some say that if they were Indians, then why they can’t stand up for their
rights within our system. Why must they wage a war that is extra judicial?

You could see that after every anti-Muslim pogrom, we have seen many years
of ghastly and daring terrorist acts. If any one in the government has any
wits at all, they should stop these pogroms from happening.

People are marginalized when they don’t get justice. Unless judicial reforms
become reality, there will be no peace in our country. Stop the injustice!

Everyone is aware of what happened to Mr. Narendra Modi when he was on the
show “The Devil’s Advocate”. When he was questioned on the Gujarat pogroms,
he was unable to answer. He had the look of someone who was being hunted for
his sins. He had a glass of water, and decided to walk out of the show. The
question that caused such a response was: “What did you do as the Chief
Minister of Gujarat to stop the violence?” The compare wouldn’t let him go
with the usual “we were doing our best”. He persisted and Mr. Modi couldn’t
stand up for his dignity. Mr. Modi was insulted.

I was reading an article about a man who has been in jail for 50+ years. His
family forgot, the nation forgot. He has got a compensation of Rs. 3 lacs
from the Government, but 3 lacs for 50 years of injustice is like wiping
someone’s ass with a coarse 200 grit abrasive paper.

Last week, the Moaists had called a strike in Bihar and Jharkand, and went
about bombing railway stations, tracks and mobile towers. Their demand was
very simple: “Take our comrades to court”. It seems that the police were
holding and interrogating two Maoist leaders outside the law. The Maoists
wanted them to be produced in court and remanded to judicial or police
custody. Now who is with the law and who is against it? The police
eventually took these people to the court, and the strike ended soon after.

It is that simple as this. People who don’t get justice form their own
system of justice. First, the hard core people will be the one’s directly
affected. It will be a small group of 4-5 people, then they will administer
justice on their own terms, then people join in who are enchanted by the
whole quickness and fairness, and then comes the popular movement. Violence is inhuman, but so is injustice. Violence breaks lives, but injustice can rip apart the whole society.
Thousands and thousands of troops are present in the naxal ‘infested’ areas.
They shoot, kill or arrest any person who is deemed a threat to the country.
But a corrupt official or sarpanch or corporator is immune to such a buildup
of hostile opinion and action. Is a revenue official who takes bribes any
worse than a naxal?

The naxal fights to rid the country of corruption. He knows why he is doing
this, but he doesn’t know how else to do it. He is just using the age old
technique of overpowering the system, when people like us would like the
system to change from within.

Where is our country headed? Judges are protesting against calls to declare
their assets. If they are good and honest why must they object?

Where is our country headed? A sensible government, headed by Dr. Singh is
not able to or willing to pass a bill banning politicians with criminal
records from representing the people.

Where is our country headed? A country of such immense potential is closing
its eyes to corruption in the name of progress and economic reforms.

Where is our country headed? When we believe that force is the only solution
to all social evils.

Where is our country headed? The mechanisms that must be protecting the
people and their rights are destroying the lives of people.

The Singur story is a good case in point. There are places where people are
not able to raise a single stick of carrot throughput the year. Industry
doesn’t come up these places. Industry comes up in places where there are 3
paddy harvests a year, monsoon or no monsoon.

  1. The WB government acquires land from farmers, through whatever means.
  2. The WB government hands over this land at a throwaway price to the
  Tatas.
  3. Tata’s build a factory on the land and manufacture small cars
  4. The people who gave up the land can be employed in the factory.



It is little comfort to note that a farmer, his own master, an entrepreneur
in his own right has to wear trousers and shoes and go to work for the
Tatas. Would a small scale manufacturer of shoe laces ever go and work in a
factory, unless he fails in his business?

How safe is it to assume that a farmer will be employable in a car factory?
A farmer who is uneducated will be sweeping floors and wiping toilet seats
in the factory.

Whatever has happened to pride? What has happened to self respect? Where is
our national pledge of upholding a citizen’s dignity?

People are being pushed around a lot in the name of development. Whether
this is a sustainable mode of development, no one knows. Social scientists
believe we are on course for destruction and anarchy. We are witnessing
signs of it already.
 

Election Time

Pattali Makkal Katchi – The Party for the Laboring Masses, literally - PMK is a political party in Tamil Nadu, founded on the holy principle of working for the uplifting of the presiding caste of the party. It started off as demanding more benefits and recognition of the caste within the State. Transport Corporations and Districts were named after prominent good people of this caste. There was mass felling of huge trees along the highways, as a means of blockading the state apparatus into making the above said concessions during the 1980s. It all started off there.

And today, the party is prominent in TN & Central politics. The leader of the party is referred to as Maruthuvar Ayya – Doctor ji. The son of this leader as Chinna Maruthuvar Ayya – Little Doctor ji. The latter is the Health Minister in the Central Cabinet.

The party derives its power base, strength from the Northern part of the State.

It takes pure genius to convert a small caste based ideology into a political movement. Hats off Dr. Ramadoss for this.

Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, as the Health Minister has brought in a lot of new initiatives, bold and very much welcomed by the common masses. The Rural Health Mission, Call 108 for Emergency – EMRI, Ban on Smoking, etc. The list is just characteristic of a young politician who wants to do something when he is in power. In fact, one can admit that it is highly commendable.

Earlier this month, there was a PMK meeting – Ilaignar Uridhierpu Manadu – Pledge Taking Meeting for the Youth, happening in Pallavaram, Chennai. The expected attendance was 5 lakhs ----- yes, 500 thousand!

Pallavaram is a small town just adjacent to the Chennai Airport, with narrow lanes and very bad roads. It is well and very much within the accepted bounds of Chennai, within the City Administration limits. A meeting of such magnitude seemed impossible in such a place.

The meeting started off and there was a huge rush, traffic jams and accidents. The place looked as if a hurricane had passed through the GST road.

I happened to be driving on the GST road that evening. The party workers were little boys in many of the buses. I am sure many of them would not have reached the legal voting age. The hooliganism was just unimaginable. More people were traveling in bus roof tops than in their seats. Unparliamentary abuses for cars and vehicles that obstructed their path. I saw one instance of a MTC driver beaten up for seemingly nothing.

This can be taken as bravado or a rowdyish flourish of so many young people getting together in a gathering of this magnitude. One will certainly feel elated, with or without alcohol, when so many people, purportedly entertaining the same political affiliations, get together to show off strength. This meeting was surely designed to maximize attendance, and hence to show the party’s strength ahead of the elections this year.
What cannot be accepted or digested is the drunkenness of the cadre. The TASMAC shops in the area did roaring business, with people guzzling whatever they could lay their hands on. There was even a riot in one of the shops. This from a party whose leader wants complete abolition of alcohol and tobacco from the country. This was reported in all major TV channels the same evening.

This cant be taken as the problem or aberration on the part of this party. This is the sad state of affairs of Indian politics. The same thing happens everywhere.

While a private company has to take the permission of the City Administration, Traffic Cops and other civic bodies to do outdoor advertisment, political parties are openly allowed to put up banners and other advertisements everywhere, even when they cause inconvenience to traffic.

The audacity of such behavior is just unbelievable. The crescendo is just becoming unbearable in Chennai. The traffic is already choking, and one has to weave around and look out for props and “cut outs.

One is left wondering when a code of conduct for campaigning is going to be implemented in India. When are we going to come out of this large scale chaos?

India is still largely lawless. This is painful, yet forms the foundation of our illusion of our much celebrated democracy.