TROUBLED NORTH-EAST: THE CHINESE ANGLE

Whenever there is ethnic violence somewhere in the country, our short sighted politicians start the blame game without bothering to dig deeper to analyze the root cause. The current disturbances in the north-east province followed by the attacks on the same community in different parts of India, according to my analysis, are part of a grand game plan carefully hatched by the Chinese authorities.

I am a nationalist Indian and I have no political affiliations. However, I like to analyse each situation from a different angle and apprise the concerned so that they may see things in the right perspective and find appropriate solution. The following links, if you put together, will lend credibility to my China theory.

If you are regular China watcher, I am sure you would have observed the growing Chinese interest in establishing their military presence both in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. It all started in Sri Lanka with port building support, then military aid followed by full backing in the war against LTTE. Even after the rebel leaders surrendered and laid down the arms, they were slaughtered mercilessly and displayed in public which was totally against Geneva Convention. Obviously, they had the full support of China who was using the island nation in a proxy war to intimidate India by hurting the feelings of Indian Tamil community. When this ploy failed to bring a military response, China began using Sri Lankan navy to abduct Indian fishermen, especially Tamil, to provoke Indian government and this also failed to produce the desired results.

Then came the Chinese protests over the oil drilling activities in South China Sea where ONGC was exploring the possibility of tapping oil resources within the legitimate Indian territorial waters. China’s objection to Indian road building in Arunachal Pradesh and terrorizing the local population is part of a wider plan the Dragon has been designing. The recent ethnical violence in Assam and targeting the NE people in different parts of India should be seen as off shoots of a wider conspiracy to destabilize the region. The only difference here is that instead of Sri Lanka, it is Pakistan that is playing the role of proxy. China’s offer of military assistance to Bangladesh and Myanmar adds credibility to this theory. Who knows China will not try to annex the tiny North Eastern states that will give them complete control of the Bay of Bengal. Remember, when China gobbled up Tibet, the whole world watched and remained spectators. But, this will be a different ball game. Politicians, please watch out.

The destruction of twin towers in 2001, the worst terror strike in human history, strained the US relations with its hitherto trusted ally, and it sunk further with the unauthorized killing of Al Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden. The retaliation by the terror groups who regularly target the NATO convoys and other American interests is making the US dilute its relation with their troubled partner in the war against terrorism. With the military colluding with terrorist outfits and calling shots for an elected but weak civilian government, the US interest in its former ally has been diminishing. This is where Pakistan started to lean towards China for assistance and the latter wasted no time in grabbing the opportunity.

The recent attacks on the Hindu community in Pakistan and their consequent exodus to India, the pre-planned publicity of letters from Sabarjit Singh, who has been languishing in jail for years (we will all be stupid to believe that the letter can be easily smuggled out bypassing the security), the resumption of firing along the LOC and the recent mass SMS to derail the North-East region (it is more clear now that the source of this SMS has been traced to Pakistan) cannot be viewed as isolated incidents, but as part of a wider conspiracy employed by Beijing aimed at creating commotion and arresting its economic growth.

In the Indian Ocean, if the proxy is Sri Lanka, in the eastern front, it is Pakistan. In both cases, the politicians can be either bought or coerced into submission. The UPA government, neck deep in trouble with corruption and other charges, appears unable to see things in the right perspective. It is high time they set aside petty issues and focus on national security.

Life Term: A Ploy to Defeat the System

Two verdicts, that attracted a lot of public interest, have come out within the span of one week related to cases of rape and murder. One, the Priyadarshini Mattoo’s case, where the apex court has commuted the death sentence pronounced by the lower court to life term, after a prolonged legal battle that took 15 years. The second, the Pratiba Moorthy’s case, where the fast track court, which took five years to complete, also pronounced a lifer to the taxi driver in a similar case.

The court ruling has given a rude shock to the public. Judiciary, the last remaining ray of hope for the common man, has begun to prove time and again that it is also slowly becoming part of the grand nexus between the rich and influential groups and that the common man has to fend for himself. If you can visualize what kind of agony and trauma these young girls would have undergone during the crime and their families thereafter, even the capital punishment is too little. I do not know if the judge would have taken a different stand if the victims were his own daughters.

Life term is nothing, but a ploy to defeat the system. The media has been playing a crucial role in unearthing cases which would, otherwise, have been buried by the system, but their role is limited to seeing that the law enforcing agencies are pressurized into action. Public memories are short and the whole episode will be consigned to history as time passes.

After waiting for a few years, the cases are either reopened for dubious reasons or, on occasion like Gandhi Jayandhi or a minister’s birthday, when clemency is granted to a few prisoners, these anti-social elements serving life term find their way out citing good behavior, etc. as reason for their release. Then they are free for the rest of their life. What more can we expect from the legal system in this country where even convicted terrorists like Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab enjoys a wonderful life.

Singapore is an example to follow. The crime rate is almost zero there because all citizens are equal in the eyes of law regardless of how powerful or influential you are. The time we take for each case, the minimal punishment with which the criminals are let off the hook, easy availability of bail for any crime and inability to carry out the court order is making a mockery of our law and order system. The citizens have to unite and initiate a mass movement against such judgments to secure the life of young girls.

India: The Epicenter of World Corruption

If Pakistan is infamous as the epicenter of world terrorism, India is fast acquiring the notorious name as the epicenter of world corruption. Thanks to Indian media, in that, it has resorted to wonderful investigative journalism blowing whistle at regular intervals and conducting sting operations with clinical precision.

The latest in the fray is the CWG after the IPL saga. News channels are not irresponsible entities to publish any material without thorough research and investigation. There has been considerable cost overrun apart from complaints of delay and poor quality workmanship in all CWG related projects. AM Films, a relatively unknown firm, is a one man show which, according to press reports, recently applied for liquidation. Whenever a politician gets involved with any sport or game, be it cricket, football, hockey or athletics, one can smell the rat and CWG is no exception.

India has now successfully showcased itself as the epicenter of world corruption. The startling disclosures by TV channels have shown the world community the bottomless fathom to which the Indian politicians can stoop. It has not only made the life of the law abiding citizen miserable, but has penetrated all the way into the defense forces where inferior equipments are procured a t the cost of the soldier who is guarding the frontiers of the nation. Corruption has even infected the judiciary where judgments are influenced by the power of money and muscle.

This is nothing, but oligarchy in full swing. The ruling UPA has no guts to take action against coalition partners and look the other way whenever they are drawn into controversy. The intelligencia have become silent spectators totally disempowered by the powerful lobby of the rich and influential. The future of the nation is in deep trouble.

DO WE NEED ANOTHER EMERGENCY

When the late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi declared emergency in 1973, the whole world condemned her autocratic way of functioning and called her the biggest threat to the Indian Democracy. But, almost forty years down the line, we seem to be reaching another stalemate where the govt. may have to resort to declaring another emergency to safeguard the interests of the nation.

Kashmir valley is burning. Stone pelting, curfews, demonstrations, police excesses, etc. have become the order of the day. The separatists and their Pakistani handlers are having a field day and neither the home ministry nor the foreign ministry has been able to find a solution. The terrorists are striking at will because we are too soft a state to punish the guilty. We are not hanging Afzal Guru or Ajmal Kasab because the govt. may lose Muslim votes in the next election.

The army which is ‘nuclear capable’ and other border security forces like CRPF and BSF have become a regular fodder for ULFA and Naxals operating in the north-east. You find police informers among the Naxals and Naxal informers among the police. It all looks like Asterisk comics and the ultimate sufferers are the families of poor soldiers.

When it comes to opposing the government all the parties join together and call for national ‘Bandh’. Their main agenda, destruction of public property, is religiously carried out by party workers and paid goons with clinical precision who don’t realize that their bosses are the real gainers at the cost of their personal lives.

Now, let us examine the scenario in south. Maharashtra wants Belgaum to be annexed to the state because it has more Marathi speaking people. Whether the Maharstrians residing in Belgaum wants it or not is irrelevant. The politicians want it. Again let’s burn buses and destroy public property so that we can have an amicable solution. This is a priority issue and let’s shift issues like terrorism to the back burner. Did the common man gain anything by changing the name from Bombay to Mumbai, Calcutta to Kolkatta or Madras to Chennai? Nothing, but political gimmicks.

Karnataka govt. is rampant with corruption. The MLAs have converted the state assembly into a hostel as part of their protest against the illegal mining lobby which enjoys state protection. Added to this, a senior minister in the UPA govt. and a key ally in the coalition, has requested the Prime Minister to dilute his national responsibilities as he is unable to cope up with work due to his new found lucrative position as ICC president.

Mr. Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi are really in hot soup. I strongly recommend the declaration of a second emergency. Our politicians have made the UPA govt. ineffective and unfunctional.

Bhopal Disaster: Leave Anderson Alone

Twenty six long years have passed since the Bhopal tragedy that killed thousands of people and permanently disabled many more in greater number and, now, the very same authorities that ensured a smooth passage for Warren Anderson, the chief culprit, want him back in the country to be tried for the crime.

There cannot be a greater political joke. After having successfully distributed the remains of the Four hundred and Seventy million US Dollars received as compensation after the babu’s had their share, now the government wants to constitute a Group of Ministers to look into the issue. Bureaucracy over bureaucracy and additional cost over already incurred costs. The government has the resources when it comes to expenditure on probe committees, but their pockets go empty when it comes to the issue of assisting the hapless victims.

Sometime back we ran after Quottrochi, the Italian businessman, wanted in connection with Bofor pay offs and the outcome is known to all. We are on the same trail and the investigation will have a natural death and forgotten in due course. If, in twenty six years, we have not succeeded in booking those responsible for the tragedy, the scenario cannot be different after hundred years.

Why flog the dead horse? Forget the past and concentrate on positive steps like rehabilitating those who still need help. No resources! I have the answer. Seventy lakh Crores of Rupees are lying in Swiss Banks belonging to Indians. Bring back those funds, tax them at a flat rate of 30% and declare amenity to the account holders. You can build a new Bhopal from the scratch.

RESERVATION: THE ROOT CAUSE OF ALL EVILS

At the outset, let me be clear on one thing. I am not against or referring to the reservation of seats for women in the parliament and I have nothing against women. What I am up is against making constitutional changes, be it in the name of women, dalits or minority communities, focusing on the vote bank politics with an evil eye on the impending elections, which has become the mainstay in the agenda of every party whether it is in the seat of power or in the opposition.

Reservation policy has dominated the political scene of this country since independence and successive governments have effected constitutional changes in this regard, keeping in mind, not the benefit of the masses but their personal gain. If sixty years of reservation has failed to bring the “so called backward communities” to the forefront, another hundred years of reservation will not do any good either.

Yes, we need reservation, but for whom? We need to identify that section of the masses whose I.Q. levels are adequate enough and trainable to be converted into great achievers by education and training, but who, unfortunately, are born into poor families and cannot afford the luxury of education. Just by providing good education you cannot convert a section of the society into achievers en masse.

By pursuing an illogical reservation policy, you cannot produce greats like Dr.Abdul Kalam, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Sachin Tendulkar, Amitah Bachhan or Dirubhai Ambani. You cannot make out of Abdul Kalam or Manmohan Singh, a Sachin Tendulkar or vice versa, or Amitah Bachhan a Dirubhai Ambani or vice versa. They are all born greats and right kind of education helped them to mould and strengthen their inner character which was genetically present. The point I stress here is that education and training can help mould a person within his inherent character, but cannot create a character by itself.

It was on this basis that ancient Indians classified the population into four categories, i.e., Brahmin (the Intellectual), Khatriya (the Warrior), Vaisya (the Businessman) and Sudra (the Support). The character in an individual can be broadly classified on these lines, he be a Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Sikh. If everyone in the society gets an occupation based on the character present in him, the functioning of the society will be smooth. The last section was classified as Sudra or supportive class because he doesn’t fall under the first three categories, but whose contribution is essential for their success. Can a factory function with only general manager without workers? Look at your hand. The fingers cannot perform individually, but collectively, they become a force to be reckoned with.

But our learned politicians have successfully misinterpreted a great concept to suit their personal agenda. What we need to see is not whether we have a dalit president or woman prime minister, but a capable president or prime minister, whether it is a dalit, a woman or a man, regardless of the faith, caste, color or gender. That is the only way we can ensure a secured future for the generations to come.

THANK YOU PAKISTHAN FOR NOT HANDING OVER HAFIZ SAEED

Intentionally or not, Pakistan continues to do a lot of good things for India, the latest being the refusal to hand over the JUD chief Hafiz Mohamed Saeed and others, in all about 30 in number. In the recently concluded talks at the Foreign Secretary level between the two countries in New Delhi, Mr. Bashir, while dismissing the dossiers submitted by India as mere lectures, flatly refused India’s request to hand over the fugitives wanted in the 26/11 terror strike.

I look at it as a great diplomatic gain for India. Do you have any idea of what would have happened if all the 30 wanted men were deported to India? First, we will need more high security prisons for their accommodation. Needless to say, along with, we will also need highly trained crack commando units with sophisticated weapons to guard them. Thus we will divert our terror fighting resources for the protection of hardcore terrorists making it easy for other terror outfits to strike at our vital installations.

This is not the end of the story. Then all these ‘wanted’ men will be produced in the court of law. Next, it will be the turn of our ‘very efficient’ legal and judicial system to battle it out between themselves looking at all the evidences produced to see if they were really involved. The very courts that will try them will offer them legal assistance for their self defense if they cannot find their own lawyers (who may, in the process, be shot by a patriotic citizen). The case will drag on. In the end, after an unpredictable period of time, even if they are found guilty and convicted for the gallows, they will access the benevolent constitutional provision of ‘Presidential Clemency’ and can hang on without being hanged indefinitely with the help of the ‘Great Indian Presidents’.

We are still collecting evidence against Kasab to establish if he is guilty in spite of his mowing down innocent civilians in front of everyone. Do you have any idea about the crores of rupees we are spending to maintain Afzal Guru, Kasab and the likes? Add another 30 to the list and the Union budget deficit will shoot up. What has happened to Abu Salem? If the Union Government is worth it salt, it will ensure that the President rejects the mercy petition on all terror related cases with immediate effect and uphold the court verdicts.
No doubt, we all need to thank Pakistan for at least saving tax-payer’s money. May I request the readers to start a campaign to persuade the President of India to reject pending mercy petitions submitted by convicted terrorists by forwarding this write up to all? At least, we can make an attempt to honor those who sacrificed their life for the nation.