Not by pesticides alone

The abysmal level of political discourse and the language that accompanies it reflects the quality of existing leadership across the nation's political spectrum .The fire in the belly for  unified political empowerment of a vassal state of the Crown,saw this nation integrating hundreds of princely states under an emancipated and sagacious leadership of 1940's.Post Independence, the inevitable process of division had to begin.For  good reason we had the reorganisation of States , essentially geographical,that continues even today. The need for social equity saw  unending  formation of sub-strates in the social layers through reservations.In due course ,diversified and endemic empowerment was the result . But in the process we have  no longer been able to throw up a  subliminal leadership that can  be expected to cherish  loftier ideals of   this nation as an unified political entity.National elections   have since come to be  rude awakenings  to  the sad reality that we may have  lost forever the acme of political helmsmen that this nation could boast of ,a few decades earlier. The EC is bravely fighting the rot with improved pesticides but may soon need to  singe portions selectively,to save the whole House
Pub Economic Times May 1
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=ETNEW&BaseHref=ETM/2014/05/01&PageLabel=14&EntityId=A
Statesman May 3
http://119.82.71.49/thestatesman/epapermain.aspx?pgno=6&eddate=2014-5-03&edcode=820009

The ides of May

.Modi was anointed  "the face of 2014 and beyond " , with fanfare. The moderates were openly sidelined  and  hardliners positioned in the vanguard of high decibel  campaigns. The " fringe ' decor of the resurgent saffron theme was deftly weaved in for deliberate contrast  and striking effect.If there was any deception,it was entirely internal . The ' Capital Coterie ' of the party was led to think that it still mattered in the scheme of things and soon enough ,some were thrust into fight debut elections to walk the fire  while others given unfamiliar and new constituencies.The Parivar had planned it well this time unlike the facile  'India shining " misadventure of 2004. The sad part is that the UPA in its tenure ,despite its reasonable score on Economics failed on Elocution ,as its PM suffered too long from an unserviceable larynx.Should all this propel the BJP into power on  16 th May,the nation will entirely be dependent on one man,Narendra Modi leading the BJP,to pursue his avowed agenda of governance & development without being overawed by  the much older and deeply embedded tenets of the Sangh.The nation  would have to take its chances ,having put  all its eggs into one basket,and  just  pray that the Gujarat chieftain succeeds on the national canvas despite an ideological compress.Should a contingency arise ,even  today's fiercest Modi critics would be happy to join him in his battle  for progress of the nation,over pure ideology.

Pub Fin Express April 29

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/letters-to-the-editor/1245003

The best powers are those least exercised

It goes to the credit of T.N.Seshan to have de-dusted the massive compendium of power that the Election Commission  stands bestowed with. Not that the politicians  had touched the nadir  during his times that they seem to have recently,but he did exemplify  true poll invigilation. Democracy draws strength from the institutions it creates / arms itself with. Should one of them get derailed ,others step in for repair and re-railment.It is a sad commentary on our six decade old democratic journey that we are yet to graduate to  higher levels of maturity and that we  still need such keen and acidic supervision be it  by the  higher Judiciary or as the EC in the ongoing context. Nevertheless it must give us immense satisfaction that our constitutional institutions continue to form the bulwark of our democratic existence,albeit disconcerting at times. Rome was not built in a day but we must continually progress towards establishing the best edifice which this nation is capable of.

More august robes for CAG

Government audit lays stress   on reporting deviations from set procedures and policies.Audit for private companies is essentially for protection of shareholder interests and measuring compliance  against rules and regulations currently in force in running the business.In instances of hybrid ventures as in PPP, a pre-audit of the framework and key features of the collaboration will serve  far greater good than by delving into the nitty- gritties of accounting  ,post audit.If  fair competition is ensured the Market will set  the price.The crux lies in the transparent manner in which  a PPP contract is drawn up and  partners get reasonable protection against absolutely unforeseen factors. This is where CAG could step in usefully ,for large and critical  PPPs

              CAG was perhaps not meant to be merely an auditor, as this functionary takes an oath identical with that prescribed for the CJ and Judges of the Supreme Court.It submits its reports to the President of India, who causes them to be laid before Parliament, the measure of a well informed and empowered institution .CAG has thus to don the robes of a consummate guide, armed with the macro view of vital policy options to lay before the government .that would eventually end up in a successful event. It  should not  be reduced to an agency ,merely reporting lacunae of failing ventures.

Tool or Tenet ?

We gave ourselves a Constitution after three long and thoughtful years, post a gory and forgettable partition. Pakistan chose to be an Islamic nation. We chose to be a secular democratic republic in the hope that we shall attain, over time, our aim of an emancipated level of social and ethnic maturity. Pakistan perhaps made its choice more out of the fear of a dispersal of its religious identity sustained through its long journey over an eon from far beyond the Hindu Kush. If Indian Muslims form nearly 15% of India's population  in six decades now, the Hindu identity has fragmented itself into many sub-15% and even smaller parts, divided on caste. The increasing trend in reservations will make it even worse. Thus, this consolidated chunk of the Indian Muslim entity, a seventh of our population, is an attractive bait to political traders operating under overt party banners. Religious divide is another tool towards power. There must come a stage when the lure and frenzy of winning elections tries to jettison our precious secular credentials, long hauled with great pride. If Pakistan had erred in the 1950s in rejecting a secular vision, it can be attributed to fresh traumas of partition. But if after decades of successful democratic foray and improved wisdom we bring in concepts of viral electoral devices, we stand to damage our basic national fabric. Pakistan would then stand better in terms of clarity of its vision, if not quality. We will be losing on both counts.
Pub Fin Express April 21
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/letters-to-the-editor/1242699

A harakiri

If UPA-I  was well ahead on every economic parameter than NDA , the credit is to be shared equally between the innate strong fundamentals of the economy based on decade  plus half of the ' 90s reforms and the refreshed vim of  a self assured government in power.But UPA-II  lost steam  and a plunging  industrial growth and.high CPI inflation , put the economy in a bind.  The turning point earlier,  had been the withdrawal of Left support in late 2008.The liberal leaning NAC then went on an overdrive of welfare schemes, since the Left was not there to claim credit for such largesse. The splurge on its employees through the VI th pay commission  without a modicum of riders on them over  efficiency and delivery of public services,  set the stage for escalating profligacy and waste. Fiscal economics was turned on its head even as adverse external and global factors induced systemic shocks.Even this  was  fairly well  managed  by its experienced ministers. 

    But the Congress had no Left , to raise Cain over corruption The inexplicable abdication of ministerial /cabinet supervision helped enlarge the space for it. It was the handling of the " scams " that really set in regression ,in the UPA-II. The Congress party distanced itself from its own government  and its low profile PM ,was not cut out for decisive surgical interventions.With parties unwilling to go for midterm elections at the height of the scams, the UPA was left to  carry the cross  al the way to 2014. "India shining " did not help a mediocre NDA but sadly " India failing " has stuck to a transfixed ,yet far better performing ,UPA.

Pub Economic Times Apr 18.

Stepping into the Pantheon

It could be a coincidence that NarasimhaRao, Vajapayee and Indira Gandhi, all Brahmins , inherited the  political astuteness traditionally associated with  this tribe.Rao had the sharpness of the Telugus , Vajapayee the deep broadminded pacific ethos of the Awadh and Indira the blue blooded uniqueness of Kashmir Pandits. Each of them though ,had one trait in common, the strength of conviction. In their years of wielding power ,they accomplished much of what they are admired for today,  entirely on  displaying this rare quality given to few leaders in the world arena.Rao being erudite and multilingual could feel the pulse of alien thinking, economies and  cultures ,making him a keen practitioner of long term policies.Vajapayee contributed greatly to building up our national standing. Indira was swift and mercurial and yet rallied the nation when it mattered most.
       Modi is from the stock of a  quintessential Gujarati entrepreneur, that hates to see money and men idle. He has perfected the art of governance of Gujarat through his District Collectors. His communications to them ,both ways, has been tuned to perfection . His secretariat handles these with speed ,sensitiveness ,monitoring and persuasion. Can he replicate this on a pan -Indian canvas across a gamut of CMs. Perhaps he well may but the speed with which he is able to set up personal equations with each of the States will determine his success. He will need to turn on his personal charm and a touch of soft humanism  ,of which we have had little glimpse in his long innings as CM ,Gujarat, to make it to the high pedestal.

Pub Business Standard Apr 17

Campaign upended !

BJP seems to have upended the very tenet of campaigns per se.It had all along been demanding  that it is the electorate that must come up with "people`s manifesto " of electing Modi!Sanity seems to have now  visited the BJP .It realises that it is the party that makes promises to people and not the other way round !· The much belaboured document of the BJP has at last seen the light of the day,at sunset time !.The party plank is now seen to remain the same, of course with a generous veneer of development. Enthusiasts of the development driven agenda were perhaps hoping to cross the parlous straits of 2014 ,purely on the strength of this assiduously engineered ' veneer '. They forget that it is the plank that carries the veneer ,never vice-versa. That a party plank built and seasoned thorough years of extreme political climes can only be set aside in an act of political Harakiri ,ought to have dawned much earlier on the
BJP collective.They practically fell between two stools. For the BJP,this episode coming under fading light ,has attendant damage.

Pub Fin.Express Apr 16

Prodigal back home !

Now  that  BJP is  totally eclipsed by its erstwhile regional satrap Modi, his  political biography  of  recent past gets  relevant . Modi    inherited the rigidity  from the RSS and the hunger for power from a  party kept out of  the national arena for long. For a man having national ambitions, he  appears to be still in the Black & White era and to him ,other hues  have little bearing .Being an uncompromising loner , he is looked upon with distrust , both from within his party and without. His call to the electorate  in every constituency, to " vote for me " is out of his conviction that the BJP rides on his band wagon and not vice versa . The recent rating of Modi by Advani as the best " event manager " , could pretty much sum up the national perception. 

   A BJP led post poll scenario could be of either of two variants-   Modi the PM with 272 + ,could be
 predictably  authoritarian,as he has seldom been amenable to dissent,be it from the party,the Opposition or even oversight institutions  or.  heading a  coalition of NDA, which is very likely, he  finds  his debut lessons in interactive politics. Given Modi's style of leadership  things could come to a head soon enough .He will then have to invariably turn to his party and  the RSS ,hitherto smarting  under his  neglect . In either event, post 16 th May  the nation  and  Modi,  could well be sharing a rough ride.

What manifesto ?

The BJP has no manifesto but  intends to make do with a charge sheet  for the time being ,against UPA..Its   PM candidate does not believe in making promises either before or after polls and his forbidding presence precludes the BJP from daring to put up a manifesto, even for old times sake ! The Congress being old and traditional has issued one from its archives of the 2000s. The Left has the least problem as its manifesto is the same for half a century and more. Luckily  both the the Senas have spared the nation with weighty thoughts ,busy as they are with each other.The Dravidian scenario is the same except that they are working out the number of the combination  to  the southern lock. On a broader canvas the TMC,SP & BSP have their sights trained at post-poll arithmetic. None has the time to spare for the electorate and its aspirations.Given this scenario the electorate may well go into 2014 without a voting guide.In this age of the Apps , manifestos are old hat and so archaic.

A gale that petered put

In a time compression Anna gave the nation a re-run of Quit India and Dhandi March rolled into one. The birth of AAP thereafter in this millennium, is more a hybrid mix of Left and TMC,except that it lacks the purity of ideology of the Left and the hard earned battle scars of the TMC from years of street fighting for political space.What AAP has in common with the other two though , is the mind of a proletariat that is concerned with inclusiveness and distribution and not on consolidation and creation. The Left in three decades saw Bengal reduced to pedestrian existence from its industrial might of the 60"s. TMC in three years of power has spent all its talent and energy in trying to wrest every minor  election from its opponent. Instead of even choosing to sit on either of these  dated stools, AAP is only managing to fall between them.A   tornado expected to bring in fresh  top soil to revitalise political productivity, stands downgraded from gale force to a local hail storm . 

Abrading coalition

Congress like a curates egg,has always been good in parts. The BJP has not laid one for years now. Thus to the degree the  Congress  has any which way remained  predictable,the BJP to a similar extent is not. The medley of regional outfits have been bringing into the electoral kitty near similar numbers each time ,though with differing individual contributions. Here again their efficacy when  working  in combination as a ' Front ' ,has  been lack lusture. The only addition to the electoral brew this time is the fledgling AAP with no antecedents to go by. But fervour more than content makes AAP a catalyst that while remaining unaffected itself, is capable of inducing hitherto unknown side reactions in electoral chemistry.NOTA is no solace for a nation that has not seen any party rising above the rut or break newer grounds. What AAP might do is to scale down the seats of an upbeat BJP and to an extent help boost  the sagging fortunes of the Congress.With no change in other ingredients ,2014 would , in all probability, end up  in  BJP and Congress exchanging personal tallies . We stand to get  anotherAvatar of coalition politics wherein ,accountability at the Centre would  get dispersed and diluted even as  regional satraps leverage their electoral count to squeeze out undue allocations for sustaining  their captive vote banks. We might well land up with a PM looking  authoritative, but if past experience is any guide,even the best material is blunted soon enough ,in an abrading coalition.

Foot soldier

The BJP is  exceeding its ambition by fielding  Modi from  unfamiliar terrain in Varanasi .Notwithstanding an image build up,Modi faces a clear risk in the face of the combined onslaught of entrenched regional players. But for the Sangh Parivar ,Modi is a mere foot soldier in their march to a larger goal .Modi  could even  end up being  sacrificed in its  quest  to gain  influence over the 40 odd seats of Purvanchal. Any resultant loss of face of its "Poll-star " Modi in the  UP seat,would but be a collateral damage.However to ensure that their  Icon  remains the face of its national venture, Modi could anyway be given a " safe " haven in his native Gujarat, even if riding on two seats does  dim the aura of the candidate for PM's chair. Contrast this with Congress which stands by its leader through thick and thin and  would put the entire party at risk to buttress its leader, be it UPA-II then or elections now.. That is loyalty operating in reverse !.