The dog days of India’s bizarre summer of politics
Perhaps the government’s decision to push back the opening of the upcoming monsoon session of parliament was not the best idea. For as the dog days of the sub-continent’s sweltering summer drag on, the parliament-less politicians sweat from the sublime to the ridiculous in the baking heat.
From the haphazard ensemble of senior ministers that flocked to New Delhi’s airport to greet yoga guru turned social activist Swami Ramdev with more fanfare than is reserved for visiting heads of state, to the current conspiracy swirling New Delhi surrounding espionage chewing gum found in the finance minister’s private chambers, it has been a bizarre summer for politics fuelled by the hungry media in the world’s largest democracy.
Kapil Sibal, as Human Resource and Development minister, could have spent his summer break drawing up plans to overhaul an education sector that looks dangerously inadequate to deal with the demographic dividend of millions of young Indians that New Delhi likes to trumpet. Instead, he spent his days holed up in five-star hotels begging Ramdev not to stop eating, and playing it coy in press conferences after quietly ignoring veteran activist Anna Hazare’s demands for a stronger anti-graft bill.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who has seen a series of economic data releases over the past month pour cold water on optimistic growth prospects, spent the majority of his summer trying to chair what appeared to be most unruly meetings on the anti-graft legislation, but has stolen the headlines recently with a mind-boggling story involving government secrets, ministerial rivalries and old-school espionage — all bonded together with chewing gum.
With TV channels and opposition politicians dubbing it “India’s Watergate”, and political figures from across the spectrum weighing in on the sticky mess, there appears little evidence to go on than a few errant pieces of gum stuck under various desks in Mukherjee’s chambers. With the minister himself telling the media to take their conspiracy theories elsewhere, it appears more a case of unhygienic office visitors than dastardly undercover spies.
Outside of the cabinet, the summer bug spread as the mercury rose.
Has India squandered its English advantage?
When the British were finally expelled from India in 1947, driven out of a country scarred by decades of imperialist rule, they left at least one parting gift: a linguistic legacy that has formed a crucial ingredient in the country’s economic miracle.
English proficiency is hailed as an invaluable foundation in India’s rise to the top of the world’s information technology and knowledge outsourcing industries, fuelling the country’s rapid growth with billions of dollars of business every year and streams of overseas investments into global IT centres such as Bangalore.
But, as Asian rival China surpasses India’s English proficiency rates for the first time, that advantage over other developing economies looks to have been squandered.
China was ranked one place above India in Education First’s 2011 English Proficiency Index, released last month, the first time India has been beaten by its neighbour and fellow BRIC economy in the international rankings of foreign countries English-speaking abilities.
“It appears that China is poised to surpass India in the number of English speakers in the coming years, if it has not already done so,” the report said.
The implications for India’s future IT and outsourcing prospects aren’t difficult to calculate.
I think most of us here are familar with the views of the TOI having read their opinion just a few days ago. But coming to this study I find it funny that there is hardly anything about India and Chinese comparisions in it and everyone is seeking to blow itup out of all proportions.
Take this example “the British Council estimated in 2010 that India had anywhere between 55 and 350 million English speakers while a report published by Cambridge University Press estimates that China has 250 to 350 million English learners.’
Look at the variation 55 to 350 million Indian speakers! Do you need a study to give such a wide variation?
Also, aren’t they comparing chalk and cheese here and that too manufactured at different establishments. If you indicate how many English ‘speaking; people there are in India and then compare that to how many are ‘learning’ english in China, what conclusion can you possibly draw?
Shouldn’t they be comparing how many curently speak english in both countries and also how many learners there are in both countries? Some meaningful information could then be extracted. This statement as it is seems absurd to me. It is not even a statisic of any value.
Congress’ 2007 leadership whispers underscore 2011 election dangers
Rumblings within the ruling Congress party that suggested the “jettison” of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after the party’s electoral failures in state elections in 2007, cited in a secret diplomatic cable published on Monday, are a timely reminder of the dangerous implications of failure for Congress in elections this month.
The electorates of Assam, Kerala, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal will go the polls this month to elect new state legislatures, in the first tests of public confidence in India’s ruling party that has been implicated in a string of multi-billion-dollar corruption scandals over the past nine months.
Singh, a 78-year-old technocrat and economic reformist, had his leadership questioned by senior aides to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who mooted a more politically sellable replacement following electoral defeats in Punjab and Uttarakhand, detailed a U.S. state department cable accessed by WikiLeaks and published by The Hindu newspaper.
The Prime Minister, who has seen his previously impeccable reputation tarnished by a number of government scams committed on his watch over the past nine months, may find himself under similar pressure from the party’s “old guard” — the socialist bloc more closely aligned with the party’s left-leaning past — should Congress stumble in the upcoming elections.
“Following a string of recent local-level electoral defeats in Mumbai, Uttarakhand, and Punjab, Sonia Gandhi and her personal advisors are very concerned that the impending Uttar Pradesh elections will turn out horribly for Congress. As a result, some are advocating that she jettison Prime Minister Singh… and put a more saleable political face at the head of the government,” wrote the U.S. embassy’s Charge D’Affaires Geoffrey Pyatt in the secret cable.
“What seems clear in the aftermath of recent polls is that the reform cadre of Manmohan Singh, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and Finance Minister Chidambaram are politically diminished, Sonia Gandhi’s inner coterie is deeply worried, and the old line Congress and their Communist fellow-travelers are empowered.”
The bitter truth behind BJP’s deafening budget silence
To some, the parliamentary walkout by India’s opposition prior to the vote on the country’s annual budget motion marked the failure of India’s ruling Congress party to engage with its primary adversary, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), over its claims that the Prime Minister had lied to parliament to protect his own reputation.
To others, the sight of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj leading her MPs out of the chamber as Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee prepared to deliver the most important parliamentary bill of the year encapsulated the sorry state of India’s increasingly bitter partisan politics that show no signs of repair since trumpeting corruption became the opposition’s raison d’etre. Swaraj would later tell The Hindu that her walkout was to avoid disrupting the passage of the bill, but the damning point rang out loud and clear: the opposition had decided the corruption drumbeat was more important than the budget.
Mukherjee had earlier pleaded with senior BJP leaders to allow the budget to be debated prior to any discussion on a parliamentary privilege motion submitted against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by Swaraj, promising a two-and-a-half hour debate on the issue after the budget had passed.
But as the budget was given precedent over the privilege motion, out trooped the opposition in protest, leaving a half-empty chamber to pass the bill that will keep the country financed on April 1.
India’s parliament was paralysed in November by opposition protests demanding an inquiry into allegations a minister had lost the exchequer up to $39 billion in a telecom spectrum scam, which eventually resulted in the entire winter session being abandoned. Since it reopened in February, after extensive negotiations between Congress and the BJP, various protests from the opposition over other corruption charges have resulted in adjournments and cancellation of parliamentary business.
With a slew of economic reforms seen crucial to India’s continued growth momentum gathering dust as MPs exchange insults and chants across the floor of both houses of parliament, the partisan politics that have turned India’s much-vaunted parliamentary democracy into a slanging match between government and opposition risk ruining far more than just the reputation of the primary belligerents.
India is witnessing the most corrupt and arrogant government meeting the most week and divided opposition. The prime minister says on the floor of parliament that he is not aware of most of corruption charges and opposition has not been able to put enough pressure on president to get the governmnent adjourned or at least sack the current PM. Soniya has broken all records in corruption that were set by her mother in law back then. God save us!!
Out of the DMK frying pan and into Mamata’s fire for Congress
Fresh from negotiating the continued support of one key coalition ally, Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party heavyweights must now tackle the demands of the more politically canny and locally powerful Mamata Banerjee.
As the bleary eyes of Congress negotiators turned over the morning papers on Wednesday after almost two days of political horse-trading with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the relief of front page headlines declaring the Tamil Nadu party’s climbdown will have been cut short by the ominous presence of Banerjee and her own seat-sharing demands in the political minefield of West Bengal.
Banerjee, Railways Minister and leader of the opposition in West Bengal, is commonly referred to as “Didi” – Hindi for elder sister – and can often appear to be spearheading a one-woman party.
Negotiations with the Trinamool Congress, with the savvy Banerjee courting a burning desire to end 34 years of Left Front rule in the state, and sensing a weakened Congress party that needs to balance a continued parliamentary majority with a strong performance in the state elections, may make the talks with the DMK look like a cakewalk.
As with the Tamil Nadu party, the simmering feud with Trinamool, which contributes 19 seats to the Congress-led coalition, comes down to seat-sharing in April’s state election. Banerjee has reportedly rejected demands from Congress to allow it to contest more seats than she is currently offering.
Banerjee’s current position- described as a “take-it-or-leave-it” offer – of 58 seats for Congress to contest, is short of the 98 demanded by Congress officials in the state. 294 seats will be up for election next month.
“With its two most powerful allies threatening cabinet resignations and offering no-compromise seat agreements within days of each other, perhaps ensuring the stability of the current government should be priority number one.”
The only thing that can be guaranteed is that there is absolutely no chance of the Centre falling apart on this issue. It was the DMK which gave in without a whimper not the Congress. However, it won’t be the same with Banerjee, she knows she is going to win and can call the shots and I am sure that eventually the Congress will accept her offerings.
This is simply hard bargaining before any election and reading too much into it is just filling up words and making copy.
More importantly, I would like the Bengal elections out of the way and Mamta crowned in Bengal. That will get her out of Delhi and maybe the nation will get a full time Railway minister. She has created a holy mess in Delhi and pity the guy who has to clean up after her. She has, however, made out a strong case of why coalitions should be discouraged. Gradually more and more people are beginning to realise this. Us non-Bengalis are thankful to her for having brought this to the surface.
Congress looks to seize the initiative as budget looms
It has been a winter to forget for India’s ruling Congress party, as a series of corruption scandals have muted its ability to control parliament, dented its popularity ratings and dappled the formerly dazzling-white kurta of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
But rumours of a deal with the emboldened opposition to launch a parliamentary probe into corruption allegations that would end months of paralysis, and a surprise attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership by one of their former ministers could signal a ceasefire in the war of words and a light at the end of the tunnel for Congress.
TV channels, citing party sources, reported a compromise deal between the warring parties on Tuesday, as Singh announced he would be conducting a broadcasted press conference with the editors of India’s leading news channels on Wednesday, in a move to clear the air over graft allegations and restore confidence in his leadership days before parliament opens on Feb. 21.
The BJP have had their tails up since October, when the 2G telecoms scam, estimated to have cost the Indian exchequer $39 billion, first made headlines. Since then, parliament has been washed out and Congress has been barraged by a never-ending series of allegations and criticisms over its rejection of a joint parliamentary enquiry, which could see Singh hauled before an investigatory committee.
But remarks by former BJP telecoms minister Arun Shourie on Monday, which accused senior party leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj of doing nothing to expose the scandal, exposed cracks in the opposition that Congress may have looked to exploit in its negotiations over the scope of any investigation.
Congress have continually stressed that the scandal began during the BJP-led government; prior to Congress’ 2004 general election victory. Any agreement between Congress and the BJP — the Hindu-nationalist party that promotes a free-market economy and conservative social policy — will be announced by the Speaker in parliament itself, news channels reported.
Congress’s corruption calamities continue as the Thomas saga unravels
In a season of corruption charges that have shackled India’s ruling Congress party’s political ambitions, the ongoing saga of the country’s tainted anti-corruption chief is perhaps the hardest to believe.
The curious case of P.J. Thomas, the accused fraudster appointed to head India’s corruption investigation agency by the Prime Minister last October, took another twist on Monday to further undermine Manmohan Singh’s party’s ability to tackle graft that threatens to become the overriding legacy of its current term.
In a fillip for the already emboldened opposition, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said on Monday that the three-man selection committee headed by the Prime Minister that appointed Thomas to the role of Chief Vigilance Commissioner was aware of the pending fraud case against him – but made the appointment regardless.
“We did discuss the names of the panel. In fact, the bulk of the time (of discussion) was regarding P.J. Thomas and the Palmolein case,” Chidambaram told reporters on Monday.
Chidambaram’s statement comes just days after G.E. Vahanvati, the country’s Attorney General, testified to the Supreme Court that the selection panel was not made aware of the charges relating to a 1991 fraud case surrounding the import of edible oils when Thomas was a minister in a state government during the appointment discussions.
The bizarre about-face from the government vindicates the stand taken by Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj last Thursday.
i think tey should make findings and all the reports including the wealth of all the investigating officers post and pre investigation public along with its progress cos there is no trust and respect for any officials reputation proposed to be involved in the investigation along with the current govt. Infact the current telecom minister says that there have been an advantage to the telecom sector and it hads been the fastest growing sector in india … i would not agree as that only reflects the growth story of india and not the good governence of the current govt. Also i donno why shy away from the JPC that opposition has proposed. Apart from that the telco minister says that the findings in the current CAG repeot in terms of figures was misfortunate , why?, just because it shows the scale of the loss to the nation which could have repaired a major chunk of the deficit that this country is facing. On top of it as a cover up operatilon for the losses telcos have to now pay for the additional spectrum anticipating a further hike in tarrifs …thats a good joke isnt it first get bribed and allocate spectrum and then increase the prices of it so that it works a cover up for the losses
Has Congress lost the plot on inflation?
“Government Plan To Tackle Prices Is Just Hot Air” screamed the front page of Friday’s Mail Today, as India’s political media lined up to belittle what was billed as a list of anti-inflationary remedies but was robustly rejected as “already failed measures and oft-repeated homilies.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meetings this week with senior cabinet ministers to tackle year-high food inflation dragged on long into the night, keeping editors on tenterhooks and assuring Congress of front page headlines.
This morning, those headlines would have made for painful reading. After rumours of export curbs and future markets tweaks, what emerged to be a paltry list of recommendations was seen by many as nothing but ineffective band-aids for a broken economy requiring surgery.
Barraged by charges of inaction over tackling corruption, Congress appears to be heading towards firefights on two fronts as India runs out of patience with the ruling party’s attempts to curb inflation.
From economic hero to inflation-battered zero, perhaps more than anyone else Prime Minister Manmohan Singh encapsulates the Congress party’s current woes.
Lauded for his economic nous as Finance Minister and again during his first tenure as Prime Minister, the man who was applauded for creating GDP growth rates above 9 percent is now being chastised for failing to control the inflationary pressures that such rapid growth fuels.
लोकतंत्र के लिए आज का समय इतना खतरनाक हो गया है, पूरी जनता जो वोट देकर आपने को ठगा सा महसूस करती है, केंद्र सरकार ने इन दो सालों में इतना पाप किया है, इतना लोगों को लूटा है, महंगाई बढ़ा कर आम जनता को इतने कष्ट दिए है बावजूद इसके नेता रोज चिल्ला कर कहते है कि जनता हमारे साथ है, जनता ने आपको इसके लिए वोट दिया है कि केवल आपके मंत्री, कॉरपोरेट धन्नासेठो के लिए सरकार में है!
सरकारी कर्मचारियों के साथ पूरा सत्ता तंत्र अपनी सार्थकता खो चुका है, पूरे तंत्र कि वचन बद्धता समाप्त हो गयी है. दो साल में ये हाल है तीन साल आगे के कैसे बीतेंगे, भगवान जाने !
Rough justice as woman kills politician she accused of rape
An alleged rape and a violent stabbing left an Indian politician dead and a 40-year-old woman in police custody on Tuesday night, as Rupam Pathak reportedly took the law into her own hands to avenge 18-month-old sexual assault charges. Bihar state legislator Raj Kishore Kesri was killed in his own home before an audience of dozens by a mother of two after charges first lodged in May 2010 against the four-time representative were reportedly dropped “under duress” from Kesri and his associates.
Pathak will almost certainly be sent to jail for her premeditated crime, after appearing to take what she considered the only option available to punish the man she says raped her.
A local school owner, Pathak was beaten by Kesri’s supporters after the stabbing, and as she was taken to hospital reportedly shouted: “Don’t take me for treatment. Hang me. I don’t want to live anymore. Nobody knows what I have been through.”
In India, the world’s largest democracy, it can often seem that high-powered politicians are outside the rule of law.
A disturbing graphic in Wednesday’s Mail Today newspaper details numerous state politicians and ministers from across India who continue to walk free despite substantial charges of rape and murder.
In Bihar’s neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, a young girl languishes in jail on theft charges lodged by Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi, a state politician who, as she told police on Tuesday, raped her twice before his aides beat her in the local police station after she was framed for stealing from his home.
Bihar’s deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi told a press conference that Pathak had been attempting to blackmail Kesri for some time: “The police probe, ordered by the government, would unravel the mystery as well as the motive behind the sex slur and slaying.”
This is India Political System at her best. The Indian politician, usually, is of little Education; and if He should have some, then the Degree is of little value regarding his Occupation. Ignorant, Amoral Troglodytes running India as they have been ever since the Moghuls…
Congress takes comfort in DMK smiles, for now
Smiles, handshakes and declarations of friendship abounded during a meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and DMK leader M. Karunanidhi on Monday, as the investigation into a $39 billion telecoms scam that has centred on the Tamil Nadu party appeared to have been forgotten in favour of coalition camaraderie. With parliament paralysed and DMK MP Andimuthu Raja sacked from his role as telecoms minister as a result of the scam, the last thing Singh needed was signs of dissent from a key member of his Congress party’s ruling coalition.
After appearing to snub the Prime Minister on his arrival on Sunday – choosing instead to “meet a poet” – Karunanidhi, also chief minister of Tamil Nadu, was all smiles during a 25-minute meeting, telling reporters afterwards that the relationship was “strong”.
Singh returned the favour, telling national broadcaster Doordarshan: “The alliance remains as strong as ever”.
It’s the first time that Singh has met Karunanidhi since raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation targeted the homes of Raja and other senior DMK politicians, and raided the non-governmental organisation in which Karunanidhi’s daughter is a director.
The sincerity of Karunanidhi’s smiles is crucial for the ruling Congress party.
Singh has pledged to appear before the Public Accounts Committee investigating the scandal in an attempt to end the parliamentary deadlock, but opposition politicians have continued their demands for a joint parliamentary committee probe.
And while reaching a compromise with the opposition is essential to get parliamentary business moving in the crucial upcoming budget session, maintaining the 18 votes that the DMK brings to the coalition is far more imperative for his government’s survival.
Since over last 40 years Indian governments could never contain corruption comprehensively with any effective political/legal systems through the defaulters could be booked. As a result a large amount black money could easily take a ‘flight’ to foreign destinations and stashed by several corrupt officials, businessmen, politicians etc. Indian civil society has realised that Indians are still enslaved unnder corrupt government who has already proved limbless on containing corruption. Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev too this bold initiative to awaken the people of India on rampant corruption. Ministers representing government on Lokpal Bill drafting committee have started throwing misleading comments, impressions, casting aspersions on honest members of the civil society. None of the elected members of the parliament could ever come out openly against the ruling government on the issues of corruption. Now the government is holding a hot brick of pressures from civil society in one hand, while trying to keep corruption in place by the other. Civil Society’s draft is simple, straight forward, fit for implementation. In short the government is inviting a stiff stir and revolution from the people of India. This situation will indeed shatter Indian economy and security. We all shall have to pay a heavy price ultimately, and learn good lesson in a hard way.