Anna: From Movement To Agitation

(Reproducing the article that I wrote for Merinews yesterday)

The British ruled over India for about 190 years during which they sustained what they believed the biggest jolt to their rule in the form of Revolt of 1857. Historians, now, say that the revolt of 1857 failed to live upto its promise because of its inherent weaknesses, biggest being internal dissensions. And, the British continued to rule for another 90 years. There seem to be a parallel in Anna’s movement for Lokpal Bill which is evidently directed against the present UPA government.

It was only last year, when the entire nation made beeline behind an old man, who finds Gandhism thrust upon him. Anna Hazare has tried to emulate the Mahatma, but despite his personal integrity and grit, his movement has all the signs of frittering away and waning. People of the country are no longer moved by his call for fight against corruption. The government prepares for his call for fast, agitation and mass gathering, but somewhere within, it knows that Anna is more like a spent force now.

There are three important components of the Anna Movement, Anna, himself, his Team and people. Anna, first. The supposed Gandhian leader took up the cause floated by India Against Corruption and championed it and on the way to mercurial popularity he expanded his arena of fight from Maharashtra to cover entire India. He was clearly swayed by the volumes of support that he got from the people of this country, who felt that a new Gandhi had emerged to take on the might of the government, which had been disconnected from the people it governed. People’s anger found a genuine expression in Anna’s call to stand against corruption. Similar emotion had already been experimented successfully in Bollywood through films like Lage Raho Munna Bhai, where people clapped when an old man, a retired school teacher embarrasses a government official to secure his pension.

People are fed up with the all pervasive corruption for long now and Gandhianised Anna gave hope to them. But, somehow, Anna Hazare failed to keep that mass support intact. One has to accept this as Anna’s inherent weakness. He is no Gandhi. People failed to realize this and their expectations of Anna remained so high that he could not have lived upto. He lacks the organizational skill and the understanding of public mood of the Mahatma. Also, Anna Hazare has not been consistent in his speeches and actions over past one and a half-year, which is so un-Gandhian. This drifted the masses away from him and his movement.

Anna’s team is, at its best, pulling in different directions. Allegations of nepotism and dictatorial attitude have been the biggest obstacle in accomplishing the task that the team has taken unto itself. Chief architect of the Team Anna, Arvind Kejriwal has, somehow, alienated all colleagues but a few. Even Anna Hazare does not seem to be in sync with his team all the time. This has exposed an organized bunch of activists to the ruthlessness of the government. Also, the allegations against Kiran Bedi of malpractices and of having communal tinge against the team have not done any good for it. The inevitable result has been loss of credibility of Team Anna among the masses.

On their part, people have also behaved in an intriguing manner. All of a sudden, when the middle was rising, the masses in India rallied behind Anna Hazare, giving hope to the old wise man. Anna mistook this momentary exuberance of people as their readiness for a long drawn battle against the government. This was not. The hope of Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, the political capital dashed in the Azad Maidan in Mumbai, the commercial capital. It also served the Team Anna a clear message that people cannot sacrifice their economic/commercial interests for some wayward political gains. This is precisely why and how Anna’s anti-graft movement became a pro-lokpal agitation. The coming days, beginning today, are likely to follow the same pattern.

Manmohan Under Attack, Why?

Suddenly, Indian government and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have come under sharp attack of international community. Recently, the Time of the US, the Independent of the UK and US President Barak Obama have criticized Manmohan Singh in no uncertain terms. Each of them chose to lash out at the UPA II government and Singh for their failure to push economic reforms in India. This trend of taking on a ‘proclaimed world leader’ and eminent economist is, somehow, baffling and it smacks of some other inherent designs.

Let’s first see the case of the Time magazine, which carried out a cover story on Manmohan Singh dubbing him as an underachiever and concluding that India’s economic software had crashed and needed to reboot. The magazine wants India to reboot itself. But, for whom? India or the crashing hardware of the US and Europe’s economy? Surely, the Time is not so generous to think of India exclusively. It didn’t think of any such reboot while India was going through a worse phase and the US and the European Union were in sound economic health.

The Independent, a daily in the UK took cue from the Time, but went far ahead in castigating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It termed the Prime Minister as Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s Poodle, a breed of dogs.  How audacious this daily is! And, why for? If Indian economy is in tatters, if we accept the west’s parochial definition of the economy slowdown and policy paralysis in India, why should a newspaper of the UK be so worried and anguished that it resorts to profanity against the Prime Minister?

While the dust caused in motion had not settled yet that the US President Barak Obama found fault with India’s economic policies, thus attacking economist Manmohan Singh. Obama found Manmohanomics obstructive in nature and that it did not allow foreign direct investments in many sectors in India. He practically went ahead to blame India for economic downturn in the EU and the US.

Thankfully, this time around the Indian politicians stood by the government while lashing out at Obama for targeting India and infringing upon its sovereign (albeit, hugely diluted) right to choose its economic course. It was nice to see BJP leader and former Yashwant Sinha come out and take on Obama and the US’ hegemonistic tactic in exhorting India to expand reforms. India cannot and should not be dictated by the US or any other country or bloc.

Clearly, the pressure that is being applied on the Indian establishment led by Manmohan Singh is an attempt by the west to seek more ground for their big corporations, which are rapidly going bankrupt putting enormous socialistic burden on the capitalist governments. India and China can easily provide them the required space as these countries have big areas, resources and markets/ population.

While China has improved its technology and has socialistic capital to take on both the capitalist capital and market, India is an easy hunting ground for the US and the EU. They hope that if India opens up more sectors for their corporate money, it would help them revive their markets and sentiments. This explains why there has been an entire gamut of sustained efforts through leadership, diplomacy and press to put question the credibility of Manmohan Singh his UPA II government.

This is where Manmohan Singh government’s policy paralysis is working in India’s favour. If the much criticized policy paralysis is a conscious effort by this government, it is praiseworthy. There is no reason as to why should India be used as a growth engine for the EU and the US.

Prices, People and Politics

Home Minister P Chidambaram makes sense when he laments consumers’ behaviour pattern vis-à-vis inflation and economic growth in the country. It is now a known thing and also a submission from the government that it suffers from policy paralysis, and that it is waiting for Congress’s next generation leader, Rahul Gandhi to stop playing cameos but to lead from the front. In short, the UPA led by the Congress admits that the hour has come, but the man is yet to arrive. This would a unique situation when time, which is known to have waited for none, is waiting for Congress’s saviour.

In the meanwhile, the UPA continues to battle its own agonies complicated by people’s frustration owing various factors albeit dominated by the almost ever rising prices of all commodities of daily purchase, and the leaders of UPA continue to throw some light on the reasons for this hapless condition prevailing in the country. For most of the things going wrong, the UPA blames not itself but some other element, many a time irrationally, though. But, on Tuesday, P Chidamaram seemed to make a valid point when he pointed finger at people’s spending pattern. He quipped that while people are ready to spend Rs 15 for a 300ml cold drink bottle and Rs 20 for an ice-cream cone, they are outraged at spending Re 1 extra on rice or wheat if it means some cushion to millions of farmers across the country.

There are three definite aspects of inflation-people-government axis. Let’s first take the case of prices. Prices are on the rise for past few years. In fact, when UPA went into 2004 general elections, rising inflation was one of the prime election issues. But, people defeated that issue and made price-rise a non-election issue. However, political tempers on price rise kept rising. Prices are rising due to simple reasons, both external and internal. To begin with government’s argument, which reflected in P Chidambaram’s latest statement as well, that procurement prices for most of the food-grains have been increased pushing the prices at consumers’ end higher. But, procurement prices were increased not for the concern for the farmers but to score some political brownie points. Whatever may the case be, it resulted in some relief to farmers, but some additional burden on the consumers.

Another important reason for price rise is, manipulation by medium and big market players. Hoarding is still rampant across the country. Sadly, gone are the days when even Bollywood films produced angry young men fighting against hoarding and kalabazari. This makes a cabbage or a cauliflower available throughout the year, but at an elevated price, which does not fall even during its flowering season. But, none seems to spare a thought for this aspect of price rise.

Third important reason for rising inflation is gloomy world economy complimented by the fluctuating but rising crude oil prices. This has put a huge burden on the macro-economics of the government of India which is much concerned with managing fiscal deficit and keeping good vertical growth figures. In the nutshell, the situation has come to the point where the governance is a failure under the UPA regime. Policy paralysis is both now the cause and result of this hapless situation.

Second aspect of the axis is people’s behaviour. People, rather voters, have shown in past few years that price rise is not an issue for them. We may deny, but can’t denounce this evidence of India’s democracy. Here comes the relevance of P Chidambaram’s statement on consumers’ behaviour pattern. His astonishment is valid when he wonders why people are ready to pay Rs 15-20 on something that is not going to affect quality of his life. This shows that those who have are not really bothered about spending money on things of their choice. But, somehow a mindset has emerged on the national scene which demands and argues that all the life sustaining essentials should be almost free of cost. Buying a kg of potatoes with Rs 15 looks a costly purchase but spending Rs 35-75 on a burger is nothing. This leads us to the third aspect of the inflation-people-government axis, politics.

Prices are here to stay. The last decade has proven this beyond any iota of doubt. In fact, the increased prices are the new bases for family expenditure. But, politicians think it fit to keep the anti-price psyche in the top-most quarters of priorities. This is coupled with news-starved news media, which harps on flying prices. Somehow things have come to such a passe that everyone the same tune but none is listening, not even the singer.

Rains, Monsoon, Economy and Manmohan

Finally monsoon has showered some raindrops on the national capital bringing relief to its residents. TV news channels, though, made people believe as if entire India is now covered by this very erratic monsoon. This is one of the negative fall-outs of almost all the major news channels being based in New Delhi. Anyways, Delhi needed rains, it has got the first spell of monsoon spray. Nice. It has brought the soaring temperature down making weather unusually pleasant for Delhi. It becomes overwhelming here. But, monsoon this year does not present a rosy picture. Till now only 49 percent monsoon rains has been reported by the IMD, whose forecasts and estimates are hardly ever taken seriously by aam aadmi. People are already talking of drought in regions, which are crucial for foodgrains' production.

A drought in Delhi won't affect our kitchens and stomachs much but a similar situation in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and others would throw not only our individual family lives but the economy of the nation completely out of gear. Already, four farmers have ended their lives (in past 48 hours) in Vidarbh as monsoon kept them waiting. The vagaries of monsoon and the possibility of a drought this year are going to aggravate the splitting headache for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has just taken over the mantle of finance ministry. He is already losing his sleep over a slowing economy, falling rupee, rising food inflation and escalating fiscal deficit. On the top of it, the government has got the inertia of policy paralysis.

Many believe that a deficient rainfall this monsoon will further paralyze this UPA government and the simmering of an impending economic reforms would be kept under the wraps for some more time. The first issue that plagues the Manmohan Singh government is diesel pricing. The economists suggest the UPA government to decontrol it and/or, thereby raise the diesel prices. But, this will be another bolt from the blue for the farmers, who are a key voting bloc for the Congress and its allies as they will have to use diesel in the absence of monsoonal rains to run pumps for irrigation.

The use of more diesel would be a big worry for the government. Diesel accounts for more than 40 per cent of nation's oil demand. Farmers can increase the demand for diesel substantially if monsoon does not improve vastly and quickly. Then, keeping diesel prices at the present level will make it difficult for the government to keep fiscal deficit at the projected 5.1 percent of the GDP.

This means we are gearing up for another bad fiscal year. The first three months of the current financial year have already seen economy slumping to its lowest in almost a decade. Most of the credit rating agencies have cut down India's credit outlook making foreign investment difficult. Obviously, Manmohan Singh, the economist, has a daunting task to accomplish.
Weak monsoon makes a dent into farm based incomes, loosely, rural India's incomes. This, in turn, will hit adversely the markets of almost everything--- from chips and cold drinks to TV and motor vehicles, and from gold to computers.

Failing agriculture in India would also make agricultural produce in international markets costlier much to the discomfort of many poor countries of Africa and Asia. The recent example of this phenomenon was witnessed in 2009, when a severe drought in India's sugarcane producing states forced it to lift large quantity of the sweetener not only from its biggest producer, Brazil but also from other markets making benchmark New York futures climb to a three-decade high.

Monsoon is not a local geographical phenomenon now, it is all pervasive with global economic implications. Let's join Mr Manmohan Singh in his pray to Lord Indra so that He sends normal rain-bearing monsoon clouds over India's foodgrain producing states;it doesn't matter if Delhi does not get rains overflowing its drains.

CK Jaffer Sharief: Graft Trial for Rs 7 Lakh

While the dust is yet to settle down on scams that stagger with their statistics hovering in thousands and lakhs of crores of rupees, one former powerful leader is in dock and would be facing trial for a 'paltry' amount of Rs 7 lakh spent on his officers on a foreign trip. This news may sound meaningless in the wake of humongous amount being projected in various graft cases, but this proves that graft has always been in the draft. 

Former railways minister C.K. Jaffer Sharief will have to face trial in a corruption case of 1995. It is linked to his visit to London for treatment.  Sharief had gone to London for his treatment. he is accused of taking along four of his staffers without authorization. This unauthorized act of the then railways minister caused a loss of Rs.7 lakh to the state exchequer. 

The CBI registered an FIR against him in 1998 and later filed a charge-sheet. But, in 2005 the CBI filed a closure report in the court due to refusal of sanction by the government to prosecute Sharief. However, the court decided to proceed with the case. Sharief's appeal to stay criminal proceedings was dismissed by the Supreme Court of India on May 10. Only after the apex court's decision, the CBI moved fast and on Tuesday a Special CBI court found sufficient prima facie evidence and framed charges against the former railway minister. CBI Judge N.K. Kaushik has fixed August 21 as the date to begin the trial against him.

Sharief may rue the fact that while other less powerful ministers of today are getting away with cases involving graft of unimaginable amount of money, he is to face trial for an amount as small as Rs 7 lakh and that too was spent on his officers. He may ask whether a minister enjoys the discretion of spending a mere Rs 7 Lakh or not in the wake of recent discretionary spending by most of the ministers? But, then, he will have to answer why should a minister have the discretion to spend people's hard earned money without being subjected to accountability? And, also, can two wrongs make one right?

Cartoons: After Ambedkar, Nehru-Gandhi Removed

Are we increasingly becoming intolerant as a nation, as a society? Are we losing out our plurality of thoughts and of our social realities? Are we just a nation that cares for retaining or maintaining power? Are we stifling the basic idea of human's spirit of inquiry (about our past)? Are we all becoming a bunch of nincompoops or just over-sensitive bunch mob? 

The answer to all these questions is definitely Yes, if we go by what followed after NCERT cartoon controversy boiled over. We all know it started with a cartoon wherein JL Nehru was about to whip a snail (personifying our constitution-in-the-making) which was saddled by BR Ambedkar armed with a lash. Two theories were put forth. One, Nehru was depicted as flogging dalit messiah Ambedkar and that this was an insult to the entire dalit community. In politically aroused India, the term dalit does not need to be defined separately, though it has acquired an altogether different meaning over the years. This was said that the cartoonist Shankar meant an elite Nehru flogged a dalit Ambedkar! Everyone buried the fact that the two leaders respected each other immensely. 

Theory number two. That Nehru was upset with the pace at which constitution was being prepared and was angry with the entire process, which was moving at a slow pace. So, Nehru, holding Drafting Committee chairman, Ambedkar responsible for the delay wanted to whip the entire committee so that it can speed up the most crucial process of the time. 

It's true that Pt Nehru was upset and there has never been any doubt about it. He wanted to see the constitution making process to get over soon. So did Rajendra Prasad, the chairman of the constituent assembly. But, Nehru being the most influential leader of the age got more space in news media and public debate. So, his anguish also got more depiction among the cartoonists. Nehru was no casteist. And, Shankar, as they all say, was no naive cartoon journalist. He could not have shown Nehru supposedly whipping snail-rider Ambedkar, had any of the two leaders was a casteist. Moreover, the cartoon was published while the two leaders were very active in politics and interestingly, none of them objected to it. Further, Nehru wrote to Shankar suggesting that the cartoon could have been depicted the other way as well. 

But, much water has flown under the political bridge in India and decades later neo-sensitive dalit activists and politicians find the same things unacceptable. This is a classic example of a wedge being built between Ambedkar and his followers. Ambedkar, purportedly at the receiving end in the cartoon, respected Shankar's fundamental right to expression. But, his followers forgot that Ambedkar vowed to protect right to freedom of expression with his life. And, I would like to make it clear that these neo-activists are not true followers of Ambedkar but political opportunists, who want to stake their claim on Ambekarism and thereby emerge as dalit leaders. What followed when the NCERT cartoon was discovered six years after it was re-published in 2006 was a result of this race to emerge as champion of Ambedakrism. 

But, spare a thought. If Nehru 'whipped' Ambedkar for whatever reason, why should it be not taught to the students? If an eminent cartoon journalist felt that Nehru was responsible for expediting the already lengthy process of constitution making and Ambedkar was the centre of his ire, why should this generation be not taught about that? If Nehru had a casteist agenda in mind, why should it be not taught to young minds so that they have a proper understanding of the modern makers of India? And,  if an eminent cartoonist, who was appreciated by the likes of Nehru and Ambedkar was a casteist or anti-dalit, why should the students be not told about that?

However, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal and his team think the other way. The latest proof of this mindset is the report submitted by the NCERT committee that examined cartoons in school textbooks after the aforesaid controversy. The committee, headed by Sukhadeo Thorat, chairperson of the Indian Council of Social Science Research, has recommended that the cartoons and caricatures bearing 'negative' references to politicians and bureaucrats should be removed from the text books. The only relief for me has been the remark by the six-member panel which was set up following the row over Dr B R Ambedkar's cartoon in the political science textbook that cartoons are good learning tools and that they should not be discarded away with completely. 

The panel has recommended removal or modification of 36 of the 176 cartoons in textbooks for classes 9-12. Interestingly, it has also sought removal of some of the cartoons of the Nehru-Gandhi family observing that such cartoons are too many in number. in the textbooks and has sought their removal. Another good thing about the report is a dissent by one of its members. Professor Pandian has objected to the conclusions of the report arguing that an unnecessary controversy has been created over harmless cartoons. He has argued that these cartoons need not be removed. But, his attempt to live true to Ambedkarism may not go down well with neo-activists aka anti-Ambedkarism protagonists.