Subjective debates undermine issues Objectivity needed!!

 

Another auspicious day in India! The States Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala came into being at different times as part of the Indian union today. All three of them are in the southern part of India. Let us all join in wishing these states and the people a great future.

Human is the most evolved specie of all the animals that inhabit the planet Earth. We have a slew of entities with geographical boundaries termed as countries, each with its own uniqueness, predominantly practicing Democracy as the form of governance; some are theocracies, while others are totalitarian. Each has it pros and cons, endless debate goes as to which is better. Without any doubt maximum cacophony emanates from countries which practice Democracy, as it is everybodys birth right to start howling moment they do not agree with something that the state does and show inclination of doing. Be it denying permission to erect Minarets in Switzerland, or a Mosque at Ground Zero in New York USA, or expressing the desire to burn the Holy Quran by Pastor Terry Jones on 11th of September 2010 or be it the Ban on wear Burquas in public in France.  The outcry is in unison from almost all corners of the world and Democratic Rights are cited by one and all.

Lets now focus on the raging debate in India. Yes it has to be on what was stated by Ms. Arundhati Roy on the status of state of Jammu & Kashmir in the Union of India. We have since then had a series of Television debates so called liberal, Human Rights activists and Intellectuals placing their considered opinions about this issue. Like wise many articles and news report along with blogs have been written on this issue. Arguments for and against have been vehemently presented to the readers, with a bias of the author of the piece very evident as we read them. Let see what was said.  “Kashmir needs freedom from India” , “I said what millions say in Kashmir” “Pity the nation that has to silence its writers for speaking their minds. Pity the nation that needs to jail those who ask for justice while communal killers, mass murderers, corporate scamsters, looters, rapists, and those who prey on the poorest of the poor, roam free.”    ,“Only voiced what Kashmiris feel” 

After this started the round of customary round of written rebuttal from other journalists, intellectuals, legal eagles and all those who felt aggrieved at what had been stated by Ms.Arundhati Roy.“Arundhati Roy is dangerously wrong on Kashmir” . Don’t pity us, Arundhati – not yet.   ,“Congress asks Arundhati Roy to withdraw Kashmir statement”, “No damage to India from Arundhati Roy's remarks”  and “Kashmir’s molehills”. 

The next stage was the defense from the maker of the speech. “Arundhati Roy defends remarks on Kashmir”. ,  “Arundhati Roy defends remarks on Kashmir “| Deccan Chronicle | 2010-10-26. , next steps in the Police  “Police examining Arundhati Roy's speech” ,  “Arundhati Roy off the hook for her controversial Delhi speech”. and all this culminates as on today  “GBA assails BJP attack on Arundhati Roy’s House”.

Rest easy I am not going to discuss the merits or demerits of what each of them have said or not said. I am going to touch upon a larger question and leave to the readers to decide for them selves what should take precedence. The orderly existence of a civil society is predicated by a set of rules or laws universally applicable across the board. We surrender before these laws and conduct our daily lives within the established acceptable norms. It maybe perfectly normal to walk stark naked within the confine of ones house, however the same act in public is treated as unacceptable and invites punishment under relevant law. Having sex is not prohibited, however if the same act is performed in public or against the will of the other party law views this as an infringement and punishes accordingly. There are no debates about the status of the accused nor is the society, media or intellectual empowered to hand out punishment this is done by the court of law duly established as per the terms set out in the constitution of a country.

Ones Freedom Fighter others Terrorist is an old debate.

The debate on the current issue should be objective in nature, unfortunately it has degenerated into a subjective debate. Why should there be talk of Freedom of Speech or Expression. The basic issue is has the purported statement been made by Ms.Arundhati Roy?….The answer to this is ‘Yes’.Is there a law which defines the limits or conditions for such speeches? Yes there is a law.  Does it in anyway transgress the established laws of the land?.... Answer I am not competent to judge this, neither is the society or the large number of commentator No is an emphatic response to that. Then who will pass a judgment on this?..Court of Law as empowered by the Constitution of the country. Who will produce the evidence and the alleged culprit before the court of law? This is the function of the executive. Let us remember when the ministers assumes office in a government, they are administered an Oath of Office. This is the text…

                                                   THIRD SCHEDULE

[Articles 75(4), 99, 124(6), 148(2), 164(3), 188 and 219]*

Forms of Oaths or Affirmations

I

Form of oath of office for a Minister for the Union:—

“I, A. B., do swear in the name of God

that I will bear true faith and

allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, 1[that I will

uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India,] that I will faithfully and

conscientiously discharge my duties as a Minister for the Union and that I

will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and

the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.”

II

Form of oath of secrecy for a Minister for the Union:—

“I, A.B., do swear in the name of God that I will not directly or indirectly

communicate or reveal to any person or persons any matter which shall be

brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as a Minister

for the Union except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties

as such Minister.”

I have my eyes firmly fixed on the executive waiting for their response. Will any action on this be forthcoming!

As a child we are often taught the importance of time “Stitch in time saves nine.” The other thing that is ingrained into us that “Pen is Mightier than Sword” if this be the case then how can the purported crime of Ms. Arundhati Roy be ignored.

In conclusion is this tweet which was addressed to me earlier this evening. “Suratsuri@anilkohli54 as an Indian who did not write/indulge in any Small Things,I want freedom from Arundati Roy n all her booker contemporaries”

Latest update : Delhi High Court why shouldnt action be taken against A.Roy for antiindia speeches?Wheels R turning atlast                               

What the Government did not do people of this country stepped up. : Court orders FIR against Roy, Geelani"

Dyanstic politics and Democracy do not gel

On this day 135years ago a true patriot was born. His contributions during the freedom struggle are too well known. It is his service to Independent India which is of far greater importance, the physical contour of India that we hold as our country is largely due to his efforts and bold initiatives. We are dumbfounded and watch in complete bewilderment as a scam a day unfolds before us. Is this our way of taking forward the legacy of our freedom fighter and patriots? Today we pay tribute to the greatest son of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. 31^st Oct 1875. Often referred to as the Iron Man of India!

Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar the man who gave us our Constitution. The most vibrant, and dynamic document, for conducting our statecraft! All discourses on India would be incomplete without mentioning Dr.Ambedkars contribution. Yet the current situation begs a question has the constitution failed us or have we failed the constitution?

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India. Who had consciously decided and had taken a vow that in the case of any school, project, or programme started in memory of his father (Motilal Nehru) or his wife, he would not participate in its inauguration. This is noted by Mr. Ramchandra Guha in his article “That family feeling” “That family feeling”. How would he view all the programmes, institutions, streets, Airport and even bridges in this country are being named after his family?

Mrs. Indira Gandhi we remember today on her death anniversary assassinated on this day 31^st Oct 1984. She is also referred to as the Iron Lady of that era. Enigmatic for many of us if there were her strengths to admire, equally were her acts which leave us wondering if it was the same person.

This back ground is necessary for all the readers to enable them reach their own conclusion on the topic that is going to be dealt with in this blog. That is the young politicians, ethics and their contribution to the nation and its people.“Young, but definitely not restless” “Young, but definitely not restless” . Democracy and it functioning in our country has been variously described by us for some it is dysfunctional, for others it is imperfect and yet some refer to it as a sham.

This would also highlight how far we have traversed, the extent to which we have digressed from our original path. Why is there so much of cynicism? Have we reduced our democracy to by the masses, of a few, for the privileged! Instead of the original concept! By the people, of the people and for the people!

In her article dated 29^th Oct 2010 .“Young, but definitely not restless” Namita Bhandare, begins by saying” Of all the seductions of youth, perhaps the most enticing is its potential for change. We associate youth with transformation and an ability to shake the status quo.” Nothing could be further from truth than this assumption in context of the younger lot in politics.

Today we find a in our politics a system for prevalence of dynastic preponderance, rather than of mass participation of the ordinary Indians. Some of the names mentioned by the author of the article Omar Abdullah  Varun Gandhi, Aditya Thackeray,Jitin Prasada, Sachin Pilot, Agatha Sangma, Tejaswi, Milind Deora, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Priya Dutt, Akhilesh Yadav, Naveen Jindal. Though there are notable omissions as well and that is rather surprising Mr. Scindhia and of course the scion of the Gandhi family Mr. Rahul Gandhi, now was this deliberate or is it accidental, since the newspaper and TV channels never fail to remind us of even the most trivial detail as an earth shattering event should the young Mr.Gandhi indulge in. The other day he undertook a train journey from Gorakhpur to Mumbai and it was a new item in all the national dailies.  “Rahul rides aam aadmi train” “Rahul rides aam aadmi train” . or another example  “Biharis shining, not Bihar, says Rahul”  “Biharis shining, not Bihar, says Rahul” . Now lets get down to each young individual mentioned above and the their lineage.

Omar Abdullah of National Conference party is the son of Farookh Abdullah grand son of Sheikh Abdullah a very prominent lineage and legacy, then why has he failed to administer effectively the state of Jammu and Kashmir, is their a serious mismatch between ability and expectations or we have ignored the fact that experience is also an important aspect lack of which could have very serious repercussions for the area entrusted. Yes this is a sign of dynastic rule. 

Varun Gandhi, gained notoriety overnight by his hate speech during the last general elections. Son of Sanjay Gandhi grand son of Indira Gandhi Bhartiya Janta Party not assured that he would reach the office of Prime Minister in near future even if his party was to form the Government at the center.

Aditya Thackeray the latest entrant to politics son of Udhhav Thackeray grandson of Bala Saheb Thackarey. Would in all probability head the party Shiv Sena at some point of time or the other as and when his father decides.

Agatha Sangma daughter of P.A Sangma. Tejaswi son of Lalu Prasad Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav  son of Mulatyam Singh Yadav and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi daughter of M.Karunanidhi of DMK may play a part in their parties are not serious contenders for any high office at the center since the parties they represent are regional and not national.

Jitin Prasada, Sachin Pilot, Milind Deora, Priya Dutt Naveen Jindal,Joytiraditya Scindhia and Mr. Rahul Gandhi. The last 7 names belong to Congress party and none other than Rahul Gandhi has been spoken as Prime Ministerial material not just by ordinary party members but also by Dr. Manmohan Singh.

The public at large has no clue what so ever as to their education qualification, institutions that they studied in, did any of them participate in the college and university level politics. What is the level of their engagement with the constituencies that they represent? How many years have they spent in the service of the nation and how well do they understand the requirements of the people of this country. How many years have they put in with the party before being given tickets to contest elections? These are some of the questions that need answers and we are not getting them.

There have been no statements made by any one of them on any of the burning issues, we have not seen them participate in any debate in the parliament. What is their vision? We are unaware, how will they implement incase they do have a vision for the country? Most of them are in the parliament because of lineage and not because of any other merit. If their mentors are their father or mother then the politics that they have learnt is nothing new but a case of ‘Old wines in new bottles’.

The role of media in all this is rather curious, they first create a halo around these individuals, convert it into a myth, believe it to be gospel and then sell that to us. This instead of informing the public at large about the merits of each of the above named individuals. The focus is on promoting them, this is not going to help the nation, consequences of inexperienced young men and women in position of authority could lead to real and long term damage.

The only thing common among all these young politicians is that they have been parachuted into the political arena due to their lineage and nothing more. They could help themselves in dispelling this perception by interacting and informing the people of this country about themselves, their ideas and vision that they have for their country. Until that happens they would not be able to win the respect of large section of the population. They may win election since they are contesting from well protected fiefdoms nurtured by their parents.

Media must introspect and perform a role that is befitting and not that of public Relations Company trying to promote a product. The more they report on inane items as event of some consequence just because Rahul Gandhi is involved, greater is the resistance from the people and this is borne out by the fact that the negative comment on the newspaper sites far exceed positive comments. Censorship by deleting unpalatable comments is also not going to help their cause. Since it is the same media which is reporting on these events claiming the fundamental right of Freedom of Speech and Expression, denying the very right to its readers.

Fortunately in all this there is the BJP and the Left parties who do not practice dynastic politics. Though media does pick up, selective cases of father and son or daughter from these parties to make its point that all are the same. That is not true because none from these parties are automatically selected as party Presidents or are projected as Prime Ministerial contenders. Which in the case of Congress party is a forgone conclusion, should there be a Gandhi available then there is no other option for the top jobs of the party or the Nation.

In conclusion we are a democracy, let us stay the course and strengthen it let us not deviate and practice Monarchy in the garb of dynastic politics. We owe this to our long gone patriots and all those unknown Indians who willingly sacrificed for this country, during the freedom struggle. 

Latest update on 07th Sept 2013

 As expected, the Indian National Congress, which is the single largest party, has the largest number of MPs—78 out of 208—with a politician as a family member. Surprisingly, the number of “family politicians” from the second largest party the Bharatiya Janata Party is comparatively low (about 20%).   {LINK}








 

Political bankruptcy of Congress comes to fore

Perverse sense of humour, or reveling in others misery is not my forte. However what transpired last evening on TimesNow, could not resist myself from smirking and must confess enjoying with a fair degree of smugness as Mr. Vinod Sharma of Hindustan Times, was being hauled over the proverbial burning coal, as also the verbal barbs being driven into him by Mr. Mahesh Jethmalani, as if he was a mere Voodoo doll. To watch a Secular Fundamentalist receive his just dessert on Prime time television is a sight to behold.

The spectacle was completed with Mr. Manish Tewari of Congress red in face ranting non stop hoping to drown other voices, how he did not suffer a cardiac arrest will remain a mystery? Guess enough of gloating over these two worthies predicament. I am not a party member of any political outfit.  As “Mango man” (Aam Adami) we have been violated so often by the likes of Vinod Sharma and Manish Tewari that it almost seems a natural reaction when some one tears into them and their ilk.

                                                                                                                                                                       Preamble done and dusted with lets get down to serious business of addressing the issue that is the motivation for this blog.

India confronted near Economic Bankruptcy in 1989 after sustained misrule by Congress for almost 40 long years. Today the same Congress is confronting political bankruptcy. This is highlighted by the choice of Interlocutors appointed for Kashmir. The statement of Mr. Dileep Padgaonkar where he classifies Kashmir as a dispute goes against the very stand of the Government of India and the various statements made at different time on the floor of the Parliament. Refer what the Indian Parliament had unanimously resolved on 22 Nov 1994. Extract “On behalf of the People of India, Firmly declares that- “The state of Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and shall be an integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means; India has the will and capacity to firmly counter all designs against its unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity; and demands that – Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, which they have occupied through aggression; and resolves that – all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely.” The Resolution was unanimously adopted. Mr. Speaker. The Resolution is unanimously passed. February 22, 1994”

Centrality of Pakistan in resolving this is affording a place to a neighbour in our domestic affairs. Even the UN resolution does not acknowledge Pakistan’s role beyond vacating the land illegally occupied by it in 1948. 
                                                                                                                          
 “1. UN Resolution (Document No. S/1100, Para 75, dated 9th November, 1948) PART I (Cease-fire Order) para B states: “The High Commands of Indian and Pakistan forces agreed to refrain from taking any measures that might augment the military potential of the forces under their control in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. (For the purpose of these proposals “forces under their control shall be considered to include all forces, organized and unorganized, fighting or participating in hostilities on their respective sides).” Here reference to “organized and unorganized, fighting or participating in hostilities” clearly denotes the tribesmen from Pakistan’s side in Pakistan Held Kashmir.

2. Please also refer Part II (Truce Agreement) para A (2) & (3): “(2) The Government of Pakistan will use its best endeavor to secure the withdrawal from the State of Jammu and Kashmir of tribesmen and Pakistan nationals not normally resident therein who have entered the State for the purpose of fighting. (3) Pending a final solution the territory evacuated by the Pakistan troops will be administered by the local authorities under the surveillance of the Commission”

Failure of the Congress to asses and think through before appointing the team is apparent, journalists suffer from an exaggerated self view is not in doubt anymore. Role assigned was that of listening and reporting, role being performed is that of a policy maker with little or no expertise in the area of International relations or the finesse of diplomatese. Yes the debate has been ignited and more will join in. The fact is last evening on TimesNow. Mr.Saifuddin Soz of Congress did concede that perhaps the purpose would have been better served if Mr.Dileep Padgaonkar had not made the remarks. Is this not an indictment of the interlocutor and those who appointed him?

True to form Mr. Vinod Sharma in his blog  “Kashmir’s molehills” is being sanctimonious as is his wont. “I’ve never doubted the BJP’s patriotism. What’s suspect is the wisdom it deploys to pursue national interest it tends to see through the prism of Hindutva.” How on earth does he believe that a certification from him is desired or required by BJP. His preference for Congress is not hidden from anyone one of us, yet he for some unknown reasons lives in denial of this fact.

The entire exercise of engaging the various sections of the society in the valley has been vitiated by this one statement and thereafter the obdurate defense mounted by Mr. Padgaonkar. There is a serious need of addressing the grievances of the population of Jammu and Kashmir, not just the valley. Responding to BJP’s objections is the last thing that should occupy the mind of Mr. Padgaonkar he is neither a spokesperson of the Government of India nor is he a partyman of Congress. BJP is a National Party, besides also the principal opposition party and is mandated to question the actions of the Government and its appointed agents.

Task on hand is onerous to digress from it would be detrimental to the well being of the people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and India at large. Egos must be kept firmly in check accolades may warm your cockles, criticism is the reverse side of the same coin and does raise your heckles. The added dimension of the anti India tirade by Arundhati Roy and Geelani in Delhi and the coming together of various supporters of disaffected groups on a single platform are portends of difficult times ahead.  An over eager neighbour as Pakistan so willing to not just fish but actively support and direct anti India actions makes it all the more imperative for these interlocutors to be focused on their brief , enabling establishment of a lasting peace for the distressed people of Jammu and Kashmir and the valley in particular.

In conclusion if the barometer for disapproval of Mr. Padgaonkar’s remarks and the anti India hate speeches is the Twitter and WWW.Then the judgment is unanimous in both cases. This is Mr. Mishra's take "@rk_misra UPA should realize that even a hint of giving-up on J&K will lead to upheaval & blood bath as we saw during partition. Nation won't accept.” 

Ignore the interactive people at your own peril.

 

Practice what you preach!!

Profundity attached to the act of banning a book is incomprehensible. I have never been a supporter of this. Once a book is published and released in public domain it stays in circulation. What purpose does this ban serve? The current issue is of removal of a book from syllabus, the Cabal is out in full force remonstrating loss of Freedom of Expression. More often than not they are guilty of transgressions on this account. We have been at the receiving end, when our comments have either been deleted, or have stayed unpublished, not because we said something outrageous or offensive, we simply did not match their pitch.

 

In the present case the debate is not why the book was withdrawn? The initiator is unacceptable to select few in our society. I have stated my two bits worth and leave it to each and every reader to reach their own conclusions.



“Sab ko ek annkh se dekhna” is an idiom in Hindi for the benefit of those who may not be conversant with this language; it roughly translates to equal treatment. Those who thrive on Black humor would be tempted to treat this as a call to remove an eye of all human beings. More so of liberal secular fanatics, on account of public bawling by them, on withdrawal of the book; “Such a Long Journey” by Rohinton Mistry from Mumbai University syllabus by its VC Mr. Rajan Welukar.

“This is what India’s greatest city has come to. A gawky 20-year-old history student looking for an event to accompany his impending break into politics asks the vice-chancellor (VC) of one of India’s greatest universities to withdraw an award-winning novel that’s been on the syllabus since 2007. Within 24 hours, the VC cravenly complies with the absurd demand. The young man is Aditya Thackeray, son of Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and student of Mumbai’s famed St Xavier’s College.” So begins Mr. Samar Halarnkar in Hindustan Times his article Who’s your daddy?

Mr. Vir Sanghvi has also published a blog in Hindustan time today on the same subject.Freedom of expression isn’t something we value Who Mr. Sanghvi goes on to say “without the right to offend, the right to free speech would be useless. If everybody approved of everything you said, then why would you need a constitutional guarantee of free speech? If nobody was offended, then nobody would complain.” Well would that not be just great for all of us in this world.

We are not dependent on the printed versions anymore; we have been liberated from this limiting factor. So does it really make sense to be going to town about a ban on a book? Which we can, and will access via the net, should we desperately desire to read the same.

In order to reach the crux of the matter we would have to understand, what are these people objecting about, is it that the book was withdrawn? Is it that a 20year old Thackeray is involved? Is it that the book has not been banned, so that they could throw vigorous, and prolonged tantrums in full public view?

Televisions channels have also been seized of this and have debated on this subject, results achieved are not along expected lines; Chief Minister of Maharashtra has thrown his weight on the side of the young man.

This brigade; of liberal secular fanatics who are vociferously protesting the lack of Freedom of expression are prone to selective amnesia of incidents, and individuals involved. They are guilty of employing deplorable language towards democratically elected head of a state in India. They practice most intensive censorship; anything that does not match their line of thought is summarily discarded by them. Those who are brave enough to take them on by way of Blogging or through Twitter are referred to in derogatory terms to the extent of being labeled as “Internet Hindus” without bothering to verifying if person follows Hinduism or any other religion.

Some of these votaries have exceeded all civil limits and have even threatened legal action against Blogger from other countries, who dared to criticize them. While one of their breed tweeted in the most disgusting and abhorrent manner about Lord Ram being a divine encroacher before the Ayodhaya verdict. Not a peep was heard from anyone of these self styled Knights in Shining Armour of Freedom of Expression against this dispicable act, guess it is time that one eye of theirs is closed so that, they are not accused of selectivity of the kind that they practice.

Their angst is not towards the book being dropped from the University Curriculum, it is the person who is being credited with the deed. The political outfit is not of their choice emergence of another young gun from a different stable is seen as a threat to their favourite son from their favourite political setup.

These worthies will gladly supplicate before one son. The new son on the horizon gives them the hebbie jebbies!

List of books banned in India is long, there are also instances when the Government of the day has passed laws to overturn judgments of Supreme Court of India e.g. Shah Bano, so this seems an extremely motivated and suspect exercise of shedding copious tears. Others right to Freedom of Expressions should be respected by this gang before they demand it for themselves. Let us convert into one eyed beings, if we do not have the capacity for accommodating differing views.

“Please do not politicize the issue.”

October has been significantly hectic, events have unfolded with great speed. We are through with the Navratri, the Durga Puja and the Vijay Dashmi. There is the phenomenon of 5Fridays, 5Saturdays and 5Sundays in this month, then there was 10-10-10, and at 8.10PM we shall witness yet another 2010 2010.

Yes we did have a great Common wealth Games, but now it is back to business of corruption in organizing these games, elections in Bihar, political upheaval in Karnataka, emergence of yet another Son on the political scene. Twitter and the net are abuzz with a minute to minute update as the events unfold.

As always the focus of this blog will be politics and role of media. Both of which have a profound effect on our lives!

Every time the newscaster or host of a debate on prime time TV show throws this line “Please do not politicize the issue.” at the spokes person of political party, I am most intrigued by it. What does the host or the moderator of the show means by this? Spokesperson of a political party will speak on issues with a political perspective; how can one expect the doctor to prescribe medicines without diagnosis.

The multi agency probe has commenced into the alleged corruption in CWG, last afternoon the media went into overdrive once the news of raids on BJP functionary Sudhanshu Mittal’s office and residence broke out, their jubilations could best be compared with that of young child who receives his first box of fire crackers. The scam involves a sum of Rs 70,000 crores as per reports which have been appearing in the print and electronic media.

If one was not used to Indian media he/she would have believed that the entire case had been solved in a single raid on this Mr. Mittal. As things have turned out Mr. Mittal claims that the value of contract signed by his company are to the tune of Rs 29 Lakhs or under Rs.3 million as against the colossal sums allegedly involved in the entire scam.

Cynicism is all pervasive, visit any website of any Indian newspaper people are apprehensive that this multi agency probe will deliver nothing, we need a more comprehensive and visible team to investigate the crime. Worst is that those who are under a cloud are Ministers in the present Government and the agencies investigating are also under the direct control of the Government of the day, will justice be done or will the routine follow.

There are commentators and newspapers who are asking Indians for patience, people are questioning the rationale of this multi agency probe, our history is replete with scams and against those the column which should depict the number of people punished and duration of punishment is blank. Yes there has been no conviction of a politician in last 63years. Congress party is in the eye of storm, media is extremely congress friendly and hence there is added disquiet that all this will be hushed up with more than liberal assistance from the media. Patience with the people is in short supply, we want results and fast that is the message that is being sent out loud and clear. It is for the powers that be who must heed before this cynicism converts into indifference for the media, congress and its Government.

We are seeking accountability and more than that is identifying and punishing the guilty. Our past experiences are not giving us hope and that is why Indians are agitated.

sheila_shitdik If you have seen a funnier collection of #CWG cartoons than If you have seen a funnier collection of #CWG cartoons than these please let me know please let me know. #commonwealth

Aditya Thackeray is the new kid on the block from Shiv Sena in Maharashtra politics, grandson of Shri.Bala Saheb Thackeray. His emergence has been dramatic as can be, he has been credited with withdrawal of Rohinton Mistry’s Such a Long Journey, published in 1991, which has been on Mumbai University’s English syllabus for a few years now. He chanced upon a few unflattering references to his political patrimony, it was summarily excised from the curriculum. Mumbai University Vice Chancellor Rajan Welukar leapt to action in 24 hours, in order to placate the Sena’s student wing, and using emergency powers at his disposal.

This has been hotly debated by a TV channel which even interviewed the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who incidentally concurred with young Thackeray, much to the charge in of the host of that channel. There are umpteen numbers of cases of books being banned by the Union or State Governments. Somehow our secular liberal brigade; goes into overdrive moment it reads or hears Shiv Sena, BJP or NDA. There seems to be a serious genetic disorder with these self professed guardians of our liberal secularism.

There are multiple ways of viewing all issues, as also different opinions need to have equal space in our country. We vehemently object to the world view of the few which is being attempted to be pushed down our throats.