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50th Anniversary of Human Rights Day observed all over the world brings into focus many aspects that have been lost sight of by the United Nations. The countries who have been most vocal on preserving human rights happens to be the ones who pay only lip sympathy and tend to treat human rights based on political expediency rather than their preservation as enshrined in the UN Charter to which they are ...... more Prime Minister AB Vajpayee during his address to the Associated Chamber of Commerce says that major policy thrust is on the anvil on three vital aspects of nation building. These are health, population and telecommunication. By any yardstick, very little attention has been paid to the health sector by the successive Governments. There is no social security for those living below the poverty . ...more |
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Delayed ATV Project a It is tragic
that the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat,
has locked horns with Vice. . .......more It is an inalienable right of every
sovereign state to take such steps as are necessary....more The President, Mr K R Narayanan is by all accounts a very worried man these days. An ......more Atalji goes political. With
a vengeance.......... Atal Behari Vajpayee, though in politics for most of his two-score-and-ten years, has largely been ...more |
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EDITORIAL 50th Anniversary of Human Rights Day observed all over the world brings into focus many aspects that have been lost sight of by the United Nations. The countries who have been most vocal on preserving human rights happens to be the ones who pay only lip sympathy and tend to treat human rights based on political expediency rather than their preservation as enshrined in the UN Charter to which they are signatories. That is why various twists and interpretations have come to be legitimised without any concerted or determined action by the major players or the United Nations. Chief Justice of India says that no development is feasible unless human rights are observed in its totality everywhere and in every field. It has been stressed that respect, protection and preservation of human rights are pre-requisites to evolving a just and equitable social order in this country which in turn is the key to all round development. This is the unanimous opinion of Chief Justice of India Dr Justice AS Anand, Deputy Chairperson of Rajya Sabha Najma Heptullah and Chairman of National Human Rights Commission Justice M Venkatachalliah. Human Rights of the current century have been commented upon adversely with 100 million people killed in armed conflicts and another 120 million deaths resulting from politically related violence the world over. It thus transpires that none of the countries can claim to be totally upright and each one of them have to share the burden of being lacklustre as regards observation of human rights. Such violations continue to manifest their ugliness in most brutal form in many countries. If one begins to draw comparison, it is safe to surmise that human rights in our country have been far better than many other countries in the neighbourhood. Tianaman Square massacre of thousands of Chinese youths demanding democratisation of society in 1989 is a silent reminder of how youths were bulldozed and how champions of human rights like America continue to condone it. The maner in which Islamic Talibans who control 90% of Afghanistan have been engaged in most brutal acts deserve not only condemnation of entire humanity but also active UN intervention. Afghan women stationed in Pakistan have vehemently protested about reducing them to naught with all their rights finished in a single stroke. Talibans have also indulged in most brutalised killings of thousands of Shias as if human beings are cannon fodder for those who perpetrate such heinous crimes. Record of Pakistan has been equally dismal as evidenced by imposition of military laws and summary courts in Karachi and other parts of Sindh Province. The latest attempt of Pak Prime Minister to go the Taliban way in governance of Pakistan has been widely protested by one and all who love freedom sans indignities and humiliations. Former Pak Premier Ms Benazir Bhutto has appealed to Amnesty International to effectively intervene so that their rights are not bulldozed in full view of the civilised humanity. Creation of National Human Rights Commission and the excellent job done by it thus far is quite a reassuring thought. Almost all States in India have also constituted Human Rights Commission in their respective States. J&K State has taken the vital initiative and many complaints of human rights violations have been made to it. In democratic dispensation, proper procedures and laws have to be observed so that no innocent is punished. In the past many security personnel have also been given deterrent punishment in proven cases of human rights violations by them. It needs to be accorded that most of the allegations made in valley are based on hypothetic situations which do not exist. The objective is to defame and demoralise security forces besides undermining credibility of the administration. That exactly is the role being played by All Party Hurriyat Conference, an amalgam of 23 militant and other outfits. By any reckoning their own rights as also prosperity of their kins is far above the national average. They move with reckless freedom and protest even in Delhi quite unhindered. Their championship of human rights thus becomes a joke because in one go they only project rights of those who throw bombs, grenades, indulge in massacres, rape their own fraternity and sodomise their own boys. They just do not bother or say a word when it is the massacre of the most hapless and innocent citizens at the hands of outfits which are part of Hurriyat amalgam. What they seek and talk about is the protection of the rights of militants, mercenaries and top criminals who have caused mass destruction in every Kashmiri home. If they have any genuine case of rights violations, let them dare report to State Human Rights Commission or the National Human Rights Commission. The fact is they have no case as present status of human rights position in this border State is quite good. Let them bear in mind that those who live by the sword also perish by the sword. Prime Minister AB Vajpayee during his address to the Associated Chamber of Commerce says that major policy thrust is on the anvil on three vital aspects of nation building. These are health, population and telecommunication. By any yardstick, very little attention has been paid to the health sector by the successive Governments. There is no social security for those living below the poverty line who cannot afford costly medication which remains the privilege of the affluent sections of society. Proper medicare is the right of the people and the entire system has to be so refurnished asto ensure parity in treating the ailing humanity. This is the duty of the State as also those who wield immense riches. How it is to be brought about is the job of the Government and it is good that Prime Minister has spoken his mind about doing something for it. As regards population explosion, its clock continued to tick at very rapid rate. All successive Governments have avoided touching this issue due to appeasement policies that stem from political expediencies. From 36 crore in 1947, India has to feed 99 crore now. All the advances made in food production, industrialisation, provision of employments, construction of dwelling units and other activities stand neutralised and the full impact of development remains virtually zero with almost fifty percent population continuing to live below poverty line. Population control is a national cause, a humanitarian one to be precise. Pursuasive methods and paltry budgetry support has been beneficial as far as literate population is concerned. But rampant illiteracy, religious susceptibilities and traditional prejudices continue to play havoc. It is good that PM wants to do something about controlling population. It would be watched with interest how his Government goes about in making a success of family welfare schemes in vogue or envisaged. Telecom has been specially mentioned because of its direct bearing on Information Technology which can bring billions of dollars into the country. Massive thrust in this sector is thus slated to pay rich dividends before long. Such and other vital initiatives can indeed help to put our system on the rails for onward march into next millenium. |
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Delayed ATV
Project a chink in national security It is tragic that the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, has locked horns with Vice Admiral Harinder Singh on trifle issues. It is equally unfortunate that the Vice Admiral has filed a contempt petition against his chief in Calcutta High Court. Such uncalled for rivarly or hatred will demoralise the force leading to indiscipline, and inordinate delay in the implementation of many projects the Navy has on hand; and the most important being the ATV. For a major part of the last 50 years, India has been governed by a myopic leadership which has resulted in a nation riven by internal dissent and fissiparous tendencies, over-regulated by a stifling bureaucracy, and deeply resentful of its 500 year history as a colonised nation. The pride of being the world's oldest civilisation only makes the hurt of lacking any global stature more painful. This disquiet has influenced India's rhetoric vis a vis its neighbours, be it China or Pakistan. Actually, neither China nor Pakistan has anything to do with the sorry mess India is in. If India is not a regional power today, only Indians are to be blamed. China, for instance, has never been, and can never be, challenge to India. The mighty Himalayas are too big an obstacle for these two nations to indulge in any large-scale warfare by conventional means. 1962 was only a minor border incursion which could not be first contained by India and then sustained for long by China. Any future conflict between India and China, therefore, would be reduced to punitive actions using aircraft, missiles and the respective navies. In this context, the incumbent Navy chief has already intuited the role of the Indian navy even beyond the foreseeable future. He has been vocal regarding the main objective of the Indian Navy in being able to exercise military control in the Indian Ocean. He has spoken openly of his intent to check the expansion of Chinese naval power by controlling the choke points in the Malacca Straits. He is especially worried that Chinese access to Myanmar port facilities might allow the People's Liberation Navy (PLN) to confront the Indian naval forces in the Indian Ocean. He has been able to convince the Government for the creation of a full-fledged naval command in the Andaman Islands, on the vital route between Suez and Singapore. Unfortunately it is not the Indian Navy but the Army which enjoys the highest priority for defence funding. The Navy can never expand at a rate and in a fashion as to support the political objective of expanding India's influence in South Asia. There are indications that it may have to make do with land-based aircraft, cruise and ballistic missile systems, coupled with reconnaissance satellites and Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs). Perhaps, one day the National Security Council (NSC) will go into the need of redefining the defence paradigm to give to the Indian Navy its due share of the Budget. For the present, the Indian fleet numbers just over 100 combat vessels, of which 16 are submarines, one is aircraft carrier, and another 25 are destroyers and fast frigates. Only half of these units are operable at any given time. In ammunition, India has a number of foreign-produced cruise missiles in its arsenal. None of these is of any comfort to the Indian Navy which has to bank mainly on Sagarika (oceanic) which is an indigenous missile whose development started in 1994 as a Submarine Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM). It is projected for deployment around the year 2005. Reportedly, this missile will incorporate terrain-guidance system for low level flight up to 300 kms (some claim it to be 1000 kms). Since none of India's conventional submarines can test-fire this missile, it is clear that the Sagarika is being developed for India's indigenously built submarine. Unfortunately, there lies the rub. Some believe that the nuclear submarine programme has been going on for an inordinately long period of 15 years without any tangible results. Approximately Rs. 1000 crore have been already spent on it. The reality is more shocking. What actually happened 15 years ago was only the rechristening as Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) of its earlier avtaar known as Diesel Propulsion System Development Establishment (DPSDE). This was given the go-ahead by Indira Gandhi in 1969 after Brezhnev promised her complete support for the project. However, arrogance did not allow the Indian nucleocrats to buy the power plant from Russia. Now, after a lapse of 30 years, they have meekly decided to buy it from Russia. The ATV project, therefore, has been going on for the last 30 years. Perhaps, the core members of the project team came together for the purpose of making not the submarine but money. They evolved a peculiar concept of "secrecy" where members of the ATV team were forbidden from any interaction with the naval personnel not part of the project. They refined the ruse further by making sure that no submariners worth their salt were ever associated with the project. This gave the ATV "specialists" the excuse to make many trips abroad, to find elementary solutions to trivial problems. ATV, therefore, is a perpetual Navy Ball going on for 30 years. And like in all other navy balls, the civilians and civilianised naval officers -- either retired or those who haven't been to sea for decades -- are having the greatest fun. After Pokhran II, the ATV project has come into focus as it has dawned on the national leadership that the non-availability of indigenous nuclear submarine may prove to be not only Navy's but India's Achilles' heel. India may not be able to exercise her preferred option of second strike in the event of a nuclear attack. The gross mismanagement of the ATV has, therefore, created a chink in the national security armour. During the Navy week, the most suitable gift by the Government to the Indian Navy, therefore, would be the ordering of the performance audit of the project ATV. The Indian Navy desires it, and now the national security concern demands it. INAV |
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Political uncertainty
worries President The President, Mr K R Narayanan is by all accounts a very worried man these days. An apocryphal story doing the rounds tells us of the President occasionally repairing to the far corner of one of those dimly lit Rashtrapati Bhavan halls and sitting by himself, a small crystal ball resting on a table in front of him, his chin cupped in his right palm, peering ceaselessly into the well rounded object. As the story goes, the crystal ball has little to tell; it's enveloped in a fog, as it were. Thicker than one of those January mists which envelops Rajpath and India Gate endlessly. Occasionally, the President, as the story goes sees the mist lifting a bit, only a wee bit. And what he sees those few brief moments disheartens him. He sees Atal Behari hanging on to the office of Prime Minister, unable to provide the nation the able leadership he had promised. He sees not just Jayalalitha and Mamta trying to unsettle him but others, even from his own Bharatiya Janata Party, expressing disgust and dissatisfaction with his style of functioning. He also sees the good old smiling Atal Behari image looking drawn and distraught. Even Ministers of the Government, which Atal Behari heads, tend to speak in different voices. Legislations are proposed and dropped, raising doubts whether the Atal Behari Government even knows its mind. The insurance Regulatory Bill raises the hackles of the Saffron brigade. The saffronites storm troopers of the Bharatiya Jagaran Manch storm into the Finance Ministers room, brow beat him and crow about it publicity. Vajpayee's own Cabinet colleague opposes the bill saying she cannot be party to such an "unswadeshi'' move. Even the party chief, Khushabau Thakre goes public to denounce his own party Government for lack of consultation and coordination with the Saffron Parivar. Thakre takes the usual route to undo the damage he has done to the Prime Minister's already dented image by blaming the Press for having misrepresented him. But even if you were willing to accept his second thoughts as the gospel we had the party General Secretary Venkaiah Naidu repeating the criticism of the Government the following day. The President, being a decent man and one who swears by propriety, does not convey his readings (from the crystal ball) to Vajpayee but he certainly wonders what to make of his Government. He obviously trust Vajpayee's good intentions but also knows that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Without airing his innermost thoughts, the President must be wondering how long this charade can be allowed to continue. But, what choices does he had? He has rejuvenated Congress led by a rejuvenated Sonia Gandhi going ga ga over its recent election triumphs in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, informing the nation that the great party of power and sleaze is on the come back trail. But then Sonia says in the same breath that she will do nothing to topple the 18-party hodge podge headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee. She would rather watch and wait let the BJP-led Government Collapse under its own weight. Sonia does, however, hold a "ray'' of hope when she says that her party won't shirk its constitutional responsibility in the event of a Vajpayee collapse. But then that is not saying much. For, the Congress Party is by no means in position to give the country a Government stabler than Vajpayee's. The Marxists may have promised unconditional support from outside (power without responsibility) but Mulayam Singh Yadav has declared an open war on the Congress, worried as he is by the large-scale movement away from his party of the Muslims, whom he somehow considers to be his very own. Laloo Prasad Yadav, currently in Beur Jail in Bihar, is equally upset by Congress plans to fight his party "tooth and nail'' in Bihar over which he has held a virtual away from some years now. Sonia is not going to be much of a help, the President must assume. More so when the Congress President believes that her party should not press for a mid-term poll. She sees many advantages in letting the misgovernance of the Vajpayee Government to continue for a longer time. While the three stunning victories the party has scored under her leadership have, indeed, given her added self-confidence, she doesn't appear to be very sure about the outcome of a mid-term poll. She is, therefore, very keen that the organisation is revitalised from the grassroots and that, according to her , requires time. The upshot is that she won't do anything to cause the immediate collapse of the Vajpayee Government. The growing disenchantment of the Sangh Parivar with the Vajpayee Government is another factor that prompts Sonia not to dislodge the present Government. It would suit her to see Vajpayee & Co disowned completely by the parivar and there are rumblings of that happening should the Government continue to carry out the various commitments made by it. Conversely, the parivar sees consolidation of the Hindu majority under its banner as the only way of its survival. That's why we hear so much of Hindu fundamentalist talk these days. It was not very amusing to hear one of the stalwarts of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and another of the Bajrang Dalk echoeing a Shiv Sena leader's view that Hindus must learn to fight back the secularists who, according to them, were obstructing the growth of Hindutva. The VHP man was even prepared to "break'' the heads of those who came in the way of their taking charge of the Mathura and Kashi Vishwanath temples. The Vandana Controversy (singing of Vande Mataram and the Srawaswati invocation) is just the tip of the Hindu fundamentalist backlash. Much as these forces would like to have Vajpayee around as the "mask,'' they would not mind sacrificing him should that strength their all-Hindu platform. It's another matter that the vast majority of Hindus strongly disapprove of the fundamentalist approach of which hate is the pass word. Be that as it may, the question to which the President is seeking answer, courtesy his crystal ball, still remains unanswered. How long can the President allow the Governmental drift continue. The short answer is mod-term poll. But that must remain the last choice. For who knows a resurgent Congress, aided and abetted by the ineptitude of the Vajpayee Government, may yet again fall short of a majority. Or, that we are again saddled with an even wider variety of regional groupings (an unlikely occurence), each flaunting its own regional interests, each wanting more than its due share of the cake. If the haze enveloping the Presidential crystal ball lifts at all, I hope President K.R. Narayanan sees something on the lines of a national Government, giving the country and its people the time to rethink and reassess the plight to which we have been reduced. It won't be the first time that a suggestion of this kind has been made. It was there in the past and I see no reason why the collective wisdom of us all cannot make it possible. It will to argued that the President of India is not a agents that normally he is bound by the advice of the council of Ministers. But there are extraordinary circumstances which must propel the president to be on his own. There are two obvious limits, an inner one within which the President is always acting on the advice of this Council of Ministers, and an outer one beyond which he finds it impossible to form an alternative Ministry to carry on the administration. If the President refuses to accept the advice of his Council of Ministers, he may face impeachment. However there is a greay area, a narrow one perhaps, in which the President is his own master and is neither bound by the advice of his Cabinet nor runs the risk of a successful impeachment. In this zone, he may act according to his conscience and in conformity with the oath taken to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. I an no Constitutional pundit but with a President like K. R. Narayanan we could be spared the sordid drama of 1979 in which none of the actors, including President Sanjiva Reddy came out well. Morarjibhai did not exactly earn the gratitude of the nation by refusing to resign from leadership and giving Jagjivan Ram a chance at the right time or by submitting an exagerated list of supporters to the President. And few had good words for Charan Singh who defected to join Janata (S). Indeed Raj Narain's earlier exit had been engineered by him. Mrs Indira Gandhi was then credited with political shrewdness, but little else, in propping up Charan Singh, only to pull him down. Mrs Gandhi (the original) was obviously wanting a midterm election which she got. But much water has flowed down the Jamuna since those days. The political scene, though similar in some respects, has drastically changed. And in such a situation it may be only prudent for the President to explore the possibility of giving the country a national Government a temporary measure, no doubt, but essential to help us sort ourselves out. |
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