Daily Excelsior... Editorial

Disheartened Mulayam's
tirade against Congress
By: Dr Bhabani Dikshit

Samajwadi Party's growing disenchantment with Congress in recent days has ..more

Progress of Muslims
in free India
By: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

It is true that Muslim are faced with certain problems and difficulties. But this should not be....more

Journalists taken for a
ride at AICC session
MEN AND MATTERS
From B L Kak

That was my order", Ms Sonia Gandhi told a lady journalist, while proudly referring to ...more

Year full of bad memories
By : M L Kotru
Men, Matters, Memories

Another year in the life of our nation. A year that saw one government falling and the other teetering at ...more

EDITORIAL

RESPONSIVE ADMINISTRATION

Popular Government owes its existence to the peoples faith reposed in them at the husting. Its first job is to follow the election manifesto and any other commitments made from public platforms in full view of print media in letter and spirit. The second job is to solve the problems of the people, both accumulated as also that keep on cropping up every now and then. Third equally important task is to provide responsive administration that is ever alive to any emerging situation. These are not new lessons but well defined whenever any party is mandated to rule the State or the country. If it gives short shrift to the mandate and becomes apathetic to the promises or remain passive spectator to any disturbing aspect that affects the common man adversely, it can take it for guaranteed that massive punishment awaits it at any future trial at the husting. There is simply no escape from it. People are not interested in alibis and scapegoats. They want positive response from the administration.

First, let us take the case of kerosene oil which is an essential input to poorman's kitchen. In fact, it is highly subsidised fuel purely meant for not burdening the common man. It thus transpires that for the last ten years its price has been pegged own to present level because it is highly sensitive item as well for any Government to touch. The current subsidy element is Rs 6500 crores annually. But look at the waywardness of administration. It is a pitiable scene for hapless citizens to line up right from mid-night in almost freezing temperature to get that canful of kerosene oil. Why this administration repeatedly fails the people as regards this energy source. There is no denying the fact that there is wholesale diversion of kerosene summer through winter both for sale in black market as also for adulteration of other petroleum products that have no subsidy and whose price is much higher than that of kerosene. It is conveniently forgotten that this time round every year there is pressure on all energy sources. It is attributed to severe wintry conditions, large influx of durbaris and disruption in the supply of other energy sources like wood, LPG and even power supply whence kerosene forms the input for running generators all over the city. None is concerned with the resultant pollution and nauseating air sucked by all citizens willy-nilly. And all this because someone in the administration fails to be responsive. Don't tell us that wagons arrived lte or tankers got stuck up in fog or the allocated quota is less than the demand. All this negatives prove only responsiveness of the administration which fails to anticipate demand and arrange the supply of such an essential input to every kitchen.

The second item is of course highly corrupted, defective and disruptive power supply. Year after year it is the same story or curtailments, cuts, cut after cut, cut before cut and those abrupt cuts. Where the funds earmarked for improving the system have vanished. Why high rating transformers and transmission system has not been installed to meet the requirements of the burgeoning city whose population is fast aheading towards the million mark. Tariff is enhanced manifold. But power has become so irregular and irritating that makes mockery of the people, their gadgets and that darkness in severe wintry conditions. It is not the question of something wrong somewhere. It is in fact everything wrong everywhere. Nothing else can explain the worst ever winter in terms of power supply to the hapless consumers of all hues, industry included. In fact, supply of power and deficient service thereof should be included in the Consumer Protection Act. They demand more money with most unqualitative unquantitative power supply. This is surely not being responsive administration. Incidentally, the summer just gone by was also the worst ever.

Here is now another item that has become casualty of lackadaisical administration. Sugar has disappeared from the ration shops. Mind you it is the month of Ramzan. And here is administration that fails to feed the Public Distribution System. Not that sugar is in short supply. There is indeed glut due to massive imports from Pakistan. The levy sugar quota is with the Food Corporation from which State F&S Department lifts stocks every month after payment. This time round although F&S bosses have collected the money from the ration dealers but failed to pay to FCI which obviously stops the supply. Now it is the clearest ever manifestation of being totally unresponsive to supply of this essential commodity through PDS outlets and compelling the hapless consumers to make their buy by paying Rs 6 per kg extra from the open market. Surely, someone must be made answerable for this man-made problem which robs consumers in broad-daylight. The tragedy is that no FIR can be lodged for this type of robbery.

One can as well add the ongoing strike of the Government employees that has already added to the woes of the people. It is time that administrative becomes responsive enough with some semblance of governance in respect of at least people oriented problems where man becomes enemy of man much worse than man vs animal.

FLOOR MANAGEMENT

Measured by any yardstick, floor management during third session of the 12th Lok Sabha just concluded has been the worst ever in Parliamentary history of this country. It reminds one of Tughlak era known for worst type of foolish actions. Uptil now the only parallel was King Charles of England whose Don Quixotic acts are well recorded in the history. It goes beyond human imagination that even in modern scientific era blunders continue to be committed right on the floor of the House. Floor management is no kid-play. It needs vast experience, sharp reflexes and memory par excellence besides the rules of the game. As regards experience one surely feels that Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mr Madan Lal Khurana is well informed having remained CM of Delhi for a long spell. But this time round he proves everything otherwise. Fumblings have been a rule rather than exception. At the beginning of winter session Khurana announced that Insurance Regulatory Bill was not a priority. By afternoon of the same day he changed his stance to say that it was indeed a priority item. Again, there is clear faux pas on Patents Amendment Bill. First he stated that the same was to be sent to Select Committee. And there was subsequent wholesale change when he said that it was to be introduced and passed this session itself. The Rajya Sabha in good faith indeed passed the bill. It should have been the first item of business for Lok Sabha on the following day which also was the last day of the session. Misdemeanour has no parallel when Patents Bill was not included in Lok Sabha's business agenda and Khurana had the indiscretion of involving Rashtrapati Bhavan for the delay in obtaining President's signatures. Rashtrapati Bhavan now clarifies that Bill was never referred to it. And now comes the apology from Khurana for dragging Rashtrapati in the faux pas committed by him. This is surely not pardonable. It is high time that Prime Minister Vajpayee reorganises his cabinet to put the best man in every slot. Able PM is not enough. It has also got to be capable cabinet team.

Disheartened Mulayam's tirade against Congress
By: Dr Bhabani Dikshit

Samajwadi Party's growing disenchantment with Congress in recent days has not surprised anyone. The fast changing political scenario has compelled Mulayam Singh Yadav, the chief of the party, to take a U-turn on Congress. The reversal of Mulayam's stand on the party and his bitterness towards it was obvious in the context of Sonia's explicit avoidance of any overtures to topple the BJP Government which, alternatively, could be succeeded by a Government led by Mulayam Singh, of course with the active support of Leftist parties.

In the recent Assembly elections in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress party swept the polls, a victory that gave a clear signal to persons like Mulayam Singh Yadav that their electoral base may be jeopardised in future as the Congress has got its traditional vote bank back to its fold. That is why he dismissed the result with: "this is not a victory for the Congress; it's a negative vote against BJP. There is no question of a shift in the Muslims vote-Bank; the Muslims and the OBCs are with the Samajwadi Party and will stay with us."

Laloo Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav had joined hands some months back to form the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM) and expressed public support to the Congress to take the lead in giving the country alternative Government by toppling the Vajpayee Ministry. Both the Yadav felt that it was only the Congress they could bank upon to keep their state caste bases intact to counter BJP's consolidation of power. Sonia's tacit support to them was fuelled by her encouragement to anti-BJP hardline of the RLM leaders. But the dreams of both have not yet been fulfilled. Presently with Laloo in jail, Mulayam has not been able to gain any political weight in national politics. He is untouchable for the BJP and as for the Congress, it only mocked at his humiliation and lashed at his party in Parliament over its stand on the Women's Reservation Bill and also on seeking the resignation of the Vajpayee Government through a no-confidence motion.

The venom that Mulayam Singh spewed at the third Samajwadi Party state conference at Etawah in Uttar Pradesh was proof enough of his intense anger and frustration. His blistering attack on the Congress and the accusation that it was responsible for the phenomenal rise of 'communal forces' and formation of BJP Government at the Centre will hardly impress anybody. His contention that the Congress is 'enemy number one', followed by BJP, is rather an expression of his late re-evaluation than realisation of a mistake. A few months ago he was all praise for the same party and its leader Sonia and now, suddenly, he declares it "enemy no. One", because his view was not given any importance in the context of forming a coalition Government by dislodging the BJP from the Centre.

It is political naivety to blame the Congress for not pulling down the BJP Government and accusing it of having a tacit understanding with the ruling party. The reasons that Mulayam finds behind the Congress reluctance are yet more amusing. He feels that the Congress was least bothered about the country, its people and their problems. The fact is that his dream of being part of a new coalition Government did not materialise, hence his tirade against the Congress. How will Mulayam feel if his party's claim to have a monopoly to bother for the country, the people and their problems is questioned by others?

Is it not an irony for Mulayam to accuse the Congress of never countering the communal forces effectively and to hold it equally responsible for demolition of the Babri Masjid structure, since it was in power at the Centre? If this is his view, then why was he honey-mooning with the Congress so far the consolidation of secular forces against a communal BJP?

On one hand, the RLM has distanced itself from the Congress, on the other, the party itself does not trust the Leftists, more so, the CPM. It is an undeniable fact that the need for coalition Governments has made the Left more relevant today. The Leftists also know that their importance lies in being always at the Centre of activities, while forming or destabilising any Government. Sonia Gandhi knows these games well and she was non-committal about their tactical moves. She remained cool when CPM leaders like Harkishen Singh Surjeet and Jyoti Basu openly declared that their party would support a Congress-led Government for the sake of a secular alternative.

Congress president's consistent attitude in not toppling the BJP Government has hurt Mulayam and the Leftists more than its success in the Assembly elections. She turned a deaf ear to their repeated pleas to help in the formation of an alternative Government for she knew that they would be ineffective in combating communal forces without the Congress. Probably she did not want the Congress to play a second fiddle as was the case during Sitaram Kesri's presidentship. Maybe she wants to make a dent in the homelands of the Yadavs by consolidating the Congress in its previous strongholds.

The revamping in Uttar Pradesh has already borne fruit. The new leadership of Salman Khurshid has energized the youth and particularly the minorities have been again taken into confidence. Muslims who constitute a sizeable electorate in UP had lost faith in the Congress following the December 6 incident in Ayodhya five years ago. The fear of losing the minority base at the homefront looms large over Mulayam. He does not have any further illusion about becoming Prime Minister someday with the support of the Congress. Hence he cannot afford to uphold the Congress umbrella.

The only option now left with Mulayam is to go for the formation of a third force so that he does not cease to exist politically, to say the least. It is good that he proclaims his equi distance both from the BJP and the Congress, which he did not do earlier. Ambition sometimes blurs political vision. It was not his fault. He strived for the top post, making the Congress his ladder. That probably was a political blunder. (CNF)

Progress of Muslims in free India
By: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

It is true that Muslim are faced with certain problems and difficulties. But this should not be made not an issue, considering that in this world it is hardly possible to have a completely problem-free life. A problem-free situation should not, therefore, be set up as the criterion by which to judge the condition of a group or community. It must be borne in mind that God's law for the world provides for difficulties and ease to exist side by side at all times. If this were not so, life's struggle would cease altogether. And a society bereft of struggle would not longer spawn living individuals; it would instead become the graveyard of the intellect.

Given this state of affairs, the Muslim condition cannot be judged by utopian standards, it should be judged rather by a set of realistic criteria based on what is patently possible. In the course of a research, I gave little credence to articles on the subject published in Muslim journals and newspapers. Instead, I attempted to form an independent opinion based on my own knowledge and findings. My search led me to conclusions quite the contrary of the story that is constantly being repeated about the Muslims as if it were an axiom.

First of all, I went into the conditions of those publicmen and maulvis who are held to be the representatives of the Muslims in modern times. I found that each one of them -- most of them are known to be directly or indirectly -- had considerably improved his position in life after 1947. All leaders without exception, whether secular or religious, had a better standard of living than they had enjoyed prior to Independence.

Then I assessed the position of my own, very large family. Again I found that all my relatives were in a far better state than hitherto. Then I looked at the Muslims in the various localities of my one hometown and in other cities too where I have stayed for some time, and still frequently visit. My observation of the Muslims living there again revealed that almost everyone has improved his standard of living in the post-Independence era.

I spent several weeks investigating matters relating to this topic. Finally, I came to the conclusion that in the post-1947 era, Muslims have clearly made progress in this country. They are today in a far better state than before.

In life, there are good things. When an individual receives his shares of the bad things -- one of life's realities: he begins to complain about being the victim of prejudice. But when he receives his share of the good things, he considers this the result of his own capability and endeavour and thus falls a prey to pride. He neither acknowledges the benefits he enjoys a s a divine blessing, for which he should be grateful to God, nor does he look to his own shortcomings as the reason for his lack of success. In this way, he fails to see either the positive or the negative situation from the correct angle.

What is worse is that he is highly about his deprivations, while remaining silent about his share of God's material blessings. So that if the gains are never mentioned (whether or not they are appreciated as God's gift) and only deprivations are emphasised, Muslim success will be never public knowledge.

Similarly, regular attempts are made to prove that Indian Muslims suffer deprivation by quoting statistics on their minimal recruitment to Government services. An English monthly, brought out in Delhi by Muslim, published data in almost every issue, which gave the figure of two per cent as the Muslims share in public offices. It was held that with this very low percentage of recruitment, Muslims were grossly under-represented in the country's administration in terms of the proportion they made up of the national population, i.e., twelve per cent.

Arguments based on this data appeared to be logically compelling, but the data itself left certain factors out of account, such as the backwardness of Muslims at the college and university levels of education. Eligibility for admission to Government service requires candidates to be degree-holders from institutes of higher learning, but the oft-quoted statistics make no mention of the fact that very few Muslim degree-holders come forward to seek Government pots.

Another factor left unstressed by these statistics was the composition of the Muslim twelve per cent of the population. About half of this percentage is accounted for by women. That means that about half of the potential workforce is permanently out of the picture, because Muslim traditions are against women going out to work in Government offices. In this way, half of the Muslim population is automatically deleted from the list of recruits of Government services. This leaves 10 per cent, but from that we have to subtract another 3 percent made up of those who are insufficiently educated. The two per cent ratio of Muslims in Government services, albeit extremely low, does not then appear totally injustifiable.

However, Government services are no criterion to guage the material prosperity of a community in a free, developing society. There are at least two definite reasons for this. One, that the issue of recruitment to the services is related to the Government, and the weilders of power have always taken into account their own political interests in the allotment of posts in the services. Even if these rulers are personally sincere, they adopt, due to national and international considerations, a policy is regard to Government service where the basis of decision-making is not simply keeping of a balance between the different communities making up the population, but political imperatives. This is a state which exists in all societies and under all Government systems.

For instance, the Sindhi Muslims of Pakistan complain that in the Central Government services, the Punjabi Muslims are over-represented, while they themselves have fewer posts than their ratio would actually warrant. In Iraq, most of the high Government posts are given to Shi'ites so that Sunnis are mostly deprived of them. This same state of affairs exists in most Muslim countries in one way or another.

In India, too, such disparities exist at various levels. However, they do not exist only between Hindus and Muslims, but also between Hindus and Hindus. For instance, in appointments to high Government posts, members of the Brahmin caste for outstrip Hindus of other castes. Similarly, the English-educated class bags more Government posts than the Hindi-educated class. Muslims, for various reasons, also find themselves at a disadvantage, but his is a problem which is common to most groups and does not affect the Muslims alone.

Perhaps a more telling point is that Government service relates more to the process of administration than to economics, accounting as it does for a mere two per cent of the distribution of the country's economic resources. This is a much vaster field outside the administration in which people may earn a good living. Therefore, if a group is only marginally represented in Government services, it does not necessarily follow that it must remain economically deprived. There are innumerable fields open to those seeking employment, and it is quite possible that once they enter them, they find them more lucrative than even the highest Government posts.

Many historical examples can be cited in supports of this viewpoint. One example in the recent past is the high level of prosperity attained by the Hindus in the erstwhile state of Hyderabad, despite the marked preference shown to Muslims in the allocation of Government posts. This was because the Hindus had captured the fields of commerce and industry throughout the State. By engaging themselves in commercial pursuits they gained a far better economic position than they could ever have expected from positions in the administration.

I have come to the conclusion, therefore, that the economic position of Indian Muslims should be judged not just by their ratio in Government services, but by their success (or failure) in the spheres of commerce, industry, science and education. (CNF)

Journalists taken for a ride at AICC session
MEN AND MATTERS
From B L Kak

That was my order", Ms Sonia Gandhi told a lady journalist, while proudly referring to the simple, yet efficient, arrangements for the day-long AICC session in Delhi on Friday, Dec. 18. The Congress president took credit for the functional, frill-free arrangements for the session.

The Sonia-mark was visible at almost every step. The first change being the seating arrangements for the delegates. Gone were the mattresses and white sheets on the floor which marked session after session of the AICC over the decades. Chairs put in neat rows served the purpose more comfortably for the delegates , who found squatting on the floor for long hours a strain.

The leaders on the dais , however, had to squat on mattresses with nothing to lean on. Exception was made for Mr Arjun Singh, Mr Ghani Khan Choudhury and a couple of others who had a problem in sitting down and chairs put to a side of the podium for them. The usual classification in the dining hall was done away with. All delegates, irrespective of their status in the party hierarchy, had to eat in the same spacious pandal.

The much tom-tommed AICC session was a great success by any standard. The media, however, had to battle it out every inch of the way, and has bitter tales to tell. For one, presspersons were not able to reach the Talkatora Stadium in their own vehicles, since parking labels were denied to them. Secondly, enclosures reserved for the press were encroached upon by partymen, who even refused to vacate the seats for journalists.

Not only were the two pressrooms in the basement far removed from the press enclosures inside the auditorium, but these also lacked the basic minimum necessity of a telephone connection. A couple of old typewriters on a long table and some chairs around the room passed for the pressroom, from where reporters, particularly those of news agencies, were expected to file copy. Last but not the least, speech copies of the Congress president were not circulated, with some office-bearers arguing that reporters should take down notes for themselves. A note to Ms Sonia Gandhi,however, had these functionaries scurrying around to make copies of her speech for supply to the media.

After the prolonged impasse in the Lok Sabha the other day following the "interaction" between Ms Mamata Banerjee and Mr Daroga Prasad Saroj, which saw some display of roughness by the weaker of the species, it seemed that the deadlock would never get broken to enable proceedings to resume. Mr Daroga Prasad insisted that Ms Mamata should apologise; Ms Mamata insisted that Mr Daroga Prasad should apologise. Both tabled privilege motions against each other.

Former Defence Minister,Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, to whose Samajwadi Party Mr Daroga Prasad belongs, insisted that Ms Mamata Banerjee should be punished. It was no-win situation for all. But it got resolved "peacefully, amicably and satisfactorily", to use an MP’s pithy description. The compromise formula was evolved by Mr Sharad Pawar. And once it was implemented everyone seemed to have been appeased. The Speaker condemned the disorder in the House without naming the disorderly, and the two privilege motions were referred to the Privileges Committee. No apologies, no retractions. Within five minutes, everyone was back in business.

A few days ago, Mr Jaswant Singh faced Parliament in his new avatar of External Affairs Minister. And it made all the difference. His induction into the Foreign Office seemed to have really strengthened the Prime Minister’s hands no end. During the debate on the nuclear issue and on India’s reaction to the US attack on Iraq, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr Jaswant Singh made a good pair, the Prime Minister enunciating policy in his inimitable forceful and vigorous style and Mr Jaswant Singh explaining its nuances and elaborating on the basics.

It was after a long time that foreign and security policy issues dominated the two Houses, and members listened to the statements of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister with rapt attention and asked pertinent and relevant questions. It only goes to show that a Foreign Minister interested in foreign affairs can really stimulate interest in foreign policy among members of Parliament.

A poster showing Jesus Christ in a temple and a temple poojari at his feet, which sprang up in various parts of Bhimavaram town in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh the other day, has earned the wrath of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Terming the poster as "highly derogatory and meant to hurt the sentiments of the Hindus", Andhra’ BJP chief and member of Parliament, Mr Vidyasagar Rao, demanded that the State Government take stern action against the culprits. Mr Rao placed himself on record by asserting: "We have nothing against the Christian community. Some anti-social elements are out to disrupt the peace and hurt the sentiments of the Hindus. This is a planned attack and needs to be dealt with firmly to prevent escalation of animosity between the communities".

Year full of bad memories
By : M L Kotru
Men, Matters, Memories

Another year in the life of our nation. A year that saw one government falling and the other teetering at the brink ever since it assumed office- and still perilously poised at the brink as the curtain goes down on 1998. It was also the year of the onion. Not also; it undoubtedly was the year of the onion. Ad if you have any doubts you can still see the red eyes of the BJP leadership, with most of it still shedding ''onion'' tears. You will also see tears of joy in the eyes of many Congressmen, particularly those who claim to be close to the Gandhi parivar of 10 Janpath. If the BJP sees its chances of being the No. 1 political party receding, the Congressmen (and women) see their stars on the ascendant.. For the rest of us it has unquestionably been a year that is best forgotten.

Normally, this should have been the year to be remembered for the triumph of our nuclear scientists. What with Pokharan II suddenly pitchforking us into the charmed circle of nuclear weapons haves. Never mind that the earlier ''haves'' won't give us entry into the their very exclusive club. We are there, whether they like it or not. That Pakistan too made the grade about the same time as us is another matter. Not a wholly unwelcome development, that last one. For, that, at least for the present, deters the two inimical neighbours from attempting any fresh misadventures. But, for all that, this past year will be most remembered as the year of the onion. For, the humble onion- or the lack of it- at once brought into focus the ineptitude of the BJP-led coalition at the Centre. It best demonstrated the absence of forethought. It was not unknown that there had been a widespread onion crop failure in the country. And yet we went on exporting onions merrily. By the time it dawned upon our rulers that there were no more onions to go around within the country it was too late. The hoarders and black marketeers had made sure of that. Onions, you might say, are a perishable commodity. But look at the havoc even a month's scarcity caused. Good quality apples were selling at Rs 28 a kg and onions, the poor man's caviar, at Rs 65 a kg. And we had a wise BJP Chief Minister, since deposed by the people, telling us the poor don't eat onion, a statement that would have made a Marie Antoinette blush. I don't propose to diminish in any manner Sonia Gandhi's role in the resurgence of the Congress party but it was, to my mind, the humble onion that did the BJ in.

Of course, the BJP government continues to be an enigma. No, it's the ninth wonder of the world. How it has managed to survive these past nine months baffles imagination. No government, even in these days of grave political instability, has died as many deaths as the one led by the amiable Atal Behari Vajpayee. And the stupid things it has had to do just to ensure its survival. If you have any doubts, try to recall Jayalalitha's statement of some ten days ago. Only I can topple this government... whenever I wish to'', was her boast. And she is right. If the Central governmet looks silly when it tries to tell the Tamilnadu government that it's being vindictive by letting special courts try the numerous cases of corruption against Jayalalitha, it hardly matters. For, the Central Government and the Law Minister belonging to Jayalalitha's AIADMK, know the importance of keeping the lady of the Poes Garden happy.

''Sardar'' L K Advani, if one is to go by his many earlier observations, deserves the nation's eternal gratitude. After all didn't he assure us that terrorism in Kashmir would be contained in next to no time. His recipe was simple: you just don't let terrorists enter Kashmir from the border along Pakistan and Azad Kashmir and weed out those who are already in. What has happened in reality is that Pakistan-backed terrorists, mainly those from the camps run in Afghanistan and Pakistan itself, have trooped in large numbers. Terrorism is continuing to thrive in the State.

Advani had a similar recipe for the containment of the terrorism in North East. Only, it has not worked there either. Advani has been promising us a White Paper on ISI activities in the country and in its neighbourhood from day one of the winter session of Parliament. The session is about to draw to a close and we haven't heard from him. The ''Sardar'' in him has obviously taken a beating and Advani, being an astute man, knows it. But then Advani can embark on another ''rath'' yatra in the hope of removing the dents his self-styled strongman image has suffered. It may be a good idea if he were to seek the help of the governments of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and even Bhutan to let his yatra pass through the training camps and safe havens the North East terrorists have in these countries.

Forget the government, Vajpayee, Advani et al. The year that is coming to an end saw further degradation of all the values said to be dear to us as a people. Not a single corrupt politician or bureaucrat has been punished. People facing serious criminal charges continue to wield power. People with proven criminal records continue to have access to all comforts including cellphones even in prison. For some, prisons have been converted into resort homes to make the VICs (very important criminals) comfortable. Some of these alleged VICs even manage to summon senior bureaucrats to their prisons to issue instructions. At another level, a former Prime Minister continues to keep his hold on 500 acres of village common land, arguing that he is only helping afforest the barren landscape, claiming that his massive ashram is run by a trust and disregarding the village sarpanch's right to be on the trust. In the meantime the worthy has built a few residential structures on the encroached land. And, he, we are told, is made in the mould of Jaya Prakash Narayan. Like Laloo Prasad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav are said to be ardent Lohiaites.

The year was also remarkable for another reason. Bureaucrats at the highest level successfully misled the Union Cabinet by withholding information from Ministers including the Prime Minister earning in the process, in one case, a strong refproof from the Supreme Court and in another bringing the Armed Forces into the eye of a storm. It bodes ill for the country that messy bureaucrats should play stupid games which can only bring disaster in their wake (the Navy controversy). And speaking of games, there is the amazing story about Dingko Singh- never heard of him?- a gold medal winner at the just concluded Asian Games in Bangkok, who was dropped from the original team for unexplained reasons. It was only after many follower s of boxing and Dingko's coach screamed foul from every available roof top that he was rushed at the very last minute to Bangkok to win a gold. Even sports has not been spared by our politicians. Yes, politicians are very much incharge of our sports bodies. Ask Suresh Kalmadi, the principal sports official of the country or Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, the Football boss of India. Or, do please ask Indian hockey coach (India won the gold after a gap of 32 years) of the heartbreaks he had to go through to make the hockey gold possible. Or for that matter, you have the four times world billiards champion, Geet Sethi telling us what a horrible experience it had been for him to represent his country. All of it, thanks to the sports bosses. To go by very reliable information the officials accompanying the Indian contingent out numbered the sportspersons.

I won't go into criminalisation or communalisation of our politics. It's too well known and all too obvious. Lately we are also being objected to cultural terrorism, the kind unknown to us for many, many years. We must now learn to keep off anything in the world of arts, cinema and drama included, which does not meet the approval of Bombay's tinpot dictator, the Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackerey. If you do, you are doing so at your own risk. For Balasaheb or his men will not hesitate to become physical when it comes to stopping people patronising anything they disapprove off. Worse, they might call you a Pakistani or, who knows, an ISI agent.

That's why I said at the beginning that the year that is about to close is best forgotten. It is full of bad memories. One hopes that the year that follows, to lead us into the next millenium, revives us enough to be able to meet the challenges of the 21st century.