Daily Excelsior... Editorial

EDITORIAL

By Raghvendra Vaghela

The two days National Executive Committee meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi was an opportunity to showcase the Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, as an alternative to the octogenarian former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has retired from active politics. Now there is Narendra Modi: a sharp-shooter, a loner to the point of being anti-social, unambiguous on ideology and unyielding on policy. Unlike . . .more

Mammoth arms bazar

By P. Raman

What is spectacular about today's Delhi is its sudden emergence as the world's most bustling arms bazaar. So far, the Capital was known for its teeming tribe of liaison crowds and lobbyists seeking more spectrum allocation, removal of FDI cap, reduced interest rates, tax cuts and higher duties on imports. The irony is that at any given time, . .more.

India 2008: continuing paradox

By Karuna Thakur

A constitution for India framed by the Indians was arguably the best gift to Indians on the eve of Independence. The transcendent goal of social revolution was presented by Jawahar Lal Nehru to the members of the constituent Assembly in the following words: "The first task of this assembly is to ..more

EDITORIAL

Skiing: passion or
fatal attraction?

Guru of modern mountaineering in Canada Hans Grnoser is not around any more having died after a cycling accident in 2006. His words, however, continue to inspire skiers and adventures all over the globe: "In the end, to ski is to travel fast and free - free over untouched snow country. To be bound to one slope, even one mountain, by a lift may be convenient but it robs us of the greatest pleasure that skiing can give, that is to travel through the wide wintry country; to follow the lure of peaks which tempt on the horizon and to be alone for a few days or even hours in clear, mysterious surroundings." It is not simply a matter of flight of human imagination. The reality is that some of us are more daring and untiring in their pursuit of unexplored territories. They discover splendid isolation in virgin nature and enjoy it to the hilt. Unfortunately, however, such attraction can be fatal at times. Skiing all alone one may have a monologue with snowy environment. Off and on it ends in disaster. We in this State have been exposed to three vicious occurrences in recent times. It hardly bears any reiteration that with improvement in the security scenario the ski slopes of Gulmarg are once again reverberating with global participation. They are being recognised as among the world's best. At the same we have a vast expanse of territory from this city to Pangong Lake in Leh available for helicopter skiing. People from different countries come and go after having a date with our idyllic land. It is very sad that some of them have bitter climax. In the latest incident our hearts sink on learning that attempts to retrace Norwegian skier Franciska Rogne in the Gulmarg hills have proved futile so far. She has been missing for more than a week. She had disappeared on a ski trip when avalanches had struck. The last reports actually say that she is presumed to have died. This is the sort of situation in which one can only hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The Norwegian Embassy in the national capital has described chances of her survival "slim" in view of "the extreme weather conditions". The brave Norwegian had gone missing while undertaking a similar exercise a year ago. She was rescued then. Has the fortune deserted her on this occasion?

In the earlier two such happenings in the State an Australian skier Shaun "Shaggy" Kratzer had died on Gulmarg slopes in February last year. He was skiing down along with a few others on the Afarwat hills when he was overwhelmed by a huge avalanche. His body was recovered after a search. Back in his hometown Melbourne, his friends paid an emotional tribute to him describing him "a pretty cautious and conservative skier" and "not a risk-taker". Avalanches being powerful and unpredictable know no mercy. It is not for thing that they are regarded as the biggest danger to life and property in mountains. In Shaun's case, he had been swept two kilometres downhill and it had taken 45 minutes to discover his body. An expert finding is: "Someone who is buried under snow has an 80 per cent chance of survival if he or she is dug out within 15 minutes. This is because it becomes difficult to breathe and impossible to move even under a few centimetres of snow. After 30 minutes their survival chances are reduced to 30 per cent." What followed later in 2007 was nothing short of a miracle. Four foreign skiers had a providential escape then. On a heli-skiing expedition in the captivating Sonamarg heights they landed in deep trouble as their flying machine developed snag and was damaged. For quite some time the Air Force and the police made efforts to reach them but did not meet any success. It was only when three of them managed to approach a Central Reserve Police Force camp that there was a sigh of relief. The trio, it turned out, had skied all the way. It tipped off the security forces about the location of the pilot who was eventually saved by the Air Force. The courageous quarter consisted of Sylvain Saudan, a Swiss national who was a veteran skier and tour operator based in France, Diane Schlegel of Switzerland, Julien Escoubas and pilot Lucien Brassier (both of France). For Saudan it was the second time that he had come unscathed in the same area. He had figured in a mishap a few years ago as well. Would Rogne have a similar slice of luck? It is perhaps for the likes of them that someone has remarked: "The worst thing about skiing is when you are not skiing." One can't ignore another apt comment: "Skiing is the art of catching cold and going broke while rapidly heading nowhere at great personal risk."

In fairness to skiers they don't grumble about their fate. For them it is a passion the intensity of which only they are aware of. Serious mishaps in more advanced countries like Italy, Canada, Austria, Switzerland, United States, Germany, France and Chile have not had any demoralising effect on them. Who has not been bewitched by the allure of the sparkling Alps? One estimate counts about 115000 people being injured every year on the Swiss slopes. Wounds are as these take place in serious road accidents in head, shoulder and spine. Skiers are repeatedly being advised to observe certain dos and don'ts. Among other things they are expected to avoid other people and objects and concede the right of way to people in front. What, however, seems to be creating problems in the Europe especially are skiers' growing numbers and their penchant for drifting away from prescribed areas. This is causing high rate of casualties. One commentator has thus related the phenomenon: "There are really only three things to learn in skiing: how to put on your skis, how to slide downhill, and how to walk along the hospital corridor." Teaching danger to skiers, however, is meaningless. They want to live fearlessly even if means living dangerously. All that we can do is to make sure that our ski slopes are the safest to the maximum extent. What else can we do? There is no way we can stop the communion between the nature and a section of its most ardent devotee.

Modi moves ahead

By Raghvendra Vaghela

Now there is Narendra Modi: a sharp-shooter, a loner to the point of being anti-social, unambiguous on ideology and unyielding on policy. Unlike Vajpayee, he gave a wide berth to the RSS when it suited him and held his own despite its opposition. Modi is not a poet but, if needed, can effectively emote. And, after his victory in Gujarat in December, he is fast emerging as the man who would be Prime Minister. BJP's campaign for the 2009 Parliamentary poll will be led by the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Lal Krishna Advani. But 2014 may well be the age of Modi.

The BJP has named a 19-member election committee that would oversee election strategy. Eyebrows were raised because Modi did not figure in the list. But then, as the party president Rajnath Singh argued, neither did the other BJP chief ministers, for they were all anyway involved in elections.

As of now, Modi is one among the five counted in the second tier of the BJP hierarchy, with Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, and M. Venkaiah Naidu for company. But he stands out on one count-he is the only regional leader in a phalanx of Rajya Sabha MPs who delivered a state thrice to the BJP. Which is why, now that the party has announced that Advani is its prime ministerial candidate for the next Parliamentary elections, the question being asked is, after Advani, who.

"Atalji and Advaniji are natural grown leaders," says former minister and Rajya Sabha MP Sushma Swaraj. "It's preposterous to ask who after Advani because according to our Hindu tehzeeb (tradition), as long as our elders are around it is sacrilege to think of their successor."

Despite her protestations, many in the BJP acknowledge that the question will bob up sooner rather than later. "In politics, public postures are one thing, behind-the-scene movements another," stresses an office bearer of the BJP.

Old-timers recall that Modi was brought to Delhi as a national secretary because he was allegedly politicking excessively in Gujarat when the BJP first came to power in 1995. Seven years later, he returned to Gandhinagar as the chief minister, never having fought a panchayat election.

But what is clear is that Modi today is not just another chief minister like the BJP's other five, some of whom are barely known nationally. "He stands out among them and that is what makes him a strong contender on the national scene," says the office bearer.

For the BJP, the war of succession promises to be a troubled one. There is no clear-cut first among equals-every aspirant thinks he or she is as equal as the other. The issue of succession last came up in 1995, on the eve of the 1996 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP was convinced it was within striking distance of power, albeit with the help of allies. Everyone assumed Advani was the prime ministerial candidate.

So when in November 1995 Advani announced Vajpayee's name as the BJP's man for the top job, there were mixed feelings down the line: surprise, resentment and even a sense of betrayal among hard-core Advani supporters. "But Advaniji was always clear that as long as Atalji is there, he is the undisputed neta and nobody else will claim the PM's post," says Swaraj.

Vajpayee's health has deteriorated since his party lost the 2004 election. And Advani, fit at 80, is the undisputed successor. "In the BJP, leaders emerge from a natural process which cannot be delineated in black and white terms," says Ravi Shankar Prasad, the party's chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP.

What is clear, however, is that the Modi juggernaut is unstoppable. He is rated as the star campaigner in the election-bound states, ahead of even Advani. When he was in Chennai as Cho Ramaswamy's guest at a function in the second week of January, he was mobbed by the city's Tamil Brahmins who applauded his "ability to deliver on his economic policy promises".

While Modi's distinct politics, which blend Hindutva with economic reforms and a "no-nonsense" approach to governance, has endeared him to the upwardly mobile urban classes, some in the BJP wonder if these ingredients will make for a winning formula the country over.

"Modi has amended his definition of secularism to mean that the fruits of prosperity should reach the poorest of the poor. Maybe Gujarat has the delivery systems for this sort of thing but we are not sure if it will work all over," says a BJP vice-president.

The party's assessment is Modi will have to "repair" his relations with the Muslims-which reached an all-time low after anti-Muslim riots broke out in Gujarat in 2002-and refurbish his "rural and pro-poor credentials" before arrogating to himself a larger role. "It took Advani nearly 17-years to mitigate the Ayodhya impact. It will take Modi 25-years or more to live down the Gujarat violence," says a BJP Muslim leader.

Another leader believes that unless the BJP gets a majority on its own, Modi may be well abandon his Delhi ambition. A realistic opinion as of now is that there are four "serious" aspirants: Modi, Sushma ("a crowd puller" in the Vajpayee mould), Rajnath Singh (cow-belt, dhoti-clad, farmer) and Jaitley (urbane and liberal). By a process of elimination, the race narrows down to Sushma and Modi and it is anyone's guess who of the two will finally make it. Both have age on their side.

The RSS, meanwhile, is rueing the day it decided to give Modi short shrift. A senior functionary says its cadres, from across the country, shot off angry missives to the leaders for "not cooperating" with Modi in the Gujarat elections. "If you ask us for an answer to who after Advani, our cadres have already given it," says the functionary. General secretary Mohan Rao Bhagwat has directed the state RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad functionaries to be "nice" to Modi. Suddenly, everybody is being "nice" to Modi. You never know when you'll need him. INAV

Mammoth arms bazar

By P. Raman

But the arms peddlers who have invaded the capital are an entirely new genre. They are present everywhere yet invisible. Middlemen in arms deals are legally banned but the sophisticated touts boldly canvass for their ware and vilify the rival bidders. They deal in billions. After the Kargil war, India spent over $25 billion on foreign arms. The projected purchases during the next four years are as high as $30 billion. Even this will go up due to price escalation and updated needs.

Grabbing the arms market is becoming the centre-piece of foreign visits by the dignitaries. Moscow's cool response to separate visits by Antony, Pranab Mukherjee and the PM does reflect the traditional arms supplier's pique. French President Sarkozi and his aides during their last month's India visit were more blunt on India's unconcealed pro-US tilt in arms purchases. They left bitterly complaining about India's new bias. This week, Russian Prime Minister Victor Zubkov will arrive for, among other things, for one more try. On February 26, comes the present dispensation's most exalted visitor - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. These days Washington had never concealed its relentless canvassing for the aircraft and other hardware of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

The sales pitch is so aggressive that Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh this week suggested formal recognition of the middlemen. After the Bofors scandal, the Government had banned middlemen and insisted on dealing directly with the foreign arms manufacturers. Yet, each deal had got entangled in allegations of pay off and underhand deals. Licensing of middlemen, many fear, will only make it worse.

They have to do constant bribing, spying on rival bidders and spread canards against rivals to emerge the winner. Recently a US arms producer took a media party on a merry junket. Now you have the same chosen ones airing negative stories on the Russian, French and EU products at regular intervals. And we have details of how the Russians cheated us on the old Gorshkov aircraft carrier (which incidentally was a free gift to India plus a huge refitting charges). Even Navy chief Sureesh Mehta went public with unusually harsh accusations against the Russians.

Defence Minister A.K. Antony was forced to tell him to shut up on policy matters. This episode alone illustrates how defence shopping has become central to the forces' thinking. Who bothers about our own Trishuls and Agnis when the foreign stuff alone gives you the kick? Therefore, behind every story about the 'delivery delay' or alleged 'poor' quality of an aircraft or gun are a series of private briefings with inducements. Such stories are important because they influence the public as well as the decision -makers.

'US' and 'Isreal' are the magic words for success in this multi-billion arms mandi. Touts and lobbyists for other countries are falling on bad times. While Russian and EU offers are looked down upon and French ones cancelled, Americans have a field day. And they seem to get it for a song. Few bothers about merit and hidden US conditionalities. This week, the Defence Minister confirmed the biggest-ever arms deal with the US for six Hercules C-130J transport planes worth $one billion. Another deal is for three Patriot anti-ballistic missile system. A $ two billion deal for eight P-8i LRMR for Navy is in the final stage. It will replace EU's A-319 craft.

While we hear a lot about the cost escalation of Gorshkov, no one talks about the refitted USS Treton or the weapon locating radar. Dassault's (French) CEO Charles Edelstenne in Delhi put a straight question. Is India sure that the US Congress would not impose sanctions and stop supplies at a crucial juncture? He claimed his Rafael plane is much superior to the new US F-16s. The burden of the French case is that merit, price and assured supply are giving way to super power subservience and diplomatic pressures.

Some have genuine fears about India losing its traditional freedom to chose its own military wares in a competitive market and use them without foreign strings. This is due to the UPA government's moves to sign some of proposed agreements with the US. One is the Acquisition and Cross-Services Agreement (ACSA). Others are Sharing of Infrastructure Agreement (SIA), Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Enduse Verification Agreement (EVA) of US-sold defence equipment. The charge is that such commitments will force India to buy the US arms and subject them to foreign control. The UPA government seems to be in a hurry to sign about half dozen such agreements before Gate's visit this month. (IPA Service)

India 2008: continuing paradox

By Karuna Thakur

"The first task of this assembly is to free India through a new constitution, to feed the starving people and to clothe the naked masses and to give every Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capacity''.

S.Radhakrishnan believed that a socio economic revolution that only brought about the satisfaction of the fundamental needs of the common man was not enough. He favoured a revolution that would go much deeper to bring about a fundamental change in the structure of Indian society.

After sixty years of India's independence and some five and a half decades after the commencement of the constitution, it becomes necessary to take stock of our goals of social revolution promised to our people. The revolution aimed at bringing a fundamental change in the structure of Indian society and to develop national unity and solidarity.

The social revolution for making fundamental changes in the structure of society in India presents a hazy picture.

The constitution gave no right to citizens for enforcing their right to equality in respect of discrimination and disparities existing before the dawn of independence. Assurance, however, was given in the Directive principles of State Policy. Despite a little that the Government has done to give effect to these directives, we find that the rich have become richer and the poor poorer. Millions of them continue to be homeless. The minimum wages are hardly enough for their existence. They do not have means to educate their children. As a result poverty and squalor are perpetuated from generation to generation. Slogans of 'Garibi Hatao' have proved futile. Starvation deaths continue to be reported as such as those due to heat and cold. Millions do not have drinking water and are forced to use rain water collected in ponds. Vast number of villages still cook food by using cow dung cakes and yet we claim that social revolution has taken place and quality of opportunity provided to everyone.

Right to life was guaranteed to citizens. Article 21 lays down that no person can be deprived of his life and liberty except in accordance with the procedure established by law. However public health, medical aid and nutrition was only made a directive, which could not be enforced by law though it would be fundamental in the governance of the country. Denial of proper medical and public health facilities can endanger life and tantamounts to the very denial of right of lie.

India's public health system presents a bizarre spectacle. Medical aid is eighter absent or so deficient that human lives cannot be saved. Hundreds of patients wait on the pavements in the premises of Government hospitals, which have no infrastructure to meet the health care needs of the patients. Patients with serious ailments requiring immediate surgery are given long dates which may of them fail to keep as they are dead by then. Private hospitals are highly expensive and unforgettable to the poor. Lands are taken by private hospitals on concessional rates from the Government but do not admit poor patients because of their inability to pay the huge money. Dead bodies of the patients are not handed over to the successors till payments are cleared.

Pavement dwellers and hawkers were to have a right to life too which is violated by not providing them suitable shelter. The poor have no place in the system. They walk on the roads, when run over by vehicles, they cannot afford litigation or a competent lawyer and lose out to their rich rivals.

Equality is a glorious virtue which differentiates a democracy from dictatorship, monarchy, aristocracy or oligarchy. Equality was guaranteed under three articles (14, 15 and 16) of the constitution. Article 14 lays downs that the state shall not deny to any person equality before the law or equal protection of law within the territory of India.

Reservations under article 16 for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes are no panacea for social transformation. There are more than 73 parliamentary constituencies reserved for SCs and STs. Reservations have been continuing ever since the commencement of the constitution. During this period a few thousand members of this community have found a place in the service of the country, but the entry of some cannot ensure the benefit of the entire class. Whenever a man from the rural background is drawn out of his milieu, he abandons his intention to return to his roots. He is gradually delinked for his kith and kin and the milieu. The present mode of the upliftment is illusionary and has been continued under political pressure without much benefit to the SCs and STs.

There is no rational basis for picking up a notified class alone for a favourable treatment as those similarly circumstances and belonging to other castes such as Brahmins and Kashtriyas have been left out.

Over a little more than half a century the entire approach in public service has substantially changed. Politics has become a lurcative profession. Self is the pivot around which public life moves. The regard for decency and integrity has eroded. Corruption is become the order of the day in every sphere of public relation and administration. Corruption, nepotism and favoritism have reached the peak notwithstanding the existence of laws such as prevention of corruption Act. Every such act of nepotism leads to an undue favour to one who does not deserve it and undue loss to another who does. The real remedy of this ugly face of Indian Society to it have an all embracing programme for the social, educational and economic progress for the marginal segments of society. A decisive impact can be made by all embracing multi-pronged attack at the micro level- especially the education system.

Nehru was prophetic when he said.

''If we cannot solve this problem, soon, all our paper constitution will become useless and purposeless.... If India goes down, all will go down if India thrives, all will thrive; and if India lives, all will live''

India, no doubt has survived. It continues to live too. Whether it thrives is for all of us to reflect upon. Indeed, at the beginning of yet another year of independent India, we can pat our backs for giving to ourselves one of the most comprehensive and liberal constitutions framed by us according to our indigenous needs. Ironically, we would also at the same time rue the fact that we, the people, failed the same.