The 22nd of July 2008 will be remembered as a day of turning point for Indian parliament democracy.
The UPA Government led by Mr. Manmohan Singh sought the vote of confidence in the parliament after the left parties withdrew the support on account of the Indian Government proceeding with the nuclear deal with the United State of America. Politics makes strange bedfellows and with the help of Samajwadi party, the Congress led government won the vote of confidence with 275 votes coming in their favour as against 256 votes polled by the opposition, which include BJP, NPA allies and the left parties (again strange bedfellows, the BJP & the Left!). About 10 MPs abstained from voting, a majority of those came from the opposition parties.
For the last two weeks, the media was agog with the horse-trading that was happening in New Delhi, the capital of India. The rate quoted for each Member of Parliament (MP) went up to the extent of INR 250 million. Every party (not the congress party alone, it includes Samajwadi party, BSP, Left parties ...all) had tried its luck to buy the MPs. The total number of parties in Loksabha including the eeni meeni local parties (having single MP!) comes closer to 50.
Yesterday was indeed a day of shame for the Parliament and the Indian democracy because of the dirty act that happened in the afternoon. Three MPs belonging to the Bhartiay Janta Party smuggled in a briefcase containing INR 10 million brandishing it as the bribe received from the Secretary General of Samajwadi party, Sri. Amar Singh, for cross voting or abstaining. Whether there is truth in it or whether it is trick played by the BJP to malign Congress Party and the PM Mr. Manmohan Singh, one does not know. But suffice to say that 22nd of July 2008 will be written in the annals of Indian parliamentary democracy as the black day.
The Congress had won the trust motion with more votes than it expected (the expectation was 272 votes, Congress got 3 more). The margin was 19 votes and it really looked pretty good for the party. With the help of the rule that the speaker will not admit another non confidence motion for the coming 6 months, may be, Manmohan Singh could take up the courage to complete all those pending decisions that he did not take due to the pressure from the left parties in the past. One does not know how long will Manmohan Singh will want to rule before dissolving the parliament. It looks like it is really not an appropriate time. Developments in the coming months in the polity will decide the election dates for Indian Loksabha.
With this, Manmohan Singh had indeed emerged stronger. From a bureaucrat to the Finance Minister and then to the Prime Minister, every body called him a lucky person. But now he had really become a politician. His speech in the parliament (not made fully, it is available in PM’s website) is an indication of it. He spared no words to malign the opposition leader L K Advani and Prakash Karat, the Gen Secretary of CPI(M). Let us hope that now he can take decisions without pressure (of course, Sonia is there!). For a man who wrote India’s turnaround story in 1991, it is the ideal time to take the country from strength to strength. While people admire him, all that he lacks is grass root support within the party and probably it is time for him to work towards that.
At this rate, one is not sure if Mr. L K Advani will get an opportunity to lead the country. For a person in politics for close to 6 decades, PM-ship is the only thing that eludes Advani. The saying that you cannot get everything you wish, is quite apt here. Here is best wishes to him!
There is yet another person who will have to work hard and do a lot of explanation and that is Prakasah Karat. It is his steadfast tough stand that precipitated matters and led the situation to this extent. One is not sure if Harkishen Surjit was the General Secretary of the party, things would come to this pass. Karat is not flexible and inflexibility is a bane for a politician. The Bengal gang led by Jyoti Basu, Somnath Chatterji and others will haunt him for sure. He is definitely not on a strong wicket and has to play his cards very carefully for consolidating his position in the party and among the left front constituents.
It also looks like Congress party had finally found a partner more appropriate than the Left front and the BSP. Amar Sigh of Samajwadi is a perfect foil to the Congress veterans. His shrewd game planning will do the Congress a world of good. Though one is not sure how much will it cost the Congress to keep him.
One also hopes that that the ding dong parties having one MP, two MPs will get wiped away by the electorate in the coming elections enabling the ugly horse trading practices to come to an end and also for the smooth forward movement of democracy in India. The Ajit Singhs and Deva Gowdas must see the writing on wall and retire gracefully from politics or align with larger parties after throwing their ego in the dustbin.
Having watched the parliamentary proceedings for some time yesterday, I must admit that the quality of debate in it was above average. One enjoyed the speech by Rahul Gandhi and Omar Abdulla. Lalu Yadav, as usual was in his elements (all said and done, one must say hat’s off to this guy for his ability to lighten up any tough and difficult situation)
How is it going benefit the India? Nothing in short term. In fact, inflation still is galloping to reach 12 mark and beyond. Cost of living indeed is getting hotter every day. There is no immediate respite in store. On long term, the aftermath of the agreement delivers energy security to the growing country and probably that should help the growth faster and easier.
Though we are the largest democracy in the world, this free for all democracy style must come to cease. It is time India matures as a strong democracy.
Here is hoping for a better and stronger India, both economically and politically
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
THE GEN.Y AND THE VALUE SYSTEM
India is the land of youth. In no country of the world will you see such high percentile of youth to the total population. Consider the ageing west and many other nations in different continents, including the mighty China; it is India that has the largest number of youth available. A curse that we called as population explosion in the past, today turns out to be our distinct advantage!
The question is, what would we do with so much of youth? Our government and planners have to make available career to them as they come of age. Idle youth could be as good or as bad as the sparkling flame, for while the flame can give light, it could also burn-up and destroy anything around it. If there are no jobs in the country, will the nations of the world allow them to migrate to other countries? Tough question. No answers now. It is something yet to evolve.
Currently, educated youth is really enjoying the advantage. The country as the IT super power, is also gaining name as the back office of the world. ITS & ITES is going great guns and most of the youth is in it, and they are on the roll.
In the course of these developments, I am also watching the changing values displayed by the youth. Take it as the lamenting of a man belonging to the past, I cannot help but post it to seek the reaction of my readers.
I see the youth today running after the materialistic things. In matters moral, our youth is slipping very badly. As said by Mr. D R Nagaraj, Former Chairman NIPM, the “boys and girls” of today are full of selfishness, greed, disrespect to systems, carelessness, disloyalty and impatience. Aping the west in style and living, they are into cohabitation, dating, LIR and making merry. And on matters of global priorities, they show scant respect. Things as urgent and important as global warming, waste management, child labor etc do not figure in their thoughts. Actually they have no time for these. It is as if world is going to end tomorrow and they are trying to make the most of it, toady.
One does come across many students and job seekers. It is surprising that most of them are not nursing any dream. They are not planning their career. They drift from one job to other without weighing the worth of each.
In matters of spirituality they are nowhere. Good living to them is not of deriving of happiness but frolicking in materialistic comforts, the ACs, PCs, mobiles, iPods, automobiles and parties and all. There is no attempt to gain purity of body, mind and thoughts. (Neither do they understand that attaining these qualities will lead to good living, happiness and peace). All are part of the whirlwind. Life is indeed tumultuous for them. I could see the attendant stress writ large on their faces.
I took the attention of a friend of mine who had spent more than one and half decade in USA and is now back in India, to this aspect of Indian youth. His observation is as good as mine. I then asked him whether the youth in US is like this. His answer was a firm no. He says he see lots of dreaming and planning in the youth in US. Perhaps things such as recession and realization to the fact that many other countries are catching up with them is giving them some amount of apprehension, enabling them to resort to planning and activities to reach their dreams.
Sages and Gurus of India had been predicting a renaissance and growth of human qualities. Aurobindo said that man in the course of time would evolve into a Supramental being with higher level of intellect and purpose. Osho Rajneesh with his radical thinking (while chewing up religions and Godheads), said that man would evolve into Zorba the Buddha (someone who will enjoy the vivacious pleasures of this life but will eventually prepare himself to achieve enlightenment). In both, there is an understanding of a new generation of human being, active at achieving higher levels of intellect and mental well being.
Looking at the current generation, I reserve my comments. While I would desperately want the higher evolution to happen in people, I am disappointed at the loss of values and the degeneration of life.
Perhaps I am getting un-necessarily worried. Perhaps this is a passing phase. What we see now may be the indulgence in the windfall that had unexpectedly reached our doorsteps. Post this, may be things will get back for the higher evolution to happen.
Here is hoping that the Generation Y will realize its true potential and strive towards reaching higher mental growth and attain peace and happiness.
As a father, and as a well-wisher of the youth, I pray this happen.
The question is, what would we do with so much of youth? Our government and planners have to make available career to them as they come of age. Idle youth could be as good or as bad as the sparkling flame, for while the flame can give light, it could also burn-up and destroy anything around it. If there are no jobs in the country, will the nations of the world allow them to migrate to other countries? Tough question. No answers now. It is something yet to evolve.
Currently, educated youth is really enjoying the advantage. The country as the IT super power, is also gaining name as the back office of the world. ITS & ITES is going great guns and most of the youth is in it, and they are on the roll.
In the course of these developments, I am also watching the changing values displayed by the youth. Take it as the lamenting of a man belonging to the past, I cannot help but post it to seek the reaction of my readers.
I see the youth today running after the materialistic things. In matters moral, our youth is slipping very badly. As said by Mr. D R Nagaraj, Former Chairman NIPM, the “boys and girls” of today are full of selfishness, greed, disrespect to systems, carelessness, disloyalty and impatience. Aping the west in style and living, they are into cohabitation, dating, LIR and making merry. And on matters of global priorities, they show scant respect. Things as urgent and important as global warming, waste management, child labor etc do not figure in their thoughts. Actually they have no time for these. It is as if world is going to end tomorrow and they are trying to make the most of it, toady.
One does come across many students and job seekers. It is surprising that most of them are not nursing any dream. They are not planning their career. They drift from one job to other without weighing the worth of each.
In matters of spirituality they are nowhere. Good living to them is not of deriving of happiness but frolicking in materialistic comforts, the ACs, PCs, mobiles, iPods, automobiles and parties and all. There is no attempt to gain purity of body, mind and thoughts. (Neither do they understand that attaining these qualities will lead to good living, happiness and peace). All are part of the whirlwind. Life is indeed tumultuous for them. I could see the attendant stress writ large on their faces.
I took the attention of a friend of mine who had spent more than one and half decade in USA and is now back in India, to this aspect of Indian youth. His observation is as good as mine. I then asked him whether the youth in US is like this. His answer was a firm no. He says he see lots of dreaming and planning in the youth in US. Perhaps things such as recession and realization to the fact that many other countries are catching up with them is giving them some amount of apprehension, enabling them to resort to planning and activities to reach their dreams.
Sages and Gurus of India had been predicting a renaissance and growth of human qualities. Aurobindo said that man in the course of time would evolve into a Supramental being with higher level of intellect and purpose. Osho Rajneesh with his radical thinking (while chewing up religions and Godheads), said that man would evolve into Zorba the Buddha (someone who will enjoy the vivacious pleasures of this life but will eventually prepare himself to achieve enlightenment). In both, there is an understanding of a new generation of human being, active at achieving higher levels of intellect and mental well being.
Looking at the current generation, I reserve my comments. While I would desperately want the higher evolution to happen in people, I am disappointed at the loss of values and the degeneration of life.
Perhaps I am getting un-necessarily worried. Perhaps this is a passing phase. What we see now may be the indulgence in the windfall that had unexpectedly reached our doorsteps. Post this, may be things will get back for the higher evolution to happen.
Here is hoping that the Generation Y will realize its true potential and strive towards reaching higher mental growth and attain peace and happiness.
As a father, and as a well-wisher of the youth, I pray this happen.
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