Ye Dil Maange More

So the honourable parliamentarians have decided that they need an upgrading of their status! They want the divinity to be fully crowned on them so that they are set apart from the ordinary mortals. And why not? The raise they gave themselves on their salary and perks is not enough to proclaim their divinity. They need more. Ye dil maange more. They are not the ones to buy the theory that they are not the masters. Anna might shout from the roof top that the people who sent them to the parliament are the real masters. Officially they might only be representatives of people. De Jure does not count for much. It is De Facto that is the real thing. Representation of the People Act needs to be re-christened as Masters of the People Act. The present act belittles them, shows them in poor light. How can they who have all the makings and ingredients of feudal lords be condemned as mere representatives of people! Did it not mean they merely held attorney powers of people who could withdraw it at their will? This was not acceptable to these honourable members of parliament. What if they are only playing up their presence in the parliament? An attorney power holder is never superior to the attorney power giver. And they want to remain superior to the rank and file of the country. So, they must raise their status. And since it is all in their own hands, they do not have to seek any permission from anywhere.

India never had it this bad

Its not just FDI. Utility or otherwise of it can be determined sooner or later. Its not even the call of 'no work no pay'. These things on their own do not bother a great deal. In fact, MPs would care two hoots for 'no work no pay' for very obvious reasons. Even though certain things would happen on their own without anyone seemingly doing anything about them, yet the way we are conducting ourselves, the feeling is inescapable that the nation has come to a halt. This feeling is bad because it saps nation's energy. And for this, no one but the present government is responsible. It seems the government can do nothing good. FDI may be good for the country as PM and some of his ministers claim. What was the harm in discussing it before okaying it in the cabinet? This logjam would have been avoided. The government has managed to create so much negative energy all around. India never had it this bad.   

Fresh Mandate

UPA Govt. took a policy decision on FDI without taking its allies, opposition parties and people of the country into confidence. Clearly, majority does not seem to be on its side. The govt. is a coalition of several parties and one party cannot claim monopoly which the Congress is seemingly doing all the way. This does not augur well. FDI may be good, may be bad. This must be decided by the country as a whole and not just by some handpicked people claiming to have got more knowledge than others. Maybe, they really have more knowledge. But still they need people's certification which the government does not have as it had not promised to bring in FDI in its declared election manifesto. The immediate crises that the govt faces border on its credibility. First, it declared its policy when it could easily have discussed the matter in the parliament in the on-going session besides discussing the matter with its own allies that support and sustain the government. Second, the government has declared that it is not going to roll it back come what may. That being the position, why should there be an all party meeting to discuss a non-negotiable matter? Is it not waste of time and energy? PM convenes the meeting and yet he is not going to attend the meet. What kind of a prime minister do we have? Pranab Babu is supposed to be trouble shooter, when in fact more often than not he is the trouble creator. He is a staunch supporter of FDI and has played a crucial part in getting it approved without consulting anyone. Its the same Pranab Mukherjee that forced bankers to settle for pension from 27.11.2009 flouting the statutory provisions of pension giving rise to much heart-burning amongst the bankers. The rationale is bizarre. The date just occurred to him and he finalized it. And we have to take it that he is a democrat who loses his temper every now and then. He is the one to lead the all party meeting. Unfortunately, those on the opposite sides also do not inspire enough confidence. When both the protagonists on either side are firm that they are not going to re-negotiate the question of FDI, what's the logic of this meeting that is taking place at this point of time? If the govt.  is strong in its conviction, it should be ready to debate the issue under provisions for voting and if it loses it should go to the people and seek their mandate. Fresh mandate seems to be the only way out of this chaos to which the UPA has pushed our country into.

Know Thy Limit

Even if it looks like a well-orchestrated exercise of witch-hunting and vendetta against Kiran Bedi, she must be proceeded against. If she has done all that as has been alleged, let her face the music. After all it is the rule of law that must prevail. No matter how big the person who committed these legal felonies. But the moot point is--are we going the way we should go? If Bedi can be proceeded against for what is yet to be established, how about those honourable MPs who have swallowed phone bills and house rents etc. running into several crores of rupees? Should they be allowed to enjoy the comforts of their respective offices while the likes of Bedi be guillotined? Does it make sense that Meira Kumar, the Honourable Speaker of Lok Sabha, should enjoy immunity when she owes the government so much money? Not just immunity, she enjoys the grudging veneration of the whole nation as the law enforcing authority(presiding officer) in the Lok Sabha. A swindler is a swindler no matter where he/she is placed. She should be made to cough up the money with interest, tried for her misconduct and till the trial is over, she should be made to vacate the post she is holding by default. And how about those MPs who owe money to the telephone department? Does government have to set up a committee to find out why our public undertakings are going down the drain? It is because of these parasites who are draining these undertakings of their hard earned money. Time to act. Else, the people will have the right to rise and revolt like they are doing in several other countries. There is a limit to anything. India appears to have crossed all limits and if people occasionally cross their limits, it should be understood why. Know thy limit and stay within it.

Divine Right to Rule

It was a rare sight. Politicians belonging to heterogeneous groups came together and condemned in one voice the action of Harvinder Singh slapping Sharad Pawar. Without doubt the act was a blasphemous one and was justly and roundly condemned by all the honourable 545+ MPs. Augurs well for our parliamentary democracy. Elsewhere too the act was roundly condemned. We do not often get to see this kind of solidarity amongst our honourable MPs. The only other occasion in the recent past where they showed near unanimity was when they chose and decided to give themselves a rise in their salary and perks. On everything else they do not see eye to eye, not even on those matters that seriously concern 121 crore people. Not even on those matters that seriously impair the security of the country and its people. EM Forster's parliament was a talking shop because his parliament saw the possibility of getting some sense out of nuisance that was talked in his talking shop. Our parliamentarians do not talk these days. They shout, they howl and throw missiles at one another. But if someone dared to slap them, they would come together like one bundle of sticks. Augurs well. It was a condemnable act and was justly condemned by all holding high values of democracy, what if some of them are perceived as proven criminals. They have a divine right to rule. Let's not make the mistake of believing that they are our mere representatives, holding our power of attorney which we could withdraw at will. One slap on a politician elicited so much anger and violent reaction. But what if some up sits up and asks why these very honourable MPs did not react and condemn the acts of those ministers and MPs in UP who beat up ordinary people? If Harvinder Singh did not have right to slap Sharad Pawar, did those ministers and MPs have the right to beat up people? And how about the media? We saw how media repeatedly showed the SlapAct so that it got firmly entrenched in the minds of people. Why the same urgency was not shown while reporting the UP kicking and beating act of the ministers and MPs? Was it because this SlapAct had better news value and therefore possibilities of improving TRP? Augurs ill.     

Anna Going Astray

Anna seems to be seriously impaired by his personal inability to articulate his thoughts properly. Or, maybe he is simply not equipped to do that. Else, how does one explain his off-hand remark on SharadSlap? Not just computers, even human beings run on the principle of GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). If you have stored garbage inside you, you will disgorge garbage on sudden impulses. We all know, Anna is not a well-read man. Therefore, he does not have much stored inside his belly. He himself realizes this. What however he does not seem to realize is the fact that he should speak less and should not open his mouth on everything. Media will always approach him for his bytes because whatever Anna says has a news value, nuisance value not excepted. If his off-hand remark on SharadSlap was bad enough, his prescriptions for reforming a drunkard by tying him to the nearest lamp post is worse still. By these two strokes he has succeeded in distancing many of his supporters and many have begun to question his credentials as well. Anna needs to be wary of this. We all remember how he had chastised Prashant Bhushan for having expressed himself on Kashmir. When he could caution Prashant Bhushan, why he himself did not take that caution? Even though he is not a politician, the need to clarify every statement he makes puts him in the category of politicians. Kejriwal had to defend Anna by saying that Anna has clarified his position. It simply does not wash. Why do you have to clarify? Had he not aired his views on these matters, there would not have been any need for clarification. Clarifications don't always clarify. His not being equipped also contributed to his fall out with his blog writer. He is an icon. He needs to conduct himself like one. The Halo should have the Glow. The glow is flickering out. Anna needs to be careful with his words. We were taught in our schooling days that if you are not sure of the meaning of a word or an expression, just avoid using that. Anna will do well to remember this, because he is spearheading a war against corruption and we do not want to lose him on such flimsy grounds. The whole country is beholding to him. He must not fritter away what he has earned deservedly.

All Those Market People

Market is flooded today with things we could not have imagined earlier. Call it the gift of globalization or liberalization. And all those market people who are flooding our market with products they cannot sell in their own backyard are here not because of their love for us. They are here for the love of lucre. Service providers of all kind are here, not so much because they want to provide service. They are here to force money out of our pocket. Complex as modern lives have become, these market people seem to have solutions for all of them. There is a new business mantra doing rounds these days: every challenge presents an opportunity. Everybody with any business acumen is out to exploit the situation to the hilt. Nothing new really. Only the emphasis is new, and often this emphasis is carried too far and at a heavy cost to us consumers. One of the solutions provided by these market people is flooding market with food supplements. Amway is a big name. And so is Lupin. Its Wellness Noni is a food supplement, an anti-oxidant vying and competing with Amway's food supplement and anti-oxidants. It would seem that they are interested in your health. So they are here. Not true. They are interested in your wealth. So they are here. I say so because the things they bring in the market are so exorbitantly priced that you will be hard put to buy them. And they will make it look so very essential for your day-to-day life that you will be forced to buy them through your nose. Its another matter that you and I are not in a position to ascertain the genuineness of what is on offer. But the cost! Its simply incredible. Why should a pack of 100 tablets cost more than Rs. 2000/- is really hard to understand. Likewise, there are many things in the market today that claim to have been drawn directly from the nature and made available to you at a cost that will simply rob you off of whatever you have in your pocket. This seems to be the latest mantra of these market people. Bring every single penny out from the consumers' pockets.

Now with 51% FDI in single-brand retailing and 100% in wholesale cash and carry trade having been allowed, the Walmarts, the Tescos and the Tarrefours will spring up in our neighbourhood and will change our life style for ever. We will be forced to forget whatever our seniors, our ancestors have bequeathed to us. Maybe, we might as well become part of the stone age that is long forgotten and the posterity will read about us occasionally in history. The moot point is--are we ready for that? 

Anger Spilling Over

No gainsaying the fact that any demonstration of anger in the manner we are getting to see of late is to be deprecated. No civilized society, democracy or no democracy, can afford to provide any space for such deeds. It was Sukhram some days ago, it is Sharad Pawar today. These need to be condemned in no unmistakable terms. But then, no matter how much we may like to bury our heads in the sand, the question arises--why is this happening? What have we done or not done that is forcing more and more people to demonstrate their anger in this manner? Why the anger of man in the street is spilling over? No matter how unpalatable the question, we need to countenance it here and now. The growing mismatch between 'what is' and 'what ought to be', the growing gap between 'haves' and 'have-nots' and the growing number of politicians and men and women in position of power found immersed in neck-deep corruption with small possibilities of looted wealth being retrieved, plus the growing indifference and callousness of the governments to deliver justice have added to the frustration of common man who is indulging in these acts of desperation. Its time for all conscientious men and women to rise above petty-mindedness and to do things they promised at the time of assuming powers from the hands of the English whom our seniors banished from the country at the heavy cost of their own life and comfort. If we fail to do that we shall fail to keep anger from spilling over again and again. The result will be disastrous.

Corporate Thieving

They all do it. They literally pick your pocket. Some in the name of annual maintenance charges (AMC), some in the name of service charges and some in the guise of providing medicare. All service providers almost without exception fleece us day in day out. Eureka Forbes the providers of water purifiers religiously collect their annual charges, but conveniently forget to provide the service for which they take payment in advance. Punjab National Bank makes a lofty commitment to provide interest relief of 1% if the interest segment is serviced during the moratorium period of an education loan. They do not provide it. If you demand performance of the commitment, they make excuses and do not attend to your queries. Mediclaim Insurers make tall promises at the time of making you their customer. Their promises and commitments are full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.Once they have collected the money, their attitude and behaviour change. In times of need they harry you with questions and try their best to run away from providing the promised service. I have cited just three instances, but host of other service providers do the same. I call them all corporate thieves. Strangely enough, none of them provide you with any definite number or address where they can be contacted in times of need. Eureka Forbes' land line telephone at Patna office remains perennially 'out of reach' and others give you toll free numbers that are usually non-responsive and even if they respond, they hardly ever provide the relief you have sought. Market is full of such corporate thieves. One needs to be extra vigilant. If one seeks bank services one should always keep all relevant documents and should seek the copy of the charter of commitments to customers so that whenever they renege on their commitments, they could be taken to task. In today's world of corporate thieves customers/consumers need to be exceptionally careful. Otherwise, they will pick your pocket. This has become one of their main sources of income.   

Anna Spreading his Net Wider

We are enamoured of Anna for having awakened the soporific citizenry of the country against the monster called corruption. All kudos to him and to the team that has brought about this change in attitude. From the look of it all, we can easily see the impact it has tended to make all around. We call it Anna effect. We all are aware that we have barely made it to the preliminary target. There are miles to go. Anna has stood his ground despite multi-pronged attacks on the team. This is because people are on the side of Anna because they believe Anna is serving the right cause. But Anna should desist from spreading his net wider and take within its ambit issues like drinking and public flogging of drunkards. He will be within his rights to advocate against drinking habits and should try to reform them as he has reformed his village Ralegaon. But asking drunkards to be tied down to a lamp post to be flogged publicly is going a little too far. To drink or not to drink is a matter best left to individuals. I fear if he spreads his net on such issues, he might lose confidence of people (even those drunkards) with him in this fight against corruption. My earnest request to him would be to concentrate on corruption and leave such matters to individual's choice. He should not open too many fronts. 

Gold Coins for Sachin

Earlier it was Cricket Association of Bengal. Now it is Mumbai Cricket Association. If Sachin scored 100th century, which many hope he will one of these days, he will be honoured with 100 gold coins. Meaning thereby MCA will add to his unencumbered riches. All over the world people are rising and revolting against those who have amassed huge wealth when they are made to drudge on for their survival. Here we are pampering someone already pampered with everything. His coffers are already full up to the brim. In fact, his riches are spilling over. His newly acquired house at Mumbai has the parking space for more than 50 cars. Is it required? Is it desirable? Is it not dispensable ostentation? Once so rich, the Americans are on the streets camping against those who have amassed so much wealth rendering them penniless. The world is going topsy-turvy with people sharply divided between haves and have-nots. Instead of bridging the gulf between the rich and the poor, we are widening it.

There are people who have also demanded Bharat Ratna for Sachin. Anna too joined this chorus recently. Bharat Ratna for playing cricket! We thought this was given to those who contributed to bettering the life or life sustaining ingredients. Without doubt, Sachin's feat, not contribution as I understand, is great. And he is constantly feted for that. It has improved his life, his personal life. But the people, the society has not benefited from his cricket. Should Bharat Ratna be given for that? Time to re-think. Anna revolutionized and brought about an awareness that has changed the life around. Narayan Murthy gave a new identity to India, improved the quality of life of myriads of people. I would rather have them as Bharat Ratnas, for their glitter will never fade. Sachin's feat too will be remembered. But Bharat Ratna and 100 Gold Coins! We have a case here at Patna. A student was given gold medal by Patna University for academic excellence. It turned out to be faked gold. 100 gold coins (I am sure they will be genuine) for cricket, and fake gold for academics! Which way are we headed?   

Banking Scenario

One of the most intriguing things about our media is it has failed to see the malaise that afflicts India's public sector banks. There has been a sudden spurt in NPA in banks. Fact of the matter is there is no spurt really. It was there all the time. Only it was hidden away from public glare. It was not reported and auditors played a key role in that. Having myself been a part of it not long ago, I know for sure how we were discouraged to show NPA. Today, RBI has come out saying banking fundamentals are strong. If that is the case why banks had to steal on pension fund? Why banks are not contributing their share in building the pension corpus of various banks and why do they have to violate the statutory provisions of pension regulations? These are some of the unpalatable questions that banks and the government need to address. Instances of massive frauds have been on the public domain for quite sometime now and bankers are fighting legal battles all over the country. The question is if the fundamentals are strong, why should banks shy away from paying up their share in pension corpus? If fundamentals are strong, why banks had to seek and get amortization when no such concession was extended to the employees? Frauds to the extent of more than Rs. 100000 crore are committed in balance sheets of various banks.They have been falsifying balance sheets for a long time now. Strangely enough, the media that takes so much of moralistic stand on various issues is  vehemently silent on this matter when it should greatly concern them. Bankers provide economic stability to the country, farmers provide food security. And yet both of them are left insecure, left to fend for themselves. Is our banking system also going the Maharaja way and the ways of the PSUs that are facing extinction threats that dinosaurs faced ages ago? Media, your silence is intriguing.

Bihar and Lokayukta

Some of the professed Patna based Annaites chose to burn the copies of the bill on 15.11.2011 when in fact the proposed bill is still in the process of being given a final shape. When some of the salient features of the proposed bill came into public domain earlier, Team Anna felt disappointed and stated its disappointment in public, evoking Nitish retort. Nitish subsequently clarified that the bill is still at the nascent stage and fresh ideas wherever they are received from are being given consideration and went on to declare that his Lokayukta will have a probing wing of its own. We had burnt Lokpal bill  in August this year because that bill was presented in the Lok Sabha by the government. But this bill is not presented in the Assembly by the government and the bill is yet to take a formal shape. Should one burn something that is yet to be born? Will it not be a case of foeticide? The professed Patna based Annaites have already committed this sin. Foeticide is not just a sin but also a crime.