Does India need Presidential form of government?

The desperation and power hunger thickened the political matrix in India where ideologies and commitment are fast loosing their places. Just about 15 days before a new dispensation would take charge two national parties and about half-a-dozen regional satraps has broken the shell to woo the potential gainers.

In the given circumstances where party and group-based ideology and commitment weakened considerably the Presidential form of government seems ideal.

Everyone is wooing everyone. Manifestoes calling for more or less the same thing and when it comes to forming a government plenty of compromises are done. Whoever has the numbers are adjusted whatever the cost maybe. Pre-poll agenda and commitments to the people find no place in the post-poll arrangements.

"We have had many kinds of government in Delhi since 1952, from predictable to stable to ideological to accidental to opportunistic. The next one may be safely labeled a patchwork. It will be a quilt in which each patch struggles for more space than it has been allotted by hasty needlework," MJ Akbar wrote in the Times of India.
Scepticism and fear of switching over to a new system prevents ideas to take shape. We tend to believe that there is no place of innovation to take on the unforeseen problems propped up.

Speaking in the 73rd conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India last year, Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee said the Presidential form of government would be catastrophic for the country. “There may be limitations in the present form of government and all sorts of questionable mergers and defections, but the Presidential form of government is not suitable for India,” he said, while replying to a question whether the Presidential form of government was better suited for India.

In the present parliamentary system every loophole has been exploited to suit the personal benefits rather than to plug it. Judiciary took the centrestage and hailed by the people. Suddenly, a debate started of encroachments and many face-offs witnessed in the past.

In plain terms governance has become victim to the unwanted and deliberate adjustments. The council of ministers is all about adjustments, regional aspirations based on give-and- take. Off late, democracy in election commission also debated a lot. It's 62 years since India got independence and in his famous 'tryst with destiny' speech first prime minister of India JL Nehru set out his objective, "The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity". Prime minister of India (?) on August 15, 2009 will again utter these words how he strives to end poverty and…

When India is compared with China we pat our back that at least we have a democracy where every voice is heard. We hear, we speak but, the action is missing.

The left, right, centre-right the entire political spectrum with all hues - socialism, communism, secularism, nationalism…mixed to form a dangerous cocktail…please shed all isms…

Inclusive growth through using abundant human and physical resources is need of the hour for India. Instances are there where we shown courage to change. Pokhran and Liberalisation are case in point. How long the Indians battle it out that who needs reservations, whether we need strong anti-terror law, should we have a nuclear deal with the US…who should shake hands with whom publically?

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Slammed kids of Slumdog Millionaire: the anti-climax

The star kids of Slumdog Millionaire have been living an extraordinary life since the film nominated for the Oscars. It gave these kids a dream; they exposed to the limelight and saw the opposite side of the life they never seen before and again returned to the same place but, with added baggage.

They are standing at a window and seeing the world where normal things do not happen. They are witnessing camera, arclight, highlife, money, greed, drama and behind them their actual world lies and in between their normal childhood snatched. Who's responsible?

A news website claimed a sting operation on the family alleging Rubina one of the child stars' father tried to sell her. It became headlines worldover riding on the Oscar wave. The kids again got the 'celebrity shot'.

At the fringes of slum of Mumbai where these stars live a month-long festival of democracy begun- the Indian general elections. Political parties are fighting bitterly and doing the same thing in desi style what Danny Boyle has done successfully for his audiences abroad.

The grand old party of India has envisioned 'fortune' riding on the Slumdog's "Jai Ho". They even tried to have these children for campaigning. Millions are flowing in these elections on such brazen initiatives. Dharavi would be still there with all its dogs. Who cares?

Salam Bombay star toiling hard in Bangalore as an autowallah and Born into Brothels child stars slipped into same hell. The child stars of the eight-time Oscar winning film may have a life where they will get basic necessities fulfilled or they achieve something in life. What about billions of Rubinas and Azhars in this country.

What are they doing-the Boyles or Mira Nairs? They have their ambitions and civil liberty and freedom of expression in this country work as a tool for them to exploit in the garb of thinking film directors. But, the question is what we are doing- as a citizen, as a government, as an activist, as a writer, blogger…

Wait until a new scandal broke out and cameras following these children…

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Son-shine in Jammu & Kashmir albeit second time

An Omar Abdullah may soon find that an increasingly demanding voter in a complex state like J&K will expect more from him than just a telegenic appearance and powerful oratory, writes Rajdeep Sardesai in Hindustan Times.

Now, it may be up to Omar, who exudes promise, to reverse the legacy of 1987 and learn the lessons of the past, writes The Times of India on January 11, 2009.

Everyone is waxing eloquent on the young leadership in Jammu and Kashmir and of course aspirations are soaring high in the most troubled state of India. As the above headlines suggest his ascendency is being seen with interest and hope.

Soon after taking over the 'throne', Omar Abdullah, 38, chief-minister of Jammu and Kasmir started visiting government offices unannounced and speaking like a CEO. These are expected things from a new blood. We wish him all the best for anything he does in mainstreaming the affairs.

The elections in J&K were unprecedented one. People defied the boycott and came out in record numbers (61% turnouts recorded) whilst the verdict has surprises- 'soft-separatism advocate' PDP consolidated and Jammu gave a strong message that discrimination will no longer be tolerated. People decided clearly which ideological hue they would prefer. The BJP has a chance here to im-prove. In fact it was a long haul for a party; Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (then Jansangh) started an agitation to abolish Article 370 in 1952 when Omar's grandfather Sheikh Abdullah was at the helm in Srinagar. He was arrested and died in detention.

The performance of Congress party dwindled; National Conference was similar what it were six years ago, People’s Democratic Party performed better and BJP leapt from one seat in 2002 to 11 this time. Clearly, it's sheer maths and not the popular verdict in favour of any party or combination. It means that people are divided, confused and desperately need a direction. The sewn-up combine should understand the message in the right earnest and work for a future direction to the rudderless spirits in the state. It is not easy when Omar is carrying the 'weighty baggage' and plenty of non-state actors are active.

He is riding on the horse he is not accustomed to and even giving a wrong 'soundbite' could jeopardize his chance. His support to Congress on N-deal issue and his famous oratory in Parliament in which he opposed rather emphatically the land for the Shree Amarnath jee Shrine won the day for NC. He was once the part of Vajpayee administration as a young-educated-moderate-Muslim face and later resigned and bid adieu to NDA to firm up his Kashmir politics. He said he already apologized for being the part of NDA when Gujarat happened.

In J&K, people in the valley have been living in the constant fear of guns and many bogus political ideologies. The cross-border ideas germinated in the senile minds and talk of independence have been doing the rounds. Remember the 'Muzaffarabad chalo' fiasco last year! A weak central policy over the years failed to mainstream affairs in the state which has become deepest scar on hearts and minds of India. Earlier dispensations at New Delhi experimented with dynasties in Kashmir which proved problematic and growth was installed- forget about the inclusive growth.

In September 2008 while talking to Devil's Advocate Karan Thapar he went all hog to support Musharraf's ideas, "Musharaff was a single window system so to speak... That window has gone…Well we are living to rue it now. Had we worked out a solution with Pakistan in 2006/2007, we wouldn't (have) seen Kashmir inflamed in 2008." Musharraf advocated a 'self-governance' Kashmir formula which was rejected by the UPA government.

Soon after the counting, the NC website has put up his grandfather and party founder Sheikh Abdullah’s quote on top of the page. “Only that accession will endure which is acceptable to the hearts of people...not with subsidised rice, army and offering largesse,” reported the Indian Express. 'Is this Omar Abdullah’s attempt to return to Sheikh Abdullah’s NC?' asked the paper.

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Jammu and Kashmir verdict at a glance

• In 87 strong house= NC-28, congress-17, PDP-21, BJP-11, National Panthers Party-3, CPI-M, People’s Democratic Front, Democratic Party (Nationalist) - 1 each. Independents win in four constituencies
• 44 is the majority mark
• Two members are nominated which makes it 89 member house
• The Valley is divided almost equally between the NC and PDP- NC has won 20 seats and the PDP 19.
• In Jammu, the BJP has replaced the Congress at nine seats and the NC at one, and retained Nagrota where BJP's Jugal Kishor beat Karan Singh's son Ajat Shatru Singh.
• Jammu’s Muslim areas, Mendhar and Darhal constituencies in the Poonch and Rajouri districts, felled to PDP which pivoted on soft separatism and Muslim-centric politics.
• Shilpi Verma, widow of a man who had killed himself during the Amarnath agitation, lost in Bishnah despite a high-decibel campaign for her by Narendra Modi.
• The Congress candidate from the Gandhi Nagar constituency, who had supported the Amarnath agitation also won.
• Abdul Rashid Sheikh, once a close confidant of the slain Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Lone and later joined the Sajjad Lone faction had opposed the poll boycott of Sajjad and jumped into the fray, gave up his job with few bucks and won as an Independent from Langate.
• Ysuf Tarigami of CPI(M) saved his seat at Kulgam
• Abdul Rahim Rather of NC won the Chara-e-Sharief seat for the record sixth time in succession
• Of the 468 Independent candidates in the fray, only four have managed to win.
• In 2002, Independent candidates won 15
• Three ministers belonged to PDP lost including Abdul Aziz Zargar ( allegedly linked with Let
• Only three out of 67 women candidates won (two in 2002)
• Kashmiri Pandits contested on 47 seats- won none, a record (Raman Mattoo who won in 2002 lost this time)
• 34 political parties have failed to win any seat including BSP, SP, RJD, CPI

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After Mumbai: Terrorism And Recession

Forbes.com asked Middle East expert Gilles Kepel--whose new book, Beyond Terror And Martyrdom, examines the future of relations between Islam and the West--about the attacks on Mumbai and what to expect from the economic crisis.

• In Outcry Over Siege, Two Indias Emerge

The recent siege brought terrorism to the doorstep of India's affluent and struck at the symbols of their prosperity. India's expanding elite, which has felt somewhat insulated from the heat, traffic, sporadic electricity outages and overall commotion in this fast-paced city, suddenly felt vulnerable.

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After the Mumbai terror -India needs its Obama moment

After May 13 Jaipur blasts this year I jotted down following lines on this blog under the heading… Quake in China & Jaipur blasts - two shades of Democracy... "Several states have failed to maintain the sanctioned strength of police force, said Manmohan Singh and advocated for a federal agency to combat terror. Isn't it only the pep talk in an election year? Manvendra Singh, son of Jaswant Singh in an article in The Indian Express very rightly pointed out towards a vital organ, “a 19th-century, imperial police structure cannot confront the challenge of a 21st-century war by other means. The ineptitude of the higher police hierarchy and an interfering polity pooled together to corrode a vital national institution."On terror and many other issues Indian people are victim of the DEMOCRACY.

Doesn't it look germane after Mumbai terrorist strike?
India bleeded once again; unlike several terrorist activities this year it was a war like situation in Mumbai. Blast in local trains (lifeline) in Mumbai in 2006 and this terrorist strike on symbols of India reflects enemies are out to demolish what makes up an India and an Indian. Already in soup after recent blasts the internal security apparatus of this country has become the direct target of masses and bosses who are handling it has attracted close scrutiny.

Intelligence failure-yes it is, but the government of the day failed to learn from the recent pasts when blasts had shaken the people of Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabd, Bangalore, Hyderabad the list goes on…

Many stories, anger, heart-breaks, appreciation for forces, rolling-down heads, postmortem, discussions, brainstorming, condolence all are on the primetime and splashed on the spreadsheets. And, it's natural. But, my fear is that we are increasingly gravitating towards Israel like situation where blasts are part of the life.

Now, come to the bizarre political class of this country. Please have a flashback of three months before. A section of celebrity politicians, romantic authors and people who love to be called 'rights activists' gradually upped their ante and in a chorus questioned the September 19 Batla House encounter of Delhi in which police lost one of its best men. The ruling dispensation checkmated by its 'newfound savoir' in minority vote bank politics. Delhi Police, unfortunately, had to show the corpse of Inspector MC Sharma to defend itself from the strange outrage. TV Channels and printline carried many stories and versions and presented a quagmire of impression.

Now, the Mumbai episode brought once again 'internal security' in focus and what should have done earlier is being debated in the routine 'post-incident atmosphere'. The honourable Home minister had to go but, after ….. In an interview with The Sunday Express in the after-heat of Delhi blasts, he said proudly that he is so blessed to bear criticism that in the last two months, he hasn't experienced a single tense moment! Now, he is relieved. The other Mr. Patil also faced the axe. Routine remedies…Power politics in Mumbai has begun, in fact playing for a while. Remember, the hate campaign against North Indians… should we ask the perpetrators of victims of this campaign to come strongly in the open to take anti-Indian elements head on.

The moot point is- would something concrete come out after this strike. The UPA dispensation has little time and whatever it will do; I fear would make a half-baked product. The ongoing elections put Indian polity in a situation where they have to take a stand before the public. The ruling dispensation will certainly show some 'solid' measures to calm down the frayed nerves and the BJP will try hard to exploit the situation and have some circumstantial benefit out of this. Cow-belt allies of UPA have been clamouring for the Muslim vote space shown their faces on Batla house encounter and one has gone on to say that Bangladeshis infiltrators should be granted citizenship. Imagine…Perhaps 'soft on terror' remarks of BJP somehow seem to be accommodated on the plans of UPA.

In view of the Malegaon blast investigation, a 'pro-active' approach witnessed and sometimes it seemed surprising the way it was being handled. And, when atmosphere of fear and doubt is thick then charges seem convincing as the rightist groups leveled and said that it might be 'propelled from behind' to checkmate the saffron brigade. The flip side is that without filing all the evidences other acts of terror linked to it and in the aftermath of Mumbai terror Pakistan already put questions that first check your homegrown terror network.


The celebrated authors are splattering print spaces with their 'novel' ideas. One author who writes on economic issues simply put that- hold on- we can do nothing about this kind of terror when suicidal squads are out in the open. Ask him-after 9/11, the US, which is perhaps most on the target than us- faced how many attacks. One defence analyst suggested that think ahead of terrorists and upgrade the technology. These are the ideal things if happened but, think practically.

I believe when the political class shed its traditional baggage and put new blood into the system then only reforms take place and bloodshed perhaps is minimized. India needs its Obama moment - it strives for an upside down change!

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Nobel Peace prize for former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari

The Nobel Peace Winner: Important Work, Uninspired Choice

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