The latest act of the UPA-2 govt, which might have potentially far reaching consequences is allowing the FDI in multi brand retail. I have been hearing the argument that almost is "More FDI means reforming the economy for good". One can not say FDI is always good or always bad. It is not a white or black question. Whether it benefits the nation or not depends on the context. Sadly the kind or discourse set in this nation is that people who are for FDI are progressive and those against it are regressive.
FDI when introduced in multi brand retail can have far reaching consequences. Such a move requires threadbare discussion and debate, which unfortunately is missing. UPA-2 govt, had repeatedly said that an important institution of the parliament can not be bypassed or forced into making an important legislation like Lokpal without proper discussion and debate. The same Govt when it comes to FDI in retail, thinks otherwise.
I somehow see a similar pattern between the nuclear deal in 2008 to the current situation. Back then, anyone who opposed the nuclear deal was portrayed as a person who is unpatriotic, regressive etc. The media played a big role in shooting down the dissent and differing view point. I doubt if the media would be any different this time around.
A couple of articles in the foreign media appear criticizing the prime minister about the tragic state of affairs and surprisingly it spurns the PM and the Govt into action(which hardly cared about the resentment in this nation). Is there more arm twisting behind the scene than what is visible?
The message going out from this GOVT is "We value and remember democratic values and institutions ONLY when it will help our political objectives"
How much more can you and your government stoop. You played the role of Dritharashtra, when government has become an engine for ways to get quick undeserved money ,business etc.. Is monetary quid pro quo the only kind of corruption? Isn't quid pro quo of other kinds not corruption? You let your comrades plunder the national wealth. The quid pro quo was to let you continue as the prime minister of this nation. Does your conscience really permit you to claim that you are not corrupt?
Now to tide over the current political difficulties, you and your comrade in arms come up with one more blunder called 'quota in promotions'. The same Manmohan who talked for overhauling the government delivery system to improve governance is now driving 'quota in promotions'. Read more. Compare this with how some of your predecessors behaved. There was immense pressure on Mr Vajpayee during his tenure for reservations in judiciary and private sector. He politely did side step these demands, which would have debilitated this nation. Read more. This is not an isolated incident. Did your govt not use the same quota trick to create confusion and stall the Lokpal bill a few months back? How is quota related to Lokpal bill? Read more
You have taken the pat for economic reforms in the 90's. You have been the prime minister of this nation since 2004. There hardly is any economic reform to boast of. I hope people would realize that taking economic reforms forward, requires more than a bureaucrat at the helm of the affairs. Leaders like P.V.Narasimha Rao, Vajpayee are needed for that.
The tide is against UPA-2. The more you try to resuscitate the situation by resorting to cheap tricks, the more it will boomerang. I would like to end this short letter with a famous saying "Vinashakale Vipreet Buddhi"
Is BJP alone to be blamed for obstructing the discussion in parliament and for not following the institutional procedures, through which the GOVT can be checkmated like PAC, JPC etc?
I doubt that argument. I have noticed a pattern in the UPA-2 strategy. First thy ask the opposition to respect the contitutional bodies and parliamentary procedures. Thus they make the opposition ease the noose off the Govt. Then slowly they tighten the noose around the bodies like JPC, PAC. Please check the below videos, as how they stifled PAC and JPC in 2G case.
What happened in case of PAC? The Congress members of UPA taking the support of the ready to hire parties like SP and BSP prevented the chairman of the PAC Dr Murli Manohar Joshi from presenting the report. Is the state of the JPC any better? THey have called several peope to be questioned from the tenure of NDA Govt(virtually the whole PMO. CBI questioned Jaswant). While refusing to call PM and Finance minister, who were presiding over one of the biggest known scams of independent India.
The opposition could be camouflaging their vulnerabilities using this demand. But UPA-2 has a significant role in driving the opposition to adopt such strategy, where they don't even want to discuss the issue in parliament.
I have named the title of this article in such a way to capture the message, which is the glaring and abysmally different yard sticks for people associated with political discourse depending on which side there are (whether on left, center or right)
Collapse of the public discourse
The anti corruption and anti black money movements have been active over the last one and half year. This doesnt reflect the angst in the public. It is merely a machination of RSS and its pals to gain political mileage out of the situation.
When the issue of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh is raised and protested against, since it is virtually a demographic invasion of this nation(as said by Supreme court). That too is to serve the vicious agenda of RSS and its parivar.
Recently Assamese in particular and north eastern citizens in general are being scared to run away from across the country. The Right wing affiliates are trying to protect them and convince them to stay back by offering protection. This is a ploy to spread their agenda in the north east, where they don't have a major presence politically. When some attacks Ramdev with ink, it is quite obvious that RSS is behind the attack to generate sympathy for Ramdev baba.
The natural calamities that keep occurring in different parts of India are nothing but machinations of Sangh Parivar. They create the natural calamities and then try to win over people by serving them in the aftermath of the calamities.
These are the standard arguments to beat the RSS and its affiliates. The public discourse has become so dumb that it became so unpalatable that it compelled me to write this essay to point out the utter nonsense. Rather than discussing the issues raised by the right wing, it has become a pattern to disparage them and throw mud on them so that their argument carries no weight. The great Indian media is an active party in this strategy.
Pathetic media
When the protesters in MUMBAI ransacked and went on a rampage and attacked pollice, media and martyrs memorial, there is no big noise from the Govt or the media. The same media was missing in action there were violent protests in LUCKNOW? I dint hear their voice quite enough? Ironical though media also was targetted. Compare this with the enthusiasm and eagerness to flash the news if it were done by the fringe elements of the right wing. They would have used the opportunity to whip the entire right(especially RSS and its parivar).
I couldn't find the coverage of same magnitude for Mumbai and Lucknow violent protests where police, media were attacked.
I didn't see the media cover the Assam riots with the same verve and enthusiasm that it did the Gujarat riots. Have I heard the media talk of gross demographic invasion of Assam. Neither did I hear it speak of the injustice done to the native Assamese. When pointed out, the arguments put forth are lame excuses to dispute any double standards. Journalists like Rajdeep altogether dismisses the illegal immigration as the major issue. He conveniently forgets what Supreme court of India has remarked about the illegal immigration from Bangladesh. One can not forget the disparage-able argument he put forth in his tweet on 24th July which is "21 died in Assam, more than 1000 died in Gujarat. scale and intensity, plus logistics will determine media coverage". Like many, I failed to understand how at the start of Gujarat riots, the media(especially Rajdeep Sardesai) have known well in advance that the toll would be 1000. Read more
Indian society has become so hypocritical that the double standards have reached a point where it has become imperative to speak up and point them out. When it comes to people aligned with the non right political ideology who have economic or political muscle, you need concrete evidence and data to speak out. Even when there is concrete evidence and data, it is some times not concrete enough. But, When it comes to the people associated with the right wing ideology, they care not about the same. Judgments are passed even before the trial has started.
Do not shoot the messenger is the one of the important point in the liberal thinking. The media has played a very very important role in helping the Government shoot the messengers be it Anna, Ramdev etc. Rather than discussing the merits of issues raised by them, the Media happily facilitated the governments strategy. Media, which preaches not shooting the messenger, when it suits its business interests. The argument of the media is that it has to show all points of view. Then why did it not care to discuss threadbare things the same way about accusations of Sonia Gandhi and her families fraudulent acts. Have there been any media discussions and debates made against the
Sonia Gandhi by Subramania Swamy (more about this is detailed here ) or Mr Ram Jethmalani(details here) - he even dared anyone to sue him. One yard stick for Anna, Baba Ramdev and a different for the Gandhi family. Media facilitated the shooting of messengers of one side, which shows that it was conniving with the shooter on one side. Compare this with the way the media tried to bring up discussion on Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev, Kiran Bedi, etc.
Welcome to the great media tamasha and the highly intellectual political discourse in India.
