8 ISSUES AND INSIGHTS | 3 AUGUST 2019 > The interests General Ershad was not unlike Both men were political innocents. In a sense, they were softies sounding anti-feminist, he argued that Hasina Wazed could never become presi- of the Revenue career: Being consul-general in Australia’s and the simplicity of his lifestyle matched dent because only a man could lead a busiest city was preferable to an Indian post- the unimpressive architecture. Yet, every- Muslim nation at prayer. he tragic pass- ing. In fact, it was precisely this aspect of thing about Ershad seemed to provoke crit- Perhaps this was wishful thinking. Kamal ing away of V G Ershad’s persona — call it his weakness if you icism. Bangladeshis said he lived in the can- Hossain put it down to ignorance. “He’s never T Siddhartha, the will — that was endearing in so far as any- tonment for reasons of security. They said heard of Razia Sultan!” was the latter’s dry founder of the Cafe thing about a head of state can be endearing. the little boy toddling about the living room comment when I told him afterwards. Coffee Day empire — I couldn’t imagine the tragically murdered wasn’t really his son but adopted. Some sus- Whatever the reason, it was a gross miscal- and a lot else besides Ziaur Rahman with whom I had had one dis- pected him on account of the time he had culation. Ershad also believed he had scored — has led to much dis- astrously explosive meeting ever being so spent in . It was widely hugely over Bangladesh’s “India cussion on whether indulgent to a subordinate. claimed that the homely Mrs Despite tales of lobby” (meaning Hasina) by India and the Indian Bangladeshis didn’t appreciate the Ershad had been formally violence, human extracting Rajiv Gandhi’s prom- state is growing less allowance I was prepared to make for Ershad declared First Lady so that she rights abuses, ise to involve Nepal in tripartite friendly to entrepre- WHERE MONEY TALKS on account of his humaneness. A rich Dhaka could have her own office to corruption and talks on sharing the Ganga- neurs, industrialists SUNANDA K. DATTA-RAY businessman whom I had first met at the receive businessmen without womanising, Ershad Padma waters. It was another TICKER and business. home of Ershad’s high commissioner in New having to share her cut with was luckier than miscalculation. When it didn’t Siddhartha men- Delhi with whom he was on the friendliest middlemen. She was compared Gandhi. He died happen, a senior Bangladeshi MIHIR SHARMA tioned, in what eneral Ershad, who died the other terms was holding forth once at a dinner par- with Indonesia’s Tien Suharto peacefully in his diplomat explained that India appears to be a note he day, is unforgettable for me for a rea- ty in London on the military dictatorship at who was popularly called bed in the fullness couldn’t afford to face left behind, that he was facing harassment from the income Gson he would never have guessed. For home. He flew into a rage when I interjected “Madame Ten Per Cent”. of years Bangladesh and Nepal at the tax authorities. The I-T office has strongly denied this, but all the vilification, he was an innocent, not that while it was true Ershad was a military Ironically, Suharto was same time because it claimed this is not being generally believed. Many see their decision unlike Rajiv Gandhi. That was confirmed man, if his mild rule was a dictatorship it was someone Ershad admired. He told us that upper riparian rights with the former, and to block Siddhartha’s access to his Mindtree shares at a when some time in 1988 or 1989 the a vegetarian dictatorship. The Bangladeshi evening he was discussing with the lower riparian rights with the latter. Ershad time he needed to sell them as targeted harassment. Bangladesh deputy high commissioner in at once exploded that jealous Indians resent- Indonesian strongman some constitutional could never have anticipated that an Indian But the concern being expressed today goes beyond Calcutta called on me to say he had been ed the progress Bangladesh had made despite means of permanently involving the army, high commissioner who translated his poems the specifics of this case. It feeds into a general fear that transferred to Sydney. Chatting over coffee, being denied democracy. his country’s most efficient institution, in would oppose tripartite river talks tooth and was born at the time of the government’s anti-black mon- he let slip his President had wanted him to Apart from press conferences, I met Bangladesh’s governance. He needed a nail and work relentlessly on Rajiv to renege ey rhetoric, which then blossomed into a draconian law. invite me to Dhaka but he had ignored the Ershad only once. My wife and I were visit- prime minister, he said, to receive and see on his commitment. In the last Union Budget, the finance minister announced instruction. Hosting the editor of a national ing Dhaka at the end of 1985 — making an off visiting VIPs: Being busier than the US Both men were political innocents. In a that the super-rich would pay more in tax. This is in gen- Indian daily might have meant additional excuse of the launch of the South Asian president he didn’t have time for airport sense, they were softies. But despite tales of eral not a problem for many people. But, again, the mes- publicity for Ershad. Association for Regional Cooperation — duties. He spoke of Islam not as a believer violence, human rights abuses, corruption saging around the tax increase — a return to the noises I guessed his sympathies lay with the when he invited us home to tea after the cap- but as someone who acknowledged the and womanising, Ershad was luckier than made by the Centre’s faux-socialists in the Indira Gandhi Awami League. I also realised he could afford tains and kings had departed. He lived in a most important unifying and driving force Gandhi. He died peacefully in his bed in the era — was disturbing. Put that together with other meas- to flout his President and still prosper in his modest bungalow in the cantonment area for his people. Apologising to my wife for fullness of years. ures in the Budget and since. For example, companies now will be vulnerable to criminal prosecution if they fail to spend 2 per cent of their profits on corporate social COFFEE WITH BS > MANU S PILLAI | AUTHOR & HISTORIAN responsibility. How is a mandatory payment out of profits anything less than a tax? And why is the government levying a tax on companies for the benefit of NGOs? This is merely a way to direct more cash to the ideological affiliates of the ruling party, and to siphon away share- holder money to build up a Hindutva-vadi establishment in parallel to the state. Placing history in context The Budget also included increased powers for some tax officials — men of the Customs, for example, are now Pillai tells Uttaran Das Gupta how he is trying to find balance in more than a hundred pages of crit- given the power to detain individuals if they perceive a ical material. All my work involves threat to the “interests of the Revenue”. Some things the conflicted landscape of history the archives. But I don’t write like have definitely gotten better over the past few years — an academic.” Pillai says many there has been a concerted attempt to reduce the initial istory is a battlefield — not with the ambient music and the which was a seat of Brahminical historians are doing great work, human-to-human interaction in the tax process for only for those fighting in large turnout. The reason why it is orthodoxy. Brahmins claimed which often remains confined to example. But it is also true that there is a widespread H these battles, but also for so popular becomes obvious when that they were superior, being academic circles. “It is essential sense that the government intends to wring business for those chronicling it, that is, the his- our order is served. born from the head of the cos- to bring it to a wider audience,” every paisa it can. High officials of the government and torians. A few years back, I “I have been out since morning mic creator. Phule asked: he adds, “because everyday senior members of the ruling party have been complicit reviewed a book, The Ivory Throne, recording another podcast,” Pillai ‘Does this mean the cosmic history is being mutilated for in creating that impression. about the House of Travancore in says, “and will be going to Khan creator menstruates through political purposes.” The simple truth is that India can ill afford this sort of Kerala and its extraordinary regent Market for a book signing after his mouth?’.” Similar questions For politicians, he says, atmosphere at the moment. We are going through a years- Sethu Lakshmi Bayi. The tome ran this.” Being a famous author is hard were asked by Kabir or Basava context is a bad thing. “They long crisis of investment from which we have yet to recov- well into 700 pages and it took me work, isn’t it? — both of whom feature among need grand narratives, things er. Unless private investment increases, India will not a while to read it, but the intricate I have read Pillai’s latest book the dramatis personae in in black and white — but there return to the high-growth path that is necessary to create narrative blew my mind. The cover to cover, and have deci- Pillai’s book. “Indian history is are no dichotomies in history,” jobs and prosperity. But private investment will not recov- author, Manu S Pillai, went on to phered its enigmatic title, but I also as much about asking ques- Pillai says, providing examples er if you choose to scare away investors. Do we want to win the Sahitya Akademi Yuva want to hear it from him. “The title tions as it is about sanctified from his book. For instance, create a system like China’s, where the government lives Puraskar the next year. He followed represents some major interests I thought,” he adds. Sir Arthur Cotton, a military in fear of capital flight on a massive scale? Already the it up with Rebel Sultans, a history have in my research,” he says, In the introduction to his engineer responsible to irrigating government has extended criminal provisions of the black of the Deccan Sultanate. As if two before embarking on an explana- book, Pillai writes: “We live in vast stretches of Andhra Pradesh, money law to include non-resident Indians, presumably thick books in three years were not tion. The Courtesan refers to any times when history is polarising. It and where even today, there are because it feels that too many people are leaving the enough, he has published a third one of the six courtesans in the has become to some an instrument more than 3,000 statues of the country and think they are doing so to evade prosecution. one this year, The Courtesan, The book. “In 2019, why are we still of vengeance, of grievances, imag- man in two districts. Or, the This is a clear misdiagnosis of what is going on. Even if Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin. thinking of history as if it’s only ined or real. Others remind us to Maharaja of Jaipur who stood with individuals themselves are not leaving the country, they So when I meet about kings and bat- draw wisdom from the past, not the British during the First War of are seeking to diversify their interests and sources of him in Delhi, I am Pillai says many tles and empires,” he fury and rage, seeing in its chroni- Independence in 1857 but went on income geographically. Some years ago, the scion of a compelled to ask what historians are doing says. “Why is there no cles a mosaic of experience to nour- to build hospitals and bridges and well-known business house — when I asked him about many of his readers great work, which history through the ish our minds and recall, with- modernising his kingdom. “Is their future business strategy — said that all he was inter- and admirers have often remains eyes of women?” out veneration, the confident he good or is he bad? What ested in was ensuring that a majority of the group income been wondering: How confined to academic Courtesans are a won- glories of our ancestors.” I ask do you focus on?” Pillai came from overseas. This, he said, was purely a play to does he write so many circles. “It is essential derful way to look at him where he sees himself in asks. “As I said, context is minimise political risk. If Indians themselves are chary books so quickly? to bring it to a wider history, since they this rather conflicted land- very important.” of investing in India for fear of harassment, why would “The first book took audience,” he adds, were often highly scape. “I am trying to regain He also narrates the any foreigners do so? me about six years to “because everyday educated, refined and that elusive thing called bal- story of Shahuji Bhonsle, The government is so short of money — thanks to the write,” he says, “So it history is being great contributors to ance,” he replies, smiling. the nephew of Maratha failure of its implementation of the goods and services was a long-drawn mutilated for political society. One of the “History is neither on the ruler Shivaji, who ruled tax — that it is both concealing the true state of the fisc process. The second purposes.” courtesans in Pillai’s extreme left, nor on the Thanjavur from 1684 to and looking around for soft targets that it can bully for one took about two book is Begum Samru, extreme right — it is some- 1712, and was also a poet more money. In India, business is always a soft target. It years — and it was published two who begins her career as a dancing where in the middle. It is nec- and playwright of some feeds into a larger sentiment, that has been growing since years after the first one. This book, girl in Delhi and goes on to become essary to reclaim that middle talent. In his play, Sati the anti-corruption movement and that was kicked into the third one, comprises essays I a military leader with her private ground, especially in our con- Dana Suramu, he paro- high gear by demonetisation, that the rich have been pro- have written over the past three or army, often protecting the vulner- temporary world where every- dies social conventions tected for too long and that the govern- three-and-a-half years for my able late Mughal emperors. thing seems to be so black and with a Brahmin besotted ment will be able to kick them into shape. Nobody can weekly column (“Medium Rare” in “The Mahatma does not refer to white.” He asserts that the contem- with a “untouchable” deny that India has a problem with inequality. But it also The Mint).” He adds that he practi- , as some might porary polarisation over historical woman. Overcome with has a problem with state arbitrariness and a lack of under- cally lives in the archives and think,” says Pillai. “It refers to narratives tells us more about our desire, the Brahmin abandons standing of property and individual rights. We can only libraries. “It is pretty much my 24x7 Mahatma Phule, who — long insecurities and anxieties than all caste traditions. The woman solve the inequality and growth problems if we allow the job now,” he says, “which also before Gandhiji turned up at about history. tells him why they cannot sleep private sector a sense of security that will permit them to means I want to keep producing Buckingham Palace in a loincloth Perhaps, a consequence of this together: “We eat beef, we drink mobilise investment. Until then, India will continue to this work.” to scandalise everyone — arrived anxiety is a spurt in popular his- liquor.” The Brahmin replies: slide, under Modi, further back towards the dark days of We are at Perch, a chic café at at a banquet for the grandson of tory writing in India — Pillai is “We drink cow’s milk but you the 1970s. Vasant Vihar, in south Delhi. Pillai Queen Victoria in Pune in a torn arguably the biggest success story ILLUSTRATION BY BINAY SINHA eat the whole cow. You must Much is made today about “the interest of the suggests we order a Vietnamese- shawl to show the mirror to colo- of this phenomenon. (His first two ditional or academic history. be more pure.” Pillai asks: “Can you Revenue”. But the true interests of revenue lies in growing style pour-over coffee and a nial rulers.” Pillai asserts that Phule books were bestsellers, and this “Where do you see yourself in imagine a contemporary play- the economy. And for that the private sector must be a cheese platter. I ask for a meat has been garlanded and enshrined one is well on its way to becoming this?” I ask him. “I see myself as a wright writing this?” partner of the Revenue, not an enemy. platter as well. as a social reformer, but this sort of one.) At the same time, there bridge between the two,” he Perhaps that’s the reason why Unfortunately, for my purposes, veneration sanitises his rather rad- seems to be a conflict of sorts replies. “I bring academic rigour to history has become even more it was not the ideal location, what ical polemic. “He lived in Pune, between popular history and tra- my writing. The Ivory Throne had poignant now. Jal Chaupals in the city Being AWOL isn’t much fun

gathered in a government school class- As the numbers kept adding up on the would go late to work — and he did. wracked by remorse since. Worse, room where Sadashiv and Prashansa table, many in the room started looking vis- By all of 15 minutes. being an organised person, she Gupta of Akhil Bhartiya Samaj Sewa ibly uneasy. For Munni Devi, as for others This morning, his wife decided to doesn’t know what to do with the free Sansthan were waiting to kick off the meet- in the group, the meeting was eye-opening. join the kinfolk at their sit-in, by sit- time that’s come her way out of the ing. Using a tool developed by WaterAid, “It has made me realise that even though ting it out. I’m not sure whether she’s blue. So she’s mooning around the they asked the group to estimate their indi- we are drought-stricken every summer, we part of our dissent group or not house while being critical of its vidual water usage by activity — bathing, use so much water,” exclaimed Munni Devi, because she left at her usual office upkeep and maintenance instead of laundry, toilet, kitchen, livestock and 40 years old and heavily veiled. A young hour, saying she was “visiting”. Maybe catching a movie, or heading to the more. Amid good-natured ribbing and a wag sitting behind her declared that the she’s only humouring us and has gone mall for some retail therapy. It seems lot of laughter, the group collectively esti- best way for him to help save water was to to work, or maybe she has genuine she enjoys these things only when mated exactly how many buckets of water bathe once in 10 days. Everyone laughed errands to run. Eventually the truth she’s under pressure, so it might be PEOPLE LIKE THEM they used daily for different tasks while but seriousness returned when an older PEOPLE LIKE US will be out. She’s partial to whisky, you better if she returned to work, but it’s Sadashiv painstakingly entered the figures man in the group pointed out that earlier, see, and I plan on having a conversa- a weekend now so her joylessness will GEETANJALI KRISHNA on a water consumption table on the wall. when their village pond had water, they’d KISHORE SINGH tion with her when she’s on her sec- cast a gloom over the next days. By now, the entire group was involved bathe their animals there. “Since the pond ond tot this evening. My wife decided to go AWOL too, in the water budgeting exercise. Everyone dried up about three years ago, we’ve been At first I was alone so being AWOL even though she works out of home, ecent reports have calculated that wanted to speak in the next part of the using fresh tube well water for this pur- e are all, as you read this, didn’t feel like much fun. There were fleeing to Pune for a one-day event the almost a quarter of all ground- activity — water availability. They enu- pose,” she said. “The Jal Chaupal has made AWOL, a spontaneous family piles of books to read, so I did that over that is next week. When someone — I Rwater extracted globally is extracted merated every single water source in me realise that even people like me who W rebellion against the crip- a couple of days while bingeing on think it was me — pointed out that in India. India beats even China and US in Mahuee while the facilitators estimated live in a state of acute water shortage can pling claustrophobia and corporate Netflix intermittently. But these are perhaps she didn’t need to go so groundwater extraction, which is perhaps how much water each is capable of pro- cut down on water usage by becoming more babudom of office. All but my son, that guilty pleasures and less fun when you many days early, my wife pretended why the rate of groundwater depletion in viding, highlighting the gap between the conscious about it.” is, who refused to join in the clan can do them legitimately, on your own she’d mixed up her dates, and what the country has increased by 23 per cent demand for water and its actual availabil- As the meeting ended, I realised that protest because, as he said plaintively, time. So I brooded a bit, nagged the with non-cancellable flights and cab between 2000 and 2010. Many people react ity. Then the group collectively estimated collectively making their own water budg- “I don’t have any more leave left, Dad, cook, told off the maali, poured myself bookings, it was all fait accompli, so to such news with a shrug — after all, iso- groundwater depletion in their village by et had perhaps brought home the urgency not even a half-day, or a few hours, so a couple of G&Ts, pottered around the she’d try and make the most of it even lated individual efforts would be little more comparing the depth of new and old wells of the water crisis that’s looming over us if it’s all right, I’ll go attend office. study, OD’d on caffeine, smooched though she hated leaving us alone. It than drops in the ocean. But a recent expe- and tube wells. Using the example of a all today. Back in Delhi where my neigh- Besides,” he pointed out, “some of us around for unhealthy things to eat and sounded like a well-executed getaway, rience of a Jal Chaupal, water budgeting bank account which would run out of bours were having their driveway hosed still need to bring a salary home.” He was bored by the third day. leading me to think my daughter and meeting, in Mahuee, a village in UP’s Banda money if there are more withdrawals than down with as much fresh water as Munni is, at heart, an office-bee, but please Which is when I pestered my I should have planned our absences district, made me realise that every drop deposits, the two facilitators ended the Devi uses in a day, it struck me that per- don’t tell him this because he is sensi- daughter to skip office on the spur- better. Meanwhile, there’s still the counts after all. meeting by driving home the importance haps what we need is Jal Chaupals in our tive about such matters. The one day of-the-moment, which she did with a matter of my daughter-in-law to clear As the monsoon clouds rumbled omi- of recharging groundwater aquifers to water-greedy cities too — not just in vil- he decided he wanted to be as impul- text to her supervisor. But being the up — if she’s AWOL, why isn’t she as nously overhead, a group of 50-odd people ensure continued availability of water. lages like Mahuee. sive as the rest of us, he declared he conscientious type, she’s been miserable as us? OPINION 9 > STAY INFORMED THROUGH THE DAY @ WWW.BUSINESS-STANDARD.COM

Volume VII Number 1 MUMBAI | 3 AUGUST 2019 3 defectors, 6 murders, WEEKEND RUMINATIONS T N NINAN election on the BJP ticket. As an 3 rapes, 1 party accused in the demolition case, he Security…for citizens seemed to have ideological purity. His ideological commitment, however, couldn’t he “suicide note” purportedly sent out by V G Siddhartha mentions aggra- The stories of Kuldeep Singh Sengar, Sanjay Sinh and Sakshi survive the BJP’s denial of the ticket to him. He vations that have earned him much posthumous sympathy. Among the joined the SP, where wel- aggravations, almost inevitably, is harassment by tax officials. In response, Maharaj and what they tell us about our politics, policing, comed him gleefully. Sakshi Maharaj said the BJP’s the income-tax department has put out a detailed note, with the assertion policies were now anti-poor. But you know why T justice system, and the BJP he was denied the ticket despite his winnability? that the late “coffee king” had confessed to an unreported income of about ~350 crore. He had been accused of murdering Brahm Dutt However, someone presumably informed on the subject has contended that tax offi- wo-and-a-half champion serial defectors chronology for fear of being fact-checked. He was Dwivedi, a close associate of then prime minister cials acted prematurely in seizing shares held by Siddhartha. The full facts will emerge have been in our political headlines lately. linked to a famous murder, although discharged. . in due course. It is possible that this case, like many others, will testify to the Jekyll- T The first, and the most familiar, is Kuldeep It was the “supari” killing in of then In 2000, Mulayam sent him to the . and-Hyde worlds in which many of our businessmen (feel they have to) function. Singh Sengar of rape-murder infamy. national badminton champion Syed Modi (July In the course of time, the murder case “faded”. The charge of tax harassment has struck a responsive chord in the business com- The second is former ‘Raja’, ex-MP and 28, 1988). He was a prime suspect, but was let off Not to miss out, he got involved in some more ex-minister Sanjay Sinh, who has just jumped the for want of evidence as both Police “action” soon enough, accused, along with his two munity and the broader public. The finance minister is well aware of the issue. In her Congress party’s sinking ship. and the CBI failed to find much against him. So, nephews, of the gang-rape of a college principal. Budget speech, she used picturesque imagery from classical Sangam literature to say And the third is Sakshi Maharaj, the BJP’s innocent until proven guilty, we all must accept. The holy man spent about a month in , that if the elephant enters the paddy field it will trample far more paddy than it can recently elected Unnao MP. We count him as half Just that it was another of those heartland mur- but was discharged for want of evidence, as he was eat. It is also worth recalling what an earlier finance minister, Jaswant Singh, said in because he hasn’t done anything particularly polit- ders where the hired guns were convicted but in the Dwivedi murder. Disappearance of evidence his Budget speech 16 years ago: “Let us, to start with, readily acknowledge that the ical or criminal lately. He only earned what we nobody found out who hired them. Bhagwati for murder and rape, a familiar UP story, you see. essential entrepreneurial character and the creative genius of our citizens is our great- might call a mention in despatches, or collateral Singh, one of the two hired guns, was convicted. Just that you have to ensure you are on the win- infamy, for having called on Sengar in jail to thank The other, Amar Bahadur, was murdered during ning side. Always. est asset.” Later in the speech, he talked of moving “away from a suspicion-ridden, him for supporting him in the Lok Sabha election the trial. Sounds familiar? By 2002, he knew the wasn’t harassment-generating, coercion-inclined regime to a trust-based, ‘green channel’ in his domain. After the murder, Sanjay Sinh married Syed getting anywhere, so he left it, accusing Mulayam system. I do this entirely on the basis of my faith in my countrymen and women.” All three are serial defectors. There are about Modi’s wife, then Ameeta Modi (nee Kulkarni). of a host of awful things, ranging from casteism, Mr Singh stood tall at the time for emphasising that taxpayers must be treated six (at last count) fully or partly unresolved murder Around the time the CBI was handling this murder to dictatorship, to, and you might like it, capital- with respect. So it is worth recalling what he committed to: “First, hereafter, stocks cases they are, or have been, linked to. And, at case, much in the headlines then, V P Singh — ism. He now informally joined then BJP rebel found during the course of a search and seizure operation will not be seized under least three rapes which remain unresolved, just Sanjay Sinh’s distant uncle through his first wife ’s local Rashtriya Kranti Party, essen- like the murders. Garima’s family — had rebelled against the tially a Lodh party. any circumstances. Second, no confession shall be obtained during such search and Further, all three remain Congress and became prime The Sakshi saga continues. In 2009, the gov- seizure operations. Third, no survey operation will be authorized by an officer below in persistent demand. They minister. Time for Sanjay ernment charged him with setting up a fictitious the rank of Joint Commissioner of Income Tax. Finally, books of account impounded own the votes of their caste Sinh to move from the NGO and collecting ~25 lakh illegally. Sujata during survey will not be retained beyond ten days, without the prior approval of the and pocket boroughs, they Congress to the “uncle” too. Verma, his follower and a former principal of the Chief Commissioner.” know their ways around the A decade later, he joined college he owned (Maharani Avanti Bai College), Businessmen who have been subjected to tax surveys or search and seizure oper- law, and they have that one the BJP, won Amethi on its was named an accomplice. In 2012, he rejoined attribute all political parties ticket, defeating Capt Satish the BJP. Soon enough, she was shot dead while ations will be able to confirm whether these promises have been kept. Meanwhile, on weigh above everything else: Sharma in 1998, but that returning from his ashram. Sakshi and his associ- the positive side, the use of digital technology has made tax dealings simpler and Competence, honesty and of Parliament was short-lived as ates were accused of murder. safer for the average taxpayer. Most importantly, it has helped to obviate the need for course morality. It is the bless- the Vajpayee government lost He promptly went underground, and then sur- direct personal contact between the taxpayer and assessing officials, removing much ing of winnability. by one vote in the Lok Sabha. rendered and was freed on bail. His efforts to get of the harassment and (mostly) petty bribery that had been rampant. In addition, It just so happens that all NATIONAL INTEREST In the 1999 election he the FIR quashed in the in immediately after the new Modi government took office, more than two dozen senior three have ended up in the contested against Sonia 2013 failed. The next year, he was sworn in as a BJP. Until 48 hours ago, when SHEKHAR GUPTA Gandhi, his friend and men- Lok Sabha member of the BJP. His “honour” was tax officials were sent packing — reportedly because of corruption charges. One pre- Sengar was finally expelled. tor Rajiv Gandhi’s wife, in restored. And with such an illustrious career, we sumes that sent a powerful message down the line. We are so fixated on his life as an alleged crim- Amethi on the BJP ticket. This is when Sonia had are now complaining that he went to Sitapur jail But if power tends to corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely (as Lord inal and a don, or ‘Bahubali’, as they are called in chosen a second constituency in the south, Bellary, to thank Sengar? Acton famously said), it is notable that there is a fairly consistent pattern to recent tax the heartland, that we risk overlooking his just to be safe. I spent a bit of time in Amethi then, What’s common between these three diverse and other raids: They have tended to focus on those opposed to or critical of the gov- equally varied and colourful public life. In 2002, followed Sinh’s campaign, and his slogan was so lives, and what does it tell us about Indian politics? ernment. Meanwhile, the government has been busy getting parliamentary approval the local ‘daddu’ became an honourable MLA for catchy that it still rings in my ears: Sanjay Sinh ke First, that winnability is now the only morality the first time, winning Unnao on the BSP ticket. dar ki maari, Sonia bhaag gayi Bellary (Sonia is so that parties seek. Criminality, multiple rapes, and for legislation that arms officials in multiple departments with extra powers to pros- Next, he defected to the Samajwadi Party (SP), terrified of Sanjay Sinh that she fled to Bellary). murders do not matter. After all, why would you ecute, arrest, sequester, brand as terrorists, and so on — with fewer safeguards, and and won from the neighbouring Bangermau and Of course, Sonia won both. take the stress of politics if you didn’t need some with greater concentration of power in the hands of the central government, at the Bhagwant Nagar constituencies in 2007 and 2012, As the “hawa” shifted, he returned to the such distractions to resolve. expense of states. respectively. This is when it had become fashion- Congress in 2003. In 2009, he was elected on the The formula then, at least in the heartland, is Now, it is possible to make the case for prison terms for traffic offences like speed- able, and widely accepted that the SP was patro- Congress ticket from Sultanpur, next to Rae to build a local vote bank. It can be based on caste, ing. Other countries too provide for it, limiting extreme penalties to extreme cases. nising criminal mafias, especially those of the Bareli and Amethi. As his term ended, anticipat- mafia power, and, ideally, a combination of both. Yadavs and Rajputs in Uttar Pradesh. In 2017, sens- ing a rout in Uttar Pradesh, he managed a Rajya Then you either become winnable personally, or And the home minister has assured that the government’s many new powers will not ing the wind, he moved to the BJP and became Sabha nomination from Assam from the hold the key to others’ victory or defeat. be misused. But can even the most powerful and best-intentioned minister guarantee an MLA. Congress. That term ends now, the Gandhi fam- Then, all parties would vie for you. You can that in a country where everyone knows that the abuse of power is routine? Wouldn’t It was the same year, in fact just about three ily is finished now, so he has found new “uncles” happily choose the winning side, always, and take it make more sense, then, to opt for a lighter touch, and the Jaswant Singh approach? months after his election as BJP MLA, that the in the BJP yet again. anything, murders, rape, robbery, rioting, cheat- Particularly after the scandalous sequence of events at Unnao, what people have unfortunate teenager came to her MLA seeking ow, the half. Better or worse, you decide. ing, embezzlement in your stride. Until a feisty been made conscious of is the need for statutory protections that ordinary citizens can help for a job and complained that he “raped her” NSakshi Maharaj, born Sachchidanand Hari teenager, struggling for breath through a ventila- instead, and, after doing so, “wiped my tears and Sakshi, has been a shining star of his backward tor, her father and most of her family murdered, be assured of without having to appeal 25 times to the police, and institutional safeguards offered to help me find a job”. Lodh community (Kalyan Singh, former BJP chief ruin it all for you. that buttress them, even as they fret about the danger of disproportionate penalties. anjay Sinh has changed so many parties that I minister, iz from the same caste, and Sakshi Scan’t even feel confident giving you a definitive Maharaj’s patron). In 1991 and 1996, he won the By special arrangement with ThePrint

the places mentioned actually have the Euclid. It has both length and breadth. stated coordinates. These do seem to be The distance between 79.06E and 79.90E Getting your facts right approximately correct according to GPS, (the Western-most and the Eastern-most The social trigger which was probably used by the creator places mentioned) is around 100-105 Km garbage to create misleading narratives. of the forward. along a 2,383 kms stretch, North to their candidate — Mr Trump. What is amazing is that well-educated Now, we could check the rest of the South. So the forward is referring to a EYE CULTURE When Brexit vote happened, a British people often swallow nonsense without content for veracity. We use map grids, rhombus, 2,383 km long and 100-odd journalist, Carole Cadwalladr, went to her any application of thought or judgement. of latitude and longitude, to define the km in width. That’s about 2.4 lakh square ADRIJA SHUKLA home town, Ebbw Vale, where 62 per cent This is especially true when there is some coordinates of any place. According to km. Given any arbitrary area of that size, hen was the last time you saw people had voted to leave the European religious element to the narrative. the forward, longitude and latitude — one can undertake to find places of wor- a post on a social media plat- Union. During her TEDtalk, she said, the My school WhatsApp group contains imaginary lines — were invented by “a ship, police stations, houses of ill repute, W form and it triggered emotions? town’s infrastructure was built with the a bunch of very smart people, (present British scientist, about 100 years ago”. liquor vends and petrol pumps in any Happiness, sadness, pride, fear or anger? European Union money but the people company excepted). We recently This is rubbish. Gridded maps have desired orientation whatsoever. If you observe carefully, it happens quite said they were fed-up of the EU. They said received a forward alluding to the “fact” been in use for at least 2,300 years. Greek So how does the fact-checker deal a lot. To an extent that we tend to simply they have had enough of the immigrants. that many Indian places of worship, dat- sailors used them. Eratosthenes— the with that forward? Can it be dismissed ignore it, thinking it is normal. While the town had one of the lowest VIEWPOINT ing back many centuries, had been built first chap known to have made an accu- it as absolute garbage? It is not. There Social media and tech firms revolu- numbers of immigrants in the UK, many in a “straight line” running 2,383 km, rate guess about the Earth’s dimensions are glaring errors of fact such as the his- tionised the way people communicate. people said crimes by immigrant were on DEVANGSHU DATTA North to South. — proposed gridded maps, more than torical provenance of latitude and lon- But with the passage of time, these firms the rise, and they quoted Facebook’s Much was made of the fact that these 300 years Before the Common Era (300 gitude, for example. But the places men- transformed into giants and their plat- scary posts as their source. he fact checking website, aforementioned places of worship pre- BCE). It is safe to assume that the tioned have the right coordinates. forms became capable of doing some- What happened here is not just about Altnews, recently launched a dated “the creation of imaginary lines on Mauryans, who had extensive contacts The really misleading information is thing, perhaps, no one ever thought of — two elections or a firm. It’s about using T mobile app. This can be used on Earth by the British scientist about 100 with the Greeks, also used gridded maps. that they are not a straight line by any hacking human emotions. How? The people’s data to exploit their vulnerabil- an android device to request a fact-check years ago”. Somehow the builders had Since the places of worship men- definition of the term. It probably took biggest hack in the history of social media ities. In the age of information overload, of any given content, be it a verbose known how to put these all in a straight tioned are of more recent provenance the creator of that forward about 15 min- gives a glimpse. not everyone takes time to verify the WhatsApp forward, or a digital image. line before GPS was invented. The edi- than 300 BCE, it is highly possible the utes to put it together. It would take a “How did the dream of a connected information they have been served on All that’s required is “long-press” and fices in question are all placed between architects did know how to put things fact-checker several hours to check all world tear us apart?” their screens. Every time a person sees Share. The website will revert within 72 Longitude 79.06 East and 79.91 East in a straight line, by using gridded maps, the details and even then, in the interest Netflix recently released a documen- a hateful post, presented as fact, it hours with verification. according to the forward. Several people sextants, and their knowledge of of “balance”, he would have to say it was tary, The Great Hack, sets out to seek an changes the way they she/he sees the The time frame may seem long. But on my school group went “Ooh! Aah! The trigonometry. misleading rather than absolutely false. answer to one of the most difficult ques- world a little. This play on hate, anger quite apart from sheer volume, fact- glorious Wisdom of the Ancients!” Now let’s come to misleading con- AltNews deals with more sophisticat- tions, staring at the face of democracy and fear is costing us more than the time checking any given item often requires Assume for arguments’ sake that this tent. A cursory look at a map tells you ed and pernicious versions of such rub- and human society in the age of infor- we spend on these platforms. But the tedious “digital legwork”. Social media forward is fact-checked for rigour. The that the straight “line” in question is not bish, day in and day out. Kudos to them mation technology: Right-wing parties question is: Will this change anytime content mixes fact, fiction, opinion and basic hygiene start with checking that a line as defined by that wise ancient, for maintaining their sanity and rigour. are coming to power, across the world, soon? Well, it is unlikely. and people are more polarised now than The reason lies in the money trail. ever. Do social media and tech giants Facebook earned $16.6 billion in the sec- tribution on the backseat and brings have any role to play in it? ond quarter (Q2) of 2019, which is 28 per growth upfront. The documentary, directed by Karim cent more than the amount it earned in Who will be BJP’s Mahalanobis? It is here that Mr Modi must play his Amer and Jahane Noujaim, investigates the same period last year. For Google, role. He needs to put aside his first-term the Cambridge Analytica (CA) scandal, the advertising revenues were $32.6 bil- plete question would be: Who will be Mr What to do next and whatever it was that approach to policy, which was to consoli- along with the people involved in it. The lion in Q2. Modi’s Mahalanobis? was to be done, where to get the money date things. Now the time has come for firm was accused of manipulating voter Coming to the Indian context, during P C Mahalanobis was the econometri- for it? him to follow Nehru’s example and look behaviour in 2016 US presidential elec- the 2019 elections, political parties spent cian-economist who guided Jawaharlal Nehru turned to Mahalanobis for the for growth. For that he needs wisdom out- tions and the Brexit vote, among others. over ~53 crore in advertising on digital Nehru’s economic thinking. It was he who first question and for the second, to T T side the circle he is familiar with. In March 2018, a whistle-blower, platforms (between February and May developed the economic model for the Krishnamachari (TTK) — a businessman He needs new ideas, which can come Christopher Wiley (a former CA research 2019). According to the Facebook Ad Second Five-Year plan, which, growth- — whom he appointed finance minister. only from people who have brains and are director) came out with shocking revela- Library, the top three spenders between wise, was a great success. Mahalanobis prepared the blueprint for capable of rationally structured thought. tions about how the information of nearly February and July 2019 were the And thereby hangs a tale. It is worth growth and TTK raised the money for it. He must set aside his suspicion of such 87 million US Facebook users was sold to or the BJP (~4.32 recounting because it is so very apposite The Second Plan was born. It delivered thinkers and find someone to help him the firm. But Facebook called it an infor- crore), the or for India’s economic vexations today. good growth. out of the hole the UPA landed India mation leak. the INC (~1.81 crore) and a page called LINE AND LENGTH In the four years after Nehru won the between 2004 and 2014. When David Caroll, a professor of My First Vote to Modi (~1.18 crore). first general election so overwhelmingly, Modi’s muse This hole consisted, in part, of a mas- media design, got to know about the According to Google’s Transparency T C A SRINIVASA RAGHAVAN there had been very little visible economic Who will do all this for NDA II? While sive loosening of the rules of economic hack, he demanded the British firm to Report, the top three spenders since progress. Primarily, not enough jobs had Nirmala Sitharaman is the perfect fit for governance, which Ms Sitharaman can be share the data it had on him. “As I dug February 2019 were the BJP (~12.3 crore), few days ago, Puja Mehra, an been generated. the TTK-type revenue-raising role, you trusted to tighten. But it is Mr Modi him- deeper, I found that these traces of our- Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (~4.10 accomplished economic journal- Also, the inflation rate was climbing. can’t expect her to do a Mahalanobis as self who must look around for a proper selves are being mined into a trillion dol- crore) and the INC (~3.04 crore). A ist, wrote an article asking who, Forex was running out. The savings rate well. She is completely honest and totally eminence grise for NDA II. lar a year industry. We are now the com- Cambridge Analytica has shut down but if anyone, was Narendra Modi’s A N was a mere 5 per cent. The Budgets had single-minded in doing whatever is Nehru turned to Mahalanobis against modity,” said Mr Caroll. “The question I if you look at Facebook’s Ad Library, you Varma or Montek Ahluwalia or Bimal no headroom because revenues were stag- required of her. She will be effective and the run of play those days. The state had kept asking myself was, who was feeding will know that it’s not needed anymore. Jalan or Y V Reddy or Vijay Kelkar, nant. The private sector had thrown in its unpopular, which is just what you need only a peripheral, regulatory role in eco- us fears? And how?” Facebook provides the advertiser with a bureaucrats who had helped former hand, saying “we don’t have the money of a good finance minister. nomic activity. Today the opposite situa- Project Alamo, which was collecting targeted reach to its audience. The ad prime ministers. Even Indira Gandhi, to invest”. The banks were refusing to lend But it would be idiotic to blame her — tion prevails. digital voter database for Donald Trump’s won’t be visible to anyone else. who, like Mr Modi, was wary of intellect, except to a few. or any finance minister — for not being What Mr Modi needs, therefore, is an campaign was spending $1 million a day More money is being spent on trig- turned to P N Haksar, who gave economic Politically, Nehru reigned supreme able to produce investment because equivalent of the Avadi resolution but on Facebook ads. CA was working on it, gering emotions. But how do we know shape to her political imperatives. after defeating his critics in the party. But investment depends on far too many which is the opposite in content, saying too. To send people personalised mes- that the post we just saw, or the ad we What Ms Mehra meant to ask was members were quietly starting to grum- things for a mere finance minister to han- that the state will step aside because it can sages, the firm had 5,000 data points on were exposed to, has an agenda? Here, from where Mr Modi gets his economic ble. As with Mr Modi, everyone was get- dle. Indeed, it depends primarily on the no longer deliver. And just as Nehru made every American (who had a Facebook awareness is the key. Observe yourself advice. This question has been puzzling ting very impatient. prime minister. the state the leading force, Mr Modi must account). Of course, these people had no the next time you feel any emotion of observers of the Indian economy for the It was in that overall context that the Always, for investment to restart, a make the private sector the leading information that their data was being fear and anger after seeing a social media last five years. No satisfactory answer Congress passed the all-important reso- new economic view and a completely agency for growth. used for political advertising. The firm, post. Of course, there are exceptions. But has emerged. lution at Avadi in 1955. It said the govern- fresh perspective is needed. Two periods This will truly reverse Nehru’s lega- through the bombardment of person- if some posts are repeatedly forcing you That said, the question, though nec- ment would lead the way in the economy. — 1958-65 and 1992-96 — bear testimony cy, a project that is very dear to Mr alised advertisements, persuaded people to think a certain way, they might be per- essary, is not sufficient. The more com- But the deeper problem remained: to that. Basically, such a view puts dis- Modi’s heart. (the identified persuadables) to vote for sonalised for you.