WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU daily Excelsior Dance for the rain ! Established 1965 Dynastic politics grips country Rohit Kapoor Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra Harihar Swarup Half of dozen from Karnata- daughter of former Union Min- inal party, either move to anoth- ka belong to one dynasty or the ister, Santosh Mohan Dev are in er party, float their own party or he way progeny of politi- eal life story, as narrated by an eminent tax lawyer other. The oldest is H D the fray. contest as independents. (Nani A Palkhivala) in one of his annual budget cians have been mush- Next are proxies such as Kumaraswamy, son of former The dynasties are no longer speeches (used to be delivered almost as a ritual) Trooming in every nook Prime Minister, H D Deve Gow- confined to the Gandhi family wives of criminals who replace R DB castigates Health Deptt and corner of the country, it reads, - In several parts of Africa when the rains do not da. A key political figure in the or Abdullahs in Kashmir, the their husbands if they are ren- would be better if Indian democ- dered ineligible to contest or come, the tribal chief conducts a ritual dance watched by lackness or indolence is too soft a phraseol- state, he was once Chief Minis- Chautalas in Haryana, the Pat- racy is henceforth called ter. He is often accused of pro- naiks in Odisha, Karunanidhi in wives of dacoits, underworld the anxious members of the tribe. The dance does not ogy to castigate the functioning of the State "dynastic democracy". Dynastic viding a platform to the BJP. Tamil Nadu and Mulayam Singh dons, politicians gone under- bring rains, but it consoles and satisfies the people who Health Department when we take into con- politics has been around for long There is a sibling rivalry too. in Uttar Pradesh. They ground to evade arrest. Also feel that their chief is doing something to alleviate their S and it rules parties across board. sideration the displeasure and dismay of the Geeta Shivarajkumar versus have been mushrooming every there are the overnight politi- misery. Election promises are made to serve the same pur- Uttar Pradesh may be described Kumar Bangarappa, daughter of where. cians like wives, sons, relatives Division Bench of J&K High Court which has been as the capital of dynastic politics pose as the tribal chief's rain dance. And hence reflect- former CM S. Bangarappa, Gee- It is no longer a secret that of powerful politicians or ing in a broader perspective or with deeper vision, the hearing the case of regularization of various cate- with over 26 juniors, cutting ta is to take on BJP's B S Yed- that 29 per cent of actors, sportsmen, public fig- party lines, already in fray. Con- tribal ritual ought not to be brushed aside as a poor com- gories of officers in the Department. This is not the dyurappa on JD(S) ticket from comprises members from polit- ures, who jump in the fray at the gress has 10, SP 7, BSP 6 and Shimoga. But brother Kumar ical families. In the process the last minute to try luck. None of parison or analogy. first instance of a State Department showing BJP 4. may play spoil sport by contest- performance is sacrificed at the them have serious commitment Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was a relentless champion of brazen indifference to the order of the court. The oldest, Rita Bahuguna ing against her. alter of personal growth and cre- to serve the electorate and are human rights and staunch believer in democracy, he said: Earlier also in these columns we have described Joshi of the Congress, is the In Tamil Nadu, not just sons, ates a new ruling class which solely motivated by their per- "Democracy is not a form of government, but a form of daughter of former Chief Min- the state has seen the rise of values connections more than sonal gains. social organization." In "Prospects of Democracy in how overtly State Departments subvert the court ister, H N Bahuguna and she will Union Minister Kamal " he analyzed Indian Democracy and said a democ- orders obviously with the purpose of shielding contest from Lucknow in the Nath's son Nakul, who had man- coming Lok Sabha elections. Eldest daughter of RJD chief, Lalu Prasad racy is more than a form of government. It is primarily a some of the blue-eyed boys. aged his father's campaigns in mode of associated living. The roots of democracy are to Others from UP include Varun Yadav and former Chief Minister, Rabri the past, is another name that is On January 1, 2013, the High Court ordered the Gandhi, son of Late Sanjay doing the rounds. A section of be searched in the social relationship, in the terms of asso- Gandhi and Maneka, Dimple Department of Health to regularize around 50 top Devi, is another progeny of dynasty. Till the party, however, feels that he ciated life between the people who form a society. He Yadav, daughter-in-law of officials of the department including Directors. may let it go this time and believed that in democracy revolutionary changes in the Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jiten recently a home-maker, she successfully instead choose the next elec- economic and social life of the people are brought about Actually there are 3 posts of Directors, 8 posts of Prasada, son of the late Con- tions to make a splash. Deputy Directors and 48 posts of Chief Medical gress leader, Jitendra Prasada. took on rebel Ram Kripal Yadav, portray- without bloodshed. The conditions for that are (i) there In a state where dynastic should not be glaring inequalities in society, that is, priv- Officers (CMOs) which were required to be regu- The figure in is less, ing him as a man propelled by personal politics dates back to the time ilege for one class, (ii) the existence of an opposition, (iii) larized in the light of the order of the court. Fifteen around half-a-dozen. But they are big names, and sometime, ambition. Her aim, if elected to the Lok when Ravishanker Shukla was equality in law and administration, (iv) observance of months have gone by and no initiative has been catalysts for change. Chirag the Chief Minister, who cleared constitutional morality, (v) no tyranny of the majority, taken by the Department of Health towards the Paswan, Son of LJP chief, Ram Sabha, would be to bring more women in the ground for his sons - Shya- (vi) moral order of society, and (vii) public conscience. Vilas Paswan, turned to politics ma Charan and Vidya Charan - implementation of this order. Obviously there are politics as their representation is very low. to make it big in politics. Both However, Electoral democracy in India has been after his films failed. He is artic- reduced to merely a process for occupying political pow- some with vested interest who are scuttling the ulate, suave and a fast learner of the brothers made mark in the She is contesting from Patliputra. Also, er and high positions, sorry to say, with hardly any effort implementation of court order. When this was political intricacies. He was state and central politics. They are no more. If the Congress for public good. Do the elected ones truly represent the brought to the notice of the Court, naturally it felt instrumental in pushing the par- , son of former MP, Jai ty for a tie-up with the BJP. He marches ahead, how can the BJP aspirations of citizens of this country? Opposition A or embarrassed and disappointed on the functioning will contest from Jamui con- Narayan Nishad, is in the fray. left behind? BJP Madhya B has been reduced to a group in waiting for assuming of the administration. stituency for the Lok Sabha. Pradesh Minister Kailash power in next elections. Society remains divided on caste, Eldest daughter of RJD Vijayavargiya surprised every- color, religion etc. Economic disparities continue to It is a matter of great concern that the some sons-in-law too, though the total individual ability. Instead of chief, and one when he asserted that the increase. Morality or conscience by and large has become departments of the State administration are delib- number is four so far. In the third giving new leaders with fresh time has come for his son, Akash former Chief Minister, Rabri articles of exhibition. Order in society is still a hope. Safe- erately trivializing the court order. Unfortunately, Devi, is another progeny of generation, Congress's Mohan blood, the Indian political sys- to follow his footsteps. The min- ty of its territory remains vulnerable. Economy remains despite repeated warnings to the Government to dynasty. Till recently a home- Kumaramangalam, whose tem is in danger of becoming ister attributes his desire to pass father R. Kumaramanglam and dynasty oriented -not a welcome freaky. Education and health is becoming more and more uphold the sanctity and authority of the judiciary, maker, she successfully took on on the baton to his 28-year-old rebel Ram Kripal Yadav, por- grandfather M. Kumaraman- sign for a country standing at son after learning how popular for rich and powerful. Natural resources underutilized instances of disregard for the court order are traying him as a man propelled galam were union ministers. He crossroads of change. he was. and misutilized. You know it all. Suffice it to say, India being repeated. It does not augur well for the by personal ambition. Her aim, is contesting from family turf - In India, elections are full of There are others in the BJP has not progressed well. if elected to the Lok Sabha, Salem. The big ticket goes to last minute entrants. First there like Indore MP, Sumitra Maha- health of the State. The court has very clearly are turncoats who switch sides Once gain this time 'Dream Merchants' are there with would be to bring more women Karti Chidambaram, son of jan, who had made a ticket for pointed out rank inefficiency in various segments Finance Minister, P. Chi- right before elections owing to the same items in fetching wraps to woo us. What option in politics as their representa- his son an issue before the last do I have except to believe and again hope: of the State administration including the Public dambaram. Karti is contesting political differences, disillu- elections. This time she is tion is very low. She is contest- sionment, or simply by realiza- from Sivaganga. expected to push her case further " Naye waadon ka jo daala hai wo jaal achha hai Service Commission. For example when the coun- ing from Patliputra. Also, Ajay tion of being on a weaker side. Nishad, son of former MP, Jai In , Gaurav Gogai, in a strong manner and is unlike- Rehnumao ne kaha hai ke ye saal achha hai sel claimed that the Health Department had son of Chief Minister, Tarun Then there are rebels, who on Dil ke khush rakhne ko ghalib ye khayal achha hai". Narayan Nishad, is in the fray. being denied ticket by their orig- ly to yield to anything less than already passed on to the PSC some recommen- Gogai and , a ticket. (IPA) (The author is an advocate) dations and suggestions in the matter, the court asked the PSC why it had not acted on those sug- gestions without loss of time and had let the mat- Corruption Vs Secularism ter drag on indefinitely? The court has also subtly indicated that the delay and procrastination in implementing its order of 01-01-2013 tell us that the Government has no intention of disturbing the Good governance any one? sitting Director of Health Services. How come the Government is trying to protect the interests of Dhurjati Mukherjee underprivileged children under in poverty and squalor. This would ensure that the subsidies Samajwadi Party in Uttar of corruption in mega illegal one of its functionaries at the cost of the interests the age of 14, right to employ- effort to provide adequate food reach the intended beneficiaries Pradesh. mining. he run-up to the General ment and last but not the least and nutrition to all Indians in time and at their doorsteps. Corruption has become a The future programme of Elections has unfortu- of so many of his subordinates or colleagues? ensuing food security. would go down in history as a Independent analysts estimate key issue for the BJP to flog at Modi, who as per opinion polls nately got mired into Health Department is not a private fief where a T At the same time, there can unique venture. However, the that this could lead to sample of this point of time since it results now may just head the next both the Congress and the BJP be no denying that lack of good recent finding that of the Inde- over one per cent of GDP. in daily hardships for the aam Government, is not very much boss enjoys monopoly of powers and can do or targeting each other on corrup- governance has brought the pendent Evaluation Office that However, it also has to be aadmi, whether it concerns clear. He has been a strong undo whatever is his will. tion without realizing that this country to the present state of the Government spends Rs 3.65 admitted that during the last 10- price rise, favouritism in advocate of industrialization has hardly been making any There are concerted efforts by vested interest affairs where people from all to deliver Re 1 of food while 57 year rule of the UPA, business employment generation, rising impact on the people. They are and raising per capita income for undermining the status and powers of the High walks of life are aggrieved for per cent of subsidized food- houses have formed a nexus electricity charges, dealing with and Gujarat has done very well not only saturated but believe its inefficiency. But one also has grains do not reach the benefi- with politicians and the bureau- Court. A person aggrieved by the administration that both the parties are on the police and bureaucracy and so in this regard. But it is also a fact to appreciate the good work car- ciaries, this has definitely gone cracy to generate black on. But whether the new gov- that he has strong links with a for not meting out justice to him, is forced to knock same plank. The only difference ried out by the present dispen- the big two seek out is on the ernment would be able to tack- couple of corporate houses who at the door of the High Court. And if the orders of sation during its five-year rule. le these problems remains a big have expanded their business in issue of 'secularism'. BJP's The talk of change is very much But is that all that matters to the the High Court also are disregarded by the admin- Prime Ministerial candidate question as the change requires not a clean manner. Thus it in the air but realistically speak- common man? The voter is no fool and not only strict monitoring of would not be wise to think that istration, where is the aggrieved person expected avoids discus- ing whichever party or group to go for justice? The Government is providing sion on the subject and says that rules but a change in mindset of he would be a messiah of forms the government, it would is well versed with where the issue is those at the helm of affairs. change. grist to the machinery that will defame it and cre- development has to be inclu- be extremely difficult to alter sive. On the other hand, leading heading-sheer vote bank politics. Moreover, the nexus between The transformation that is ate a vast majority of sympathizers with the victim- the system where corruption politicians, bureaucracy and needed at this juncture has to be the Congress campaign, its and inefficiency are firmly ized people. This is contrary to the objective of a Vice-President Rahul Gandhi However, before pressing the button corporate houses has to be bro- balanced one with emphasis on entrenched. ken, which all major political rural development and modern- democratic and welfare state. The state's duty is to underlines that secularism is the According to available sta- on the EVM, the voter would obviously parties presently enjoy. ization of agriculture. Just going country's ethos and all sections tistics, every fourth rural house- unite people and provide justice to them. But by While the BJP-led NDA, in for large projects by ignoring of society have to be brought to hold benefits from the Mahatma keep in mind, whether his lot has its earlier tenure, may have agriculture, agro-based indus- undermining the authority of the court, the the mainstream of real develop- Gandhi NREGA programme improved in this past decade. Though accomplished building roads tries, specially food processing, Government is trying to impose its will arbitrarily ment. initiated by the Government. and highways and developing small and micro industries But is that all that matters to One may mention here that there has been much criticism of the on the people. We hope that good sense prevails the common man? The voter is infrastructure in record time, would be the wrong approach. upon the administrative echelons in our State so well- known academicians, V. no fool and is well versed with M. Dandekar and N. K. Rath, Congress-led UPA Government, the Congress-led UPA govern- Only then can the problems of that the issue is handled carefully. where the issue is heading- recommended a works pro- because of large scale corruption and ment has not been all that suc- food inflation, unemployment sheer vote bank politics. How- gramme to generate employ- cessful. But the rights-based and underemployment and Credible institutions ever, before pressing the button ment since unemployment and number of scams being unearthed due approach and welfare measures rural-urban migration be tack- on the EVM, the voter would underemployment widely pre- have been positive aspects of its led effectively. n recent past, some of the main pillars of dem- obviously keep in mind, vailed in rural areas. The focus to judicial activism, one cannot deny rule. However, the systemic Just raising per capita ocratic institutions in the country like the CAG, whether his lot has improved in needed to be changed on a com- transformation - so much essen- income and, turn, GDP growth this past decade. Though there there has been positive work. CVC, EC and others came under strain to dis- prehensive and sustainable pro- tial at this juncture - has not is an erroneous concept and I has been much criticism of the gramme on agricultural and been attempted because of vest- cannot lead to true development charge their duty to the Government and the Congress-led UPA Govern- rural development and the against the Government's func- money/incomes. The triad has ed interests coming in the way. which is inclusive and sustain- nation with integrity and honesty. The affairs they ment, because of large scale process has already started. It is tioning. Better delivery of pub- cast a nasty picture of politics Not just the Congress but the able. The perspective of the new had to deal with passed through crucial twists and corruption and number of scams heartening to note that this pro- lic services could have been and politicians. The whole mainstream political parties Government has to be geared being unearthed due to judicial lack the will and sincerity to towards upliftment of the mass- turns and even slightest indiscretion would have gramme has been increased to ensured had the Government blame cannot be put entirely on activism, one cannot deny there 150 man days per annum. insisted on strict enforcement. the UPA as many of the region- implement governance related es and also proper infrastructure brought them to public scrutiny in not too healthy has been positive work. The The historic National Food The Direct Assessment al parties too, have a similar if issues which, in turn, calls for development - both physical atmosphere. We are happy that they had the right rights-based approach was ini- Security Act has been the first Transfer mechanism through not more of a nexus with corpo- strict monitoring of rules and and social -- to stimulate the tiated by this Government in a direction which they followed and thus steered the of its kind in the world and such Aadhar has been touted as a rate houses. A recent example is regulations. One may mention growth process all over the unique manner - right to infor- an initiative is imperative for a game changer when it is fully that of Subroto Roy and the in this context the mining sec- country. Is this basic perception nation through stormy waters. The President while mation from public authorities, country like India where large operational and more bank Sahara group which has all tor, where both the Congress on the political parties' agenda? speaking at the inaugural function for diamond right to free education to all sections of the population live branches in the rural areas. This along been protected by the and the BJP have been accused ---INFA jubilee celebrations of Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in New Delhi gave these institutions the due importance they have under Plea to Jammu University authorities Employees neglected the constitution. The President rightly recognized Sir, Sir, their role in strengthening democratic process in This is to draw the attention of the Jammu University authorities towards the prob- The Govt employees are the victims of politicians who manip- Darbar Move the country, particularly in an era of challenging lems being faced by a section of society while filling online application forms. The prob- ulate the Govt machinery for their own welfare and survival. First- Sir, circumstances. We have no reason to be skeptical lem was highlighted earlier also, but no action has been taken by the authorities so far. ly, take up the case of 6th Pay Commission arrears. see the way, The students of Jammu University face a number of problems one of which is : the employees were cheated when their arrears was divided into The Darbar Move is an annual feature. This about their functionality because, looking in retro- move not only is a burden on State exchequer but Filling of admission and application forms through online is a cumbersome job five installments where as in case of their own revision and arrears, spect we find that these institutions are raised on the bill was passed with one voice and arrears were paid in one go. also a wastage of time. This practice which was strong basis of impartiality and non-partisan prem- for those candidates who don't have any facility in this regard. started by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh was justified at Candidates residing in far off places of the Jammu province face erratic power Secondly, the agreement between the employees organisations and ise, which is the very spirit of democratic dispen- the Govt appointed Cabinet. Sub-Committee was signed on Sept that time as there was no road connectivity as it supply for hours together daily and as such are not in a position to submit filled forms exists now-a-days. During those days it was impos- 2011, which was later denied by the present Govt on various sation. When we say strong democracy, we obvi- through on line to appear for interview exam etc. sible to look after those masses who remained far grounds to accept the demands which were agreed to and signed ously mean strong democratic institutions that The authorities are fully aware that the winter capital Jammu too faces irregular from the sight of administrative units. Then there by both the committees. power supply. Besides, every village does not have computer network as such send- were harsh climatic conditions. The situation has have been created and are allowed to function as How and who will trust such type of behaviour of the Govt. ing forms through online is out of question. improved much since then. Therefore, it is quite expected. At crucial times, these institutions have Subsequently, on the protest of the employees the Govt imposed Keeping this in view candidates request both the University and other agencies to sagacious that this annual to and fro movement various restrictions. should be stopped. taken the decision and shaped the course of his- have leninent view in this regard and allow the candidates to fill forms etc as per past tory. The initiative they have taken is an assurance Though the employees are powerless they are very important It is suggested that the employees of the two divi- practice and don't credate any hurdle in this regard un-neccessarily. A good number members of society having a constitutional right to vote for the sions should stay at their own places, and instead of to the nation that we are in the safe hands of of candidates also do not know how to operate computer. Hope the concerned author- change of Govts. Let us see which way the wind blows for the moving employees HODs and ministers should democracy and its edifice has been raised on ities will look into the matter and solve the problems being faced by the students at present political set up in the State. move to supervise the functioning of the depart- strong foundation. What we need is improving the present. Yours etc.... ments. Yours etc... Dhian Singh Yours etc... quality of service through transparent governance. Sumit Sharma 88/1-A Chhani Himmat Virinder Dogra Chandan Vihar Muthi, Camp, Jammu Jammu Panjtirthi Jammu