Shock to the System the Stunning Reverses the Congress Suffered in the Assembly Elections Complete the Erosion of Its Political Authority

FRONTLINEAPRIL 6, 2012 WWW.FRONTLINE.IN INDIA’S NATIONAL MAGAZINE RS.25 ESSAY POLITICS TRAVEL BOROBUDUR UNION BUDGET 2012-13 Islamism & democracy 43 Ode to harmony 64 The price of reform 126

Shock to the system The stunning reverses the Congress suffered in the Assembly elections complete the erosion of its political authority. With the BJP not in a position to offer a credible alternative, it is resurgence time for regional forces

VOLUME 29 NUMBER 6 MARCH 24 - APRIL 6, 2012 ISSN 0970-1710 WWW.FRONTLINE.IN

INSTITUTIONS COVER STORY Election shocks COLUMN AIIMS: Bhaskar Ghose: Dubious promotions 32 Assembly Elections 2012 announce a further Elections & beyond 93 weakening of the political authority of the R.K. Raghavan: MEDIA Logic of deviance 98 The arrest of Kazmi 36 Congress, which leads the UPA ruling at the Praful Bidwai: Karnataka: End of an illusion 103 Lawyers vs journalists 39 Centre. 4

THE STATES BOOKS 73 West Bengal: Maoist in the net 41 LETTERS 123

ESSAY UPDATE Islamism and democracy 43 Gorilla genome 60

WORLD AFFAIRS Russia: Putin’s progress 49 Syria: Reforms on track 53 Libya: Slipping into chaos 57 United Kingdom: On a witch-hunt 61 RELATED STORIES TRAVEL Interview: Punjab: Borobudur: Ode to harmony 64 Rajnath Singh 6 Bucking the trend 17 Uttar Pradesh: Interview: INTERVIEW Reverse sweep 8 Sukhbir Badal 18 Satya P. Mohanty: Interview: Whither identity Indian literature to world literature 85 Akhilesh Yadav 10 politics? 21 Uttarakhand: Goa: Verdict REPORTS In a cleft stick 13 for change 25 Misery of urban children 95 Interview: Manipur: HISTORY B.C. Khanduri 15 Clean sweep 28 Jinnah’s defence of a communist 100 ESSAY CONSERVATION The concepts of Islamism On the Cover Penance for Ganga 106 and democracy are Congress president Sonia Gandhi with inherently incompatible son Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi. CRICKET with each other at their PHOTOGRAPH: ATUL YADAV/PTI Rahul Dravid: core. 43 COVER DESIGN: U. UDAYA SHANKAR Purist & gentleman 108 TRAVEL Published by K. BALAJI, Kasturi Buildings, FOCUS: GUJARAT 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600 002 and A ‘vibrant’ approach 112 Borobudur and Printed by P. Ranga Reddy at Kala Jyothi Food, fun and festivities 118 Prambanan, two temple Process Private Limited, Survey No. 185, complexes in Java, are Kondapur, Ranga Reddy District-500 133, UNION BUDGET victims of volcanic fury and Andhra Pradesh on behalf of Kasturi & Sons Ltd., Chennai-600 002. The price reform 126 yet retain their grace. 64 Losing direction 129 EDITOR: R. VIJAYA SANKAR (Editor responsible UNION BUDGET for selection of news under the PRB Act). All RAILWAY BUDGET India’s return to a phase of rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or Red signal 132 higher indirect tax revenues in part without written permission is prohibited. Interview: Vijaya Kanth, will impose disproportionately e-mail: [email protected]

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FRONTLINE 3 Cover Story APRIL 6, 2012 ELECTION SHO Assembly Elections 2012 announce a further weakening of the political authority

of the Congress, which leads the UPA at the Centre. BY VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN

The outcome in Uttar Pradesh and Yadav, he would certainly try to force midterm Lok Sabha elections because the current political context Punjab will certainly embolden in the country’s most populous State would help the S.P. win the maximum number of parliamentary regional forces both outside and seats. Several UPA leaders, including those in the Tri- within the UPA to throw their namool Congress, felt Trivedi’s comments could well be attributed to his party. For, the Trinamool Con- political weight around. With the gress, too, is of the view that it can increase its number of seats in the Lok Sabha in the event of BJP on the decline, the stage is set midterm elections. “That will enhance its bargaining power with the Central government, whatever be its for new political combinations. composition. The party is apprehensive that facing the Lok Sabha elections as per the current schedule, RIGHT from the time the Election Commission in 2014, will not be advantageous since it would have of India initiated the electoral process in the five been in power in West Bengal for three years by then States of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and would obviously face some level of anti-incum- and Manipur in January, the 2012 Assembly elec- bency,” a Trinamool Congress leader told Frontline. tions were billed as a semi-final of the 2014 Lok Ironically, a few days later Trivedi found himself Sabha elections. In the event, the outcome has produced a seemingly unexpected result: it seems to have advanced the date of the “final”. This has happened essentially on account of three factors. First, the stunning reverses suffered by the Congress, especially in the two big States of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, and the consequent shrinkage of its political authority in the national polity in general and, in particular, within the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which it heads at the Centre. Secondly, the resurgence of regional forces such as the Samajwadi Party (S.P.) in Uttar Pradesh and the Akali Dal in Punjab, which in turn has given a fillip to the regrouping and consolidation of regional parties in different parts of the country. Thirdly, the exploita- tion of this climate by the Trinamool Congress, the second largest party in the UPA, to launch its own political games and create problems for the Con- gress, both within the government and outside. The first signal of this problematic impact of the electoral outcome on the Congress started emerging even as the results were coming out. Dinesh Trivedi, Trinamool Congress Minister in the Union Cabinet, even commented that he anticipated midterm elections sooner than later. He qualified his statement by

adding that if he were S.P. chief Mulayam Singh VIJA VERMA/PTI

4 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

Political analyst Indra Bhushan Assembly election results. At the larger Singh pointed out that the March 6 level, the outcome points to a weak- results indicated that regional parties ening of the two mainstream national could significantly increase their parties, the Congress and the Bharati- CKS strength in Parliament if general elec- ya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP, too, tions were held soon. He also added suffered sharp reverses at the hands of that the prospects of a midterm poll regional forces, particularly in its one- were strengthened by the growing soli- time bastion of Uttar Pradesh. The saf- darity among the regional parties on fron party managed to hold on to pow- the issue of federalism, especially with er in Punjab in association with the regard to the opposition to the Nation- Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), but here, becoming a possible reason for a midal Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) too, its seat strength and vote share term election, when the Trinamool mooted by Union Home Minister P. dropped. However, the party scored a Congress’ supreme leader and West Chidambaram. Indra Bhushan Singh significant victory in Goa and min- Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Baner- is also of the view that going by the imised its anti-incumbency slump in jee took umbrage at the Railway Bud- current trend, avoiding a midterm Uttarakhand. Clearly, the trends in get presented by him. At the time of election will have its own unhappy Uttar Pradesh and Punjab as well as writing this, Prime Minister Manmo- consequences. “The government will the overall assertion of regional forces han Singh had apparently conceded continue to limp and drag itself, half bring no cheer to the principal opposi- Mamata Banerjee’s demand to drop paralysed by the controversies, corruption. Already, several leaders of the Trivedi from the Union Cabinet, but it tion scandals and ineptitude as the BJP as well as the Sangh Parivar have still remains to be seen whether this leading party of the UPA and its Prime expressed doubts whether the saffron will really turn into a factor that can Minister are constantly forced to look party will be able to capture power at cause a midterm election. At any rate, over their shoulders at allies either de- the Centre in the next general the political context created by the As- railing or distorting its policies,” he elections. sembly elections remains. Regional pointed out. Put differently, the 2012 Assembly forces outside and within the UPA The problems for the Congress and elections have signified a combat be- have been strengthened by the results the UPA and the prospects of midterm tween two types of anti-incumbency: and they will now seek to throw their elections, however, are only part of the one against the prevailing government new political weight around. larger political and social impact of the in the respective States and the other R.V. MOORTHY

BJP PRESIDENT NITIN Gadkari, ﬂanked by Ananth Kumar (left) and Ravi Shanker Prasad, at a press conference in New Delhi on March 6. (Left) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at a coordination committee meeting of the alliance on March 14.

FRONTLINE 5 APRIL 6, 2012

against the Centre, which was perceived as the fulcrum of corruption, inefficiency and inflation. The electorate’s simple message was that they are unhappier with the Centre than with the State governments. This helped the BJP get some consolation victories, but not the kind of political upper hand that it hoped to gain. Commenting on the results, Orga- niser and Panchajanya, the English and Hindi mouthpieces of the Rashtri- ya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the fountainhead of the Sangh Parivar, stated: “Election results in Uttar Pra- desh have posed several questions and their solutions have to be found well in time, otherwise 2014 general elections can become ‘agneepath’ [path of fire] for it [the BJP] and crossing it to reach the centre of power can prove to be difficult.” The commentaries pointed MAMATA BANERJEE, WEST Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress out that the BJP was suffering from leader; Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general “Congress patch” and that the party secretary; Naveen Patnaik, Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal leader; had to think about “the bigger army of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Samajawadi Party chief; Nitish Kumar, Bihar Chief leaders than workers”. “There is dis- Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader; and N. Chandrababu Naidu, Telugu connect with its voters. So, it [the BJP] Desam party leader. There are signs of a regrouping of regional forces as a has lost half of its vote share in the last third front in the new political context. one decade,” the commentaries pointed out. appointing them through diktats from and labour communities, but had val- According to a senior RSS activist Nagpur. ue added to them in the form of ideas of Lucknow, the January-February Beyond the short- and medium- relating to modernisation and intro- elections have changed the conven- term effects, which mainly impair the duction of new technology for devel- tional anti-incumbency game plan. two mainstream parties, the Assembly opment. In short, Akhilesh Yadav “Under normal circumstances, the elections have also thrown up a signif- presented a political premise that re- BJP would have been the natural ben- icant long-term effect in the form of a tained the S.P.’s core rural support eficiary of the challenges and confu- generational change in the polity of base even while attracting new, urban sions faced by the UPA. But the results Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Two new voters, especially the youth, to his par- have shown that the BJP is not in a leaders have emerged in the form of ty. Sukhbir Singh Badal, son of Pun- position to take advantage of the anti- Akhilesh Yadav of the S.P. and Sukhbir jab’s re-elected Chief Minister Prakash incumbency against the Central gov- Singh Badal of the SAD. Both the lead- Singh Badal, changed the traditional ernment, in spite of a favourable sit- ers signify a combination of the core parameters of Akali politics by moving uation created by developments such identity politics of the two regional away from the Panthic practices that as the campaign against corruption led forces along with fresh ideas in the had influenced it and highlighting a by Anna Hazare,” the leader pointed realms of politics, administration, de- forceful development agenda. out. velopment and economy. Thirty- Clearly, this signifies a re-inven- According to Sangh Parivar in- eight-year-old Akhilesh Yadav, who tion of core identity and subaltern pol- siders, the BJP leadership will have to literally shouldered the S.P.’s cam- itics by powerful regional forces. It change its attitude and stoop to con- paign in Uttar Pradesh, registered a underscores a learning process, too, in quer if it is to make any headway be- big victory and ultimately took over these regional forces, one that has fore the next general elections. The the reins of the State as Chief Minister. brought about the realisation that current leadership of the party in Par- His campaign was marked by slogans mere adherence to the core socio-po- liament must give greater prominence that not only catered to the core Other litical constituencies built up through to BJP Chief Ministers, and proper in- Backward Class (OBC) Yadav and mi- identity politics will not suffice at a ner-party elections must be held to se- nority Muslim support base of the S.P., time when the number of young voters lect national leaders instead of drawn essentially from rural farming is increasing across the country. This

6 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

learning process emphasises adding component, which was not acceptable However, the political gains of this new segments to the party’s support to a large segment of weavers belong- grouping will be more concrete and base through development-oriented, ing to the Muslim community. In will have a far-reaching impact at the secular slogans, even while taking care Bhatta Parasaul, the party failed to do national level if it is able to address the to retain the politics based on core any follow-up after aggressively initia- larger socio-economic concerns that identity. Sooner than later, these ting an agitation. The Congress youth have found expression in the verdict of trends are bound to be emulated in icon needs to develop a steadier, stud- March 6. The reverses suffered by the other States, too, lending new images, ied and sustained style of functioning Congress and the BJP as well as the concepts and practices to polity. This to carve out election victories and cre- electorate’s preference for regional process is bound to have a far-reaching ate a long-standing impact on the poli- forces are indicative of a rejection of impact on the state of political play in tics of the country. the socio-economic policies pursued the country, too. Ironically, even after suffering a se- by the two mainstream parties. In Ut- The success of Akhilesh and Sukh- vere electoral defeat, sections of the tar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand, bir Badal is in direct contrast to the Congress are of the view that the only the pre-election situation, both in ru- failure of the young scion of the Nehru- solution for the party’s travails is to ral and urban areas, was characterised Gandhi family, Congress general sec- make Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minis- by fierce opposition to neoliberal pur- retary Rahul Gandhi, to make an im- ter at the first possible opportunity. suits in economic policy, especially pact, especially in Uttar Pradesh and The argument of these sections is that while holding power at the Centre. The Punjab. As in the Bihar elections of since the party’s future electoral pro- choice of regional parties also points to 2010, Rahul Gandhi failed to deliver a spects are in any case considered not the electorate’s desire to look at al- substantive political victory to the too good, Rahul Gandhi must be made ternatives, albeit within the existing Congress. This, despite campaigning Prime Minister for some sort of a mira- political parameters. Incidentally, aggressively in Uttar Pradesh. He ad- cle to happen. More rationally, these these alternatives, within the existing dressed 211 rallies in 48 days, more sections also point out that there is a political parameters, are not concrete, than one in every two Assembly con- huge difference between the electoral basically because these groupings do stituencies. In spite of all this, the Con- choices of the people in the Assembly not have clearly defined policy percep- gress could manage only 28 seats in elections and in a general election. tions, although the S.P. has from time Uttar Pradesh, six more than its 2007 to time opposed many facets of the tally. The Congress lost heavily in the- IN A MUDDLE neoliberal policies. ist first family’s strongholds in the Clearly, the Assembly elections have As things stand now, the results State. In Amethi, Rae Bareli and Sul- left the two mainstream parties, par- further highlight the political and ad- tanpur, the Congress picked up just ticularly the Congress, in a muddled ministrative paralysis of UPA-II. two of the 15 seats on offer. In 2007, it political situation where both do not Many segments of the government be- had won 10 seats. In Rae Bareli, Sonia seem to have any clear options, direc- lieve that since 2010 the UPA has run a Gandhi’s pocket borough, the Con- tion or leadership. The regrouping of lame-duck government. This would gress lost all the five seats. In Amethi, regional forces, such as the S.P., the lead to greater political attacks by the only two of the five seats went to the Trinamool Congress and the Biju Ja- opposition and greater torment by dif- Congress. nata Dal, to form a third front, appar- ficult allies of the Congress. Naturally, Central to this failure is the fact ently free of the ideological burden of the Congress will have to change tack that Rahul Gandhi’s political idiom the Left parties led by the Communist and opt for greater consultation with and style of functioning have largely Party of India (Marxist), also adds political forces in the opposition and remained alien to the common people. some unique political twist to this con- within the UPA. In short, the Congress The lack of a proper political orien- text. These regional forces, which have will have to refresh its tactics and ma- tation and the failure to follow up reg- begun to act in concert on policy is- noeuvres by forging the right alliances, ularly on socio-economic-political sues, will find a new centre of gravity in as Sonia Gandhi did before the 2004 initiatives contributed to this slide. Mulayam Singh Yadav. The S.P. has Lok Sabha elections. Will the party Cases in point are the development become the largest regional force, with find enough creative energy to embark and rehabilitation package that Rahul 224 MLAs, 22 Lok Sabha members on this path of reinvention before the Gandhi conceived and initiated for the and five Rajya Sabha members. The general election? It is a question that underprivileged weaving community number of the S.P.’s Rajya Sabha has no affirmative answer at present. of eastern Uttar Pradesh and the ag- members is bound to increase after the Separately, even if it does effect this itation that he led against the May- biennial elections for 10 seats in Uttar rediscovery and come up with new po- awati government’s acquisition of Pradesh on March 30. The S.P. has a litical initiatives, regional players such farming land at Bhatta Parsaul in huge vote-value, which will have a sig- as Mulayam Singh and Bihar Chief western Uttar Pradesh. The weavers’ nificant effect during the presidential Minister Nitish Kumar will still be big rehabilitation package had a huge loan election later this year. factors. २

FRONTLINE 7 Cover Story APRIL 6, 2012 Reverse sweep

The S.P., under a new leader and with new programmes, wins 224 seats in Uttar

Pradesh, while the national parties fall by the wayside. BY VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN

The key factor that led to the party’s of providing viable alternatives to the BSP regime. All these factors were evident at the swearing-in victory was the realisation of voters ceremony. The milling crowds were dominated by Yadavs and Muslims, but there was a signiﬁcant presence of Brahmins and Thakurs. There was also that only the S.P. could provide an enthusiastic, almost aggressive, participation by alternative to the BSP. This, coupled thousands of young people. This social coalition was formed essentially on with young Akhilesh Yadav’s the basis of an overwhelming anti-incumbency slogan: Baspa hatao (remove the BSP) It was on the leadership, helped the party draw basis of this slogan that communities and castes that had hitherto refused to align with the S.P. overcame support from almost all sections. their reservations about the party. The shift of caste groups such as the Brahmins to the S.P. was noticed THE crowd that gathered on March 15 in Luck- by perceptive observers even as the election process now to celebrate 38-year-old Akhilesh Yadav’s was on. It had been noticed then that this shift was swearing-in as the youngest Chief Minister of Uttar steering Uttar Pradesh once again towards a govern- Pradesh reﬂected, in many ways, that which made ment that would ensure stability (Frontline, March possible the victory of the Samajwadi Party (S.P.) in 9). It boosted the S.P.’s vote share from 25.60 per the seven-phase Assembly elections. The S.P.’s mas- cent in the 2007 Assembly elections to 29.16 per cent sive electoral triumph – 224 out of 406 seats – was in 2012, while it brought down the BSP’s vote share the product of a rainbow coalition of communities, from 30.4 per cent to 25.92 per cent. The Congress, castes and social groups that had come together to which marginally improved its position from 22 throw out the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party seats in 2007 to 28 seats, increased its vote share (BSP) from power. This coalition was driven essen- from 8.70 per cent to 11.63 per cent. The BJP, the tially by the core support base of the S.P., consisting biggest loser in the State, lost both in terms of seats of the Other Backward Class (OBC) Yadav commu- and vote share. Its 2007 tally of 51 seats came down nity and the minority Muslim community. But a to 47. Its vote share came down from 17.10 per cent to wide array of castes, communities and social groups, 15 per cent. The Rashtriya Lok Dal, which contested ranging from upper-caste Brahmins and Thakurs to the elections in 2007 in alliance with the BJP, allied Dalit Pasis and urban middle-class youth belonging with the Congress this time. It had 10 seats and a vote to various social streams, rallied around the S.P. this share of 3.1 per cent in 2007. This time, it won nine time. In the process, the caste-and-community coali- seats and polled 2.33 per cent of the vote. tion rejected the claims of the two national parties – This depletion of votes and seats of all other the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – parties and the accrual of the same to the S.P. kitty

8 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

was uniform in all regions of the State, including the urban areas, where the party is traditionally not known to be strong. According to informal, caste- based calculations, the S.P.’s Muslim- Yadav combination had the winning potential in only about 150 seats. The massive increase by approximately 75 seats clearly points to a new support base. In western Uttar Pradesh, the party wrested 25 seats in what was considered to be a Congress-RLD stronghold. In the Awadh region in central Uttar Pradesh, which has many urban middle-class centres, the S.P. notched up 58 seats. These include the districts of Rae Bareli, Sultanpur and Amethi, the so-called bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Here, the Congress won only two of a total of 15 seats. The defeat of the Congress in the bastions of the party’s first family was repeated in the home turf of Union Ministers too. Union Ministers Beni Prasad Verma and Salman Khurshid had personal stakes in the elections and both of them suffered humiliation. Beni Prasad Verma’s son Rakesh Ver- ma lost in Barabanki and Salman Khurshid’s wife Louise finished fifth in Farrukhabad. The Congress lost all the seven seats in Gonda, the district from where Beni Prasad Verma was elected to the Lok Sabha. Union Minister Jitin Pra- sada also scored a draught out of the seven seats in Lakhimpur Kheri. Union Minister Shriprakash Jaiswal’s home constituency, Kanpur, saw the Congress winning just one seat. The S.P. came up with a spectac-

ATUL YADAV/PTI ular performance in the densely populated eastern Purvanchal region, SAMAJWADI PARTY CHIEF Mulayam Singh Yadav with his son, Chief essentially on the strength of the mi- Minister-designate Akhilesh Yadav at Parliament House on March 13. gration of upper-caste votes to its fold.

FRONTLINE 9 APRIL 6, 2012

‘Focus on welfare and development’

Interview with Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. BY VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN

“IT is as though the national media confidence. You can see these experi- the government will require have suddenly discovered me in a ences in the history of many States of Rs.77,000 crore to fulfil our manifes- matter of a month and a half. But I the country. If one were to analyse to promises. I do not know from have been here all the while, at least these experiences collectively, one where these calculations have come for over a decade, working among the can see that there are several common up. The fact of the matter is that we people, strengthening my party, its traits in these achievements. These can fulfil our promises through care- organisation and its connect with the include a clear vision for the devel- ful generation of resources, proper people.” This was how Akhilesh Ya- opment of the State and for the wel- budgeting, curtailing of frivolous ex- dav, arguably the biggest star of the fare of its people, a practical penditure, and a firm check on cor- January-February Assembly elec- programme built on a clear under- ruption. There are revenue losses and tions in five States, responded to the standing of one’s strengths and limi- these will also be dealt with. As for the attention he received, especially dur- tations, and a dedicated ministerial populism vs constructive developing the last phase of the campaign in and administrative team to take this ment debate, I am of the view that one Uttar Pradesh. With the declaration forward. I would strive to emulate cannot ignore welfare measures for of the results on March 6 and his this with the positive vote our party the people merely by branding them elevation to the post of Chief Minister has won. populist or be completely carried of Uttar Pradesh, the media attention We have already highlighted our away by welfare measures at the cost on the 38-year-old Samajwadi Party vision for the State through our mani- of concrete development that would (S.P.) leader has only grown. Fron- festo. Our manifesto has addressed be beneficial for the State in the long tline met Akhilesh Yadav for an in- the issues and problems of the youth, run. The S.P. government’s effort terview a day before he was sworn in farmers, workers and women. We would be to strike a balance between Chief Minister. He talked about is- have also addressed broad infrastruc- these two streams. sues relating to governance and his ture issues. Our focus will be on im- priorities and plans. Excerpts: proving infrastructural facilities, You referred to the resources factor. including water, power, and trans- Many observers and even economic The people of Uttar Pradesh have port. Services such as health and edu- experts are of the view that some of given the S.P. a clear majority just as cation will also find enhanced your promises, such as loan waiver they did in the case of the BSP in attention. Apart from all this, minor- for farmers and unemployment 2007. This mandate is accompanied ity issues that have been highlighted doles, would impose a great burden by great expectations too. Many through the recommendations of the on the exchequer and that there leaders in power, including former Rajinder Sachar Committee and the would not be much money left for Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Ranganath Misra Commission at the real development work. Minister Mayawati, have found it State level will be taken up. Those This is where I would like to em- difficult to live up to these sections of society that have been ig- phasise the balance between welfare- expectations. What lessons have you nored during the BSP regime are oriented programmes and construc- learnt from these experiences and looking at us with great hope, and we tive work. See, Uttar Pradesh is how do you propose to live up to the need to concretise our governance entering a phase of real purposive expectations of the people? programme to fulfil their hopes and governance after a period of wanton, It is always a daunting task to live aspirations. wasteful expenditure on huge con- up to the expectations of the people. crete structures, statue-filled parks But we should also note that while There is a stream of opinion that the and white elephants. I propose to re- many politicians have failed to live up S.P. manifesto is essentially populist verse this trend of wasteful expendi- to the expectations of the people, and does not have a constructive ture and use the resources for people’s there are many who have successfully development agenda. welfare and the development of the lived up to them. If one looks at our This is a fallacy that is being State. Put in other words, if we can own history, one can see very many spread by sections of the media and control corruption in a handful of ar- leaders who have done their bit care- some vested political interests. A sec- eas, we can generate enough re- fully, repeatedly earning the people’s tion of the media has projected that sources for a couple of programmes.

10 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

If you are asked to name the single most important priority of the government, what will it be? I would not like to speak in terms of a single priority. I would like to state broadly that the areas of priority would be public health, employment, education, infrastructure development and, of course, law and order.

On law and order, the track record of the earlier S.P. government has not been too good. In fact, your last government was defeated on

this count in 2007. SUBIR ROY We are certainly aware of that. BSP PRESIDENT AND FORMER Chief Minister Mayawati filing her And it is our solemn commitment nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha in Lucknow on March 13. to do a better job on this front than ever. You will see soon that we In the process, it struck vital blows at tricts, the S.P. emerged as the number mean business. the BSP, which had done remarkably one party, pushing aside the Rahul well in this region in 2007. Except in Gandhi-led Congress. Even before the State got its new the Gorakhpur area, where the BJP The perception that only the S.P. Chief Minister, there was a mad wields considerable clout under Yogi could provide an alternative to the BSP rush at the employment exchanges Adityanath, the S.P. nominees shot had apparently gained ground even in for registration, resulting in police ahead of their adversaries. traditional strongholds of the cadre- lathi charge and injuries to several Results from the 70 urban constit- based BJP. The saffron party lost heav- job-seekers. At one level, it uencies in the State flummoxed even ily in the process. It retained only 11 of reflects a specific kind of law and S.P. supporters. Starting from the cap- the 51 seats it had won in 2007. In order problem and, at another, the ital, Lucknow, where the S.P. won sev- other words, the party lost nearly 80 high level of expectations. en of the nine seats, to Allahabad, per cent of its seats. Significantly, 20 of It reflects the people’s belief where it got five of the nine seats, to the 40 seats that the BJP lost went to that the S.P. will fulfil its promise. Agra and Aligarh, the same trend per- the S.P. These losses included Ayod- That is why there was a rush at the sisted. The S.P. also won more than hya, which the BJP had held for the employment exchanges. Other is- half of the Scheduled Caste reserved past 21 years. sues relating to this will be ad- constituencies and was way ahead of Smaller parties such as the Peace dressed as we go along. But failing the BSP, which is actually known for Party of India (PPI), the Ulema Coun- to see the positive dimension is not its Dalit base. Of the 84 reserved con- cil, the Apna Dal and the Quami Ekta good. stituencies, the S.P. won 54, while the Dal were expected to harm the pro- BSP won only 17. The Congress got spects of bigger parties and cause a There have been a number of four, the BJP three, the RLD two and hung verdict. Every one of these par- developments at the Centre after others took the rest. In 2007, the BSP ties fell by the wayside, though they the U.P. verdict. Will the S.P. once won 62 of the 89 reserved constitu- made some marginal gains in some of again come to the rescue of the encies. In that election, the S.P. won their strongholds. The PPI, which had beleaguered UPA, by making up only 13, the BJP seven, the Congress expected to garner 20 seats, won in with the Congress leadership and five, the RLD and Rashtriya Swabhi- only four constituencies. Its supreme joining the Central government? man Party (RPS) one each. leader, Dr Ayub, won in Khalilabad, As of now, we have no plans on Similar was the situation in con- defeating his nearest rival, Mashoor this front. In any case, the decision stituencies with a significant presence Alam of the BSP, by 5,392 votes. An- in this regard will be taken by Mu- of young voters. Jyotiba Phule Nagar, other PPI candidate, former S.P. MLA layam Singh Yadav, the party Rampur, Pilibhit are the three districts Kamal Yousuf Malik, won in Domari- president. with the highest number of voters in yaganj. He defeated Saiyada Khatun of the 18-19 age group. In all these dis- the BSP by 1,589 votes. Akhilesh

FRONTLINE 11 APRIL 6, 2012

‘BJP best alternative at the Centre’

RAJNATH SINGH, former Bharati- the government. In this situation, Do you think not projecting a chief ya Janata Party (BJP) president, is they made up their mind to bring in a ministerial candidate made a naturally disappointed with the par- government with a full majority. They difference? ty’s poor performance in Uttar Pra- viewed the Samajwadi Party [S.P.] as That may or may not be the case. desh and the outcome of the elections the alternative. In many States we never projected in Uttarakhand. But he takes solace any individual and yet won in the from the party’s encouraging show in Why was the BJP not seen as an past. So it depends on a lot of other Goa and Punjab. “We lost U.P. be- alternative? It was Uttar Pradesh things as well. cause people did not see us as an al- that catapulted the party to the ternative to the BSP [Bahujan Samaj political forefront. In Uttarakhand, the BJP made a Party]. But at the national level in The S.P. was a bigger party even in last-minute leadership change 2014, we will emerge as the only al- the previous Assembly. It held more hoping to improve its electoral ternative to the Congress,” he told number of seats [than the BJP]. Be- prospects. But Chief Minister B.C. Frontline in an interview. Excerpts: sides, it projected a fresh face, which Khanduri himself was defeated. changed the people’s mindset. The The outcome in Uttarakhand is The BJP’s performance in Uttar voters wanted to give this new face a beyond our comprehension. We are Pradesh was not up to chance, hoping that the dismayed that we lost. We were ex- the mark. How do you S.P.’s rule this time would pecting at least 32-36 seats. But the assess the result be better than its previ- party’s performance was not all that there? ous stint. bad. We are behind the Congress by Our poor perform- As for our poor per- just one seat. Khanduri’s defeat was a ance in Uttar Pradesh formance, there may be big surprise. We are still trying to ﬁg- was unexpected. We several factors. We need ure out the reasons. were expecting a to take stock of the sit- much better result, uation. The one thing In Uttarakhand, a situation has about 100 seats. that is obvious even at emerged where the BJP can get a this stage is that we fared chance to form the next government. What went wrong? poorly because of our But the party is yet to name its Actually, the BSP’s poor organisational legislature party leader. The governance had RAJEEV BHATT structure. Our grass- impression created is that the BJP caused much anger RAJNATH SINGH, roots structure is weak has no interest in forming the among the people and FORMER Bharatiya and we have to strengthen government. they wanted to change Janata Party president. it. We are watching the situation

Singh, who had previously contested tary, Anupriya Patel, daughter of its draw strength from diverse communi- and won as an independent candidate founder-president Sone Lal Patel, was ties and castes. Indeed, the charismat- and on the Congress ticket, contested elected from Rohaniya in Varanasi. ic young leader was an important from his traditional Assembly seat of The Quami Ekta Dal, ﬂoated by Afzal facilitator of the movement of other Rae Bareli and became the PPI’s big- Ansari, brother of the alleged maﬁa castes, communities and social groups gest winner. He comfortably defeated don Mukthar Ansari, won two seats. to the essentially Yadav-oriented par- his nearest rival Ram Pratap Yadav of Mukhtar managed a slender victory in ty. In larger strategic terms, any party the S.P. by a margin of 29,494 votes. Mau, while Sibgatulla Ansari won the that seeks to win Uttar Pradesh needs The fourth winner of the PPI is Anee- Mohammadabad seat in Ghazipur. to have a core vote base and supple- sur Rehman, who defeated his BSP The central factor in the victory of mentary vote bases from other castes rival by a margin of 1,534 votes in the S.P. and the defeat of other parties and communities. Kanth in Moradabad. was the overwhelming realisation of The BSP managed to draw this The Apna Dal, another small party the electorate that only the S.P. could through its Brahmin-Dalit bhaichara which claims to draw support from the provide an alternative to the BSP. This, (brotherhood) politics in 2007. Akhi- OBC Kurmi caste and Muslims, got coupled with the leadership provided lesh Yadav managed something simi- just one seat. The party’s general secre- by Akhilesh Yadav, helped the S.P. lar, with some value addition, by

12 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

there closely. The legislature party started looking like an empowered appropriate decision on this issue at leader’s name will be announced once group of Ministers. the appropriate time. the situation becomes clearer. It all The government’s centre of grav- depends on whether we need a Lead- ity is somewhere else. The govern- The electorate appears to have er of the Opposition or a chief minis- ment is being run by some rejected the mandir-masjid brand of terial candidate. The Chief Minister extra-constitutional authority, it politics and want a government that will not be the person we name as the seems. In this situation, we are the promises development and good Leader of the Opposition. next obvious alternative and we will governance. Do you agree? come back with a bigger mandate, Yes, hundred per cent. You may have to seek the support of with more constituents in the Na- the rebel Congress MLAs to form the tional Democratic Alliance than last Will the BJP then move away from government. How will you tackle time. mandir politics and make such a situation? development its main agenda? So, Let the situation become clear Who will be your prime ministerial you will not include Ram Mandir in first. We certainly want to see a stable face then? Will it be L.K. Advani or your manifesto? government in Uttarakhand. Our some State leader? There has been We never made the Ram Mandir next step will depend on what hap- speculation about Gujarat Chief an election issue. It has always been a pens there in the next few days. Minister Narendra Modi being national, cultural issue for us, though projected as the next Prime Minister. it is true that what we had to say on How do you see the election results This question will be decided by this issue was appreciated by the peo- impacting on national politics? Do the Central Parliamentary Board of ple at one stage. But this issue has you think the country is heading for a the party. It is too premature to say been adjudicated upon by the Allaha- midterm election? anything on this now. Narendra Mo- bad High Court and we must wait for The overall results are in our fa- di has certainly developed Gujarat as the Supreme Court verdict. I have vour. We have formed a government a model State, but different States nothing more to say on this. with a good majority in Goa where have different development models even Christians supported our party, and they cannot be uniform. Differ- You say the organisational structure which is a good indication. In Punjab, ent States have different develop- of the party has become weak. Does we have come back to power together ment parameters. One formula it mean that the Rashtriya with the Shiromani Akali Dal. The cannot apply to all. Swayamsewak Sangh, which has mood is upbeat. I am sure we will always provided the party with its form the next government at the Cen- Are you ruling out the names of organisational back-up, is not tre. The United Progressive Alliance Advani and Narendra Modi? providing that support now? government has lost its vision, it has I will not answer this question. I No, but the BJP should also make become totally directionless. Instead have no comments to make. The par- its own efforts. of a full-fledged government, it has ty’s parliamentary board will take an Purnima S. Tripathi appealing to the youth and by building filled by the Akhilesh Yadav-led S.P. ration is linked to development, not a rainbow coalition. As political analyst Sudhir Kumar just bijli-sadak-pani but livelihood The mainstream parties that Panwar told Frontline, the voters of opportunities, educational avenues, sought to project themselves as alter- Uttar Pradesh have given a message to health facilities and other human de- natives to the BSP failed to achieve the Congress and the BJP that they velopment index goals.” this. The Congress’ slogans, including have come past the “hand-waving, For the moment the S.P. and its the one on Muslim reservation, were vote-catching” political practice fol- Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav repre- perceived as cynical poll-related exer- lowed by the Nehru-Gandhi family sent the electoral dimensions of caste- cises aimed only at garnering votes. and the senior leaders of the BJP. identity plus the phenomenon of so- The BJP lost its standing as an orga- “What people want is leadership root- cio-economic aspirations. A manual of nisation wedded to fighting corruption ed in the ground. Akhilesh Yadav’s sorts to help Akhilesh Yadav live up to when it inducted and later threw out campaign has underscored the fact the expectations of this social and po- Babu Singh Khushwaha, a former BSP that while caste and identity do mat- litical combination could well have in- Minister accused of corruption. ter, these factors need to gel with peo- structions on how to carefully negate Clearly, the credibility of both the ple’s aspirations for a better life in a some of the elements of the track re- parties was low. It is this gap that was State like Uttar Pradesh. And this aspi- cord of his predecessor. २

FRONTLINE 13 Cover Story APRIL 6, 2012 In a cleft stick The Congress has sought to squander its narrow victory by installing the

not-so-popular Vijay Bahuguna as Chief Minister. BY PURNIMA S. TRIPATHI IN DEHRADUN

The Congress won 32 seats and tical split in the party. Party rebels either contested as independents or sabotaged the prospects of offi- Bahuguna needs the support of three cial candidates. Three such rebel candidates – Man- tri Prasad Naithani, Harish Durgapal and Dinesh independents and one UKD MLA to Tanhai – have been elected. They are now supporting the 65-year-old Vijay Bahuguna, who has been made win the confidence vote on March the legislature party leader after intense talks for well over seven days. 29. But he is finding the going tough. At a two-minute ceremony marked by high drama and uncertainty, a nervous Bahuguna was sworn UTTARAKHAND is one State that has become a in Chief Minister on March 13 by Governor Margaret showcase of political mismanagement by the Con- Alva. Bahuguna flew to New Delhi immediately after gress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the two he was sworn in, in order to find ways to manage the mainstream parties. The State has proved beyond political crisis which was refusing to subside. The doubt that the leaderships of the two parties have to resentment against the elevation of Bahuguna, the learn the basics of grass-roots politics from their son of H.N. Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of regional political friends. While the BJP, which was Uttar Pradesh, is so intense that until the time of in power, failed to play its cards well, despite the best writing this report, 17 MLAs had refused to take the efforts of Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri, the Con- oath on March 15. The dissenters had been rooting gress miscalculated the voters’ mood by stamping for Harish Rawat, Union Minister of State, for the out regional aspirations. The writ of the high com- top post ever since Vijay Bahuguna’s name was an- mand in the selection of candidates ensured that the nounced. Bahuguna’s claim of majority support, Congress ended up woefully short of the required which he has to prove by March 29, lacks credibility. majority of 36 seats in the 70-member House. Rawat, who was widely believed to be the chief If there is anything like snatching defeat from the ministerial candidate, is credited with helping the jaws of certain victory, the Congress has managed to Congress find its feet in the Himalayan State. Rawat achieve it in Uttarakhand. The party managed to himself has not commented on the unfolding events merely scrape through with 32 seats against the and remains unavailable to the media. In a high- BJP’s 31, the vote share being 33.79 per cent and voltage drama on the evening of March 12, when 33.13 per cent respectively. The difference in vote Bahuguna was named the Chief Minister, Rawat’s share between the two parties in the 2009 Lok Sabha supporters went ballistic at his residence in New elections, when the BJP lost all the five seats in the Delhi and shouted slogans not only against Bahugu- State, was 7 per cent. na but also against Congress president Sonia Gand- In typical Congress-style mismanagement, in the hi, general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Uttar last minute the leadership denied the ticket to some Pradesh Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi. candidates with winning chances and ensured a ver- Rita Bahuguna is the sister of Vijay Bahuguna and is

14 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

believed to be instrumental in getting poll process with Khanduri at the helm her brother chosen for the top post for a second time since he led the party using her access to Rahul Gandhi. to victory in 2007, the outcome has When the talks to select the Chief been disappointing, especially since Minister began, the names of State the party came tantalisingly close to PCC chief Yashpal Arya, former legis- regaining power. The biggest shocker lature party leader Harak Singh Ra- was the defeat of Khanduri himself in wat, and Indira Hridayesh were also Kotdwar by 4,623 votes at the hands of doing the rounds. Union Minister Sat- the Congress’ S.S. Negi. The retired pal Maharaj’s name emerged at the Army major general replaced Ramesh eleventh hour. Initially, the party high Pokhriyal Nishank as Chief Minister command let it be known that it was in September 2011 to lead the BJP in not in favour of appointing a Member the Assembly elections. of Parliament to the top post, and so Nishank was forced to step down the search narrowed down to MLAs in the wake of a series of scams facing such as Yashpal Arya, Harak Singh Ra- PTI his government. With the public mood wat and Indira Hridayesh. Central NEW CHIEF MINISTER in favour of a corruption-free adminis- party leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Vijay Bahuguna. tration in the wake of Anna Hazare’s Azad and Chaudhary Birendra Singh, campaign against corruption, the par- who is in charge of the State, held con- Bahuguna. Not only is he an outsider, ty’s central leadership decided to bring sultations with all the elected MLAs but he does not have majority sup- in Khanduri, who had a clean image. and MPs from the State. But everyone port,” he said. According to him, the But the decision-makers failed to real- was taken by surprise when Bahugu- only way forward for the dedicated ise that the tactics could work like a na’s name was announced, and all hell Congress workers of Uttarakhand now double-edged sword as this gave the broke loose. Harish Rawat’s support- was to form a regional party. “If re- Congress an opportunity to paint the ers, many of whom are still camping in gional aspirations keep getting BJP regime as corrupt. Delhi, have virtually declared war on crushed like this, why should one re- The BJP leaders failed to convince the party leadership. main in the party? The Congress is the voters why they made a leadership Pradip Tamta, Congress MP from heading towards an Andhra Pradesh- change ahead of the elections for, in Almora, told reporters in Delhi that like crisis here,” he said, referring to the first place, they refused to admit until the last moment party leaders the revolt by the late Y.S. Rajasekhara that the Nishank government was cor- were given to understand that the next Reddy’s son Jaganmohan Reddy when rupt. Had they removed him citing Chief Minister would be from among he was denied the Chief Minister’s post corruption as the reason, the obvious the newly elected MLAs. “We feel after his father’s death in an air crash. question would have been why he was cheated. We would have accepted any- Vijay Bahuguna sounded nervous- given the ticket again. Nishank con- one from among the MLAs, but if an ly confident after taking the oath. He tested from Doiwala and won the seat, MP can be made Chief Minister then claimed that the party would tide over proving that the BJP’s calculation vis- Harish Rawat should have been the the “family crisis”, but it does not look a-vis Nishank and Khanduri had gone choice,” he said. that easy. He claims the support of wrong. Surinder Agrawal, who relin- three independents, one Uttarakhand Khanduri, who shifted from his of- quished his post as Congress spokes- Kranti Dal (UKD) member and three ficial residence immediately after the man after Bahuguna’s name was Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLAs, results came out on March 6, said he announced, said the people of Utta- taking his total tally to 39, but whether was shocked by his defeat in Kotdwar, rakhand, especially the grass-root he will get 39 votes on the floor of the which is part of the Garhwal Lok Sab- workers of the Congress, had been House is a big question. ha constituency which he had repre- cheated. “We will never accept Vijay As for the BJP, which entered the sented since 1991 (see interview).

FRONTLINE 15 APRIL 6, 2012

‘We defeated ourselves’

MAJOR GENERAL (Retd) my best. I was able to itself. Obviously, that was not B.C. Khanduri, who was at take three or four major enough, and then there was this dis- the centre of the Bharatiya decisions. information campaign against me. It Janata Party’s (BJP) cam- The biggest achieve- was total mismanagement, nothing paign in Uttarakhand, is ment is that I was able to else. We defeated ourselves. shocked by his defeat in convince the people that In the existing state of political Kotdwar constituency. The whatever I was doing turmoil, do you see a role for party ran the campaign was not an election gim- yourself? For example, if Vijay with the slogan Khanduri mick. I sincerely be- Bahuguna loses the conﬁdence vote, hai zaroori (Khanduri is lieved in the State’s do you see yourself in any role if the

needed). Khanduri took V.V.KRISHNAN development. People BJP were to form the government? over the reins from Ra- B.C. KHANDURI, were convinced and mesh Pokhriyal Nishank in their attitude towards All that is for the party high com- FORMER BJP mand to decide. But I feel sorry for September 2011 to become Chief Minister. the BJP actually the Chief Minister for a changed. We lost the the State because whichever govern- second time. In an interview to Fron- target because of the many ills within ment comes, it will not be able to tline he said the current fluid politi- the party. We lost not because the function because there are too many cal situation was not good for the people did not support me but be- independent entities floating State and even if the Vijay Bahuguna cause of the problems in the party. around, which could destabilise any government survived the confidence government at any time. vote, development would suffer. Ex- Was it a shock to lose your seat What role do you see for yourself in cerpts: when you were able to help so many others win? the near future? Uttarakhand or What went wrong? Of course, it was a big shock. It national politics? I had exactly three months and was a bad defeat. But in retrospect, I That will depend on what the 14 days to deliver as Chief Minister. think I took the people for granted. I party wants me to do. I have always As is my style, I started off in fast- thought since I had represented the been a loyal party worker. But, yes, forward mode. The time constraint Garhwal Lok Sabha seat since 1991, Uttarakhand is my first love, and I was there, and it was a daunting task people knew me, they knew my would like to work for the develop- to win the elections in the State once work, so why I should go there. I ment of the State. again. But I am satisfied that I did thought my work would speak for Purnima S. Tripathi

“Maybe I took the people for granted. I form in the three-and-half months? have been avoided and we would have thought my work of the last so many People voted because of the work done formed the government.” years would speak for itself. Obviously, by the party in the last five years. The As matters stand today, the party that was not enough. We lost because fact that Nishank won and Khanduri looks disoriented and devoid of direc- of a conspiracy by our own people. It lost proves that people have rejected tion. It has failed to elect its legislature was total manipulation,” he said, re- the high command’s treatment of party leader (until the time of writing fusing to name names, saying that he Nishank. If Khanduri was so popular, this report), which means that there is would do that in the party forum. why did the party lose in areas where still confusion about whom to promote Nishank loyalists were quick to he was reported to have good influen- because if Bahuguna loses the confi- criticise the central leadership for the ce, as in the Garhwal region? The party dence vote, the Leader of Opposition party’s defeat. They reasoned that the won in the terai region, where he does will get a chance to form the govern- party’s performance was much better not have much influence. What does it ment. The BJP office in Dehradun than it was in the 2009 Lok Sabha prove?” a Nishank supporter asked. looked deserted and no senior func- elections as the gap of 7 per cent in the According to him, just before Nish- tionary was available to talk about the voting share between the two main ank was removed as Chief Minister, party’s plan of action. parties had been reduced to less than 1 the State party had got a survey done The Congress can take solace from per cent, which they said was the cu- and it had projected 35-41 seats for the the fact that it is not the only party mulative effect of five years of BJP rule. BJP. “Had Nishank been allowed to caught in a cleft stick. It has good com- “What magic did he [Khanduri] per- continue, the confusing signals could pany. २

16 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Cover Story Bucking the trend

Marking a change in the electoral dynamics of Punjab, the SAD-BJP alliance

comes back to power. BY AJOY ASHIRWAD MAHAPRASHASTA IN CHANDIGARH

Sukhbir Badal, who is president of 117-member Assembly against the 46 seats of the Congress, which banked on the historically proven the SAD, is credited with keeping on trend of rotation of power in the State. Many political analysts attribute the SAD-BJP alliance’s victory to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir the back burner Sikh Panthic issues, Badal’s organisational skills and election manage- on which the party has built its ment. Sukhbir, who is also president of the SAD, is credited with keeping on the back burner Sikh Pan- cadre, and charting a new growth thic issues, on which the party has built its cadre, and charting a new growth model for the State. The model for the State. 48-year-old has been addressing the real concerns of the people ever since he joined politics nearly a THE Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)-Bharatiya Ja- decade and a half ago. nata Party government has defied history by becom- In the 1992 election, which was fought against ing the first incumbent government to be voted back the backdrop of nearly 15 years of insurgency, the to power in Punjab ever since the formation of the voter turnout was a mere 28 per cent, while in 2012 it State in 1966. The alliance secured 68 seats in the rose to almost 78 per cent. The trend reflects clearly the aspirations of Punjabis, who want much more than security and peace, which was the central agenda of elections in the 1990s. Sukhbir sensed this feeling of the voters during his campaigns, while the Congress dwelt on its old-time rivalry with the Aka- lis. An anti-incumbency sentiment against the Unit- ed Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Centre only helped the SAD-BJP combine’s cause. The verdict in Punjab also overturned the trend in the 2009 parliamentary elections, when the Con- gress (eight seats) edged out the Akalis (six seats). Moreover, the Congress led a significant number of the Assembly segments in the parliamentary constituencies then. This, perhaps, egged on the Akali leadership to start their campaign earlier this time than the Congress did and initiate substantial governance reforms to make up for the losses. Such astute management led to veteran Prakash Singh Badal taking the oath as Chief Minister for the fifth time, on March 14. At 84, he is the oldest Chief Minister in India. The SAD added eight seats to its tally of 48 in the 2007 Assembly elections out of the 94 seats it con-

SUKHBIR BADAL, THE Deputy Chief Minister, embraces his father and Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal after he was elected leader of the

AKHILESH KUMAR legislative party in Chandigarh on March 8.

FRONTLINE 17 APRIL 6, 2012

‘Welfare was always our priority’

Interview with Sukhbir Badal, president of SAD (Badal). BY AJOY ASHIRWAD MAHAPRASHASTA SUKHBIR BADAL, president of the for the proper implementation of wel- nology. We will try to raise resources Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and fare schemes. Hopefully, in one year, through various methods, one of Deputy Chief Minister, has earned a you will see that Punjab is the State which could be public-private reputation as a “doer”, a strict admin- with the maximum interaction be- partnership. istrator, and a guru of election man- tween the public and the government. agement. But, he is yet to step out of These elections are also victories of the shadow of his father and Chief What will be your impetus for the yatras. Akhilesh Yadav [in Uttar Minister, Prakash Singh Badal. After agricultural sector, considering an Pradesh] went on a cycle yatra and taking the oath of office on March 14, impending agrarian crisis in the you did a Punjab Vikas Yatra. he talked to Frontline about his pri- State? Our yatra was not an isolated orities and strategies. Excerpts: We are trying to make our existing thing. In fact, it was not a yatra at all. agricultural institutions stronger and The Akali Dal is always on the move, You are credited with steering also build new ones. We are concen- always on the ground, unlike the Con- single-handedly the SAD-BJP trating on various aspects of agricul- gress party. Our leadership is always alliance to power again. What are ture. Better irrigation facilities will be with the people. That was the reason your priorities now? our thrust area. people compared our governance Administrative reforms are our with that of the Congress, and it was a main focus right now. We have to The SAD has promised a lot of sops landslide victory for us. change the prevailing systems that for the people. How will you raise the have allowed corruption to creep in. resources for that? You have earned a reputation as a We want to smoothen decision-mak- We will try it through better com- good election manager. ing processes through these reforms pliance and the use of modern tech- I don’t agree. People have judged tested. Its partner, the BJP, however, in Punjab. By getting his party victo- Punjab (PPP), which was projected as won only 12 (seven fewer from 2007) ries in the 2007 and 2012 Assembly a strong contender before the elec- out of the 23 it contested. elections, and the 2008 panchayat tions, got only a little more than 5 per The Akalis also made significant elections and by avoiding a debacle in cent of the votes. Manpreet Badal, the advance in all the three regions of the the 2009 parliamentary elections leader of the front and a renegade Aka- State – Majha, Malwa and Doaba. when the mood was clearly against the li, could not retain his Gidderbaha seat However, the SAD-BJP lost 3.5 per- Akalis, Sukhbir Badal has proved his near Bhatinda. He finished third there centage points in its vote share from election management skills. and also in Maur, another constitu- 2007, while the Congress just about ency from where he contested. His po- retained its vote share THIRD FRONT litical opponent, Sukhbir Badal, The SAD-BJP combine’s vote The reduction in the vote share of the meanwhile, won by more than 50,000 share this time, however, is still more SAD-BJP can be attributed to a third votes, the highest in the State. Howev- than that of the Congress. Such mar- front that emerged in the State elec- er, what dents the Akali victory to an ginal difference in vote shares is a com- tions for the first time. But the Sanjha extent is the defeat of seven Ministers mon characteristic of all the elections Morcha, led by the People’s Party of in the outgoing government. This is

18 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

our performance. People used to have and that has given us a lot of strength. Punjab. That it is no more a cadre- different priorities 20 years ago, but This time we gave the party ticket to based ideological party. today they judge you only by perform- 11 Hindus. We have understood the No one can control politics. If ance. They have elected back only problems of Dalits and have pledged people like the candidate, they vote those governments whose perform- to work for all sections of society. for him. There are people like Capt. ance was good. Amarinder Singh, who fielded his son Do you need the BJP even now, when [Raninder Singh] in this election, but An urban agenda, representation for you are addressing its core he lost. Captain was projected as the Hindus, welfare schemes for people constituencies also? chief ministerial candidate. Even other than Jat-Sikhs. When did this Our alliance with the BJP is not a then, his son lost. People vote [for a shift come in the SAD’s ideology? political alliance. Ours is an emotion- candidate] only if they like a candi- Welfare was always our priority. al and a permanent alliance. Our re- date’s performance and personality. As times change, priorities of people lationship has been such that we change, priorities of India also don’t look at benefits and losses. In How do you plan to tackle the change and, similarly, priorities of Punjab, there is no difference be- Congress as the opposition now? parties also change. It will be some- tween the Akali and BJP cadre. There is no opposition at all. If thing different 20 years later. We, you see, they neither work on the too, are changing according to the One of the main allegations against ground nor are connected with the times. Today, the priority of the peo- you in these elections was that the people. They do not even appeal to ple is only development. Akali Dal used its sarpanchs as vote the government about the problems I agree that we were perceived as contractors. of the people. They just go into being an exclusively Jat-Sikh party, How will you buy votes? No one hibernation. but that perception was not real. We can buy votes. used to contest 50 per cent of the When do we see your promotion as It is alleged that your party has urban constituencies every time. But Chief Minister? turned into one run by the Badals yes, we have included more number I cannot answer that question. and other powerful families in of people from other communities Only the party will decide that. said to be because of an anti-incum- tance accorded to the dera factor may gress leaders started blaming oppos- bency sentiment against those seem an overestimation, inasmuch as a ing power blocks within the party for individuals. sitting MLA and close relative of Gur- the defeat. Some of them blamed the The support of deras (sects) is said meet Ram Rahim Singh, the leader of PPP for playing the spoiler, while oth- to have been crucial in the past elec- the Dera Sacha Sauda, lost despite ers blamed the 26-odd rebel candi- tions. For instance, the large number having known to enjoy the unstinted dates. They said that in at least 20 of seats the Congress secured in the support of dera followers in every seats, the Congress lost by only fewer Malwa region in 2007 was credited to election. than 2,000 votes. An example they cit- the open support it got from the Dera While the SAD attributed its victo- ed was that of Prakash Singh Badal’s Sacha Sauda, which had been at the ry to its governance over the last five son-in-law Adesh Pratap Singh Kai- receiving end of the SAD’s aggression. years, Amarinder Singh, the Chief ron, who won by just 59 votes, suggest- This time round, the many deras of Minister hopeful of the Congress, was ing that the mandate was not as greatly Punjab were reported to have support- quick to concede defeat and own full in favour of the Akalis as it was made ed individual candidates rather than a responsibility for it. out to be. Many others voiced worries particular party. However, the impor- However, as the days passed, Con- about the large-scale infusion of mon-

FRONTLINE 19 APRIL 6, 2012

ey and liquor and the use of brute force to the grass roots by the disciplined veys by Lokniti, a research group, there by the Akalis during the campaign. organisational machinery of the SAD. were complaints of police repression However, Pramod Kumar, director Following the delimitation exercise, and suppression of dissent. of the Chandigarh-based Institute of traditional constituencies got new Said Ashutosh Kumar, political Development and Communication, names and new urban areas under science professor at Panjab University dismissed these opinions. “The result them, and, hence, a substantial num- in Chandigarh and a member of Lok- is a positive verdict. The Congress ber of urban votes. The SAD attracted niti: “We were told in our surveys that banked too much on the anti-incum- these votes, which traditionally went sarpanchs [village heads] were used as bency factor and on negative cam- to the Congress when the BJP did not vote contractors in villages. Akali gov- paigning. It could not give any new contest. ernments in the local bodies gave the hope to the voters. As far as close con- Thirdly, the SAD-BJP’s neatly party an additional edge. These elec- tests go, even in 2007 there were at packaged programmes, such as the tions also saw an unprecedented rise in least 22 seats with victory margins of subsidised Atta-Dal scheme, free cycle kunbaparasti [family politics], with fewer than 2,000 votes,” he told Fron- to the girl child, the Right to Service all the leading parties distributing the tline. Act, and free health and electricity ticket among relatives of prominent He said though there was a polar- benefits, introduced over the last two leaders. How does one explain the de- isation of the anti-incumbency votes, years worked very well with the mar- generation of the Akali Dal, an ide- the PPP (which got around 5 per cent ginalised communities and poor farm- ologically rooted and cadre-based of the votes) and the Bahujan Samaj ers. party, into a ‘family party’? To what Party (4 per cent) harmed not only the In a dominantly agrarian State like extent should the leadership of Badal Congress but also the Akalis. “The Punjab, where the depeasantisation senior, given his control over the Akali Congress lost 22 seats because of the rate, farmers’ suicides and agrarian Dal as also his unmistakable ‘influen- PPP and the BSP, and the SAD lost 19 crisis have touched extremely high lev- ce’ over the SGPC [Shiromani Gurd- seats because of these two parties,” he els, these schemes came as a much- wara Prabandhak Committee] and said. needed relief for the poor. Together Akal Takht in post-militancy Punjab, with this, the government, by conduct- be held responsible for this? It is a THE AKALIS’ STRATEGY ing a survey based on income levels moot question, one that cannot be The SAD-BJP combine’s performance and means of livelihood, raised the dodged by one of the senior-most poli- needs to be seen in this context. Firstly, number of the poor to approximately ticians of the country, widely admired the SAD, which is seen as an upper- 17 lakh from the three lakh estimated as a mass leader and a ‘reconciler’, at caste Jat-Sikh party, gave the ticket to according to national poverty line the fag end of his eventful career.” as many as 11 Hindus for the first time standards. This helped more people to According to Pramod Kumar, the in its history. Of them, 10 candidates benefit from the welfare schemes. Congress failed because of its inability won. Until 1996, only a Sikh could be- Sukhbir Badal, as Deputy Chief to “regionalise its organisation, agenda come an SAD member. Minister, also implemented radical and leadership”. “It is interesting to The party, also for the first time, administrative reforms, drafted by a note that regional parties are making devoted ample space to the concerns of group of academics and bureaucrats. concerted efforts to ‘nationalise’ their the business community in its mani- As a result, out of the 34 reserved con- politics. The issues raised by the SAD festo and campaigns. The business stituencies, the SAD-BJP combine in its manifesto relate to Centre-State community is dominated by Hindu won in 24 despite having no credible relations; but the Congress manifesto Banias, who are politically the most Dalit face. Meanwhile, Dalit stalwarts is silent on these issues,” he said. influential group among Punjabi Hin- in the Congress such as Chaudhary Jagroop Singh Shekhon of Guru dus. This served as a boost to the SAD, Santokh Singh and Chaudhary Jagjit Nanak Dev University in Amritsar which had banked on its ally BJP for Singh lost the election and so did the noted that in the absence of an active garnering Hindu votes. wife of the Congress’ Dalit Member of opposition at present, it may not be Secondly, the SAD tried to shed its Parliament Mohinder Singh Kaypee. long before Punjab sees the Congress image of a strictly rural party by high- At 29 per cent, the proportion of Dalits going for strategic tie-ups for elec- lighting an extensive urban agenda in Punjab’s population is the highest tions. this time. Urban issues such as drink- for any State in the country, and Sukh- “These trends are saplings for the ing water supply, electricity, roads and bir Badal’s schemes and programmes ushering in of a coalition politics era in highways, bridges, business centres, for the poor proved to be a the State. It would be a healthy trend modern hospitals, higher education masterstroke. as dominant emotional issues of re- institutes, subsidisation of cable televi- venge and identities, which have long sion, free laptops and the like formed a FAMILY POLITICS been political issues in Punjab, would chunk of its manifesto. The flipside is that the SAD is still seen make way for real developmental is- The promises were disseminated as an autocratic party. In election sur- sues in the future,” he said. २

20 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Cover Story Whither identity politics?

As politics in Uttarakhand, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh moves towards bipolarity, it

is becoming less friendly to subaltern groups. BY KANCHAN CHANDRA

Elections with fragmented party tation. The proportion of State-level governments with coalitions has been increasing since the 1990s. systems are more friendly to the Their degree of fragmentation, while not as extreme as at the Centre, has been increasing too. But at least disadvantaged groups than elections in these three States, this trend has been reversed. Paradoxically, this may provoke even more frag- with bipolar party systems. Political mentation at the national level, as invigorated regional parties now resurrect talk of a “third front” representation has given the groups government at the Centre. The biggest surprise is Uttar Pradesh. Once among the most politically fragmented States in In- a point of entry into the ruling elite dia, it has now produced single-party majorities and a share of state resources. twice in a row and appears to be settling into a politics of alternation between the Samajwadi Party THE most striking aspect of the recently con- (S.P.) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). In Utta- cluded Assembly elections in north India – in the rakhand, the vote shares of the main parties – the States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress – is the gathering of initially fragmented political have swelled over time at the cost of the S.P. and forces around two main parties or poles. So far, smaller regional parties. The BSP has maintained its regional party systems in India have mostly run vote, but it is a distant third. In Punjab, too, the two parallel with national-level trends towards fragmen- main political forces – the Congress and the Shiro- mani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP alliance – have gained at the cost of smaller parties. This emerging bipolarity can undermine one of the healthier aspects of democracy in contemporary India: the politics of naming and representing subaltern groups. This is important not only because of what it tells us about the well-being of some particular set of groups but because of what it tells us about democracy itself. A democracy is only as good as it is among those who are worst off. In part, this is an ethical argument. And in part it is an instrumental one. In a world in which both identities and political alignments are ﬂuid, groups that are dominant at one time can easily switch places with the disadvantaged at another. A system that is friendly to the disadvantaged is in everyone’s best interests. India’s electoral system has in recent years become increasingly “subaltern-friendly”. By this, I mean not only that it is responsive to particular,

FRONTLINE 21 APRIL 6, 2012

pre-existing, subaltern groups, but that it constantly uncovers and represents new ones. Political representation has typically not altered the structural features of the Indian state and economy that produce and sustain disadvantage. But it has given members of subaltern groups a point of entry into the ruling elite and a share of state resources. Each time the defini- tion of subaltern groups changes, these ment. In 2007, the BSP obtained a Only 20 men and women from the points of entry are distributed a little majority of the seats. Its vote share of village have a regular job with a more widely. just over 30 per cent, while less than a monthly salary. Others of working age, All elections, however, are not majority, was comparable to those of who number over a thousand, cultivate equal. Elections with fragmented par- the dominant parties in Uttar Pra- small plots of land or collect firewood ty systems are more friendly to the desh’s history. And in 2012, when the or break boulders for a daily wage. It disadvantaged groups than elections S.P. repeated the feat of winning a ma- takes six men using rough tools about with bipolar party systems. In a multi- jority, the era of political fragmenta- two hours to break down a single boul- polar environment and a first-past- tion seems to be over decisively. der. If they work 12 hours without the-post system, parties face an un- Uttar Pradesh’s fragmented poli- stopping, they take home just over a certain future, and every vote counts. tics produced a regional democracy hundred rupees apiece. It is a hard life, Consequently, they work hard to mo- that was remarkably subaltern-friend- and political representation has not bilise groups that might provide that ly. Consider the example of a village changed that. But it has given the vil- elusive winning margin. In a bipolar nestled in the rocky hills of eastern lage a small claim on the resources and system, parties are more likely to sim- Uttar Pradesh, populated mainly by the attention of the state, and the ef- ply preserve their existing bases of sup- Gonds (classified as Scheduled Caste port. They may try to increase their in Uttar Pradesh) and backward castes vote at the margins, but they do not (Yadavs, Telis and Halwais). The vil- have reason to engage in the politics of lage was designated an Ambedkar vil- creating new identities on the scale lage by the S.P.-BSP government of that parties in a multipolar system do. 1995. In 2007, it acquired electricity As politics in Uttarakhand, Punjab and an all-weather road. Three villag- and now Uttar Pradesh moves towards ers are now employed as safai karm- bipolarity, it is becoming less friendly charis in a scheme introduced by the to subaltern groups. Mayawati government. It has a functioning panchayat, and a pradhan UTTAR PRADESH whom the villagers see as the first point The period of party fragmentation in of access to the government. A thou- Uttar Pradesh extended from 1993 un- sand households hold NREGA (Na- til 2007. Before 1993, the State usually tional Rural Employment Guarantee had a single dominant party, usually Act) cards, which they say were ac- the Congress and once each the Janata quired without hassle. Government of- Party and the BJP (in 1977 and 1991 ficials visit the village frequently, and respectively). In the three brief in- the villagers speak positively of inter- stances that a majority government actions with the police. was not achieved, a single party was Political representation has not usually within reaching distance. brought about any deep changes in the After 1993, this single-party dom- structure of opportunity for the sub- inance was replaced by a multipolar altern groups who live in this village. system with four main parties – the S.P. and the BSP, whose fortunes were AT A BSP rally in Sitapur in Uttar in the ascendant, and the BJP and the Pradesh. Political representation has Congress, whose fortunes were on the typically not altered the structural wane. None was strong enough to ob- features of the Indian state and tain a majority, but each was a viable economy that produce and sustain contender to lead a coalition govern- disadvantage.

22 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

fects are tangible. Muslims, too, were ble that a promise that political parties one especially polarised district in the named and represented during this hesitated to make just 10 years ago east, Dalit voters complained that the period to a greater degree than previ- because of fears that it would trigger a “raja” – one of the large landlords in ously (see Chart 1). As parties compet- “Hindu backlash” could now so easily the area – did not let them vote. Two ed in a multipolar environment, each be placed on Uttar Pradesh’s political elections later, the raja himself ran on attempted to “outbid” the other by of- agenda. the BSP ticket. The BSP had begun fering the party ticket to a higher num- In 10 short years of fragmentation, defining Thakurs as a minority too, ber of people from particular social political parties generated more social and that made him eligible for the tick- groups. This was initially accompa- and political identities in Uttar Pra- et. The S.P. had also previously offered nied by a drop in the representation of desh than it had seen in 50 years of him the ticket using the same logic. Muslims in the legislature. But by single-party dominated politics. They The S.P.’s victory in these elections 2012, the proportion of Muslims included Bahujan, MBC (Most Back- has now drawn the period of political among both party candidates and leg- ward Castes), BFC (Backward among fragmentation to a close. Its majority islators, while still lower than in the the Forward Castes), FBC (Forward rests on a fragile vote margin: it more population, has reached its highest among Backward), Forward Muslims, than doubled its seats compared with point in three decades. and Backward Muslims, and Uttaran- 2007 but increased its vote by just 3.72 Indeed, by 2012, Muslims had chal, to name just a few. per cent. The difference between the come to occupy a central space in the The mobilisation of so many new seat shares of the S.P. and the BSP – election rhetoric of all the major par- identities is sometimes criticised as a 224 to 80 – is huge. But the difference ties except the BJP, so much so that the divisive form of politics. But the lines in their vote share is only 3.24 per cent. Congress promised to introduce a quo- of division are too fluid to be too deep. This majority verdict was produced ta for Muslims if it were elected. For all And over time, groups on both sides of not by a large increase in ground-level the fuss between the Election Com- the dividing line have found some support for the S.P. but by a change in mission and Union Minister Salman form of representation. Many even the combinations that voted for the Khurshid over this issue, it is remarka- have multiple champions. In 1996, in party. These combinations may or may not be reproduced in the future. But the S.P. and the BSP have now emerged as the two dominant parties in Uttar Pradesh’s politics. Even if they do not get a majority of seats again, we can reasonably expect a politics of two- party alternation, in which one or another heads a governing coalition that it is large enough to dominate. As the two main parties get larger, each has begun to expand into the other’s vote base. Some analysts read this as evidence that the politics of identity is becoming less important in Uttar Pradesh. But the main lesson of this election is not that identity politics has begun to matter less, but that there is a change in how it matters. Both parties are now paying more attention to defending the borders of the categories they had previously defined rather than proposing new ones. As an S.P. candidate from one constituency said when I asked him about his strategy in the 2012 elections: “Our strategy is to just preserve our vote base into which the BSP is making incursions. Ours is Yadav-Brahmin. Theirs is Maurya-Chamar.” The BSP government passed a resolution some

SAURABH DAS/AP months before the election calling for

FRONTLINE 23 APRIL 6, 2012

Uttar Pradesh to be divided into four on these ethnic differences. But, even Hindu traders of the BJP and the States. This seemed an attempt to mo- though Uttarakhand is itself a product Congress. bilise new regional identities in antici- of subaltern mobilisation within, and In the 1997 elections, the BSP cut pation of a hung Parliament, but the consequent separation from, the larger into the base of both the Congress and party did not in the end make it a State of Uttar Pradesh, this election the Akali Dal, pushing both parties, as major campaign plank. As a result, campaign was marked by the relative well as the Communists, to engage in each has paid more attention to de- absence of reference to subordinate the overt mobilisation of these sub- fending this base against incursions groups, however defined. The focus of altern groups. But hit first by the disin- than proposing new identity catego- the campaign was on development, tegration of the BAMCEF [All India ries. The era of forging new social iden- corruption and criticism of the incum- Backward and Minority Communities tities that distinguished the politics of bent BJP government. This relative in- Employees’ Federation] in the State Uttar Pradesh in the last two decades visibility of minorities during elections and then by the death of Kanshi Ram, seems now to be over. is related to Uttarakhand’s emerging it no longer has the capacity to become two-party system. a viable channel for Dalits and back- UTTARAKHAND wards itself, or to influence the agenda In Uttarakhand, the BJP, with 31 PUNJAB of other political parties in Punjab. seats, and the Congress, with 32, each When the first competitive election And the consolidation of a bipolar sys- came within striking distance of the was held in post-conflict Punjab in tem in Punjab means that the main required majority (36 members in a 1997 (the 1992 election was boycotted political parties do not have an incen- 70-member House). Both parties have by the Akali Dal and the turnout was tive to do so themselves. steadily increased their vote share in low), four main parties were in the Indeed, references to subaltern the three elections held in Uttarkhand fray. The SAD fought the 1997 elec- groups were conspicuously absent in since 1992. The Congress obtained tions in alliance with the BJP and won Punjab’s election campaign just as 33.79 per cent of the votes in the 2012 a majority on its own. The Congress they were in Uttarakhand. Both the elections compared with the 26.91 per was the second largest party but not its SAD and the Congress sought the sup- cent it obtained in its first election in sole opponent. The BSP was a potent port of Dalits indirectly by seeking the the State. And the BJP won 33.13 per third force. support of the leaders of prominent cent of the votes compared with 25.45 But the BSP has steadily lost deras – sects – associated with Dalits. per cent 10 years ago. ground in this State. So have smaller But the overt campaigns of both politi- The BSP, with a vote share that has parties such as the SAD(M), while the cal parties focussed on general issues hovered between 11 per cent and 12 per Congress has gained. The result is that such as development and corruption, cent, is a distant third. And the other Punjab, like Uttarakhand, now has a regional issues such as water sharing, significant political forces in Uttarak- bipolar political system, with the Con- and the usual promises of subsidies in hand – the S.P. and the various fac- gress on one side and the SAD-BJP on power and diesel to farmers. Subaltern tions of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal – the other. groups, ethnic or otherwise, were in- have lost support over time. Punjab is one of India’s more pros- visible in this election campaign, and Uttarakhand has a diverse ethnic perous States, but it is no stranger to the dominance of Jat Sikhs across the structure, comparable although not disadvantage. It is home to the largest main political parties went unchal- identical to Uttar Pradesh. Dalits con- concentration of Dalits in India, who lenged. If anything, there appears to be stitute 18 per cent of its population make up 29 per cent of its total pop- an increasing entrenchment of politi- (compared with 21 per cent in Uttar ulation and almost a third of its rural cal power in the Punjab Assembly as Pradesh). Muslims constitute 12 per population. It also has a large propor- wealth and family ties reinforce pat- cent (compared with 18 per cent in tion of backward castes. And, although terns of dominance and subordination Uttar Pradesh). It has small, but prom- Dalits and backward castes in Punjab already defined by caste. २ inent Sikh and Scheduled Tribe pop- are better off compared with their Kanchan Chandra, Professor of ulations. There are emerging counterparts in other States, their con- Politics at New York University, is differences between the hills and dition compares unfavourably with the author of Why Ethnic Parties plains peoples. And economic disad- the Jat Sikhs, who dominate both the Succeed (Cambridge University Press, vantage is overlaid, albeit imperfectly, Akali Dal and the Congress, and the 2004).

24 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Cover Story Verdict for change

The Congress suffers a crushing defeat, its worst performance since 1980.

BY PAMELA D’MELLO IN PANAJI

For all the noise made against worse, eight of its Ministers lost the election. The party lost 11 seats, eight of them to the alliance between the BJP and the Maharashtrawadi Goman- mining and the real estate lobbies, tak Party (MGP), two to independents and one to the more than a normal share of newly revived Goa Vikas Party (GVP), floated by Francisco Pacheco, former Tourism Minister of the legislators in the new House, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The NCP, Con- gress’s alliance partner, lost all of its three seats, two irrespective of party affiliations, to the BJP and one to an independent. Independ- ents, meanwhile, increased their seats from two in have direct connections to the previous Assembly to five. The BJP increased its tally from 14 in 2007 to a these lobbies. simple majority of 21 on its own and 24 in combination with its partner. Its alliance with the MGP is one AS Goa’s new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gov- of the many factors that scripted huge wins for the ernment settles down in office, it is easy to forget that party. Ever since it rode piggyback on the MGP in a month ago the Congress seemed confident of re- 1994, the BJP has grown in the State at the cost of the turning to power in the State. The party is shell- MGP’s soft Hindutva credentials. In the past few shocked at its crushing defeat, its worst performance Assembly elections, the MGP, which is now reduced since 1980. The Congress won a mere nine seats, and, to being the hegemonic entity of two brothers, Sud- hin and Deepak Dhavlikar, in Goa’s interior Ponda taluk, contested on its own and entered into post- electoral alliances with the Congress for government formation. A regular split in the traditional vote bases of the BJP and the MGP gave the Congress an advantage in the past. This time, the MGP and the BJP found themselves on a common platform in opposing government grants to mainly Christian primary schools which wanted to shift from Konkani medium to English medium. This emotive plank helped the alliance consolidate traditional Hindu votes in some regions, to the detriment of the Congress. Sangh Parivar organisations such as the Hindu Janajagruti and their women’s wings helped with a hushed campaign to vote for the lotus and even for the Christian candidates in their fold. The BJP contested 28 seats, left seven to the MGP and strategically supported five independents and other regional outfits such as the GVP in the Christian-dominated Salcete taluk. In a crucial de- PTI parture from its earlier stance, the BJP sidestepped CHIEF MINISTER MANOHAR Parrikar (left) with Governor its own loyalists and picked “winnable” candidates K. Sankaranarayanan after the swearing-in in Panaji on who were new to the party but had the financial March 9. wherewithal to run a campaign.

FRONTLINE 25 APRIL 6, 2012

The strategy worked. Anti-incum- the BJP-MGP’s brand of communal The party’s ticket distribution ex- bency and an anti-Congress wave deci- politics. ercise – conducted under intense mated the Congress in this taluk, “Voters seem to have been simply media spotlight – saw each satrap suc- which in the past had given the Con- fed up with the arrogance and hubris cessfully jockeying for the ticket for gress all its eight Assembly seats. This of the Congress and the BJP. It was an relatives and cronies, with an eye on a time, Salcete swung its votes in favour anti-Congress wave, not a pro-BJP majority in the legislature party and of three independents, two GVP candi- wave, and certainly not an endorse- chief ministership. In the process, at dates and one BJP candidate. The ment of the Hindutva ideology,” said least three loyalists were ditched in Congress won two seats. Dr Oscar Rebello, a physician and an favour of “winnable” last-minute de- activist. According to the Citizen’s Ini- fectors from the BJP. That these loyal- SWING IN CATHOLIC VOTES tiative for Communal Harmony, “the ists-turned-rebels won at the hustings In another careful strategy, the BJP anger generated by the Congress and was an indication of both the flawed replicated a successful experiment in its abysmal levels of corruption cloud- choices the Congress made and the fielding Christian candidates. Over ed the people’s minds so much that voters’ disgust with its politics. several terms, its Mapusa MLA Fran- they failed to see or overlooked the “There’s something called the aes- cis D’Souza had returned unerringly communal ideology of the BJP.” thetics of corruption, when it gets too and with huge margins to the House, The no-nonsense charisma of BJP vulgar and too in-your-face, it can be benefiting from both the BJP-MGP leader Manohar Parrikar and his abil- the tipping point,” said Alito Sequeira, vote base and his own status in the ities as an able administrator played the sociologist and Goa University community. This time the BJP gave at no small role in the voters’ choice of the professor. The four seats allotted to the least six Christian nominees the ticket party. There is still a great deal of mis- Alemao clan would certainly qualify in constituencies with sizable Chris- trust with the BJP, alongside the real- for this, as was the arrogance and pre- tian population. It kept away all hard- isation among a section of the people sumption in setting out to eye the top line Hindutva elements and agendas that while some towering Christian job even before a vote was cast. from the campaign and instead con- politicians have been eased out, those While the leaders jostled for the centrated on corruption and develop- now elected to the House are largely ticket, the Congress ran an unorga- ment issues. businessmen, some of whom have in nised campaign. In contrast, the saf- All six of the alliance’s Christian the past displayed scarce abilities to fron party was hyperactive on nominees won. “There can be little put aside their business interests and Facebook, new media sites and the In- doubt that the Church played a big role stand up to a strong leader. ternet. Digambar Kamat’s supporters in the move away from the Congress,” Dr Wilfred de Souza, the seasoned are livid that the party did not suffi- said hotelier Ralph de Souza. In its politician, feels that “Christians have ciently highlight the Chief Minister’s pre-election statements, the Council been played for fools this election by accessibility, responsiveness to public for Social Justice and Peace, the wing the BJP”. demands and achievements – he of the Church that comments on social scrapped special economic zones matters, had “advised” people to vote CONGRESS, ITS OWN ENEMY (SEZs), held the country’s first-ever ci- wisely, for honest, non-corrupt candi- While the BJP suffers from the com- tizen participatory Regional Plan, gave dates. And this time, it overtly down- plete domination of a single leader, the a tremendous boost to art and cultural played its traditional anathema to Congress has too many. In Goa, power activities, implemented the Sixth Pay “communal” politics. centres in the Congress revolved Commission, and introduced schemes Voters here have long been uncom- around Vishwajit Rane, son of former such as the distribution of subsidised fortable with their back-against-the- Chief Minister and Speaker of the out- vegetables and grain and those for the wall plight of having to choose be- going Assembly Pratapsing Rane; girl child and senior citizens. The Con- tween Congress regimes that sank into Chief Minister Digambar Kamat; and gress ran a lukewarm campaign and corruption and real estate speculation Ministers Churchill Alemao, Atanasio was unable to counter any of the BJP’s (a bugbear with Christian voters) and Monserrate and Ravi Naik. doublespeak on family raj or the Sangh

26 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

Parivar’s communal agenda in the State.

BJP AND NGOS The BJP’s campaign was well- planned, aggressive and spread out. The party has in the past decade sys- tematically set up a network of NGOs and back-room activists who bat for it covertly. Occupying the activist space, these satellite NGOs whipped up anti- Congress sentiments, encouraged a split in the votes to the BJP’s favour, and brought the issue of corruption centre stage. Team Anna’s India Against Corruption (Goa unit), with its vote for change slogan, ran a campaign in the State just days ahead of the election. Speeches at the meetings left no one in any doubt about who it fa- voured. Another NGO, The Forum of Good Governance, ran a multi-crore advertisement campaign in the print, television/cable and hoarding media that damaged the Congress’ prospects sig- AFP nificantly. “How does an NGO get CONGRESS LEADER CHURCHILL Alemao (second from right) leaves the crores [of rupees] to sponsor defama- counting centre in Margao on March 6. tory advertisements of that nature?” asked Congress’ Rajya Sabha member measure of the BJP’s victory to the in case of a split of votes, the BJP could Shantaram Naik. He holds that the effect of a delimitation and redrawing rarely win the seat. With delimitation, NGO was a smokescreen to beat the of Assembly constituencies that took it added two other areas, Balli and Am- expenditure curb of Rs.8 lakh for can- place under an earlier BJP regime. At baulim, from a different taluk and rev- didates and has complained to the least a few of the seats it won came enue district. This seems to have Election Commission about it. It end- because of the “delimitation effect”. changed the arithmetic here,” says ed up making a mockery of the Elec- The accusation – not unfounded – is Guilerme Almeida, a local journalist. tion Commission’s guidelines, he says. that in redrawing the Assembly seg- And, for all the noise made against While the BJP thanked the media after ments, Christian segments were mining and real estate lobbies, more the campaigning closed, several Con- sought to be weakened, by adding in than a normal share of legislators in gress leaders complained that the pockets with the majority population the new House, irrespective of party media had been less than fair to it. and vice versa. This was especially affiliations, have direct connections to Aside for a BJP mouthpiece, at least done in Salcete taluk. these lobbies. While some columnists one other English daily played an ag- This was quite clear in the case of hail the “people’s verdict for change”, gressive role in creating an anti-Con- the Cuncolim segment, where the Con- there are some who caution that Goans gress wave. gress lost to the BJP. “Cuncolim was may have jumped from the frying pan Political analysts accord no small always Christian-dominated, and even into the fire. २

FRONTLINE 27 Cover Story APRIL 6, 2012 Clean sweep

The Congress wins a thumping majority to rule Manipur for a third consecutive

term. BY SUSHANTA TALUKDAR

The Trinamool Congress has won east to have won Assembly elections in two States. The Lok Janshakti Party won one seat. Out of the 40 seven seats and emerged as the seats in the four valley districts, the Congress won 28, improving on its tally of 2007 by three seats. Its remaining 14 seats came from the five hill districts, second largest party. The Naga which account for 20 seats. Ibobi Singh was re- People’s Front, the ruling party of elected from Thoubal constituency with the highest margin of 15,453 votes, while Maibam Kunjo of the Nagaland, won four seats in its Trinamool Congress won with the lowest margin of 17 votes from Hiyanglam constituency. electoral debut and hopes to keep The four opposition parties that formed a pre- election alliance called the People’s Democratic alive the Naga integration issue. Front (PDF) and adopted a Common Minimum Pro- gramme (CMP), the Manipur People’s Party (MPP), THE Congress and, more specifically, two-time the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Commu- Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, have performed nist Party of India (Marxist) and the Janata Dal a hat-trick in Manipur. The party, leading the Secu- (United), won only one seat. The NCP’s L. Ibomcha lar Progressive Front (SPF), secured a thumping Singh, who got elected from Keishamthang constitu- mandate in the Assembly elections held on January ency, will be the PDF’s lone representative in the new 28 to rule the north-eastern State for a third consec- Assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which utive term. Ibobi Singh, who scripted the party’s had reached a seat-sharing agreement with the MPP victory, has created history yet again by becoming outside the PDF’s fold, too drew a blank. The verdict the first person to be elected Chief Minister of Mani- showed that the MPP’s experiment of taking an alli- pur three times in a row. In 2007, Ibobi Singh be- ance partner from outside an alliance did not work came the first Chief Minister in the State to complete with the voters. a five-year term. The Congress’ landslide victory came despite a The Congress won 42 seats in the 60-member “ban” imposed on the ruling party by CorCom, or the Assembly, more than a two-thirds majority. The Coordination Committee of seven rebel outfits – the dark horse in this election was the Trinamool Con- United National Liberation Front (UNLF), the Rev- gress. The party won seven seats and emerged as the olutionary People’s Front (RPF), the Kangleipak second largest party, followed by the Manipur State Communist Party (KCP), the People’s Revolutionary Congress Party (MSCP) with five seats. The Naga Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), the PREPAK (Pro), People’s Front (NPF), the ruling party of the neigh- the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) and the Unit- bouring State of Nagaland, won four seats in its ed People’s Party of Kangleipak (UPPK). The Cor- debut to become the first regional party in the north- Com carried out a series of bomb and grenade

28 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

and the short supply of essentials; and issues of routine governance such as health care, connectivity and electricity supply. Although the Congress’ victory was a foregone conclusion, it was the SPF-II government’s focus on rural connectivity that brought in the additional votes for the ruling front. The verdict indicated that when a State was bereft of basic infrastructure for decades, even the construction of minor roads in the rural areas would mean a lot. Like his counterpart Tarun Gogoi in Assam, Ibobi Singh too focussed his government’s development initiatives on rural connectivity and succeeded in reaping the dividends in the form of electoral gain. The growing number of vehicles plying between Imphal and nearby rural areas is an indicator of the transformation in people’s mobility that road infrastructure has brought about in the past ﬁve years. But this change has gone largely unnoticed by many. Earlier, people from any rural destination had to walk three to ﬁve kilometres to reach the nearest bus stop. Now, they can board a vehicle at their doorsteps, thanks to the new roads that have been laid in the villages. The development of in-

RITU RAJ KONWAR frastructure encouraged nationalised CHIEF MINISTER OKRAM Ibobi Singh waves to supporters as he arrives to banks to come forward to finance the meet the newly elected Congress MLAs at the Congress Bhavan in Imphal purchase of three- and four-wheeler on March 7. vehicles and to expand their operations to the rural areas. Also, the op- attacks on the houses of Congress ing on the wall clear to the rebel outfits. eration of these vehicles has resulted in candidates, workers and supporters in They said that during the run-up-to a chain of service activities such as the order to enforce the ban. This affected the elections, the CorCom “ban” had opening of automobile workshops and the Congress’ campaign in the valley. overshadowed issues that were crip- spare parts shops, and generating live- The attacks showed that the under- pling the State – the blockade of Na- lihood avenues for the rural youth. Im- ground outfits had the capacity to tional Highways 39 and 53, the plementation of works under the strike at will. lifelines of Manipur, called by various Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Em- Poll-watchers, however, say that organisations; the Ibobi Singh govern- ployment Guarantee Act helped the the people’s verdict has made the writ- ment’s response to the spiralling prices Congress reach out to a large section of

FRONTLINE 29 APRIL 6, 2012

MAMATA BANERJEE, WEST Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader, with her party MLAs from Manipur, in Kolkata. rural voters. The CPI, which was a coa- ency-wise voting pattern indicates that The verdict showed that apart lition partner of the SPF in its two the Trinamool Congress’ gain was from retaining its base in the Meitei- previous terms, drew a blank this time. more at the cost of the PDF constitu- dominated valley, the Congress suc- In 2007, the CPI won four seats. Politi- ents than at the cost of the Congress. ceeded in securing the support of both cal observers maintain that the Left Of the seven seats it won, three were Nagas and non-Nagas in the hill re- parties were defeated because of the wrested from the Congress and four gion. Of the 11 Naga-dominated con- failure of their leaders to attract, and from the PDF (two from the MPP and stituencies, the Congress won in six, make space for, young leaders. The two from the NCP). Besides, in a num- the NPF in four, and the MSCP one. CPI’s decision to go it alone this time ber of constituencies, the Trinamool The Congress won all the six seats in did not go down well with the voters. Congress cut into the anti-Congress Churachandpur district. The Congress They saw it as a move by the CPI to vote, causing the defeat of PDF candi- won three of the six seats in Senapati shrug off the responsibility for the dates. district, two of the three seats in Uk- commissions and omissions of the SPF However, voters in seven constitu- hrul, and one of the two seats in Chan- government. The voters also seemed to encies saw the Trinamool as an alter- del district. disapprove of the dual position of the native to both the Congress and the Significantly, the Congress candi- CPI – of sharing power with the Con- PDF. Whether the Trinamool will be date, M.K. Preshow, was elected in gress in the State and at the same time able to hold on to this support base and Chingai constituency in Ukhrul dis- remaining a strong critic of it at the expand it in future will depend on the trict, which includes Somdal village, Centre. future of its alliance with the Congress the birthplace of Thuingaleng Muivah, In 2007, the Congress won 30 at the Centre and in West Bengal. the general secretary of the National seats, the MPP and the NCP five seats In the hills, it was a spectacular Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak- each, the United Naga Council (UNC)- performance by the Congress. The rul- Muivah). Preshow got 9,865 votes backed independents six, the NPP and ing party won 14 seats in the five dis- while his nearest rival, an independ- the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (an- tricts, which include the four ent, Kashim Vashum, secured 9,050 other SPF constituent) three each, and Naga-dominated districts of Senapati, votes and the NPF candidate finished independents four. Tamenglong, Chandel and Ukhrul and third with 7,659 votes. The constitu- The Trinamool Congress’ victory the non-Naga-dominated district of ency witnessed re-polling in nine poll- this time was confined to the four val- Churachandpur. In 2007, the Con- ing stations, including three in Somdal ley districts. Its winners included a sit- gress had won five seats in the hills under heavy security. In 2010, the Ibo- ting MLA representing Konthoujam while independents backed by the bi Singh government rejected Mui- constituency, the seat which the Trina- UNC, the apex body of the Nagas in vah’s wish to visit Somdal, and refused mool had wrested from the Congress Manipur, won six seats. This time the to allow him entry into Manipur al- in a byelection earlier. The constitu- UNC backed NPF candidates. though the Union Home Ministry had

30 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH PTI AT THE NAGA Reconciliation meeting in Dimapur, Nagaland, on February 29. Hundreds of Naga people from Manipur attended it. granted him permission. In 2007, KVA power substations at Jessami, when it goes back to voters in Naga- UNC-backed candidates won all the Tamei and Tousem, a 50-bed hospital land for another mandate next year. three seats in Ukhrul district. This at Senapati, a primary health centre Several busloads of Naga people from time the NPF, which had the backing building at Jessami, a Navodaya Manipur attended the Naga Reconcil- of the UNC, managed to win only one school building at Tamenglong, and iation meeting, organised by the Fo- seat, Ukhrul, that too by a slim margin mini-secretariats at Tamenglong and rum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) in of 70 votes. In Chandel district, the Senapati, helped the Congress con- Dimapur in Nagaland on February 29. NPF won the Chandel constituency by vince the hill voters about its commit- Five Naga underground outfits and a narrow margin of 166 votes. ment to development. various Naga groups and organisa- As in the 2007 elections, this time With the NPF and the Congress tions came together on a common too the issue of “Naga integration” being major stakeholders in Nagaland platform and reaffirmed their commit- dominated the campaign in the four too, the verdict of the elections in Ma- ment to reconciliation. The NPF’s en- hill districts. Nagaland Chief Minister nipur is expected to resonate in the try into the Manipur Assembly will Neiphiu Rio, who was the star cam- neighbouring State, which is going to keep alive the issues of Manipur’s ter- paigner for the NPF, harped on the the polls in 2013. While the NPF has ritorial integrity and Naga integration. issue at every election meeting in Ma- made its debut in the Manipur As- Ibobi Singh can certainly take the nipur. The Congress countered the sembly, the Nagaland Pradesh Con- credit for the Congress’ electoral per- NPF campaign by focussing on devel- gress Committee (NPCC) has formance as no star campaigner came opment and co-existence. described the NPF’s performance a from Delhi to lead the electioneering. The Congress also benefited from “backward journey to integration” and Although his two terms as Chief Min- the holding of elections to the Autono- claimed that the majority of the Nagas ister provided some political stability mous District Councils in the hill disin Manipur rejected the NPF’s agenda to the State which had seen seven gov- tricts after 20 years. The party justified of “Naga integration”. ernments between 1990 and 2002, the elections saying that the absence of In his election speeches, Rio put Ibobi Singh may find it difficult to keep elected district councils amounted to forward the NPF’s agenda before the the party leaders together for the sim- denying the hill people the right to voters and said that the time had come ple reason that even after accommo- local self-governance. Besides, devel- to “integrate politically, culturally and dating many aspirants in his opment funds provided to the ADCs economically as one people, stressing 12-member Ministry, 30 MLAs have would remain unutilised if elections that only then can all Nagas be in- been left out. The next five years will were not held, party leaders pointed tegrated physically”. see Ibobi Singh face one of the tough- out. Besides the elections to the ADCs, The party can hope to gain from est stability tests, and he will have to the inauguration of a number of devel- the role NPF MLAs will play in the find ways to prevent Manipur from opment projects, including three 33/11 days to come on the contentious issue going the Meghalaya way. २

FRONTLINE 31 Institutions APRIL 6, 2012 Dubious promotions

Powerful vested interests inﬂuence the selection process at AIIMS to help 39

undeserving candidates become senior faculty members. BY R. RAMACHANDRAN

These candidates were considered proved this on November 28, 2011, on his own without recourse to the normal process of approval through a meeting of the Institute Body (IB). It may through an irregular mechanism be noted that the AIIMS President is, by the Act, the introduced as a sort of forced Chairman of the GB as well. By ordering a review, the Minister was overruling a decision that he, as GB promotion system, which is not Chairman, had been party to. The APS, it should be pointed out, is an irregular provided for in the AIIMS Act and mechanism introduced by AIIMS as a sort of forced promotion system, which is not provided for in the whose validity has been questioned rules of the AIIMS Act, and its validity has been questioned by Ministry officials in the past. Under by the Health Ministry in the past. this scheme, some of the faculty selected as assistant professors through the national selection process are IN an extraordinary case of blatant political in- promoted to higher designations as associate profes- terference in professional appointments, the Gov- sors and professors, with attendant financial benefits erning Body (GB) of the All India Institute of of the respective higher grades, even if there are no Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the country’s premier sanctioned positions in these categories. Sanctioned medical institution, promoted to higher designa- posts can only be filled by inviting applications from tions and grades all 39 candidates who had been all over the country and by a national selection panel. found unsuitable for promotion by the nine-member Even if an assistant professor of AIIMS fails to Standing Selection Committee (SSC) appointed by make the grade in the national selection process, he the institute. The 39 candidates were among 251 or she can be considered for promotion under the persons who were considered by the SSC in Novem- APS. The difference appears to be only notional in ber-December 2010 for promotion under an internal the sense that people who have made it through the system called the Assessment Promotion Scheme national selection process are called cadre associate (APS). The SSC’s recommendations are only ad- professors and professors, while those who come visory and they need to be approved by the GB in through the APS are not. Interestingly, at present 99 accordance with Item 19 (ii) of Schedule-I of AIIMS positions of professors have been filled through the Regulations 1999 (as amended). At its APS and some of them are heads of meeting of March 1, 2011, the GB ap- departments, even as several sanc- proved the selection and, accordingly, tioned positions, which should have the remaining 212 candidates were been filled with better qualified pro- promoted. But, of the 39 who had been fessionals through the national selec- found unfit for promotion, 36 made tion, remain vacant. representations to the President of the As directed by the Minister, the AIIMS, who, by the AIIMS Act of Par- present SSC reviewed the earlier se- liament, is the Union Minister for lection on January 6. But for the new Health and Family Welfare. The Minis- Director General of Health Services ter, Ghulam Nabi Azad, in turn, or- (DGHS), who is an ex-officio member dered a review of the selection. More of the SSC, the composition of the SSC

accurately, this review was ordered by V. SUDERSHAN was the same as that in 2010. As is the Ministry of Health and Family Wel- R.C. DEKA, WHO took customary, for the purpose of selec- fare through its letters dated August 1 over as the Director of tion, the SSC invites two external ex- and 9, 2011. The AIIMS President ap- AIIMS in March 2009. perts/advisers in each discipline for

32 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

but also those of others among the remaining 212 doubly irregular. It is im- AIIMS IN portant, therefore, to go to the root of New Delhi. the issue, which is directly linked to the violation of the government’s reservation policy for Scheduled Caste/Sched- uled Tribe/Other Backward Classes candidates. Between 1999 and 2003, AIIMS did not conduct its regular selection of faculty because of agitations and litigation against reservation in faculty selections. Entry-level posts of associate professors were filled on an ad hoc basis and 152 (out of the sanctioned 219) appointments were made. The regular selection process, by appointing a proper SSC, was resumed in 2003. Appropriate national advertisements were issued for 170 posts in V.V. KRISHNAN March and August 2002. However, a evaluating the candidates. A note by nancial Adviser, Health Ministry; large number (131) of ad hoc faculty the institute faculty cell had been pro- Sushma Swaraj, Lok Sabha member; were appointed in the vacant posts. vided to the SSC in addition to the 36 Motilal Vora, Rajya Sabha member; Thus, the selection process had vio- representations and other relevant P.K. Pradhan, Secretary, Health Min- lated the rules of fair selection as well documents. According to the minutes istry; Ms Vibha Puri Das, Secretary as the government’s prescriptions un- of the SSC meeting of January 6, after (Higher Education, Ministry of Hu- der the reservation policy. examining all the relevant facts, the man Resource Development); K.K. Not only that, nearly half (64) of committee reiterated its earlier deci- Talwar, Director, Post-Graduate Insti- these people were soon promoted to sion of 2010 on the fitness or otherwise tute of Medical Education and Re- higher grades almost immediately af- of the candidates. search (PGIMER), Chandigarh; R.A. ter their selection under the APS; their Specifically, (a) there was universal Badwe, Director, Tata Memorial Hos- years of service as ad hoc faculty were agreement on the fitness for promo- pital; and S.P. Agarwal, Secretary- treated as regular service to make tion of 212 candidates; (b) there was General, Indian Red Cross Society. them eligible for the promotions. The consensus on the unfitness of 26 (of R.C. Deka, Director, AIIMS, is the Ministry received several representa- the 39); (c) the majority of the mem- Member-Secretary of the GB. It tions pointing out these violations, bers agreed on the unfitness of four (of should be borne in mind that, as mem- which deprived many meritorious can- the remaining 13) with two members bers of the current SSC, Prasad, Tal- didates of the opportunity of appoint- disagreeing; and, (d) one member dis- war, Badwe and Deka had reiterated ment. These representations argued agreed on the unfitness of the remain- the 2010 decision that found the 39 that nearly the entire ad hoc faculty ing nine (from the 13). However, the candidates unsuitable. Badwe, in fact, had got regularised in this manner. GB, in its meeting held on January 16, is the Chairman of the SSC. This is a One faculty member, Sarnam Singh, rejected the recommendations of the clear indication of the powerful influ- also went to court arguing that the SSC and appointed all the 251 who had ence of politicians in decisions that selection had affected the rights of been considered for promotion. One affect the medical profession. candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC senior faculty member pointed out It should be pointed out that the categories. Following this, the Health that if at all any change was warranted, 251 candidates considered under the Ministry appointed a five-member ex- the benefit of the doubt could have APS included many who were, by ear- pert committee under Karan Singh been given to the 13 candidates on lier court directives, to be excluded for Yadav, a Lok Sabha member, on Janu- whose fitness there seemed to have promotions as they had been appoint- ary 23, 2007, to examine the process of been some disagreement, but not all ed on an ad hoc basis in 1993-2003, selection by the SSC. The committee the 39. and they would not have had the requi- submitted its report in November Besides the Minister as its Chair- site four years of regular service at AI- 2007. man, the GB comprises the following IMS to be eligible for being considered The Karan Singh Committee members: Jagdish Prasad, DGHS; under the APS. This would make the found that the ad hoc selections made R.K. Jain, Additional Secretary and Fi- promotions of not only the 39 doctors in 1993-2003, as well as the process of

FRONTLINE 33 APRIL 6, 2012

the SSC selection in 2003, were char- lenging the reservation for SC/ST/ the time of the SSC review, the sit- acterised by a series of arbitrary in- OBC categories in faculty appoint- uation regarding both the SLPs had house decisions and actions that vio- ments and sought exemption for not moved any further in the Supreme lated proper procedures. It observed AIIMS. The ad hoc faculty too had Court, and no final decision had been that pending court cases were not suf- filed a petition seeking regularisation taken by the court to confirm the ap- ficient justification for holding regular of their services from the date of their pointments following the 2003 selec- selection in abeyance. But, even after initial ad hoc appointment. The court, tion process. The situation continues the court dismissed the petition in however, upheld the reservation pol- to be the same today except for the 2001, no advertisements calling for icy, stating that it saw no reason not to recommendation of the GB on April appointment to various posts ap- apply the reservation rule, and stayed 17, 2003, asking the ad hoc faculty to peared for more than one year. As re- any regularisation of the ad hoc facul- withdraw their SLP in order to facil- gards the 2003 selection for the ty. It dismissed both the petitions on itate regularisation. The SLP was advertised 170 positions, 762 persons November 26, 2001. withdrawn on June 4, 2003. had appeared for interview. They in- In its order, the court said: “[W]e But, the committee expressed concluded 151 ad hoc faculty members of fail to appreciate how petitioners cern that the Supreme Court’s orders AIIMS and 611 external candidates, could stake their claim for regularisa- were not taken into consideration be- including 209 from the reserved tion by-passing the conditions govern- fore making the appointments in categories. ing their ad hoc appointment…their 2003. It said: “[I]n the light of the From the selection details availa- appointment order stipulates that Supreme Court’s interim order, any ble for 162 posts (not for the 170 posi- their appointment was other decision by any tions advertised), the committee found subject to regular ap- other body that sought that 81 per cent (131) were filled by pointment to the post to regularise the ad hoc candidates from the ad hoc pool and and that it would not be- assistant professors’ ser- only 19 per cent (28) were filled with stow any claim on them vices from the date of candidates from the national pool of for regular appointment, their initial appoint- 611 persons interviewed. This implied nor would it be counted ment, and promote that fewer than 5 per cent were select- for [the] purpose of any them on those grounds, ed from the national pool as compared seniority, promotion or could only be termed with 87 per cent from the ad hoc pool. confirmation. If any- unlawful. This was all The committee also observed that if it thing, they would have to the more unacceptable had complete details of all the candi- sink and swim with the as the High Court had dates, this latter proportion would, in conditions of their ap- already held that regu- all likelihood, be even higher. Further, pointment orders and larisation cannot be per-

it found that several highly qualified there was no way to ig- VIJAY VERMA/PTI mitted. Withdrawal of candidates, both in the reserved and in nore these and… regular- GHULAM NABI AZAD, the SLP in the Supreme the general categories, were not select- ise their services.” Union Health Minister. Court alone cannot ed. This gives credence to Sarman Immediately follow- overturn either the High Singh’s contention that this apparent- ing this, the FAIIMS and the ad hoc Court order or the Supreme Court or- ly proper selection process was actual- faculty filed two special leave petitions der” (emphasis added). ly designed to regularise the ad hoc (SLPs) in the Supreme Court. The Su- Stressing the need to obtain the appointments. preme Court passed two orders on the Supreme Court’s verdict without fur- Indeed, the committee said: petition filed by the FAIIMS. The first ther delay, the committee concluded “[T]here was a definite selection bias interim order on February 11, 2002, that all appointments made by the SSC in favour of candidates from the ad hoc said “all further appointments would in 2003 should perforce be treated as pool, and that the selection process of be temporary until further orders”. tentative or temporary. Since the court 2003 was primarily intended for selec- The second one, on February 23, 2003, had not given any verdict on the case to ting and regularising the services of as said “due to its importance, the matter date, this decision of the committee, many as possible ad hoc assistant be heard by a larger Bench and be appointed by the government, was professors.” placed urgently before the Hon’ble equivalent to a government decision Another sequence of events, relat- Chief Justice of India”. on the matter – since the court or the ing to legal proceedings and their out- As for the SLP filed by the ad hoc government too had not issued any comes, also suggests that this was the faculty, the apex court’s interim order directive to the contrary – and should underlying objective of the 2003 selec- stated that “the process of selection continue to apply, a member of the tion. In September 1994, the Faculty should be finalised and, before any ap- committee said. Association of AIIMS (FAIIMS) filed a pointments are made, the applications From the committee’s findings, it petition in the Delhi High Court chal- should be put up for consideration”. At is interesting to note that it was the IB

34 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

and the GB that initiated the move to full-fledged interview for them would SSC, it said: “We are told that external regularise the entire ad hoc faculty. In take long and cause hardship. She, experts who are invited to conduct the its meeting held on September 16, therefore, proposed that as a general interview are asked to leave after giv- 2002, the IB (presided over by Sha- amnesty to them, all the 39 found unfit ing their assessment of candidates, trughan Sinha, Minister for Health by the SSC should be promoted. and the final recommendations are under the Bharatiya Janata Party gov- However, Talwar and Deka op- written in their absence and without ernment) noted that if the ad hoc as- posed this, saying that such a move their participation.” It further noted sistant professors were selected could have serious repercussions. with regard to the GB, the competent through a regular selection process, Sushma Swaraj rejected their state- authority for appointments: “The ap- their period of ad hoc services would ment and said that this decision would propriateness of MPs taking part in also be considered for promotion un- be “a one-time measure and not to be the selection of faculty members needs der the APS as a “one-time measure”. cited as a precedent”. It may be re- re-appraisal as such a practice is un- The GB, in turn, in its meeting on April called that the same phrase was used to heard of in any institution of national 17, 2003, approved the IB’s decision, regularise the appointments of the ad importance or of higher education in although, as the committee noted, it hoc faculty. Objecting to such a move India.” was aware of the litigation pending in to overrule the SSC decision, Deka said “The GB decision,” one member of the Supreme Court on the issue of reg- it would be better to replace the APS by the committee remarked, “is unprece- ularisation; it took the mistaken view promotions through the Departmen- dented in the history of AIIMS and is a that if the SLP was withdrawn all tal Promotion Committee (DPC). clear violation of the word and spirit of would be well. It was consequent to But Sushma Swaraj’s position was the AIIMS Act and undermines any this GB decision that 64 of the 131 ad supported by another politician, Moti aspiration for quality in medical edu- hoc faculty members selected by the Lal Vora, who chaired the meeting in cation. The selection process, which SSC in 2003 became eligible for pro- the absence of the Minister, and, in- was vitiated in 2003, continues to be motion and so were promoted as asso- terestingly, the DGHS, who was earlier trampled by powerful vested inter- ciate professors. party to the SSC decision. This time ests.” According to him, many of the From the perspective of the AIIMS around, however, he seems to have senior faculty of AIIMS have reached regulations, which the institute ad- succumbed to pressures from the po- senior positions without proving their ministration used to justify the regu- litical bosses. As a result, the GB decid- worth. “We could be missing out on larisation, the committee noted that ed to promote all the 39 candidates to much better people in the country. Po- the GB might be the competent au- their respective higher grades along litical interference, which is corrup- thority to make appointments to facul- with the statement that this would be a tion, is at its highest in AIIMS,” he ty posts, but not to regularise the one-time relief measure and will not added. services of ad hoc faculty and promote constitute a precedent. Incidentally, This is perhaps a pointer to what them by not implementing the court Madhu Vajpayee, the wife of Rasik Bi- could happen with such power, now orders. It may be noted that at the time hari Vajpayee, who happens to be the sought to be concentrated at the Cen- of the GB meeting, Sushma Swaraj had nephew of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was tre in the draft of the National Council taken over as Health Minister under one of the ad hoc assistant professors. for Human Resources in Health the BJP government. Once again, it It is also pertinent to point out that (NCHRH) Bill, which is pending in was Sushma Swaraj who, as a member the SSC itself is not always beyond Parliament, even though health hap- of the current GB, initiated the move to politics as is evident from the 2003 pens to be a State subject. It has under- promote the 39 candidates under the selection process. According to some gone several revisions in the past few APS despite the SSC finding them un- faculty members, even in the present years. The current draft is far from fit, both in 2010 and in its recent case, there were some instances of un- what was originally envisaged in the review. deserving candidates being promoted Yash Pal Committee Report. The new in the 2010 selection process. Bill proposes to give the Health Minis- ONE-TIME MEASURE In fact, the report of the four-mem- try an unfettered hand in dictating According to the minutes of the GB ber AIIMS review committee under professional health education in the meeting of January 16, following the M.S. Valiathan, constituted in July country. SSC’s review of January 6, which reit- 2006, said: “Instances have been According to the Bill, all positions erated the unsuitability of the 39 can- brought to our notice when legislators and authorities in the new structure didates, Sushma Swaraj expressed and influential persons in the govern- are to be appointed by “Selection Com- concern over the status of the 39 mem- ment contact senior faculty members mittees” appointed by the Union bers of the faculty and wanted that the for health problems, and the faculty Health Ministry, undermining the au- issue be resolved. Stating that there members, in turn, take advantage of tonomy of institutions of higher med- was a significant shortage of doctors at their contact to influence their own ical education and profession. That the faculty level, she said that holding a selections and promotions.” On the must be prevented. २

FRONTLINE 35 Media APRIL 6, 2012 Kafkaesque ordeal?

The arrest of Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi in connection with the bomb attack

on an Israeli embassy car raises many questions. BY T.K. RAJALAKSHMI IN NEW DELHI

The Delhi Police cite Kazmi’s reaction from within and outside the journalist fraternity. He wrote regular columns in leading Urdu phone records, which list recent newspapers such as Al-Ahmeen, Sahafat, Milli Ga- zette and the Rashtriya Sahara Urdu. He is profi- calls to Iran and Syria, as part of the cient in Arabic, Urdu and Persian. He also has a Master’s in geography and Persian and has studied mass communication. His first foray into journalism grounds on which he was arrested. was as an operator with All India Radio in 1988. His Journalists’ organisations suggest multilingual skills landed him a job later with a popular news programme on Doordarshan, where that he may have been arrested for he worked with veteran journalist Saeed Naqvi. In 1990, Kazmi joined Media Star News and his political views. Features. Three years later, he was reading Urdu news on Doordarshan. In 1999, he travelled to the AN uneasy silence fills the streets of B.K. Dutt United States along with other senior journalists. In Colony near the All India Institute of Medical Sci- 2002-03, the then Director General of Doordarshan ences in New Delhi. Named after the revolutionary was keen that Indian journalists should cover world freedom fighter Batukeshwar Dutt, who, along with affairs. As a result of this, some of them, including Bhagat Singh, threw bombs in the Central Legisla- Kazmi, got postings in West Asia. In this period he tive Assembly on April 8, 1929, the nondescript colo- interviewed Ahmed Chalabi, the head of the Iraqi ny has been in the news with the arrest of one of its National Congress and former Deputy Prime Minis- residents, who has lived here for the past 11 years. At ter of Iraq. 11-30 a.m. on March 7, the day after the results of the In 2002, the Iraqi government invited him along elections to five State Assemblies were announced, with several journalists to that country. Those who the Special Cell of the Delhi Police whisked away travelled with him recall that in Amman, where the Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, 50, a journalist team, which included a Congress Member of Parlia- with more than 25 years of standing, as he emerged ment, was to travel by road to Baghdad, the Jorda- out of the India Islamic Centre in New Delhi. Kazmi nian intelligence, Mukbarat, interrogated Kazmi, coordinated personality development and commu- after it mistook him for an Iraqi agent. He was nication skills activities of the Noble Education thoroughly rattled by that incident. Foundation there. He covered the Gulf war for Worldview India, a An accredited journalist and a former Urdu programme that Saeed Naqvi had started on Door- newsreader with the government broadcaster Door- darshan. While he was covering the war, the Iraqis darshan, he was arrested for his alleged role in the once mistook him to be an American agent. “sticky car bomb” incident at Aurangazeb Road in Kazmi also had brief stints with the British New Delhi on February 13, wherein the wife of the Broadcasting Corporation and the Islamic Republic Israeli Defence Attaché in India and two others were News Agency, or IRNA, the state news agency of injured. Preliminary investigations had shown that Iran. “He was friendly with everybody and his Ira- the blast was caused by a magnetic device stuck to a nian connections were well known. He used to at- car. Kazmi was tagged a conspirator in international tend press conferences at the Israeli embassy too,” terrorism, booked in a case of non-bailable offence said a journalist. under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, “He had contacts in Najaf and Teheran, and 1967, and remanded in police custody for 20 days. recently he was invited, along with several other The arrest of a senior and respected journalist journalists, to Syria,” Saeed Naqvi told Frontline. He like Kazmi under a stringent law drew widespread said Kazmi should have been considered an asset by

36 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

results was not lost on anyone. Only last month had Israel accused Iran and the Hizbollah of having engineered two bomb attacks targeting Israeli embassy staff in Georgia and Israel. Serial explosions in Bangkok around the same time, in which an Iranian was killed, were also linked to Iranian terrorism. The Delhi Police have maintained that the Delhi and Bangkok blasts are unrelated. Born in a family of poor farmers in

BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Dholri village in Meerut district, Uttar SYED MOHAMMAD AHMAD Kazmi (in grey) looks on as Pakistan High Pradesh, Kazmi was the only one Commissioner to India Shahid Malik greets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh among his 10 siblings to have made it at a function in New Delhi. A file photograph. big in life. “He struggled a lot, but he was determined to give us a good edu- the Indian government as he would Road, he was on Akbar Road, protest- cation,” his son told Frontline. Both his have put them across to several people ing against an alleged land-grabbing sons were born in Delhi. The family in Iran. incident involving the Shah-e-Mar- had earlier stayed at Welcome Colony Kazmi visited Syria twice in the daan shrine located near his home. in Shahdara, East Delhi, an area not recent past. He was able to dig out The shrine was revered by Shia Mus- known for being upmarket. The un- information that did not fit in with the lims; it was not unnatural for Kazmi to assuming dwelling in a narrow lane in image of Syria that had been created by take part in such a protest. B.K. Dutt Colony too speaks volumes reports in the Western media, said a “My father asked us not to do any- about a family that came up the hard journalist. “International wars are be- thing that would put oneself or the way. ing fought today in the media. The family to shame. Do you think he is the His elder son broke down like a Indian media were not there and Kaz- kind of a person who would do some- child while addressing a press confer- mi, because of his contacts and his lan- thing like this?” asked his 18-year-old ence in Delhi. In normal circumstanc- guage skills, was able to penetrate son, who was appearing for his 12th es, the 23-year-old, who has completed areas and uncover issues that were not Class board examinations. The young- a Master’s course in Business Admin- easily visible,” said a journalist who ster was distraught at the manner in istration, would have been looking for knew Kazmi closely. which the authorities treated his a job rather than addressing press con- One of his visits to Syria was a week father. ferences or signing arrest memos. “My after the “sticky bomb” incident. He Meanwhile, reports were being brother had not got the kind of expo- went there along with a team of reput- planted in sections of the media that sure to a relatively better environment ed journalists on an invitation from Kazmi had “admitted” to his guilt. This as I did. I studied in Shahdara for only the Syrian government. Like several was after the spokesperson for the po- a few years before our family shifted to other individuals, including Muslim lice clarified that Kazmi was not di- B.K. Dutt Colony,” said the younger and non-Muslim journalists, he held rectly involved in the attack. He was son, who is studying in a well-known passionate views on the Palestinian is- instead accused of providing logistical public school in the locality. The ques- sue and was critical of the imperialist support to the main suspect, apparent- tion was why Kazmi would jeopardise interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan ly a motorcyclist who attached the all of this, especially his future and that and, more recently, Libya and Syria. magnetic “sticky bomb” to the car of of his children. Upon his return from Syria recently, the Israeli embassy staffer. The man’s Uncertainty looms large in the he was singled out and detained by whereabouts have remained myste- Kazmi residence. The family is yet to immigration officials. He was very up- riously unknown. The police told a lo- get over the shock at the manner of his set, a journalist recalled. cal court where Kazmi was produced arrest. The family members told Fron- that the attack was a case of interna- tline that they panicked when there THE ARREST tional terrorism and that the conspir- was no news from him until 9-30 p.m. As was his normal practice, Kazmi was acy was hatched outside India. on March 7. His phone was switched returning home for lunch and to offer Interestingly, for an attack in off. Soon, a posse of plainclothes po- namaz when he was arrested. A devout which there were no fatalities, the Del- licemen came to the house with Kazmi. Muslim, he was not apologetic about hi Police were seen working very hard. “I was studying for my examinations in his religious beliefs. In fact, on the day That there was immense international the room on the ground floor when I of the car bomb blast on Aurangazeb pressure to make arrests and produce heard some voices. I thought my father

FRONTLINE 37 APRIL 6, 2012

had returned. I went upstairs. I saw my dence and were picked up by the police Journalists (IFJ) and the Delhi Union father along with some people. I ini- rather easily. It has been pointed out of Journalists have expressed concern tially thought they were my father’s that had there been any involvement of at the manner and context of Kazmi’s friends. They were looking for some- Kazmi, the Scooty would have been arrest. Many feel the investigating thing. My brother was out. I asked sold to a scrap dealer and all evidence agencies and the government were them, ‘Uncle, what are you doing?’ My destroyed. bending over backwards to produce father then said that they were po- results, under international pressure. licemen and that they were making THE TIMING “If they can target Kazmi with all his inquiries relating to issues involving The timing of Kazmi’s arrest, coinci- contacts in high places, the ordinary Israel and Iran and that he would be ding with the pathetic performance of journalist is even more vulnerable,” a back soon. The policemen who were the Congress in the elections, has reporter commented. seven or eight in number began ran- raised legitimate doubts. “Had he been In a statement, the IFJ noted that domly searching the house. They took arrested earlier, whatever little sup- the Delhi Police had cited Kazmi’s away all his original documents, in- port the Congress received from Mus- phone records, which revealed a num- cluding his PIB [Press Information lims would have disappeared,” said a ber of recent calls to Iran and Syria, as Bureau] card, passport, two laptops, a political analyst. And Kazmi was a part of the grounds on which he was CPU and two cellphones, including high-profile journalist. His family arrested. one belonging to my mother,” he said. showed several photographs of him “The IFJ understands that these Kazmi’s car had already been con- with many politicians, including calls were purely of a professional na- fiscated outside the India Islamic Cen- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his ture, in line with his professional as- tre. The family was told not to inform predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the signments,” read the statement. The the media. “We couldn’t contact a law- late Arjun Singh, Ram Vilas Paswan IFJ called upon “the authorities in Del- yer or anyone else at that moment,” and Farooq Abdullah. A photograph hi to uphold the presumption of in- said a family member. dated August 26, 1996, shows him nocence and provide a full explanation When there was no news for more with another senior Congress leader, of the grounds on which Kazmi has than two hours after that, the family Ghulam Nabi Azad, at a seminar on been arrested and ensure that he is panicked and rushed to the office of “Challenges before Secularism”. Media given all opportunities to clear his the Special Cell at Lodhi Road. Here, Star News and Features organised sev- name”. It further suggested that “Kaz- they were not allowed to meet Kazmi. eral programmes on secular challeng- mi may have been identified for arrest After some time, the elder son, Shau- es in the early and mid-1990s and based on his political views rather than zab, was called in and at around 2-30 Kazmi was in the forefront of such solid evidence”. a.m., the father and the son were activities. This is not an isolated opinion. On forced to sign the arrest memo. “They March 11, two uniformed policemen threatened Shauzab with dire conse- landed at the residence of John Cher- quences if they didn’t sign. My brother Kazmi’s arrest, ian, chief of Frontline’s New Delhi bu- was under tremendous pressure,” the reau, claiming that they had received a younger son told Frontline. Shauzab which came tip-off regarding a cache of smack was also told that the police could even (heroin) in his house. An alert neigh- lock Kazmi up for three months. after the bour and members of the journalist The Kazmi family got in touch with fraternity raised an alarm, following a lawyer later in the day. “The idea is to Assembly which an embarrassed Delhi Police break him down mentally, get a con- claimed that the tip-off was a hoax and fession and parade him in front of the elections, raises the entire incident a misunderstand- media. The prolonged custodial inter- ing. The coincidences were many. rogation has only one objective,” said a legitimate John Cherian had recently visited Sy- criminal lawyer familiar with the ria as part of a wider delegation that handling of such cases by the police. doubts. included Kazmi. The team had been The police also seized a Scooty (a invited by the Syrian government to moped) from the Kazmi residence as There is one photograph of him cover the referendum on a new Consti- evidence – as the vehicle used in the with Libya’s slain leader Muammar tution, which is part of President Bash- alleged reconnaissance for the car Qaddaffi, taken in 1988. But just as his ar al-Assad’s political reform bomb attack. “The Scooty was not even association with leading politicians proposals. working. It had to be dragged by the does not vindicate him, his trips to When contacted by Frontline, Ra- police,” said Kazmi’s son. It was indeed Iran, Iraq or Syria or a picture with jan Bhagat, spokesperson for the Delhi peculiar that all the papers of the Scoo- Qaddafi does not point to his guilt. Police, declined to say anything relat- ty were also lying at the Kazmi resi- The International Federation of ing to the Kazmi case. २

38 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Media Lawyers’ strike Advocates in Bangalore continue their boycott of lower courts demanding action against the police and the media.

BY VIKHAR AHMED SAYEED

On March 2, lawyers went on the rampage on the City Civil Court premises, attacking and injuring several mediapersons and police personnel, miffed at the news coverage of an event involving a

lawyer and a policeman in January. AFP PROCEEDINGS in the subordinate courts have A LAWYER THROWING a projectile towards media come to a standstill in Bangalore, causing panic representatives outside the City Civil Court in among litigants. On March 5, the Advocates Associ- Bangalore on March 2. ation of Bangalore (AAB) passed a resolution calling for an indefinite boycott of the courts. Advocates Police Commissioner B.G. Jyoti Prakash Mirji. The across the State stayed away from courts in solidarity AAB also sought action against the media for their with the lawyer fraternity in Bangalore. one-sided report of an incident involving a lawyer There appeared to be some signs of a let-up in the and for portraying lawyers in poor light. The ABB impasse when the ABB decided on March 13 to decided not to take up cases of media houses. confine the boycott to Bangalore courts. The decision On March 2, there was mayhem on the City Civil came after its president, K.N. Subba Reddy, and Court premises when G. Janardhana Reddy, the for- other representatives met Justice Vikramjit Sen, the mer Tourism Minister and an accused in the illegal Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, and mining scam, was brought to the complex to be urged him to take suo motu cognisance of the vio- produced before the Special Central Bureau of In- lence that took place on the premises of the City Civil vestigation (CBI) court. Court complex on March 2. Justice Sen asked them As Reddy entered the court, journalists who were to call off the boycott and pave the way for talks. there to report the event were in for a rude shock. Earlier, he had threatened to initiate contempt pro- Lawyers present in the complex there confronted ceedings against the lawyers. them and mocked and chided them for their “slant- On March 14, there was a marked improvement ed” coverage. The premises turned into a veritable in the attendance of advocates in the High Court. battlefield when a large group of black-robed lawyers The advocates have demanded action against top went on the rampage. police officers, including the transfer of Director “It was like a war zone for two hours,” a photo- General of Police (DGP) Shankar Bidari and City journalist who was present at the location said.

FRONTLINE 39 Media APRIL 6, 2012

Stones, glass tumblers, water bottles, response when the media personnel Representatives of lawyers associ- bricks and helmets were hurled at were being attacked and that they ations in Bangalore have tried to shift journalists, who were forced to flee the swung into action only when they the blame on to “outsiders”. In a state- spot. The lawyers then turned their ire themselves became the target of the ment to the media, Subba Reddy said on policemen. They threw chairs and lawyers’ ire. that the AAB suspected the hand of office stationery at the police from the Shaken by the incident, the State outsiders in the attack and claimed first and second floors of the court government immediately announced a that he had information that some per- building. judicial probe. The community of jour- sons had purchased 100 black coats Several journalists suffered bruises nalists derided the move, saying that from the association. and a few had to be hospitalised. Sev- there was clear visual evidence of who Members of the lawyers’ associ- eral policemen, including Deputy the culprits were and how they fu- ation have put up posters in the city Commissioner of Police (DCP) G. Ra- riously rained blows on helpless jour- with pictures of injured advocates. Se- mesh, were injured seriously. nalists. nior lawyer Pramila Nesargi told a The lawyers had been simmering Home Minister R. Ashok said media conference that it was wrong on with anger over the coverage of a strike mediapersons had contended that the the part of the lawyers to attack the they had called on January 17. The judicial probe would not suffice as the media. At the same time, she said the strike led to a severe traffic jam across evidence was there for everyone to see. media had not done their duty as they the city. The media faithfully reported Local television channels carried out did not report how the police had at- how the strike had brought the city to a sustained coverage of the event, cull- tacked the lawyers on March 2. Re- halt. The reason for the strike was an ing out the faces of culprits from video peated reference to lawyers as altercation between an advocate and a grabs of the incident. Almost all the hooligans and goons in the media was police constable who had dared to flag local news channels blacked out their also not correct, she said. him down for a traffic violation. Miffed screens for two minutes at 8 p.m. on The March 2 violence diverted at the challenge, lawyers protested in March 2 as a sign of protest. On March public attention from Janardhana huge numbers in the centre of the city. 3, the police arrested four lawyers, in- Reddy, who was remanded in CBI cus- Public opinion was clearly against the cluding A.P. Ranganath, ABB general tody until March 12. Had the violence lawyers for bringing the city to its secretary, and remanded them in judi- not taken place, Reddy’s case would knees for a trivial reason. Both the po- cial custody. have occupied prime time TV and lice and the media became culprits in front page newspaper space. This led the eyes of the lawyers, and they took PROTEST RALLY to some unconfirmed theories that the the opportunity on March 2 to have Journalists in Bangalore held a protest violence was stage-managed by the their revenge. rally on March 4 and submitted a supporters of Reddy. Other conspiracy In an ironic gesture, the arbiters of memorandum to Governor Hans Raj theories are also thriving in the corri- law took the law into their own hands Bharadwaj. Members of the Bangalore dors of power. when they decided to mete out justice, Reporters Guild, the Press Club of M. Veerappa Moily, Union Minis- street style, for what they perceived as Bangalore, the Karnataka Union of ter for Corporate Affairs and a former a one-sided coverage of the January Working Journalists, the Bangalore Chief Minister of Karnataka, said the incident. TV Reporters Association, the Banga- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) govern- Television footage showed some lore Photo Journalists Association and ment had failed to act on the intelli- horrific visuals of media personnel be- the Karnataka Video Journalists Asso- gence reports it was privy to. The ing beaten up by gangs of lawyers. A ciation took part in the protest. The Indian Journalists Union has con- visual shot at 10-45 a.m. on March 2 Governor assured the journalists that demned the attack. showed lawyers taunting a group of action would be taken against the law- The former Lokayukta of Karnata- journalists. Soon, all hell broke loose. yers who were part of the attacking ka, Justice N. Santosh Hegde, also Anyone with a camera or a video cam- mob. came down heavily on the lawyers’ era became an easy target, and outside Mediapersons rejected the govern- actions. broadcasting (OB) vans of television ment’s decision to institute a judicial Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda channels were vandalised. A few jour- inquiry and insisted that an investiga- has not come down firmly on the law- nalists, including women, sustained tion by the Central Bureau of Investi- yers responsible for the violence. In an head injuries. Students belonging to a gation (CBI), the Criminal advertisement that appeared in news- college in the vicinity were also not Investigation Department (CID) or papers across the State on March 12, spared. the Lokayukta be ordered. On March Gowda appealed for calm. With both According to reports, more than 10 5, the lawyers obtained an injunction advocates and journalists nursing two-wheelers were set on fire and 15 from the High Court against the “pro- their grievances against each other, it cars were damaged. Allegations were vocative” language that was being used will take a lot more to bring about a rife that the police were slow in their to describe them. semblance of calm. २

40 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 The States/West Bengal Maoist in the net Suchitra Mahato, a “symbol” of the Maoist movement in West Bengal, surrenders.

BY SUHRID SANKAR CHATTOPADHYAY IN KOLKATA

However, the opposition suspects which 24 personnel of the Eastern Frontiers Riﬂes were mowed down while resting in their camp at Suchitra was secretly arrested long Silda, Pashchim Medinipur. Announcing her surrender in the presence of before her “surrender” and has Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the State Secre- tariat in Kolkata, Suchitra said, “For so long I have believed in Maoist politics. But today I want to leave accused the government of “staging” it behind.” the whole episode. According to Manoj Verma, Superintendent of Police, Counter-insurgency Force, she was a “sym- THE Maoist movement in West Bengal suffered bol” of the Maoist movement in the State. “Of late she a major setback when Suchitra Mahato, a senior did not have much utility in the Maoist movement leader of the Bengal chapter of the banned Commu- mainly because her identity was exposed to the gen- nist Party of India (Maoist), surrendered to the State eral public, but as a symbol of the movement she was government on March 9. One of the most dreaded very important. This surrender may make a lot of names in Jangalmahal (the forested areas of the other Maoists decide to come back to the main- contiguous districts of Pashchim Medinipur, Banku- stream,” Verma told Frontline. ra and Purulia), Suchitra, apart from having numer- After joining the People’s War Group in 1999, ous cases against her for extortion, abduction and Suchitra rose up the ranks of the Maoists to become murder, was a key planner in the massacre of 2010 in one of its most prominent leaders in West Bengal. SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH STANDING BY THE side of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maoist leader Suchitra Mahato speaks to the media at Writers’ Buildings in Kolkata on March 9.

FRONTLINE 41 The States/West Bengal APRIL 6, 2012

“Rank-wise, she stands at the same lev- never been a Maoist, though he was at ation, confirmed that she was injured el as Akash [Maoist State secretary in one time an activist of the Maoist- in the firing. “We have enough evi- West Bengal] and Bikash [Maoist backed People’s Committee against dence to believe that for the first five to squad commander],” said Pravin Tri- Police Atrocities and subsequently, as six days after the shootout, Suchitra pathi, Superintendent of Police, Pash- claimed by some people, a Trinamool was in West Bengal. After that she chim Medinipur. The widow of Congress activist. “This development most probably escaped to Jharkhand Sashadhar Mahato, one of the most has really taken us by surprise. It ap- as that was where most of Kishenji’s influential Maoist leaders of the State, pears to be part of a well-thought-out core team (including Akash, Bikash she was known to have been very close plan and not a sudden development,” and Bikram) had gone. She may have to Maoist polit bureau member Ko- said a senior police source. also been in Odisha,” said Verma. teswar Rao (alias Kishenji). Gorai’s cryptic statement to the Both Verma and Tripathi have dis- Kishenji was the head of the extre- media added fuel to the controversy. missed the allegations that Suchitra mist outfit’s military commission, “Her reasons for surrender are mani- was caught long before her so-called which is carrying out operations in fold and cannot be summarised in one surrender. “We were constantly Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and statement in a day. It is not solely for searching for her, but she was very Bihar. Suchitra was by the side of Kish- the State’s development. But it will be elusive. She knew the region extremely enji when he was killed in a shootout better if she were to say that,” he said. well and was very clever in constantly with the security forces on November The police are finding it difficult to giving us the slip. We could get to know 25, 2011. believe that it was a “change of heart” where she had been hiding only after that prompted Suchitra to surrender. she left the place,” said Tripathi. CONTROVERSIES “She is not the kind of woman who Suchitra’s surrender comes with its would suddenly have a change of BLOW TO MAOISTS share of controversies. She was report- heart. She was far too important a Following Kishenji’s death, Maoists edly injured in the gun battle in which leader among the Maoists. There are have been on the run in West Bengal. Kishenji was killed but apparently probably other factors, including per- At a time like this, Suchitra’s surrender managed to escape. Since then ru- sonal security and her medical condi- is being viewed as a particularly hard mours have been rife about her being tion, that prompted her to surrender,” blow to the movement. However, they apprehended either by the police or by a senior police source operating in have not abandoned attempts to re- a Trinamool-backed anti-Maoist out- Jangalmahal told Frontline. group in various parts of Jangalmahal. fit and of her being treated under a According to informed sources, fis- Belpahari, Gopiballabhpur and Naya- different name in a Kolkata hospital sures have surfaced within the Maoist gram in Pashchim Medinipur district for bullet injuries. It was also ru- camp in West Bengal, and certain sec- are some of the areas where Maoists moured that she had given birth and tions blame Suchitra and Akash for still have a presence. While Belpahari was willing to quit the Maoist life. Kishenji’s death. “She may have is near the Jharkhand border, Naya- “This whole surrender episode has thought it wise to surrender if she felt gram and Gopiballabhpur provide been staged mainly to suppress the she was being blamed for Kishenji’s easy escape into Odisha. Trinamool-Maoist nexus. How could end. Also, though she was a big name Since Kishenji’s death, there has she have escaped when she was seri- in West Bengal, it is unlikely that she been a leadership crisis among the ex- ously injured and the police had com- would be accepted at higher levels in tremists in West Bengal. His replace- pletely surrounded her?” said the other States. So she could neither leave ment is believed to be Sabyasachi Leader of the Opposition in the State West Bengal, nor continue to live Panda, the top Maoist leader of Odisha Assembly, Surya Kanta Mishra of the here,” a police source said. and CPI(Maoist) central committee Communist Party of India (Marxist). Whether she has indeed had a member. “Though we know for certain Said CPI(M) State secretary and Polit change of heart, according to the po- that Sabyasachi is behind the recent Bureau member Biman Bose: “Any- lice, will be ascertained in the coming Maoist activities in Nayagram and Go- body can see that she did not come weeks when she is interrogated. piballabhpur, we cannot be certain straight from Jangalmahal. She was in “Those Maoists who have willingly that he has officially taken over the police custody.” surrendered have helped us out im- outfit’s West Bengal chapter. More- Suchitra, however, denied being mensely with information. The level of over, he has also been spotted by local apprehended earlier. “No, I was not her cooperation will indicate how people outside the border areas as caught. I surrendered today,” she told much of a change of heart she has had,” well,” said Tripathi. the media. Prabir Gorai, whom she said Verma. However, according to sources in married this February, also “surren- The last time Suchitra was seen Jangalmahal, though Sabyasachi Pan- dered” along with her, and this was before her surrender was during the da has a formidable reputation in Od- cause for much speculation. Police shootout that killed Kishenji on No- isha, he does not know the Bengal sources have confirmed that he had vember 25. Verma, who led the oper- terrain as well as Kishenji did. २

42 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Essay ISLAMISM AND DEMOCRACY

The two concepts are inherently incompatible with each other at

their core. BY SHAJAHAN MADAMPAT

Islamism as a political ideology is premised upon the total negation of all the fundamentals of pluralist democracy, most importantly the idea of equal citizenship.

DOES the emergence of Islamism, or political Islam, as a potentially transformative force in the Arab world augur well for democratic prospects in the region? Will Islamism graduate, under the compulsions of realpolitik, to become the Arab Muslim equivalent of Europe’s Christian Democrats or use the electoral route to eventually try and establish a scripturally vindicated form of theocratic or theo- democratic tyranny? The question assumes special signiﬁcance now, as political developments over the past one year have conﬁrmed that the fall of dictatorships in Arab countries is most likely to be followed by the rise of Islamists to power. Are the core beliefs and ideological fundamentals that the Islamists stand for compatible with even the elementary concepts of

democracy? ZOUBEIR SOUISSI/REUTERS RACHID GHANNOUCHI, THE Tunisian Islamist ISLAMISM: PREVAILING CONFUSIONS thinker behind the success of Al Nahda. He stated The general tendency is to conﬂate on the one hand that open expressions of atheism would be not Islam as a faith and Islamism as a political ideology only tolerated but also protected in the Islamic and on the other Islamism and other streams of state that he envisaged. At the same time, he Islamic or Muslim perspectives that view the estab- argued on another occasion that apostasy should lishment of a sharia-based Islamic state as a favour- be considered a political crime akin to treason. able goal. It is noteworthy that no mainstream Islamic sect doubts the favourability of setting up an turns Muslim/Islamic. There is a bewildering gulf Islamic state, should the circumstances prove con- between the clearly articulated ideological positions ducive. While the Islamists confer divinely ordained in the core texts of all branches of Islamism and the primacy and priority to the task of setting up an ambiguous public posturing and tactical positions of Islamic state, others view it as an automatic devel- the more dominant Islamist groups. The most im- opment once society in its entirety or the majority portant factor that complicates the study of Isla-

FRONTLINE 43 APRIL 6, 2012

mism and democracy is the fact that contradictory directions. The word ‘Is- Islamist groups or intellectuals have so lamism’ is a neologism that was coined far not put forth a blueprint of their in the 1970s, but the Arabic equivalent political programme or a model of the for Islamists has been in vogue since at political system they envisage. Much of least the 10th century A.D. although the discussion on the contours of a the word was used in a general sense political system as envisaged by the referring to the Muslim intelligentsia. Islamists comprises mere statements Perhaps, the first use of the word ‘Isla- of intent laced with self-righteous mists’ was in the book Maqalaat al rhetoric or selective and ambiguous Islamiyyin (Opinions of Muslims) by references to a glorious past in relation Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari (873-935). Is- to an “utterly decadent present”. In the lamism, defined broadly, is an ideolog- absence of an “Islamist manifesto” ac- ical construct based on a political ceptable to all Islamists, it is almost reading of Islam in both its history and impossible to arrive at conclusions its textuality. It was an impassioned that can apply equally to all branches response to the two thriving ideologies of Islamism. of the early 20th century, capitalism and communism. This response rose ISLAM AND ISLAMISM in the context of colonialism and It is crucially important to state that against the backdrop of a widespread we are not discussing the compatibility sense of defeatism and self-pity that between Islam and democracy. Islam gripped Muslim societies. In other as a faith and democracy as a political words, Islamist thinkers of the period concept and a cultural framework are sought to project their version of Islam eminently compatible with each other. as an alternative to the two “isms” then Many of the core values and concepts competing with each other for global that either permeate Islamic scriptur- dominance. According to them, the es or manifest themselves in the life of primary duty of a Muslim was to strive the Prophet and his companions can for the establishment of an Islamic be fairly interpreted as being quite in state, without which Islam would re- line with the fundamental concepts of main a “house half-built”. democracy. Shura (internal consulta- Needless to say, the Islamist zest tion), justice, strictures against impos- for the capture of power reflected an “hakimiyyah” (authority, sovereignty) ing faith, ijma (consensus) and ijtihad unquestioning internalisation of the of Allah. That alone is the solution to (independent interpretive judgment), idea that the state represented the en- liberate the society from both “internal and assertions of equality are some of tire emancipatory, therapeutic and decadence and external domination”. those values and concepts generally transformative potential of a society. Success in this pursuit will guarantee marshalled to clinch the argument Once you establish the kind of state justice on earth and salvation in the about Islam being democratic. In any that conforms to your lofty ideals, ev- hereafter. case, Islam in its long history as a lived ery other virtue automatically follows, Abul A’la Maududi articulated it global faith has proved itself to be flex- as had supposedly happened in the eloquently as follows: “Human rela- ible or elastic enough to accommodate early days of Islamic glory. In short, tions and associations are so integrat- changing social, political and cultural the most crucial invention of Islamist ed that no state can have complete patterns. It has actually coexisted with thinking is the notion that Islam has freedom of action within its own prin- or has been subsumed within different unfortunately, and wrongly, been in- ciples unless those same principles are types of political orders ranging from ternalised by its followers as a mere in force in a neighbouring country. dictatorships and totalitarian regimes instrument of persuasion, to the utter Therefore, Muslim groups will not be to full-fledged democracies. The ques- exclusion of its potential as a powerful content with the establishment of an tion of compatibility with democracy is instrument of coercion. The proper Islamic state in one area alone. De- therefore relevant only in relation to and just utilisation of this coercive po- pending on their resources, they Islamism because it is an ideology that tential, many Islamist writings argue, should try to expand in all directions. interprets Islam as an essentially polit- will liberate Muslims from all kinds of On the one hand they will spread their ical project. bondage. The pacifist sociality rooted ideology and on the other they will An attempt at defining Islamism is in a ritualistic and anaesthetic concep- invite people of all nations to accept fraught with problems, but a lack of tion of Islam must give way to a mil- their creed, for salvation lies only in it. clarity on this count can lead one in itant politicality based on the If their Islamic state has power and

44 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

his authority from God himself and the “shura” for him is a mere consultation that is not binding on him. All the mainstream Islamist groups, it must be stated clearly, argue for a civilian ruler who derives his authority from the community. The only difference worth noting between the so-called radicals or ex- tremists and the moderates is that while the former’s project aims at the seizure of power through revolutionary means and violence, the moderates try to change the system from below and rely heavily on social and charitable activities in addition to political mobilisation. Guilain Dinoeux has noted that the strategy of the radicals follows a Leninist approach. Even within the so-called moderate camp, we often see extremely radical vestiges of the foundational doctrines of political Islam coexisting rather uncomfortably with highly refined and conciliatory ideas that are compatible with the requirements of democratic pluralism. For example, Rachid Ghannouchi, the Tunisian Is- lamist thinker behind the success of Al Nahda, stated categorically that open expressions of atheism would be not RAHEB HOMAVANDI/REUTERS only tolerated but also protected in the AZADI SQUARE, TEHERAN, February 11: At the celebration to mark the Islamic state that he envisaged. At the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Held aloft is the picture of same time, he argued on another occa- the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. There are two clear concepts sion that apostasy should be consid- of an Islamist state within the Islamist discourse. The so-called radicals aim ered a political crime akin to treason. at the seizure of power through revolutionary means and violence, while the Another moderate, Fahmy Huwei- moderates try to change the system from below and rely heavily on social di, the famed journalist from Egypt and charitable activities in addition to political mobilisation. and fellow-traveller of Islamism, is ambivalent on the punishment meted resources, it will fight and destroy non- According to them, the Islamic ruler, out for apostasy in Islam. Writing in Islamic governments and establish Is- the caliph or imam, is a civilian ruler the context of the assassination of sev- lamic states in their place” (Abul A’la whose legitimacy and authority are de- en intellectuals in Algeria by Islamists Maududi; Haqiqat-i-Jihad; page 64). rived from people’s endorsement, on charges of apostasy, he tries to ex- which is expressed by the phrase Ahl al press his criticism against the brutality ISLAMIST CONCEPT OF STATE Hall wal Aqd. Hasanul Banna, Hassan in a rather patronising tone. His main There are two clear concepts of an Isla- al Hudaibi, Mustafa Al Sibai, Rachid argument is not that the killing is un- mist state within the Islamist dis- Al Ghannouchi and several others pro- acceptable in principle or because ex- course. One is the idea of an Islamic mote this concept of an Islamic state. pressing one’s opinion on something state articulated in a populist concilia- The other idea, represented by the should not be the ground for murder. tory idiom. Representatives of this likes of Abul A’la Maududi, Syed Qu- Rather, his criticism is that only the idea do not accuse the entire civil so- tub, Mohamed Abdussalam Faraj, judiciary has the right to pass a judg- ciety of kufr (unbelief) or jahiliyya (a Saeed Hawa, Fathi Yakun and others, ment on whether or not a person has state of pagan ignorance and moral represents the Islamic ruler as a theo- committed apostasy and the puni- decadence); nor do they dub the lands cratic figure who is elevated to the sta- shment for it. Not fully satisfied with of Islam Darul Harb (land of war). tus of God’s representative. He derives his own ambivalent position, especial-

FRONTLINE 45 APRIL 6, 2012

ly since he was flooded with critical against the religion or declare himself frightening resemblance to many of letters from Islamist sympathisers blasphemous. Second, he declared the declarations from Sangh Parivar from around the world, including from himself to be a Muslim who had the ideologues on many occasions, most Pakistan, he seeks counsel with the right to express his views on the reli- recently during the debate on A.K. Ra- celebrated ‘moderate’ Islamist cleric gion even if they differed from popular manujan’s essay on the Ramayanas. Sheikh Yousuf Al Khardawi. The views on the subject. This is what he Huweidi says in the article: “We learned scholar, while emphasising said in his defence: “I’m sure that I’m a need to frankly make a comment about the legal option of death against apos- Muslim. My worst fear is that people in the issue of the freedom of scientific tasy, tries to appear benevolent in the Europe may consider and treat me as a research and the uproar raging around end and says there are precedents for critic of Islam. I’m not. I’m not a new it. Those who are calling for unlimited apostasy being either punished rather Salman Rushdie and don’t want to be freedom without any regard for the lightly or not being punished at all in welcomed and treated as such. I’m a society’s values and its public order are the hope of eventual repentance on the researcher. I’m critical of old and mod- wrong in their understanding of free- part of the alleged apostate. ern Islamic thought. I treat the Quran dom. They are playing with fire at the The issue of apostasy is of utmost as a nass (text) given by God to the same time, especially if they, on the relevance to our present discussion be- Prophet Muhammad. That text is put basis of this mistaken understanding, cause all art and literature, let alone into a human language, which is the open the doors to mess around with academic and intellectual pursuits, Arabic language. When I said so, I was the faith and sanctities of people. can be brought under the scanner and accused of saying that the Prophet “We want to clarify the issue this judged blasphemous if the law of apos- Muhammad wrote the Quran. This is time, citing the opinion of one of the tasy is given teeth. not a crisis of thought, but a crisis of legal luminaries of Egypt, Dr Asmat conscience.” Saif Al Daulath, who wrote in a study APOSTASY AS THE SWORD The judges would not concede any about the topic: The safety of the socie- OF DAMOCLES of that. They rejected his defence, de- ty, in terms of its existence, limits, ter- The case of Dr Nasr Hamed Abu Zeid clared him an apostate and ordered ritory and humanity, is an objective is a frightful example of what could him to divorce his wife. It is important condition for the right to free expres- happen to intellectual life if the state of to note here that one of the issues that sion, in the sense that whoever ex- Islamist dreams comes into being. Abu clinched the verdict of apostasy on Abu presses a thought that occurs in his Zeid was not only declared an apostate Zeid was his criticism against the sec- head which subverts the society, the by an Egyptian court, but his divorce ondary status accorded to religious mi- society has to, by all means, incrimi- from his wife was also decreed on the norities in the Islamist discourse. nate him, outlaw him, prevent him and basis of the argument that a Muslim If a highly reputed thinker of Abu to restrict him…. All Constitutions and woman should not be married to an Zeid’s stature could meet with such a laws in the world comprise rules that apostate or blasphemer. The promi- cruel fate under the influence of Isla- incriminate, outlaw and prevent trans- nent scholar of Islamic studies and au- mists in a political system notoriously gression committed on the pretext of thor of a number of profound books opposed to them, imagine the situa- freedom of expression against those was judged an apostate in Hosni Mub- tion when they actually govern a coun- elements essential for the shaping of a arak’s supposedly secular Egypt. His try. Fahmy Huweidi wrote articles society. crime was that some of the opinions he empathising with Abu Zeid’s detrac- “In light of the above, we would had expressed on the Quran and its tors. It is instructive to quote from unambiguously determine that mess- interpretations ran counter to popular some of Huweidi’s articles on the issue, ing around with religious texts, the positions. More shockingly, the verdict which are marked by cleverly veiled Quran and the Sunnah precisely, was manipulated through convoluted fanaticism and outward expressions of should be out of bounds for those who legal procedures and on the basis of a moderation. invoke freedom of expression or re- hasba (third party) petition because The ominous title of Huweidi’s search and promote claims that aim at Egypt did not have a law on apostasy. first response on the Abu Zeid contro- the invalidation and termination of He had to flee the country with his wife versy is “Beware of Playing with Fire”. the texts in the name of the historicity and seek shelter in the Netherlands This article was published before the of the text and relativity of religious because Islamic Jehad declared its in- court verdict came out and dealt with rules, or other pretexts for aggression tention to murder him on the basis of the controversy on the denial of pro- against the faith of the society and its the judgment. motion to Abu Zeid at Cairo Universi- conscience. Two points need to be noted here. ty. It articulates clearly what a “With the same amount of clarity, First, Abu Zeid’s books, especially the moderate Islamist considers to be tol- we will say that acceptable and legiti- one that brought him under attack, erable limits of free expression, beyond mate Ijtihad (independent reasoning) were all academic ones. He did not which one is “playing with fire”. In the on religious text is only that which indulge in a polemical offensive Indian context, this statement bears springs from conformity to it, meant to

46 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

put it in its right frame in order to Ghannouchi’s approach is, howev- extract from it utmost possible energy er, more nuanced. He accepts democ- for the revival and advancement of the racy as the best bet among the given society and for the good of people in alternatives in the absence of the Is- this world and in the hereafter. Any lamic system. According to him, a so- adverse Ijtihad aimed at assaulting the ciety ruled by a defective law is better religious texts and pulling down their than a society whose law is the will and fabric and texture will not include whims of the tyrant. A reading of his most definitely in freedom of expres- various writings together provide a sion. It will be banned and the society clearer idea of his approach to democ- has to prevent and outlaw it, partic- racy. There is a need to distinguish the ularly if the Constitution stipulates Is- NASR HAMED ABU ZEID. He was legal legitimacy of democracy from the lam to be the state religion and Shariah declared an apostate by an Egyptian religious legitimacy that only an Is- to be the principal source of legisla- court, and his divorce from his wife lamic system can claim. He sees the tion. This is because messing around was also decreed on the basis of the transition from dictatorship to democ- with texts is an act of aggression argument that a Muslim woman racy as a natural and necessary stage against not only the faith of the com- should not be married to an leading up to the eventual establish- munity but also the Constitution and apostate. ment of the Islamic order. the public order of the country” (Fah- Mohamed Imarah, the prominent my Huweidi; Al Muftaroon (Slander- Islamists of the main current are Egyptian Islamist, gives a hand of sup- ers); Cairo, Dar al Shuruq, 1996; pages now of the near consensual opinion port to pro-democratic voices within 100-101). that the best method to bring about an Islamism by saying that the Islamic Huweidi concludes with a passion- Islamic state is to establish a demo- concept of shura does not differ from ate call for the establishment of what cratic system with Islamic legislative, democracy in its experiences, institu- he fondly calls “a safe zone” in the legal and moral content. But they tions and mechanisms. But the funda- world of thought where the religious make it amply clear that it does not mental difference between them, he faith and beliefs of people are pre- spring from any conviction about the says, is that the democratic notion of served away from critical approach. virtues of democracy as a whole, but freedom is absolute, while shura cur- This precisely is the core issue that because it is the best bet in the given tails these freedoms on the basis of the comes to the fore when we look at the circumstances to somehow get to pow- primacy of Allah’s rights over those of extent to which Islamists can incorpo- er. They are clear that they adopt de- human beings (ibid page 105). rate democratic values when they mocracy only to the extent of Imarah’s candid admission about come to power. The presumption of a procedures and institutions and not curtailing freedoms in the name of the mandatory inviolable safe zone in the beyond its formal structures. In his primacy of divine rights over those of sphere of thought (we are talking here foreword to Rachid Al Ghannouchi’s lesser mortals is significant. It is the not about defamation or libel but famed book Common Freedoms in Is- hermeneutical hair-splitting on this about thought) is a deeply anti-demo- lamic State, Mohamed Salim Al Awa, aspect that determines the dividing cratic idea. That the whole argument the Egyptian Islamist scholar, makes line between the so-called radicals and was made at a time when an academic these points clear: 1) Democracy is the moderates within the Islamist was condemned to a life of exile and nothing more than a means to orga- bloc. The radicals are honest and declared an apostate merely for the nise rotation of power; 2) Democracy straightforward on this point: they do crime of expressing his opinion is am- is part of a larger integrated system not prevaricate or equivocate about ple proof that the Islamists hardly care that comprises economy, society, pub- the inevitable curtailment of freedoms about free speech and democratic lic policy and individual life; 3) In all and the discrimination against “out- freedoms. these aspects, Islam has its own rules siders” inherent in a confessional sys- of permission, prevention, and prohib- tem. The moderates prevaricate and DEMOCRACY AND ISLAMISM ition, and only when all these Islamic indulge in semantic gymnastics in or- Islamist views on democracy can be rules and regulations are implemented der not to appear undemocratic and classified essentially into two. The will the Islamic project be accom- discriminatory in their approach to main current of Islamism views de- plished; and 4) The difference be- “outsiders”. mocracy as being closer to Islam than tween means and procedures on the When they claim the political or- other political systems, while the jeha- one hand, and principles, values and der they envisage is democratic, they di approach rejects democracy on the ideas on the other is clear. The former overlook two cardinal facts: 1. Unlike grounds that it derives sovereignty/au- can be adopted from any source re- other confessional systems, the Islam- thority from the people instead of from gardless of its faith and communal ic state as envisaged by the Islamists Allah. affiliation. derives its legitimacy primarily from

FRONTLINE 47 Essay APRIL 6, 2012 its adherence to the sharia, a legal not to the practice of government; for tem that does not discriminate against framework of divine origin. The prob- in countries where Muslims form an certain groups and constituencies. A lem with such a system is that soteri- overwhelming majority (and only democratic state is impossible to sus- ological and eschatological postulates these can justifiably be termed ‘Mus- tain unless it is able to maintain some and concerns, which are absolutist in lim countries’), the leadership of the sense of neutrality with regard to peo- their essence and abstract and unem- state automatically accrues to them. ple’s faiths and other markers of pirical by their very nature, underpin Nevertheless, in the context of modern identity. the entire business of governance and political thought, which is strongly in- political activity. Therefore it is inca- fluenced by Western concepts and CONCLUSION pable of running the affairs of a polity prejudices, even a theoretical discrimi- Although claims of moderation and that consist of not only a plurality of nation on the ground of religion might adherence to democratic values by Is- faiths and belief systems but also a be unpalatable to many Muslims, not lamists must be taken at face value, the large number of people who prefer to to mention the non-Muslims living in fact remains that Islamism and de- either remain outside the fold of faith their midst. One must, therefore, mocracy are inherently incompatible or live according to their own subjec- frankly admit from the outset that with each other at their core. tive understanding of their faith, away without a certain amount of differen- While Islam as a faith and lived from institutional mechanisms of reli- tiation between Muslim and non- reality and democracy as a culture and gion. 2. A confessional political party Muslim there can be no question of our political system are compatible, Isla- that makes soteriological and eschat- ever having an Islamic state or states in mism as a political ideology is prem- ological convictions the basis of its po- the sense envisaged in Quran and Sun- ised upon the total negation of all the litical programme is sure to turn the nah. ...One cannot escape the fact that fundamentals of pluralist democracy, logic of democracy upside down be- no non-Muslim citizen – however most importantly the idea of equal citi- cause it is premised on the notion of great his personal integrity and his loy- zenship. Dissenters, liberals and permanent majorities. Democracy is alty to the state – could, on psycholog- freethinkers from within the Muslim secure only when the majority keeps ical grounds, ever be supposed to work community stand to suffer the most in shifting on the basis of “competitive wholeheartedly for the ideological ob- an Islamic state as envisaged by the interests” of the citizens rather than on jectives of Islam; nor, in fairness, could Islamists. the basis of confessional consolidation. such a demand be made of him- The construction of a permanent The moment a permanent majority …[T]hose who are to wield supreme majority throws democracy out and around confessional calculations gets authority in the Islamic state and are brings tyranny in because a polity can solidified in a democracy, it ceases to to be responsible for the shaping of its remain democratic only if the major- be a democracy and turns into tyranny. policies should always be Muslims; ities are constantly in a state of flux. The following statement by a and this not merely de facto, by virtue The wanton use of religion as an in- prominent Islamist scholar is suffi- of their majority in the country, but strument of coercion, power and polit- cient to demonstrate the ethical dilem- also de jure, by virtue of a constitu- ical mobilisation and its consequent mas and undemocratic potential tional enactment. If we are resolved to desacralisation will impact adversely implicit in the Islamist idea of the state make Islam the dominant factor in our on the polity in ways that go far beyond in regard to religious minorities and lives, we must have the moral courage the immediacy of electoral politics. It dissenting groups. Muhammad Asad, to declare openly that we are not pre- will not only undermine and distort the Polish convert to Islam and one of pared to endanger our future by falling the democratic processes and unleash the most celebrated figures of Islam in into line with the demands of that spu- physical and emotional violence at all the 20th century, is candid in admit- rious ‘liberalism’ which refuses to attri- levels but also kill the soul of a culture. ting that an Islamic state is impossible bute any importance to men’s religious While religion as faith as well as an without allowing for certain amount of convictions; and that, on the contrary, instrument of persuasion has histor- differentiation between the majority the beliefs a man holds are far more ically played a humanising role, reli- and the minority. He is also clear that important to us than the mere accident gion as ideology and an instrument of members of the minority communities of his having been born or naturalised coercion has only resulted in structur- – however great their integrity and loy- in our country” (Muhammad Asad; es of violence, hidden and manifest. alty to the state – cannot be expected to The Principles of State and Govern- Will democracy be ill-fated to be- work wholeheartedly for the “ideolog- ment in Islam; Kuala Lumpur, Islamic come a vehicle to usher in theocracy in ical objective” of Islam. The resem- Book Trust, 1980; page 40-41). West Asia? २ blance between this rhetoric and From what preceded, it will not be Shajahan Madampat is a writer Sangh Parivar discourse on Muslims is unfair to conclude that Islamism in all and cultural critic. He has published striking! its diversity is fundamentally incom- three books in Malayalam, in addition “To be sure, this fear of discrimi- patible with democracy – in the sense to articles and essays in Malayalam, nation relates only to the theory and of a liberal, competitive political sys- English and Arabic.

48 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 world affairs Putin’s progress

Russia: Vladimir Putin wins the presidential election for a third time amidst a

wave of protests against him. BY VLADIMIR RADYUHIN IN MOSCOW

THE presidential election in Russia on March 4 Even though the protests have lost saw Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reclaim the top Kremlin job for a third time. Despite a recent wave of some steam, they signal the protests against his return, Putin polled more than 63 per cent of the votes cast in the race against four awakening of Russian society from other contenders. Opposition leaders and independent election monitors said Putin’s result was inflated political lethargy. The protesters are through multiple voting, absentee ballots and plain vote falsification. Alternative vote counts organised demanding political reforms. On by independent election watchdogs such as Golos and the League of Voters and other activist groups the economic front, Putin will face showed that Putin had received a significantly lower share of the votes, about 50 per cent. But even these equally tough challenges. violations did not put his victory in doubt, consid- DMITRY ASTAKHOV/AFP OUTGOING PRESIDENT DMITRY Medvedev (right) with Vladimir Putin during a visit to the Rosa Khutor alpine ski resort in Krasnaya Polyana on March 8.

FRONTLINE 49 APRIL 6, 2012

ering that the next runner-up, Com- tion result through manipulations. Putin had served two terms as Presi- munist leader Gennady Zyuganov, re- Despite his towering superiority, it dent in 2000-2008 and continued to ceived just over 17 per cent of the was the ﬁrst election in which Putin dominate Russian politics after shift- votes. faced strong opposition, which came ing into the Prime Minister’s job four It was important for Putin to win not so much from his rivals as from years ago. outright in the ﬁrst round. Moreover, spontaneous popular protests against People blame Putin for the endem- he needed not just to get more than his return. The protests, triggered by ic corruption, the degradation of free half of all votes to avoid a run-off but public outrage over the evidence of health service and education, and the to win with an impressive lead in or- massive fraud during a parliamentary collapse of manufacturing industries. der to justify his return to presidency election in December, quickly turned Why, they ask, did Russia not build a and reassert his hold on power. against Putin. single world-class highway during Pu- In September, President Dmitry Tens of thousands of people took to tin’s presidency even as it received $1.5 Medvedev cited Putin’s higher pop- the streets in what became the biggest trillion in oil and gas revenues? Why ularity as the reason for his decision demonstrations since the collapse of are there almost no made-in-Russia not to seek a second term and step the Soviet Union. Russians felt insult- goods on shopping shelves? Why does aside for Putin. Putin’s approval rat- ed that Putin and Medvedev had Russia have the world’s second largest ings at the time stood above 60 per struck a back-door deal to switch jobs, number of dollar billionaires while cent. This probably explains why the with Putin returning as President and nearly half of its population are poorer Kremlin sought to boost Putin’s elec- appointing Medvedev Prime Minister. today than they were 20 years ago?

50 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

Many felt it would be too much to have position-on-a-leash” parties sitting in package of measures to reduce pover- Putin, who is 59, run the country for Parliament. ty. It included salary hikes for teachers, another six or even 12 years, as the Nevertheless, the new protest medical personnel and researchers, in- presidential term has been extended movement posed a far greater chal- flation-proof growth of pension pay- by two years and the Constitution al- lenge to Putin than his “co-opted” ments without raising the pension age, lows Putin to seek another term in campaign rivals – the three time-worn more affordable housing, a new allow- 2018. sparring partners Zyuganov, the ance for families with three or more For all their intensity, the protests shriek nationalist Vladimir Zhirinov- children, and higher scholarships for were largely confined to Moscow and sky, and former Upper House speaker low-income, high-achieving students. St. Petersburg and involved mostly the Sergei Mironov, as well as a newcomer, “In just two months we saw Putin urban intelligentsia and middle class billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. (The convert from a right-wing liberal to a professionals. The protesters failed to authorities locked out of the race other social democrat,” left-leaning candi- reach out to the wider masses in the contenders such as the liberal econo- date Mironov said, explaining his own regions, partly because they lacked ac- mist Grigory Yavlinskiy, who could setback. Mironov won a paltry 5 per cess to state-controlled television chip away more votes from Putin.) cent of the votes, a sharp drop from channels, the main source of informa- Putin’s opponents spent far more nearly 13 per cent that his party, Just tion for the majority of Russians. They time and energy attacking each other Russia, polled in the December elec- lacked political organisation and did than criticising Putin during the election to Parliament. not identify themselves with the “option campaign. He felt so much above The December election showed a the fray that he refused to participate distinct shift to the Left in the public in debates with the other candidates, mood. The ruling right-of-the-centre sending instead his trusted delegates. party, United Russia, had its majority As one commentator put it, “Putin’s in the Lower House or Parliament strongest point was his opponents’ slashed by almost a quarter of the weakness.” seats. Communists were the biggest winners, gaining nearly 20 per cent of WESTERN-STYLE CAMPAIGN the votes, more than what they re- The changed political atmosphere in ceived four years earlier. Russia, however, compelled Putin for Taking into account claims by in- the first time to run a vigorous West- dependent monitors that opposition ern-style campaign. He criss-crossed parties were cheated of at least 15 per the country, meeting with different so- cent of the votes, which were added to cial groups, published seven election Putin’s party, it can be reasonably ar- manifestos on all aspects of policy, and gued that the majority of Russian vot- gave fiery speeches at rallies. ers supported left-leaning election He mobilised support among his platforms. This gave Russian Commu- conservative core electorate – state nists, the only truly nationwide oppo- employees, lower-paid working classes sition party, a unique chance to put up and rural residents, portraying the a credible challenge to Putin in the Moscow protesters as an elitist urban race for President. minority who acted as pawns of West- The Communists missed their ern governments seeking to destabilise chance, not least because of their lead- Russia and stage a “coloured revolu- ership problem. Zyuganov, 67, had tion”. But his most effective strategy long shed his charisma and stopped was to push into left-wing turf. being seen as a fighter. In 1996, he One of Putin’s election manifestos allowed then President Boris Yeltsin to was tellingly called “Building Justice: steal a victory in the run-off of a presi- A Social Policy for Russia”. Openly ad- dential election. (Ahead of the March 4 mitting the “glaringly high disparity of election, outgoing President Medve- incomes” in Russia, he proposed a dev sensationally confirmed long-running speculations that Yeltsin had lost AN ANTI-PUTIN RALLY in the the 1996 election.) Zyuganov has since central Arbat area of Moscow on taken part in three more elections, March 10. The poster featuring Putin each time showing a worse result than reads: "Another 12 years? Thank before.Putin’s third term may prove to

ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP You, No!" be the most challenging in his career.

FRONTLINE 51 World Affairs/Russia APRIL 6, 2012

Even though the recent protests lost years, which is far too high a price level the hallmark of Medvedev’s presiden- some steam after the presidential elec- to expect. Failure to honour the pledg- cy during the past four years. The “re- tion, they signalled the awakening of es may spark new protests. set” did bring its dividends in the form Russian society from political lethar- Putin will also have to address the of the New START arms reduction gy. long-standing curses of the Russian treaty and Russia’s membership in the Pressure on the government is economy – endemic corruption and a World Trade Organisation. But, as Pu- bound to mount. The protesters are critical dependence on natural re- tin pointed out in his article, Russia demanding political reforms – free sources exports, which have so far un- and the U.S. “have failed to fundamen- registration of political parties, over- derpinned his “vertical of power” tally change the matrix of our haul of the electoral legislation and centralised system of government. To relations”. early parliamentary and presidential reform this system, Putin will have to The standoff on Syria may also elections. change. Opinions differ on whether a trigger shifts in Russia’s relations with “Putin 2.0” is possible, but some analy- other countries. The crisis has streng- PROMISE OF REFORMS sts are optimistic. thened the strategic alliance of Russia After the first protests in December, “Those who underestimate Putin’s and China. The twin vetoes the two Medvedev promised some reforms, inability to transform himself into a re- countries used twice within four cluding a return to direct election of former may be in for a surprise,” said months to block anti-Damascus reso- governors that Putin had cancelled Ivan Chakarov, chief economist with lutions in the United Nations Security eight years ago, new regulations on Renaissance Capital, a leading Rus- Council are unprecedented in the re- parliamentary elections, and simpli- sian investment bank. cent history of the Security Council. fied registration of parties. The opposi- Both countries refused to join the tion criticised the proposed changes as FOREIGN POLICY Friends of Syria group and denounced cosmetic but agreed to take part in a There is, however, one area where Pu- attempts by outside forces to impose Kremlin panel Medvedev had set up to tin is not going to change – foreign solutions on Syria. refine his proposals. However, Putin policy. Judging by his campaign In his foreign policy manifesto, Pu- has so far given no indication that he speeches and writings, the world will tin predicted that Russia’s partnership will be accommodating to the opposi- see the same Putin that lambasted the with China would keep going stronger tion after he takes over as President in United States and the North Atlantic and welcomed China’s “ever more con- May. Treaty Organisation (NATO) in his fa- fident” voice in the world. As a pragmatic leader, Putin is mous 2007 speech in Munich. In his In contrast, India and Russia likely to yield only if pressure builds foreign policy manifesto titled “Russia found themselves on different sides of up, and only to an extent that will not and the Changing World”, Putin the barricade when the former voted in undermine his grip on power. This mounted a scathing attack on the U.S. favour of the U.S.-pushed Syria resolu- leaves potential for conflict if the oppo- and its Western allies, accusing them tion on February 4. India’s decision to sition can keep up the protests’ mo- of exporting “rocket-bomb democra- side with the West raised eyebrows in mentum and crystallise into a political cy” and working to undermine Russia’s the Kremlin. movement or party with strong, pop- security and global stability. He hit out “India’s stand on Syria came as a ular leaders. at NATO’s eastward expansion in Eu- surprise to the Kremlin,” said Prof. An- The surprise success of the self- rope, plans to set up a U.S. missile drei Volodin of the Russian Foreign nominated presidential candidate defence system in Europe, and “ever Ministry’s Diplomatic Academy. He Prokhorov, who was placed third in more frequent cases of crude and even pointed to the ongoing struggle in the the March 4 election, ahead of his far armed outside interference in the do- Indian elites between those who re- more experienced rivals Zhirinovsky mestic affairs of countries”. main committed to Jawaharlal Neh- and Mironov, despite Russians’ dislike Some experts attributed Putin’s ru’s tradition of independent foreign of oligarchs, showed just how much anti-Western rhetoric to the heat of policy and those who advocate siding voters long for new leaders. the election campaign, but Russia’s up with the U.S. On the economic front, Putin will policy on the ground has indeed taken “Syria has put to a test the ability of face equally tough challenges during a harder line in recent months. Rus- countries to take sovereign decisions,” his new presidential term. The govern- sia’s firm opposition to regime change said Prof. Volodin. “Russia and China ment has calculated that his election in Syria advocated by the West and the have passed the test; India, unfortu- promises of social spending will add Gulf monarchies stood in stark con- nately, has not.” almost $64 billion a year to state trast to its acquiescence to foreign in- The coming BRICS (Brazil, Russia, spending. tervention in Libya. India, China and South Africa) sum- Economists fear that this may push Putin made it clear he was well mit in India will show if the group can the fiscal break-even oil price to more aware of the limits of the “reset” in re-establish consensus on internation- than $120 a barrel for the coming relations with the U.S. that had been al issues like Syria. २

52 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 World Affairs/Syria Reforms on track President Assad gets a democratic Constitution endorsed in a referendum despite

the efforts of the West to spark a full-scale civil war. BY JOHN CHERIAN IN DAMASCUS

Spring” uprisings, which began in Tunisia in Decem- Vice-President Najah al-Attar ber 2010, hit Syria in 2011. Around 57.4 per cent of those eligible to vote participated in the referendum accuses the West of funding and and around 89.4 per cent of them approved the Constitution. training rebel groups even while A few days after the results of the referendum were announced, Syrian security forces finally eject- hypocritically calling for dialogue ed rebel fighters from Baba Amr, a suburb of the city of Homs. Among the fighters reportedly captured by to end the crisis. She is confident the security forces there were a few militants from the Indian subcontinent. The security forces have that Syria will soldier on despite the now turned their focus on towns such as Idlib in the north and Dera in the south, where rebel fighters odds stacked against it. trained in countries such as Turkey and Libya are IN the last week of February, the people of Syria still holding out in small pockets. overwhelmingly endorsed a new Constitution, which Phillip Giraldi, a well-informed former Central would theoretically end the monopoly of the long- Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, has written that ruling Baath Party. The new Constitution is part of French and British Special Forces officers are now on the reform package that the Bashar al-Assad govern- the ground in Syria “assisting the rebels with the ment had promised to implement after the “Arab CIA, and U.S. Spec Ops [United States Special Oper- PICTURES: JOHN CHERIAN VOTERS GATHER OUTSIDE a polling station in Damascus, with supporters of President Bashar al-Assad holding a poster with his picture.

FRONTLINE 53 APRIL 6, 2012

ations] providing communication supporters came in droves, accompa- equipment and intelligence to assist nied by flag-waving musical bands. the rebel cause enabling the fighters to Under the new Constitution, avoid concentrations of Syrian troops”. which is heavily inspired by the French Giraldi has corroborated what others Constitution, the President can only be have been saying for some time now, in office for two terms. The presiden- that “foreign military intervention has tial election is scheduled for 2014, the already started in Syria”. Stratfor, the year President Assad’s current term private intelligence firm with close ends. Multiparty parliamentary elec- links with the Pentagon, has con- tions are scheduled to be held in May firmed the presence of Western Spe- this year. The elections are to be super- cial Forces inside Syria. The Lebanese vised by an independent electoral website Al Manar, quoting Syrian offi- commission. President Assad had said cials, said that 700 Arab and Western on several occasions that he would like fighters were captured from Baba to go down in history as the man who Amr. first introduced genuine democratic “The Syrian Army also uncovered reforms in the Arab world. Most Syr- tunnels and equipment, which includ- ians are prepared to give him the bene- ed advanced Israeli, European and fit of the doubt. The reform process is American arms that have not yet been VICE-PRESIDENT NAJAH al-Attar. finally on track though many Syrians tested in the countries of their manu- and well-wishers of the country feel facture,” said Salim Harba, a Syrian toll at 7,500, basing the figures on the that the reform process should have expert on military affairs. According to statistics provided by the opposition. started much earlier. WikiLeaks’ U.S. State Department Despite the efforts of the West and As the Syrian government was pre- documents, Secretary of State Hillary its allies to spark a full-scale civil war, paring for the referendum, various op- Clinton had, in 2009, sanctioned the the referendum on the Constitution position groups, under the watchful delivery of sophisticated electronic proceeded as per schedule and in a eyes of the West and the Gulf states, equipment to the Syrian opposition. peaceful atmosphere. Interior Minis- met in Tunis in an effort to forge a Foreign diplomats this correspondent ter Ibrahim al Shaar told the media in united front. Hillary Clinton, who was spoke to in Damascus said that West- Damascus that the people had voted present at the “Friends of Syria” meet- ern countries had positioned military with “full freedom” and that the results ing, tried her best to push for military trainers in neighbouring countries. of the referendum “fulfilled the wishes intervention inside Syria. But this idea A recent report in a Jordanian of the people”. He said there were at- was rejected by many senior Arab For- newspaper said that 6,000 Libyan tempts to sabotage the referendum but eign Ministers and officials present at fighters trained by the West had re- the government had given the people a the meeting. Tunisian President Mon- cently landed in Jordan. In the Baba choice to vote in areas where they felt cef Marzouki refused to contemplate Amr neighbourhood in Homs, the re- safe. Around 14,000 mobile voting military intervention. Tunisian For- bels were supplied anti-tank missiles booths were set up. eign Minister Rafik Abdelsalem re- and other sophisticated weaponry. According to the Minister, some minded some of the hawkish They had mined the area heavily, mak- people in Homs and Idlib were pre- diplomats from the West and the Gulf ing it difficult for relief agencies to vented from voting, but he pointed out that the Tunisian revolution was a move in after the area was subdued in that only a small area of Homs had peaceful one. early March. In Homs, more damage been affected by the current turmoil. The Syrian opposition, despite the was done by the mortars fired by the According to many Syrians who are best efforts of the West and with the rebels than by the government siege. otherwise critical of the government, Saudi and Qatari diplomats opening Diplomats in Damascus also point the new Constitution is a step in the their purse strings, refused to sink out that the figure of civilians killed so right direction. This is one of the rea- their differences and unite. All the far in the conflict that erupted in sons for the reportedly high turnout. same, the two Gulf monarchies an- March last year has been deliberately Most Syrians want an early end to the nounced that they would bring democ- exaggerated. Even deaths occurring crisis, which has impacted gravely on racy to Syria by arming the rebels. naturally were passed on by the rebels the country’s economy and fractured Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, as casualties. In all, 2,100 security per- the social cohesion that had existed. emerging after a meeting with Hillary sonnel have been killed in the year- This correspondent witnessed a big Clinton in Tunis, said that arming the long conflict. The Syrian government rush at polling centres in the capital. rebels was an “excellent idea” as the has provided a list of soldiers killed. Those against the government evi- opposition had “to protect itself”. Western media reports have put the dently decided to stay at home while its Thousands of Tunisians briefly dis-

54 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

rupted the meeting, chanting slogans She said President Assad could not gion, and has been uncompromising in against the U.S. military presence in implement his reform package at a fas- its stance against Israel. The Syrian the region. Hillary Clinton’s motor- ter pace because of the catastrophic leader revealed that Washington had cade had to be diverted from the con- events that shook the region after he conveyed to Damascus that Syria ference site while Tunisian security took over. First, there was the U.S. could have stability if it “cut off support forces removed the demonstrators. invasion of Iraq, which led to an up- to Hamas, Hizbollah and Iran”. Ac- Ordinary Syrian citizens and most surge in terrorism in the region and cording to Najah al-Attar, the Syrian foreign diplomats based in Damascus resulted in the influx of more than two government bent over backwards to concede that President Assad still con- million refugees into Syria. Then there accommodate the demands of the in- tinues to enjoy the support of 55-60 were the two wars waged by Israel, ternational community and the oppo- per cent of the populace. A recent You- against Lebanon and Gaza. Both the sition. “Our offer for dialogue has been Gov Siraj poll commissioned by the wars had briefly threatened to engulf rejected. The opposition wants only re- Doha Debates, sponsored by the Qatar the entire region. Najah al-Attar won- gime change.” The Syrian Army was Foundation, found that 55 per cent of dered why the West was silent about withdrawn from Homs, Dera and Idlib Syrians wanted Assad to stay. Not the casualties that Israel had inflicted so that the Arab League Observers much publicity was given to the results in the two wars on hapless civilians. Mission could carry out its work un- of the poll in the international media. “Israeli atrocities do not make the impeded. She noted that the report The Qatari royal family is in the fore- West unhappy,” she said. prepared by the head of the Mission front of the anti-Assad campaign. It was ignored by the Arab League as it has been calling on the international did not fit the League’s game plan. community to intervene militarily in “The Gulf states are acting like puppies Syria. A diplomat from South Asia said of the Americans,” she observed. The that 90 per cent of the minorities along senior Syrian leader conceded that with 30 per cent of the Sunnis contin- there were “some good people” in the ued to support Assad. Minorities con- opposition and that the government sisting of Alawites, Christians, Druze had kept the door for negotiations and Kurds constitute around 40 per open. “Russia’s mediation efforts were cent of the population. rejected by the opposition. We are sad but not afraid.” President Assad reit- BATTLE AGAINST COLONIALISM erated his offer of talks when Kofi An- Syrian Vice-President Najah al-Attar, nan, the newly appointed United speaking to a group of Indian journal- She accused Washington and its Nations/Arab League envoy to Syria, ists in Damascus, said that her country allies of funding and training rebel visited Damascus in the second week was once again waging a battle against groups in Syria even while hypocrit- of March. colonialism. She said the conspiracy ically calling for a peaceful dialogue to Najah al-Attar dismissed reports against Syria had started with the re- end the crisis. “They [the West] are of defections from the Syrian Army. drawing of maps during the colonial calling it a revolution of the people. She said only a small number had de- era. She said the former colonial pow- Our people want normalcy. They be- fected. “Our Army will never be divid- ers were unhappy with the principled lieve in the President.” She empha- ed. We are protecting not only foreign policy the country had adopted sised that the reform process would be ourselves but the entire Arab nation.” since independence in 1948. implemented carefully. “The new Con- She defended the Army’s human rights “They want us to change our posi- stitution will guarantee a new life for record, asserting that it is doing its best tion. They have a project for the Mid- the citizens. There will be more media to protect civilians. dle East [West Asia] that aims to put freedom.” The government plans to set “If the Syrian Army did what the an end to our unity and encourage sec- up an independent media body. The armed groups are doing, we could have tarianism,” she said. Najah al-Attar opposition parties already publish crushed them a long time ago.” She said Libya was a graphic illustration. weekly papers. More opposition pa- was especially scathing about the in- She pointed out that the West along pers are scheduled be out in a couple of terference of neighbouring Turkey in with its supporters in the region months. the internal affairs of Syria. “Turkey showed absolutely no remorse for the Najah al-Attar said her country has been acting as an agent of the U.S. killing of 150,000 people, most of was the only one in the region to op- There have been protests inside Tur- them civilians, in the conflict. In Iraq, pose U.S. hegemony. “Syria is facing key against the role of the government more than a million people perished as hardship but it has the courage to keep there. The Turkish people don’t want a result of the U.S. invasion in 2003 on supporting the resistance,” she said. their government to take sides.” She and the sanctions imposed on that Syria is the main backer of the resist- said Libyan Islamists, Al Qaeda, and country. ance, Hizbollah and Hamas in the re- Turkish and French military officers

FRONTLINE 55 World Affairs/Syria APRIL 6, 2012

affect the common man but nobody is going to starve,” a resident of Damas- cus observed. He said the unemployment rate was rising alarmingly. The West and the Arab monarchies are promising a bonanza for the Syrian people if there is a regime change. At the Tunis Conference, $20 billion was on offer for a new government in Syria. But, he said, the Syrian people were aware that the West was using the country as a pawn. A well-placed Syrian technocrat, who is ambivalent about the government on many issues, told this correspondent that the attacks by the Western media and Al Jazeera became shriller whenever the government introduced more reforms. The opposition, he said, was aware of the “media game” and was willing “to sleep with the devil” to achieve its goal. He described the anti-Assad revolution as one that “does not have a road map and IN DAMASCUS, GOVERNMENT supporters with flag-waving musical bands which excludes the minorities and oth- march to vote in the referendum. er groups”. He said many of the rebel fighters were “Salafists”. He, for one, were operating inside Syria. She also in fostering terrorism,” Najah al-Attar would prefer a “civil war” rather than revealed that some of the weapons said. She said that besides civilians, the allow the country to be run by Salafists. came from Israel. militant groups had targeted commu- At the same time, he admitted that Najah al-Attar said Syria was being nication centres and gas pipelines. Sy- Assad had not kept many of his prom- subjected to “information warfare”. ria today suffers from a shortage of ises and had lost around 10 per cent of Reports in the Western and Arab satel- electricity as a result of acts of sabotage his popularity after the siege of Homs. lite channels, she said, were not based against its energy grid. He said Assad’s close advisers would on the facts on the ground and the The Vice-President is confident not allow him to step down. Senior threat posed by terrorism was being that her country will soldier on despite Vice-President Farouq al-Sharaa downplayed deliberately. She said 90 the odds stacked against it. “Syria is wants the President to continue at the per cent of the Syrian people had stop- self-sufficient and it has no external helm. ped watching Al Jazeera and Al Arabi- debts,” she explained. Diplomats in Ahmad Hussain, the Grand Mufti ya. “They are seen as partners of the Damascus are of the view that Syria of Damascus who lost his son to the armed terrorist groups.” There is no can rough it out as it has been used to bullets of terrorists a few months ago, denying the fact that Al Qaeda is very decades of sanctions. said Bashar al-Assad would like noth- much active in Syria. The suicide bomb But the latest set of sanctions has ing better than to practise medicine attacks in Damascus and Aleppo in had a debilitating effect. For some again but circumstances had forced recent months are illustrations. In months, Syria has not been able to ex- him to stay on in power. The spiritual fact, the presence of militant groups port its oil, a key source of foreign ex- head of Syrian Sunnis said the Presi- has helped galvanise public opinion in change. Syria’s oil is refined in western dent “is neither sectarian nor has a favour of the government. The Syrian Europe and sold in the domestic mar- military background”. He said under people do not want their country to kets. Traditional friends such as Iran Assad Syria would become a shining become another Iraq or for that matter are bound to help Syria in times of example for the rest of the Arab world, a new Libya, where armed militias are need. Venezuela has already dis- but the Gulf countries and some of today ruling the roost after the country patched a consignment of refined oil to Syria’s immediate neighbours were was “liberated” with the help of the Syria. Many Syrians outside the gov- working overtime to sabotage Assad’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ernment say that the government can plans to build a strong nation. “The (NATO). “The U.S., Saudi Arabia and survive another 10 years being unaf- unfolding situation in Syria does not Qatar are spokesmen of and partners fected by the sanctions. “Sanctions will suit the West,” the Grand Mufti said. २

56 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 World Affairs/Libya Slipping into chaos

One year after the NATO intervention, Libya faces disintegration as the oil-rich

eastern region seeks semi-autonomy. BY JOHN CHERIAN

The threat of destabilisation looms over the whole region. Sophisticated arms from the Libyan armoury have reached not only militant Islamists but rebels fighting to overthrow governments in the Sahel region. LIBYA seems to be on the verge of disintegration one year after the military intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). In the first week of March, leaders from its oil-rich eastern region, which includes Benghazi, the focal point of the Western-backed rebellion that ousted Muammar Qaddafi, announced their intention to seek “semi-

autonomy” from the central government. The meet- ISMAIL ZETOUNY/REUTERS ing in Benghazi, where the decision was taken, was MUSTAFA ABDEL JALIL, Chairman of the attended by major political leaders, military com- National Transitional Council, at a news manders and tribal leaders from the region. The new conference in Tripoli on March 6. “semi-autonomous” region, Cyrenaica, will extend from the central coastal city of Sirte, Qaddafi’s home- grand-nephew of King Idris. The Benghazi meeting town, to the country’s border with Egypt. According rejected the decision of the Libyan Transitional Na- to energy experts, the area holds around two-thirds tional Council (NTC) to allocate 60 seats to the of the country’s oil reserves. eastern region in the 200-member Assembly. The Observers of the Libyan scene predict that the leaders are demanding around 100 seats for the move is aimed at partitioning the country. At the region. Elections for a new government are sched- Benghazi meeting, there was an open call for the uled to be held in June. But with a powerful Western- re-adoption of the 1951 Constitution, which recog- backed power bloc emerging in the east and general nised Tripoli as the administrative capital and Beng- lawlessness prevailing in most parts of the country, it hazi as the financial capital of the country. Under would be an uphill task for the interim government King Idris, the pro-Western puppet ruler at the time, in Tripoli to supervise a peaceful transfer of power to Libya was divided into three provinces, Cyrenaica in an elected Assembly. the east, Tripolitana in the west and Fezzan in the Over 100 militias, flush with lethal arms, are south. Benghazi, where the King resided, was the bunkered down in the major towns of the country. centre of decision making. The United States had They are unwilling to integrate into the national military bases nearby while big Western oil compa- army or give up their arms. In the capital, Tripoli, the nies monopolised the country’s oil resources. After main airport and major government buildings are Qaddafi came to power, he nationalised the oil in- still under the control of opposing militias. Frequent dustry and forced the U.S. to vacate its bases. clashes have erupted in the capital and other parts of Sheikh Ahmad Zubeir al-Sanussi, who has the country as each militia has been trying to expand emerged as the leader of the Benghazi group, is a its turf. The seven-month-long war inflicted by the

FRONTLINE 57 APRIL 6, 2012

NATO forces not only claimed thousands of lives but also destroyed the country’s infrastructure. Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the NTC Chairman, has described the Benghazi declaration as “the beginning of a conspiracy against Libyans” which could lead to the eventual disintegration of the country. He blamed “some Arab brutal torture in prison. The town of Navi Pillay, the chief of the United nations” for encouraging the seces- Tawergha near Misrata has been de- Nations High Commissioner for Refu- sionist moves. Qatar, which was populated forcibly because its resi- gees (UNHCR), asked the Libyan au- among the early backers and sponsors dents supported Qaddafi. Amnesty thorities to take control of the prisons. of the counter-revolution against Qad- International, in a report on Libya re- “There is torture, extrajudicial killings, dafi, is said to figure prominently on leased in February, has documented rape of both men and women,” she said the list of the Arab countries behind details about the widespread abuse of in late January. the conspiracy. Senior officials in Tri- human rights in the country. A spokes- The NATO-backed government in poli have been critical of the interfe- man for the organisation said that mi- Tripoli has said that it will guarantee rence of the tiny but rich Gulf emirate litias in the country “are largely out of the primacy of Sharia law in the coun- in the internal affairs of the country control of the government”. try. Under Qaddafi, women enjoyed following the ouster of Qaddafi. Abdel considerable freedom. Polygamy was Rahman Shalgham, Libya’s Ambassa- banned. A man needed his wife’s legal dor to the United Nations, had fa- consent to get a divorce. Qaddafi had mously asked, late last year, “Who is encouraged women to join the work- Qatar?” He was angered by Qatar’s force. The interim government has an- continued interference in the internal nounced that it will relax the strict affairs of Libya and its backing of Isla- rules against polygamy. mist militias and politicians. The majority of the anti-Qaddafi In statements issued earlier in the militia leaders, despite being backed year, Mustafa Jalil had said that Libya by the West, are avowed Islamists. Li- had descended into a state of “civil byan militia leaders are now coordi- war”. Sirte, which was reduced to rub- nating with the Free Syrian Army ble by NATO bombing, is occupied by fighting against the government in Da- fighters from Misrata. Tens of thou- mascus. The Russian Ambassador to sands of Qaddafi supporters continue the U.N., Vitaly Churkov, has accused to languish in jail. International agen- the Libyan government of training cies have provided graphic accounts of ESAM AL-FETORI/REUTERS Syrian rebels in Libyan camps and the torture they endured at the hands AHMAD AL-SANUSSI, the head of then sending them back to Syria. of their captors. Many citizens, includ- the council of Cyrenaica, reads out Human Rights Watch (HRW) has ing a former Libyan Ambassador to the statement seeking semi- given instances of migrant workers France, Omar Brebesh, died following autonomy, in Benghazi on March 8. from sub-Saharan Africa being target-

58 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 ESAM AL-FETORI/REUTERS

AT THE FOUNDING conference of the council of the Cyrenaica province in Benghazi on March 6. Civic leaders in the eastern province, home to most of Libya’s oil, declared the creation of a council to administer the province’s affairs. ed for detention and summary execu- strong evidence to implicate NATO in started regrouping under the banner tions by the militias. Baso Sanggu, the war crimes in Libya. “NATO participa- of the “Green Resistance” movement. President of the U.N. Security Council ted in what could be classified as offen- Al Ahram, the Egyptian newspaper, and South Africa’s Ambassador to the sive actions undertaken by the reported that Green Resistance fight- U.N., said that NATO had to be in- opposition forces, including, for exam- ers had recently stormed the prison in vestigated for human rights abuses. ple, attacks on towns and cities held by Misrata and killed 145 guards. There NATO air raids resulted in the death of Qaddafi forces. Equally, the choice of are claims that hundreds of fighters thousands of innocent civilians. The certain targets, such as regional food owing allegiance to the new govern- destruction of Sirte is mainly the hand- warehouses, raises prima facie ques- ment have been killed by the resistance iwork of NATO forces. A new U.N. tions regarding the role of such attacks since the beginning of the year. report has concluded that NATO has with respect to the protection of civil- The Tuareg ethnic group, which not sufficiently investigated the air ians,” the report stated. The mission stood by Qaddafi until the very end, raids it conducted over Libya. The found the strongest evidence of NATO while siding with the resistance, has U.N. had mandated a “no-fly zone” war crimes in the city of Sirte. The U.S. also linked up with its kinsmen in over Libya with the overt aim of pro- had spent around $2 billion for its neighbouring Mali and Niger. The tecting civilians. NATO drones and “special operations” which finally led Tuaregs, known for their distinct style Special Forces had played a key role in to the grisly assassination of Qaddafi. of dressing and nomadic lifestyle, have facilitating the capture of Qaddafi. He France and Britain were the other no- been demanding a separate state. was later tortured and shot by his cap- table NATO countries that played a Well-armed Tuareg groups have, in re- tors. The report also said that the mili- key role in guaranteeing regime cent months, attacked towns in Niger tias were continuing with their “war change in Libya. Qatar and Saudi Ara- and Mali. Sophisticated arms in the crimes”. bia opened up their purse strings and Libyan armoury have trickled down Another report, by the West Asian launched a propaganda blitz through not only to militant Islamist groups Human Rights Groups, which includ- the auspices of Al Jazeera and Al Ara- but also to groups fighting to over- ed the Arab Organisation of Human biya respectively, demonising Qaddafi throw governments in the Sahel region Rights, the Palestinian Centre for Hu- and whitewashing the sins of the Li- bordering Libya. NATO’s military in- man Rights and the International Le- byan militias and their patrons. tervention in Libya now threatens to gal Assistance Consortium, released in There are reports in the Arab destabilise the whole region and be- January, concluded that there was media that Qaddafi loyalists have yond. २

FRONTLINE 59 update APRIL 6, 2012

Gorilla insights genes have evolved in gorillas at a similar rate to those in humans.” HUMANS and gorillas last shared Scally adds that it could well be a common ancestor 10 million years that there has been a parallel acceler- ago, according to an analysis of the ﬁrst ation in these genes for two entirely full sequence of the gorilla genome. different reasons – that human hear- The gorilla is the last of the living great ing has developed because of speech apes – humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and gorilla hearing has developed to and orangutans – to have its complete serve an entirely different, but as-yet- genetic code catalogued. unknown, purpose. Scientists, led by researchers from The researchers said that studying the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute the gorilla genome would shed light on near Cambridge, England, and Baylor a time when apes were ﬁghting for College of Medicine in Houston, Tex- survival across the world. “There’s an as, also found that 15 per cent of the interesting background story of great gorilla’s genetic code is closer between ape evolution,” says Scally. “The com-

humans and gorillas than it is between AP mon ancestor of all four great apes was humans and chimpanzees, our closest A WESTERN LOWLAND gorilla with sometime back, 15 to 20 million years animal relative. her newborn baby at the Pittsburgh ago. At that time, it seems to have been The genomes of all three species Zoo & PPG Aquarium. a nice time to have been an ape – it was are, in any case, highly similar: hu- a golden age – a lot of the world was mans and chimpanzees share more Comparing the sequences of hu- just right for the kind of environment than 98 per cent of their genes, while mans, chimpanzees and gorillas has for apes to live in. Since that time, the humans and gorillas share more than enabled scientists to put a more accu- story has been of fragmentation and 96 per cent. rate clock on when the three species extinction – most of the great ape spe- The genetic sequence was taken split from their last common ancestor. cies that have existed have gone. To- from a female western lowland gorilla It was traditionally thought that the day, all the non-human apes are really (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) named Kami- emergence of new species (known as endangered populations, they’re living lah and published in Nature. “speciation”) happens at a relatively lo- in forest refuges and population num- An initial analysis also showed calised point in time but emerging evi- bers are quite low. Humans look like similarities in genes involved in senso- dence suggests that this is not an exception to that – we’re all over the ry perception and hearing, and brain necessarily the case, that species split world now and live in places where you development showed accelerated evo- over an extended period. Studying the could never have had a primate lution in all three species. Genes asso- gorilla genome suggests that the di- before.” ciated with proteins that harden up vergence of gorillas from the common Today, gorillas are classiﬁed as skin were also particularly active in ancestor of humans and chimpanzees critically endangered and populations gorillas – which goes some way to ex- happened around 10 million years ago. have plummeted to below 100,000 in- plaining the large, tough knuckle pads Humans and chimpanzees last dividuals in recent decades due to on gorillas’ hands. shared a common ancestor around six poaching and disease. They are re- “Gorillas are interesting animals in million years ago. Eastern and western stricted to equatorial forests in coun- their own right but the main reason gorillas split some time in the last mil- tries including Cameroon, Central they are of particular interest is be- lion years. African Republic, Gabon, Nigeria, Re- cause of their evolutionary closeness to One curious ﬁnd was the evolution public of Congo and Angola. “As well us,” said Aylwyn Scally, an author of of genes associated with hearing, as teaching us about human evolution, the research from the Wellcome Trust which seem very similar between hu- the study of great apes connects us to a Sanger Institute. “They’re our second- mans and gorillas. “Scientists had sug- time when our existence was more ten- closest evolutionary cousins after gested that the rapid evolution of uous,” according to the researchers in chimpanzees and knowing the content human hearing genes was linked to the Nature. “And in doing so, highlights of the gorilla genome enables us to say evolution of language,” said Chris Tyl- the importance of protecting and con- quite a lot about an important period er-Smith, senior author from the Well- serving these remarkable species.” in human evolution when we were di- come Trust Sanger Institute. “Our Alok Jha verging from chimpanzees.” results cast doubt on this, as hearing © Guardian News & Media 2012

60 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 World Affairs/United Kingdom On a witch-hunt African communities in the U.K. torture and kill children after branding them as

witches with the connivance of “rogue” pastors. BY ALEXANDRA TOPPING

An average of eight children a year heard. On March 1 they were convicted of murder. They had earlier admitted actual bodily harm in Greater London are victims of against Kristy’s sister Kelly and a younger sister, who cannot be named. The judge, Justice Paget, exempted the jury from abuse based on witchcraft-style jury service for the rest of their lives because of the exorcisms, but this only reflects cases “strain” of the trial, adding that it was a case “every one of us will remember”. He said: “It has been a resulting in police investigations. most remarkable case and at times a very harrowing case.” WHEN 15-year-old Kristy Bamu left his parents The story of Kristy’s last days is difficult to hear, in Paris on December 16, 2010, he was looking for- and harder to comprehend. He was starved and ward to spending the Christmas holidays with his deprived of water and sleep and punched and kicked siblings and visiting their sister and her boyfriend in repeatedly; floor tiles were smashed over his head; London. his teeth were hit out with a hammer; and a pair of On Christmas Day he was found by paramedics pliers were used to twist his ear. in the bathroom of an east London high-rise flat. His Throughout the ordeal, his siblings – two of body had been mutilated, some teeth were missing whom were themselves accused of being witches by and he was covered in deep cuts and bruises. In the the couple and abused – were forced to watch or take last four days of his life he had suffered acts of part in the torture. unspeakable savagery, doled out by a man he called But despite the extraordinary horror of this case, “uncle” and one of his own sisters. African groups have warned that belief in witchcraft Why? Because Eric Bikubi and Magalie Bamu, is increasingly common in some communities and then both 28, were convinced the boy was a witch, that other children in the United Kingdom are “suf- possessed by spirits who wanted to bring evil into fering in silence” after being branded as witches. their home, the Old Bailey criminal court in London “We were concerned about this before this trial of Kristy Bamu,” said Debbie Ariyo, executive director of Africans Unite Against Child Abuse (AFRUCA), who added that a boom in Pentecostal churches was leading to more children being accused of witchcraft. “This is not a problem with all pastors or all churches, but the branding of children as witches is not abating. It is a growing problem. There are so many children suffering in silence.” Police believe ritualised child abuse is an under- reported crime that shows signs of increasing either because of a rising number of incidents, or as a result of greater awareness of the phenomenon. The 83 incidents uncovered in the past decade only scratch the surface of a hidden crime, according to Detective Superintendent Terry Sharpe, head of the child

AFP AFP abuse investigation command at London’s Metro- ERIC BIKUBI (LEFT) and Magalie Bamu, who politan Police (the Met). An average of eight children were convicted for the murder of Kristy Bamu, a year in Greater London are victims of abuse based Magalie’s teenage brother, whom they accused of on witchcraft-style exorcisms, but this only reﬂects being a witch. cases resulting in police investigations. “We know

FRONTLINE 61 APRIL 6, 2012

this is an under-reported crime and a the flat on Christmas Day found his hidden crime,” he said. blood all over the flat and an “armoury” Sharpe detailed the horrific abuse of weapons that had been used to suffered by some young victims, in- torture him. cluding being beaten or forced to drink Thomas Bikebi, executive director unknown liquids, starved or deprived of the Congolese Family Centre, said of sleep, blindfolded and having their that for some believers once the pres- hair shaved off, burned or having ence of evil spirits had been “con- burning liquid poured on their gen- firmed” – often, but not always, by a itals and being further tortured and pastor – the “punishment” was seen to murdered. be imposed on the spirit and not on the Kristy Bamu was subjected to child. “When you force the child to fast, many of these methods of torture. It people believe you are starving the began with a simple accident when spirit, not the child. When you beat, Kristy, waking in an unfamiliar bed, you are beating the spirit,” he said. wet his underpants. Bikubi, finding The widespread belief in kindoki the underwear, accused the boy of be- could even lead those who believed in ing possessed by kindoki – the word for the evil power of spirits to support the witchcraft in the Congolese Lingala actions of Bikubi and Bamu, he added. language. This is a recognisable trigger “There are people within the commu- in the Democratic Republic of Congo nity who will say that this pair did the (DRC), where both Bikubi and Bamu right thing, they killed a witch,” Bikebi were born, according to Dr Richard said. “I have serious concerns about Hoskins, an expert in the future of the family African religions. with this accusation “The trigger that hanging over them.” needs to occur for Common problems people to think some- experienced by children one is possessed by – such as autism, epi- kindoki can be any- lepsy, dyslexia or even thing out of the ordi- simple naughtiness – nary. Bed-wetting is a could trigger accusa- classic example of tions, said Ariyo, with this,” he told the Old children living away Bailey trial. from home or in domes- For the next four tic servitude most likely days, Kristy and two to be targeted. “It is of his sisters – Kelly, heartbreaking. Some of

21, and an 11-year-old AFP these children have a – were accused re- KRISTY BAMU. HE was disability, but pastors peatedly of being subjected to the worst kinds are saying they are pos- witches. They were of torture and killed. sessed,” she said. “This forced to fast and stay can prevent parents up all night chanting prayers. In hor- from going to see professionals and rific evidence, which reduced mem- getting the help they need.” bers of the jury to tears, the court heard There has been a rapid growth in that Bikubi soon fixated on Kristy. African churches in the U.K. Accord- Over several days, he beat him around ing to U.K. Church Statistics, 670 Pen- the body with a metal bar used for tecostal churches opened between weights, shoving the end of it into his 2005 and 2010, taking the total to mouth and dislodging a tooth. The 3,900 – that figure is expected to rise to powerfully built football coach head- 4,600 by 2015. As a result, Ariyo fears butted and hit the teenager, smashing that “witch-branding” is on the in- bottles and then heavy floor tiles – crease. bought to redecorate the flat – over his AFRUCA dealt with a dozen cases head. The paramedics who arrived at of ritualised abuse last year, and the

62 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

this area, so we have to work with statutory agencies and across the church spectrum to ensure more children do not suffer this type of abuse,” he said. Project Violet, the Met’s faith-related child abuse unit, has a team of three ofﬁcers working with communities, schools, religious leaders, and the medical profession to raise awareness, said Sharpe. “We have ongoing community engagement – and are in the process of increasing awareness of Project Violet within the Met police so that frontline ofﬁcers who attend incidents are aware of these particular issues,” he said. Critics argue the unit has been seriously neglected in recent years, after

ALEXANDER P. KAPP/CREATIVE COMMONS making an initial impact when it was THERE HAS BEEN a rapid growth in African churches in the U.K. established in 2005 as a response to According to U.K. Church Statistics, 670 Pentecostal churches opened the abuse of child B – an eight-year-old between 2005 and 2010, taking the total to 3,900. Here a Pentecostal Angolan girl was accused of being a church in Ramsbottom. witch and was beaten, cut and had chilli rubbed in her eyes. national figure was likely to be far their problems will be fixed,” he added. “Project Violet is a shadow of its higher, said Ariyo. One video on YouTube, featuring a former self,” said Ariyo. “The police are well-known Nigerian preacher, David not engaging enough with faith SOURCE OF INCOME Oyedepo, reveals the power of some groups, and there is a gap that needs to A social worker with more than 30 church leaders. A teenage girl kneels be filled. We shouldn’t shed tears after years’ experience with African com- before the pastor, and after saying she another child has been killed. We need munities in London said many cases is a “witch for Jesus” he calls her a “foul to act now.” were “going under the radar” and devil”, slapping her violently across AFRUCA is calling on the govern- blamed “rogue” pastors for the spread the face, while the congregation ment to make branding a child a witch of branding and ritualised abuse. “It is cheers. In a later video, he can be seen illegal, and is calling for greater mon- spreading like bushfire because it is a boasting, “I slapped a witch here last itoring of churches and preachers.“If source of income,” she said. “If you can year.” we don’t push home the idea that call- charge £500 for an oil that is going to ing a child a witch will have grave con- ‘cure’ a child of evil spirits, you are TRAINING FOR PREACHERS sequences, then we will continue to going to make money. Pastors can be The majority of African churches do have this kind of cases,” said Ariyo. very powerful people, and we have to not condone child abuse, and many “We don’t seem to be learning from educate the bad ones that there are work with agencies to educate preach- these cases. People cry crocodile tears other ways of making money than ers about U.K. laws concerning child and then nothing happens.” playing on people’s ignorance.” protection, according to the Churches’ On the day Kristy Bamu died, his Police believe Bikubi may have vis- Child Protection Advisory Service. killer spoke to his father, accusing the ited Nigerian preachers in north Lon- The organisation has trained boy of being a witch and threatening to don, but local churches denied 4,000 preachers from African church- kill him. When Kristy came on the knowing him. However, much greater es since 2007 but argues that local phone he spoke calmly, he did not cry. access to the Internet and satellite boards for safeguarding children must “Dad, come and get me, or otherwise channels meant the influence of do more to know what churches are Eric will kill me,” he said. The court preachers based in countries such as operating in their areas. A lack of any heard that the father, Pierre Bamu, Nigeria, Angola and the DRC was in- requirement to note religion in child dismissed the boy’s fears because he creasingly pervasive, said Bikebi. “You abuse cases was likely to lead to under- could not imagine Bikubi causing any have pastors online who tell people reporting, said its chief executive, Si- harm to the children, who had stayed that they just need to send money and mon Bass. with Bikubi before. A few hours later, touch the table in front of them and “Like female genital mutilation, Kristy was dead. २ the evil spirit will be banished and all there is likely to be under-reporting in © Guardian News & Media 2012

FRONTLINE 63 Travel APRIL 6, 2012 Ode to harmony Borobudur and Prambanan, two temple complexes in Java, are victims of volcanic fury and yet retain their grace.

TEXT & PHOTOGRAPHS BY SUDHA MAHALINGAM

Borobudur is as much a testimony to the religious harmony that prevailed in those times in the Srivijaya empire as to the skills of the architects and artisans of the period. MOUNT Merapi (mountain of ﬁre, in Javanese) looks enigmatic, almost benign, as though it were a guardian angel watching over its favourite ward. A placid plume of smoke curls out of its top as from an incense stick. Yet, as late as October 2010, this live and throbbing volcano erupted in ugly fury, spitting out pyroclastic debris that gobbled alive at least 190 Javanese who happened to be in the vicinity and drove more than 3,50,000 people to safer havens, beyond its radiant radius of 20 kilometres. Virtually every year, Merapi erupts with ominous regularity; yet the inhabitants of this land would rather risk living in its shadows, listening to its rum- bling innards and glimpsing the wisp of smoke that curls out of its crown, than permanently desert their homes for less dangerous environs. As far as the central Javanese are concerned, you could say home is where the volcano is. Of course, their bags are always packed so that they are ready to move at short notice. But only for a while; they will come back to rebuild their homes and pick up their singed lives. We are in Yogyakarta, home to Mt. Merapi and also to Borobudur, the gorgeous Buddhist temple complex, not to mention Prambanan and other sun- dry Hindu temples, equally gorgeous, if less famous. As the plane hovers over the island, I crane my neck to catch a glimpse of Borobudur, but all I see is the sawn-off crown of Mt. Merapi sticking out of a dense tropical jungle juxtaposed against a topaz-blue ocean. The coral reefs under the surface of the South China Sea are visible even from this height. Yogyakarta is a bustling town, with billboards and hotels, markets and the signature chaos of a

64 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE in Borobudur is an architectural marvel. The ediﬁce sports more than 500 Buddha statues and 2,764 relief panels richly carved with scenes from the life of the Buddha. APRIL 6, 2012

vibrant Asian town. Through thick peak-hour trafﬁc we make our way to our boutique hotel tucked away in a narrow alley. The entire lane is packed with trendy hotels and cafes inter- spersed with bookstores and antique shops designed to lure the foreign tourists who converge on this town to see its famous monuments. We saun- ter into an eatery that promises an international menu. Virtually every creature that walks, creeps, crawls, ﬂies or swims is on offer – doused in dollops of cheese or cream and sauce to appease the unfamiliar palate. But if you want to order one of the snake dishes on the menu – there are three of

66 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

THE BOROBUDUR TEMPLE complex (left) is studded with alcoves which hold statues of the Buddha (above). stumps present an eerie sight. There is stroyed by the elements long ago. grey ash shovelled on to the sides. We have no record of who built this Pumice rocks of different sizes are magnificent temple complex. It is only strewn about. These are hardened lava a conjecture that it was built by Sai- from the recent emissions. Borobudur lendra, possibly a Hindu king. Borobu- is 27 miles (about 43 kilometres) away dur is a testimony as much to the from the centre of town, tucked into religious harmony that prevailed in the forests, although the city has grad- those times as to the skills of the archi- them – you will have to give the restau- ually encroached right up to its gate. tects and artisans of the period. rant 24 hours’ notice. But the culinary Why would anyone build anything Perched on a mound, Borobudur beck- adventurist need not despair. Just so grand here, right next to a live volca- oned, like a beacon, Buddhists from walk one lane away to the main market no? They must know that it would be around the world. While the basic ar- road lined with eateries, and here you submerged in ash one day. In fact, this chitecture bears strong Gupta dynasty can choose your own live specimens to jewel remained hidden from the world influence, it is not without local tou- be transformed into a delectable din- until Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley ches, enough to make it uniquely In- ner under your own gaze and to your Raffles – the same Raffles who found- donesian. specific tastes! I stick to my conserva- ed Singapore – coaxed the natives to Like most monuments of a bygone tive culinary choice, always a safe bet lead him to it. But if the kings of the era – Machu Picchu, Angkor Vat and in an alien land: the white creamy Srivijaya empire, who built this grand Nalanda – this structure also is an in- meat that lines the inside of a tender edifice, believed the volcano would terlocking wonder without mortar or coconut and the yellow crunchy seg- preserve rather than destroy its grand cement. Six square platforms, in pyra- ments of freshly sliced jackfruit. monument to the Buddha, they were midal order stacked on top of each The road to Borobudur is lined perhaps not far wrong. Had it not been other form the pedestal over which with coconut palms whose tufts have for the volcanic ash, the structure perch three other circular platforms been singed by volcanic eruption. The might have been broken down and de- arranged in concentric rings. Borobu-

FRONTLINE 67 BAS RELIEFS IN Borobudur. (Above) A royal procession; (left) depiction of horses and an elephant; (right) devotees and worshippers.

68 FRONTLINE A PANEL DEPICTING a group of women.

FRONTLINE 69 APRIL 6, 2012

dur is indeed an ode to symmetry and thology, Borobudur pays homage to harmony of form. The top is crowned structural perfection and harmony. by a perfectly proportioned perforated Historians believe Borobudur was dome, the crowning glory that makes built sometime between A.D. 780 and this structure quite unparalleled in A.D. 840. Surprisingly, no record of beauty and grace. any sort has been found to lend au- The ediﬁce sports more than 500 thenticity to this surmise. Viewed from Buddha statues and 2,764 relief panels above, Borobudur resembles a Budd- richly carved with scenes from the life hist mandala or cosmos symbolically of the Buddha. If Angkor Vat excels in depicting the path of a Bodhisattva bas reliefs with scenes from Hindu my- from samsara to nirvana through the story of Sutana. A worm’s-eye view shows a forest of stupas and statues set amid stunning bas relief panels. You access the platforms through narrow stairways placed symmetrically on all four sides and go around the sides watched over by myriad Buddha statues, serene and contemplative. As you ascend to higher levels, the statuary and adornment becomes scarcer until you reach the top, which is almost bare except for the central dome. Only six of the platforms from the base are accessible to visitors. The rest are being restored through massive and diligent efforts so that Borobudur, buried under volcanic ash for centuries, reclaims its lost glory. The top of the monument, now inaccessible to A LION SCULPTURE at the gate of visitors, has three levels – Kamadatu the Borobudur complex. (the world of desire), Rupadatu (the world of forms) and Arupadatu (the world of formlessness). It is believed that as you ascend the monument, you leave behind your worlds of desire and form to become one with the formless being. As you go up, you can feast your eyes on all those panels. There are many Buddha statues that overlook stolen, we just don’t know, but it con- the expanse on all four sides. Some of forms with the idea of moving as one the perforated and trellised stupas still rises in one’s spiritual practice from a house Buddhas although many of kind of rootedness in the sensory, con- them have been lost to vandalism as fused world of passion and suffering well as volcanic fury. and one rises through purer forms un- In the words of Nigel Barley, the til one reaches a formless realm where British anthropologist: “When you get one has somehow liberated one’s mind to the upper level of the monument, from all those things that have some- you suddenly ﬁnd yourself without any how caught it up in the messiness of forms at all, you have just the bare life and has achieved a perspective. stonework and you have a dome and When you are at Borobudur, you are then the central, uppermost crown of standing on this great monument, you the monument has no image in it can see the entire world around you, A BELL-SHAPED stupa at the whatsoever. Whether that’s simply ac- beneath you. It is an enormous experi- entrance to the complex. cidental, whether the image has been ence of spaciousness, of freedom and a

70 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

TOURISTS THRONG THE Prambanan temple complex dedicated to the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple complex in all of South-east Asia and is large even by Indian standards.

far vaster perspective – a clear state of to Prambanan, a Hindu temple com- name Para Brahman (the absolute mind.” Such a glorious monument plex some distance away. As you exit God), this temple complex is dedicated does attract hordes of visitors who the Borobudur complex, you come to the Hindu trinity Brahma, Vishnu seem to be everywhere. In fact, it seems across a pile of rock carvings dislodged and Siva, as the creator, preserver and like a microcosm of humanity at vari- by the eruption and being curated and destroyer – respectively. If Borobu- ous levels of enlightenment, depend- arranged. Some day, these will be put dur’s architecture is based on manda- ing upon the platform they are on. For back where they belong to complete la, Prambanan is vertical architecture, a moment, the cosmic connotations the structure maimed mercilessly by shaped like gopurams (temple towers) discreetly recede into the background the tremors and the elements. On your and reaching out to the heavens. Ma- as we occupy ourselves with the imme- way out, you run the gauntlet of tourist jestic and imposing, Prambanan is the diate task of mounting the lens and kitsch as well as some genuinely In- largest Hindu temple complex in all of taking photographs in the hope that donesian artisanal stuff – silver ﬁligree South-east Asia and is large even by we can share the sense of tranquillity work, batik and lacquer work. Indian standards. Historians believe with others unable to experience it in Like Borobudur, Prambanan is al- that Prambanan is the Sanjaya dynas- person. so a UNESCO World Heritage Site. ty’s response to Borobudur, to build a From Borobudur we make our way Probably a corruption of the Sanskrit Hindu temple complex rivalling the

FRONTLINE 71 Travel APRIL 6, 2012 AP WORKERS CLEAR THE volcanic ash covering the Borobudur temple following the eruption of Mount Merapi. A file photograph. grandeur of the latter. Built by King According to an inscription at the The rulers shifted further away even as RakaiPikatan and expanded by King Shivagrha (Siva temple), a public wa- the temples suffered decay and ne- Lokapala and BalitungMahaSambu of ter project to change the course of a glect. the Mataram kingdom, unlike Boro- river was undertaken during the con- When the Dutch East India Com- budur, Prambanan has some surviving struction of the temple. pany came to rule the region, the re- inscriptions that give indications to The river, identified as the Opak, mains of the temple were carted away the time and purpose of its now runs in the north-south direction to adorn the gardens and homes of its construction. on the western side of the Prambanan officers. Serious restoration efforts be- Prambanan served as the royal temple compound. Historians suggest gan only in the early 20th century, but temple of the kingdom of Mataram, that originally the river was deemed even now there are many gaps in with most of the state’s religious cere- too close to the main temple. The tem- knowledge as well as materials, chal- monies and sacrifices being conducted ple builders of South-east Asia seem to lenging architects trying to piece to- there. At the height of the kingdom, have been adept at hydraulic engineer- gether the structure and restore it to its scholars estimate that hundreds of ing, which is evident not only in the original glory. Brahmins, with their disciples, lived grandest hydraulic project in history, As we complete our tour of Java within the outer wall of the temple the Angkor Vat complex, but also at and head towards the Yogyakarta air- compound. The urban centre and the the Prambanan complex. port, Mt. Merapi still looks enigmatic. court of Mataram were located nearby, Like Borobudur, Prambanan, too, Fittingly so, since it has been both pre- somewhere in the Prambanan plains. fell victim to the fury of Mt. Merapi. server and destroyer at once. २

72 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 books The Indian jazz age

A history of jazz from the point of view of the performers, musicians who lived

humble lives and often died as unknown workers in the trade. BY VIJAY PRASHAD

T the heart of Naresh Fer- ministrators such as David Kincaid nandes’ Taj Mahal Foxtrot (who wrote British Social Life in In- are the ordinary musicians dia, 1608-1937). Fernandes is interest- who worked for long hours ed in those on the bandstand and in the in the ballrooms of five-star music they played. Who were these hotelsA and in the nightclubs of major performers, and what inventiveness Indian cities. As nationalism swept the did they bring to their work? A history country, these venues became the ref- of jazz from the point of the view of the uge of the European and Indian elite, performers is not a history of the elites the aristocrats, the moneyed and the who would have danced to it; it is the public servants. It was not as if they history of the musicians who came were oblivious to the changes afoot in from humble backgrounds, lived hum- the country. They had to deal with the ble lives and often died as unknown threats and the opportunities posed by workers in the music trade. Indian nationalism every day. They came to hear jazz in the night time, WHERE THE MUSICIANS when they left their cares behind and CAME FROM came to dance and drink. In solidarity IN REVIEW The first set of musicians who came to with the naval mutiny in 1945, masses these hotels and clubs in the 1930s left Taj Mahal Foxtrot: The Story of people took to the streets of Bombay Jim Crow America for more salubrious of Bombay’s Jazz Age by (now Mumbai). The police opened fire climates. Some went to Europe after Naresh Fernandes; Roli on them and killed several. the First World War and built their Books, New Delhi, 2012. The journalist Dosoo Framjee Ka- jazz careers in what the late scholar raka wrote two years later: “That William Shack called “Harlem in weekend in the ballroom of the Taj played on and a “beggar boy” lay dead Montmartre” (in his 2001 book of that Mahal Hotel, Sonny Lobo and his or- on the streets “with Jai Hind on his name). Bandleader James Reese Eu- chestra played as usual and the danc- lips”. rope and dancer Josephine Baker ers encored a new Calypso number. No Karaka, who offers Fernandes formed the heart of this enclave of Pa- one was perturbed about the firing in some of his best vignettes, is not draw- ris, which thrived until the 1930s when the city because skirmishes like these ing the obvious comparison that the the rise of fascism made life harder for had become a normal feature of Indian colonial elite played the fiddle while black artists. Trumpet player Buck life” (I’ve Shed My Tears, 1947). Rome burned. The colonial elite did Clayton, from Kansas City and soon to For years I had read this comment not know how to play the fiddle. They be a regular with the Count Basie Or- for its irony. In the previous page, Ka- either imported that talent from Eu- chestra, built his career in the ball- raka had described going to the horse rope or the United States, or else from rooms and small clubs of Shanghai. races at Mahalaxmi. The Governor of the Portuguese colony of Goa and from From Paris and Shanghai, and from Bombay, the Scottish Liberal John the world of “Anglo-India” (the com- New York and Kansas City, black mu- Colville, arrived in a “gilded, horse- munity of Indians who had some Eu- sicians found their way to Bombay and drawn carriage with an escort of body- ropean ancestry). Fernandes sets aside Calcutta (now Kolkata), bringing their guards and flunkies in attendance”. He the carousing on the dance floor and in bands, and pushing against the staid arrived “in state as in the days before the dining area. This is not his domain. ballroom sounds of the brass and mil- the War”. The horses ran, Sonny Lobo That was the interest of colonial ad- itary bands (one article from 1913 ex-

FRONTLINE 73 APRIL 6, 2012

tolled the regimental band for its “daily programmes of light and lively music” which “acted as a wholesome tonic to the community”). The musicians did not thrill everyone, but they certainly livened up the scene with their inventive hot music. And the African-American musicians experienced less racism in India than in the United States: Roy Butler, who spent 11 years in India, wrote to his mother in 1933 saying as much and bragging that he had a servant and a butler (this letter to Amanda Wylie is in the Roy Butler Collection in the Chi- cago Public Library). In 1930, W.E B. DuBois, the towering African-American intellectual, wrote in The Crisis, “At last India is rising again to that great and fateful moral leadership of the world which THE GOAN TRUMPET player Chic Chocolate and his band at the Bristol Grill she has exhibited so often in the past… in Bombay (now Mumbai) in the mid-1940s. now again in the life of Gandhi. The black folk of America should look upon records pressed in India, a 1936 track played at five-star hotels, but they were the present birth-pains of the Indian written by Menas Silas (from Bombay, regulars at the second level, at the Am- nation with reverence, hope and ap- whose family formed part of the Bagh- bassador Starlight Roof Gardens, the plause.” This call to “look” to India sent dadi Jewish migration a generation Bristol Grill, the Dadar Catholic In- a stream of African-American political earlier), sung by Signe Rintala (a Finn- stitute, the Greens Hotel, the Ritz Roof activists to visit Gandhi and to tour the ish singer who could sing in 25 lan- Garden, the West End Hotel Roof Gar- country (a story told in Nico Slate’s guages) and performed by Cricket den and the YMCA. By the late 1930s, Colored Cosmopolitan, Harvard, Smith and his band. Naresh Fer- these Indian musicians became cen- 2012). A decade later, large numbers nandes reminds us that alongside the tral players in the bands led by people of African-American troops came to African American performers were the such as Teddy Weatherford. A decade India as part of the effort in the war Cuban drummer Luis Pedroso, the later, the band was entirely Indian against the Japanese (a story told by Spanish trumpeter Luis Moreno, the with Fernandes and Chocolate now as Gerald Horne in The End of Empires: Paris-based South American ban- the bona fide leaders. African Americans and India, Tem- dleader Joseph Ghisleri and the Italian Drawing from scholars such as ple, 2008). pianist Beppo di Siati. Bradley Shope and others, Naresh Fer- When Creighton Thompson, The foreign musicians played not nandes’ book pivots away from the Cricket Smith, Ken Mac, Leon Abbey, only for their audiences. They also musicians themselves to make an im- Roy Butler, Rudy Jackson and Teddy played for their sidemen and jazz af- portant claim. Jazz might have begun Weatherford took the stage at The Taj icionados – some Goan, some Anglo- its career to anaesthetise the elite, but Mahal Hotel, it was likely that Howard Indian, some Parsi. The education of it would soon slip through these work- Thurman would be giving a lecture at these Indian musicians in the new hot ing-class musicians into the world of the University of Bombay or Private music was not only through the gra- mass Hindi cinema. Many of these Herman Perry’s ship would dock in mophone or the radio, but also by play- musicians would help orchestrate the Bombay and he would be placed on a ing next to these experienced early Bollywood sound or, as with Al- train to Calcutta and sent off to fight musicians who shared their wisdom bela (1951), bring jazz into the film. the Japanese on the Burma Road. This on the bandstand and in their homes. The language of Indian national- was the context of Bombay’s hot music Taj Mahal Foxtrot introduces us to ism and the events of the 1940s and its African-American players. these remarkable characters, people marked musicians such as Frank Fer- To concentrate on the African such as Frank Fernandes, Hal and nand, who, in Naresh Fernandes’ Americans is not to neglect the poly- Henry Green, Josic Menzie, Micky words, “grew determined to find a way cultural world of Indian jazz in the Correa, Pamela McCarthy, Rudy Cot- to give jazz, the music he loved, a inter-War years. Fernandes’ book is ton and “the Indian Louis Armstrong”, uniquely Indian expression”. Fernand named after one of the earliest jazz Chic Chocolate. These musicians often went after Hindustani classical musi-

74 FRONTLINE BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT AMERICAN TRUMPET PLAYER Cricket Smith. He used to perform in Paris before making his way to India in the mid-1930s. cians and learned from them. “I was but they simply contributed to an on- sion of Ved Mehta, who too quickly fascinated by the rhythm,” he said. “It going conversation. That is perhaps suggests that this restaurant-club The was far in advance of the jazz I was why Fernandes chooses to concentrate Venice, where the jazz “is as pure as playing.” In the Bollywood studios rather on a forgotten and tragic genius, any”, is nothing but a “barricade set up worked the jazz trio ARP (AB Albu- the jazz pianist Edward “Dizzy Sal” against the sights, sounds and smells querque, Ram Singh and Peter Dora- Saldanha, who was feted by a visiting of the India outside”. do), who would be soon joined by Chic Dave Brubeck, who went to study jazz Braz Gonzalvez came from those Chocolate, whose trumpet echoes in Boston, cut a well-received album in “sights, sounds and smells”. A fan of through Amirbai Karnataki and Lata the U.S. and then returned to India Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, Mangeshkar’s voices in “Gore Gore O into self-enforced exile. Brubeck and Braz first played in the Kamala Circus Baanke Chhore” (from the 1950 hit his drummer Joe Moreno, meanwhile, and then moved on to The Venice. Samadhi). The master of the jazz-filmi experimented with the Goan drummer When Biddu told the owner of The collaboration was Anthony Gonsalves Leslie Godinho and the percussionist Venice that college authorities were (yes, the same man immortalised by Narayan Koli, from whom, some say, very angry that students bunked class Amitabh Bachchan in the 1977 Amar, Moreno learned the unusual 5/4 time to settle in for a Braz session, the own- Akbar Anthony). Gonsalves not only signature that informed Brubeck’s er, Prem Krishen Mehra, laughed: threw the world of jazz into Bollywood, classic, “Take Five”. “What are you saying? They are study- but in the 1950s he spent his own time Fernandes’ book ends in the 1970s, ing at the University of Venice. The and money trying to develop an au- in the more rebellious world of Asha professors should be damn bloody thentic foundation to link the world of Puthli (who sang on Ornette Cole- grateful the students are bunking jazz with that of Indian classical music man’s 1971 Science Fiction) and of In- classes.” This was a master class not (predating Jazz Fusion by a dia’s first rock band The Savages (with only in jazz, but also in technical in- generation). a very young Remo Fernandes). This is ventiveness and cultural polyphony. It By the time the U.S. State Depart- the world chronicled by Ved Mehta in is an example of how culture remains ment decided to send jazz musicians his essay “Jazz in Bombay” (Portrait of alive and fresh, building off inher- around the world in the 1960s (a story India, 1970), which takes us for a ride itances from many origins, taken seri- told in Penny Von Eschen’s Satchmo along with Asha Puthli, the painter ously by dedicated people, and offered Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassa- Vivan Sundaram and the Alto saxo- to a restless population. dors Play the Cold War, Harvard, phonist Braz Gonzalves. But Ved Meh- Naresh Fernandes’ book reminds 2006), jazz was already ingrained into ta is wrong in saying that jazz is us not only of a lost history, but equally the musicians and the popular music “having its first stirrings in India”. Na- and perhaps more importantly of how of India. Louis Armstrong and Duke resh Fernandes has given us the proper vital it is not to allow social suffocation Ellington thrilled their fans, certainly, history, and without the condescen- to break our imagination. २

FRONTLINE 75 books/review APRIL 6, 2012 History in colour

A book that celebrates the stained glass heritage of Mumbai. BY LYLA BAVADAM

QUOTATION at the start mas’ is built on traditional lines but, of the very first chapter of interestingly, little provision was made Stories in Glass: The for stained glass to the extent it was in Stained Glass Heritage of use at the time. Part of the reason was Bombay sums up the es- lack of funds. And yet the church has senceA of this wondrous art form. It an enviable collection. Much of this reads, “Let us make a thing of beauty came by way of memorial windows giv- that long may live when we are gone; en by donors who had the double satis- let us make a thing of beauty that hun- faction of giving to the church and gry souls may feast upon.” seeing where exactly their money To understand this better, all one went. One such is the Seige of Jhansi needs to do is enter the gate of St. memorial window dating back to April Thomas Cathedral in Fort, the heart of 8, 1858 when rebel soldiers surren- Mumbai’s busy business district. The dered the city to British forces after the heat and dust of Mumbai fall behind as Rani of Jhansi made her famous es- the “hungry soul” feasts and soothes cape only to die on the battlefield. itself gazing at the glorious stained While St. Thomas’ is a repository of glass windows. the Aesthetic Movement with work “Historically and artistically,” says from the workshops of men like Henry author Jude Holliday, “St. Thomas’s Holiday, the stained glass at St. John IN REVIEW Cathedral contains some very impor- the Evangelist’s Church in Mumbai, tant stained glass… it includes the very Stories in Glass: The Stained commonly known as the Afghan first windows from the studio of the Glass Heritage of Bombay by church, is a storehouse of the stylisti- renowned Charles E. Kempe, as well as Jude Holliday, photography by cally new Arts and Crafts Movement. stained glass designed by one of the Noshir Gobhai; Eminence The church is so named because it was most highly respected designers, or Designs Pvt. Ltd; a memorial to English soldiers who fell glass painters as they called them- pages 199, Rs. 2,100. during the First Afghan War. Erected selves, of the nineteenth century, Hen- in 1865, the church’s tower and spire ry Holiday.” Part of the beauty of the hanced the beauty of the glass. Over rose to 60 metres and was the first cathedral’s glass is that it exemplifies the years, as the cathedral was rede- landmark for sailors approaching “the beginning of the Aesthetic Move- signed, five more such lancets were Mumbai. The Bombay Builder of 1865 ment [a combination of biblical sub- added but now only three survive and noted, “It is architecturally the best of jects and mystical symbolism]” and they too are in their final resting place our churches, if not indeed absolutely the continuance of the traditional style in the north wall where, unfortunately, the best in India.” Unlike St. Thomas’ of the 15th century which focussed only the choir can observe them. Their where stained glass was added to the solely on ecclesiastical themes. The ca- pattern was simple but a London jour- existing structure, at St. John’s it was thedral, which opened for service in nal, The Building News, wrote in 1859 included in the blueprint. The advan- 1718, bridges the styles of both eras. that it “had the pleasure of examining a tage is plainly visible – the lights (panel The main pieces at St. Thomas’ are large collection of superior examples of stained glass between window mul- three large stained glass lancets (a of the glass stainer’s art at the extensive lions) live up to their name and illumi- slender pointed arched window) new premises of Lavers & Barraud… a nate the area and, at the same time, which are in the eastern wall; a suit- three light window, of very large di- “visually integrate the loftiness of the able location from the point of view of mensions is also very noticeable, which church by breaking up the dark tower- the congregation, since the glass tem- is in preparation for Bombay Cathe- ing height of the ceiling.” Sixty such pered the fierceness of the morning dral [as St. Thomas’ was initially lights (each seven feet tall by 1.6 feet sun, as well as from the point of view of known].” wide) were delivered to the church in aesthetics, since the strong light en- Architecturally speaking, St. Tho- 1856 for the north and south walls of

76 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

CHRIST BLESSING CHILDREN, a window dating to 1874 in St. Thomas’.

LANCET LIGHTS IN the nave and chancel of St. Thomas’ Cathedral in

Fort, Mumbai, brought from the stained glass studio of Lavers and NOSHIR Barraud, London. (Below, right) Detail from the Siege of Jhansi memorial window at the cathedral . It reads: Of your charity remember Hugh Robert Meikeljohn and William George Douglas Dirk of the Royal Engineers, which deceased at Jhansi the viii day of April Anno Dm mdccclviii. PICTURES: NOSHIR GOBHAI the chancel. They cost the princely val European Christian Church, it is, glass, all from the workshops of the sum of £157. like all good art, enormously adapt- English firm Heaton, Butler and The piece de resistance is the west able. All over Mumbai there are exam- Bayne, or the Petit library in the city, window designed by William Wailes of ples of secular stained glass seen in where there are portraits in glass of the England. The first piece shipped out skylight panels, balcony panes, panes donor family (Frontline, January 23, for the purpose was lost when the ship bordering mullions, arches over main 1998). The stained glass at the uni- foundered on rocks off Madagascar. In doors and various decorative architec- versity was restored 14 years ago 1857, a replacement arrived. The slight tural elements. Some are covered in (Frontline, May 30, 1997) with a gen- damages repaired, the glass was put up dust and are unrecognisable as mas- erous grant from the British much to the awe of worshippers who terpieces from another age. Others government. no doubt gazed reverently at the New have had the good fortune to have their There is another exceptional point Testament saints surrounding Christ value recognised and are therefore about Mumbai’s stained glass. In Eu- in all his glory. preserved or even restored. Like those rope, where the craft originated, it was Though stained glass has ecclesias- in the University of Bombay which is common for a stained glass installa- tical origins dating back to the medie- filled with 2,300 square feet of stained tion to be changed after a few decades.

FRONTLINE 77 APRIL 6, 2012

of the country. It graced palaces in Southern and Western states, it adorned churches and cathedrals in Delhi, Calcutta, Madras and Bombay, and made its way by bullock cart to remote settings such as the tiny churches at Shillong, Chittagong and Roorkee. Such was its appeal that it was added to existing, pre-Gothic Re- vival buildings that had no precedent for it in their architectural style.” The grip it had is seen in the observations of a 12th century abbot who wrote how his church “would be pervaded by the wonderful and uninterrupted light of most radiant windows”. It is this allure of the “sapphire glass” which brought fame to firms like James Powell & Sons, C.E. Kempe & Co, Heaton, But- ler & Bayne, Gibbs & Howard and other London workshops numbering less than 20 that dominated the business. The book is eminently readable, providing in equal part detailed histories and delicious tidbits. Moreover, in a book of this sort which relies as much on research as on photographs and their layout, the final product is un- doubtedly a matter of teamwork. Rec- ognising this, the author gracefully acknowledges the contribution of the photographer Noshir Gobhai, well known for his architectural and interi- or photography; Jak Printers, who are now sought after for their superior printing; Fravashi Aga for the layout and the difficult task of seeing that the photographs by and large are alongside the text; and, of course, the late Sharada Dwivedi, whose publishing house, Eminence Designs, brought out NEW TESTAMENT SAINTS depicted in the west window of St. John the the book and coordinated the whole Evangelist’s Church. The window, 25 feet high and 12 feet wide, is composed effort. It has to be said that while the of five stone lancets and stone-carved tracery, all filled with stained glass. glossary is a boon, what is sorely mis- Made in 1857 in the studio of William Wailes. sed is an index. Not being able to refer to details readily is frustrating. This was in keeping with the trend of of stained glass. Holliday writes vividly But what has to be appreciated is the times. In erstwhile Bombay, how- of this. “Stained glass arrived in India that in a city where every building con- ever, it was an expensive import and so in the mid-nineteenth century as a di- structed prior to the 1900s had some the old glass was kept even after the rect result of the introduction, pre- element of stained glass, Holliday has new glass arrived. While this may have dominantly to Bombay, of the avoided the pitfall of making serious not been quite so fashionable, it cer- neo-Gothic architectural form that omissions by choosing to concentrate tainly makes for historic uniqueness was taking Britain by storm. Ships car- on the most prominent and the most and interest because the progression of ried stained glass from England in representative examples of stained styles can be easily traced and thus we long, hazardous voyages, destined for glass. Her book has filled a niche that have a living history of the evolving art locations over the length and breadth has been empty for too long. २

78 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 books/article Literary sons

Exploring the relationships – inspiring, rivalrous, Oedipal – between authors and

their parents, from W.B. Yeats to V.S. Naipaul. BY COLM TOIBIN

N an essay on the writer Sean The Irish Times ran a weekly competi- O’Faolain, Conor Cruise O’Brien tion for light verse, my mother entered wrote about ideas of childhood every week and won sometimes. I re- and memory: “There is for all of member one of her end lines as it ap- us a twilight zone of time, stretch- peared in the paper: “When the Greeks ingI back for a generation or two before bring gifts, who fears to get?” we were born, which never quite be- It mattered to her that she could longs to the rest of history. Our elders have, or might have, been a writer, and have talked their memories into our perhaps it mattered to me more than I memories until we come to possess fully understood. She watched my some sense of a continuity exceeding books appear with considerable inter- and traversing our own individual be- est, and wrote me an oddly formal let- ing.... Children of small and vocal com- ter about the style of each one, but she munities are likely to possess it to a was, I knew, also uneasy about my nov- high degree and, if they are imagina- els. She found them too slow and sad tive, have the power of incorporating and oddly personal. She was careful into their own lives a signiﬁcant span not to say too much about this except of time before their individual births.” once when she felt that I had described

The twilight zone of time for me LARRY D. MOORE (CREATIVE COMMONS) her and things that had happened to goes back decades before I was born. It COLM TOIBIN. His mother found her too obviously and too openly. That is always Enniscorthy (a town in Coun- his books too slow and sad and time she said that she might indeed ty Wexford, Ireland), and it belongs oddly personal but was careful not soon write her own book. She made a also to earlier generations of my fam- to say too much about this. book sound like a weapon. Perhaps a ily. When my mother died, she left me book is a weapon; perhaps an unwrit- her books and CDs. Her A Golden the experience myself of seeing them ten book is an even more powerful Treasury of Irish Verse, edited by Len- in print, or being around when they weapon than one which has been pub- nox Robinson, is dated in her hand- were written. lished. It has a way of ﬁlling the air writing: January 27, 1941. She would Between the pages of another an- with its menace or its promise, the have been 19 then. At the back of the thology she owned is a cutting from the sweet art of what might have been. book are pasted two poems she wrote, local newspaper with the news that a Unwritten books and poems mat- which were published in the local pageant my mother wrote in the tered to me when I was growing up; newspaper, The Enniscorthy Echo, mid-1960s won an all-Ireland compe- there was a melancholy sense of what and then reprinted in the Dublin tition run by the Irish Countrywo- was never achieved, and that sense has newspaper The Irish Press in 1941, men’s Association. I remember the been vivid for me, and it still is, even with a commentary by one of the edi- pageant being performed; my mother more than some things I remember tors calling the ﬁrst of them “lovely” could not go because my father was too happening, or that I saw coming into and the second “exquisite”. The two sick. But I went. I think I was the only being. poems had been published with her one of the family who ever saw it per- I dislike being called a storyteller initials only, but it was known in the formed. It was in rhyming couplets and resent the implication that I come town that she had written them, and it and was recited by actresses represent- from a world where the oral tradition, gave her a sort of fame among her ing the women who took part in the something primitive and unformed, friends. 1798 rebellion in Wexford. I can even remained strong or intact. This was It is something I was aware of as I remember one of the couplets: “This is not true; the oral tradition was not grew up. I knew how much the poems about myself, Anne Flood / And how I strong in the place where I grew up. I mattered, as if I had somehow shared spilled a Hessian’s blood.” Later, when was brought up in a house where there

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was a great deal of silence. When my Thus there was for me this twilight father died, his name was hardly ever zone of time which is filled with the mentioned again. It was too much that unspoken, the unwritten, what might he had died, too hard; his absence was have been done in a significant span of too palpable, too sad. So it entered the time before my own birth. It is a zone realm of what you thought about and filled with promise and with failure, did not speak of, a realm I remain very filled with the idea that there were two comfortable in to this day. people, one on either side of the family, who could have become me, or someone like me. If my uncle had lived, they Naipaul, Borges were all sure that he would have been a poet, or a writer of some sort, and my and Yeats mother in later years would go over what happened to her, how she was flourished in taken out of school at 14 when her father died, and if this had not oc- the shadow of a curred she could have become educated, and she could, she knew, have done failed father. anything then. Poetry was merely a small part of it.

But sometimes in the years before I listened carefully when they talk- V. SREENIVASA MURTHY my father died, he and his brother and ed about the past, and I absorbed it sister talked of their other brother, and came to see it. Sometimes in V.S. NAIPAUL. Reading the letters Philip, who had died of tuberculosis in dramatising a scene in a book or a between Naipaul and his father, 1940. I know the date because I found story, I found myself in the rooms that and coming suddenly on the his grave one day when I was looking these people – the one or two gener- stark news from home that the for my father’s grave, and I saw that he ations before mine – had been in, and father has died and that it is now had died a very short time after his own was impelled, almost compelled, to up to the son alone to write the father. This fact had never been men- conjure up what I knew must have books, gives us a sense of the tioned at home, but they must have happened, what was hardly ever men- origins of Naipaul’s extraordinary lived through those two deaths and tioned but was half-known, half-un- industry and seriousness as then held them close. The deaths were derstood. It was like working with a writer. signiﬁcant enough not to be men- ghosts rather than imagined charac- tioned. When I imagined them and put ters, with dust and faded things as them into my novel The Heather Blaz- much as with words and sentences. ing, the older members of the family I remembered smiling to myself were, I think, all shocked by those when I found an attack by W.B. Yeats scenes I wrote, but they never talked on a group of politicians in Dublin. about them, at least never to me. The They were the sort of people, he said, book became another thing that the “who do not have books in their family could be silent about. houses”. In an Irish context, it is hard It was agreed as I was growing up to think of a greater insult, especially if that my uncle Philip who had died was it was directed at people who had any the cleverest of all of them. He wrote money at all. In my parents’ house, and poems too, in Irish and in English. A in the house of my uncles and aunts, few years ago, I found a sheaf of them there were books, and sometimes com- in the bottom of a drawer in that house plaints that there were too many in Enniscorthy where they all lived. He books. They had very little money, but used more elaborate verse systems the notion of having no books would than my mother, the sister-in-law he have been impossible. The idea of the GRETE STERN never met; he managed a late-Victor- written word was not merely a luxury. JORGE LUIS BORGES. In 1919, as ian decorum in his version of Wexford Being literate meant that you could Borges was writing his ﬁrst poems, pastoral. After he died, some of his get a job, and the job would be indoors his father was working on his poems were published in a cheaply and would come with holidays and a novel, which came out two years produced literary magazine that both pension. My father was a teacher, his later when he was 47 and the son my parents worked on in the town. brother a journalist and his sister was 22.

80 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

worked for the local council in their us a sense of the origins of Naipaul’s barbarism.” But Borges knew that his offices. Even though my mother left extraordinary industry and serious- work would find readers, that he school at 14, she and her two sisters ness as a writer, the slow, careful would not have to ask anyone to reworked in offices and prided them- rhythms of his prose, the painstaking write it, and would not have to publish selves on their command of grammar care with which he constructs his sen- it himself. and syntax and their beautiful hand- tences. These were luxuries not al- Thus the death of Borges’ father writing. While reading and revering lowed to those who came before him. and Naipaul’s father left space clear for books and writing itself had a spiritual There were ghosts in the room when the sons to work. They would only have value, and were part of an unworldly he worked. powerful ghosts rather than real pres- set of ambitions, they also had practi- Jorge Guillermo Borges, the father ences looking over their shoulders, cal consequences. They could lead to a of Jorge Luis Borges, also published a ghosts whom they could dismiss at university scholarship, or at least a work of fiction privately. In Majorca in will. Like Picasso, whose father was a good, secure job. They might mean 1919, as the son was writing his first failed painter, or William James, that you would not have to emigrate. poems, the father was whose father was a failed This idea of the older generation as working on his novel, essayist, they could com- strange, insistent shadows moving which came out two pensate for their fathers’ closer and closer to substance as time years later when he was failure while killing off went on, the idea that I was writing, 47 and his son 22. In the fathers’ indolent in- pushing myself to work, almost be- 1938, as his health was fluence. They could show cause they could not or did not, that I failing, Borges senior their mother, or indeed was inspired by their silence, has suggested that his son the world, who was the echoes in the work of other writers. In might consider re- real man in the the volume of letters between V.S. Nai- writing his book, mak- household. paul and his father, for example, there ing clear that they both This idea of the death are moments which I fully recognise, had discussed the novel of the father, and the fa- in which the shadow hovering over the as it was being com- ther’s failure, as a sort of son as he set out to become a writer posed. “I put many liberation is considered WIKIPEDIA was the shadow of failure, of someone metaphors in to please by Richard Ellmann in who did not get the chance. you,” he told his son, his book Yeats: The Man In March 1951, when Naipaul was asking him to “rewrite and the Masks. He an undergraduate in Oxford, his father the novel in a straight- quotes Ivan Karamazov – wrote to him from Trinidad: “I am forward way, with all “Who doesn’t desire his beginning to believe I could have been the fine writing and father’s death?” – and a writer.” A month later, Naipaul wrote purple passages left then writes: “From the to the family at home: “I hope Pa does out”. Urals to Donegal the write, even five hundred words a day. Borges’ late story theme recurs, in Turge- He should begin a novel. He should The Congress may be, nev, in Samuel Butler, in realise that the society of the West In- indeed, a retelling of Gosse. It is especially dies is a very interesting one – one of his father’s novel, just prominent in Ireland. phoney sophistication.” Soon, his fa- as Naipaul would retell George Moore in his Con- ther wrote to say that he had, in fact, a version of his father’s fessions of a Young Man begun to write 500 words a day. “Let life in A House for Mr WIKIPEDIA blatantly proclaims his me see how the resolve works out,” he Biswas. Borges’ biogra- GEORGE MOORE as sense of liberation and wrote. “Even now I have not settled the pher Edwin William- painted by Edouard relief when his father question whether I should work on an son emphasises that Manet and (above) John died. J.M. [John Milling- autobiographical novel, or whether I Borges set out in his Millington Synge. Richard ton] Synge makes an at- should exhume Gurudeva.” In 1943 he story not to mirror his Ellmann writes: ”George tempted parricide the had privately published Gurudeva and father’s fiction as much Moore in his ‘Con- theme of his Playboy of Other Indian Tales in Port-of-Spain. as “to transcend it”. fessions of a Young Man’ the Western World. But it would be his only book; he died Williamson goes on: blatantly proclaims his James Joyce describes in in 1953 at the age of 47. “The basic structure sense of liberation and Ulysses how Stephen De- Reading the letters between the fa- and plot of the two relief when his father dalus, disowning his own ther and the son, and coming suddenly works are identical: died. J.M. Synge makes parent, searches for an- on the stark news from home that the there is a powerful an attempted parricide other father.... Yeats, af- father has died and that it is now up to chieftain poised be- the theme of his ‘Playboy ter handling the subject the son alone to write the books, gives tween civilisation and of the Western World’.” in an unpublished play

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written in 1884, returns to it in 1892 in 1902, I noticed this as a significant and a poem, The Death of Cuchulain, turns peculiar strand in the correspondence, the same story into a play in 1903, the father writing to the son seeking makes two translations of Oedipus praise and support for the work he was Rex, the first in 1912, the second in embarking on, the son magisterial and 1927, and writes another play, Purga- distant, at times haughty in his re- tory, involving parricide shortly before sponse, the father all filial in his tone. his death.” “I am finishing a story and am The idea of a writer using art as a longing to read it to you,” he wrote in way of seeking power within a family 1902, and soon again: “If I get my story arises in any consideration of the Yeats finished I think you will be pleased.” In family. In the summer of 2004, I be- 1908, already in New York, he sent his gan to look through the family’s letters, son two stories he had written. “I don’t which are housed in the library of know what you will think about them,” Union College in Schenectady in up- he wrote. A month later, when he had state New York. I already knew the received no reply, he wrote again: “I published letters of John Butler Yeats fear your not writing means that you as among the most eloquent letters ev- don’t care for my stories [possibly con- er written, with a freshness in the demned unread].” The offhand reply thought and a startling originality in from his son came a year later: “I have the phrasing. I also knew some of the found your two stories – they were old man’s work as a painter and was among papers of Lady Gregory’s. I aware that he laboured for many years JAMES must have lent them to her and asked on a self-portrait, which he continually BALDWIN. her to read them. I send them to you. erased and began again. He was a great Both Baldwin The one without a name is much the talker and was much loved by his and Barack best, I think.” friends, but he was also indolent and Obama That year, the father began to write useless at making money. He was not begin their about a play which he was thinking of good at finishing things and produced autobiographies writing. Four years later, he had still two sons, the poet W.B. Yeats and the with the not written it. In February 1913, he painter Jack B. Yeats, who were moment their wrote: “And as you may remember, known, on the other hand, for their fathers died. Synge paid me one of his few compli- lifelong industry and their ability to MDC ARCHIVES/CC ATTRIBUTION-SHARE ALIKE 3.0 ments. He said I could write dialogue.” offer a ringing sense of completion to connoisseur of completion. He was, it John Butler Yeats must have known, anything they began. was said, one of the few fathers who as he wrote this, that Synge did not As I browsed through the letters, I lived long enough to be influenced by believe that W.B. Yeats could write noticed the brilliant wit of Lily Yeats, his son; to avoid this influence, or less- dialogue. Three years later, however, the older of W.B. Yeats’ two sisters, and en its power, he moved to New York in he had still not written the play: “You how close it was to the style and tone of 1907 at the age of 68 and refused to know I have a play in my head and Alice James, the sister of William and come home. He died there in 1922. mean some day to write it.... And I bet Henry James. If these families pro- During his long and carefree exile, he if it is written it will be a success.” His duced two geniuses, there was some- was bankrolled by his son the poet. In son, by this time, had had almost a thing in their dynamic that served to 1918, as W.B. Yeats arranged with a dozen plays performed. crush a number of the other siblings, New York lawyer and collector that in Soon, the father began to send his no matter how clever they were. Lula exchange for financial support for his son poems he had written, but he got and Carla Mann, the sisters of Thomas father he would hand over manu- no response. When the play was fin- and Heinrich Mann, for example, both scripts and drafts of poems, he wrote: ished, he had it typed. “I sometimes killed themselves. The youngest of the “I hear with some alarm that he is wish,” he wrote, “that it had been pos- Manns, Viktor, produced one pathetic writing a play, in which, as it is the sible for you to have consulted with me book called We Were Five. His title, most highly technical of all literary about your plays. I think I have a play- once you begin to study these families, forms, he will most certainly not writing instinct, and that my play ... seemed as much a cry for help as a succeed.” proves it.” In June 1918, he wrote: statement of fact. In his letters to his son, John Butler “Why don’t you tell me about my play. I found the letters from John But- Yeats makes many references to his You need not be afraid to praise [it].... ler Yeats, written to his son from New own writing. As I went through the I feel sure that someday it will be acted York, from the great unfinisher to the letters written over the 20 years from and be a success.” He was almost 80 at

82 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

this time. Four days later his son re- the work of her son, it is hard to imag- plied, having worked out a new and ine her actually reading his novels or ingenious way of killing his father: going to his plays. Synge’s mother, an- “You choose a very difficult subject and other Dublin Protestant matriarch, the most difficult of all forms, and as did not go to the theatre at all. Not one was to be foreseen it is the least good of member of Synge’s family ever saw his your writings. I have been reading work. At his funeral the theatre people plays for the Abbey Theatre for years and the family faced one another like now, and so know the matter practical- two warring tribes. ly.... It takes a lifetime to master dra- Although they seemed to have little matic form.” in common, Synge made sure that he That Naipaul and Borges and returned from Paris every summer to Yeats flourished in the shadow of a have long holidays with his mother. In failed father are interesting examples, her diaries, she was worried about and there are others too. These include him, his delicate health, his lack of James Baldwin and Barack Obama, religion, but there is also immense af-

who both began their autobiographies FRAN CAFFREY/AFP fection for him and almost no anger with the moment their fathers had SAMUEL BECKETT. He seems to against him. They played music to- died. Baldwin’s Notes of a Native Son have had a loving and easy relation- gether, and she followed his move- begins: “On the 29th of July, in 1943, ship with his father. For him, it was ments with interest, writing to another my father died.” Obama’s Dreams the mother that was the problem. son in 1898: “I had a very interesting from My Father begins: “A few months letter from Johnnie last week.... He is after my twenty-first birthday, a breath.... I can’t write about him, I can now on Inishmaan Island – went there stranger called to give me the news.” only walk the fields and climb the in a curragh and is much pleased with Both men then set about establishing ditches after him.” his new abode, a room in a cottage their distance from their fathers al- With Beckett, the mother was the inside the kitchen of a house... and he most as a way of establishing their problem. In 1937, when she had left lived on mackerel and eggs and learns right to speak with full authority, to him alone in the family house with a Irish; how wonderfully he accommo- make it clear that they had invented cook to make his meals, he wrote about dates himself to his various themselves and that the how pleasant the house surroundings.” story they would tell was in her absence: Two years later, Mrs Synge invited would be one of pure “And I could not wish a woman called Rosie Calthrop to join personal autonomy. her anything better herself and her son on holiday. She But there are other than to feel the same grew jealous of the attention Synge writers who did not when I am away. But I paid to the younger woman. “It was seem to feel this need. don’t wish her anything rather aggravating to me,” she wrote to Among them is Samuel at all, neither good nor another son, “he wanted to put me Beckett, whose rela- ill. I am what her sav- aside entirely.” Thus in the demure tri- tionship with his father age loving has made angle on holidays in Wicklow began seems to have been lov- me, and it is good that the seeds of Synge’s The Playboy of the ing and easy. In April one of us should accept Western World. He transformed his 1933, he wrote to a that finally.... I simply own quiet self into a young man who friend: “Lovely walk this don’t want to see her or boasted that he had killed his father, as morning with Father, write to her or hear Synge had done indeed by becoming a who grows old with a ve- GEORGE CHARLES BERESFORD/NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY from her.” The follow- writer. His wooing of Rosie became ry graceful philoso- WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS. ing year, however, he Christy’s wooing of Pegeen Mike, phy.... I’ll never have His father, John Butler wrote to his friend while his mother, the Widow Synge, anyone like him.” And Yeats, was, it was said, from Paris, suggesting found herself transformed into the then, two months later, one of the few fathers that he could not es- Widow Quinn. The idea that her life when his father died, he who lived long enough to cape her: “As you can would be used in this way would, of wrote: “He was in his be influenced by his son. imagine I am not anx- course, have killed his poor mother. As sixty-first year, but how To avoid this influence, ious to go to Ireland, he began to work on the play, her son much younger he or lessen its power, but as long as mother must have found that he had invented seemed and was. Joking J.B. Yeats moved to New lives I shall go every a new and effective way to kill his and swearing at the doc- York at the age of 68 and year.” While it is easy to mother. २ tors as long as he had refused to come home. see old Ma Beckett in © Guardian News & Media 2012

FRONTLINE 83 books/in brief APRIL 6, 2012 A big achievement

This is a work of scholarship and stupendous labour expended over a period of

six years by contributors and a dedicated editorial team. BY A.G. NOORANI

HE publication of this book, Prof. Brown have contributed, besides launched at the Karachi Lit- Pakistani academics and publicists of erary Festival on February distinction. Ayesha Jalal, author of a 12, is itself a truly memora- path-breaking work on Jinnah and the ble event in publishing. partition of India, herself writes on NothingT like it exists or has even been Jinnah. The ones on Urdu and Hindi attempted in the subcontinent. Histo- are written by Tariq Rehman, author ry shapes identity, which, in turn, of the erudite and courageous volume shapes the writing of history. It be- From Hindi to Urdu, which demolish- came fashionable for some to say that es the myths sponsored by bigots on Pakistan lacks a sense of identity, a both sides of a sterile debate. Hassan genuine nationalism. This is a work of Nasir, a noted expert on Leftist labour scholarship and stupendous labour ex- movements, writes on the communist pended over a period of six years by movement in Pakistan and highlights contributors and a dedicated editorial its role against “military dictatorship team. Its head, the editor of this vol- justified in the name of Islamisation”. ume, is Ayesha Jalal, Mary Robinson The writer on civil liberties candid- Professor of History at Tufts Universi- ly asserts, “civil liberties have been de- ty in the United States and a scholar nied to the people throughout who prizes objectivity over the claims Pakistan’s history”, but points out that of nationalism. This quality, she has BOOK FACTS “vibrant people’s movements have... ensured, is reflected in the volume. The Oxford Companion to emerged in response to the long-term The entries on Gandhi and on the Pakistani History edited by suppression of civil liberties”. Nehrus, Motilal and Jawaharlal, are Ayesha Jalal; Oxford What is significant is that Pakistan written by Judith Brown, author of University Press, Karachi; owns up to its pre-1947 past and the books on both that were lauded in In- pages 558, Rs.1,500. treasures it bequeathed. Nadia Ghani, dia. Scholars of international fame like Project Editor at the OUP, Karachi, whose labours are second only to those of the editor, writes this on archaeol- ogy: “Pakistan has a rich historical heritage and possesses a large number of diverse archaeological sites containing the remains of civilisations and empires dating back to 6000 B.C.” As Ayesha Jalal remarks, “A country’s history is a collective endeavour.” This volume is “an overture to better edi- tions in the future”, to serve as an in- dispensable reference for discussions about Pakistan’s past and “also the present and future in light of the past”. India shares that past and also a

PERVEZ MASIH/AP future with its neighbour. The high AT A PROTEST by journalists in November 2007 in Hyderabad near Karachi quality of the work should also com- against curbs on the press imposed by Pervez Musharraf’s government. mand a large readership in India. २

84 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Interview Literature to combat cultural chauvinism From Indian literature to world literature: In conversation with Satya P. Mohanty,

Professor of English, Cornell University. BY RASHMI DUBE BHATNAGAR & RAJENDER KAUR

“One key empirical thesis I’d urge scholars to consider is that Indian modernity does not begin with colonial rule and that its elements can be discerned much earlier, in many different strands of culture and society.” HOW should readers and critics approach the idea of “Indian literature” – or, for that matter, “world literature”? This wide-ranging conversation ex- plores that question. It also asks how a genuinely comparative study of the regional traditions in various Indian languages can be conceived. Within the context of these two questions, it delves into more general issues: Can literary criticism be seen as part of a collab- orative project in which historians, phi- BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT losophers and social scientists participate as potential interlocutors or SATYA P. MOHANTY. His work on debates about even partners? How are “theories” such as postmo- realism took a new turn with ’Colonialism, dernism and philosophical realism relevant to the Modernity and Literature’, an anthology of essays study of Indian literature and culture? in which scholars working in a variety of traditions Satya P. Mohanty, Professor of English at Cornell of literary realism made cross-regional and University, has written extensively about philosoph- transnational comparisons using Fakir Mohan ical and literary realism as well as contemporary Senapati’s novel ’Chha Mana Atha Guntha’ as a approaches to Indian literature. He is also well point of departure. known for his critical introduction to the 2005 trans- traces the rise and fall of a rapacious landlord, Ra- lation of Fakir Mohan Senapati’s ground-breaking machandra Mangaraj. Far from ﬁtting into the ster- realist novel Chha Mana Atha Guntha (Six Acres eotype of the sleepy little village as the timeless and a Third; University of California Press, 2005; essence of an ancient and pre-modern Asian civ- Penguin-India, 2006), ﬁrst serialised in Oriya in ilisation, however, the village in Chha Mana Atha 1897-99. Set in a village in colonial Orissa, the novel Guntha emerges as the site of profound changes

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unleashed by the Permanent Settle- guistic traditions in India as well as more accurate accounts, accounts that ment of 1793 in the territories of Oris- American critics who specialise in Eu- can be considered reliable? sa, Bengal and Bihar. ropean and Latin American litera- Let me develop this idea by ex- Mohanty’s work on debates about tures. But the inspiration definitely plaining how I, a literary critic, first realism took a new turn with Coloni- came from U.R. Ananthamurthy and became interested in philosophical realism, Modernity and Literature: A his humane and cosmopolitan vision alism – and in these questions in View from India (henceforth CML). of literary studies. Our collection of particular. This anthology of essays is notable for essays is dedicated to him. His talks at In the mid-1980s I was working, the fact that scholars working in a va- Cornell dealt with a number of sub- like many others around me, to in- riety of traditions of literary realism – jects but were based in part on a com- tegrate the tantalising claims of post- English, Hindi, Telugu, Assamese, and parative study of Fakir Mohan structuralist theory with the various Latin American Spanish – made cross- Senapati’s Chha Mana Atha Guntha traditions of materialist and social- regional and transnational compari- (1897-99) and Rabindranath Tagore’s critical thought with which we were all sons using Senapati’s novel as a point Gora (1907-09), both of which had in- familiar – Marxism, feminism, etc. of departure. Mohanty’s editorial influenced Ananthamurthy. But I came to realise that while post- troduction in CML suggested to social structuralism, as we knew it in the con- scientists and literary critics that early We’d like to return in detail to the text of literary studies, raised realist novels in Indian vernaculars of implications of your work on Indian interesting questions it had no way of the colonial period can give us insights literature, but can we ask you first providing adequate answers to some of into alternative modernities that do about the connections between your them. not necessarily adhere to the model theoretical work and your translation The deepest of these questions provided by Euro-American modern- and interpretation of Indian texts? arose from poststructuralism’s cri- ity, which is closely tied to the rise of You’ve been working on philosophical tique of foundationalism, exemplified capitalism. realism for over two decades now, in Derrida’s deconstruction of the (The following is an extract from and have recently started writing Husserlian concept of “presence”, a an interview that was done during Oc- about literary realism. Can you tell us concept that had taken for granted tober and November 2011. The two about the connections you see that there may be a bedrock level of interviewers teach literature at Amer- between “theoretical realism” and experience or observation where we ican universities: Rashmi Dube Bhat- literary realism? can be absolutely certain that we know nagar is a Visiting Fellow at the I think the best way to understand something. Poststructuralism’s cri- Humanities Centre of the University of the connections between philosophi- tique of foundationalism was enabled, Pittsburgh, and Rajender Kaur, the cal or theoretical realism and literary as was the case with earlier develop- current president of the South Asian realism is to focus on what each says, ments in analytic philosophy, by the Literary Association, is Associate Pro- explicitly or implicitly, about knowl- recognition that no such bedrock level fessor of English at William Patterson edge – about how we come to know of experience exists, since everything – University. The full interview, which things, especially in the social realm. an individual’s personal experiences to also includes an annotated bibliogra- Can we ever be objective in our under- scientific observations in the laborato- phy, appeared earlier this month in the standing of social phenomena? Can we ry – is available to us only in profound- United States in South Asian Review, overcome socially produced distor- ly mediated ways. Everything, as and will be published online in June, tions, especially those created by the philosophers of science say, is neces- together with a Hindi translation in dominant ideologies, and arrive at sarily theory-dependent. Pratilipi: http://pratilipi.in/) The first major question that arose from this recognition is this: Since all We wanted to begin by asking you “Senapati is a knowledge is so profoundly mediated, about your new edited volume, isn’t objective knowledge impossible ‘Colonialism, Modernity, and (philosophical) to achieve? Isn’t all knowledge relative Literature: A View from India’, which to a given perspective? Isn’t, as the offers a model for comparative Indian realist writing argument sometimes goes (see Lyo- literary studies. It seems like it has tard on this topic), a kind of epistem- taken several years to produce this in a mode ological relativism the most collection, and the inspiration for it reasonable position to adopt? came from the talks U.R. that has This is the question I wrote about Ananthamurthy gave at Cornell in in the late 1980s – on relativism, and 2000. postmodernist whether it was a viable and desirable Yes, it has been exciting to collab- epistemological stance (my essay on orate with scholars from various lin- characteristics.” this, “Us and Them”, appeared in The

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Yale Journal of Criti- static, orientalist a postmodernist in the philosophical cism in 1989, later an- (“easy”) representation sense would not be clear from that fact thologised in a few of the Indian village. alone. A writer can be using postmod- places). Writing this Early realist writers ern literary conventions while pursu- essay led me to an ex- say they are trying to ing a philosophical-realist project – a amination of recent achieve greater fidelity project that seeks to unmask social dis- versions of philosophi- to things as they are – tortions and reveal a more objective cal realism, which pos- that is, going beyond version of reality. You can adopt the it that objective existing representa- narrative modes of [Thomas] Pyn- knowledge is possible tions that are ideolog- chon or [Salman] Rushdie and simul- – but that our early ical or distorted for taneously pursue George Eliot’s goals twentieth century no- some other reason. in writing fiction. You can play with tions of foundational- Their concern is with and even subvert conventions of litera- ist certainty need to be greater objectivity or ry realism and still be a philosophical abandoned and our greater truth than realist at heart. In the mid-1980s, notion of objectivity what the hegemonic Kum Kum Sangari wrote a superb needs to be reconfi- A PORTRAIT OF Fakir perspectives allow us analysis of Rushdie and García Mar- gured, made more her- Mohan Senapati and the to glean – but it is not quez along these lines, urging readers meneutical and translation of his work with some notion of ab- to reconsider their notion that the lat- reflexive. On this view, ’Chha Mana Atha Guntha’ solute descriptive fidel- ter’s use of magical realism is anti- genuine objectivity is (Six Acres and a Third). ity to nature. The best realist. And if you read Jennifer Har- not mere neutrality. realist writers tend to ford Vargas’s 2009 essay on García We achieve objectivity provide an analysis of Marquez in Economic and Political by looking at the epis- reality, and their rede- Weekly (EPW), you will see the same temic implications of scriptions of the world basic thesis. Both critics argue in ef- different subjective are meant to support fect that magical realist writers often perspectives, of our their analysis. have a realist epistemology, which cultural biases, ideolo- means that they are trying to get closer gies, and social loca- LITERARY to objective social reality. tions. In exploring POSTMODERNISM This is one of the reasons why Fakir these issues, I was While there is a clear Mohan Senapati’s novel Chha Mana learning from debates analogy to be drawn Atha Guntha, written in colonial India in analytic philosophy between the project of in the late 1890s, is such an interesting surrounding the work philosophical or epis- text. It is written in an allusive, paro- of Thomas Kuhn, the temological realism dic mode that suggests what we litera- historian and philoso- and that of some ry critics call postmodernism, but pher of science. strands of literary real- underneath that mode – and indeed ism, no necessary con- through those very subversive narra- So both philosophical nection exists between theoretical tive conventions – Senapati develops a realism and literary realism are postmodernism (which includes what rich descriptive and analytical account concerned with some form of we call poststructuralism) and literary of colonial Indian society and culture. objectivity? postmodernism. Literary postmoder- So he is a (philosophical) realist writ- Yes, there clearly is a similarity be- nism refers to the textual, and in paring in a mode that has postmodernist tween philosophical realism and liter- ticular narrative, features and characteristics – and this is sixty or ary realism because the latter, much conventions that literary historians seventy years before the advent of the like the former, often seeks a more have identified as having emerged af- postmodernist novel in the West! objective view of (social and cultural) ter the decline of literary modernism. reality, and realist writers often talk Literary postmodernism is a term There is a stageist mentality in about how they are trying to correct drawn from literary history whereas debates around literary realism that the representations of the dominant theoretical postmodernism is an epis- operates on a linear notion of time genres and conventions. You see evi- temological, and more generally philo- within which each piece of literature dence of that view in, for instance, Ge- sophical, stance or view. builds on its immediate predecessor. orge Eliot’s call to go beyond what she You can be a postmodernist novel- Yet you seem to align yourself with calls “fancy” (a fanciful representation ist or poet, and that is how editors may non-linear notions of literary- is so “easy”, she says) and in Senapati’s categorise you to fit you in the appro- historical time by stating in your implicit critique of Lal Behary Day’s priate anthology. But whether you are critical introduction that the realism

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of ‘Chha Mana Atha Guntha’ “is closer to the reﬂexive postmodernism of a Salman Rushdie than it is to the naturalism of a Mulk Raj Anand”. Would you agree that the stageist notion of literary realism belonged to an earlier era? Yes, we deﬁnitely need to go beyond naive models of progress and development in literature and culture. So instead of seeing the history of the Indian novel as one of steady progress toward greater and greater sophisti-

cation, from crude realism to self-con- JESSICA RINALDI/REUTERS scious postmodernism, magical SALMAN RUSHDIE realism, etc., we have to become more AND Gabriel Garcia aware of the levels of analytical and Marquez (right). Some epistemic work that realism of various critics argue that kinds have done, as they have engaged magical realist writers their times – their realities – in textual- often have a realist ly specific ways. epistemology, which Another – and more complex – means that they are model can be derived from the way trying to get closer to literature often anticipates the discov- objective social reality, eries of critical social science. This is says Mohanty. RODRIGO ARANGUA/AFP certainly true of the realist novel in India. Vasudha Dalmia makes this subaltern perspectives? You are text-sensitive theoretical tools to gain point about Premchand in her preface drawing our attention to the realist access to some of it. Here is where the to the English translation of Godaan. projects underlying the narrator’s work of historians and other social sci- Dalmia and others are right: literature voice and tone, mode of satiric entists is so important. There isn’t a often anticipates by decades the in- commentary, withholdings and trace of that hyperbolic scepticism in sights and findings of historians and silences and disclosures. Where can such classic works as Thompson’s on social thinkers, and we literary critics this kind of analysis of realism take the “moral economy of the crowd” can help build a multi-disciplinary us? What can it make us see? (1971) or in James Scott’s on “weapons project that will explore what we may I don’t want to generalise too of the weak”. And take a look at how call, echoing E.P. Thompson’s 1966 quickly about all realist novels, since careful and reflexive Eric Hobsbawm Times Literary Supplement essay, the there is a lot more historical and tex- is when he writes about “grassroots “literary view from below”. (Thomp- tual work that needs to be done. But history”, grounding scepticism in real son’s famous manifesto was titled one strand of this kind of analysis will contexts of research, ideological preju- “History From Below”, as you know.) certainly tell us a lot about subaltern dice, and theoretical method (the es- By the way, the 2006 special section agency, and take us beyond the kind of say, first published in 1985, is called of EPW that Harish Trivedi and I co- hyperbolic scepticism we often hear “History From Below – Some Reflec- edited alluded to that historiograph- about when subaltern thoughts and tions”). So the kind of exaggerated ical project by using the phrase “litera- ideas are discussed in literary-theoret- scepticism we often see in some post- ry view from below” in the title – and so ical circles. So while it may be wise to structuralist circles is not the only did the two comparative Indian litera- suggest that in some contexts, for rea- form scepticism can take. There are ture conferences that we co-organised sons that may be partly obscure, the alternatives to a general, broad-brush (with the political scientist Manoran- subaltern’s perspective is rendered in- sceptical stance. Here is where literary jan Mohanty) in India and the U.S. – at visible by the dominant discourses critics can make useful interventions. the University of Delhi in January about it, an overly general –decontex- Before literary critics conclude that 2007 and at Cornell in May 2008. tualised – scepticism about subalterns the subaltern cannot, in fact, speak, or is unwarranted. The question about that we won’t be able to understand So, realism in 19th century India is a subaltern agency can never be purely, what s/he is saying, it would be good to literary mode that is sometimes used or primarily, a theoretical one. There ask, for instance, what literary forms – to explore the working out of an anti- is a lot of empirical knowledge that we drawing on oral performative tradi- colonial critical consciousness from lack, and we need reflexive and con- tions – show us about the kinds of

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critique that have been developed in race- and class-based anthropological tradition based on the assumption that our rich regional, vernacular litera- theories, and it is these ideas that are literary criticism is an ongoing compe- tures. Reading the Asamiya writer marshalled by ideologues in India a tition among different traditions vying Hemchandra Barua together with Fa- century later. Intellectual historians for prominence. This ideology sanc- kir Mohan Senapati can help focus our have looked critically at these ideas tions, and perhaps even requires, igno- analysis of this, as is suggested by Ti- (e.g., about “Englishness” or “French- rance about other modern literary lottoma Mishra’s critical essay in CML. ness”) in the European context, but not traditions in India – although, of (Or you could extend the analysis of enough attention had been paid to the course, it can easily coexist with orality and the novel across continents role they played in India. At least one knowledge of Sanskrit or European lit- by doing a comparative study of the historian, Joya Chatterji, has argued eratures. The earliest histories of re- narrative mode of Senapati’s novel and that in some parts of India cultural gional literature and monographs on that of Amos Tutuola’s 1952 work The chauvinism developed in the 19th and individual authors published by the Palm-Wine Drinkard, which is based 20th centuries as communalist senti- Sahitya Akademi in Delhi provide am- on Yoruba folktales.) ments hardened into ideologies about ple evidence of the kind of phenom- identity, and so chauvinism has a basis enon I am talking about, and it will CULTURAL CHAUVINISM in the class interests of the newly rich take several Ph.D. dissertations to ana- zamindars, who were mostly upper- lyse those early trends from the per- Most of the textual analyses in caste Hindus. As early as 1968, spective I am suggesting here. ‘Colonialism, Modernity, and Broomfield wrote insightfully about We don’t yet have an adequate – Literature’ have a comparative focus. the cultural attitudes of this parvenu and adequately tactful – moral lan- Your introduction to the volume says class. Clearly, much more work needs guage to talk about chauvinism as a that a genuinely comparative to be done on this topic by progressive cultural or ideological phenomenon, approach to Indian literature – critics and historians. so all we do is raise an eyebrow or literature produced across regions The tragedy for readers of litera- exchange looks when we see it mani- and linguistic traditions – can help us ture is that chauvinism as a form of fested in public – at a conference or in avoid the problems caused by mimicry produced a distorted view of publications. But brave attempts to regional insularity and cultural literature, turning it into a crude ide- identify it have been made by leading chauvinism. Can you say a bit more ological weapon – “my literary history literary figures. See Girish Karnad’s about that? goes back farther than yours”; “this 2001 article in The Hindu, for in- Cultural chauvinism is toxic for the great author from the past belongs to stance, as well as his 2009 piece titled student of literature. I think some my linguistic tradition, not yours,” etc. “Tagorolatry” in The Book Review. At forms of cultural chauvinism in India This ideology is toxic even for those stake here, as Karnad points out, is the originated during British rule as a kind readers who belong to the literary tra- question of how to define the canon of of mimicry, initially a defence against ditions that are ostensibly being cham- “Indian literature” as well as the re- cultural denigration by the colonial pioned or praised. Unfortunately for sponsibility of editors of literary an- masters. The irony is that the defence everyone, versions of this kind of chau- thologies. But there is also the more (“my culture is also great, much like vinism have often become the default general issue of how to interpret indi- those of your European nations”) in position in the study of our regional vidual works of Indian literature, since fact drew on the ugliest forms of eth- literatures since Independence. In- a chauvinist perspective produces dis- nocentrism and the racist logic found stead of studying literature, we engage torted readings of texts and authors. in 18th and 19th century Europe (“we in an unsavoury ideological project – Imagine trying to read Dickens with are culturally superior to them, the superficial idolatry of authors replaces the primary goal of showing how great barbarians, the ‘mlecchas’ – and the careful analysis and interpretation of English culture is! Or reading Tuk- languages of our less civilised neigh- texts, and it produces a deliberately aram with the sole purpose of cele- bours are worth less than our Sanskri- insular focus on one’s own linguistic brating the greatness of Marathi tised Aryan languages”). Think, in this culture, and Sarala Das, who wrote context, about the French aristocrat subaltern versions of the Ramayana Gobineau’s racist theories but also “Jingoism or and Mahabharata in the 15th century, about the race-based assumptions in to exemplify the glorious literary histo- Matthew Arnold’s views about “na- chauvinism is ry of Odisha! Such attempts would be tional” literary cultures (e.g., his essays wrong-headed because they prevent us on Celtic literature). Even more rele- an unhealthy from seeing the rich cultural crosscur- vant are the debates in 18th century rents that shape medieval and early England over the need to “standardise” cultural modern Indian culture, the culture of English by classicising it. Spurious lin- the Natha yogis and the itinerant guistic theories were closely tied to development.” bards who roamed from region to re-

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gion creating a truly new moment in rope was itself a reaction against the one’s culture and community.) the subcontinent’s history. To read blinkered vision produced by exclu- Meltzl’s anti-nationalist vision was Tukaram and Sarala Das in narrowly sively national literary studies. Hugo a necessary antidote to the dominant literary-historical terms is in effect to Meltzl, founder of the first journal of traditions of literary studies in his clip their visionary wings, to be blind comparative literature in the 1870s, time, but unfortunately the compara- to the subversive social power of their talks about the need for a journal like tive focus of his discipline did not de- work. But our modern version of cul- his to counter the cultural tendency of velop much beyond its Eurocentric tural chauvinism may convince stu- every nation to “consider itself … supe- origins, even after such inspiring 20th dents of literature that this is exactly rior to all other nations”. He calls this century movements as third-world de- how both writers should be read since tendency the “national principle”, pop- colonisation and socialist and feminist this is how literary histories in other ular in 19th century literary studies in internationalism. There are the begin- regions are being written. Europe. (Needless to say, healthy nings of a new debate about world lit- My point in my introduction to forms of cultural self-esteem and fel- erature among scholars in the West, CML is not that literary histories are low-feeling, which include love of one’s however, and I feel that students of not important but that detailed textual community and one’s neighbours, do Indian literature can contribute a interpretations and, in particular, not require a belief in the superiority of great deal to the vision of a genuinely cross-regional comparative studies are one’s community over others. Jin- decolonised and egalitarian idea of more urgently needed now to combat goism or chauvinism is an unhealthy “world literature”. But that idea chauvinism. It has been over 60 years cultural development and it should not should emerge from detailed textual since Independence and we may need be confused with genuine pride in and cultural interpretations, from em- to take a short break from writing both pirical knowledge of cultures in histo- national and regional literary histories ry, rather than from idealist to focus more directly on texts, and on speculations about Literature (with a comparative cultural themes. Some of capital L) or the kind of sweeping self- the best essays on the idea of “Indian glorifying narratives we often get from literature” – whether by Aijaz Ahmad, purely literary histories, especially Sisir Kumar Das, Amiya Dev or K. Ay- those devoted to a single tradition. yappa Paniker – point to the need for more comparative studies as well. I How do we prevent the world lit you especially like Paniker’s idea that we speak of from getting commoditised need to focus on textual clusters that and flattened in world lit courses? define socio-cultural movements The term “world lit”, as I use it, is a across linguistic regions. (Kavita Pan- goal of critical practice, of cross-cul- jabi’s new edited collection, Politics tural conversations. It does not refer to and Poetics of Sufism and Bhakti in a canon of literary works. Even Goethe, South Asia, may do just this kind of when he initially came up with the work. It was published in India only a U.R. ANANTHAMURTHY. The term “Weltliteratur” in the early 19th few weeks ago and all I have read is the inspiration for ’Colonialism, century, thought of it less as a body of table of contents, but it looks fascinat- Modernity and Literature’ came from literary works – fixed or growing – and ing.) What Amiya Dev calls “literary him, and the collection of essays is more as the process by which critics history from below” – perhaps also dedicated to him. and general readers learn how to live echoing the project of the British consciously and intelligently in a plu- Marxist historians – would be valua- ralised cultural space, a space shaped ble, but first we need to get away from “There are the by increased travel and cross-cultural the insular model of literary history by contact through translations and crit- producing more comparative textual beginnings of a icism. Remember how dazzled Goethe analysis across linguistic traditions. A was by Kalidas’s Sakuntula, which he more adequate literary history will be new debate read in translation? His famous qua- possible once we have transcended not train about Kalidas was written in only the artificial opposition between about world 1791. So naturally, Goethe invoked the high and low culture but also the huge virtues of cultural openness and toler- wall conventional literary history literature ance while discussing world literature erects between different – though re- and praised the attempt made by writ- lated – linguistic traditions. among scholars ers and scholars “to understand one Incidentally, the rise of the disci- another and compare one another’s pline of Comparative Literature in Eu- in the West.” work” across national boundaries.

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Our universities today can contribute ing and learning from, is part of an (wedding songs sung by women) in to the cultivation of these virtues, but I interdisciplinary project that originat- 19th century Bhojpuri. am not sure that the best way to do this ed in conferences and publications on Can this emerging interdisciplin- is to produce the one definitive anthol- “Multiple Modernities” and “Early ary focus on alternative modernities ogy of world literature that all students Modernities”. It is inspired by work contribute to our understanding of should read. A better way to begin is to done by people like the sociologist what world literature is? I am sure it deal with textual clusters of the kind Shmuel Eisenstadt and, later, by the can. But a lot depends on whether we discussed in the context of Indian important interventions of Sheldon more literary scholars become inter- literature, and to show through com- Pollock and others. In postcolonial ested in this subject and whether we parative analysis how thinking “across studies, of course, Dilip Gaonkar and are willing to shed our disciplinary in- cultures” is a difficult but necessary – Dipesh Chakravarty brought the hibitions and work between and across and enormously rewarding – activity. theme to prominence, and Charles cultural and disciplinary boundaries. Part of the challenge is to change our Taylor did valuable work as well. In One key empirical thesis I’d urge reading habits, which are shaped by India, scholars at Banaras Hindu Uni- scholars to consider is that Indian the habits of the cultures in which we versity led by Sanjay Kumar, Archana modernity does not begin with colonial have grown up. Kumar (both from the English Depart- rule and that its elements can be dis- Let me suggest something very ment) and Raj Kumar (from Hindi) cerned much earlier, in many different simple, but something that I think is have organised major conferences on strands of culture and society. If it is essential. One way for academic crit- this subject over these past few years, likely that there are various forms of ics to contribute to this process of and this year they are collaborating modernity, the concept of modernity changing our sedimented cultural with scholars from China (and Indian can be disaggregated – that is, its con- habits is by resolving to write and historians of China, such as Kamal stituent features can be taken apart speak lucidly, avoiding unnecessary Sheel) to put together innovative semi- and imaginatively re-examined in new jargon. This change in our customary nars extending those themes. The ba- combinations in different social and manner of speaking and writing may sic idea is that the dominant form of cultural contexts. (I suggested this in make us more rigorous, in my view, modernity we know today, as it has my introduction to CML.) Literary since it will make our ideas more ac- been defined by the rise of capitalism and cultural critics can explore the cessible to non-academic readers and in Europe, is not the only kind of mod- emergence of modern ideas, values, we have to respond to their queries, ernity the world has known. In fact, and cultural forms through close tex- critical comments, and even imagina- part of the excitement of intellectual tual analysis, especially if we remain tive reconstructions of what we are projects like this is to produce, through both historically imaginative and phil- proposing. Such a change in our lan- historical and cultural research, rea- osophically precise. Such analysis can guage is essential especially if we are sonably cogent pictures of a non-cap- complement, and even inspire, related striving to create more democratic italist modernity. work done by anthropologists, sociol- spaces for criticism where “high” and I’ve argued in a few places that ogists, and historians on cultural ide- “low” discourses are not kept separate while this project is a fundamentally ologies and social institutions. and insulated from one another. interdisciplinary one, the study of lit- Imagine the pedagogical possibilities erature can make a special contribu- We find immensely energising your for a second: students in our classes tion to it. In periods that we critique of cultural and moral could be more like performers and au- traditionally call “pre-modern”, litera- relativism, your advocacy of a cross- dience members at a pala or nautanki ture often provides the best evidence of cultural learning that is not the performance, responding to the texts non-dominant layers of culture and literary equivalent of making polite from cultures not their own with hu- thought, alternative values that may conversation, but is instead a vigorous mour and openness, unafraid to take remain invisible if we look only at the engagement with difference. The risks and to make mistakes, extending socio-economic trends. Read through cultural interpreter is not afraid to the text’s implications in new ways. the lens of alternative modernities, lit- disagree or pass judgment. This is a erary texts open up new historical ar- position not of indifferent tolerance A central theme of CML is alternative chives and suggest tantalising but of the recognition that difference modernities and you have also perspectives on a past we thought we is in fact the very condition of explored that theme in your analysis knew well. And, of course, the corpus engagement. of the ‘Lakshmi Purana’. What is the that is traditionally considered literary Yes, the challenge is to go beyond importance of alternative modernities will itself change – for we will include what you call “indifferent tolerance”. for our current project of world in it mahapuranas in Sanskrit and We’ve all learned about the dangers of literature? kathakali folk performances in Ma- ethnocentrism, but relativism – which The recent work on alternative layalam, orally transmitted proverbs is not its opposite but merely its mirror modernities, which I have been read- in Tuka’s Marathi as well as vivah geet image – does not take us too far. Its

FRONTLINE 91 Interview APRIL 6, 2012 very logic produces indifference, as its object social reality and the many many critics of relativism have argued. textual ways it is both mediated and We need to go beyond both ethnocen- interpreted. Analytical realism points trism and extreme forms of cultural to more than the accretion of mimetic relativism and take the risk of making details. It encourages us as readers, judgments, of being wrong, of revising and as professional critics, to look at our views by examining where and the epistemic work that is done by lit- how we went wrong. This cannot be a erary and cultural forms, styles, purely theoretical project. Even modes, and conventions. What under- though our theoretical presupposi- lies the concept is a “cognitivist” view tions sometimes contribute to our of literature and culture, a view that is skewed judgments, the solution can- sharply at odds with the kind of overly not be found purely at the level of general – and often a priori and decon- theory. textualised – scepticism that is popular As I – and so many others – have in some literary-critical circles.

argued, it helps in such a situation to ANU PUSHKARNA I suppose it won’t come as a sur- have a belief in a non-positivist, sup- ERIC HOBSBAWM. HE grounds prise to you that I think of “world liter- ple, and complex notion of objectivity scepticism in real contexts of ature” as a realist and cognitivist as an ideal of inquiry. That is what I research, ideological prejudice, and project – much more than just a canon find attractive in philosophical real- theoretical method, says Mohanty. of important texts. It implies, as ism. A belief in objectivity as a revis- Goethe suggested, a sustained epis- able ideal, and in the fact that even our temic engagement with other litera- best current beliefs are corrigible, pro- “Look at how tures and cultures, and part of what we duces the kind of humility we need as achieve through such engagement is a students of culture, especially of phe- careful... Eric greater awareness of our own cultural nomena that overlap and cross cultur- and historical situatedness. Transla- al boundaries. One of the many Hobsbawm is tions make such a project possible, but advantages of the present moment is it is more fundamentally a hermeneut- that the long intellectual shadow of the when he writes ical process: it involves the kind of fo- Age of European Empire seems to be cussed cross-regional and receding a bit, and we have remarkable about cross-national comparative interpre- opportunities to work across cultures tation we discussed earlier in the con- to learn from one another. We can ‘grassroots text of Indian literature. In my view, retreat from this challenge and em- work on “world literature” will have to brace a form of generalised scepticism history’.” be necessarily interdisciplinary, and it – “How can we ever really understand will draw on a very flexible conception other cultures?” “How can anyone re- emphasising analytical ambition and of what literature is. The non-relativist ally know anything?” But I think such depth. Considering its use in anthol- cross-cultural project implied by the questions aren’t genuine ones if they ogies and by the popular press, it is not idea of “world literature” – of unlearn- are pitched at this level of abstraction. likely that the term “literary realism” is ing deeply ingrained prejudices and Sceptical questions become useful if going to disappear any time soon, and learning new ways of thinking – will they are grounded in clearly defined we will probably keep using it as a end up taking us out of the spaces tra- intellectual contexts, contexts where period concept. But if the distinction ditionally reserved for literature. I’ve (for instance) the sources and causes of between descriptive and analytical replaced “world literature” within quotes our errors can be localised a bit more, alism is a helpful one, it suggests that to indicate that it is a bit like any good made specific enough to understand for the purposes of textual interpreta- slogan, useful to refer to the future that and, where possible, eliminate. tion the term “realism” will need to be we want but haven’t yet fully imagined. Once you consider the epistemic used in more precise ways, with its That future is shaped by our social and guidance provided by the ideal of ob- meaning disambiguated. One advan- political ideals, not just literary ones. jectivity (and the related notion of “er- tage of the concept of analytical real- And good slogans – like “Another ror”), the literary-critical conception of ism (as opposed to a purely descriptive World Is Possible!” or “We Are the “realism” becomes less useful for the realism) is that it does just that. It also 99%” – help by providing a general purposes of textual interpretation. Lit- enables literary critics to contribute to sense of direction. २ erary realism is a vague and ambig- a larger project that they can share uous term, sometimes pointing to with historians, philosophers, and so- The full interview can be read online. generic conventions while at others cial scientists – a project that takes as

92 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Column Elections & beyond

One can say with a degree of certainty that corruption was not really the main issue in this round of Assembly elections in ﬁve States.

AVING witnessed de- long ago in The Economist cited a mocracy in action in the study by a group of scholars in the form of Assembly elec- London School of Economics, which tions in the five States, it said that the comparisons made by is worthwhile looking at various writers and experts between whatH these elections have exposed. Po- China and India as emerging econom- litical analysts have already made pro- ic superpowers were erroneous; that nouncements about identity politics, India could never hope to be a rival to that is, the politics of caste and com- the economic powerhouse that China munity, being pushed to the side by already is. One reason given for this is new demands for development. They the all-pervasive corruption in India; have pronounced on the virtues of be- the others relate, in the main, to as- ing “with the people” in the manner of pects of Indian democracy – the weak- Akhilesh Yadav, the Chief Minister of ened Central government unable to act Uttar Pradesh, as opposed to the “par- decisively on matters of importance to achute politics” of Rahul Gandhi. Point of View the development of the country and Corruption has been mentioned, “the instability and policy incoherence but in terms that are not very clear, at BHASKAR GHOSE caused by multiparty coalition govern- least to lay people like myself. Has this ments” . The one exception to this is, of exercise in democracy proved that course, Gujarat, but there is a dark side there is widespread anger at the cor- tre. The fact is that all of them are seen to that State that makes it a bad exam- ruption that exists in almost all parts of as corrupt. ple to cite, notwithstanding the fond- society, in public bodies and author- Without making any solemn pro- ness big business has for it. ities as well as in private entities? From nouncements on why a party won or This trend of thinking will in all what one can comprehend, the answer lost, or the role played by rebel candi- likelihood catch on, despite brave is the familiar “yes-and-no” that analy- dates of all parties in splitting vote words from leaders of different coun- sts take shelter behind when faced banks, one can say with a degree of tries; one can sense it in the way the with a phenomenon they cannot really certainty that a rejection of corruption Indian stock market has behaved; in understand. was not really the main issue in these the way the rupee has got weaker by The verdict cannot be against cor- elections. And that is the truly worry- the day; and in the general gloom ruption in, for example, Punjab, where ing factor in this round of exercise of among bankers, which they will not the reputation of the ruling Shiromani democracy. admit to publicly but will talk about Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party Equally worrying is the sense one mainly among themselves. It is not combine is not of its being a group of gets that the major political parties gloom about the immediate future – it saints, to put it mildly. For the record, know this and are not really bothered. is about India in the long term. It is, the perception about the party that They also know, from the look of finally, about the nature of Indian lost, the Congress, is no better. In Ut- things, that the public protestation of democracy. tar Pradesh, no one will take you seri- Anna Hazare and his followers will ously if you claim that the Samajwadi never ever amount to anything as far as FATAL FLAWS Party (S.P.) is pure as driven snow; political power in our system is con- There are those who increasingly see that the losing Bahujan Samaj Party cerned. The parties strategise their signs of fatal flaws in Indian democra- (BSP) was seen as utterly corrupt, moves and countermoves on the basis cy because of the way it has developed. which is why it lost; and that the Con- of other considerations, which they A gaggle of political parties, from re- gress was also seen as corrupt and the think to be more effective and relevant. gional parties to so-called national protector of corrupt allies at the Cen- An article that appeared not so parties, form weak, unstable govern-

FRONTLINE 93 Column APRIL 6, 2012

ments that depend on corruption from the top down to survive, and survival is all that matters for political parties. An even more dangerous trend was pointed out in a recent article in The Hindu by Gopalan Balagopal on the failure to prevent rampant malnutrition and stunting among the very young in this country, in this present century, when even Bangladesh has gone ahead of India in reducing stunting and malnutrition among children. As nutrition experts will tell anyone who wants to know, there are two periods in a child’s growth when the need for high amounts of nutrition is crucial to its development, mental as well as physical – one is roughly when the child is between seven and nine years old and the other a little later, just as it steps into teenage. India’s failure to provide nutrition even of a basic kind means that eventually our young men and women will lack the intellectual capabilities and physical health of the youth of other countries, leading to a falling off of quality of work, of skill levels and so on, with its inevitable ill effects on the economy as a whole. But are our politicians, engaged in the task of survival, interested or concerned? Eventually, one has to conclude that Indian-style democracy and the ills afﬂicting our economy, our industry, our infrastructure, our health services and our education system will ensure that India does not become an economic superpower, emerging or otherwise, and that it will have to depend on aid to keep itself going, as industrial houses begin to invest in other, more lucrative countries. Now, a lot depends on what young leaders such as Akhilesh Yadav and others such as Chief Ministers Nitish Kumar of Bihar and Naveen Patnaik of Orissa do. There is little to be gained by looking at any other leader; those who

ADNAN ABIDI/REUTERS are indeed leaders are either erratic A SEVERELY MALNOURISHED two-year-old child with her mother at the and whimsical, or interested only in Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre in Shivpuri district, Madhya Pradesh, on lining their pockets. Some like Jayala- February 1. There are two periods in a child’s growth when the need for high lithaa may well take Tamil Nadu to- amounts of nutrition is crucial for its development, mental as well as wards development, but she has to physical – one when it is between seven and nine years old and the other as provide proof of that, as Nitish Kumar it steps into its teens. has done so admirably. २

94 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Reports

COLLECTING WATER FROM a broken pipe in a slum in Mumbai.

Young & vulnerable RAFIQ MAQBOOL/AP

The latest UNICEF report presents a hard-hitting view of the condition of poor

children in urban areas. BY T.K. RAJALAKSHMI

Its underlying message is that there information and uneven advances, often because of a serious lapse and lack of interest on the part of policymakers, is that children in informal settle- are no halfway measures in dealing ments and impoverished neighbourhoods in urban with the problems faced by these areas are excluded from essential services and social protection. This is one of the crucial revelations in children. However, the report fails the State of the World’s Children 2012 report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) titled to discuss the systemic reasons for “Children in an Urban World”. The findings of the report seem to suggest that there is a universality in the problem. the living and other conditions of the working poor. The focus of the report is somewhat skewed towards COMPARISONS between and studies of living detailing the conditions of children of the urban poor conditions in rural and urban India are aplenty, in the developing world without identifying the sys- though disaggregated data on the specific depriva- temic reasons for them. tions confronting populations in urban centres are It is important to understand why there has been not all that easy to find. This results in disproportion- a shift from rural to urban areas and why pop- ate allocation of resources to urban settlements. One ulations continue to move for survival and other of the consequences of the lack of disaggregated needs. But the report does not provide a perspective

FRONTLINE 95 APRIL 6, 2012

on this. Population growth, it empha- However, the same cohort revealed a children, is almost two decades old. sises, becomes synonymous with slum rather high degree of school attend- Deprivations are not merely a de- formation and puts existing infras- ance, mainly in unauthorised private veloping world phenomenon. In socio- tructure and services under great elementary schools. Not surprisingly, economically disadvantaged urban ar- strain. But it is also pertinent to ask the dropout rate before X Standard eas in Nigeria, the under-five mortality why a mindset that associates popula- was also very high. rate is high; in Bangladesh the mortal- tion growth with a burgeoning slum Around 40 per cent of the families ity rate for the same age cohort is 79 population prevails. The degeneration bought water on a regular basis, per cent higher than the overall urban of a habitat into a slum or a slum clus- spending around Rs.20 a day. This rate; and in the crowded informal set- ter does not happen owing to any for- ironically happens to be the amount tlements of Nairobi, Kenya, pneumo- tuitous hand but is a reflection of the that the Arjun Sengupta Committee nia and diarrhoea are the major causes conscious and deliberate neglect by report (National Commission Enter- of death. However, in certain large ci- governments and the local adminis- prises in the Unorganised Sector Re- ties of the United States, too, income tration. It is therefore not a surprise port, 2005) approximated as the upper and ethnicity are found to significantly that slum populations often face the ceiling of daily income of nearly 77 per affect infant survival. crisis of having to prove their identity. cent of the population in the country. The report repeatedly underscores It is also significant that even without Ever since, the issue of numerically that living in an urban settlement does industrial expansion in urban areas, ascertaining the poor in the country not automatically translate into better rural to urban migration continues un- has become a matter of debate. The living and working conditions. Low abated as living conditions deteriorate. preliminary findings of the TISS sur- immunisation coverage, for example, According to the U.N. Human Set- vey presented by the director, S. Paras- is prevalent not only in parts of west- tlement Programme (U.N.-Habitat), uraman, showed how half a million ern Uttar Pradesh but also in Nairobi. quoted in the report, “One city dweller people lived on unauthorised land, Likewise, contrary to the general im- in three lives in slum conditions, lacks which was garbage-dumping ground, pression, access to and use of materni- security of tenure in overcrowded, un- and how they faced the constant threat ty and obstetric emergency services are hygienic places characterised by un- of demolitions and disruption of their poor in urban settings. Health services employment, pollution, traffic, crime, lives. for the urban poor are of poor quality, a high cost of living, poor service cov- Understandably, most of the and this forces them to approach the erage and competition over resources.” growth in urban areas is taking place many unqualified health practitioners The living and working conditions of in low-income countries and in small- who thrive in the private sector. the urban poor are far worse than de- er towns and not in megacities, says Breastfeeding rates, too, are lower scribed in the report. Official defini- the report. Over one-third of the chil- in urban than in rural areas. There is tions of poverty, says the report, dren in urban areas, says the report, go evidence to show that urban mothers seldom take into account the cost of unregistered at birth and about half are more likely to wean their children non-food needs. And the costs of living the children in the urban areas of sub- early even if they did begin breastfeed- in urban areas increase owing to ex- Saharan Africa and South Asia are un- ing. Low rates of breastfeeding, says penditures on non-food items, which registered. This invisibility because of the report, may be attributed in part to include fuel, water, electricity, educa- a lack of a birth certificate makes chil- a lack of knowledge and to the fact that tion and transport. “In the village, dren vulnerable to all kinds of exploi- poor urban women have to spend more there were no bills to pay. Now in the tation, including forced child time working outside their homes, city, there is rent, electricity bill, water marriage, hazardous work or even get- thus leaving them little or no time to bill, gas bill and God knows what other ting recruited by armed groups, says breastfeed. It is in this context that bills,” commented a domestic worker the report. It also agrees that regis- state-supported child-care services in New Delhi, perhaps articulating the tration alone is no guarantee of access such as crèches for working mothers feelings of a large segment of the to services or protection from abuse. are urgently needed. It is quite prob- population. The report talks about the very ba- able that information about the latest sic deprivations that affect children in cosmetic or soft drink is more readily TISS SURVEY urban settlements despite the exist- available than information on breast- A survey of a slum population done by ence of several international cov- feeding or the wherewithal and sup- the Tata Institute of Social Sciences enants, conventions and treaties that port systems to increase breastfeeding (TISS), Mumbai, mentioned in the re- have been signed, endorsed and rat- rates and thereby ensure infant surviv- port, revealed a high level of morbidity ified by countries to protect children. al. and mortality among children under The Convention on the Rights of the The only reason that the rural-ur- the age of six. Almost 44 per cent of the Child, for instance, which encompass- ban gap in nutrition has narrowed is children surveyed in the age cohort es the full range of civil, political, eco- that the situation has worsened in ur- one to six were found to be stunted. nomic, social and cultural rights of ban areas, says the report. It also men-

96 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

sion can be dealt with by increasing the supply of services, and service coverage can be improved by abolishing user fees, setting up community partnerships and using mass communication and other strategies, says the report. The report recommends conditional cash transfers to poor families in urban settings as an experiment that has worked in certain Latin American countries and in Africa. What the report does not emphasise enough is the need for governments to step in boldly and invest in a big way in the working poor in urban areas. It does not recommend making entitlements such as food, health and education universal. In a section that details the paucity of intra-urban data, it says while it is important to capture urban slum data, it should be emphasised that not all poor households are

MUHAMMED MUHEISEN/AP found in slums and that not all slum residents are poor. To underscore its AFGHAN REFUGEE CHILDREN in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad, point, it quotes a 2005 study of 85 Pakistan. demographic and health surveys that tions in passing the problems of the cially once they start menstruating, found that one out of 10 of a poor rich, for instance, obesity among their says the report. The lack of these basic household’s neighbours was relatively children, which needs mention as it amenities has its impact in other areas affluent, as measured by consumer du- shows that while one set of children as well, including attendance in rables and housing quality. It is this eats too much of the wrong thing, an- schools. The threat of being displaced kind of scenario that obfuscates what it other set does not even get the oppor- affects children’s education adversely, means to live in a situation of rising tunity for a decent and balanced meal too. Quoting the findings of a survey food prices and inflation. A typical three times a day. done in Delhi, the report says that in slum household in Delhi or any other The lack of clean and safe drinking 2004-05, the primary school attend- metro could have a television or even a water remains one of the main reasons ance rate was 54.5 per cent for children second-hand washing machine, do- for the heightened morbidity and mor- living in slums while it was 90 per cent nated by a rich employer, but this does tality among the young. A congested for the city as a whole. not mean that a typical family of five is settlement without a proper sewage, Crime also plays a role in the lives eating three balanced meals a day or sanitation and garbage disposal sys- of children. The report says that in earning enough to meet other expen- tem causes greater havoc to health marginal urban settings, gangs can of- ditures in areas such as health care. than any other factor. Getting safe fer children financial rewards and a The poor have been mapped drinking water and running water for sense of identity. Children from poorer enough; if policymakers do not already other uses is a struggle in the majority backgrounds end up becoming part of know where and how the poor live, of urban slums. Open drains and ex- gangs because they see that as a way to they probably do not deserve to be posed sewage are features that most escape the vortex of poverty. In urban making policy at all. “Children in an urban slum residents learn to live with. areas, where the state fails to provide Urban World” is hard-hitting. Its un- Quoting a study, the report says such essentials as safe water, electricity derlying message is that there are no that it is common for the urban poor to or gas, health care, housing, education halfway measures in dealing with the pay up to 50 times more for a litre of and legal protection, gangs sometimes problems faced by poor urban chil- water than their richer neighbours, step in to fill this vacuum, says the dren. It stops short of fixing responsib- who have access to water mains. The report. ility for the problem on anyone, but impact of poor hygiene and the lack of There is a supply-side deficit, the that does not undermine the funda- water and sanitation facilities is severe report acknowledges, but it does not mental disparities and critical depriva- and it exposes girls to the danger of say who is to fill this gap, state or non- tions faced by the urban poor and their sexual harassment and abuse, espe- state agencies. The barriers to inclu- children. २

FRONTLINE 97 Column APRIL 6, 2012 Logic of deviance

A tribute to James Q. Wilson, whose “broken windows” theory on criminal behaviour applies signiﬁcantly to the situation in India.

… one unrepaired broken window is ings, the basic theme was that such a signal that no one cares, and so conduct, when left uncorrected and breaking more windows costs unpunished, provided delinquency- nothing. prone citizens the incentive to commit James Q. Wilson and major crimes with no feelings of re- George Kelling; “Broken Windows”; morse whatsoever. The Atlantic (1982) Wilson and his life-long friend Order exists because a system of Prof. George Kelling, who endorsed beliefs and sentiments held by the former’s views on the genesis of members of a society sets limits to urban crime, summed up their logic in what those members can do. the seminal essay “Broken Windows”, James Q. Wilson in which was published in 1982 in the The Moral Sense (1993) well-known monthly journal The At- lantic. Their hypothesis was that if one OST first-time visitors broken window in a locality remained to India are appalled by Law and Order unattended for a long time it sent out the massive urban the message that no one in the area chaos in the country R.K. RAGHAVAN cared for public order and, also, that and wonder how things anyone who committed a crime there cameM to such a pass. This is particular- would go scot-free. This theory on ly so if they had been fed with outdated than this apparently petty transgres- crime carries more than a nugget of graphic accounts of how India lives in sion of the law, even under the watch- wisdom and is still relevant although its villages and how agriculture is the ful eye of a helpless policeman. This three decades have gone by since the sole means of survival for the average contempt for the red light – considered two perceptive scholars put their citizen. What shocks these travellers is a sacrilege in most countries across the thoughts down in a serious American the extent of the disorder on the streets globe – does not invite from most Indi- journal. and how nobody seems to be per- ans the outrage that it legitimately turbed by it. The picture is the same should. Not minding the red light is ZERO TOLERANCE everywhere: unauthorised structures, perhaps symbolic of the Indian psyche, Incidentally, it was the “broken win- including places of worship, bang in which trivialises this flagrant violation dows” theory that eventually inspired the middle of roads; unchecked graffiti of the most fundamental of civic du- another approach to law enforcement, and posters on walls, which are ugly to ties. The question is: Can Indians af- namely, zero tolerance, an expression the core; pavements invaded by hawk- ford to ignore such lack of culture on that has unfortunately been used rath- ers; a mind-boggling variety of vehi- the streets, all because they smugly be- er loosely in the recent past. If Wilson’s cles (both motorised and lieve that they are otherwise god-fear- logic had a substantial impact on crim- non-motorised); and a total lack of re- ing, respectful of elders and set much inal justice policymaking in the United spect for traffic rules. store by charity towards the poor and States, its influence on street-level pol- Oprah Winfrey, the celebrated can therefore be pardoned for commit- icing in many cities, especially New American television show host, made ting lesser infractions? York, was even greater. A detailed ref- the observation that one of the things Professor James Q. Wilson, the fa- erence to his life and views on matters that struck her during her recent visit mous American political scientist and of crime and public policy is an appro- to India was the nonchalant disregard criminologist who passed away recent- priate tribute to a man who successful- of the red light at traffic junctions. In ly, would not have thought so had he ly fused theory with practice. my view nothing illustrates the wide- been invited to give his opinion of the Born in Denver (Colorado) and spread lack of urban discipline more Indian scene. In his celebrated writ- raised in Long Beach (California), Wil-

98 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

son graduated from the University of the country worked. His book Varie- Redlands near Los Angeles. After a ties of Police Behaviour was an off- brief career in the Navy during the shoot of this, and it earned him an Korean War, he returned to his studies invitation to serve on the President’s to earn a PhD in political science from Commission on Law Enforcement and the University of Chicago. Later, he Administration of Justice (1967). He taught public administration at Har- attributed his being chosen for the vard for 25 years, followed by stints at prestigious assignment to the fact that Pepperdine University and the Uni- there were probably few criminolo- versity of California at Los Angeles. gists in the country who had an in- Very early in his career, he showed a terest in public policy as well. From marked concern for trends in society this time onwards, Wilson started and had a preference for practice over studying in depth crime and the social theory while formulating public pol- decay that afﬂicted some important icy. He was no fuzzy ideologue who cities. talked above the ordinary human being. CONSERVATIVE TO THE CORE

It was logical, therefore, that Wil- REUTERS/BOSTON COLLEGE Wilson was a conservative to the core. son and Kelling, drawing from their JAMES Q. WILSON, the political This was reflected in all his writings, findings in deprived areas such as Ne- scientist and criminologist who, particularly when he articulated the wark, a high-crime city in New Jersey along with George Kelling, helped stand that every culture had a moral with a large black population, attribut- create a law-and-order revolution in disposition despite wide differences in ed (in “Broken Windows”) criminal be- the United States. rules and regulations. In his The Moral haviour to official tolerance of or Sense (1993), he sought an answer to indifference to petty offences. dealers and similar vagrants who were the question “Why do people not com- The two academics were not taken more a public nuisance than a threat to mit crime?” instead of trying to deal notice of immediately. It took more life and property. Serious felonies soon with the trite query “Why do people than a decade for anybody to act on dropped dramatically in the city, and commit crime?” His clear stand was their veiled exhortation to law enforce- this was attributed to Bratton’s new that unrestrained liberalism was dan- ment officials that they should act style of policing. He moved on to Los gerous because it eroded the faith in against every offender, however small Angeles after serious differences with good behaviour. He was an optimist. his deviant act might be. Softness to Giuliani. There he continued what he This is why he believed that people crime, even when it did not seem to had started in New York City, and vio- could be trained to be moral in dealing have a definable victim, was an invita- lent crime again went down. with others, and this was perhaps the tion to serious crime. In effect, the two Some critics of the high-profile po- basis for his belief in strict policing of professors were opponents of decrimi- liceman attributed the trends in both even minor violations of the law. nalisation, a growing modern trend, cities to a coincidental general drop in Wilson cannot be dismissed as a especially in the field of drugs and drug offences and not to the new style visionary or a hardliner whose views prostitution. of policing. There was a simultaneous are no longer relevant, particularly be- complaint that Bratton’s tactics of ag- cause he spoke of a moral order that NYPD gressive law enforcement were an an- has to dictate society. His ideas may The first person to take the two men tithesis to democracy and could not be not bring about a crime-free society. seriously was Bill Bratton, the celebrity endorsed. Whatever the truth, Wilson However, taken seriously, they will at Commissioner of Police of the New and Kelling continued to inspire police least curb the human instinct of non- York Police Department, or NYPD, experiments across the country. conformity and rebellion and per- (1994-2001), who worked under an Wilson was no ordinary criminol- suade the average individual not to be equally famous Mayor, Rudy Giuliani. ogist but a political scientist who was a hindrance to law-abiding citizens Even in his previous assignment as the interested in exploring why humans who want to carry on with their avoca- head of the New York Transit Police, behaved as they did in society and the tion without causing offence to others. Bratton’s actions were influenced by incentives that made them conform to Liberty at home and falling in line with “broken windows”. He applied it more an established order. One of his first the traditional code of conduct while seriously and intensely, however, books, Negro Politics (1960), analysed interacting with society at large can when he took over the NYPD. With the the role of blacks in urban politics. greatly reduce the penal role of law blessings of a dynamic Mayor who had As part of his teaching of public enforcement. This is what Wilson political ambitions, Bratton launched administration, he had to pay some stood for in his writing. One needs to a major drive against beggars, drug attention to how police departments in study him with all seriousness. २

FRONTLINE 99 History APRIL 6, 2012 In Jinnah’s defence For Jinnah, commitment to his code of conduct as a lawyer came ﬁrst, as his

defence of a communist showed. BY A.G. NOORANI

In one instance, a client pleaded that and etiquette. There is the well-known instance of a client who was short of money and pleaded that Jinnah accept the fee he was offering Jinnah accept the fee he was offering and give advice on the basis of the time the fee could sustain, since he and give advice on the basis of the charged by the hour. Jinnah agreed; gave his advice – and refunded a substantial part saying he had read time for that fee, since he charged by whatever was relevant to read. Now for the episode. The Communist Party of the hour. Jinnah gave his advice and India (Marxist) leader Muzaffar Ahmad published his autobiography in 1970 (Myself and the Commu- refunded a big part saying he had nist Party of India 1920-1939; National Book Agen- cy P. Ltd, Calcutta). It records two encounters with read whatever was relevant to read. Jinnah in his own inimitable style. “Ours being an international movement, defence BOTH admirers and critics of Mohammad Ali committees were formed abroad, including one in Jinnah will be astonished to learn that he vigorously London. Charles Ashleigh, about whom I have writ- defended one communist revolutionary in court and ten before, became secretary of this committee. I also gave sound legal advice to his friends. But nei- have written that George Lansbury also was interest- ther admirers nor critics care one bit to consult his ed in our defence. Friends in London requested Mr remarkably rich record spread over nearly half a M.A. Jinnah through Mr Markmaduke Pickthall or, century. Both seem to agree on the date of his politi- it may be, through some solicitors’ firm in London to cal birth, March 23, 1940, the day the Muslim league accept the brief for the accused. Although he did not adopted the Pakistan resolution. He was a national refuse, he demanded £2,000 (Rs.30,000) as his fee. figure around 30 years earlier. Jinnah was not a Considering that Mr C. Ross Alston’s daily fee was complex person like Jawaharlal Nehru. He was Rs.1,000, Jinnah’s demand was not excessive. But transparent and uncomplicated, as his friend Saroji- Mr Jinnah was not prepared to show towards com- ni Naidu noted. munist prisoners the sympathy usually shown by Frank Moraes wrote in his book Yonder One lawyers in defending accused persons in political World that Jinnah was the most completely honest cases. In this respect, he was a class-conscious per- politician he had known, adding that he had known son”; an utterly unfair remark to make (page 358). many in his time. This concerned the Kanpur Conspiracy Case The episode teaches lessons more than one. Jin- (1924). The other approach concerned Philip Spratt. nah was, of course, opposed to the communist ideol- “From the Communist Party of Great Britain follow- ogy. But his commitment to his code of conduct as a ing George Allison came Philip Spratt. Taking occa- lawyer came first. It reveals also that he was free from sion of Sakalatvala’s visit to Bombay in January 1927, hate. George Allison also came to Bombay. At that time he However, Jinnah imposed a quaint, self-serving had long discussions with Philip Spratt for several rule on himself – never accept an unpaid brief. His days. Spratt was then a young man aged only twenty- nephew, who was also a junior in his chambers, seven. He had graduated with Honours in Physics Akbar A. Peerbhoy, would reminisce to colleagues at (Tripos) from Cambridge University and became a the Bombay Bar that the rule would not be relaxed member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. even if the case concerned a mosque. Jinnah would, Clemens Palme Dutt sent him to India after in- instead, ask the prospective clients to raise funds, structing him properly. Spratt reached Bombay in dutifully paying his own contribution to the funds. December 1926. Some writers have put the date as On the other hand, he was fearless and uncom- December 30, 1926. I met Philip Spratt for the first promising in his commitment to professional ethics time on the evening of January 13, 1927, at the

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Bombay YMCA. C. Krishnaswami Ayengar had taken me to see him. “I have already said that George Allison got involved in a case for using a forged passport. Before long Philip Spratt also got involved in a case for sedition (124-A, IPC). His co-accused were S.S. Mirajkar and another person. Spratt wrote a book entitled India and China, which was published by Mirajkar and printed by another person. A case for sedition was instituted against all three of them. They were, however, released on bail. “Our Bombay comrades, who addressed Mrs Sarojini Naidu as mother, all of them together pressed her to per- suade Mr M.A. Jinnah to look after the case, but he declined the brief. Howev- er, he gave a valuable piece of advice to Mrs. Naidu. His advice was that we should make an application and get the case transferred to the High Court Sessions, where Philip should give up

the demand for trial by a European THE HINDU ARCHIVES jury; and then the case would be tried MOHAMMAD ALI JINNAH when he was practising as a barrister in Bombay. by a majority of Indian jurors, who would naturally be sympathetic to an mad’s, Ghate’s and Mirajkar’s – but the Horniman, which dealt with great Englishman being tried for treason in core is not affected. events that were taking place in China India. The Bombay comrades acted ac- According to Ghate, Jinnah did de- in 1927. There was more or less an cording to Mr Jinnah’s advice. The fend Spratt. He recalled: “During the uprising of the working class and the case was committed to the High Court period of his [Allison’s] trial, Spratt peasantry in China against the nation- Sessions and a jury, consisting of one had come. He wrote a pamphlet India alist rule of Kuomintang led by Chiang European and eight Indians, was se- and China, for which Saklatvala wrote Kai-shek. I decided to collect those ar- lected for the trial. At the end of the a foreword…. Spratt was tried in the ticles and publish in pamphlet form, trial, the eight Indian jurors returned a Bombay High Court. He was not al- and I did so. Within a month after the verdict of not guilty. Only the Europe- lowed bail. Mohammad Ali Jinnah ar- publication of the pamphlet, the Brit- an juror adjudged the accused guilty. gued his bail. Some strange things ish government decided to ban it. So Agreeing with the majority verdict, the happen some time. Jinnah was the the pamphlet was banned. One day, judge acquitted the accused. The ‘In- topmost lawyer in the Bombay High while we were having some discus- dia-China’ case ended in this manner” Court. Nobody could stand against sions in our Workers’ and Peasants’ (pages 465-466). him. He said: ‘Why are you dragging Party office at Girgaum, the police More details emerge from the Oral me unnecessarily?’ He used to charge pounced upon us and arrested Philip History Transcripts of two communist 1,500 rupees a day whereas we had not Spratt under Section 124-A, namely, veterans, S.V. Ghate and S.S. Mirajkar, at that time even 1,500 paise. So our the section which was always used which are lodged in the Nehru Memo- friend, Lotvala, promised to give the against Indian patriots like Lokmanya rial Museum and Library in New Del- fees and he was engaged. Of course, Tilak and others. Philip was the first hi. Both were close to S.A. Dange in the the bail application was rejected. After Englishman to be nabbed under this 1920s, though each had a persona of that, some other lawyer came and ar- section, and was taken to prison. They his own. Their reminiscences of the gued the case and he was acquitted.” refused to grant bail for Spratt, for communist movement merit a sepa- Mirajkar’s recollections are as which we immediately made an at- rate study. It is their versions of the clear. “In 1927 the India-China case tempt. And, poor fellow, remained in Jinnah engagement that we are here was an important event in the life of police custody for a number of days. concerned with. our party and in my personal life as “In this connection, there is a small As we shall see, the three accounts well. Philip Spratt wrote a series of story, with which M.A. Jinnah was conflict somewhat – Muzaffar Ah- articles in National Herald of B.G. concerned. Philip Spratt was a British

FRONTLINE 101 History APRIL 6, 2012 and he had no help here, and it was our that pamphlet – the pamphlet’s price “So the common jurors took up duty to see that he was at least released was six annas – was also arrested. So their seats and the trial began, with from jail before the trial begins. There- we were also in prison. But we were Justice Fawcett taking up the seat on fore, I went to Jinnah, whom I had granted bail. I was out within one or the criminal side. It was a criminal known and asked him that he should two days.... So when I came out, I, of case. As I said before, the trial began in take up the bail application and argue course, arranged for further defence, right earnest and it went on for six or it in the High Court and get Spratt etc. A solicitor, F. Ginwala, was en- seven days. Our lawyers argued the released on bail. Jinnah said: ‘Well, Mr gaged. He was one of the trade union case to the best of their ability. They Mirajkar, we are friends, but business leaders, along with Jhabwala, a Parsee. were quite prominent lawyers in the is business. You must approach me He took up the case in right earnest, Bombay High Court. And, finally, Jus- through a solicitor. A barrister is al- without asking for money in advance, tice sat in the chamber to sum up the ways to be approached through a solic- and the defence of Spratt and myself case and the jury went in. Spratt and itor, not directly.’ This is how Jinnah was thrust on him. So the case was to myself, the printer, sat in the dock, and told me to go. I was helpless, but an begin after a week or so. That was the waited for our fate. Fortunately, the idea occurred to me. I went to Mrs time for the preparation of the de- jury brought us a verdict, eight to one, Naidu – our friend. When she heard fence. But it must be recorded that this declaring all of us, under Section this story and the discussion between was the first case against an English- 124-A, not guilty. Therefore Justice Jinnah and me, she said: ‘All right, let man after the establishment of British Fawcett had no choice but to let us off.” us go to Jinnah. What does he mean by rule in the country. Spratt was a Brit- Jinnah’s advice to Spratt to waive his telling you that you must approach ish. It was attracting great public at- rights as a European proved very him through a solicitor?’ So we, two of tention in the city. So much so that a sound, indeed. us, again went to Jinnah’s place and huge crowd had attended the trial, We live in a different clime in she started hammering him as soon as which went on for about five or six days which lawyers decline to defend un- we entered his house. She said: ‘What in the Bombay High Court. It was as popular causes, violating the code of is this, Jinnah, to ask this poor boy to largely attended as Tilak’s trial, under honour established over the centuries. approach you through a solicitor when the Sedition Act, Section 124-A. The The finest statement of the duties of a British friend of ours who is fighting fact that a British was being tried for counsel was made by Thomas Erskine for us is arrested and is to be assisted the first time for sedition against the in his celebrated defence of Tom Paine and helped legally?’ He showed all British government itself attracted the when he was tried in 1792 for a sedi- softness in front of Mrs Naidu. He people’s attention in the city. tious libel: “I will forever, at all haz- said: ‘Well, what can I do? I did say “Jinnah once again was ap- ards, assert the dignity, independence, that, but now since you have come, I proached but he had some other en- and integrity of the English Bar, with- will take it up.’ He promised that he gagements and unfortunately, he out which impartial justice, the most would take up the bail application and could not take up this brief. Therefore, valuable part of the English Constitu- would do whatever preliminary was we found a new lawyer. There were lots tion, can have no existence. From the necessary in that connection. Next day of young lawyers, volunteer lawyers, moment that any advocate can be per- the bail application was filed by Jinnah and one of them was a young, almost mitted to say that he will or will not in the Bombay High Court. Of course, junior barrister, Barrister Ambedkar – stand between the Crown and the sub- the case immediately came before Jus- not the same Babasaheb Ambedkar, ject arraigned in the court where he tice Davar. He took up the High Court who later on became a big leader of the daily sits to practice, from the moment seat and heard the bail application ar- Scheduled Castes – who had started the liberties of England are at an end. gued by Jinnah. Jinnah, of course, was practising in the Bombay High Court. If the advocate refuses to defend, from quite eloquent and did his utmost. He He was also one of the defence coun- what he may think of the charge or of argued for four hours for a simple bail sels. I do not remember the names of the defence, he assumes the character application and everyone thought, the senior counsels now. Thus, the case of the judge; nay, he assumes it before who had assembled to listen to the started in the Bombay High Court. It the hour of judgment, and in propor- arguments of Jinnah, that something was very well argued by our lawyers. tion to his rank and reputation, puts might happen. But, next day, Justice On the very first day, Philip Spratt be- the heavy influence of perhaps a mis- Davar once again refused Spratt’s bail ing a British had a choice to ask for a taken opinion into the scale against and all the arguments presented by special jury. But he waived that choice, the accused in whose favour the benev- Jinnah before him were of no use. that right, and he went in for a com- olent principle of English law makes “Spratt remained in jail all this mon jury. This was based on Jinnah’s all presumptions, and which com- while. The very next day I was arrested advice. All the special jurors were chal- mands the very judge to be his counsel” as publisher as well a printer of that lenged and thrown out and common (T.B. Howell (ed.); State Trials, T.C. pamphlet. The manager of Lotvala jurors, consisting of nine jurors took Hansard, London; 1816 Edition, Vol. press, on whose address I had printed up the jury’s place. XII, page 411). २

102 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Column End of an illusion

One year after Fukushima, the world must embrace another energy paradigm based on renewable sources and climate-friendly consumption.

HE spate of demonstrations of nuclear power is increasing, it has and vigils held across the been declining. Nuclear power now ac- world on the first anniver- counts for about 13 per cent of the sary of the beginning of the world’s electricity generation, down Fukushima Daiichi nuclear from 17 per cent at its peak. As a pro- accidentT sent out an unmistakable portion of the world’s final energy con- message. The rift in perceptions of nu- sumption, nuclear power accounts for clear power between the public, on the just 2 per cent – in contrast to 18 per one hand, and the nuclear industry cent for renewable energy sources. and many governments, on the other, Only 30 of the world’s 190-odd na- has further widened. tions generate nuclear electricity, a A recent opinion poll conducted by small minority. One-half of them are GlobeScan for the BBC in 23 countries located in the European Union, and shows that a clear majority of people they account for nearly half the world’s (69 per cent) oppose the building of nuclear power generation. Only six new nuclear reactors or believe that Beyond the countries – France, Germany, Japan, “nuclear power is dangerous” and want Russia, South Korea and the U.S. – all nuclear power stations to be closed Obvious together generate almost three-quar- down as soon as possible. ters (73 per cent in 2009) of the globe’s In five of the eight countries which PRAFUL BIDWAI nuclear power. were surveyed in 2005, opposition to On most projections made even nuclear power has increased sharply. before Fukushima, nuclear power was Opposition rose from 73 per cent in adverse economics of nuclear electric- set to decline as old reactors would that year to as much as 90 per cent last ity, besides greater public awareness of retire in the next two decades, and new July-September in Germany, from 76 the intrinsic hazards of nuclear power reactors would replace only about one- to 84 per cent in Japan, from 51 to 82 generation. third of them. Today, 21 of the world’s per cent in Mexico, from 61 to 80 per In 2011, 19 reactors were shut reactors are 40 years old or older. An- cent in Russia, and from 66 to 83 per down in Germany, Japan and the other 165, or 38 per cent of the global cent in France, which is the world’s United Kingdom while six new units total, are 30 to 40 years old. most nuclear power-addicted country were connected to the grid in China, Even if the latter group of reactors and depends on nuclear reactors for India, Iran, Pakistan and Russia. On is allowed to run until they turn 40, three-fourths of its electricity. March 1, there were just 429 reactors total global nuclear generation will Only about one in five respondents operating in the world, 15 fewer than probably decline rapidly very soon. polled in the 12 countries which oper- the number at the historic peak, reac- The number of reactors worldwide is ate nuclear power plants believes that hed in 2002. likely to decrease further to about 300 “nuclear power is relatively safe and an In Japan, home to the world’s third in 2020, 200 in 2025 and under 150 in important source of electricity, and we largest fleet of reactors (after the U.S. 2030. The shock from Fukushima is should build more nuclear power and France), only two of 54 reactors almost certain to accelerate this plants.” are working. And only one of them is decline. The growing unpopularity of nu- on Honshu, the main island. Attempts As of March 1, a total of 61 reactors clear power coincides with the failure to restart reactors are encountering are “under construction” in 14 coun- of the “nuclear renaissance” that gov- fierce opposition from local authorities tries, including 10 units that are being ernments such as that of the United and citizens. Five million people have built for over 20 years. Four countries States tried to instigate, a continuing signed a nationwide appeal to aban- have what could be described as active decline in the number of nuclear reac- don nuclear power.Contrary to the construction programmes. China is tors worldwide, and the increasingly perception of many that the global role building 26 reactors, Russia 10, India

FRONTLINE 103 APRIL 6, 2012

seven and South Korea three. The re- 2000. Over the past decade, the over- of course, undeniable that nuclear fis- maining 10 countries have either one night construction costs of new-model sion does not generate greenhouse or two projects under way. Only India reactors have doubled. The European gases, unlike combustion of coal, oil or and Pakistan launched new construc- Pressurised Reactor (EPR) designed gas. But there are emissions in each tion sites in 2011, while two projects by the crisis-ridden French firm Areva, step of the so-called nuclear fuel cycle, were abandoned in Japan. The post- is now quoting for $6,500 or more per from uranium mining and processing, Fukushima Chinese freeze on all new kilowatt of capacity, compared with to fuel fabrication and reactor con- nuclear projects continues. under $1,000 for coal-fired power. struction, to reactor maintenance and Banks have never been keen to fi- The generation cost from reactors such spent-fuel reprocessing, to eventual nance nuclear power, which Forbes as EPRs is estimated at 9 to 21 U.S. decommissioning of reactors and magazine once called “the biggest cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), de- long-term storage of nuclear waste. managerial disaster in history”. Stan- pending on the financing mode. This is dard and Poor’s found “nuclear gener- costlier at the upper end than power CARBON FOOTPRINTS ation to have the highest overall from the most expensive renewable The carbon footprints of many of these business risk compared with other sources such as solar photovoltaics activities are substantial because they types of generation”. Citigroup Glob- (whose costs are, however, rapidly involve the use of energy and emis- alMarkets Inc published a report en- falling). sions-intensive materials such as steel titled “New Nuclear – The Economics The California Energy Commis- and cement and also large quantities of Say No”. This identified construction sion projects the cost of nuclear power water. Some of these emissions will costs, power price and operational from a merchant plant at 34 cents, or rise in the future for the same quantity costs as large and variable enough to Rs.17/kWh, which is higher than pow- of power generated – for instance, in be dubbed “The Three Corporate er from any other source, including uranium mining and processing, as Killers”. wind, biomass, geothermal, solar- high-quality ores get depleted, and in After Fukushima, many banks are thermal, gas or coal. Put simply, this the maintenance of reactors as they convinced that nuclear power has no makes nuclear power exorbitant and age and get increasingly future. As the Swiss investment bank unaffordable. contaminated. UBS puts it: “At [Fukushima], four There is no assurance that the pro- On a life-cycle basis, emissions reactors have been out of control for jected capital costs will not be exceed- from a nuclear power plant are vari- weeks – casting doubt on whether even ed. The disastrous experience with the ously estimated at between a low 1.4 an advanced economy can master nu- first two EPRs in Finland and France, and a high 288 grams of carbon diox- clear safety ….We believe the Fukushi- where they are at least four years be- ide-equivalent per kWh of electricity ma accident was the most serious ever hind schedule and 95 per cent over generation, with a mean value of 66 for the credibility of nuclear power.” budget, points in the opposite grams/kWh. This is much lower than This is the case despite the fact that direction. emissions from burning coal (about nuclear power has lost $1 trillion in Unlike renewable sources, nuclear 1,000 gm/kWh) or natural gas (about subsidies, cash losses, abandoned pro- power is inflexible and suitable only for 440 gm/kWh). jects, according to energy expert Amo- electricity generation, which typically However, the 66 gm/kWh mean ry Lovins. Nuclear power continues to accounts for about a third of primary does not compare favourably with be subsidised through publicly funded energy supply. It can only deliver base- emissions from renewable sources research, loan guarantees, artificially load power within a centralised grid. such as wind generation and small hy- low limits on liability, state invest- But in many countries, energy con- dropower, respectively 2.8 to 7.4 gm/ ments in uranium enrichment and sumption is decentralised or distrib- kWh and 17-22 gm/kWh. Similarly, waste management, and eventually, uted, and peak loads matter much emissions per unit (gm/kWh) for con- dumping of decommissioning costs more than base loads. centrated solar power (8.5-11.3), wave (about one-third to one-half the con- Thus Congress general secretary energy (21.7), tidal power (14) and struction costs) upon the public. Rahul Gandhi was factually mistaken even geothermal energy (15.1-55) are Nuclear power is expensive and when he defended nuclear power ex- lower than those for nuclear power. getting costlier. Nuclear reactors take pansion on the grounds that it would Biomass (29-62) is a borderline case, 10 to 15 years to build, with interest light up Vidarbha farmer Kalawati’s but only at the higher end of the range. bloating up their capital costs and home at night and enable her children Solar photovoltaics (PV) is esti- hence generation costs. The nuclear to read. mated by many studies to be broadly industry has demonstrated no ability All this makes nuclear power un- comparable in its CO2 emissions with to learn from experience. For instance, attractive in any rational scheme of nuclear power. For instance, accord- average construction periods for reac- things. But what of the argument that ing to one estimate, PV life-cycle emis- tors increased from 74 months in nuclear power can help effectively “de- sions are 19-59 gm/kWh, compared 1976-1980 to 146 months in 1996- carbonise the energy economy”? It is, with 9-70 for nuclear power. A signif-

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more resources was considered a sign of progress. The greatest supposed virtues of nuclear electricity were that it would be abundant and yet “too cheap even to meter”! Nuclear power propo- nents still remain entrenched in that thinking. They cannot relate to the ideas necessary for, and the energy strategies relevant to, a climate-conscious world.

CORROSIVE INFLUENCE Promotion of nuclear power has had a

KIM KYUNG-HOON/REUTERS corrosive influence on society and in- ON THE FIRST anniversary of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami stitutions of governance. It has always in Japan, two brothers offer prayers for their parents who were killed, in involved secrecy, opacity and decep- Iwaki, Fukushima prefecture. tion, which are antithetical to democracy. Nuclear power evokes fear and icant proportion of the emissions asso- out of control. Nuclear power is bound loathing in large parts of the world, ciated with PV comes from energy- up with radiation, which is harmful in and can only be promoted by force. intensive production of crystalline sil- all doses, at each step of the nuclear The nuclear industry has compro- icon, and from vapour deposition fuel cycle. mised regulation and the culture of processes for thin films. But PV tech- Nuclear plants routinely expose safety through a collusive “nuclear vil- nology is improving. As there is more surrounding populations to radioac- lage” relationship. It has blocked the energy-efficient production of crystal- tive and chemical emissions and ef- public’s access to information about line silicon, and as thinner wafers are fluents, with harmful effects. They the risks to which it is subjected. Nu- used, emissions per unit of PV gener- leave behind wastes that remain haz- clear power has led to proliferation of ation are likely to fall in the next five ardous for thousands of years because nuclear weapons and created vulner- years – faster than the rate of emis- they contain substances with long able targets for military attacks and sions decline from nuclear, a “mature” half-lives (for example, 24,000 years sabotage. technology in which very little R&D for plutonium-239, and 710 million There is a strong case for abandon- (research and development) is taking years for uranium-235). Science ing nuclear power and moving to- place. knows no way of safely storing such wards a new energy system based on Besides, nuclear reactors have far wastes. climate-friendly, safe and increasingly longer construction times than renew- Nuclear power is the only mode of affordable renewable sources, as ar- ables. During these long years, emis- energy generation that can undergo gued in the last Column (Frontline, sions from fossil-fuel burning will catastrophic accidents. Accidents are March 23). Decentralised energy gen- continue to build up. This represents a inevitable in nuclear reactors. Their eration, energy efficiency improve- significant opportunity cost. If this is probability may be low. But their con- ment and distributed consumption taken into account, the picture chang- sequences are unacceptable. Their hu- have a major role here. As does the es dramatically. Emissions from nu- man, environmental and economic reorganisation of habitats and reduc- clear power rise by another 59-106 damage is unconscionably high and tion of energy intensity of a range of g/kWh. According to Amory Lovins: runs into hundreds of billions of dol- activities. “Nuclear power is about the least effec- lars. For instance, a study by a highly A precondition for this is that we tive method [of abating emissions]: it regarded German institution esti- need to think of energy not in conven- does save carbon, but about 2 to 20 mates that a single reactor meltdown tional supply-driven terms, but from times less per dollar and 20 to 40 times will inflict economic damage of $11 the viewpoint of meeting the basic less per year than buying its winning trillion on the country, equivalent to needs of our people for energy services competitors.” double its gross domestic product in a climate-responsible, austere and The greatest black mark against (GDP). equitable manner. Fortunately, we nuclear power is its lack of safety and Nuclear power originated in an era have a framework or road map here in its disaster-proneness. Nuclear reac- in which growth, to qualify for being the work of A.K.N. Reddy (www.amu- tors are intrinsically hazardous, being desirable, had to be seen as limitless. lya-reddy.org.in) and Girish Sant of relatively high-pressure high-temper- Within this “more is better” approach, Prayas Energy Group, who died an un- ature systems, in which a fission chain- energy consumption was assumed to timely death in February. We must reaction is barely checked from getting have no ecological limits; consuming build on their work. २

FRONTLINE 105 Conservation APRIL 6, 2012 Penance for Ganga An environmental scientist continues his relentless battle to save the Ganga, this time by starting a fast unto death.

BY PURNIMA S. TRIPATHI IN HARIDWAR

The National Ganga River Basin Authority has met only twice in the past three years. The Clean Ganga Agarwal resumed his fast in January 2009, campaign was launched in 2009, but charging the government with going back on its promise. The Uttarakhand government was also the river is as polluted as ever, and forced to abandon the Pala Maneri and Bhairo Ghati power projects, proposed by the Uttarakhand Jal work on hydel projects is continuing. Vidyut Nigam Limited, as Agarwal’s protests gener- THE campaign to save the Ganga has cost one ated massive local support (Frontline, March 13, life in the hill State of Uttarakhand. The life of 2009). The three projects were planned very close to another activist now hinges on the government’s Gaumukh, where the Ganga is called the Bhagirathi. commitment. When Agarwal came close to death on the 38th In 2011, Swami Nigamananda of Matri Sadan day of his fast, the United Progressive Alliance undertook a fast unto death demanding an end to (UPA) government at the Centre decided to act. The illegal sand mining in the Ganga, at least in Hari- Prime Minister intervened. Among the decisions dwar where the Kumbh Mela, a mass Hindu pilgrim- taken, the most significant was the stoppage of work age, takes place. The governments, both in on the three projects and the declaration of the Uttarakhand and at the Centre, paid no heed. The 100-km stretch from Gaumukh as an eco-sensitive swami died after fasting for 115 days. zone. The government even declared the Ganga a Since February 8 this year, G.D. Agarwal, a for- national river and announced the constitution of a mer professor with the Indian Institute of Tech- National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), nology (IIT) Kanpur and a renowned environmental with the Prime Minister as its chairperson and Chief scientist, has been on a hunger strike demanding Ministers of the riparian States and Union Ministers that all hydroelectric projects on the tributaries of and experts as its members. the Ganga be stopped in order to maintain the purity For an institution of such significance, the of the river, allow its continuous flow, and protect the NGRBA’s functioning has left much to be desired. It flora and fauna in the river basin zone. Since March has met only twice in the past three years. The first 8, Agarwal has given up even water, the only fluid he meeting was in February 2009, basically to fine-tune had consumed until then. its constitution. The second one was in October It may be recalled that in June 2008, Agarwal 2009 when the “Clean Ganga” campaign was went on a hunger strike demanding that the Ganga launched; it was then declared that by 2020 the river be allowed to flow freely in the 100-odd-kilometre would be rid of pollutants and freed of the hindranc- stretch from its origin in the Gaumukh glacier to es in its path. Uttarkashi and that the hydroelectric projects in this Nothing much has happened on the ground stretch of the river be scrapped. He called off the fast though. The river is as polluted as ever while work on after 18 days when the Centre promised that a high- the hydel projects are continuing. In all, 193 projects level panel would review the run-of-the-river Lohari are proposed to be executed on the Alakananda, the Nagpala hydroelectric project which was being exe- Mandakini and the Bhagirathi, the three major trib- cuted by the National Thermal Power Corporation. utaries of the Ganga. Environmental impact assess-

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“In order to achieve something, “I had told him not to give up water for one has to sacrifice something. If by a week as the governments, both in sacrificing my life I can save the Ganga, New Delhi and in Uttarakhand, were that is a small price to pay. I am not busy with other things. But he did not afraid to lay down my life,” Agarwal listen. It seems he has decided to end told this correspondent. If he died, his his life,” the Sankaracharya said. associates would carry forward the “ta- A senior official of the NGRBA told pasya”, he said. “It is futile to expect this correspondent that no meeting that the Ganga can be saved only by the had been proposed on the issue and government or by non-governmental there was little the authority could do. organisations. They do not have the “Free flow of the river and its purity are time or the intention. It can only be things that cannot be achieved in one saved by the sadhus and saints who day. We are working towards this and have so far, for inexplicable reasons, by 2020 we aim to achieve our target. remained indifferent to the tragedy We need Rs.15,000 crore for this pur- facing the river,” he said. pose. We have managed to procure But so far nobody seems to be un- funds to the tune of Rs.7,000 crore, of duly disturbed by the prospect of his which Rs.4,600 crore has come from

BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT death. In Haridwar, not a single Hindu the World Bank. Thirty-five projects G.D. AGARWAL IN Haridwar. saint attended a meeting convened on worth Rs.2,600 crore have been sanc- March 4 to discuss the issue. The tioned and are under various stages of ment studies have been completed or saints were busy celebrating a sumptu- implementation. Over Rs.438 crore are under way with respect to 40 of ous “Holi milan” function at the nearby has been disbursed to States such as these projects. Chaitanya Jyoti Ashram, a luxurious Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand In some cases, as in the case of the abode of godmen. When this corre- and West Bengal,” he said. Kotli Bhel and Vishnugad Pipalkoti spondent sought their reaction on According to the official, cleaning projects, environmental clearances Agarwal’s fast, the saints feigned igno- the Ganga is more an urban infrastruc- have been given or are under consid- rance. ture management issue. “We have only eration despite serious objections from According to a close aide of Swami about 25-30 per cent capacity for sew- experts and activists. In the case of Swarupanand, who is known to be age treatment. Even the existing ca- other projects, such as the Srinagar close to UPA chairperson Sonia Gand- pacity does not function fully for lack hydro project, 80 per cent of the civil hi, the government has gathered in- of power. So the net result remains nil. work has been completed after the telligence inputs from all major States We have a long way to go, but we are usual court battles. and has come to the conclusion that catching up,” the official said. It is to oppose this mad hurry to even if Agarwal died, there would be According to him, management of dam the Ganga that Agarwal has no major people’s movement to follow the Ganga river basin is a new concept staked his life. He renounced worldly up the issue. and has so far not been given any con- life and became a disciple of Swami The Sankaracharya said: “The gov- sideration. “This is the first time such a Swarupanand Saraswati, the Sankara- ernment is busy dabbling in Hindu- plan is being discussed. Obviously, this charya of Dwarkapith. He acquired a Muslim politics. It does not have time will take time,” he said. new name, Swami Gyan Swarup Sa- to worry about real issues facing the Seven IITs have been roped in nand, and vowed to give up his life, if people. I have conveyed my concern to since 2010 to prepare a plan for the need be, for the sake of aviralta (con- the Prime Minister and also to Sonia management of the river basin. The tinuous flow) and nirmalata (purity) Gandhi, but they don’t seem con- plan will, hopefully, be ready in two of the Ganga. cerned. The Prime Minister went years. On January 14, Makar Sankranti down on his knees when Anna Hazare Meanwhile, three experts appoint- day, he began his fast at Ganga Sagar undertook his fake fast, but now when ed to the NGRBA – Magsaysay Award (West Bengal) and vowed to start pen- this man [Agarwal] is actually dying winner Rajendra Singh, Professor Ra- ance for the Ganga. He gave up cereals the government does not seem to care. vi Chopra of the Dehradun-based Peo- and subsisted on fruits. From Febru- If the government takes some positive ple’s Science Institute, and Prof. R.H. ary 8, he stopped eating fruits as well step, Hindus world over will appre- Siddiqui of the Aligarh Muslim Uni- and survived only on water. Since ciate it; otherwise it will have to face versity – have resigned their posts. In a March 8, he has given up water also. the consequences.” letter to the Prime Minister, they have But this time, there has been no He, however, expressed unhappi- cited the authority’s inaction and its reaction from the governments at the ness that Agarwal disobeyed his order indifference to Agarwal’s fast as the Centre and in the State. to defer giving up water by seven days. reason for their action. २

FRONTLINE 107 Cricket APRIL 6, 2012 Purist & gentleman

Rahul Dravid, who retired from international cricket recently, was a

connoisseur’s delight and every bowler’s nightmare. BY RAKESH RAO

But not many have cared to notice years of hard work. He never considered himself to be supremely talented like, say Sachin Tendulkar, that in the era when Dravid and but made up with some amazing amount of work in training and at the “nets”. Tendulkar played together – from Dravid, with over 13,000 runs in Tests and over 10,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODI), June 1996 to January 2012 – Dravid would have been acknowledged even more for his contribution had he not been overshadowed by Ten- dulkar’s record-making skills. scored 13,288 runs in 164 Tests and But not many may have cared to notice that in the Tendulkar 12,841 in 149 Tests. era when the two played together – from June 1996 to January 2012 – Dravid scored 13,288 runs in 164 AFTER enthralling connoisseurs of cricket for 16 Tests and Tendulkar 12,841 in 149 Tests. years, Rahul Dravid has decided to move on. The decision to retire from first-class cricket was, SECOND TO NONE without doubt, expedited by his poor run of Dravid’s contribution to Indian cricket over the scores in the series against Australia. past decade and a half is clearly second to none. With experts and laymen alike calling His exploits while batting at number three for a revamp of the Indian team after eight are well known but he has batted at dif- successive overseas Test defeats, including four ferent positions for the sake of the in England last summer, Dravid, 39, chose to step team. down and make way for others. To help the team get the right But unlike the time when Dravid made it to the balance by giving the captain Indian Test team for the 1996 tour of England, there is no worthy “replacement” in sight now. Dravid, like Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman, had been groomed in domestic cricket and played in the India “A” team before appearing ready for the grind of Test cricket. “Give me mature players like Dravid or Ganguly, I’ll take them any day, instead of these young ‘talents’ that our team keeps getting from time to time,” came Pakistani skipper Ramiz Raja had said during the 1997 Independence Cup in India. Indeed, Dravid looked ready to play Test cricket then. He had the temperament, talent and an array of cricketing strokes to stand out among the list of young talents. His copybook ways at the crease, pa- tience and stroke selection could leave any rival captain and bowler worried. Dravid’s organised defence reflected how the man valued his wicket. “How I wish I could play the RAHUL DRAVID AT a press forward defensive shot like Rahul does,” said his conference in Bangalore on good friend V.V.S. Laxman, himself a batsman of March 9 when he announced rare quality. Dravid’s refined qualities were result of his retirement.

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the option to go with an extra batsman His shot selection and timing sent Laxman (12), Virender Sehwag and or bowler, Dravid donned the wicket- even some of the good deliveries racing Ganguly (10 each). keeper’s gloves for 73 ODIs between to the fence. Even in ODIs, a version of cricket 1999 and 2004. During this time, he Dravid’s contribution to India’s tri- considered not suitable for those ob- hit four of his 12 centuries in limited umphs on foreign soil cannot be for- sessed with technique and perfection, overs cricket. gotten. He was part of the Indian Dravid left his mark with over 10,889 Like most youngsters, Dravid, too, teams that won 15 Tests overseas – the runs, dotted with 12 centuries and 83 was made to stand at short leg during most by an Indian. In fact, 21 of his 36 half centuries. In ODIs, Dravid knew his early playing days. He displayed Test centuries came on foreign soil. his role well. “I cannot hit the ball like sharp reflexes and held many reflex Batting at number three, an im- Sehwag or Tendulkar. My job is to catches before graduating to the slip portant position in the absence of reg- keep one end going, bat long and ro- cordon. Of the several catches Dravid ular openers for the better part of his tate the strike without missing oppor- held at first slip, the two best remem- career, Dravid played 219 innings for tunities to hit boundaries,” he had said bered are the ones of Damien Martyn 10,524 runs – the most by any cricket- during the 1999 World Cup. and Steve Waugh in successive overs of er. He also holds the world record for In the same tournament, the way Tendulkar in the second Test at Ade- facing the maximum number of deliv- Dravid scored his first 50 runs against laide in December 2003. This was also eries – 31, 258 – in Test cricket. Sri Lanka at Taunton to set the stage the Test where Dravid hit a masterly Dravid was also involved in the for an emphatic 157-run win is still 233 and 72 not out in India’s four- maximum number of century partner- fresh in the mind. He played some glo- wicket triumph. ships – 88. Among Dravid’s partners in rious strokes to soften up the Lankan If there was anything that dis- prosperity were Tendulkar (20 times), bowlers and went on to share a second- turbed an otherwise composed Dra- wicket stand of 318 runs with Ganguly. vid, it was a dropped catch. He could Though Ganguly top scored with 183, not digest the fact a ball could actually Dravid’s 145 off 129 deliveries stood elude his grasp. out for the craft it carried. Think of Dravid and the joy of his More than statistics and runs, batting cannot be far behind. He de- Dravid will always be remembered lighted the purists with his orthodox for bringing in assurance and solidi- ways of run-making. In testing con- ty to the Indian middle order. He ditions where most of the accom- repeatedly withstood the pressure of plished batsmen in the line-up would walking in at number three after one be at sea, Dravid’s calm presence in of the openers had fallen cheaply. His the middle stood out. His technique presence in the middle sent the right came to the fore in negotiating the signals to those in the dressing room; swing. His footwork was instrumental his confident ways gave lots of confi- in negotiating the turn and bounce. dence to the batsman at the other end. “Dravid has always shown how sound technique can help in overcom- ing any problems posed by bowlers or the pitch. It is a delight to watch him AP

FRONTLINE 109 APRIL 6, 2012 GRAHAM CHADWICK/GETTY IMAGES AT LORD’S IN 1996, with fellow-debutant Sourav Ganguly, who scored a century. Dravid himself missed the mark by ﬁve runs. HAMISH BLAIR/GETTY IMAGES TAKING ONE OF his best catches, at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in 2004. The batsman is Australia’s Damien Martyn.

110 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 V.V. KRISHNAN HE DONNED THE wicket-keeper’s gloves for 73 ODIs between 1999 and 2004. Here, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados against the West Indies in 2002.

bat,” says Sehwag, whose explosive batting style delights everyone, including Dravid. Now with Dravid choosing to call it a day, there will obviously be more pressure on Tendulkar and Laxman in the middle order, where the likes of Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Chetesh- war Pujara and S. Badrinath will be keen to do what Virat Kohli has managed. Dravid was an integral part of the most experienced middle order in contemporary cricket. With Tendulkar and Laxman also not far from announcing their retirement, watching an Indian team play Test cricket will not be the same. By any measure, be it statistics, style or substance, Dravid’s contribution to Indian cricket was more than substantial. When the great stylish G.R. Viswanath retired in the 1980s, Dravid almost filled the void in the HE WAS WEDDED to technique in his approach to batting. Here, in 1990s. Canberra against the Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI in 2011. Now begins the search to find ways २ MARK GRAHAM/AFP to fill the void left by Dravid.

FRONTLINE 111 FOCUS GUJARAT APRIL 6, 2012 AMIT DAVE/REUTERS NANO CARS OUTSIDE the Tata Motors plant in Sanand. A ‘vibrant’ approach

With its “Vibrant Gujarat” campaign and an aggressive industrial policy, the State

hopes to achieve a growth rate of 15 per cent by 2013. BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Gujarat is believed to have one of the the private sector. Although traditionally Gujarat has been at the forefront of industrial and business fastest-growing economies in India. growth driven by a culture of entrepreneurship, in the recent past it has made a concerted effort to take It is one of the most industrialised its ambitions to the next level. At several conferences and summits on business, States, with 38 per cent of its GDP State ofﬁcials have declared that they aspire not only to make the State number one in the country but also contributed by the secondary sector. a competitive player on the global stage. The State has extended an open invitation to Its per capita GDP is almost twice corporates looking for an investment destination and is doing whatever it can to ensure that they make the national average. it their ﬁrst choice for setting up manufacturing or service units. The government has, among other GUJARAT has had for some time the extremely things, reworked policies and vastly upgraded focussed goal of achieving high growth in the indus- infrastructure. trial and infrastructure sectors. There are of course Gujarat is believed to have one of the fastest- both long- and short-term targets, but the ultimate growing economies in India. It is also one of the most goal is to become the top investment destination for industrialised States, with 38 per cent of its gross

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FOCUS GUJARAT APRIL 6, 2012 AMIT DAVE/REUTERS AT A TEXTILE mill at Jhagadia village in western Gujarat. domestic product contributed by the cent of India’s industrial production is These key drivers were clearly de- secondary sector (finished manufac- in Gujarat and the State’s main fined in the “Vibrant Gujarat” cam- tured goods). Its per capita GDP is strengths lie in petroleum, drugs and paign launched in 2009 to showcase almost twice the national average. pharmaceuticals, and the diamond in- the State. The campaign seeks to make When the Gujarat government re- dustry. Gujarat a global power by 2015. The leased its industrial policy for 2009- Since it has a robust foundation in government has come out with an ag- 13, the stated aim was an ambitious 15 industry, it has been able to attract gressive action plan that offers indus- per cent growth in that period. Last significant investment, including for- try-specific advantages in a slew of year it registered a growth rate of 11.05 eign direct investment (FDI). sectors. per cent and looks to be on course to Gujarat is one of the most urban- The campaign also outlines the ad- achieve its target. ised States in the country, with nearly vantages of Gujarat’s strategic location 40 per cent of the population residing on the west coast. Connectivity is easy KEY DRIVERS in urban areas. Therefore, the State’s with major ports in the United King- A good industrial and manufacturing demographics have had a positive in- dom, Australia, and those of the West foundation, adequate investment and fluence on industrial growth and is one Asian and East Asian economies. infrastructure and sound policies are of its most valuable assets. Besides, Gujarat has 41 ports and offers nu- some of the factors that have driven competitive labour costs add to the merous opportunities for port-based growth in the State over the years, and State’s overall productivity. industries. According to the govern- these are now being exploited to their The State has five of the country’s ment, ports in Gujarat handled 205 utmost capacity. top postgraduate institutes and has million metric tons of cargo traffic in According to a report by the Con- emerged as a key educational hub. The 2009-10, and this is expected to in- federation of Indian Industry, titled government has been vocal about the crease to over 500 MMT in two to “Accelerating Growth in Gujarat”, the need for public-private partnerships in three years. Around 22 per cent of In- State occupies a distinctive position in education. The knowledge industry is dian exports are contributed by Guj- the country’s economy. Sixteen per an area it is keen on improving. arat, says the State government.

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FOCUS GUJARAT APRIL 6, 2012

capacity in the sector. Gujarat has one of the highest reserves of lignite, lime- stone, perlite and clay deposits in India and is the only producer of chalk and agate in the country. There are 6,500 mineral-based industries in the State. Historically, Gujarat has housed the pharmaceuticals sector: It has more than 50 biotechnology companies and 66 support organisations. Another major industry in the State is textiles. The State produces a lot of cotton and denim. Technical textiles is an emerging area, and there are over 860 units catering to it, says the government. An extensive plan to attract investment was put in place with the release of the 2009-13 industrial policy. The government has made a concerted effort to simplify the procedures to set up businesses or to support existing ven- tures. A single-window approach for investors has been a move that has worked successfully. The industrial policy will focus on human resource and assures institutions of support as the government be-

REUTERS lieves that this has a ripple effect. A VIEW OF Essar Oil’s refinery at Vadinar in Jamnagar district. Businesses will benefit by tapping into these resources and will in turn pro- Gujarat’s contributions to various industry in India. More than 6,600 vide more employment. sectors are as follows: close to 80 per chemical and petrochemical products cent in salt processing and diamond are produced in the State. SPECIAL INVESTMENT REGIONS processing, 35 per cent in pharmaceu- Gujarat contributes 53 per cent The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corri- ticals, 50 per cent in chemicals, 62 per and 31 per cent respectively to India’s dor (DMIC) area, which is to be devel- cent in petrochemicals and 65 per cent total production of crude oil and nat- oped as a “Global Manufacturing & in plastic industry. Gujarat, more spe- ural gas. It has the highest number of Trading Hub” in two phases, will be cifically Surat, can easily be called the gas wells in India, making it an easy supported by world-class infrastruc- diamond processing capital of India. choice for global petroleum compa- ture and an enabling policy frame- nies. work. Twelve special investment EXCELLENT INFRASTRUCTURE In the engineering sector, there are regions, with an area of more than 100 The State attracts investment because more than 30 industrial clusters and square km, are being planned. of its excellent infrastructure: a this number is increasing. With Tata A petrochemical and petroleum in- 1,37,617-kilometre road network, a Motors setting up its Nano plant in vestment region, 60 special economic 5,188-km rail network and a 2,200-km Sanand and Mahindra & Mahindra in zones and the existing 200 industrial integrated State-wide gas grid (the on- talks to set up a factory close to Ah- areas will create opportunities across ly State to have one). It has more air- medabad, the State is being endorsed sectors. There are plans to develop new ports and ports than any other State. by the auto industry. industrial areas for agro parks, tou- It is a power-sufficient State as it The food and agro sector is being rism, recreation, and information has 23 power plants and the highest given a boost. Out of the total geo- technology. per capita power consumption. graphical area of 196 lakh hectares, the The industrial policy states: “Guj- The Sardar Sarovar project on the total cropped area is 128 lakh ha. arat aspires to become a beacon of Narmada river is expected to provide There are huge investment oppor- comprehensive social and economic water to areas across the State. tunities in the mining and mineral sec- development.” The State definitely has Gujarat is the hub of the chemical tor as the State is looking to add a bright future ahead of it. २

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DURING THE INTERNATIONAL Kite Festival on the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad on Uttarayan, January 14. Food, fun & festivals The State is reinventing its tourist destinations and launching a campaign to

attract different types of tourists. BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

The State has plenty to offer. There dustry by reinventing its tourist destinations and launching a campaign to attract different types of are historical sites, religious and tourists. The State has plenty to offer, so it is only a pilgrimage sites and places where question of tapping the domestic and international tourism potential of the wide range of destinations available. There are historical sites, religious and one can see wildlife. There is an pilgrimage sites and places where one can see wild- abundance of fairs and festivals life. And there is an abundance of fairs and festivals through the year. through the year and the cuisine is Gujaratis are known for their penchant for food; undeniably the food is unique and outstanding. unique and outstanding. Travelling in the State is easy as it has a good infrastructure of roads, airports and railway lines. LONELY PLANET, the world’s leading travel guidebook, rates Gujarat as among “10 of the world’s HISTORICAL INTEREST unsung places”. Gujarat may not have been the ﬁrst The State was one of the main centres of the Indus option of many people when it came to planning a Valley Civilisation and contains major ancient met- vacation, but that may change soon. The government ropolitan cities from the Indus Valley such as Lothal, has decided to boost its tourism and hospitality in- Dholavira and Gola Dhoro. Lothal was where India’s

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FOCUS GUJARAT APRIL 6, 2012 PICTURES: BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT THE SOMNATH MAHADEV temple.

first port was established, while Dhola- Panchmahal district in Gujarat. The the black buck, both protected species. vira has one of the largest and most UNESCO website describes it thus: “A The Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary prominent archaeological sites in In- concentration of largely unexcavated near Ahmedabad, covering an area of dia. The ancient history of Gujarat was archaeological, historic and living cul- 115 square kilometres, is a refuge for enriched by the commercial activities tural heritage properties cradled in an both domestic and migratory birds. of these cities. impressive landscape which includes Gujarat Tourism has a nature odyssey The State played a significant role prehistoric (Chalcolithic) sites, a hill which includes a look-in on the 250- in the Independence movement. Lead- fortress of an early Hindu capital, and odd species of birds that help make ers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Val- remains of the 16th century capital of this sanctuary an ornithologist’s labhbhai Patel, Morarji Desai and the state of Gujarat.” The site has be- delight. Bhulabhai Desai came from the State; gun to attract tourists interested in Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s father was history. RELIGIOUS TOURISM also from Gujarat. The State is unique for its many The State has shrines dedicated to dif- It witnessed some of the most pop- kinds of habitats, including dry forests, ferent faiths. Dwarka is considered the ular Independence revolts, including majestic grasslands, wetlands, marine land of Krishna and Somnath the the Salt Satyagraha (Dandi March) ecosystems and rich moist deciduous prime abode of Siva. and satyagrahas in Kheda, Bardoli, forests, which are home to some ex- Jains consider Palitanta, a com- and Borsad. tremely rare wildlife: for instance, the plex of more than 860 Jain temples, The Champaner-Pavagadh UNES- Asiatic lion (in Gir), the wild ass (in the one of their most important pilgrim- CO (United Nations Educational, Sci- Rann of Kutch), and the great Indian age sites. entific and Cultural Organisation) bustard. The State is also home to the There are Buddhist shrines at Dev- World Heritage site is located in world’s only four-horned antelope and ni Mori, Vadnagar and Talaja. Parsis,

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FRONTLINE 121 FOCUS GUJARAT APRIL 6, 2012 too, have had a presence in the State from time immemorial. The State celebrates several small and big fairs and festivals throughout the year based on the traditional lunar calendar. These festivals are observed with great enthusi- asm by people of all castes and religions. Travel packages that suit all budgets are on offer for every festival in the State. The festival of Uttarayan (Makar Sankranti), celebrated on January 14, marks the end of winter. On this day, kites are flown all over the State from dawn until late in the evening. In the night, many people flying illuminated box kites known locally as tukkals. Well-priced exotic kites available during the festival are a collector’s delight. The International Kite Festival is held on Uttarayan day. The Modhera dance festival, celebrated at the Sun Tem- ple at Modhera, is held in the third week of January every THE ASIATIC LION is found only in the Gir National year. At the festival, one can see classical dance as it was Park. originally presented. The temple was built in the style of the Jain temples at Mount Abu. Rann Utsav, which is organised with the Mahashivratri festival and is a five-day affair. It is to promote tourism in Kutch, is celebrated in December and held at the Bhavnath Mahadev temple, which is located at January every year. the foot of Girnar hill in Junagadh. The mahapuja of Siva is The Tourism Department offers a six-day package tour held in this temple at midnight on the 14th day of the dark of Kutch, which allows one to experience sights and scenes half of the month of Magh when it is believed that Siva unique to the region. The Bhavnath Mahadev Fair coincides himself visits the shrine. The fair is a good opportunity to buy well-priced local artefacts, clothes and idols.

CUISINE Each region of Gujarat has its unique cuisine. In northern Gujarat, the food is usually non-spicy. The region is famous for its varieties of salty treats such as pathara; khaman dhokla, a salty steamed cake; and khandvi. In Kathiawar, a favourite is debra, made from wheat flour mixed with spin- ach, green chillies, a dollop of yoghurt and a pinch of salt and sugar. It is eaten with chhundo (a hot-and-sweet shred- ded mango pickle). Yet another specialty of this region is methia masala, a dry powder made from fenugreek seeds, chilly powder and salt. The region is also known for its wide variety of pickles, which are liberally sprinkled over raw vegetables and salads and give them an especially piquant flavour. Sugarcane, wheat, millet, peanuts, and sesame are easily available in the Saurashtra region despite its vast stretches of dry earth. Hence, pulses dominate Kathiawari food, and sweets are made of gur (jaggery). Kutchi cuisine is simple and consists of khichdi, a main dish eaten with kadhi. Some common dishes here include khaman dhokla; doodhpak, a sweet, thickened milk confectionery; and shrikhand, a dessert made of yoghurt fla- voured with saffron, cardamom, nuts and candied fruit. It is generally eaten with hot pooris. Southern Gujarat is blessed with plenty of rainfall. Green vegetables and fruit, therefore, dominate Surati food. Popular items include a delicious vegetable concoction called undhiyoo and a tangy delicacy called paunk. Surat is also famous for its bakery products such as nankhatais, gharis and saglu baglu mithai, which are available in its bakeries and confectionery shops. २

122 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 letters

Social media Vodafone verdict THERE is no doubt time frame. A separate audit should be made compulsory TAKING a lesson from the that social media for such funds. verdict in the Vodafone played a vital role in MAHESH KAPASI case, the government NEW DELHI should reform laws and pol- Arab Spring (“Arab icies in important sectors so Spring and the so- that they benefit both inves- Dow & Olympics AP cial media”, March tors and consumers (Cover THE Olympic Games is the Story, March 23). However, 23). The Indian government has also realised biggest event for national the judiciary cannot do any- the importance of the social media network, athletes, and it should not thing about policies that and the latest to join the bandwagon is the be marred by the spectre of look good on paper but fizzle the Bhopal gas tragedy out in practice. This is the Prime Minister’s Office. (“Dow at the Games”, problem with many of the It was fortunate that Arab nations such as March 23). It takes athletes country’s welfare pro- Egypt, Tunisia and Libya among others did years of hard work and de- grammes. Former Prime termination to reach the Minister Rajiv Gandhi said not curb the social media. Attempts will al- Olympics arena. The sug- that only 25 paisa in every ways be made all over the world to curb the gestion that India abstain rupee allotted for develop- from the London Olympics ment work reached the in- social media as is being done in China. In is totally unfair. tended beneficiaries. India, too, there have been attempts to ban JANGA BAHADUR SYED KHAJA Google and Facebook. Even in a liberal na- SUNUWAR NEW DELHI BAGRAKOTE, W.B. THE Cover Story makes it tion like the U.S., in the guise of anti-piracy clear that the government laws, attempts were made to kill the Internet. provides multinational cor- The judiciary should join social-networking porations cheap labour, assures them that their sites, and the courts should have a Facebook interests will be taken care account. It is unfortunate that even though of and, above all, allows

India is an IT superpower, it does not have its MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP many loopholes in tax laws so that it can boast that the own social-networking sites on the lines of AT the Beijing Olympics, country has a robust econo- Facebook and Twitter. China has Weibo and India, with a measly medal my. The Finance Minister tally of one gold and two talks about the country’s Sina Weibo, which are both becoming pop- bronzes, was placed in the high GDP and then, iron- ular outside China. 50th position. In Athens, ically, complains that there DEENDAYAL M. LULLA India could get only one sil- are not enough resources for MUMBAI ver medal. Indian officials welfare measures. have been considering boy- SUSHIL KUMAR Union governments after is made, it will not be in the cotting the opening and AURANGABAD, BIHAR embracing neoliberalism. interests of the country as it closing ceremonies as a pro- NO doubt the Vodafone de- ETTIRANKANDATH will hinder the economic ac- test against Dow Chemical’s cision is a huge setback in KRISHNADAS tivities of foreign compa- sponsorship of the London the fight against tax avoid- PALAKKAD, KERALA nies. It would be better for Olympics. India should at- ance in India (Interview THE government is likely to the government to give an tend these ceremonies and with Prof. Mohan Gopal, amend the Income Tax Act exemption with certain con- boycott the Games so that it March 23). The need of the whereby transactions such ditions such as saved funds, can avoid the humiliation hour is a comprehensive re- as the one involving Voda- which can be untaxed and that visits it every four years. vamping of the lopsided fone will be liable to income may be put to use in India in K.P. RAJAN FDI policy followed by tax. If such an amendment the future within a specified MUMBAI

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NCTC Media Chief Minister’s latest gui- crease, it is sad there is no deline. Her recent com- perceptible shift in urban THE social media now act ments on rape cases in the road transport policy, which as the Fifth Estate, playing State, the murder of two CPI only focusses on accommo- the role of a watchdog for (M) leaders in Bardhaman dating more vehicles. Road the other four estates (“Arab district and the attack on a management should take Spring and the social media photographer sound pedestrians into account be- media”, March 23). Activ- ridiculous after the results cause they bear the brunt of ists and civil society groups of the investigation by the fatalities and injuries. have raised many issues State police. It is time for V. KRISHNAMOORTHY through the social media. Mamata to speak like a MADURAI, TAMIL NADU They have become so pow- Chief Minister. She carries erful that in many instances the responsibility of the

V. SUDERSHAN they undermine the rele- people of Bengal on her Kingfisher THE proposal to set up the vance of the legislature, the shoulders and cannot speak IT is common sense that if a National Counter-Terror- executive and the judiciary. for her party alone. company is declared a non- ism Centre (NCTC) should On the other hand, the dou- MANAS MUKHOPADHYAY performing asset by as many be welcomed by all (“Policy ble standards of Team Anna CHINSURAH, W.B. as eight lenders it does not muddle”, March 23). The were brought out by the make any business sense for growing incidences of nax- same social media. There- other lenders to lend more alism and terrorism are due fore, there needs to be self- Indian roads to that company. By no to the failure of successive regulation by social media THE article “Murderous stretch of the imagination is governments to enhance the companies. The platform roads” (March 23) was right Kingfisher too internal security system. It provided by them for every to emphasise the need to big to fail. It is unfortunate to note that individual to express his or improve the quality of roads has not shown the CAG found that funds her opinion should be used throughout the country. any serious in- made available by the Cen- constructively. The number of fatal acci- tent to either tre between 2000 and 2004 SANTHOSH MATHEW dents taking place on the turn around its for police modernisation PUDUCHERRY streets is a matter of grave fortunes or were underutilised. This is a concern. Roads should be safeguard its clear reflection of the lethar- designed in such as way that shareholders’ INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP gic attitude of the adminis- West Bengal pedestrians and cyclists are interests. If recent develop- tration in the matters of IT is shocking that politics protected from fast-moving ments are to be believed, the national security and public of violence is continuing in vehicles. Roads have to cater State Bank of India appears safety. Also, India should West Bengal even with the to the needs of all the road to be keen on helping to bail take lessons from Europe, change of guard (“Politics of users, not just those with Kingfisher out partially. where technology plays an violence”, March 23). The cars. Such a move defies all logic. important role in the fight killing of party leaders, re- SRINATH MAHESH There must be more to it against terrorism. gardless of which party they NOIDA than meets the eye. In the P. SENTHIL SARAVANA belong to, is bad in law and ALTHOUGH the number first place, why are public DURAI should be condemned. Si- of deaths on the road involv- sector banks investing in VAZHAVALLAN, T.N. multaneously, policing ing pedestrians is on the in- underperforming assets? THE NCTC is vital for the standards should be im- And now that the debt has prevention of terrorism. proved to reduce the inci- been converted into equity, Some States with non-Con- dence of crimes against how will they recover their gress governments fear that women. money? the Centre is encroaching JAYANT MUKHERJEE BAL GOVIND on their powers. Terrorism KOLKATA NOIDA is a problem that should be WHEN Chief Minister Ma- tackled by both by the Cen- mata Banerjee is present, no tre and the States and they Minister has the right to Art should have laws to deal speak to the media, they RAMKINKAR BAIJ is an with the situation in a pro- have to support her state- artist who inspires one to fessional way. ments, and they are not al- work with passion (“Being N.R. RAMACHANDRAN lowed to oppose her in any universal by being local”,

CHENNAI way. This seems to be the K. GOPINATHAN March 23). Rabindranth

124 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

rainy season, and so on, are happened, who lost and riots in the history of India still unsolved. If Singapore who gained, and why the were perpetrated in his can thrive as a city state, why British government collab- State. As long as he is Chief can Mumbai not? orated with divisionary Minister, he will continue to JACOB SAHAYAM forces during the freedom influence the judicial proc- THIRUVANANTHAPURAM movement. Because of Par- ess and the victims will nev- tition, India permanently er get justice. lost its natural advantage as NEERAJ KUMAR JHA Partition a geopolitical entity and a MADHUBANI, BIHAR THIS is with reference to global player. THE memories of the hor- the article “The aftermath of ASHIM KUMAR rendous riots in Gujarat still Tagore did not believe in Partition” (March 23). Brit- CHATTERJEE haunt every secular Indian. formal schooling, and Ram- ish interpretations of events DELHI If Modi were not guilty, he kinkar was also of the same in South Asia around the would have made sure that mind and invented a new time of the partition of India the victims received com- creative form. Today’s art should be examined keep- Gujarat pensation and would him- students just copy ideas ing in mind the need to re- THE Cover Story on Gujarat self have ordered an inquiry. from the West. They have no main emotionally neutral so provided a poignant picture PATHIKRIT time to dip into the ocean of that one can get a sense of of the continuing conse- CHAKRABORTY human feelings, beauty and the facts of the times. One is quences of the 2002 po- VARANASI creativity. Today artists particularly struck by the grom (“A decade of shame”, THE long and terrible shad- spend a lot of money, but absence of any reference to March 9). The conduct of ow of the riots looms over Ramkinkar succeeded in es- how the struggle for free- the SIT is mysterious. The Modi’s administrative re- tablishing himself as an art- dom influenced the ordi- main hope for justice for the cord. He is the BJP’s asset as ist using whatever was nary middle-class Indians victims is the crusading well as its liability, a factor available to him. Rabindra- who inhabited the princely spirit of Zakia Jafri and that repeatedly gets in the nath and Nandalal Bose states. Indians were emo- members of Citizens for way of coalition-building. It knew how to recognise tal- tionally one irrespective of Justice and Peace. The often is undeniable that Modi ent and genius, but today, whether they lived in British heard call from a section of failed the people of the State artists like Ramkinkar India or princely India. the people to forget and in 2002. Given his reputa- would never get admitted However, it is indeed move forward can be action for being an able ad- into art colleges. If a teach- possible that some impor- cepted only when those who ministrator, the riot victims er-artist today led the same tant Congress leaders had have suffered and lost every- can hardly be blamed for as- bohemian life that Ramkin- communal traits, and there thing are compensated. suming that he turned a kar did, he would be puni- were also leaders like Ma- PETER MUNDACKAL blind eye to the pogrom and shed and asked to follow hatma Gandhi who had NEW DELHI forgot his rajdharma. SIDD- college and UGC rules. adopted idioms of commu- CHIEF Minister Narendra HARTHA SHANKAR UTTAM K. BHOWMIK nication which, while effec- Modi should have resigned MISHRA TAMLUK, WEST BENGAL tive in attracting a great 10 years ago on moral BUDHARAJA, ODISHA number of ordinary Indians grounds. Even now his po- to the national cause, could litical bosses in the BJP Mumbai be interpreted as Hindu in should force him to go as he CORRECTION THE Shiv Sena has once tone and tenor. The mindset was at the helm of affairs In the article “The aftermath of Par- tition” (March 23), the first sentence again been given the chance of Congress, Muslim League when the worst communal in the caption for the picture on to rule the Municipal Cor- and British leaders at the page 88 should read as follows: poration of Greater Mum- time of Partition influenced “CPI leaders, general secretary P.C. Joshi (right), G. Adhikari and bai (“Lacklustre victory”, the acceptance of the parti- B.T. Ranadive, at a party Polit Bu- March 23). Mumbai may tion formula. Also, Partition reau meeting in Bombay in 1945.” have the richest industrial- gave certain linguistic In the interview with Prof. Antonio Ereditato (“Faster than light”, ists of India, it may be In- groups a demographic ad- March 23), the name Cerenkov was dia’s commercial capital, vantage in the politics of di- wrongly given as Eerenkov. and it may have a Rs.21,000 vided India. crore plus annual Budget, Historians would do ANNOUNCEMENT but it remains in a pathetic well to analyse these facets Letters, whether by surface mail or e-mail, must carry the full postal condition. Its problems of Indian freedom struggle address and the full name, or the with slums, floods every to understand why Partition SIDDHARTH DARSHAN KUMAR/AP name with initials.

FRONTLINE 125 Union Budget APRIL 6, 2012 The price of reform

India’s return to the phase of higher indirect tax revenues will impose

disproportionately larger burdens on the poorer sections. BY C.P. CHANDRASEKHAR

The Budget suggests that the ly, the petroleum subsidy is projected to fall from Rs.68,481 crore in 2011-12 to Rs.43,580 crore in government’s responsibility lies in 2012-13. Since this is to occur at a time when global petroleum prices are on the rise and political un- speaking of economic reforms, such certainty in West Asia and elsewhere is threatening to take oil prices to an all-time high, the large reduc- as inviting FDI into multi-brand tion in subsidies implies that the prices of petroleum products paid by the consumer will rise sharply. retail, giving concessions to foreign These are intermediates, and petroleum products are universal intermediates at that. A more generalised rise in prices that affects adversely the average investors, and bailing out those who citizen is, therefore, inevitable. ran aground private airlines. SQUEEZE ON FARMERS’ MARGINS IN a Budget speech that was tiresome to the The fertilizer subsidy cut also needs to be seen in the point of being boring and sought to conceal far more context of the claim that the Budget is coming to than it revealed, Finance Minister Pranab Mukher- terms with the long-term neglect of agriculture. It jee has paved the way for an acceleration of inflation. promises, for example, to raise some allocations, By hiking indirect taxes that would be passed on to such as to productivity-enhancing investments in buyers and slashing subsidies that would raise the agriculture in eastern India, and to enhance the flow prices of petroleum products and fertilizers, the Fi- of credit to the agricultural sector. However, the nance Minister has exposed a nation already reeling actual allocation to previously neglected sectors such under the effects of a prolonged price rise to another as irrigation and extension services that could raise bout of cost push inflation. In a country where, for productivity remains woefully inadequate even after the last two years or more, inflation has been among the projected increase. On the other hand, costs the most pressing economic problems, this tendency would rise because of the cut in fertilizer subsidies to engineer inflation is shocking, to say the least. and the imposition of higher charges for other in- The magnitudes involved here are by no means puts, squeezing the margins accruing to farmers small. Consider, for example, the across-the-board even further. This is particularly damaging because hike in Union excise duties on non-petroleum goods, the problem in agriculture today is that the viability involving a two percentage points increase in the of crop production is under challenge, since costs are standard rate (from 12 to 14 per cent) and a one rising faster than prices received by farmers. In that percentage point increase in merit rates. As a result context, to squeeze the net returns garnered by farm- of these changes, revenues from Central excise duties ers while promising them more credit makes no are projected to rise from Rs.1,50,075 crore to sense. It could trap them in debt with consequences Rs.1,93,729 crore or by close to 30 per cent in a single that experience has shown can be tragic. year. To augment the gains derived from these in- The Finance Minister justifies this trend to place direct taxes, the Finance Minister has decided to huge burdens on poorer citizens as the cost of his slash expenditures on non-food subsidies, especially principled allegiance to reform above all else. There those on fertilizer and petroleum products. The fer- are, as often expressed, two components to such tilizer subsidy bill, which stood at Rs.67,199 crore as reform. The first is to continue with stalled liber- per the revised estimates for the financial year 2011- alisation in areas varying from multi-brand retail to 12, is expected to fall significantly to Rs.60,974 crore the financial sector. The second is to ensure fiscal in 2012-13, implying a significant increase in the contraction through a reduction in the fiscal deficit price paid by the farmer for fertilizer. Simultaneous- to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio. Referring to

126 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 G.N. RAO A WOMAN COLLECTING cotton at Allipuram in Khammam district, Andhra Pradesh. The problem in agriculture today is that the viability of crop production is under threat, since costs are rising faster than the prices received by farmers. To squeeze the net returns garnered by farmers while promising them more credit makes no sense. It could trap them in debt. the latter as “fiscal consolidation”, Hence the Finance Minister has prom- But, he has possibly angered the “new”, Mukherjee explains that it “calls for ised a retrospective clarification of upper middle class by increasing ser- efforts both to raise the tax-GDP ratio government intent. To his surprise he vice tax rates and widening the service and to lower the expenditure”. Howev- has come under attack from sections of tax base to more than neutralise this er, reading the Budget it is clear that the media that scream at the mention loss. Overall, the reliance on means imposing direct taxes on the rich is not of a subsidy for the poor. other than direct taxation implies that considered a way of raising the tax-to- India is returning to a phase when in- GDP ratio, which stands at a pathetic MINOR SOPS TO MIDDLE CLASS direct tax revenues constitute a rising 10.5 per cent. In fact, given the ethos of & MORE BURDEN ON THE POOR proportion of total taxes. This liberalisation promoted by the United The corporate sector is also upset that amounts to imposing a disproportion- Progressive Alliance (UPA), even his the Finance Minister has not been able ately larger burden on poorer sections effort to collect taxes he thinks are to offer it much more by way of tax of the population and makes the tax rightfully due to the government is un- concession than the continuation of regime pushed by this Budget regres- der challenge. The government has at- previously granted benefits. On the di- sive from the point of view of income tempted to respond to the Supreme rect tax side, he has provided minor distribution. Court’s verdict that the capital gains sops to the middle class by raising the Has the Finance Minister done tax imposed on the beneficiaries of the exemption limit and widening the in- this in order to finance schemes that Vodafone-Hutchison deal was not le- come slabs. This is combined with would benefit the really poor? Consid- gally sustainable. That verdict not only some concessions to other direct tax er the two flagship schemes that are implied a loss of revenues in this in- paying sections, resulting in a revenue supposed to be directed at making stance but potential losses of taxes im- loss of Rs.4,800 crore. He hopes this growth more inclusive: the subsidised posed on similar deals in the past. will win him middle-class support. food distribution programme that is

FRONTLINE 127 APRIL 6, 2012

supposed to reach affordable food to proposes to reduce the rate of with- deficit to GDP ratio does not cross ac- the poor and the Mahatma Gandhi holding tax on interest payments on ceptable boundaries. National Rural Employment Guaran- foreign borrowings in select sectors Despite all this, the Finance Minis- tee Programme (MGNREGP) that is from 20 per cent to 5 per cent for three ter can hardly claim that he has done geared to providing employment and years. Finally, to activate the sluggish much to revive a slowing economy, and putting purchasing power in the hands stock markets, the government is en- realise the projected 7.6 per cent of the really poor. couraging middle class investors to growth of GDP in 2012-13. Total ex- The government has been debat- move savings into those markets so penditure, which fell from 15.7 per ing and is in the process of legislating that big investors can profit. To that cent of GDP in 2010-11 to 14.9 per cent and implementing a major food secu- end, a new Rajiv Gandhi Equity Sav- of GDP in 2011-12, is budgeted to be rity programme, which is being pre- ings Scheme is offering tax deduction marginally lower at 14.8 per cent of sented as the first of its kind in a large to middle class investors with an an- GDP in 2012-13. And capital expendi- and poor developing country. So it is nual income less than Rs.10 lakh; ture, which fell from 2.1 to 1.8 per cent surprising that as compared to an ex- those investing up to Rs.50,000 in eq- of GDP between 2010-11 and 2011-12, penditure of close to Rs.73,000 crore uities are eligible for an income tax is budgeted to rise to only 2 per cent of in 2011-12, the Budget for 2012-13 deduction of 50 per cent of that GDP in 2012-13. provides for just Rs.75,000 crore for amount. Middle class investors are covering the subsidy on food. Clearly, thus being enticed into the market to FISCAL DEFICIT the government is either not planning serve the interests of big capital. Final- However, the Finance Minister claims to expand the food security pro- ly, individual foreign investors (or that he has paid the price for necessary gramme substantially or it hopes that Qualified Foreign Investors), who re- “fiscal consolidation”. Whether such its new effort at targeting subsidies cently have been permitted to invest in consolidation is good or not is another would help rein in expenditures and the stock market, can now access the matter. But, in practice, despite huge reduce real outlays. Similarly, there Indian corporate bond market and revenues from spectrum sale and rein- has been much hype about the benefit from the higher interest rates ed-in expenditures on many fronts, the MGNREGP under the Ministry of Ru- in the country. fiscal deficit to GDP ratio in 2011-12 ral Development. However, assistance Thus, external reform in the form stood at 5.9 per cent compared with a for the scheme, which fell from of concessions to attract the foreign target of 4.6 per cent set in the Budget Rs.35,841 crore in 2010-11 to investor is very much a part of the for that year. And in 2012-13, despite Rs.31,000 crore in 2011-12, is budget- Minister’s conception of reform and the resource mobilisation planned and ed to increase to only Rs.33,000 crore this Budget. But this has been to an optimistic assumptions about revenue in 2012-13. Since this was a period of extent “balanced” by higher budgeted generation, the fiscal deficit is project- high inflation, the allocation in real (though not necessarily realisable) al- ed at 5.1 per cent. The Minister is not terms might have declined and we locations for sectors such as rural de- successful even in terms of his own would possibly see a substantial development, health and education. But, objectives. cline in allocations. The MGNREGP is the additional tax revenues expected to Of course, Mukherjee prides him- increasingly all about much talk and be garnered are inadequate to fund self on contributing (through these little action. these projected increases. So, the Bud- measures) to the implementation of get relies on other measures, such as “economic reform” in a country which SERVING FINANCE CAPITAL the continuation of the hitherto largely he claims sits at the same high table as Does this mean that the Budget is only unsuccessful disinvestment pro- policymakers from the developed concerned with fiscal consolidation gramme. In 2011-12, as compared with countries. That position, he says, puts and, therefore, does not provide bene- a budgeted target of Rs.40,000 crore, “new responsibilities” on India’s shoul- fits to any section? That is clearly not the government garnered just ders. But a reading of the Budget true. Consider for example finance Rs.14,000 crore. Ignoring the implied seems to suggest that the responsib- capital, particularly foreign finance. signal, Budget 2012-13 provides for a ility merely lies in speaking of econom- To start with, the government has de- target of Rs.30,000 crore as receipts ic reforms, such as inviting foreign cided to slash by 20 per cent (from from disinvestment. Clearly, the Min- investment into multi-brand retail, 0.125 per cent to 0.1 per cent) the al- ister needs this sum to prove that after giving special concessions to foreign ready low tax it puts on transactions in all his inflationary financing efforts he investors, and bailing out the industri- stock markets. That tax was designed has managed to enhance expenditures alists who ran aground some of the not just to obtain revenue but also to to spur inclusive growth. But even af- leading private airlines. It does not discourage speculation through re- ter accounting for such receipts, he has seem to involve the responsibility to peated transactions in the market. to allow himself optimistic assump- improve the economic conditions of Further, in the name of promoting in- tions on revenue buoyancy to ensure India’s marginalised majority that is vestment in infrastructure the Budget that the numerical value of the fiscal poor. २

128 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012 Union Budget Losing direction

The Budget provides proof of the United Progressive Alliance government having

forgotten the importance of its own “ﬂagship schemes”. BY JAYATI GHOSH

BUDGET 2012-13 provides conclusive proof Social sector spending is still that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has lost its way. It has managed the remarkable abysmally low. The macroeconomic feat of upsetting almost everyone and making no one happy. The Budget is highly regressive in both taxa- policy context is unfavourable to tion and spending terms and will raise prices of essentials, so aam aurat and aam aadmi are not more productive employment happy. Farmers, still the bulk of the workforce in India and the source of food for the country, are generation, and the Budget does adversely affected by the rising prices of inputs and have little to celebrate in the ﬁscal policy. Surprising- little to address this. ly, even corporate India and foreign investors, who BRIJESH JAISWAL PEOPLE WAITING TO get their names registered at an employment exchange in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, after the Samajwadi Party’s victory in the Assembly election. Nothing in the Budget suggests that employment generation for different categories of workers is on the Central government’s radar.

FRONTLINE 129 APRIL 6, 2012

would seem to be the main benefici- For example, allocations for school aries, are up in arms against the education have been increased by Budget. They are protesting against around 17 per cent compared with the the lack of movement in areas like for- current year’s revised estimates, eign direct investment (FDI) in retail though the increase is mostly in ele- and other deregulation as well as mentary education. As it happens, sec- against the retrospective opening up of ondary education increasingly needs tax cases through amendments in the much more money, but the increased Income Tax Act. outlay barely keeps pace with the pro- The Budget provides deeper evi- jected inflation (which incidentally is dence of the UPA government losing likely to be much higher than the an- its way because it seems to have forgot- ticipated 7.2 per cent because of the ten the importance of its own “flagship inflationary effect of the Budget itself). schemes”. These schemes (which were Similarly, the outlay for health and ultimately brought in and implement- family welfare has gone up by nearly ed also because of outside pressure 22 per cent compared with the current from the Left parties) were the basic year’s revised estimates, but that re- building blocks of any success flects a significant shortfall in spend- achieved by UPA-1. The Common ing in the current year – of Rs.1,643 Minimum Programme worked out crore. In any case, at a total of only with the internal and external allies Rs.30,702 crore, spending on health created a cohesive framework within by the Central government is still em- which the government operated de- barrassingly low in relation to India’s spite the many pulls and pushes and projected GDP – only 0.3 per cent! despite the contradictions of imple- Compare this with the promise made The Budget also provides for a sub- menting progressive and pro-poor pol- by the UPA-1 government to increase stantial increase in outlay for the In- icies within a broadly neoliberal health spending to 3 per cent of GDP. tegrated Child Development Services economic policy framework. In fact, Even the poorest countries of sub-Sah- (ICDS) compared with the previous these schemes contributed in no small aran Africa manage better ratios than year’s Budget estimates. But this es- measure to the electoral victory of the this, and it helps to explain why India sentially reflects the increase in re- Congress in 2009 and the subsequent performs so poorly in all international muneration for anganwadi workers emergence of UPA-2. indices of human development and and helpers, which was implemented conditions of life. in the middle of this fiscal year and SOCIAL SECTOR SPENDING The National Rural Health Mis- which therefore raised the actual Of course, India must be the only sion (NRHM) was always low on am- spending by about Rs.3,000 crore. In country in the world where basic pub- bition and attempted to provide fact, the effective increase in projected lic delivery of essential social services is essential public service “on the cheap” spending in comparison to the current thought of in terms of “schemes” that by using the unpaid or underpaid ser- year’s revised estimates is hardly any- are provided as “populist spending” vices of local women who were in- thing. The increase in outlay needs to gifts by a government to a supposedly volved in some minimal training. Even be much more because the ICDS is still grateful population. In most other now, the appallingly low remunera- not fully universal despite seven years countries, the job of the government is tion provided to Accredited Social of Supreme Court strictures and be- precisely to deliver nutrition, health, Health Activists (ASHAs) and the ex- cause ICDS workers still do not receive education, sanitation and, indeed, em- pectation that they should carry the legal minimum wages. ployment or at least the conditions burden of the public health system is that enable more employment and shameful. But even the pathetically FOOD SUBSIDY ALLOCATION livelihoods. Perhaps because we per- small amount provided for the NRHM The food subsidy allocation provides sist in seeing these as “schemes”, we are (around Rs.16,000 crore in the current another big disappointment. The UPA grateful for so little and happy when fiscal year) has not been utilised fully, government has trumpeted the pro- spending on something does not de- and there is an estimated shortfall of posed Food Security Bill as the fulfil- cline even if it is still at abysmally low nearly Rs.650 crore. In the face of such ment of its promise to the aam aadmi. levels of spending. disinterest, even the paltry increase by This has become even more important So, in Budget 2012-13, overall so- around Rs.2,400 crore proposed in the as in the past four years food prices cial sector spending has increased. Budget must be taken with a pinch of have skyrocketed. They are likely to This is certainly welcome, but only be- salt since it is not clear how much will increase in the coming year, not only cause we are so grateful for crumbs. be spent. because of global pressures but also

130 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

But the concerns around employment involve more than the MNRE- GA. Overall, the macroeconomic policy context is unfavourable to more productive employment generation, and this Budget does little to address the problem. In fact, by raising the costs facing micro and small entrepre- neurs, it may be making the issue of sufficient livelihood for petty pro- ducers even worse. Remember that more than half of India’s workforce is self-employed, and the other half is dominated by workers in very small enterprises. In such a context, the complete absence of any positive approach towards small business in the Budget is of a piece with the overall large corporate-oriented strategy of this government, but it is worrying nonetheless. It is also remarkable that the government is apparently unaware of the V. SREENIVASA MURTHY policy challenges thrown up by the CHILDREN AT AN anganwadi at Almel village, Bijapur district, Karnataka. large pool of young people – growing The increase in outlay for the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) numbers of whom are going through needs to be much more because it is still not fully universal, despite relatively expensive private tertiary Supreme Court strictures, and because ICDS workers still do not receive education in the hope of gaining a bet- legal minimum wages. ter life through employment. Nothing in the Budget suggests that employ- because of the impact of this Budget on be no cut in the food subsidy. ment generation for these different fuel and fertilizer prices. But the gov- Finally, the most important flag- categories of potential workers is even ernment has already displayed a rather ship scheme of all – the Mahatma on the radar of the Central govern- cynical approach to the Food Security Gandhi National Rural Employment ment, even though ignoring this chal- Bill, seeking to reduce it to a travesty of Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) – is be- lenge is fraught with all sorts of risks. the original intent. ing given such obvious step-sisterly Why all this should be so is a real In this context, the fact that the treatment by the Central government mystery. Does the government not re- Finance Minister has maintained the that it is now an open question wheth- alise that its economic success and food subsidy at more or less the cur- er the scheme will actually survive in continued political existence depend rent level (Rs.75,000 crore compared the medium term. The combination of increasingly on a greater focus on the with Rs.73,000 crore spent in 2011-12) vested interests that have come togeth- domestic market, on ecologically sus- seems to confirm that cynicism. Obvi- er to undermine this scheme need not tainable production trajectories based ously, the Finance Ministry at least be gone into here, but the effects are on more employment in decent condi- does not anticipate that the Food Secu- obvious in the spending data. In the tions, and on better delivery of essen- rity Act when it is passed will lead to an current year, only Rs.31,000 crore was tial goods and services? Is it not aware increase in the Central government’s spent (around three-quarters of the of the changing aspirations of people, spending commitments in order to en- budgeted amount) and the govern- especially younger people, in both ru- sure minimally adequate foodgrains to ment has been quick to reduce the ral and urban areas? Is it news to the all citizens. Indeed, we are even sup- coming year’s allocation to only government that sustainable econom- posed to be grateful that the food sub- Rs.33,000 crore. Since, on average, ic growth cannot be generated without sidy bill has not actually been cut along less than half the promised 100 days of a healthy and educated population with the fuel and fertilizer subsidies. work are being provided across India, with access to the minimum basic So low are the current expectations this suggests that the government has amenities of life? Why does it continue that there was actually applause in stopped taking its own scheme seri- to neglect these issues to the detriment Parliament when the Finance Minister ously and may even be part of the at- of society as a whole and even at the graciously declared that there would tempt to undermine it. threat of its own survival? २

FRONTLINE 131 Railway Budget APRIL 6, 2012 Red signal

The Railway Budget attempts to take forward the Vision 2020 plan of Mamata Banerjee, but the Trinamool Congress

leader now cries a halt. BY G. SRINIVASAN

One of the compulsions to initiate a revision in freight rates and passenger fares was that the internal generation of resources, which was projected at over Rs.5,000 crore for

2011-12, had not materialised. PTI THE Railway Budget for 2012-13 presented in MAMATA BANERJEE, WEST Bengal Chief Parliament broke new ground as a book-keeping Minister and Trinamool Congress chief. She has exercise aimed at bailing the Railways out of their refused to accept any increase in passenger fares ﬁnancial troubles and in terms of putting in peril that will affect the common person. Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi’s continuation in the post. His proposal to hike passenger fares pro- balance, albeit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s voked the ire of his party leader, the Trinamool assurance that the budget he presented would go Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee. through the process to secure the imprimatur of Even as the fate of the Minister hung in the Parliament, the proposals themselves for the inau- gural year of the Twelfth Five Year Plan do come as a refreshing change. They unveil a vision underpinned by a plan of action in various areas to bolster this arterial mode of transport. Ironically, it was Mamata Banerjee who, as Rail- way Minister, presented the Indian Railways’ Vision 2020 document in December 2009. Though she was averse to undertaking any unglamorous moves, such as burdening passengers with fare hikes, the vision she rolled out emphasised a higher growth trajecto- ry, network expansion and capacity creation. Alongside, it also gave importance to train safety, environmental sustainability and the introduction of

THE FOCUS ON safety is reﬂected in the setting up of a Railway Safety Authority as a statutory regulatory body as suggested by the Kadkodar Committee. It is also equally reassuring that the other focus areas range from tracks, bridges, signalling and telecommunications, rolling stock,

P.V. SIVAKUMAR stations, level crossings and freight terminals.

132 FRONTLINE APRIL 6, 2012

sion to initiate a revision in freight many novel features that can help the rates and passenger fares was that the system get back to normalcy if they are internal generation of resources, implemented in letter and spirit. which was projected at over Rs.5,000 As the Railways resolve to move crore for 2011-12, had not materialised ahead by roping in private players in and this left the system with no option important segments of their oper- but to bite the bullet. At least, the in- ations in the years to come, the budget crease in passenger fares was inevi- announced the setting up of the Indian table since they had not been touched Railway Station Development Corpo- since 2002-03. ration to redevelop stations through In the run-up to the budget, the public-private partnerships (PPP) and Railways announced, on March 6, in- the Logistics Corporation for the de- creases in freight charges for most velopment and management of extant commodities, including coal, food- railway goods sheds and multi-modal grains and fertilizers, with immediate logistics parks, besides making attrac- effect. The charges went up by 20 per tive the existing private investment cent for most of the commodities, schemes for wagon leasing, sidings, though the mandarins in Rail Bhavan private freight terminals, container said the impact would be 8-18 paise a train operations and rail connectivity kilogram of commodity, that is, an in- projects. crease of Rs.80 to Rs.120 a tonne. In With competition from other car- all, the move is likely to bring the Rail- riers in the transport industry intensi- ways Rs.18,000 crore in a full year. fying, the Railways have woken up Then followed the hike in passen- belatedly to rev up the system by cre- ger fares in the budget on March 14. ating a new Board Member (PPP/

MANVENDER VASHIST/PTI The Minister raised fares by two paise Marketing). This is widely construed RAILWAY MINISTER DINESH a km for suburban and ordinary sec- as a right signal to assure prospective Trivedi. He worked out a pragmatic ond class, three paise a km for mail/ investors that the Railways mean busi- plan that took a long-term express second class, five paise a km for ness. perspective to put the Railways back sleeper class, 10 paise a km for AC Interestingly, the focus on safety is on track. chair car, AC 3 tier and first class, 15 reflected in the setting up of a Railway paise a km for AC 2 tier and 30 paise a Safety Authority as a statutory regu- innovative steps in passenger and km for AC first class. latory body as suggested by the Kad- freight services that gave users value The hike in passenger fares, and kodar Committee. It is also equally for money. not the hike in freight rates, raised the reassuring that the other focus areas So when her protégé took over the hackles of Mamata, who will not brook range from tracks, bridges, signalling reins of Rail Bhavan a couple of any stain on her image as a pro-poor and telecommunications, rolling months ago after Mamata herself politician. She gave Trivedi the choice stock, stations, level crossings and moved to Writers’ Building in Kolkata of rolling back the increases or resign- freight terminals. as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, it ing. Another laudable lineament in the was but natural for him to begin the While industry and almost all po- budget is the proposal to modernise hard exercise of achieving the goals of litical parties condemned the twin the 19,000-km high-density network the Vision Document. So, what Mama- hikes, five railway unions – the All In- that hauls 80 per cent of the traffic in ta envisaged as a long-term plan, Triv- dia Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), the Golden Quadrilateral route of Del- edi, who holds a Master’s degree in the National Federation of Indian hi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata. This is business administration, took up in his Railwaymen (NFIR), the Federation particularly noteworthy in the face of own fashion. of Railway Officers Association, the All the glacial progress of the dedicated Instead of playing ducks and India RPF Association and the Indian freight corridors. drakes with the sparse financial re- Railway Promotee Officers Federation In sum, in Railway Budget 2012- sources that the Railways had in its –wrote to the Prime Minister support- 13, Dinesh Trivedi has only attempted kitty, Trivedi worked out a pragmatic ing the fare hike “whole-heartedly” to translate the bold vision that his plan that took a long-term perspective and stating that “the increase is not leader Mamata Banerjee envisaged for to put the Railways back on track by only long overdue but also modest in the system. But the small steps he took efficient management of the men and its impact”. in this direction turned out to be a material they had at their disposal in Be that as it may, Railway Budget lethal serving not only for his leader huge numbers. Yet another compul- 2012-13, barring the twin hikes, has but also for him. २

FRONTLINE 133 APRIL 6, 2012

‘Operating ratio will improve’

Interview with Vijaya Kanth, Financial Commissioner, Railways. BY G. SRINIVASAN

THE Financial Commissioner (F.C.) hike, the yield would be sources did not come of the Indian Railways is associated around Rs.4,000 crore a through. So there was with the Railway Budget from con- year. a resource gap which ception to formulation. Following we have to bridge; we Why was the freight the presentation of the Railway Bud- had to take a loan of rate adjustment made get, Frontline caught up with the Rs.3,000 crore from prior to the Budget? F.C. (Railways), Vijaya Kanth, in her the Finance Ministry. sparsely furnished ofﬁce in Rail Bha- As our input costs Passengers suffer in van, New Delhi. “The Budget has giv- have been going up right the absence of even en us a very clear focus and direction through the year, we had modest amenities. on modernisation, safety and capac- planned a hike in freight

SHASHI ASHIWAL What is your view on ity augmentation,” she said. Excerpts rates some months ago. By then the elections to a this? from the interview: VIJAYA KANTH: "IT’S a few State Assemblies very minimal fare hike." In the 2012-13 How do you justify the revision in were announced and we budget, we have pro- passenger fares? could not implement it because of vided Rs.400 crore for passenger the model code of conduct. amenities over the current fiscal, for First of all, we have not raised improvement of stations, travel How do you account for the shortfall passenger fares for the past eight comfort and better arrangements to in the revenue target and the years. Freight cannot continue to passengers in terms of requisite expenditure overshoot in fiscal subsidise passenger traffic. I think amenities. All the money comes from 2011-12? now the general opinion is that pas- our development fund. Whatever the senger fares should go up. Our cost of Our earnings of Rs.1,03,000 internal generation of resources, input has gone up and the composite crore are still more than our expen- they will all be put in the develop- weighted index of all the inputs has ditures estimated at Rs.75,000 crore ment fund. Alongside, there have al- gone up by 103 per cent. But in the in 2011-12. We have not changed our so been a lot of improvements in our cost of operation we have not in- freight earnings, on which we expect safety standards. We need to im- creased the tariff, and we are sub- to realise Rs.68,200 crore this fiscal. prove more upon our safety and that sidising passenger traffic for nearly Expenditure has overshot our esti- is why a high-level safety committee Rs.21,000 crore, as per the latest es- mates by Rs.2000 crore, which was has also been appointed. timates. mostly staff-related, on establishment, maintenance for assets and Will you be able to reduce the Will the higher passenger fares not purchases for stores. operating ratio by 10 points, from 95 hurt the aam admi and those poor to 84.9 per cent? workers who commute over short What do you say on the fuel It is feasible because we have distances to work? adjustment component mentioned projected our earnings, and expendi- in the budget? As the Minister said, we are tures have also been provided for ad- charging only two paise per km for We have only flagged off the is- equately. So we do expect our ordinary second class or three paise sue. The fuel adjustment component operating ratio to improve. It is not or five paise per km. We have taken is just a concept. But look at the air- that first we set the operating ratio into account the needs of the com- lines. At one point of time this fuel and then work backwards. We mon man, the people who cannot cost adjustment has to be made, giv- worked out our earnings projections, afford costly train travel, and that is en the volatility in diesel and power expenditure and our fund balance why it has been kept to the absolute purchase prices. under the Depreciation Reserve minimum. We have taken a con- Why has the Railways gone for Fund (DRF), other commitments scious decision that it should not be borrowing from the government? and pension liabilities; after taking too much of a burden on the com- all these into account we worked out mon person. It means a very mini- In 2011-12, our expected earnings from internal generation of re- the operating ratio and found out mal fare hike. On account of the fare that it looked healthy.

134 FRONTLINE

Published on alternate Saturdays.WPP No.CPMG/AP/SD-15/WPP/11-13 & MH/MR/South-180/2012-14.Postal Regn. No.TN/ARD/22/09-11. RNI No.42591/84