Established 1946 Price : Rupees Five Vol. 67 No. 10 Arms and the Men April 1, 2012 S.Viswam There is never a dull moment in on the matter immediately after the Jan Sansad Demands End of India these days. Whether it is politics bribe was offered was reassuring, but Company Raj and or economics or defence, there is not the minister’s disclosure that the Corporate Plunder something interesting unfolding every army chief neither wanted to pursue day. We just survived the drama of the the matter nor had made a written Selection of Lokpal exit and entry of railway ministers and complaint. Indeed, the fact that the and Social Justice were waiting for the next episode in episode is several months old, that Venkatarareddy Yerram the Centre versus Mamata Banerjee to it was virtually allowed to rest and unfold before we have been overtaken that no action was taken till now is by the Army Chief Gen. V. K. Singh’s highly disturbing. The Minister could Reclaiming the Socialist allegation that he was offered a bribe have ordered the CBI to inquire even Paradise in Sweden! of Rs.14 crore to allow the induction without the army chief complaining in D.K. Giri of sub-standard trucks in the army. writing. If Gen. Singh was reluctant to This was a big stunner no doubt but pursue the matter for reasons known People’s Participation and there is another bombshell exploding only to him, why make a disclosure Human Development: closely in the wake of the defence now, just on the eve of his retirement, Callenges of Reconstructing scandal. This is what the media has which itself, you may recall has been Indian Polity - IV already termed as “coalgate” in preceded by an unseemly controversy Ravi Kiran Jain which the Comptroller and Auditor over Gen. Singh’s actual date of birth. General of India (CAG) alleges that Ashok Saswadkar the government lost crores of rupees Interestingly, the dramatis personae in not auctioning coal blocks and that in all these shocking episodes are too in defiance of Dr. Manmohan themselves men of high probity and Singh’s advice. The Defence Minister personal integrity. Gen. Singh has an Editor : has ordered a CBI inquiry into the enviable record as an officer and a army chief’s charge against (Retd) gentleman. Shri Antony’s reputation G. G. Parikh Lt. Gen. Tejinder Singh who is the as a clean politician is well deserved. Managing Editor : Guddi alleged bribe giver. Gen. Tejinder No one can raise a finger against Dr. Singh in turn has filed a Rs. 10 crore Manmohan Singh. Yet, by virtue of D-15, Ganesh Prasad, defamation suit against the army their inaction and or indifference Naushir Bharucha Marg, chief. towards an unsavoury development Mumbai - 400 007. of national importance, a person who Defence Minister A.K.Antony’s allegedly had the gumption to tempt Email : [email protected] confirmation in the Rajya Sabha no less an officer than the army chief that the army chief had briefed him with a huge bribe has been left free and 2 JANATA, April 1, 2012 not made accountable for his actions so far. This is a strange paradox, Ashok Saswadkar which we noticed even at the time (February 23,1946-March 21.2012) of the 2G scam when the Prime Minister was rendered ineffective because of the “coalition dharma” In these days when people live young colleague of his said, at the and allowed minister A.Raja to reasonably long in this country, condolence meeting held in Mumbai play havoc with the distribution of Ashok died a bit early. One early on March 26, “he was Matruhridayi’. a national asset among corporates. morning, a few years ago, he got the No phrase could have described him The 2G spectrum is as precious an warning. He suffered a cardiac arrest better.. asset as are defence equipment and in the premises of Yusuf Meherally the national resource, namely coal, Centre at Tara, but thanks to timely His body was brought to Yusuf and yet we see that the concerned cardiac massage, he revived. And Meherally Centre at Tara, from top leaders have been gullible in the after that, every time he suffered a Pen and kept for nearly five hours. extreme in handling them. cardiac incident, he realized that his A large number of villagers and time was not too far and could drop socialists lined up to pay homage, Leaving that aspect of the story dead any time. But these repeated indicating his popularity. YMC, aside, we must acknowledge that warnings did not deter him from Tara, was his home for years and Gen. Singh’s disclosure and the doing what he was doing for a rural it was there that Ashok’s body subsequent developments have area in Raigad district. It is obvious was kept there on the way to the brought into sharp focus the need that he had made up his mind to hospital to be donated. This was his for streamlining all the processes work till the end and he succeeded wish and his relatives and socialist of equipment purchases and asset in his resolve. After the prayer in the friends respected his wish. The Sion dispersals. The CAG’s revelations morning on March 21 at Uddhar – hospital for which he had filled the on the coal block allocations like its his karmabhoomi for the last two form for the donation, unfortunately, declined, and the body had to be earlier disclosure of 2G scam details decades -, he felt uneasy, was taken taken to J. J. Hospital, which readily have exposed the weakness of one to a hospital in Pen, and died within accepted. Getting permission to process. There are hundreds of such hours on the way. take the body to Mumbai was not processes in operation in almost all Socialists in Maharashtra largely easy, but was managed. Socialists in sectors of the economy which need start their day with a prayer that Mumbai are gradually and steadily scrutiny. Sane Guruji wrote and popularized. coming round to the view that once If ‘Vaishnav Jan To’ was favourite dead, their bodies should be donated One had thought that after the of Gandhiji and is favourite of his to a teaching hospital. This is an Bofors’ scandal, and the review of disciples, ‘Khara to Ekchi Dharma, indication of the growing importance arms purchases after the Kargil war, Jagala Prem Arpave’ is popular of environment among them. And defence purchases would have been among socialists in Maharashtra. one more view is cropping up, if made graft-proof. Apparently, the Ashok lived that prayer and in donation is not possible, consider system is still porous. There are still many minds his death following burial. the so-called “middlemen” roaming the prayer will remain etched for the corridors of the Defence Ministry years. The prayer for him affirmed Ashok, ’46 born, joined the peddling their wares and trying to his rejection of God, but it also socialist movement via its youth win orders for top class as well as satisfied the deep urge of all of us wing. He belonged to the post- sub-standard equipment. This is a to believe in something and pray. freedom movement generation of field that calls for tightening up as a Like Gandhiji’s definition of God as socialists who came to the movement task of high priority. The retirement Truth, Sane Guruji defined religion because of the example of those of the army chief and the induction as giving of love. Though a non- who had joined it before, during, or of his successor (already named) believer, this prayer linked him to immediately after, the ‘Quit India’ must be treated as the opportunity for the people, largely Adivasis, among movement. His devotion to the a tone-up of the defence purchases whom he lived and worked. Ashok movement was complete. Those system as a whole. lived to give love. No wonder a days, the socialists in Mumbai JANATA, April 1, 2012 3 were still on ascendance. They referring to the composition of the to atone, but did not find peace and were active in every field, among audience at the meeting. Socialists threw himself in front of a running youth, labour and women, and they in Mumbai of all hues these days train. In a letter to his mentor, he were organizing teachers, students, meet only to mourn the death of wrote, “when you receive this letter slum dwellers, small traders and a ‘sathi’, one speaker remarked. I will be no more” and confessed in hawkers. And they formed consumer While this is certainly true, it was detail why he committed suicide. co-operatives as well as housing co- not so in the case of Ashok. His He too had come to the PSP as a operatives, and even co-operative work in the tribal area attracted youngster and had risen to become banks. And they were also leading Mumbai socialists of all hues and the secretary of a ward in no time and struggles against injustice. That also activists to his village Uddhar had a promising future. Let’s hope, was the time when socialists had in Raigad district. Mumbai saw the some day, the training curriculum not lost hope to be a powerful formation of the Congress Socialist of future socialists will include this force in Mumbai. Ashok joined Party, but it also saw the initiation incident as a case study. the movement not when it was at of the process of splitting. The its peak, but also not when it was question, however, indicated a deep Ashok was not only frugal with at its nadir.