The Vendors vs. the Tea Vendor

“The Vendors vs. the Tea Vendor”

By

J.L. Gupta

Historically, Congress was a party of patriots like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru, S. Vallabh Bhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Maulana Azad and Morarji Desai etc.  They had made sacrifices at the altar of India’s independence. Fought relentlessly against the English rulers. Lived by the truth. Suffered incarceration. Spent years in jail. But none of them had ever given up the path of righteousness. Finally, we had attained independence. We had given ourselves a Constitution and decided to be a democracy. However, after Nehru, the Congress party’s respect for principles has been on the wane. Even national emergency was inflicted on the nation. Able and honest leaders were arrested before dawn. And nothing has been the same again.  More particularly, the party’s performance during the last decade has been pathetic. It has been a story of scams and scandals. The way it has dealt with the national assets, the Congress can be called a party of Vendors.

It has projected Rahul Gandhi as the Prime Ministerial candidate for quite some time. He is the great grand son of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, the grand son of Pt. Nehru’s daughter Indira and the son of Rajiv and Sonia. He was born on June 19, 1970.  Unfortunately, his grandmother was assassinated in 1984 and the father in 1991. “*Due to security concerns, he had to shift schools. Studied “abroad under a pseudonym.  … After obtaining degrees in international relations and philosophy at the universities of Rollins and Cambridge, Gandhi worked at the Monitor Group, a management consulting firm in London”  (*Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). He is MP for Amethi. The Media reports have not indicated that Rahul had any reservation in the matter. 

The BJP had indicated that Narendra Damodardas Modi was its nominee for the Prime Minister’s office. Born on Sept. 17, 1950, he holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the Gujarat University.  He had made a humble beginning as a tea vendor. At present, he is the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the third consecutive term. He has beaten the Congress opponent every time.

Yet, a pompous congressman tried to trivialize the candidature of Modi by saying that ‘he would be permitted to set up a tea stall at the site of the Congress session.’ The other side retorted that the fight is between one of the dynasty and a tea-vendor. The Congress immediately developed cold feet. It decided to wait for the MPs to elect the leader after the elections. Irrespective of all this, the elections are at hand. As a citizen, I have to decide – For whom shall I vote? Rahul or the tea vendor? Undoubtedly, Rahul is a Gandhi and has an impressive lineage. But nothing more. On the other hand, the Tea Vendor has done well as a Chief Minister. On consideration, I am not inclined to vote for Rahul or the party he represents. Why?

1.    Rahul has not given any evidence of having inherited any of the qualities that Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders had. Rarely, he was seen in the Parliament. Contribution? Never heard of any. Amethi is as it was. On Jan.17, 2014, he delivered an address. The excerpts shown by the media indicated that Rahul was not reading from a prepared script. He was trying to motivate the party cadres and telling them to get ready for the big fight.  Also endeavoring to introduce some humor by talking of anarchy & marketing. A faithful party spokesman credited Rahul with having spelt out ‘the values’ that Congress stands for. Really? Which values? Today, the Congress and its corporates love only valuables. Not values. Gold is the Congressman’s God. Money, their Mantra. These traits were evident during the party’s pathetic performance in the last decade. It has been a story of scams and scandals. Delhi elections virtually decimated theCongress.  Are the coming events casting a shadow?

2.    Even if Rahul did not have any connection with the Congress party, I think, he is not fit to lead this country. First of all, the recent episode relating to the Ordinance comes to mind. The Cabinet had finalized the draft of the Ordinance. Forwarded it to the President.  Under the Constitution, the President ‘acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.’ Not the Congress President much less than the Vice President. Yet, Rahul called it ‘nonsense.’ And the cabinet was on its knees. Succumbed to the VP’s wish. Followed the diktat of a member of the dynasty. The Ordinance did not become the law. That may have been good for the country as the decision of the Supreme Court was honoured. But the way it happened left a lot to desire. It symbolizes Rahul’s personal arrogance despite the ignorance and lack of respect for law. Can such a person be trusted with the post and powers of the PM? I think, no!

3.    Rahul Gandhi cannot boast of anything except lineage. No administrative experience. No claim to any expertise or scholarship. How would he conduct the affairs of the State? He is not equipped at all.

4.    As against this, Modi has held the office of CM for three consecutive terms. The Congress party has failed every time in its efforts to dislodge him. He has done well for the State and the people. The Congress has not even been able to level a charge of corruption against Modi while its own copybook is full of blots. It is clear that under the tea vendor, the state of Gujarat has progressed. It is not surprising that the ‘tea vendor’ is giving sleepless nights to the dynasty and its cronies. The Congress seems to have been afflicted with OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Each Congressman is trying to find some fault with Modi. Initially, it was 2002. Coming from the party that had practiced genocide in 1984, the allegation made no impact. When that did not seem to stick, they talked of snooping. Finding no chance of success, the PM Dr. Manmohan Singh tried to make a prophetic prediction. ‘Modi as PM shall be a disaster.’ Coming from one who has been a disaster himself, nobody seems to have even taken any notice of the comment.

Once Rahul is rejected, the Tea Vendor is the only choice as Prime Minister!

A Thousand Thanks

“A Thousand Thanks!”

By

J.L. Gupta

Yesterday, as the clock ticked 12 mid-night, I had completed my journey to the 72^nd milestone on the road of life. Today, the travel towards the 73^rd has started. In anticipation, my brother and his wife had given me a book with the following post-dated note: -

“Tough times do not last, Tough people do. May you go on for ever.

Happy Birthday.”

Balram Shashi

22.1.2014.

A little peep into the recent past appears to be apt.

On July 12, 2012, when I was already on the wrong side of 70, the neuro-surgeon, Dr. Rana Patir had announced that my brain was still growing. “There is a tumor and it does not look too good. Seems to be of an aggressive kind. The size appears to be 6cm. x 4cm.x 3cm. It cannot be allowed to remain and grow. It needs to be removed at the earliest.”  ‘Could it be Glio Blastoma?’ was my query. “Oh yes. Probably, it is. Such tumors have a tendency to grow even after surgery.”

Surprisingly, I was absolutely fine. Totally relaxed. I told the surgeon –‘Do not worry. All shall be well. Do your best. Remove everything that looks bad. Together, we shall make history.’ Nevertheless, my problem made the last two years tough for the family and friends. Full of turmoil, this has undoubtedly been a period of trial.

I shall be less than honest if I do not acknowledge that the entire family faced everything with a rare fortitude. All stood together like a firm rock. They made everything look simple and small. Never allowed even a whiff of hot air to touch me. They were one in affection and effort; courage and conviction; perseverance and prayers. The family made the home a heaven. The friends prayed continuously. And along with the family, they created a protective fortress around me. All gave me happiness and hope. They tried to convince me that life is worth living. There was a lot that remained to be accomplished. All combined to ignite in me an innate desire to face, fight and conquer. And He has been very kind. He gave me the strength to remain completely calm and cool, happy & hopeful. In the hour of peril, He blessed me with the power to remain positive. No negative thought ever crossed the mind. In the worst of times, I was sure that ‘It is just a temporary phase. It shall pass soon.  Ultimately, all shall be well.’ And God has not belied the hope. All has been well. And, I am confident that it shall continue to be so in the days, months and years to come. I am firmly of the view that a strong will power changes the body’s chemistry, produces the right combination of enzymes and helps the body to combat and conquer the problem.

Thus, I have gone through the surgery, radiotherapy and then the cycles of chemotherapy. Some of these have produced certain side effects. Yet, each and every procedure has helped me to get rid of the bad, remove the unwanted, and then, recoup, recover and restore the body’s functions to the level of normalcy. Can I ask for anything more?  No! I should only count His mercies! And, in all humility, I offer a thousand thanks! To Him for all His Mercies. And to YOU ALL – my Family & Friends! For being there. All the time. Every moment of the day and night. For all the affection, concern and kindness! For really holding me close to your hearts. For always making me feel loved and wanted. My heart-felt Thanks!

From Chandigarh to Chile & China

“From Chandigarh to CHILE & CHINA”

By

J.L. Gupta

         I am a Panjabi by birth. Completed my schooling at the S.D. High School, Patiala. Then, joined the Mahendra College, Patiala in 1956. Same year, in Oct., I had shifted to the Govt. College, Chandigarh. Finally, in 1962, I had graduated in Law from the Punjab University, Chandigarh. As such, the language spoken in the streets and cities of Punjab has been my mother tongue. Despite all this, I may have been able to acquire some ability to communicate in English but it is in no way close to Panjabi. Resultantly, I have grown up with a feeling that I cannot speak or write English as well as those who have studied in Public or at least in English medium schools. Though always aware of my limitation, it could never deter me from writing or saying whatever appeared appropriate at a given moment.

         Some time back, Judiciary was being treated as a punching bag. It was accused of a lack of accountability and transparency. I felt that the Judiciary was one of the few institutions in the country that was functioning effectively and had actually delivered. The criticism was unwarranted. Thus, silence was not an option. So, I wrote a piece and forwarded it to the Editor of a local Daily. I was informed that the article shall appear ‘on the Edit Page on ….’ Later, for some reason, it was not used. Ultimately, on coming to know of it, I had sent the article to a Law Journal. It was published.  Probably, it got a larger audience. However, the incident had left a bad taste. So, I decided not to write for the local Daily.

         I toyed with the thought of starting a blog. And in Aug. 2013, I made a beginning. In retrospect, I wonder, why the thought had not occurred to me earlier?

         Today, I am convinced that the Social media provides an excellent alternative to the print media.  It actually effectuates the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression. You can post the piece on the blog at any time of the day and night, month or year. Publish it at will. The world, across the seven continents is your audience. It is objective and receptive. The readers are free to agree or disagree with you. They can express their views.  They can make and publish their comments freely. Sometimes, there is a debate. A free and frank exchange of ideas. All very educative and enlightening, interesting and even instructive. The technology, permits not only an exchange of ideas but one can also see as to how many Readers have viewed the blog in a particular country. A click on the computer gets the complete data about the audience. And then, it is heartening to see that the viewers are from continents that are wide apart; from places in Asia to Australia; Chile to China; Nigeria to New Zealand; Ukraine to USA. Which Daily has such a wide readership? Where else would the readers get a chance to have their say so frankly and freely? Without any mutilation by the Editor so as to make it conform to his own views or the Management’s unwritten instructions. And without having to suffer anyone’s arrogance or gratitude. In any case, the social media has given me the satisfaction of being absolutely independent and sharing my thoughts freely with people from all over the globe.

            Totally simple and satisfying! I thank the viewers for making it such a pleasant experience.

Reservations about Reservation

“Reservations about Reservation”

BY

J. L. Gupta

 

Some days back, the media reported "Jat leaders thank Sonia for backing the reservation demand. Hundreds of members of the Jat community on Sunday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and thanked her for her role in getting the government to ask the Backward Classes Commission to take a quick call on granting them reservation in central government jobs."

Last week, a Daily from Chandigarh carried another report - "Captain writes to PM on Jat quota." The report said, "Former Chief Minister and President of the All India Jat Maha Sabha, Capt. Amarinder Singh has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that the Cabinet decision on providing reservation to the Jats under the other backward classes (OBC) category be extended to the States of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh too. In a statement, he said "the reservation should be based on caste and not religion as Sikh and Muslim Jats have been excluded from the benefit in several states." The report also indicates that ruling SAD is being blamed for its failure to grant reservation to Jats in Punjab.

The reports clearly indicate that an effort is being made to grant the benefit of reservation to Jats. The object of the government may be to please the community and to get votes. Still, the question that arises is -- "can the Government proceed to make reservations solely on the basis of caste or even religion under the Constitution? And more importantly- Have the reservations made thus far really helped in achieving the desired objective of improving the lot of the weaker sections of the society?

Justice and Equality are the promises that the constitution makes to the people of India. In the preamble, there is a resolve to secure to all citizens -- Justice -- Social, Economic and Political. Also Equality of Status and Opportunity. The preamble lays down the goal. It embodies the policy. The state is under a duty to work in a way that all get justice. All are given equal opportunity so as to become equal in status. Article 14 could have been enough to achieve this objective, yet, the founding fathers chose to make specific provisions in the form of Articles 15 and 16.

Article 15 prohibits discrimination only on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. However, Cl.(4) provides that “Nothing in this article or in clause (2) of article 29 shall prevent the state from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the scheduled castes and the scheduled Tribes.” Furthermore, Cl.(5) provides that “nothing in this article or in sub-clause (g) of clause (1) of article 19 shall prevent the state from making any special provision, by law, for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the scheduled castes or the scheduled Tribes in so far as such special provisions relate to admission to educational institutions including private educational institutions whether aided or unaided by the state, other than the minority educational institutions referred to in clause (1) of article 30.

A perusal of the above provision shows that the state is debarred from making discrimination only on the basis of caste or religion etc. However, it has been inter alia provided that the bar shall not apply to the provision for the advancement of or admission of candidates belonging to ' any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens.’

Are the Jats, as a class, socially and educationally backward? Has the government conducted a study and found as a fact that the Jats are socially and educationally backward so as to deserve a preferential treatment? It appears that some time back the request of Jats for grant of reservation was declined by the government. Why and how has the sudden change occurred?

Actually, reservations have been in vogue for a long time. The people have been given the benefit of reservation. Merit has been sacrificed. The desired objective has still not been achieved. It is so despite the fact that the Constitution has been amended several times and additions have been made to the list of categories of persons for whom the benefit of reservation shall be available. The ever-increasing list is indicative of the fact that the desired objective has remained elusive; the lot of the backward class of citizens has not improved and that it is imperative to find some new method. What can it be?

Undeniably, there is poverty. It is also correct that the poor cannot send their children to good schools and provide facilities available to the more fortunate sections of society. In this situation, the experiment of reservation having failed, it appears to be more appropriate to adopt a different form of affirmative action. Measures for equalising the un-equals are permissible. The government having levied ‘education cess’ is under a duty to make Art. 21A a reality. It should provide good facilities in all schools. All children, irrespective of their economic position should be admitted to good schools. The children would have the equality of opportunity in getting education. At the end of the course of studies, the performance and not caste should determine their future. In this way, the lot of the poor children would improve in as much as they would have studied in good schools; enjoyed all those facilities which were available to all the other children studying with them. It would help achieve the constitutional goal of equality and justice. A good environment, congenial atmosphere and the opportunity for all students to rub shoulders together would by itself lead to a more harmonious growth of personality. This should help the members of weaker sections of society.

The Caste system has proved to be a curse in India. Let us move from mediocrity to merit. If we recognise merit, our performance should improve. While reservation induces a complacence, or laid back attitude; competition impels performance and improves quality. Still more, reservations on the basis of caste encourage fissiparous tendencies. It also encourages other sections to raise similar demands. These need to be curbed.

Even otherwise, Jats have been the fighting arm of India. They have ruled over States. Held positions of responsibility. How can they be collectively branded as socially and educationally backward? Before taking any further steps or finalising the decision, a proper enquiry into the matter is essential. A click on the Internet.. shows that the state of Patiala was ruled by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh. The former Chief Minister of Punjab is his grandson. Can the members of the ruling elite be treated as socially and educationally backward? Still more, the Internet shows that very eminent persons who have played a vital role in the country have come from the Jat community. Illustratively, the name of Ch. Charan Singh may be mentioned. He was the Prime Minister of India. Similarly, Mr. Balram Jakhar was the Speaker of the parliament. Mr. P.S. Badal, C.M. Punjab and Mr. B,S.Hooda the C.M. Haryana are Jats. Various other persons have attained positions of responsibility in different fields and services. All these facts need to be examined before taking a decision.       

            The best asset of a nation is its people. A nation can prosper only when it is built on the foundations of good education and a sound moral character. As a nation, we must realise that whatever we dump into human minds would yield more than any number of steel mills. Educated and enlightened men and women are essential for national progress. Education must receive the priority it rightfully deserves.           

 

            Secondly, we must ask ourselves: what keeps the majority of our people poor? We have resources. We have manpower. And yet the majority of us live below the poverty line. Why? In one line, the answer is: For the poor procreation is the only recreation. The result is a population explosion. A crisis of numbers. We continue to multiply rapidly. In one way, every new member in a family is an additional earn­ing hand. But we do not realise that he is also an additional mouth to feed. He is one more illiterate'. It is imperative that we control the numerical growth of people. We must by the process of education, through the media and in every possible way make it clear to the people that you will add to the numbers at your own cost. The nation shall not bear the burden. Henceforth, a person with more than one child should not be eligible for a government job or an elected office. If he gets a second child after joining gov­ernment service, he should not be eligible for any further promotion. No person with more than one child should be eligible for any con­cession or benefit of reservation. Undoubtedly, the measure would be unpopular. But the choice is between patriotism and populism. The government should not hesitate to sacri­fice the support from a sizeable vote bank, if it wants the good of the people.

 

            Thirdly, we must develop a work culture. We must realise that ‘individual idleness can only lead to national decay.’ The national progress can only be the sum total of individual indus­try. Honest and hard work alone paves the way to success. Labour alone can produce wealth and prosperity.

 

            We have the example of Japan. It is the only nation in the world which has faced the cata­strophe of an atomic holocaust. Its people are the only natural resource. And yet within a short period of time, it has become one of the greatest economic powers in the world. Hard and honest labour is the secret of its success. We must emulate this example.

 

            Lastly, we must realise that the Constitution not only guarantees fundamental rights but also imposes fundamental duties. Chapter IV-A was added to the Constitution by the 42nd Amendment in 1976. It makes a provision in the Constitution in line with Article 29(I) of the Declaration of Human Rights. It has been, inter alia, provided that "it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to strive towards excel­lence in all spheres of individual and collective activity, so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement." If we realise this single duty and perform it to the best of our ability,-the nation of more than a billion people can surely look forward to a brighter future. The ideal of social and eco­nomic justice can then become a reality for the present generation. Will this be our New Year Resolution? Yes! Let us begin the year 2014 with this firm resolve.