STRIVING FOR A GLOBAL HINDU PRESENCE

by PANKAJ SHARMA

Right wing Sangh Parivar affiliates have worked overtime in last six months to give a final shape to the launch of a worldwide drive to strengthen themselves with a new vigor among the Hindus in different countries. Year 2015 has been earmarked to achieve this goal with a special focus on the geographies where Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh sponsored outfits currently have thin presence.

The data analysis done by RSS indicates that around 14 crore Hindus are living outside India. As we all know, only three countries in the world have a majority of its population as Hindus--India, Nepal and Mauritius. By total numbers, India has most Hindus, but by percentage, Nepal has the largest majority of Hindu population.

Hinduism has more than one billion adherents worldwide that is 15 percent of world population. RSS believes that the conflicts between Christianity that has 31.5 percent share and Islam that has 23 percent share of world population will become the reason for third world war and 'it is the primary duty of Sangh Parivar to ensure that Hindus remain at a safe distance in any such situation'.

Countries with sizable Hindu population include Nepal (2.35 crore), Bangladesh (1.86 crore), Pakistan (70 lac), Indonesia (47 lac), Sri Lanka (30 lac), Malaysia (17 lac), United States (13 lac), South Africa (9.5 lac), Myanmar (9 lac), United Kingdom (8.5 lac) and Mauritius (6.5 lac). Sangh Parivar naturally have a primary focus on these countries for quite some time. Next on its list have been the countries like Fiji (3 lac), Trinidad & Tobego (2.5 lac) and Suriname (1.3 lac) with whom India shares a different sentimental cord. Sangh Parivar has an elaborate plans for Canada (5 lac) and Australia (3 lac) and a separate plan for Bhutan which has around 2 lac Hindu population as per RSS estimate.

Now, South American countries like Guyana with around 2.5 lac Hindu population, East African countries like Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda with Hindu population between 2.5 and 3.75 lac each and countries like Bahrain, Qatar Yemen, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arab in Middle East which have minimum 50 thousand to maximum 3 lac Hindu population each are also underlined in the action plan prepared by Sangh Parivar. As per RSS estimates, Philippines has a Hindu population of 20 lac and it entitles the South East Asian country on a priority list in Sangh register. With 3 lac Hindu population Sri Lanka also finds an important place in Sangh Parivar road map. Zimbabwe in Southern Africa with 1.25 Hindu population is also a going to be a preferred destination for RSS pracharaks now and Singapore with 2.5 lac Hindus is also a place of attraction for Sangh Parivar.

Don't think that only Netherland's one and a half lac, Italy's more than one lac, Germany's around one lac, Russia's 60 thousand. Reunion's 55 thousand, Vietnam's 50 thousand, New Zealand's 40 thousand, Mozambique's 30 thousand, Switzerland's 30 thousand, Norway's 25 thousand, Cuba's 23 thousand, Zambia's 20 thousand, Sweden's 15 thousand, Iran's 13 thousand, Ghana's 12 thousand, Ireland's 11 thousand and Belgium's 10 thousand Hindus need Sangh Parivar's 'parental guidance', RSS internal architects have even identified countries like Antigua and Dominica in Caribbean, Croatia in Balkans, Latvia in Eastern Europe and Luxembourg in Western Europe which might need 'proper direction in times to come and it does not matter if they have a Hindu population of only few hundred at the moment'.

Sangh Parivar has a strong presence in Unites States for at least two decades and its affiliates like Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation-USA, Sewa International-USA, Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) extend financial support to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Till May 2014, a total of 140 HSS shakhas were set up in the United States and these are listed on the HSS website. Five Sangh-affiliated charitable groups allocated a huge fund of more than $55 million (around rupees 340 crore) to their program services in last few years. Most of these funds were sent to Sangh Parivar organisations in India.

Certain reports about the activities of Hindu groups in USA suggest that they have very successfully inserted themselves into curricular, administrative and financing arenas in academic and educational institutions, specifically in the disciplines of history, religious studies, Indology and other fields. Sangh affiliated Hindu Students Council (HSC) has a presence in minimum 78 US and Canadian university and college campuses, including those of Duke University, Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McGill University, New York University, University of Wisconsin at Madison, Stanford University, Syracuse University, University of California at Berkeley, Irvine, and San Diego, University of Ottawa, and University of Texas at Austin and Houston.

The map of Sangh Parivar's projects in USA include the establishment of a religious college, the Hindu University of America, a religious studies conference, World Association for Vedic Studies and funding institutions, such as the Infinity Foundation and the Vivek Welfare and Educational Foundation. The Infinity Foundation has been very actively doing its work in last 15 years and has given millions of dollars to researchers, academic associations and academic departments around the world, including the Association for Asian Studies, California Institute of Integral Studies, the Center for the Study of Developing Societies, Columbia University, Harvard University, Melbourne University, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Rutgers University, the University of Hawaii and the University of Texas at Austin. Sangh Parivar's 'internal assessments' show a very higher degree of satisfaction over the fact that in last two decades, Sangh-affiliated organizations have emerged as leaders in Indo-American communities. RSS feels that 'a time has come when the same model is implemented in all the countries where Hindu population has a role to play'.

It is not difficult to sense the real design behind the enthusiasm of Sangh Parivar in reinventing its international dream in a changed political situation. RSS has assigned itself with the responsibility of becoming an umbrella to Hindus of the world and does not want them to walk in eternal sunshine. But, then whose fault it is if alternate ideologies could not pursue their road maps in best of their times? If even now alternate think tanks can strategise something better and solid than making empty sounds, Hindu minds all over the world could be fed with better ideological nutrition. But it requires commitment and commitment is an act, not a word.

All the Prime Minister's Men

by PANKAJ SHARMA

          We have a prime minister who believes in 'minimum government and maximum governance'. No wonder that to achieve this mission prime minister needs a strong office of his own so that Prime Minister's Office can formulate policies for all the ministries and keep an vigilant eye on the required and timely implementation of the ideas generated by the 'best brains' in PMO headed by Narendra Modi. As you know that apart from portfolios like Personnel, Public Grivances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space and all other portfolios not allocated to any minister, prime minister, for the first time, also has assigned himself with the responsibility of 'All Important Policy Issues'. I was trying to recall the period when a prime minister did not have the responsibility of  deciding important policy issues on his shoulders in last 67 years of independent India?

          But prime minister Narendra Modi has preferred to emphasize on this priority and thus underlined it. That is why perhaps, he has a larger sized PMO than his predecessors. What if Modi's mentor Atal Behari Vajpayee ran the country with the help of only 12 members in his personal staff? And who cares for UPA's prime minister Manmohan Singh who could acquire a remarkable place for India on the economic map of the world during last ten years while having only 11 members in his personal staff? Our new prime minister has a personal staff whose size is more than five times bigger than that of Vajpayee or Manmohan. Modi has a personal team of 64, apart from 158 office staff in PMO, to bring 'Achhey Din'. Don't you think that a 222 members' strong ring of committed officers belonging to different ranks is essential for a prime minister who wants to change the cosmetics in one go?

          Don't count the number of security personnel, intelligence people, following vehicles, standby aircrafts, etc because they have been available to any prime minister as per the requirement of that time. If you are a person with mega dreams in international and national arena, whether they are realistic or not, whether they are achievable or not, you have every right to try your bit without giving a blink and worrying for resources of financial nature or of a nature of principles and values.

          That is why, I have no objection to Narendra Modi's style of PMO where he has one National Security Advisor, one Principal Secretary, one Additional Principal Secretary and one Secretary to assist him. He also has a right to have 4 Joint Secretaries and 10 Directors to serve him. I also have no objection if there are one Joint Director, one Senior Personal Private Secretary and 10 Personal Private Secretaries to assist him.

           To help Modi fulfill his duties as Prime Minister there are 4 Under Secretaries, one Reference Officer, one Assistant Director and 20 Section Officers at his disposal. He also has 25 Private Secretaries and 59 Assistants always in attention to implement his orders. Modi is served by one Senior Hindi Translator and two Junior Hindi Translators. He also has one Assistant Reference Officer and one Accountant to look after his day-to-day work. In addition to this, there are 26 Personal Assistants to make the working comfortable. Our new Prime Minister also have the support of 7 Stenographers, 39 Upper Division Clerks, 5 Lower Division Clerks and one Library Clerk. 17 SCDs, one Carpenter, 3 Dispatch Riders, 4 Photostat Operators, 5 Daftaris, 4 Senior Peons 33 Peons, 2 Farrash, 5 Safai Karmacharis and one Helper. It makes a total of 158.

          Modi has another 64 people in his 'personal staff'. They include 2 Principal Secretaries, one Public Relation Officer, 4 Officers on Special Duty, one Information Officer, 3 Senior Personal Private Secretaries, one Personal Privete Secretary, one Under Secretary, 4 Executive Assistants, 3 Assistants, 3 Personal Assistants, 2 Section Officers, 7 Private Secretaries, one Hindi Translator, 4 Staff Car Drivers, 3 Lower Divisional Clerks, one Daftary, 16 Peons and one Helper.

          Atal Behari Vajpayee had only 12 people in his personal staff when he was the prime minister--one Secretary, one Private Secretary, one Lower Division Clerk and 9 Peons. Manmohan Singh had 11--one Secretary, one OSD, one Additional Private Secretary, one Assistant Private Secretary, one Personal Assistant, one Dispatch Rider and 5 Peons. And they could run the country with this much little help.

          Just to mention, White House has a staff of 468 to enable Barack Obama to keep an eye on the whole world so that he can put himself in to service of achieving America's mischievous, and most of the time dangerous, goals. I tried to find out the details of the members of personal and official staff at the disposal of Valdimir Putin, president of Russia and Xi Jinping, president of People's Republic of China, but utterly failed.

          I know that it shows you in bad light if you start raising questions on a prime minister who has formed his government only six months back that too by getting a clear majority after three decades in a complex political situation through which our country was passing all these years. But I have been asking one question to myself for these six months that what is called 'governance' or for that matter 'maximum governance' in a democratic country? Forget governance, there is no single definition for the concept of democracy and different scholars since 5th century BC have given different definitions of democracy.

          Whatever are the definitions, one thing is clear that any democracy has to respect basic human rights, political rights, civil rights, liberty rights, due process rights, welfare rights and equity rights. The governance, minimum or maximum, in a democracy therefore would entail participation, rule of law, inclusion, accountability, responsiveness, transparency and efficiency.

          I hope, these democratic values will always be safe in the lockers of all time strongest PMO which has only one key and that is with Narendra Modi.

Nehru Dynasty? Are you sure?

Congress is accused of dynastic rule. What is dynasty? Dictionary says it is a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock or group. There have been dynasties all over the world. There still exist dynasties in several countries.

          When I think of dynastic rules in India, history takes me back to the year 424 BC when we had Nanda dynasty that existed till around 321 BC. Then came Mauryan dynasty, Kanva dynasty, Satvahan dynasty, Chola dynasty, Kushana dynasty, Gupta dynasty and so on. We have also heard about Chalukya dynasty, Rajput, Parmar, Yadav and Solanki dynasties which were there in 8th century and ran till12-13th century. Mughal, Maratha and Travancore dynasties also played their roles from 11th to 19th century.

          But Nehru dynasty?

          Lets come to certain facts. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru's grand father Gangadhar Nehru was the Kotwal of Delhi and enjoyed a very short lifespan of only 34 years and died after three years of 1857 rebellion against British rule. Jawaharlal Nehru's father Motilal Nehru was his third son. The eldest son Bansidhar Nehru used to work in the judicial department and because of his postings at different places most of the time was practically cut off from the family. Second one was Nandlal Nehru was the Dewan of Khetri state of those days Rajputana and now Rajsthan. Khetri's most famous contribution is to give Vivekanand to the world. It was Maharaja of Khetri Ajit Singh who gave Narendra a new name Vivekanand and pursued him to attend Chicago religious conference.

          Congress party was born 24 years after Motilal Nehru's birth in 1885. Motilal actively participated in freedom movement and became the president of Congress party for the first time at Amritsar session in 1919. It was 34 years after Congress was formed and when Motilal's age was 58. When he held this position again at Calcutta session in 1928, Motilal was 67. He died at the age of 70. So, Congress party had no Nehru as its president for initial 34 years.

          Jawaharlal Nehru became the president of Congress party in 1929 at Lahore session for the first time for one year. After 6 years he again got this position at Lucknow session in 1936 and got another tenure at Faizapur session in 1937. That means, during 62 years of pre-independent India only two members of Nehru family held the topmost position in Congress and that too for a total of six years. 45 leaders became the president of Congress party during this period and for 55 years non-Nehrus headed the party. J.B. Kraplani was heading Congress in 1947 when India got independence.

          In 67 years of independent India, Congress party was ruled for 34 years by persons who were not from Nehru clan. 16 persons have held the president's chair and only 4 of them belonged to Nehru family. Nehru-Gandhis have occupied this position only for 39 years in 129 years of Congress' history. There is no prime minister with Nehru-Gandhi surname in last 25 years in our country.

          Now come to the legacy of other political parties. Bhartiya Janta party was established in 1980. Earlier it was Jan Sangh which was founded by Shyama Prasad Mukharjee on 21 October 1951. Jan Sangh merged itself with Janta Party in 1977 and incarnated as BJP after Janta Party broke away. BJP has had 10 presidents in last 34 years. Lal Krishna Adwani remained president for longest period of 13 years. Atal Behari Vajpayee held the position for 6 years and Rajnath Singh for 5 years.

          During 26 years of Jan Sangh there were 14 persons who took turn to occupy the highest seat in the organisation. Two of these fourteen include Vajpayee and Adwani. Vajpayee was Jan Sangh president for 5 years from 1968 to '73 and Adwani was the head for 4 years from 1973 to '77. Thus, it was this duo who controlled Jan Sangh-BJP politics for 39 years from total 60 years of its existence--that is more than three-fourth of the time of this right wing organisation.

          Left wing Communist Party-Marxist is no different. It took birth in 1964 and had only 4 Secretary Generals in last 50 years. Sunderaiyya occupied the seat for 14 years and so is Namboodaripad again for 14 years. Then came Harkishan Sungh Surjit who remained Secretary General for 13 years and the current head Prakash karat is leading CPM for 9 years. Another communist outfit CPI also shares 89 years of its history with similar pattern and bitter memories of the treatment its senior leaders such as B.T. Randive, Amrat Dange and Indrajit Gupta had to face.

          Take the case of Dravidian parties. They have the roots in Periyar's and Anna Durai politics which ultimately gave births to DMK in 1969 and AIADMK in 1972. M. Karunanidhi is heading DMK for 45 years since 1969. M.G. Ramchandran and remained AIADMK chief for 15 years till 1987. A succession war went on for two years from '87 to '89 and  J. Jaylalitha became the president of AIADMK is occupying the post for last 25 years.

          You may also look at the sons of soil who swear by Ram Manohar Lohia's socialism every alternate day. Samjawadi Party was born two days after the birth day of Mahatma Gandhi in 1992 and Mulayam Singh Yadav is holding on to its president's post from day one for last 22 years. Bahujan Samaj Party is no different too. Kanshi Ram estalished BSP 30 years back in 1984. He remained the supremo till 1990 when he fell ill. Present supremo Mayawati practically ran a proxy rule for 13 years and took over after the death of Kanshi Ram in 2003. She is BSP president for 11 years, but in reality for 24 years.

          Bala Saheb Thakre gave birth to Shiv Sena 48 years ago on 19 June 1966 and remained its chief for 38 years before appointing his son Udhhav Thakre the chief in 2004. Uddhav is running the show for last 10 years and now has complete control after the death of Bala Saheb in 2012. Navin Patnaik founded Biju janta Dal 17 years back in 1997. He remains its president since then. Sharad Pawar formed Nationalist Congress Party 15 years back in 1999 and does not want anybody else to enjoy the highest post. The topmost position in  National Conference of Abdullahs also changes hands between father and son.

          Do you still feel there is something like Nehru dynasty?

Author is editor and CEO of News Views India.   

Link rivers to revive Congress

by PANKAJ SHARMA

          It will not take Rahul Gandhi more than 100 days to lay a solid foundation of Congress' revival if he decides to link the rivers. Seems a joke? Finds funny? But be little serious and go to the road map I am suggesting.

          Rahul must plan a nationwide tour to revive the Congress party and begin its first phase from 'Ganga to Sabarmati' on the day of Makar Sankranti on 14 January, the day Sun moves to Capricorn and becomes uttarayan. Makar Sankranti commemorates the beginning of the harvest season and announces the arrival of colourful vasant in our country. River Ganga is considered sacred and finds mention from Bhagwat Purana  to Skand Purana and Rigveda too. Sabarmati river also has a rich history that is spread over from Aravalli Hills to Arebian Sea. During this 1400 km long journey Rahul can cross 4 states Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajsthan and Gujarat. He can interact thousands of people en route that can cover the areas of Mirzapur, Allahabad, Banda, Jhansi, Shivpuri, Baran, Kota, Chittorgarh, Udaipur and Himmat Nagar before reaching to Gandhi Nagar. Starting a road journey from Varanasi that reaches Ahmedabad on 30 January, the day Mahatma Gandhi was killed, Rahul would be able to rejuvenate thousands of Congress workers.

          Then can come the second phase of 'Congress Kayakalp'. Let this time Rahul Gandhi link the rivers Narmada and Kaveri. Narmada is fifth longest river in Indian subcontinent and third longest that flows entirely within our country. It originates from Amarkantak and forms the traditional boundary between North India and South India. The name Narmada means giver of pleasure. Kaveri river has its origin in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Legends tell us that Kaveri was born as daughter of Brahma, the creator of universe. Kaveri has served as a lifeline for centuries to the ancient kingdoms and modern cities of South India. The journey can begin from the tribal area of Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh and end at Thanjavur in Tamilnadu, where asur Tanjan was killed by God Neelmegha Perumal. This 1800 km route covers 7 states--Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. The areas of Raipur, Nagpur, Wardha, Adilabad, Nizamabad, Hyderabad, Anantpur, Banglore and Salem could be covered on the way.

          Third phase of Rahul's venture can link 'Chenab to Chambal'--from Srinagar in J&K to Mhow in Madhya Pradesh covering the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajsthan. Chenab river is known to us from Vedik period and reminds us of the love tales of Heer-Ranjha and Sohni-Mahiwal. What river Chenab is for us is like Danube for Hungarians and Austrians or Rhine for Germans. Chambal river originates from Manpur, near Mhow, the birth place of

Baba Sahab Bheem Rao Ambedkar and finds mention in our ancient scriptures. Rahul can measure this 2000 km long route by crossing the towns of historical importance Udhampur, Dharmshala, Pathankot, Amritsar, Faridkot, Bathinda, Hanumangarh, Ratangarh, Ajmer, Nasirabad, Bhilwara, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Badnawar, Ujjain and Indore.

          Here comes the fourth and last phase. It could be for linking the rivers of Yamuna and Brahmputra. Yamuna, the largest tributary of Ganga, is mentioned at many places in Rigveda and Atharvaveda. While the Ganga is considered an epitome of asceticism and higher knowledge and can grant us Moksha or liberation, it is Yamuna, who, being a holder of infinite love and compassion, can grant us freedom. Brahmputra is a trans-boundary river and perhaps the only river in our country that has a male name whereas all other major rivers have female names. According to legends, Brahmputra is the son of Lord Brahma. Let Rahul Gandhi cover a distance of around 2100 km from Delhi to Guwahati for giving a final boost to his political army. He will be passing through Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam in this phase if he decides to take a 'Discovery of India' tour. The final leg of his endeavour can surely refill the areas like Faridabad, Mathura, Vrandavan, Aligarh, Etah, Mainpuri, Kannauj, Lucknow, Faizabad, Basti, Gorakhpur, Darbhanga, Forbesganj, Basantpur, Khairabari, Jalpaiguri, Gosaigaon and Bongaigaon with new energies.

          This way, Rahul Gandhi would be able to cover 18 states while travelling around 7500 kilometres which might take him only 75 days in total and take it from me that he can infuse a entirely new life in the decaying body of the great movement called Congress after 129 years of its inception. Rahul must remember that he is the great grandson of  Jawaharlal Nehru who travelled around fifty thousand miles in provincial assembly elections in the winters of 1936-37 to create a strong foundation of the Congress party using aircrafts, trains, cars, elephants, camels, horses and bullock carts. Elections were held in eleven provinces of British India--Punjab, Sindh, Bengal, North West Frontier Province, Bihar, Orissa, Central Provinces, United Provinces, Madras, Bombay Presidency and Assam--after mandated by Government of India Act in 1935.  Results were declared in February 1937 and Indian National Congress formed the governments in eight provinces. Bengal, Punjab and Sindh did not go with Congress, but Muhammad Ali Jinnah's All India Muslim League failed to win any province. Nehru himself wrote about all this mentioning how he always used to keep a loudspeaker with him and a minimum crowed of twenty thousand gathered everywhere to listen to him and there were many occasions when he addressed the gathering of one lac people.

          The actions of the Congress party must inspire others to dream more and do more. This is not the time to find faults. This is the time to find remedies. Rahul Gandhi has the tremendous hidden potential of a faithful, sincere and trustworthy influence on people. Rahul Gandhi has already spent a long time understanding the politics of India as well as his own party and it is not necessary for him to wait till his black hair turn grey to openly show that he is serious to lead the Congress party from front and sooner the better when his senior and junior colleagues realise the metal he is made of.

एक थीं गिज़ीमामा

एक थीं गिज़ीमामा। हंगरी की राजधानी बुदापेष्त में महीनों गिज़ीमामा ने एक से बढ़ कर एक लजीज़ चीजे़ बना कर खिलाईं। 32 साल पहले की बात है। दुनिया भर के कई हिस्सों से अपने-अपने देषों के पत्राकार संगठनों का प्रतिनिधित्व करते हम क़रीब डेढ़ दर्जन लोग छह महीने पूर्वी यूरोप में रहे। सब 23-24 बरस की उम्र के थे। सब खाने-पीने के षौकीन। अपने कमरों से लगी गैलरी में बीयर की बोतल रख देते थे तो घंटे भर से भी कम वक़्त में वह चिल्ड हो जाती थी। बाहर पड़ती बर्फ़ और भीतर कमरों में चलती गर्म बहसों के बीच एक नई विष्व-व्यवस्था के निर्माण में अपनी गिलहरी-भूमिका का सपना लेकर हम सब अपने-अपने देष लौट गए। गिज़ीमामा से विदाई लेते समय लड़कियां तो बाक़ायदा ऐसे रोईं कि मायके से जा रही हों और हम सब, जो तब लड़के थे, भी भीगा मन लेकर वापस आए। आने वाले कुछ बरस आपस में सबकी ख़तो-क़िताबत चलती रही। मैं संसद मार्ग के डाकघर से रंग-बिरंगे संग्रहणीय डाक-टिकट लाता और सबको चिट्ठियां भेजता। गिज़ीमामा के भी जवाब आते। फिर ज़िंदगी की आपा-धापी में सब कब छूट गया, पता ही नहीं चला। अब कौन कहां है, कौन जाने! तीन दषक में दुनिया घूमी। कहां-कहां नहीं गया, लेकिन जो यादें हंगरी ने दी हैं, उन जैसी भीनी ख़ुषबू किसी और देष की यादों में नहीं।

नहीं क्या?

मेरे बच्चे बेर तलाशते कभी झाड़ियों में नहीं घूमे। तितलियों को पकड़ने के लिए उनके पीछे नहीं भागे। जुगनू भी उन्होंने बहुत बाद में देखे। खेत से उखाड़ कर मेड़ पर बैठ कर गन्ना उन्होंने नहीं खाया। रस पका कर गर्मा-गर्म बनते गुड का स्वाद वे नहीं जानते। खेत से होले तोड़ कर वहीं आग पर भून कर उन्होंने नहीं खाए। बथुआ बीनने का तो सवाल ही कहां पैदा होता? भाड़ पर गर्म रेत में चने और मक्का भुनाने वे कभी नहीं गए। आम के बगीचे में घुस कर पेड़ पर चढ़ कर आम तोड़ कर खाने का मौक़ा उन्हें नहीं मिला। बैलगाड़ी में वे नहीं बैठे। गाय-भैंस के लिए नांद में सानी तैयार करना उन्होंने नहीं देखा। पोखर से मिट्टी ला कर घर की दीवारें लेपना और छत पर फूस बिछाना वे क्या जानें! उनका बचपन भारी बस्ता पीठ पर लादे स्कूल जाने-आने में, होम वर्क करने में और बाबा ब्लैक शीप गाने में गुज़र गया। उनकी किशोर वय काॅलेजों की होड़-दौड़ में बीत गई। अब वे कारोबारी जगत के दंद-फंद के अनुभव ले रहे हैं। व्हाट्स ऐप और इंस्टाग्राम की दुनिया के बाशिंदे हैं। डोंट बी सेंटी उनका मंत्र वाक्य है। खुद में ख़ुश हैं। उन्हें देख-देख कर हम भी ख़ुश है कि वे आज की दुनिया के क़ाबिल बन रहे हैं। उनकी मुट्ठी में बहुत कुछ है। लेकिन बहुत कुछ उनकी मुट्ठी से सरक भी गया है। नहीं क्या?

एक थे श्री चाचा

एक थे श्री चाचा। लंबे-चैड़े। सवा छह फुट के। गर्मियों की छुट्टी में मुझे गाॅव भेज दिया जाता था। श्री चाचा ही क्या, गाॅव में सभी सुबह चार-साढ़े चार बजे उठ जाया करते थे। मैं भी उठ जाता था। घर के बाहर ही नीम का पेड़ था। श्री चाचा दो-तीन दिनों की दतौन तोड़ कर पहले ही तैयार रखते थे। सुबह-सुबह एक हाथ में पकड़ा देते और सचमुच आज के ब्रश में वह मज़ा नहीं है, जो उस दतौन में होता था। फिर मंदिर वाले कुएं पर ले जाते। सरसों के तेल की मालिश खुद करनी होती थी, दंड-बैठक लगवाते, मुद्गर घुमवाते और नहाने के बाद पूजा कर हम लौटते थे। तब तक अम्मा यानी दादी कांसे के बेले में दूध में रोटी मसल कर तैयार रखती थी। एक गिलास दूध अलग से भी पीना पड़ता था। तब तक श्री चाचा बापू जी की घोड़ी चुरा लाते थे। बापू जी मेरे ताऊ थे। वे दूर-दूर होने वाली पैंठ-पशु मेले-में घोड़ियों की तलाश में जाया करते थे। घोड़ी ख़रीद लाते, उसे नृत्य करना सिखाते और फिर ज़्यादा कीमत में बेच देते। सो, मेरे बचपन में श्री चाचा ने मुझे घुड़सवारी के सारे गुर बापूजी की घोड़ियां दो-दो-चार-चार घंटे के लिए चुरा कर सिखाए। वे एक ऐड़ लगाते तो, जिसे मुहावरे में कहते हैं कि, घोड़ी हवा से बातें करने लगती थी। दोपहर बाद गाॅव के कई चाचा-ताऊ-बाबा घर के बाहरी दलिहान में आ जुटते। हुक्का गुड़गुड़ाया जाता, भांग घुटती और चिलम की लौ की लंबाई की होड़ होती। जिसे जो पसंद। चिलम की लौ में मैं ने श्री चाचा से जीतते किसी को नहीं देखा। रामेश्वर ताऊ को भी नहीं, जिन्हें इस विद्या का उस्ताद माना जाता था और अक्सर यही होता था कि वे खिसियाते हुए उस दिन अपनी तबीयत नासाज़ होने का बहाना किया करते थे। अंधेरा सिमटने लगता तो श्री चाचा मुझे अपने कंधे पर बैठा कर लंबे-लंबे डग भरते हुए गाॅव के भ्रमण पर निकल जाते थे। तब तक हम रात का भोजन कर चुके होते थे। गाॅव बहुत छोटा था, लेकिन उसका भूगोल मेरे लिए भूल-भुलैया था। मगर श्री चाचा का पांव कभी इधर से उधर नहीं पड़ता था। कोई नाली, कोई पत्थर, उन्हें डगमग नहीं करता था। उनके कंधे पर बैठा मैं उनके इस करिश्मे पर हैरत में रहा करता था। अपनी बंडी की जेब से सिक्के निकाल कर वे चिमनी की रोशनी में टिमटिमाती छोटी-सी दुकान से बुढ़िया के बाल या ऐसी ही कोई मिठाई दिलाया करते थे। रात आठ बजते-बजते सब सोने लगते थे। आज की निशाचरी दुनिया में यह सोच कर अजीब लगता है कि गाॅव में रात को बारह बजे तो भूतों के आने का समय हो जाता था। श्री चाचा अब दूसरे संसार में हैं और इस संसार में मेरी स्मृतियों में उनकी जीवटता, उनके खिलंदड़ेपन, उनके साहस और परिवार के लिए उनके जीवनदानी-भाव की तस्वीरें हैं। 

Rahul crossing the same corridors

by PANKAJ SHARMA

          Its now time for Rahul Gandhi to come out. It is high time when Rahul must crash all the barriers installed on the roads going out. Though it does not require an eye on Congress politics for 35 years to understand that the day anybody from Nehru-Gandhi clan decide to open the door to go out in the fields or open a window to let the fresh air flow in, the tremendous resistance they face is from their own brigade commanders. It happened with Rajiv Gandhi, it happened with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi is also facing the same music for last few years.

          It was the morning of the last Saturday of the year 1985 when Rajiv Gandhi gave a glimpse of his real mind to the members of All India Congress Committee and the thousands of Pradesh Congress Committees' delegates present in the Brabourne Stadium which was converted in to 'Indira Nagar' to celebrate the centenary of Indian National Congress, the ordinary worker and grass route leaders of Congress party were buzzing with highest possible inspiration within themselves. Rajiv mentioned in detail the role played by Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and then discussed the contribution of Indira Gandhi in strengthening the nation's basic foundation, values and principles. He then elaborated his plans for the future and said, "Millions of ordinary Congress workers throughout the country are full of enthusiasm for the Congress policies and programmes. But they are handicapped, for on their backs ride the brokers of power and influence, who dispense patronage to convert a mass movement into a feudal oligarchy.... For such persons, the masses do not count. Their life style, their thinking - or lack of it, their self-aggrandisement, their corrupt ways, their linkages with the vested interests in society, and their sanctimonious posturing are wholly incompatible with work among the people...."

          Listening to this, the gangs within the Congress ganged up to project Rajiv as a novice and began working to ensure to prove him as a big flop in times to come. Rajiv Gandhi had climbed the Raisina Hills with 403 members in Loksabha but had to console himself with only around half of it after five years in 1989. His best friends were three 'A's--Amitabh Bachchan, Arun Nehru and Arun Singh. All of them ditched him in due course of time when they found that Rajiv has become mature enough and gone are the days when they could have cater their vested interests. And who put the final nail in the political coffin of Rajiv's government? It was his most trusted lieutenant Vishwanath Pratap Singh whose ambitions became the armoured vehicle for different gang leaders who wanted to dilute the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi.

          Sonia Gandhi also faced the similar circumstances. There was a time after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 when she was not at all interested in politics. But then there also was a time when several of her own people who were busy day and night to ensure that she keeps herself locked within 10- Janpath. Sonia Gandhi sometimes was so helpless that she had to express her anguish in public against the Congress government for going very slow in the investigation of Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Rahul Gandhi was around 25 years old then and Priyanka was 23.

          In the elections of summers 1996, Congress came down to 140 seats. Atal Bihari Vajpayee had formed his government which lasted only for 13 days and then came H.D. Devegowda who occupied the chair of prime minister for 11 months. Narsimha Rao was hanging on as Congress president unless one fine morning in September 1996 he was given 24 hours' ultimatum to go home. Sitaram Kesari who was a trusted old guard of Gandhis and was fondly addressed as 'Chacha' became its president.

          But Kesari was also proved no less an enemy within as the time passed. He was no more a man in 'dandawat mudra' which people like me were used to witness him even in front of Capt. Satish Sharma, a friend of Rajiv Gandhi from Airlines days. Kesari and his coterie also did everything to keep Sonia Gandhi at a safe distance from on-goings in the party. It was only because of the presence of few well wishers in the first ring of 'chacha choupal' that Sonia was kept updated about the internal developments.

          By the time Calcutta Plenary Session of the Congress was held in 1997, the continuous pressure from the party leaders and workers from across the country and family friends and sympathisers could convince Sonia Gandhi that her keeping away will worsen the situation of party's already shrinking base. 1998 again was the year of parliamentary election because of the fall of Inder Kumar Gujral's government. Congress could maintain its tally to 141 seats when the results were announced on 2 March. The time to say good bye to Chacha Kesari had come. After some initial maneuverings, he ultimately resigned on 9 March and Sonia was elected to the post of Congress President on 14 March. By that time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had taken oath as prime minister but his term lasted only for 13 months.

          It was on Saturday in the third week of April 1999 that a vote was taken on no confidence motion against Vajpayee government because its alliance partner AIADMK of Jaylalitha had withdrawn support. Vajpayee lost the vote on 17 April. There was no other alternate than to go for elections and President K.R. Narayanan dissolved the Loksabha. Elections were to be held in September-October and while Congress party started gearing up, in May that year, one time trust worthies of Rajiv Gandhi--Sharad Pawar, P.A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar--raised flags against Sonia Gandhi.

          Every development followed the dotted lines. Till a Gandhi is ready to play in the hands, garner the votes and follow the system of "Khalq Khuda Ka, Mulk Badshah Ka Huqm Shahar Kotwal Ka" everythoing goes smooth. But whenever a Gandhi openly comes to the pitch, gangs do everything to send him back to pavilion. Congress won 114 seats in 1999 Loksabha election, 27 less than the election held in 1998 and Gandhi hooters came out with the chorus that even during Kesari's presidentship party got more seats. But Sonia kept on fighting these enemies hidden under the carpet of her own drawing room and shut them up when Congress won 206 seats under her leadership in 2004.

          If it is now the turn of Rahul Gandhi to cross the same corridors, at least I am not surprised. We all have seen him going post to pillar in the assembly election of Uttar Pradesh in 2007 where he did not spare any stone unturned but got only 22 seats in return. Then came the election for 2012 assembly and again in spite of the fact that Rahul put all his efforts and energy, Congress could get only 28 seats. Same story was repeated in Bihar in 2010 when Congress went to the polls without any alliance and Rahul's managers gave him only 4 seats. Congress story in Delhi and Rajsthan in 2013 was also similarly worded and the same script writers wrote the last saga of the current political travelogue of Rahul Gandhi when they managed 2014 General Election with lowest ever 44 seats to Congress.

          So, Rahul Gandhi was bitten every time and not once. Therefore he should have every right to be shy twice. But in spite of all the odds it is necessary for him to get up before it is too late.

Beware of New Year's Greetings

by PANKAJ SHARMA

          I am quite sure that prime minister Narendra Modi will greet the nation on this new year with the release of religious data of 2011 census which is still to be made public because it is another weapon for the forces who want to polarize the society by adopting different tricks to get political mileage in their favour. Modi is not one of them who think twice to use a weapon to achieve a goal even through sinful methods.

          Let the polls of Jammu-Kashmir and Jharkhand assembly elections be over, Modi-Government will come out with the population figures based on religion for the whole country and in different states. Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and all its sister organizations have already prepared themselves to launch a ‘social campaign’ from early next year ‘to create awareness with a new assertiveness about the continuous decrease in Hindu population in the country'.

          RSS is sure of the fact that census 2011 data will prove beyond any doubt that ‘for the first time in over a century the proportion of the Hindu population in the country has fallen below the 80 percent mark'. RSS ideologues think that the revelation of this data will greatly help in subtly change the core psyche of liberal Hindus. The decrease in Hindu population is psychologically important figure on India's religious demographics and what could be a cause for three cheers to RSS and Bhartiya Janta party if they can (mis)use this fact to prove their 'appeasement theory'.

          RSS top brass are keeping an eye over ‘the unique trend that the proportion of Hindus has shown a secular decline since 1961, matched by a corresponding increase in the proportion of Muslims’. BJP has a government in centre with clear majority. Therefore,  RSS is planning to address this issue in all its seriousness and feels that ‘the fact that proportion of Hindus has in the population shrunk from 83.4 percent in 1961 to below 80 percent in 2011 must get a focused attention’. RSS ideologues are of the opinion that Hindu population had come down to 80.5 percent according to the 2001 census and this trend matches with an almost equivalent proportional rise among the Muslims who had reached to 13.4 percent in 2001 from 10.7 in 1961 to 2001. RSS has also analyzed that decadal of Hindu population was 23.8 percent in 1961 which has now fallen to around 19 percent and in comparison, the growth in Muslim population has accelerated from 30.6 percent in 1961 to more than 35 percent now.

          RSS and BJP think tanks are working overtime to collect the data which can prove that even the crude birth rates—CBR—that show the number of births per thousand persons for Muslims is much higher than the Hindus. These think tanks think that whereas all India CBR average is 25.9 percent, for Hindus it is only 24.9 percent and for Muslims it is 30.8 percent—6 percent more than the Hindus. The comparison for total fertility rate for Hindu ad Muslim women has also been analyzed by BJP-RSS teams to prove their point.

          So, be ready to answer their questions first and don’t dare to ask that why it is for the first time that the country’s ruling party—BJP—does not have a single Muslim member in Loksabha? Why BJP had fielded only 7 Muslim candidates for 540-members’ Loksabha? Why for full 15 years when Narendra Modi was heading Gujarat, not a single Muslim was given a BJP ticket to contest in any of five Loksabha or assembly elections held during that period? How many Muslim candidates BJP is fielding in Jammu & Kashmir where out of one crore population around 70 lacs are Muslims? And, how many Muslim candidates are there from BJP in Jharkhand where Muslim population is around 38 lacs?

          One should also not ask the prime minister or BJP or RSS that why it is so that in spite of ruling more than one third of India’s population through BJP plus allies’ governments in nine states they have only one Muslim minister? These nine states have 151 ministers and the only fortunate Muslim minister is Yunus Khan in Rajsthan. One should also not ask that why in the assembly election for Maharashtra, BJP fielded only one Muslim candidate and in Haryana only two? Are both these states do not have sizable Muslim population?

          In a country where according to 2001 census the religious breakup between Hindus and Muslims is 80.5 and 13.4 percent and other minorities like Christians (2.3), Sikhs (1.9), Budhists (0.8) and Jains (0.4) practically have no polling booth level role in politics, the release of religious data of 2011 census with a specific purpose in mind is bound to make polarization process much deeper and faster. And, it will be both ways. One can also expect greater Muslim assertiveness immediately after census 2011 data is officially out.

Religious headcount is being undertaken since the first Census of India 1871-72. Colonel U.N. Mukherji had written a pamphlet in 1909—Hindus: A Dying Race. His projections were based on the study of three consecutive censuses 1881, 1891 and 1901. Mukherji met Swami Shraddhanand of Arya Samaj at Calcutta in 1911. His statistical and analytical study and the current data will provide ammunition to RSS and BJP and I can only pray, with my fingers crossed, that all the political outfits following the principals of inclusive politics are properly prepared to fight this battle from the beginning of 2015. It is high time when all the well meaning individuals and organisations with positive and liberal minds take a call to save the social fabric of India from these attacks.

Warning to Direct and Indirect Allies

by PANKAJ SHARMA

            Take it from me that Udhhav Thakre's Shiv Sena and Raj Thakre's Navnirman Sena in Maharashtra; Prakash Singh Badal's Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab; Jaylalta's AIDMK in Tamilnadu and Omprakash Choutala's Indian National Lok Dal and Kuldeep Vishnoi's Janhit Congress in Haryana will be completely marginalised on the political canvass by the time country goes to next Lok Sabha polls in 2019. Let me also tell you that Navin Patnaik's Biju Janta Dal in Odisha, Mamta Benarjee's Trinmool Congress in West Bengal and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh will be walking on a very rough road politically for next four-five years.

            And one does not have to be an astrologer to see this writing on the walls. RSS pracharak turned BJP leader, prime minister Narendra Modi can not afford to have allowed these political outfits become strong and flourish in the years to come. He had a strong sense of this reality from the day he took oath  as the prime minister around five months back that his survival in 2019 depends on the health of his own friends--individuals or organisations.

            Therefore we are witnessing a systematic alienation of BJP's allies and old guards. It had become quite obvious in the summers of 2013 when Narendra Modi started applying every possible tactic to capture BJP that he will not spare even the senior most leaders of his own party if they cross his way and will dump them ruthlessly. And he did it. Everybody in BJP had to tow his line and ultimately agree to his candidature as the prime minister.

            It was not only Lal Krishna Adwani who was sulking, but leaders like Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari were also not in favour of Modi initially. BJP's allies of course were against the idea of announcing Modi the prime ministerial candidate of NDA. But they had no guts to stop him and Modi ultimately high jacked everything and started asking the people to give his party 272 seats straight away. BJP allies might have dreaming for berths in NDA Government, but Modi had made it clear to them well before the results were out that they have no place in his scheme of things.

            Narendra Modi could crush all the dreams of the leaders of his own party and allies even when he was not occupying the highest chair of the country. Now he is the supremo of a government in which no other ministry or department or individual has any decisive role. Everything is run by Prime Minister's Office and Modi has 356 committed officers of his choice in PMO, out of them 64 work in his personal staff. Never ever after independence a prime minister had such a strong attendance of bureaucrats in the South Block. Even Atal Behari Vajpayee had a PMO of only 12 during last NDA Government and Dr Manmohan Singh effectively ran the country for 10 years only with a PMO of 11. Modi is enjoying an absolute control over his government as well as over his party through his trusted lieutenant Amit Shah. This can give him a tremendous appetite and temptation to swallow his allies as soon as possible and not wait for their natural phasing out.

            BJP has an eye on 141 Loksabha seats in addition to 282 which are already in its kitty and seriously working on the strategies to get the seats occupied by other right to centre political parties in different states. Jaylalta's 39, Mamta Benarjee's 34, Naveen Patnaik's 19, Udhhav Thakre's 18, Chandra Babu Naidu's 16, K. Chandrashekhar Rao's 11 and Prakash Singh Badal's 4 seats in sixteenth Loksabha are a reason of BJP's increasing saliva and it is very natural for a person like Narendra Modi who has a imperialistic approach to his politics to not to leave any stone unturned to achieve his goal. A person who thinks that the elections are not elections but wars and everything is fair in a war will go to any extent and will not hesitate in having a fight to finish even with his own people and like minded forces.

            As the organiser of L.K. Advani's Rath Yatra which left un-washable blood stains and as an administrator in Gujarat under whose watch state burnt and thousands were killed, Narendra Modi does not need to have a certificate from anybody of his organising and administrative capacities. His "Sabka Saath" slogan also does not need anybody's endorsement and everybody knows that no muslim was given BJP's ticket to contest in three Assembly and two Loksabha elections during the period when Modi was at the helm of affairs in Gujrat.

            So, this is the time when BJP's direct and indirect allies must be cautious because the threat is from enemy within. Sometimes the threat if extinction is more real than many realise. So, they really need to work hard on their threats.

And They Call It Tsunami

by PANKAJ SHARMA

            After the assembly elections for Haryana and Maharashtra, there are people, including Bhartiya Janta Party president Amit Shah, who have announced that it is 'Modi-Tsunami' in both the states. BJP leaders have also expressed their beliefs that the assembly elections in Delhi, Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir will prove the repeat performance of this 'tsunami' in coming months.

            I know that it looks foolish to swim against the tides and place the bare facts before everyone. But, I have certain questions in my mind which surely need to be answered. BJP has got a clear majority in Haryana with 47 seats and 33.2% votes. But can one ignore the fact that when around 1 crore 30 lac people went to polling booths why around 90 lac of them casted their votes against BJP? Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made it a point to have clear majority in Maharashtra, why then voters of Maharashtra did not give him a mandate to form the government without having the support from the people to whom he was 'the bird from Passeriformes order who becomes active during the fortnight of ancestors' (Pitrapaksh ke kouei)? Why out of 5 crore 20 lac voters who went to cast their votes in Maharashtra 3 crore 70 lac chose to go against the creator of this 'tsunami'? BJP could win 122 seats in Maharashtra, but it could get only 1 crore 47 lac votes.

            Nobody can deny the fact that Congress has not even lost but ended up third in Haryana and Maharashtra. It ruled Haryana for 10 years and headed the government in Maharashtra for 15 years in a stretch. Therefore, losing like this where you get only 15 seats in Haryana and 42 in Maharashtra, that too after a visible change of development and growth in both the states, should be a matter of deep introspection for the entire leadership of the Congress party. But I would take the liberty to pose some pertinent questions. If it was the continuation of 'Modi Hudhud' that started four and a half months back, how could a party with whom Modi wants the nation to get rid of attract nearly 1 crore voters in Maharashtra and more than 25 lac in Haryana? Congress has no right to celebrate the fact that BJP has come down in both states since May 2014. BJP had leads in more assembly segments in Maharashtra and Haryana during Loksabha elections than the actual seats it has won in October assembly elections. But a fact is a fact, however minor it is, and it should be taken note of.

            There are some more alarming indications that have come up from the results of these elections, specially from Maharashtra. It is now little more than a year since Supreme Court has given electorate the power to reject all candidates in an election by pressing NOTA, None Of The Above, button on the electronic voting machine. 'Modi Tsunami' is a phenomenon of last one year and normally nobody should probably feel like pressing this option if the country is obsessed with Narendra Modi and BJP. Why then in Maharashtra nearly half a million NOTA votes were registered? 50 lac may look a very small number. But do you know that this is more than what 9 political parties managed to get together in Maharashtra? And who are these parties? They are Samajwadi Party and CPM.  They are BJP's allies Republican Party and Rashtriya Samaj Paksh. It should be hard to ignore the fact that in a Naxal-affected constituency Garh-Chirouli, Nationalist Congress Party could get only 770 votes more than NOTA. BJP won there, NCP was second and NOTA was third with 17510 votes. What NOTA got in Maharashtra election is the figure which is more than what has given two seats to All India Majlis-e-Muslimeen, three seats to Bahujan Vikas Aghadi and one seat each to Bharipa Bhaujan Mahasangh and Rashtriya Samaj Paksh in the state assembly.

            Congress now has to address the challenges it is facing quickly, decisively, firmly and fearlessly to reinvent itself. No other party than Congress can lead the fight with a person of Narendra Modi's bulldozing persuasion without caring for democratic principals, electoral norms and human values. A strongly self obsessed man, that he is, Modi will go to any extent to achieve his dream of 'Congress free India'. While marching on this path, he will ruthlessly implement his plan of making irrelevant the individuals in his own party, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and its extended arms, strongly or loosely allied political groups and national icons. Congress, therefore, has a huge national responsibility to save the basic threads of our national fabric. Congress has to gear up without blinking and giving a second thought. India cannot revive its fortune unless Congress reinvents itself. It has to bring the real sense of politics under one umbrella.

             The hidden facts of these assembly elections seem not so discouraging for the Congress but it should not become a pillow of consolation on which one can take a siesta. Unless a roadmap of root and branch reforms is implemented immediately, Congress will find it increasingly difficult to win the confidence of voters. The rot in Congress has been long in the making and it is high time that Congress gets rid of its rent seekers. Only then Congress would be able to give a fitting reply to those who think that Modi has already setup a stall to get his second inning in 2019. Those who have some experience of witnessing the political storms from time to time and understand the political grammar of a complex country like ours would agree that there is still much hope of bouncing back for a party like Congress that led the movement for freedom, that united India and brought people of different religions and languages into a single political project and that has a universalist vision.

Iron Man and Iron Lady

by PANKAJ SHARMA

          Here was an 'iron man', born 139 years ago in 1875 who struggled with Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom struggle for our country--Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. He played the instrumental role to make India unified after independence.

          And, here was an 'iron lady', born 97 years ago in 1917 who fought for the unity, integrity and development of our country and whose life was snatched by her own bodyguards on a Wednesday morning in 1984--Indira Gandhi. She was the only prime minister assassinated in the line of duty.

          The iron man was born on 31st October and the iron lady martyred on 31st October. Sardar Patel and Indira Gandhi shared this date in history for and nation had been remembering both of them with great respect and affection for last so many years for their contributions.

          But this Friday, on 31st October, our newly elected prime minister Narendra Modi chose not to go to Shakti Sthal to pay homage to Indira Gandhi who sacrifised her life for the nation's unity. He rather preferred to offer his 'shradhanjali' to Indira Gandhi through a tweet. But we should be grateful to Modi for his large heartedness that he did not forget another national icon who worked in the Congress party throughout his life and went to Sardar Patel's statue to wish him Happy Birthday and even joined 'Run for Unity', which Modi piloted in Vadodara in Gujarat last year when he was chief minister. He has also declared the day of 31st October as 'Rashtriya Ekta Divas'.

          During an address at Rajpath before he opened the run, Modi told us that how Mahatma Gandhi was incomplete without Sardar Patel and conveniently forgot to tell that how Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru were the right and left hands of Mahatma Gandhi. Modi also reminded us, 'Let us not forget that a nation that disregards its history can never create one…Don’t divide history, legacy in narrow confined of ideology.' We surely must congratulate him on this realisation of truth. Modi cannot be unaware of the fact as he himself is a proud pracharak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh that Sardar Patel has always been a staunch Congressman, who after becoming the first home minister of India had to ban RSS just four days after Mahatma Gandhi became victim of Nathuram Godse's bullets. Patel signed the banning orders on 4 February 1948 and RSS chief Mahadev Sadashiv Golwalker was sent to jail after few days.

          The ban notification issued that time reads, "in practice, members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have not adhered to their professed ideals. Undesirable and even dangerous activities have been carried on by members of the Sangh...individual members of RSS have indulged in the acts of violence involving arson, robbery, dacoity and murder and have collected illicit arms and ammunition. They have been found circulating leaflets exhorting people to resort to terrorist methods, to collect firearms, to create disaffection against the government and suborn the police and the military. The activities have been carried on under a cloak of secrecy...".

          The government, of which Sardar Patel was the home minister, demanded RSS to reform itself. Patel wrote two important letters in this connection. One to Shyama Prasad Mookherjee and another to Golwalker. On 18 July 1948, Patel wrote to Mookharjee, "The activities of RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of the Government and the State.....as time has marched on, the RSS circles are becoming more defiant and are indulging in their subversive activities....in an increasing measure....".

          Sardar Patel wrote a letter to Golwalker on 11 September 1948 in which he outlined the "objectionable part" of RSS activities which "arose when they, burning with revenge, began attacking Mussalmaans...". This letter mentions how "As a final result of the communal poison the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhiji...". Patel further said that people's opposition to the RSS grew when "the RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji's death."

          Even two months after the letter to Golwalker Home Ministry headed by Sardar Patel issued a press note on 14 November 1948 which said that Golwalker wanted the ban on RSS to be lifted without agreeing to the government's demand. Press note also quoted information received from the provincial governments saying, "the activities carried on in various forms and waysbt the people associated with the RSS tend to be anti-national and often subversive and violent and persistent attempts are being made bt the RSS to revive an atmosphere in the country which was productive of such disastrous consequences in the past...".

          Celebrating Sardar Patel's birth anniversary could have been a welcome sign if there was no mischievous blink in the eyes of Narendra Modi and he would not have ridiculed the assassination of a serving prime minister by saying, “But it is unfortunate that 30 years ago, an event occurred that threatened India’s unity.” We all love Sardar Patel. Whole country salutes him for his contribution. But, I can say for sure that Modi's recently found love for Sardar Patel in impure. Let's have the world's tallest statue to remember Patel at a cost of rupees 2979 crores, but why Narendra Modi failed to release even rupees one crore to Sardar Patel Memorial Trust at Patel's birth place Karmasad when he was the chief minister of Gujarat and in that capacity was the ex-officio trustee of that trust? Modi apparently took no interest when the trust celebrated 135th birth anniversary of Patel in 2010. Even simple needs of the trust were not taken care of by Modi government in Gujarat for full 15 years. Congress-led union government gave a grant of rupees 22 crore in 2009 for the activities for running the activities of Sardar Patel Memorial Trust and to protect and maintain Patel's ancestral house in Karamsad.

          Sardar Patel must have been sulking by watching the petty politics played by the government on the "Day of Iron Man and Iron Lady" only because prime minister belongs to an outfit called Bhartiya Janta Party that is a political mask of its mother-organisation--RSS, whom Patel asked to make provision in its constitution and declare that it would not indulge in politics. Article 4-B of RSS constitution was included after this. But, who cares!

Where Have Family Silver Saviors Gone

by PANKAJ SHARMA

          Narendra Modi government had made its intentions clear in the budget presented to the parliament in July this year that it will go ahead for an aggressive disinvestment of blue chip public sector undertakings to meet its fiscal deficit target.

          To achieve his goals, Narendra Modi does not want to lose even a single minute. He is a man in hurry. So, it was only little more than after a month that on a Wednesday morning in the second week of September the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs cleared the sale of stakes in Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Coal India Limited and National Hydro Power Corporation Limited. The dilution of equity in ONGC, CIL and NHPC is expected to fetch Rs. 48,425 crore. The sale of 5% stakes of ONGC will make the pockets of the government heavier by Rs. 19,000 crore, 10% of CIL by Rs. 23,600 crore and 11.36% of NHPC by 3,100 crore.

          Its a huge privatisation drive by any measurement. It is not important that how one arrives at the price of any public sector unit, but in my opinion it can never be right. Because the very fact that a private purchaser finds the price worth buying the stakes even in a loss making PSU speaks a lot. These three companies are making huge profits and they are working in the areas where demand is already very high and increasing with a fast pace. Therefore, the Government of the day has an onus to answer the valid questions about the possible undervaluation of these companies.

          Narendra Modi government is in a mood to turn every stone possible to push the nation in an era of 'good times'. Next on the list of privatisation are the steel major Steel Authority of India Limited, premier gas distribution company Gas Authority of India Limited, key builder of our country's power stations Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and founding energy generator National Thermal Power Corporation. It is a matter of few months that SAIL, GAIL, BHEL and NTPC would be available for more dilution in an open market where retail to institutional to financial investors will have a right to choose their booty.

          I have some polite questions to ask. Where have all the saviors of  family silver gone now? Why are Mohan Bhagwat and Suresh Bhaiya Joshi of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and Ram Madhav who has recently been sent to Bhartiya Janta party from RSS are tight lipped? Why Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh and Bhartiya Kissan Sangh are shying away to raise a voice against the commencement of the sale of family silver to some of the biggest corporate houses? Is this not the time to take a honest review of Indian privatisation experience because the fact remains is that almost none of the disinvestment receipts of Rs. 1,52,790 crore in last more than two decades could form any capital and practically nothing of this money was utilised to launch any social programme. All the proceeds have gone to meet the immediate day-to-day expenditures.

        The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, trade union wing of the Sangh Parivar, observed 'save public sector' week and organised nationwide protest rallies against the disinvestment from 21 to 28 October last year when Congress-led UPA government was in power. Why is BMS silent now when Narendra Modi has offered the largest privatisation plan in the history of disinvestments to a bunch of capitalists who have already gained a lot at the cost of government enterprises? Let me remind present day leadership of BMS that they belong to a legacy of Dattopant Bapurao Thengadi who had the courage to raise the flag against the BALCO privatisation done by the NDA government headed by Atal Behari Vajpayee and organised a hugely attended rally in the capital on 15 April 2001.

       Isn't it surprising that the same RSS which was criticising not only UPA for disinvestments in last ten years, but had also strongly criticised Vajpayee for his disinvestment policies has now been made to shut its mouth. I still remember that it was the last day of the first week of September in 2002, when Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment met. A day before this, senior leader and spokesperson of RSS, M.G. Vaidya told the journalists that "certain key questions were relevant on selling profit making PSUs as well as those in the strategic areas like Railways, Defence Production and the Oil sector". Two months after this, he again repeated RSS' views and told the media that it has been made clear to prime minister Vajpayee what RSS wants.

       Those were the days when ideologues like K.N. Govindacharya were also intensely expressing their views against Vajpayee government's disinvestment policy and were of the view that privatisation cannot be the panacea of the problems and disinvesting even the loss making PSUs will have an adverse impact on the labour force of the country. Govindacharya, that time, was undertaking a thorough study of the effects of globalisation and liberalisation in India. He used to tell everybody that liberalisation and globalisation are 'explosives' and pursuing perestroika and glasnost without giving any thought to its consequences might have a negative impact on the nation’s development. RSS then wanted Vajpayee to not even think of disinvesting profit making PSUs and rather seriously implement a plan to turn over loss making units. Same RSS and its ideologues are helplessly looking with their blank eyes at the large scale privatisation plans of its own one-time pracharak. They know, Narendra Modi is no Atal Behari Vajpayee who was liberal enough to at least listen to dissents. Modi is Modi and it is for this reason that even organisations like All India Trade Union Congress, Centre of Indian Trade Unions and National Labour Organisation are also perhaps can't dare to refuse to dance on the tunes Modi plays.