Aloo politics

Railway minister Lalu Prasad is an unhappy man these days because the Supreme Court has stayed the lifting of ban on Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Earlier, a special tribunal had revoked the central government’s order seeking extension of the ban on the outfit, and Lalu was quick to express his pleasure with the decision. SIMI was an organisation of innocent boys, he said. At least, they were as innocent as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers. If at all a ban is to be imposed, he said, both RSS and SIMI must come under its purview.Perceived to be minority-friendly, the SIMI issue seemed to have given Lalu a long-lost opportunity to placate Muslims. More so, as some opponents of the Indo-US nuclear deal had recently tried to provoke Muslims by saying that deal was “anti-Muslim”. Also, lately, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader is seen spending more time (at least on television) in defending the UPA government rather than pursuing his own brand of politics.But whatever his critics might say, Lalu knows best when to hog the limelight with catchy phrases and slogans. Not too long ago, a unique political symbol was used to define his importance in Bihar. Aloo (potato), rhyming with Lalu, was used to coin a slogan: “Jab tak rahega samose mein aloo, tab tak rahega Bihar mein Lalu” (as long as samosa continues to be stuffed with aloo, Bihar will be ruled by Lalu).Alas! Rising inflation seems to have kept aloo beyond the reach of samosa-wallahs, ruining whatever chances Lalu had of making a comeback in Bihar. And just when he thought an opportunity had come his way, the apex court’s stay order on SIMI ban has dampened all his expectations. However, knowing Lalu’s acumen, it won’t take him long to invent a new slogan or catch phrase glorifying himself once again.

Azamgarh’s stars

Of late, everyone knows about Azamgarh, one among many not-so-significant districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. It took the recent blasts in Delhi for all the attention to zoom in on this economically backward area. Today, the place is in the news for ‘nurturing’ the ‘dreaded mafia’ as well as suspected terrorists.“Abu Salem is one among many who got their lessons in crime here”, is how Azamgarh is being projected after the recent arrests of some youth, alleged to have played a key role in the recent bomb blasts across the country. Prime time national television space is replete with terms like ‘Azamgarh ya Atankgarh’ or ‘Azamgarh – Den of Terror’. Even the UP government, indulging in political blame-game, has blamed the previous government for making Azamgarh a nursery for anti-social elements.But, amid all this talk of terror, only a few know that this place was once the epicentre of learning and produced scholars of great repute. Rahul Sankrityayan, one of the most widely-travelled scholars, also known as mahapandit for his great works during the pre- and post-independence period, was jailed for three years for his nationalist anti-British writings and speeches. Sankrityayan was awarded a Padma Bhushan in 1963. His famous book Volga se Ganga has been translated in various languages across the world.Kaifi Azmi, the well-known Urdu poet, who spoke the language of peace through some of his great works, gave a new dimension to this place, which came to be known as a intellectual hub or ‘Home of Scholars’. There are many more such illustrious names.It is ironical that despite such shining stars and historic glory Azamgarh was unknown to the country till a few ‘symbols of terror’ shook its reputation. May be, the times have changed.
Ajay Kumar Shukla

Farmers’ woes

If you are used to living in abnormal conditions, it becomes a problem when you face a normal situation. This is what seems to have happened to farmers in north India. With the monsoon behaving normally this year, farmers have been caught unawares, as they had got accustomed to an erratic monsoon for many years in the past.People residing in some areas of north India, and farmers in particular, had taken recourse to innovative agricultural practices and a shift in crop pattern to tackle the problem of insufficient rains. But this year all their calculations seem to have gone awry.Weary after years of dependence on the monsoon, farmers in UP have started sowing crops that require less water, such as pulses and oilseeds. Just when life seemed to be on a somewhat smooth track, excessive rains created havoc, destroying all such crops. Rainwater flooded the fields, completely ruining the standing crops. Besides, there is widespread fear that stagnant water may lead to plant diseases, further adding to farmers’ woes.We all hear about global concerns over the impact of climate change, but it is farmers who will be hit the hardest. Heavy floods, drought and other ecological disturbances have been wreaking havoc around the world. A country like India, where agriculture is still largely dependent on the monsoon, needs to think of ways to tide over these threats from nature. Look at the misery of the people of Bihar after the Kosi river changed its course? Closer cooperation between affected countries is the need of the hour.The times have really changed. Why, otherwise, should a normal monsoon be a cause of worry, even threatening the livelihood of some, as it happened in Uttar Pradesh?
Ajay Kumar Shukla

Faking it

Ajay Kumar Shukla
Of late, Uttar Pradesh seems to have become a hub for fake currency notes. In fact, dealing in fake currency has become a lucrative ‘business’ in districts situated on the Uttar Pradesh side of the porous India-Nepal border. According to UP police statistics, the racket has been on for quite some time, with nearly 300 cases registered in 70 districts last year. However, the government sprung into real action only after Opposition members created a ruckus in the recently concluded Vidhan Sabha session, alleging the involvement of senior police and bank officers. Alas, as has been the case earlier, only the small fish — the agents and sub-agents — have been arrested till now. Most of them are unemployed youth being used as couriers.Fake currency notes entering the country from the Pakistan side of the border was nothing new for intelligence agencies, but the opening of a new window — Nepal — as well as the alleged involvement of bank and police officers has sent law enforcement agencies into a tizzy. A raid on the country’s leading public sector bank, State Bank of India’s Domariaganj branch, yielded fake currency notes worth Rs 1.70 crore in the chest of the branch. According to the UP special task force, the seized currency was printed in Pakistan and entered the country through Kathmandu and Dhaka.The enormity of the racket and its impact on the country’s economy and security has prompted the Reserve Bank of India to announce withdrawal of some series of currency notes with effect from Januuary 2009. However, these measures will only take care of the symptoms of a larger malaise affecting these economically backward districts, where a large number of unemployed youth are being lured into anti-social activities with the prospect of making a fast buck. While these boys get caught and lose their ‘livelihood’, the corrupt big fish go scot free.

Picking global cues

In this era of high technology and speedy communication, there is so much information criss-crossing the world that sometimes it becomes difficult to keep pace with changes happening around us.Take, for instance, the ongoing global meltdown. Recently, while on a visit to my hometown Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, I had an interesting experience. During my usual daily strolls with friends in my neighbourhood, I found that people were well aware about the global recession and its impact on the stock market. I came across many people discussing reforms and stimulus packages over a cup of tea. Time had really moved fast, I thought.It was like witnessing one of those feel-good campaigns one saw during the last elections, until one day I found out the amusing reason behind all this. Near my house there is a public call office (PCO). Until recently, this PCO wore a deserted look, thanks to the mobile phone revolution. But things were different this time. I found at least a dozen people flocking the nearby PCO booth throughout the day. It looked as if the happy business days were back again for the PCO.I asked the nearby paanwala (betelnut seller) if the PCO was back in business. He said, “Arrey, ye toh satta lagane walo ki bheed hai” (this is a crowd of those who come here for betting). I asked him what they were betting on since no cricket series was underway. The paanwala’s reply was interesting. He told me that these people came here everyday to bet on how much the stock market would rise or fall. Since it was a weekend and the stock market was closed, I asked him what these people were betting on? Pat came the reply in a matter-of-fact tone, “Bhaiyya, aaj Dow Jones toh khula hai na” (Brother, the Dow Jones is open for trading today).

Political outcasts

The recent Supreme Court judgement barring Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt from contesting elections is a landmark in Indian electoral history. This seems to be the beginning of the end of the road for criminals who aspire to enter social life. The verdict will certainly strengthen the faith of people in the Indian judiciary and discourage political parties from fielding candidates with criminal backgrounds. Sanjay Dutt is an actor and all that he does on screen should not be considered his real self. It was his good acting in the Munna Bhai series that got him acclaim. But that doesn’t mean he can seek the people’s mandate by projecting himself as a great human being, as played out in his movies. If he feels that his acting should be kept in mind while granting him the liberty to contest elections, then why forget his flicks such as Khalnayak, where he acted as an anti-national criminal. One hopes his political mentor (Samajwadi Party’s Amar Singh) will some day see the logic of this, too. There have been reports of Sanjay’s alleged links with the underworld even while he was out on bail. His alleged conversations with members of the dreaded Mumbai mafia have been aired on various television news channels. This is not the first time that a political aspirant has been snubbed. The people of this country should refuse to be taken for granted. The illiterate majority is mature enough to realise that people convicted for criminal activities should no longer serve them. The best case in point is the crushing defeat of Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren, who tried to make it to the Lower House. Soren lost the election even though he had the entire state government machinery working for him. It is time the electorate showed the door to such people, no matter how big and powerful, and disallowed them from participating in the democratic process.

Dance of democracy

MM ere paas ma hai (I have mother) — the M famous dialogue from a popular Hindi M movie seems apt in many situations, be it promotional ads or corporate and political wars. As the final round of polling takes place today and moves to form a new government begin, the question preceding this filmy dialogue seems perfectly in place for politicos out there: Tumhare paas kya hai? (Who is with you?) From north to south, (both regions are said to be vital in deciding who will rule the country for the next five years) every political party, small and big, has started assessing the post-poll scenario. In the north, Congress seems happy with Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad and Ramvilas Paswan, while rival BJP is riding high on its alliance with Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal and Janata Dal (United).
In the south, the situation is a bit grim. With the entry of actor Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam in Andhra Pradesh, no one knows which political party will be on which side after the day of counting on May 16.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti is already sailing in two different boats in the state and the Centre. In Tamil Nadu, rivals Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi are being courted by everyone. Whether all their prepoll partners will stand together in the post-poll scenario is the biggest guessing game being played out.
Move to the west, and the game has started there, too. In Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar is leaving no stone unturned to garner support across the spectrum to fulfil his ambition of becoming the prime minister.
In the east, Trinamool’s Mamata Banerjee is already planning her next move as her alliance partner, Congress, has once again started warming up to her key rivals, the Left parties, with the latter too making the right noises. Political alliances seems to be changing by the hour, leaving the voter in the world’ largest democracy perplexed as never before.