Telangana Issue: The need for a Statesman and not a bureaucratic leader as PM

When the Telangana agitation slipped out of TRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao's hands and taken by students of Osmania University in Hyderabad, there were violent incidents witnessed and infiltration of radicals, the students’ wing of Maoists in the campus of Osmania, created panic in Union home ministry. The home ministry pressed the panic button based on intelligence reports warning of a possible resurgence of Maoist violence in Telangana around the sentiment for a separate state. Home minister P Chidambaram pushed the assessment based on intelligence reports to the core committee that met to resolve the Telangana issue and there was a hasty decision taken on Telangana statehood.

With the decision of the centre to let Andhra break up, the demand from other regions for separation is gathering some speed. Leaders in Vidharba, Bundelkhand , UP, WB, Tamilnadu, Gujrat see a window of opportunity to break away from the larger entities of which they are now a part. Letting Telangana separate from Andhra has opened a pandora's box. What we see in the entire episode is political opportunism, lack of political wisdom and the actual issue the development of the underdeveloped regions has taken a back seat.

A larger issue is the very question of the viability and need for smaller states across the country. This issue requires sensitivity and foresight from the political establishment, something that has been sorely missing so far. In the entire process, we have not seen the prime minister of India taking any decision while as a PM he has to do something. While we have seen that, the demands for separate state are based on backwardness of a region and not based on one language and one state formula, it would be wiser on part of the government to immediately set up new State Reorganization Committee rather than announcing a separate statehood for Telangana.

Jinnah, Nehru, Singh, BJP and the Congress

Jaswant Singh's comments on Jinnah and Nehru on partition of India created a furor in the political circles especially in BJP and a wide coverage by media to it as if we do not have any other major issues to report or discuss. Is it necessary or important to debate whether it is Jinnah or Nehru and congress leaders’ attitude towards Indian Muslim League that divided India or whether Jinnah is a secular Muslim leader?

Until recently, I viewed BJP as an alternative national party to congress with good political leaders in its cadre but not anymore. The party now has only aging leaders and does not have any young blood or leaders with a mass appeal. Narendranath Modi is an exception. This incidence of expulsion of Jaswant Singh because he has written a book that is not in the line of party’s view indicates that the party does not have any internal democracy. This expulsion reflects its leaders lost wisdom. Why because Jaswant Singh in his book said it is because of Nehru and his congress India was partitioned. This line of thought appears to be more anti congress than pro Jinnah secular credentials. Instead of buying this argument to bash congress on this point, it expelled the author.

Congress leaders too failed on their part. Had political leaders of India had some wisdom they could have used this book as an opportunity in improving Indo-Pak relationship which shadowed by suspicion. There is a chance to win some hearts in Pakistan. Now it is required for our own benefit. Like in India, the media across the border given much publicity to this book and showered praises on Jaswant. An opportunity lost.

So joining the bandwagon, let us take a look at Jinnah’s life to know whether he is secular or not. Our generation does not know whether Jinnah is a secularist or its congress leader’s attitude under Nehru’s influence is the root cause of partition. However, from the history records it is known that Jinnahbhai is a grandson of a Hindu Rajput who later on converted to Islam and shifted to Sindh province. He later on went to London studied and practiced Law there. Jinnah came under considerable pressure to return home when his father's business was ruined. Settling in Bombay, he became a successful lawyer. He joined Indian national congress in 1896. Eventually, he joined the Indian Muslim league in 1913 and became the president in 1916. In 1918, Jinnah married his second wife Rattanbai Petit Parsi woman in Mumbai against the will of both the families and orthodox Muslim leaders. She bore Jinnah his only child, daughter Dina Jinnah. Jinnah later became estranged from his daughter after she decided to marry a Parsi-born Christian businessperson, Neville Wadia.

Jinnah created Pakistan to secure his position in politics. He, himself told, "I alone with the help of my secretary and my typewriter won Pakistan for the Muslims". This makes it clear that he created a space for Muslim in which he will have a firm position, which may not have been possible in a united India as Jinnah only had support of Muslims.

We do not know the intention of Jinnah but his actions shows that he was not secular but he understood the importance of secularism. He comes across as an opportunist political leader put his own personal interests ahead of Nation or his people.

Turnaround of Indian Railways - Lalu's style

Today I was anxiously logged into http://irctc.co.in/ an Indian Railways online reservation web site to book rail tickets from Secunderabad to Pune on 2nd of March 2008 under Tatkal scheme before the quota gets over. I was lucky enough to have a few bearth's in 2 tier AC available in Konark express (the other most convenient train Mumbai express is always full even under Tatkal quota). For this I have to book a ticket from Bhubaneswar from the train originating station until its destination boarding at Secunderabad. (If I forget to mention this after one station from Bhubaneswar my ticket gets cancelled). So far so good. I paid the money using my creadit card and yes now I can see the bearths are alloted. I my eyes ran through the ticket to see if evrything is ok. I missed out something...yes, though the train starts from Bhubaneswar on 1st March it reaches Secunderabad on the next day i.e. 2nd March my boarding point. Errr....I made a mistake now my date of journey sorry boarding at Secunderabad is on 3rd March. That changed my entire schedule.. So I decided to cancel the ticket. I was told by the customer service of the Indian railways on cancellation the refund would be only 25% if it is made with in 24 hours from the date of trains departure. Just 25%?!!!!! I booked it 5 days in advance. Since I didn't have much option I had to cancel the ticket after cancellation the mentioned for refund is less than 25%. Thats cheating.....!

Today Incidently it is railways Budget day presented by great Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav who turn around Indian railways from a losemaking unit to a profitable organisation. And even claimed that it is better than fortune 500 companies. One thing I must say this guy has got a lot of political and crimainal brain other wise no one else can achieve this. How he achieved it now everyone can guess.

Initially when tatkal quota was introduced only a few bearths are available under it and you have to book 24 hours before the departure and now you can book 5 days in advance and many more bearths available. That means less bearths for those who want to book the tickets in general quota. Passenger who book ticket under tatkal scheme has to book for enitre journey of the train. If he cancells it only 25% is refunded or even less. Now imagine how much money he is making out of it.

Now lets see the general quota tickets. If you have to book a round trip ticket than you would pay a little extra. How?! lets see. If you have to book a ticket from Secunderabad to Pune it would cost you some Rs X/- and if you buy it from Pune then it would cost you some Rs X+Y/- the difference could be Rs 10 per bearth in for sleeper class and for upper classes its even more. Now how many people in a year travel between Pune and Secunderabad and back. Now calculate how much money railways would have made that way.

Its Indian Railways way of unethical business.....ofcourse you can never expect any better from Lalu Prasad Yadav under whose stewardship the Indian railways is flourishing. One hand he says reducing the fare on the other he wouldn't even mention these things upfront. He even gives guest lectures to Harvard Management graduates on Railways case study. God only knows what lecture he gives to them.

WANTED!...... Leaders

Leaders in Politics
Business Leaders
Sports Leaders
Technology Leaders
Spiritual Leaders

Do we Indians have one now? We had them before India attained independence. Now do we have one? When I search answer to this question hardly I get an answer. Except a few business leaders why don’t we see spiritual leaders, statesmen and politicians like Swami Vivekananda, MK Gandhi, Nehru, Vallabhai Patel, Subhash ChandraBose etc any more? We had great personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Subrahmanya Bharati, Gurajada Apparao, Gurram Jaashuva, Viswanatha Satyanarayana and many more in literature field. Now hardly any that can match the stature of the previous generation.

What went wrong after Independence? Pre Independence there was a cause. Everyone Intellectual be it educationalists, reformers, lawyers, Journalists or politicians took up the cause and motivated many others. People were less greedy not that selfish as most of us do today.

Once the goal is accomplished the generation after Independence didn’t had any major national goal, direction or guidance. Every one got busy in their personal livelihood. Politicians are interested in the power. Educated elite who got subsidised education from the premier institutes like IITs gone abroad in search of better life every one is busy in their own life trusting the government would do what it ought to do. People who are in the governance became greedy and selfish and gradually corruption became big menace. Almost every citizen is corrupted. They are corrupted by thoughts, corrupted by means and corrupted by their deeds. Hence it is never a big issue now. Every one tried to out score the other by hook or crock.

Population grew at faster pace put pressure on the available resources. This fuelled the competition and gave chance to few to exploit it in terms of castes, religion, social status and economic status. Politicians whose main agenda to stay in power exploited it further. Entire system became inefficient and corrupt. It also had a positive effect on few whose struggle to survive created a burning desire to achieve something on their own. It made them work hard and taste the success without any major support from anybody.

Compulsions made India to open up its markets. This led a rapid growth in some sectors. This also increased a gap between haves and have not’s While a section of society are becoming wealthier and started to enjoy better life style. People who immigrated to foreign lands are started coming back. Other sections of the society especially the rural population is struggling for the livelihood. After 60 years of Independence the government of Independent India failed to provide the basic enmities to all its citizens. The growth story which it is boasting of is not its own but it is the story of a few who made it possible.

Now almost everyone blames the politicians, the babus. It is a common drawing room discussion. The NRIs feel sorry for the country and would happy to donate some funds for some cause. And none is ready to jump and take up the responsibility or perform the duties. A major portion of the Indian population is middle class and yet only a small portion of this population votes. Upper class hardly cast their vote. So the politicians know very well about their vote bank. They promise the moon. They announce populist’s schemes which hardly make any economic sense. Anti social elements enter the politics to make more money. Politics became a next stage to the aging glamour stars to continue to be in the glory of the media without doing anything to the society. Politics became a family business to many more. The main agenda of all the political parties is power. By hook or crook get the power is the agenda of all the parties. For this some take up unnecessary and unwanted religious cause, some take up the cause of poor without any sincerity, some in the name of secularism. None has any vision for the country any goal for the country and guidance plan for the country.

Media role is also to be blamed. Earlier in pre Independence era it played a vital role. The journalism was at its best. News motivated many. Media took up many issues. Now do we see any of those? Every one is busy getting more viewer ship to his or her story. They side either one party or another. They take up issues which would increase the ratings hardly any valid vital issues. Some might argue that it is not 100% true by showing some news stories which indeed picked up certain issues. The question is how they handled it. They handle the issues with some bias. Selective in their sampling, selective in their presentation, glorify unwanted things and hardly any journalism is there. They also play to the galleries.

In this context I again ask this question to myself to every one do we have a real leader now. What we should do to get rid of the situation. A country, whose average age of the population is around 25-28 years, has got some 70-80+ olds as leaders. India appears to be facing a crisis of leadership. Public governance has all but collapsed. In critical areas such as public administration, education and healthcare, there's little or no confidence left in government's ability to deliver a modicum of service without having to grease a few palms. Corruption is endemic, the bureaucracy is a shadow of what it once was, and the political class for most part appears to have neither the vision nor the ability nor the stomach nor even the inclination to fix the system.

India is at a stage in its life where it's poised for greater glory. This sounds like a cliché, but the potential is truly limitless. What we need to do is move from India Poised to India Realised. We need to find the right buttons. We believe the multiplier effect of good governance will be mind-boggling. And it's the traditionally disenfranchised and neglected sections of society who stand to benefit the most --- people who survive on the margins of society, who have no access to housing, healthcare, education or even justice. The elite of our society can find ways around poor governance --- they can send their children to expensive schools and colleges at home or abroad; same with medical treatment; and they are less exposed to the injustices of the system compared to that child or woman who calls the pavement her home. But as a nation, true progress will continue to elude us until such time as we can integrate at least an overwhelming number of our people into the mainstream.

What is needed to change this situation? If we allow this to continue do we have a future? What would be the position of this country in the world? I heard many including the politicians saying young people should get in to the politics and take up the responsibility to clean up this system. Yes we are ready but does the present day system allow that? Even if the younger generation joins the politics can we see more leaders? The need of the hour is leadership. We need leaders not only in politics but in every other area.

Are Leaders are born are made? I don’t want to get in to this discussion. What I believe is you don't have to head a country, or a business empire, or even a sports team to be a leader. There's a leader within each one of us, just waiting for the right moment to emerge. A leader, who doesn't just make big promises, but keeps even the small ones, a leader who realises his dreams by helping others to fulfil theirs, a leader who believes in others even when they don't believe in themselves, a leader who doesn't just wring his hands impotently while blaming the system, but sets out to change it. even if the leaders are born they need to groomed or trained. What is needed then? We need an education that grooms the leadership abilities in oneself. Corporate sector is aware of this and run some leadership programmes from time to time that address their leadership needs. We need more such programmes to groom political leadership.

We need people with ability to conceive of a goal for the nation into specific, pragmatic action points, ability to rally people around ideas, ability to execute and resilience.