I wrote this on July 22, 2008, a day after the Prime Minister's speech in Parliament. The article was published in Instablogs, which was at that time a promising start-up, open for journalists and bloggers alike without much of editorial control. The article, as I recollect, was also featured. I don't find the link working now, and the article is missing,so posting it here to save it. (Instablogs also looks and feels very different from what it was in 2008, so the earlier articles appear to have been taken down or archived somewhere, a search for titles does not pull up any results. On the Internet, I find the article only at page https://www.mail-archive.com/rti_india@yahoogroups.com/msg00507.html
This was written to point out several Developmental Challenges. Though no disrespect was intended for the party in power, my style of writing was too direct and rather sharp. It could also be seen that I was far more critical about the other major Opposition Party, which happens to be doing very well in politics at the moment, so not only was I totally undiplomatic in writing this in 2008, but more so in thinking of posting it in the blog, almost six years later in 2014 (Saved then as a draft in the blog and published another 10 years later) :) However it might serve a purpose if the Powerful Leaders on both sides take this well, as well meant, and ignore the errors and blunders in expression.
This is what I wrote. Reproduced here verbatim:
Reply to the Prime Minister's Closing Speech by a Surprised Common Man
Instablogs.com,July 22, 2008
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
This response comes from someone who has rationally and irrationally trusted the Congress Party. Rational because there are many eminent and respectable politicians and good leaders in the Congress Party. Irrational, because of a subconscious notion that this is the same party that fought for our independence.
It comes from someone who has not been impressed by the BJP which was founded on the Hindutva ideology, that is erroneously mistaken for the Hindu religion which happens to be unfathomably profound and broad.
This introduction is necessary as a disclaimer, otherwise this reply could be seen as pro-opposition. It is not.
Who wrote the first page of your speech, Mr Prime Minister? The first part of your speech read more like an irate last minute addition that happened after the sensational BJP episode in parliament? Your speech surprised me.
You urged L K Advani to change his astrologers which was witty, perfectly timed humor. Excellent. But you went on to lampoon the Leader of the Opposition by saying "To atone for his sins, he suddenly decided to visit Pakistan and there he discovered new virtues in Mr.Jinnah." That was harsh and unexpected.
After all the ad hominem you went on to talk about the UPA's efforts and achievements. "Is every step that you are taking in your arduous journey making a difference", and have you made any progress in "alleviating poverty"? Your government has made poverty more intense and far more miserable than it used to be. All the economic progress that your government has made in the last four years can best be dubbed as Leela Penta progress - We have in India hotels with $600 a room-night rooms far more luxurious than the ones in Europe and United States, boutiques selling the same merchandise as found in the fashion districts of Paris, all the cars that drive along the autobahn, Pepsi, Diet Coke, Barrista and Godiva. Suddenly the gap between India and the the developed world has disappeared. It has disappeared in cities. Not in entire cities, but in the fashionable neighborhoods of cities and in corporate work places. A visiting American would certainly find better decor, better air-conditioning and trendier computers.
You have built cars second to none in styling and performance, you have built computers as powerful, roads as wide as those in the West, but have you made better rail coaches for the common man? Have you done anything to improve the queuing system in train stations? Have you ever bothered to inspect the quality of coffee served in train stations? Have you made the way side restaurants any more hygienic? Do long distance buses break journey for Dinner or Lunch at locations any more healthy? Have you built tolerable public toilets anywhere in India? Have you improved the quality of education in government schools and colleges? Or at least, have you ensured that the private colleges are easy to start for those who have an interest and commitment to education rather than to those who see education as one of the most profitable fields of business? Do officials in government departments attend to their work with any greater sense of commitment?
Have you recruited better public servants or trained those in public service to have greater commitment to public service? Have you taken any steps to improve the caliber of politicians and the quality of politics in the country? ( I am not saying that the answer to these questions is a sweeping "No" but all that is done, if any, is not visible and just not enough). What have you done to improve the legal and law and order climate in the country?
Four years ago I asked Naveen Jindal, Milind Deora, Manvender Singh and BJ Panda present as young parliamentarians from different parties about Judicial reforms at a TiE Conference in New Delhi. The answer was candid: It would take three years for the Parliament to reach a consensus. After that it would take several years to implement the reforms. It is now four years and we still have a Judiciary with archaic practices and a pathetic court administration. There are 30 million ( or more ? ) pending cases that would take 30 years to dispose of, not counting the cases that would mount during the 30 years. There are about a quarter million under-trials languishing in jails. Even if one out of the quarter million happens to be innocent but had been in jail it would be a shame. Was this your priority or was it at least one of your priorities? Or has the status quo been convenient for you?
Do we have a Law and Order mechanism that we can trust? How many people in India have faith in Police? In the last four years has the average policeman become any more polite? Any more reliable? Any more easy to talk to? On the one hand they are limited by the status quo of subservience to politicians and on the other hand they are excessive by the absence of adequate regulation.
It is a form of anarchy that prevails in India, not Democratic Governance. Deora and others said three years and it is four years now. You should have convened an extra ordinary session of parliament on Day 1 of your government with a whip to the Members of Parliament to stay indoor and not leave until Judicial Reforms are thoroughly discussed and decided.
You have waived farm loans, but have you looked at the reasons why farming has become capital intensive even for the small and marginal farmer? Today it takes a lot of money to buy seeds and the seeds happen to be infertile. It takes a lot of expensive fertilizers and other chemicals to nurture the plants in a farm and these happen to be toxic. What happened to our traditional methods of farming? Have you done anything to help the small farmer by ensuring a flow of water? Have you done anything to nationalize the rivers and equitably distribute the flow of water in canals? Have you implemented micro credit mechanism effectively so as to eliminate the need for farmers to borrow from traders and in several cases from local loan sharks?
Your government in the last four years has imported coca cola and paco rabanne, have you thought of importing standards in politics, national and local governance, law and order, hygiene and healthcare?
I think the problem with your government is that you adore the West for its superficial glamour and not for its inherent values. Your government has been following the west indiscriminately and have been implementing western designs even those that the West find it difficult to cope up with. For instance: You have imported western models of insurance which would sooner or later deduct as much as 7 to 10% of every one's annual income under various heads of insurance.
There is so much that India can learn from the West and at the same time there is so much that the West can learn from India. Esoteric literature proclaims that 'Knowledge flows from East to West', but unfortunately East India has been looking upto the West for any kind of knowledge during the last several years. Has any of your Business Promotion councils ever done any research on a the possibilities of promoting a global chain of fast food Indian restaurants to take on the Pizza and Burger outfits? How many of the Trade Administrators in your Government have initiated a national business plan to launch Indian dolls or to scale up the Indian Cinema? Your government hasn't been a match to the Western Governments that have exported the Burger, Barbie and Hollywood to India.
Your government has done a lot of work. It has promoted certain sectors of business and had made India far more respectable. India's stature in the World has considerably improved. But there is a flaw. The flaw is that there is an element of opinionated arrogance in your government that refuses to consider diverse points of view. It has been a form of closed door policy making which is perhaps what caused all the chaos in parliament yesterday.
It is necessary to have a strong opposition. A few years ago there used to be constructive cooperation and even a healthy understanding between opposition parties, though it was not easily visible for the common man to see. What happened to all that? If there was any of such healthy politics still remained as of yesterday, your speech almost attempted to wipe it out of existence.
After your speech and the victory, it is now time to attentively listen to the opposition and what it has to say right or wrong. Everything that your Government has done in the last four years and every decision that you have made in the last four years can'€™t be argued as all perfect. No, not all of it.
This was written to point out several Developmental Challenges. Though no disrespect was intended for the party in power, my style of writing was too direct and rather sharp. It could also be seen that I was far more critical about the other major Opposition Party, which happens to be doing very well in politics at the moment, so not only was I totally undiplomatic in writing this in 2008, but more so in thinking of posting it in the blog, almost six years later in 2014 (Saved then as a draft in the blog and published another 10 years later) :) However it might serve a purpose if the Powerful Leaders on both sides take this well, as well meant, and ignore the errors and blunders in expression.
This is what I wrote. Reproduced here verbatim:
Reply to the Prime Minister's Closing Speech by a Surprised Common Man
Instablogs.com,July 22, 2008
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
This response comes from someone who has rationally and irrationally trusted the Congress Party. Rational because there are many eminent and respectable politicians and good leaders in the Congress Party. Irrational, because of a subconscious notion that this is the same party that fought for our independence.
It comes from someone who has not been impressed by the BJP which was founded on the Hindutva ideology, that is erroneously mistaken for the Hindu religion which happens to be unfathomably profound and broad.
This introduction is necessary as a disclaimer, otherwise this reply could be seen as pro-opposition. It is not.
Who wrote the first page of your speech, Mr Prime Minister? The first part of your speech read more like an irate last minute addition that happened after the sensational BJP episode in parliament? Your speech surprised me.
You urged L K Advani to change his astrologers which was witty, perfectly timed humor. Excellent. But you went on to lampoon the Leader of the Opposition by saying "To atone for his sins, he suddenly decided to visit Pakistan and there he discovered new virtues in Mr.Jinnah." That was harsh and unexpected.
After all the ad hominem you went on to talk about the UPA's efforts and achievements. "Is every step that you are taking in your arduous journey making a difference", and have you made any progress in "alleviating poverty"? Your government has made poverty more intense and far more miserable than it used to be. All the economic progress that your government has made in the last four years can best be dubbed as Leela Penta progress - We have in India hotels with $600 a room-night rooms far more luxurious than the ones in Europe and United States, boutiques selling the same merchandise as found in the fashion districts of Paris, all the cars that drive along the autobahn, Pepsi, Diet Coke, Barrista and Godiva. Suddenly the gap between India and the the developed world has disappeared. It has disappeared in cities. Not in entire cities, but in the fashionable neighborhoods of cities and in corporate work places. A visiting American would certainly find better decor, better air-conditioning and trendier computers.
You have built cars second to none in styling and performance, you have built computers as powerful, roads as wide as those in the West, but have you made better rail coaches for the common man? Have you done anything to improve the queuing system in train stations? Have you ever bothered to inspect the quality of coffee served in train stations? Have you made the way side restaurants any more hygienic? Do long distance buses break journey for Dinner or Lunch at locations any more healthy? Have you built tolerable public toilets anywhere in India? Have you improved the quality of education in government schools and colleges? Or at least, have you ensured that the private colleges are easy to start for those who have an interest and commitment to education rather than to those who see education as one of the most profitable fields of business? Do officials in government departments attend to their work with any greater sense of commitment?
Have you recruited better public servants or trained those in public service to have greater commitment to public service? Have you taken any steps to improve the caliber of politicians and the quality of politics in the country? ( I am not saying that the answer to these questions is a sweeping "No" but all that is done, if any, is not visible and just not enough). What have you done to improve the legal and law and order climate in the country?
Four years ago I asked Naveen Jindal, Milind Deora, Manvender Singh and BJ Panda present as young parliamentarians from different parties about Judicial reforms at a TiE Conference in New Delhi. The answer was candid: It would take three years for the Parliament to reach a consensus. After that it would take several years to implement the reforms. It is now four years and we still have a Judiciary with archaic practices and a pathetic court administration. There are 30 million ( or more ? ) pending cases that would take 30 years to dispose of, not counting the cases that would mount during the 30 years. There are about a quarter million under-trials languishing in jails. Even if one out of the quarter million happens to be innocent but had been in jail it would be a shame. Was this your priority or was it at least one of your priorities? Or has the status quo been convenient for you?
Do we have a Law and Order mechanism that we can trust? How many people in India have faith in Police? In the last four years has the average policeman become any more polite? Any more reliable? Any more easy to talk to? On the one hand they are limited by the status quo of subservience to politicians and on the other hand they are excessive by the absence of adequate regulation.
It is a form of anarchy that prevails in India, not Democratic Governance. Deora and others said three years and it is four years now. You should have convened an extra ordinary session of parliament on Day 1 of your government with a whip to the Members of Parliament to stay indoor and not leave until Judicial Reforms are thoroughly discussed and decided.
You have waived farm loans, but have you looked at the reasons why farming has become capital intensive even for the small and marginal farmer? Today it takes a lot of money to buy seeds and the seeds happen to be infertile. It takes a lot of expensive fertilizers and other chemicals to nurture the plants in a farm and these happen to be toxic. What happened to our traditional methods of farming? Have you done anything to help the small farmer by ensuring a flow of water? Have you done anything to nationalize the rivers and equitably distribute the flow of water in canals? Have you implemented micro credit mechanism effectively so as to eliminate the need for farmers to borrow from traders and in several cases from local loan sharks?
Your government in the last four years has imported coca cola and paco rabanne, have you thought of importing standards in politics, national and local governance, law and order, hygiene and healthcare?
I think the problem with your government is that you adore the West for its superficial glamour and not for its inherent values. Your government has been following the west indiscriminately and have been implementing western designs even those that the West find it difficult to cope up with. For instance: You have imported western models of insurance which would sooner or later deduct as much as 7 to 10% of every one's annual income under various heads of insurance.
There is so much that India can learn from the West and at the same time there is so much that the West can learn from India. Esoteric literature proclaims that 'Knowledge flows from East to West', but unfortunately East India has been looking upto the West for any kind of knowledge during the last several years. Has any of your Business Promotion councils ever done any research on a the possibilities of promoting a global chain of fast food Indian restaurants to take on the Pizza and Burger outfits? How many of the Trade Administrators in your Government have initiated a national business plan to launch Indian dolls or to scale up the Indian Cinema? Your government hasn't been a match to the Western Governments that have exported the Burger, Barbie and Hollywood to India.
Your government has done a lot of work. It has promoted certain sectors of business and had made India far more respectable. India's stature in the World has considerably improved. But there is a flaw. The flaw is that there is an element of opinionated arrogance in your government that refuses to consider diverse points of view. It has been a form of closed door policy making which is perhaps what caused all the chaos in parliament yesterday.
It is necessary to have a strong opposition. A few years ago there used to be constructive cooperation and even a healthy understanding between opposition parties, though it was not easily visible for the common man to see. What happened to all that? If there was any of such healthy politics still remained as of yesterday, your speech almost attempted to wipe it out of existence.
After your speech and the victory, it is now time to attentively listen to the opposition and what it has to say right or wrong. Everything that your Government has done in the last four years and every decision that you have made in the last four years can'€™t be argued as all perfect. No, not all of it.
