Arun Nehru
The situation in the Valley is getting worse but
before the all-party delegation reaches Jammu and Kashmir let us be
clear of two things: that the street violence over the last few months
was generated by separatist forces, and that from the security point of
view this cannot be tolerated by any government. The separatist issue
has been going on for years and funds from abroad have continued to
generate dissent in the Valley. Should this be allowed in the name of
democracy?
We have had 99 casualties in the Valley since trouble
started, and while there is no doubt that the Army should not stay in
civilian areas beyond a limited time, the fact is that no casualties
have resulted from any action by the Army. There is little doubt that
the Army has done well in controlling infiltration from across the
border. So, whatever decision is taken, it must be borne in mind that we
cannot allow infiltration from across the border and that Jammu and
Kashmir is and will always remain an integral part of India.
We
can apportion blame for allowing the situation to get out of control,
but we should remember that it was the National Conference (NC) and both
Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah who had fought the separatist forces
during the last crisis. Handling a sensitive state like Jammu and
Kashmir requires more than just courage and I think the Congress took
the right decision to align with the NC.
In politics it is not
development alone which wins the confidence of the electorate. Things
have not worked out well in Jammu and Kashmir in the past two years and
remedial action is necessary. Being the chief minister, Mr Omar Abdullah
has to take the responsibility to deliver. He must be given full
support if he is willing to lead from the front.
In view of the
escalating violence, many “ideal” steps are being contemplated but they
cannot be implemented. Under no circumstance can we open a window for
terrorists from across the border. I cannot see how any national party
can dilute the provisions of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the
current scenario when an anarchy-like situation prevails. There are no
simplistic solutions to this issue. The situation will change with time,
but the Prime Minister and his team have to stay one step ahead of the
ground situation.
THE LAND Acquisition Bill is going to open up
several issues and all political parties will try to take credit and
secure political high ground. But all credit must go to the redoubtable
Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamul Congress who fought the land battle in
Singur and Nandigram and will almost certainly take the lead in the
proposed changes in the law. The reason for the delay in passing the
bill earlier does not lie with the Trinamul Congress but with the
proposal itself. In all likelihood, a fair “market value” will replace
the circle rate and hopefully another relic of the colonial era will
pass into the archives, and both the Centre and the state governments
will stop acting as land brokers and commission agents.
It would
be interesting to see the number of public representatives, including
their immediate family members, who have received land at subsidised
rates or purchased houses or flats under some “special quota”, all at
the expense of the aam aadmi. No one is against land acquisition for
public purposes or for industrial development. But must we deprive one
section of society for the benefit of another. It would be interesting
to find out if any politician or official who has drafted and passed
these laws suffered personally from these decisions? The concept of
giving fair market value for acquired land is the only solution and this
is inevitable given the current public mood. I see the Opposition
joining forces on this issue. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati
has, in fact, already taken the lead after the recent agitation in
Agra and Mathura.
There are disturbing media reports on
Afghanistan and the excessive assets generated by the close relatives of
Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Afghanistan’s largest private bank,
Kabul Bank, run by Mahmoud Karzai, the President’s brother, is in
serious trouble. Mr Mahmoud Karzai has financed purchase of property
worth `700 crores in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, amongst many other real
estate assets. The United States and its allies are pouring in billions
of dollars of aid but where is it all going?
In India, too, we
saw photographs of a 31-acre property owned by YSR Reddy’s son,
Jaganmohan Reddy, complete with a huge mansion and 200 armed security
guards. There are also several media reports about thousands of crores
in assets.
We have a huge nine per cent gross domestic product
growth and the generation of surplus wealth. But pools of money based on
illegal activities, be it corruption, fraud, extortion or tax evasion,
will pose a serious challenge to political authority and compromise the
best talent unless the political system fights back and brings in
transparency in political dealings.
Criminality exists in every
system and is often generated by a real estate boom. A fairly similar
trend can be traced in most of the developed nations, even in China
and Russia. Nations need leaders with high integrity to fight this
menace on a sustained basis. We have leaders with high integrity
cutting across party lines — Narendra Modi, Naveen Patnaik, Raman Singh,
Sheila Dikshit, Tarun Gogoi, Nitish Kumar and Shivraj Singh Chauhan
are all able to win electoral verdicts despite anti-incumbency. In
the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre, too, there
is no shortage of individuals with a high degree of integrity,
starting with the Prime Minister and his entire economic team. Yet,
the fact is that if not checked in time, financial irregularities
destroy political authority.
WE AGONISE for six months for rainfall
to get normal and then, when the rains come, we are confronted with
floods and water-logging with many of our roads vanishing overnight. Now
we will have a record harvest and before long we will complain of
excessive grains rotting in the open. Something is very wrong with our
management of the situation but this is a subject for discussion for
another day. For now let us focus on the Commonwealth Games. The Delhi
chief minister and her team are en route to delivering a miracle by
completing their projects, though we are told that the opening and
closing ceremonies are in danger if it rains on the 3rd and the 14th of
October. Did we not know that stray showers are possible in the month of
October when we accepted the Games, or when we planned the opening and
closing ceremonies with an inflated structure?
Arun Nehru is a former Union minister
(courtsey asianage.com)
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