Khattar scripts history, Haryana set for a revamp

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

On Sunday, Manohar Lal Khattar became the first BJP Chief Minister of Haryana, scripting a new political history for the small State, known for its agricultural prowess ever since the Green Revolution.

Apart from being the first BJP chief Minister of the State, what makes Khattar, the low profile, non assuming, humble man of organisation from RSS, different from run of the mill politicians is the fact that for the first time in recent years, someone contested his first election and straight away was elevated for the top job of chief minister. Except one, all his Cabinet Ministers are first timers and this will certainly help the new government take bold and innovative measures for rapid development, something which run of the mill politicians cannot take.

Haryana boasts of relatively high per capita income and infrastructure. Now it would be natural for the people of the State, who voted for the BJP enthusiastically, to expect that the new Government headed by 60-year old Khattar would do another Gujarat or perhaps emerge better than it in tandem with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

For the small State, it is time to take off. It was time to rewrite the script of economic growth and prosperity. It was time to show to the country that it can excel not only in wrestling, boxing and other sporting events but also become the role model for the economy by combining tradition (agriculture) and modernity (Industries) to produce outstanding economic indices.

It has all the natural advantages to become the most developed state of the country though lopsided policies in the last ten years prevented it from taking off to that stage. Located next to Delhi, it has geography as the most significant advantage along with hard working and industrious people, decent infrastructure and a set up which can facilitate high rates of growth. Many in the state now see it as a test case laboratory experiment for rapid development by the joint efforts of both Modi government at the Centre and Khattar government in the state. Some BJP supporters are even arguing that it could become another Singapore or Taiwan in terms of economic development and per capita income in the next decade or so if right impetus and direction is provided by a selfless, committed and transparent government. They see Khattar in that role and hope that there would be a complete transformation in the way one looks at government and there would be visible change in the next few months.

Ironically, in the last 10 years, in fact almost last two decades, the focus of the governments was only to promote real estate and the most common scam was that of Change in Land Use (CLU). Simply put, this was a gross misuse of the discretionary powers which the government had. Fly by night operators sought and got help from the state government, floated residential colonies and commercial space and used location advantage of being close to Delhi to their own benefit. Robert Vadra-DLF deal was just a symptom of the disease plaguing the state. The disease has spread far and wide and it should be the first priority of the Khattar government to check this.

Whatever Industries came to Haryana was due to its proximity to Delhi and was limited to the Gurgaon-Manesar belt. This belt also saw offices of Multinationals, Call Centres, software companies and automobile industry. In fact, over 60 per cent of revenue which the state gets, come from this area alone. Not surprisingly, not only the opposition but even those in the ruling Congress accused the previous government headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda of creating two different Haryana—one was the prosperous one in Gurgaon-Rohtak belt and the other was the backward one in the rest of the state, except a small pocket of development in Ambala-Panchkula belt. Khattar will have to break this and ensure that the rest of the state too develops at par with Gurgaon-Rohtak belt. 

For sixty-year old Khattar, this is his first brush with administration and governance in his 40-year long political-social career and one challenge for him will be to overcome the general perception that he is an “outsider” in the political system. He may be an outsider in the sense that he has not held any government post in the past but this is likely to help him and not become an obstacle as he would not be conditioned by pre conceived notions and bias which a seasoned politician has. Also, he will not have many people to please and compromise his governance as he is new to the political system of Haryana.

That Khattar is close to his benefactor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is well known now.  Both have worked together in the organisation not only in Haryana but also other parts of the country as well. The moment BJP Parliamentary Board announced his name to contest from Karnal, party insiders and those in state Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) knew that he was being sent to become chief minister of Haryana if the party got a majority. This is what happened. Never before in recent history had a political script gone as accurate as in Haryana. What Prime Minister Modi and BJP President Amit Shah visualized and planned, got executed on the ground. This rarely happens in politics but it actually did.

Given Khattar’s grassroots level work over the years in Haryana, albeit silently, he is aware about the caste realities in the state where the Jats dominate the social and economic milieu. For a non-Jat leader, one challenge would of course be to assuage the sentiments of the dominant Jat community, comprising 25 per cent of the population and used to the psychological factor of one amongst them being the Chief Minister ever since the State was created 48 years ago. For almost two decades after Bhajan Lal, the State had a series of Jat Chief Ministers-Bansi Lal, Om Prakash Chautala and Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Khattar will have to accommodate not only Jats but other communities also in governance and ensure that there is no sense of being left alone or out of power.

He made an effective beginning in this direction by inducting two Jat leaders in his Cabinet—Capt Abhimanyu and Om Prakash Dhankar. As state BJP President Ram Bilas Sharma has also been inducted in the Cabinet, there would be a new chief soon. The new name could be from the dominant Jat community as the party wants to outgrow the perception that it was only the consolidation of non-Jats which led to the victory in the Lok Sabha polls followed by the Assembly elections.

The Cabinet formation has settled some of the political issues, but Khattar would also be facing some administrative challenges as well. Just before being voted out, the Hooda Government had blatantly played communal card and stirred up a hornets’ nest by passing a Bill for creation of separate Gurudwara management committee for Haryana. This was strongly opposed by BJP’s ally Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab. Though the legality of the issue is in Supreme Court, demands are already being made to call back the passage of the Bill and make it null and void. The new government will have to take a call on the issue and if Sikhs in Haryana are opposed to it, it may get a fresh amendment bill passed in the assembly, annulling the previous one passed by the Hooda government to get votes of the Sikh community.

In addition, there are several disputes pending with neighbouring Punjab for decades, which includes sharing of river water, controversial Hansi-Butana canal, transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab along with the Punjabi speaking areas of the state etc.  As Congress was in power in Haryana all these years, these issues were always kept under the carpet. Now that BJP is in power, it will have to reassess the situation and take a call. There would also be pressure from Akali Dal-BJP Government in Punjab on Khattar to expedite some of these long pending issues. Though Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son and Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal campaigned in Haryana against BJP as they had an alliance with INLD, the senior Badal attended the swearing-in ceremony of Khattar, indicating that the past is behind them and it was time to look ahead.

Khattar has made a good beginning in his first meeting with officers after taking over. His no nonsense and businesslike approach towards governance is being talked about in the bureaucratic circles. Here, too he will have to make a sharp departure from the previous government which was heavily dependent on bureaucracy for everything on one hand and at the same was punitive towards it by frequent transfers. Keeping bureaucracy on its toes would be the right way to go along with using its expertise rather than being over dependent on a select few which was the approach of the last government.

With Prime Minister Modi, several union ministers and BJP chief ministers attending the swearing-in of Khattar, he seems to enjoy the support of rank and file of the party, from top to bottom. It was time to make the dream a reality. (October 27, 2014)

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Outsider tag a challenge for non-Jat Khattar

  

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

When Manohar Lal Khattar takes over as the first BJP Chief Minister of Haryana on October 26, he will be face to face with administration and governance for the first time in his 40-year long political-social career and the most important challenge for him will be to overcome the general perception that he is an “outsider” in the political system.

Like his benefactor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had never been a legislator or Minister before becoming Chief Minister of Gujarat, Khattar too has never been an MLA or Minister before. Like Modi, he was deputed by the RSS in the organisation and worked his way up before being surprisingly selected to contest from Karnal. The moment his name was announced from the seat, it was clear that the top BJP leadership had a political script written for him if the party wins the Assembly polls.

BJP sources say that lack of administrative exposure would be an asset for Khattar rather than a handicap as he will assume office without a conditioned mindset about governance. “This is where he will score and provide an administrative set up which will not only be new for Haryana but also unique in several ways,” said a source, associated with the process of selecting the new chief minister of the state.

For a non-Jat leader, one challenge would of course be to assuage the sentiments of the dominant Jat community, comprising 25 per cent of the population and used to the psychological factor of one amongst them being the Chief Minister ever since the State was created 48 years ago. For almost two decades after Bhajan Lal, the State had a series of Jat Chief Ministers-Bansi Lal, Om Prakash Chautala and Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Khattar will have to accommodate not only Jats but other communities also in governance and ensure that there is no sense of being left alone or out of power.

BJP leaders have indicated that Capt Abhimanyu, who was in the race for chief ministership and is a Jat face of the party and MLA from Narnaund, could become the new Haryana BJP president in the changed scenario. He has been a national spokesman of the party and has also worked in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. “It is necessary to keep the dominant community of the state in the loop and a part of the party and Government in a big way for consolidating the gains of the assembly polls,” a party insider said. Another possibility, which was being discussed, was to make him Deputy Chief Minister. But this would create two centres of power and the leadership does not want it. If Capt Abhimanyu becomes the BJP president of the state, present president Ram Bilas Sharma could get an important department in Khattar’s Cabinet.

Chaudhary Birender Singh, the grandson of tallest Jat leader of his time, Sir Chhotu Ram, who joined the BJP from the Congress before the Assembly polls, could get a berth in the Union

His wife Premlata was the giant killer in Assembly polls who defeated Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala from Uchana Kalan. Presently, both the representatives in the Modi Cabinet from Haryana-Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishna Pal Gurjar-are non-Jats and a section of BJP believes that sending him to Centre makes political sense at this point. With the help of Capt Abhimanyu and Chaudhary Birender, the BJP plans to make inroads in the rural hinterland and Jat belt of the State from where it did not perform well in the Assembly polls.

Besides the political issues, Khattar would also be facing some administrative challenges. Just before being voted out, the Hooda Government had stirred up a hornets’ nest by passing a Bill for creation of separate Gurudwara management committee for Haryana. This was strongly opposed by BJP’s ally Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab. Though the legality of the issue is in Supreme Court, demands are already being made to call back the passage of the Bill and make it null and void.

In addition, there are several disputes pending with neighbouring Punjab for decades, which includes sharing of river water, controversial Hansi-Butana canal, transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab along with the Punjabi speaking areas of the state etc.  As Congress was in power in Haryana all these years, these issues were always kept under the carpet. Now that BJP is in power, it will have a reassess the situation and take a call. There would also be pressure from Akali Dal-BJP Government in Punjab on Khattar to expedite some of these long pending issues. (October 23, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/outsider-tag--a-challenge-for--non-jat-khattar.html

Backroom boy comes upfront: Manohar Lal Khattar

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

Sixty-year old Manohar Lal Khattar, a bachelor, will be the first BJP Chief Minister of Haryana. Specially brought in from the organisation and given a ticket to contest the Assembly polls, Khattar has a four-decade old association with the RSS. He was chosen by the newly elected BJP legislators as their leader in the presence of central observer M Venkaiah Naidu and Dinesh Sharma.

BJP insiders said that the moment he was given ticket from Karnal, it was a foregone conclusion that he will be the Chief Minister if the party were voted to power, a senior party leader said.

“I have been given a big responsibility. I assure you that we will work for the welfare of the people of Haryana,” Khattar, the CM-designate said, soon after the announcement. He added, “My Government will be transparent and there will be no discrimination with any area.” He was referring to charges of regional discrimination in the last 10 years of the Congress rule.

Looking at carving a non-Jat political platform in the State on the patterns of the experiment which Bhajan Lal did over two decades ago, the BJP chose a non-Jat leader from the Punjabi community for running the State. Most of the 47 seats which the BJP won in the polls came from areas where the non-Jats are influential. Sources said that in a bid to further consolidate this section, which comprises 75 per cent of the population of the State, the announcement of Khattar’s name was a mere formality.

Being close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an additional advantage for the Karnal MLA. In 1996, when Modi was BJP in-charge of the northern States before becoming Gujarat Chief Minister, Khattar worked closely with him in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. This perhaps explain how he was chosen for the job despite being a first time MLA at the age of 60 and having no administrative experience or exposure to the working of the Government. Khattar’s four-decade old association with the RSS and his two-decade stint as as organising secretary of the BJP’s Haryana unit swung the pendulum in his favour.

Known as a key strategist, he held the post of the chairman of the party’s campaign committee for Haryana in the Lok Sabha elections in which the party won seven of the State’s 10 seats. That Khattar was close to the Prime Minister is also reflected by the fact that  the PM had made him in-charge of 50 wards in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

Given the importance of the occasion as the BJP occupies centre stage in State politics for the first time since it came into existence in 1980, the swearing-in ceremony of Khattar and the ministers is likely to take place at the sprawling  Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula on October 26.

Though Central observers had been sent to elicit the opinion of the MLAs on leadership, sources said there was complete unanimity on the name of Khattar in the meeting of the BJP legislature party. Word had spread previous evening that he would be the Chief Minister and no other leader came forward to contest the popular choice of the MLAs and that of the central leadership of the party.

However, outside the venue of the meeting, supporters of a few leaders were hopeful that there could be some change at the last minute. Slogans too were raised in favour of some leaders but the moment Khattar’s name was made public, there was no opposition whatsoever from any quarters.

BJP Observer Dinesh Sharma said, “The name of Khattar was proposed for Chief Minister by Haryana BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma and election was unanimous.” Soon after the meeting, the BJP submitted a letter to Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki staking claim to form a Government. Following the constitutional procedure, the Governor invited Khattar to form the Government.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP has a simple majority of 47 MLAs. It vanquished both the ruling Congress and the main Opposition INLD to romp home in a remarkable performance, following a similar success in the Lok Sabha polls.  (October 22, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/backroom-boy-comes-upfront.html

BJP to name Haryana CM Today

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

The suspense over the name of the new Haryana Chief Minister is expected to be over by Tuesday afternoon when the newly-elected BJP legislature party meets here to decide who would be their leader. As the BJP went to the polls without announcing any chief ministerial candidate, the doors are wide open with half a dozen aspirants lobbying for the top job in the State where the party has a simple majority of 47 MLAs in the 90-member Assembly.

Manohar Lal Khattar, the first-time MLA from Karnal and having deep roots in the RSS for four decades, is being considered a front runner. He is believed to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has worked in the organisation for long, and is non-controversial and a hard taskmaster. State BJP chief Rambilas Sharma too has strong RSS connections and is a non-Jat aspirant for the top job. Ambala MLA Anil Vij, the face of the party in and outside the last Vidhan Sabha, is the third aspirant from the non-Jat group. But if the party prefers someone from the dominant Jat community, only two names are being considered Capt Abhimanyu and party’s Kisan cell president Om Parkash Dhankar.

In Delhi, all these aspirants on Monday queued up at the BJP headquarters to plead their cases before party chief Amit Shah, who was busy handling Rs hotlineRs  from Maharashtra. BJP general secretary JP Nadda was closeted with Shah while Haryana  election in-charge Vijayvargiya and  deputy-election-in-charge Anil Jain too were part of the consultations process.

Sharma, who came out after his meeting with Shah understandably did not say anything about his being the choice for the top post, saying the name will be out on Tuesday morning. He, however, offered ‘laddos’ to people around. Capt Abhimanyu too offered sweets but claimed that he was not aware as to who would win the race for the CM. Abhimanyu, a Jat, did not buy the argument that only non-Jats have voted aggressively for the BJP. There are around half-a-dozen BJP Jat candidates who won elections.

All the potential CM candidates denied that there was any particular non-Jat focus in the BJP’s scheme of things. Haryana Prabhari Jadgish Mukhi went on to say that the BJP has raised its politics above cast identifies. Then came the turn of Rao Birender Singh to arrive at the party office. When asked about the possibility of a non-Jat wearing the CM’s hat, Sigh candidly said “non-Jat hi Banega”.

The BJP parliamentary Board on Sunday deputed Union Minister and former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu as the central observer. He will preside over the meeting of the legislature party to get the opinion of the MLAs. Naidu will be assisted in the job by party vice-president Dinesh Sharma and Haryana in-charge Jagdish Mukhi at UT Guest House. Party sources said if the meeting remained inconclusive and there is no unanimity amongst the MLAs, the decision could be left to the BJP Parliamentary Board.

The name of the new Chief Minister could either be announced after the MLAs meeting or later in the evening in New Delhi by the central leadership. The party would stake claim to form the Government on Tuesday evening and the State could see a new Chief Minister before Diwali, top party sources said.

As the BJP got unprecedented support from the areas dominated by non-Jats, it is expected that the party would prefer someone from these areas as the Chief Minister. Given that the party was never a strong political player in the State with only four MLAs in the last House, it hardly has any experienced face to choose from.

There is little possibility of a Union Minister from Haryana being chosen for the Chief Minister’s post. The reason is simple. There is no legislative council in Haryana from where they can get elected, and secondly with 47 members in the House the party cannot afford to ask a MLA to resign to accommodate any Union Minister. However, in the pool of possible names, there are two Union Ministers from Haryana in Modi Cabinet - Krishna Pal Gurjar from Faridabad and Rao Inderjeet Singh from Gurgaon. They, however, do not fulfill the caste equation in the new political realities of the state post the Assembly polls.

After winning the polls for the first time on its own, BJP leaders are now talking about the agenda before the new government. On top of their priority is freeze in the liberal policy on Change in Land Use (CLU) which helped Robert Vadra and hundreds of small and big builders of the state mint money in the last 10 years of Congress rule. (October 21, 2014)

 http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/bjp-to-name-haryana-cm-today.html

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/2014-10-20-69827.html

BJP scripts history in Haryana with ease

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

Riding a Modi wave in the backdrop of the anti-incumbency factor against the ruling Congress, the BJP swept Haryana and will form the Government for the first time alone. The BJP Parliamentary Board on Sunday evening decided to send Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP vice-president Dinesh Sharma to Haryana as the party’s observers to consult the elected candidates and local leaders to decide on the next Chief Minister of the State.

Haryana BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma, BJP Jat face in the State Captain Abhimanyu and Manohar Lal Khattar, a 60-plus former RSS man, who won from Karnal, are among the hopefuls for the Chief Minister’s post, in addition to Anil Vij, who is four-time MLA from Ambala Cantt and leader of BJP legislature party in the outgoing Assembly.

Winning 47 seats in the 90-member Assembly, the party had fought the polls without projecting any chief ministerial candidate opening a flood of possibilities for the State leaders vying for the top job. In the 2009 polls, the BJP had won only four seats, indicating the groundswell of support and splendid performance in the polls. 

Bogged down by anti-Congress sentiments, infighting within the party, refusal of the voters to buy the developmental plank of the party, lack of vision for governance, series of scams pertaining to change in land use and the infamous Robert Vadra-DLF deal, Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda was fighting a losing battle from the beginning. As soon as the results became clear, he accepted defeat, went to the Governor and resigned. He has been asked to continue as a caretaker Chief Minister till a Government takes over.

A beaming Kailash Vijayvargiya, in-charge of the BJP’s election in Haryana said: “People of Haryana wanted a change. Our party cadres and leaders worked very hard. The credit for our success has to go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.”

When a record 76.54 per cent electorate came out to vote on October 15, the writing was on the wall for the ruling Congress. This was a positive turnout and a vote for change. The rise in vote share of the BJP was a stupendous 24 per cent, catapulting it to power with 33.2 per cent of the votes. Last minute support of the influential Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda helped the party close some seats. This was the first time the BJP fought Haryana polls alone without any alliance.

All of the BJP’s chief ministerial candidates won. This included Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal, State BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma from Mahendergarh, Capt Abhimanyu from Narnaund and Anil Vij from Ambala Cantt.Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda retained the family bastion of Garhi Sampla-Kiloi while Kiran Chowdhury, daughter-in-law of former Chief Minister Bansi Lal retained her Tosham seat.

INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala, son of jailed party chief Om Prakash Chautala also won from Ellenabad and so did Naina Chautala, wife of jailed leader Ajay Chautala from Dabwali.Kuldeep Bishnoi Haryana Janhit Congress chief and son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal won from the family stronghold from Adampur, a seat which his father represented on several occasions. His wife Renuka Bishnoi also won from Hansi.

In the BJP wave, the most prominent loser was sitting MP from Hisar, Dushyant Chautala who tried his luck from Uchana Kalan on INLD ticket. Ajay Singh Yadav, the five-time Congress MLA and Minister in the Hooda Cabinet lost from Rewari in what is known as the Ahirwal. Despite aggressive campaigning, Geetika Sharma abetment to suicide case accused Gopal Kanda of Haryana Lokhit Party lost from Sirsa. Venod Sharma, the chief of Jan Chetna Party who had an alliance with HJC led by Kuldeep Bishnoi lost from Ambala City. Bishnoi’s brother, and former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan who sought political rehabilitation after his conversion to Islam, second marriage and them reconversion from Nalwa also lost.

For External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the biggest setback was loss of her sister Vandana Sharma  from Safidon. Contesting on a Congress ticket, the country’s richest woman Savitri Jindal too lost from Hisar. In the Lok Sabha polls, her son and coal scam tainted Naveen Jindal had lost from Kurukshetra.

Now BJP is spoilt for a choice. It would be tough for the party to decide who would be the Chief Minister of the State. The election was fought in the name of Modi and collective leadership.

The names doing rounds include RSS activist Manohar Lal Khattar, state BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma, BJP spokesman Capt Abhimanyu, Legislature party leader in the outgoing House Anil Vij, besides two Union Ministers who did not contest. Party sources, however, indicated that it could be one of the MLAs who would be the chosen for the top job. A decision is likely to be taken by the BJP Parliamentary Board on Monday. (October 20, 2014)

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Will ‘Exit’ signal for Cong hold true?

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

Change is in the air in Chandigarh, the joint capital of Haryana and Punjab. Not only is there a change in weather but winds of political change blew across the State in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

All exit polls suggested the rout of the ruling Congress. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had an extended run of almost 10 years, is all set to bid adieu, if the exit pollsters prove to be on the point.

The sentiments of employees of the State Government are perhaps a true indicator to gauge the mood of the people and the way political wind is blowing. Employees of the Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh have already written the Congress off.

“It now remains to be seen whether Congress would be reduced to single digit or gets into double digits or a dozen seats,” said a Director level officer. The official and other employees in the Secretariat are waiting for the next Government to take over.

In a political masterstroke, BJP in Haryana dumped the baggage of its ally Kuldeep Bishnoi led Haryana Janhit Congress and fought on all the 90 seats alone. Emboldened by the Modi wave, induction of top leaders from Congress and anti-incumbency sentiments against the Hooda Government, BJP hopes to form the Government alone for the first time.  Last minute support of the influential Sirsa based Dera Sacha Sauda, tilted the scale in its favour.

INLD gave BJP a run for its money in the run up to the polls with its chief Om Prakash Chautala getting benefit of a sympathy wave and attracting substantial crowd in his rallies. However, INLD failed to make an impression in the urban areas and lacked a direction with two of its top leaders-party chief himself and his son Ajay Chautala in jail. It was no match to the aggressive, business like approach of the BJP where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah addressed over a dozen rallies each.

Hooda looked jaded and out of touch with the ground realities. A series of pre poll sops failed to cut ice as big ticket corruption (Robert Vadra-DLF land deal) rocked the state. Though he put a brave face forward against heavy odds, he is fighting more for the post poll arithmetic in state Congress rather than for forming the Government.

Given the realities, Hooda cannot even hope to become Leader of Opposition as INLD is set to bag the Number two position in the State.However, Hooda’s Cabinet had passed a note giving several perks to former Chief Ministers a year ago. He is set to enjoy those perks after the polls even if he is not the CM or the Leader of Opposition.

Political observers say the massive turnout of 76.54 per cent, surpassing the 47-year old record of 72.65 per cent in 1967 indicates change. “People voted against status quo,” said a Haryana watcher at Panjab University.BJP sources expressed confidence of a clear majority and already informal lobbying is on for the top post. Sources indicated that even if the party falls marginally short of the majority it has no dearth of “friends and well-wishers” in smaller parties like HJC and Jan Chetna Party of Venod Sharma. 

 Election department officials said that a clear trend would emerge in an hour of counting and by two hours, people would know who is forming the next government of the state. (October 19, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/sunday-pioneer/nation/will-exit-signal-for-cong-hold-true.html

Dera swings balance ar 11th hour

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

For the first time in Haryana, there would be two firsts — a serious three-cornered contest and the BJP emerging as a contender for power without any alliance. Opinion Polls may suggest a hung Assembly but the support extended by influential Dera Sacha Sauda to the BJP at the last minute has helped it significantly. The 90-member State Assembly could see a close contest between the BJP and the INLD with the ruling Congress effectively pushed to the third slot.

Issues and Factors

Robert Vadra-DLF land deal: This has become the bugbear of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government. Despite Congress’ spirited defence, the issue is stuck with the electorate with the BJP going hammer and tongs against it. The public perception that Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, benefited immensely and minted money has gone too deep in the electorate to shake off whatever logic the Congress invented to justify the deal.

Policy on Change in Land Use (CLU): Anyone familiar with the State and who has been in the hinterland would be aware how CLU was used to benefit the chosen ones. Hooda himself was the Minister concerned of Town and Country Planning Department that decides which land should be converted from agricultural to residential or commercial, for over nine years. In urban Haryana CLU has become synonymous with favouritism and corruption and the BJP has used it to good effect. The BJP highlighted how brokers, property dealers and builders benefited during the two terms of Hooda.

Reservation for Jats: The dominant community of the State, comprising around one fourth of the population, was declared OBC even as only a section demanded it. This ate into the benefits of other OBCs in the State who have reacted rather strongly. While Jats, now OBCs, are least bothered whether they are counted as OBCs or not, the other genuinely backward communities have made it a poll issue.

Khaps: As always, they are divided on political lines with some supporting the INLD, others the Congress and now even the BJP has made inroads into them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a word of praise for them, bringing smiles on the Khap leaders, who have been wrongly maligned over the years for supporting honour killings.

Dera Sacha Sauda: The last minute announcement of the influential Sirsa-based Dera led by the colourful Baba Gurmeet Ram Raheem to support BJP is expected to help in achieving the “Mission 60 Plus” of the party. The Dera, hitherto known to have a soft corner towards Congress, has a massive following in several parts of the state, particularly in the belt touching Punjab and its support base cuts across caste lines though the marginalised, poor and Dalits are its mainstay.

Parties

BJP: A resurgent BJP led in 52 Assembly segments in the May Lok Sabha elections as compared to four segments in the outgoing Assembly, triggering a wave of optimism in the party. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing over a dozen meetings in the State, the party hopes to form the Government on its own. In the GT Road belt and the urban areas of the State, there is a groundswell of support for the party. The party has also tried to forge a non-Jat caste alliance for the first time after Bhajan Lal. “There is a massive pro-BJP vote in the State and that is why we have given the slogan of Mission 60 plus,” said State party president Ram Bilas Sharma.

INLD: Riding a sympathy wave due to incarceration of its chief Om Prakash Chautala, the main Opposition party hopes to form the next Government with the support of smaller parties and Independents. Chautala’s rallies, before being sent back to Tihar Jail, saw a good response in the Jat belt of the State and elsewhere. In the rural areas (Bangar belt) and Jat hinterland, the party is expected to do well.

Congress: Double anti-incumbency in the State as well as the Centre has taken the sheen out of the Congress and the Hooda Government. A series of high profile desertions in the run-up to the polls, opposition within the Government by Ministers and factionalism in the State unit of Congress has made the matters worse for the ruling party. Except the Deswali belt (Rohtak, Jhajjar and surrounding areas) from where Hooda has support base intact, the party’s base has eroded significantly. “There is no anti-incumbency. We have performed and done something for every section of society,” said Hooda, putting on a brave face.

HJC, HJCP and HLP: The smaller regional parties like Haryana Janhit Congress led by Kuldeep Bishnoi, Jan Chetna Party led by Venod Sharma and Haryana Lokhit Party led by Gopal Kanda have tried to make it a three and a half way contest. They hope that in case there is a hung Assembly, like that of 2009, they will be able to play the kingmaker. “We will extend support to like minded parties if there is a hung Assembly,” Bishnoi said.

Caste combination: The Jats dominate the political landscape of the State with a population of 25 per cent. Their support is divided but the INLD seems to be their favourite except the Rohtak belt. Dalits comprise 20 per cent of the population and this time their support is divided between the BJP, the INLD and the Congress. Sikhs comprise around 7 per cent and despite the Congress bringing a Bill for separate Gurdwara, they are supporting either the INLD or the BJP. Punjabis are around 6 per cent and their support for the BJP is visible on the ground along with that of the Vaishya community which has a five per cent population. Ahir community (5 per cent) in south Haryana has shifted their allegiance to the BJP after Rao Inderjeet joined the party along with the Gujjars who comprise 4 per cent of the population. Others include Meo Muslims (3.5 per cent) who are divided between the INLD and the Congress, Sainis, Rajputs, Rors, Kumhars and others. (October 15, 2014)

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BIWI DO, VOTE LO! JIND BACHELORS TIE CANDIDATES IN KNOTS

Amitabh Shukla | Jind

When contesting candidates go to their  constituencies seeking votes, they expect demands of employment, opening of industries, water for irrigation, 24-hour electricity, health and educational facilities. But the extremely skewed gender ratio in this part of Haryana has changed dynamics of electoral demand with bachelors saying that their votes would go to the candidates or parties whoever promises to arrange brides for them.

An organisation called Kunwara Union (Bachelors’ Union) has sprung up in Jind. Its sole purpose is to ensure support for their cause. Their cause is simple — contesting candidates and parties should help them get married and settle in life of domestic bliss. “The candidates do not know how to respond to them or promise them as this is practically impossible,” said an office-bearer of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). In the run-up to the polls, BJP Kisan Morcha chief OP Dhankar had given a controversial statement on the issue and since then politicians are maintaining a studied silence.

People no longer laugh at the demand of the Kunwara Union as the list of males above 40-years, who are yet to get brides, is growing longer. All of them have only one demand — wedding bells for them. Interestingly, most of them have turned champions of fight against female foeticide.

“We may not have exact figures of the unmarried males in their 30s and 40s but I am sure every village in Jind district has a house where there are unmarried males in this age group. This has disturbed the entire social balance. We are suffering and are forced to remain bachelors but our campaign against female foeticide would ensure that the next generation does not suffer,” said Ompal Singh, an office-bearer of the Kunwara Union. Ranvir, one of his associates in the organisation, says that several bachelors in the area have been duped by the so-called “Marriage Bureaus” who promise brides in arranged marriages but flee with the money after registration.

As campaigning came to an end for the Haryana Assembly polls, the skewed sex ratio in Jind and the surrounding areas has become a poll issue. There are 843 females to 1000 males in the district as per the 2011 census; one of the lowest and that explains why organisations like Kunwara Union have become important for the parties.

Hari Chand Middha, the sitting MLA of the INLD, said poor sex ratio was God’s wish. He avoids the issue in his meetings fearing electoral reverses but many in his entourage agree that the issue indeed is important. Supporters of the INLD said the party in its manifesto has promised to solve the acute problem of female foeticide.

Not surprisingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed a rally here two days ago, blamed female foeticide as the main reason for the skewed sex ratio in the State. He said that the nine worst affected districts of the country were in Haryana, stressing on the need for safety for women. “In Haryana, for every 1,000 males born there are only 875 girl child births. This is not god given that this is happening because we are committing a crime of killing the girl child before its birth,” Modi said while adding that development is the only solution to this problem.

Modi’s recognition of the issue has gone down well with the Kunwara Union. “You cannot turn a blind eye to the issue…Out vote is with the BJP,” said Pardeep Singh of the Union, who has been highlighting the issue at various forums. Surinder Singh Barwala, the BJP candidate from Jind, too talked of development to end female foeticide and the end of the woes of the bachelors of the next generation. His slogan is development, which he says, will solve the issue of skewed sex ratio. Several Khaps too are gradually speaking against female foeticide and have been proactive with the cause of the Kunwara Union. Though cosmetically, some of them are demanding brides for votes, they know the solution is long term and lies in improving the sex ratio. (October 14, 2014)

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Nobel to Satyarthi reinforces Western stereotypes of India

  

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

At Madison Square, Prime Minister Narendra Modi narrated how he went abroad when he was a BJP functionary and was assigned an interpreter. After a few days, the interpreter hesitantly asked him if India was a country of snake charmers. Modi simply answered that our ancestors played with snakes but Indians now play with mouse.

The stereotype in a section of the western world about India being a country of snake charmers, extreme poverty, sadhus levitating in the air and tigers roaming the streets still exist and are rather quite strong. Some western countries still want to reinforce it as perhaps they cannot accept that the country had moved much beyond that long time ago. Indians may have moved the world with their mouse but Norway, the custodian of the Nobel Prize, still perceives India as a country of child and bonded labour, snake charmers and poverty where the people force their children to work.

Frankly Nobel peace prize to Kailash Satyarthi was a big surprise to me. Though I cannot comment on those who have got the prize in subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Economics etc, as I am practically an illiterate in those fields, but surely if an Indian gets it for peace, my journalistic exposure over a period of time would force me to have a look into all its aspects. 

I remember an episode from my early days of Reporting in the late 1990s. I was working with the Hindustan Times in New Delhi then when my boss Pankaj Vohra, now the Managing Editor of Sunday Guardian, asked me to cover a press conference of Satyarthi’s Bachpan Bachao Andolan at Press Club of India in New Delhi. Mr Vohra’s instructions had always been quite simple. “Never take anything on its face value. Go beyond the obvious”. So there I was at the first floor conference hall of PCI. Two “rescued” child labourers were sitting at the venue with T-Shirts of Bachpan Bachao Andolan and slogans against child labour. Apart from Satyarthi and others, a White Man and a Woman, both foreigners, too were sitting on the dais.  

Without looking for solutions to problems specific to India in the country itself, Satyarthi always reveled in internationalizing the issue as this gave him mileage in western press, something which he always craved for. As a nationalist, I was incensed at watching two foreigners telling us on the face: “You Indians indulge in child labour.”

I questioned the two “Rescued” children as a curious journalist and found that they were tutored. They did not know much beyond their brief. Others, including the two foreigners and Satyarthi, spoke on their behalf. The two children, at that time, around 14-15 years of age, had toured the world, spoke in various forums along with Satyarthi and told the west how cruel India was towards its children and how the country wanted to keep its children in child labour. Then I asked the members of Bachpan Bachao Andolan what was the need to parade the two in the entire world when the problem was a local one and needed local solutions and not international intervention.

The organizers were flummoxed and feared a bad press the next day. I wrote a four-column report factually depicting what I saw, interaction with the children, questioning the need to globalise such an issue and a critical evaluation of internationalizing child issue when carpet exports from the country were being badly affected on this very ground.

Next day, the Bachpan Bachao Andolan Team was in Hindustan Times office at Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi to complain about the “shoddy, one-sided and biased” reporting to Pankaj Vohra. I defended my reporting saying I was not a stenographer who would write what is dictated and told. I told them how bad it was to internationalise the issue and paint the country and the countrymen in such a bad light. They fumed, threatening to lodge complaint at other forums. My boss, Mr Vohra merely smiled as he had seen such threats frequently in his long career and he supported what I wrote to the last column and word.

Soon after the Nobel for Satyarthi was announced, I was on Google chat with my friend Syed Liaquat Ali, now based in Indianapolis in United States as a successful legal consultant. He was a Reporter with the Indian Express in Allahabad in the year 1995 when he wrote how the same children were rescued by Satyarthi and his team two to three times.

He told me about his report which stated how rescued children are left to their fate by Bachpan Bachao Andolan forcing them to go back to the same industry where they were working earlier. This helps Satyarthi rescue them again and again and increase the figures of rescued children in his curriculum vitae which helped him get Nobel. Perhaps, only a few “showpieces” were adopted, provided appropriate education so that they could tour the world and inform the western countries about child labour to reinforce the stereotype of India.

I am sure; Satyarthi might have done a lot more work that I know. I did not really follow his work after my report on that press conference except reading in newspapers that so many children have been rescued from a zari unit in Shahdara or Uttam Nagar. But I do remember getting calls from Bachpan Bachao Andolan Office quite frequently about the raids they are going to conduct and request for a photographer and a Reporter to cover the rescue work. After all, if you don’t get publicity for the work, there was no point doing them. Also, if the report is not carried in newspapers, you cannot collect the clippings and send it abroad for international prizes. Of course, they would not have sent the clipping of my news report anywhere.

After the Nobel was announced, I just wondered why the “evil of child labour” hasn’t been eradicated even from Delhi from where Satyarthi has been operating for three decades. The reason is not far to seek. In almost all cases, the poor parents themselves send their children to learn the intricate skills of handicraft when they are “rescued” by Satyarthi and his team. The parents, living in poverty in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan then again send the children back after a fortnight or so, in the same industry and unit from where they were “rescued” in the first place. Often the parents themselves or their close relatives leave the children in these factories where children are involved in zari work or related handicrafts. 

After the Nobel to Satyarthi, there is a sense of national pride throughout India and questioning his achievements and methodology may not make me popular. My intention is not to go against the national mood of euphoria. But at the same time, I thought this was the right time to make the issue relevant and go beyond what Satyarthi and his team has been doing all these years.

Child labour cannot be eradicated through “cosmetic” efforts. You have to go deep into the roots of the problem, economic background of the parents of the children, their meager source of livelihood, their pitiable economic condition and ground realities of the country in the rural areas to find a solution. Also, child labour has to be delinked completely from child trafficking. Those indulging in child trafficking must get the highest punishment of the land. But we have to see child labour from a different perspective than that of Satyarthi and the international community which wants to put the country in the dock for such practices. Eradication of child labour is a gradual, multi pronged process and cannot be eliminated overnight by giving Nobel to someone. (October 13, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/2014-10-13-68897.html

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/nobel-to-satyarthi-reinforces-western-stereotypes-of-india.html

Haryana Polls: Mooch nahi toh kuch nahi in Kurukshetra

  

Amitabh Shukla | Kurukshetra

  

This is the land of Mahabharata where the Pandavas and Kauravas fought each other. Those on the sides of truth (dharm) won and those whose foundation was on deceit and falsehood (adharm) lost.

But this time, in the Assembly polls, the battle is not between right or wrong but a fight for what the Haryanvis call chaudhar, or simply put, supremacy. “The Assembly polls are a fight for the might of the moustache, not issues,” said Jat septuagenarian Hakam Singh, who lives in Pipli.

Talk to him and other residents and they refer to the battle Royale in the Lok Sabha polls where Industrial tycoon Naveen Jindal of the Congress, embroiled in the coal scam, lost to the BJP candidate due to intense campaign by media baron Subhash Chandra.

This time, Kurukshetra has shifted to Hissar where Naveen’s mother Savitri Jindal, perhaps the richest woman in India, is contesting. Though Chandra is not contesting, he has made available all his resources open for the defeat of the Congress nominee.

The reason is simple. Chandra was dragged into a controversy during the UPA regime when editors of his TV channel were accused by Jindal of wrongdoing.

“Chandra is a Haryanvi. He has not forgotten the slight. He ensured the defeat of Naveen in Kurukshetra five months ago and now the strategy is to get his mother defeated,” said INLD leader Nafe Singh in Kalai Majra village. Singh said this was a classic case for the battle of c which is widespread in Haryana.

“People do not forget their slight easily,” he added. There are several constituencies in the State where there is more at stake than merely the seats. It is the chaudhar of the leaders for which they are fighting and for the families of the three Lals— Devi Lal, Bhajan Lal and Bansi Lal — the fight is for their legacy and is being seen as a test of their vote-catching ability long after they died.

In Dabwali, symbolically Naina Singh, the wife of jailed INLD leader Ajay Singh Chautala is in fray,  but locals say it is the Chaudhar (supremacy) of her husband which is at stake. In Uchana Kalan, sitting Hissar MP Dushyant Chautala is contesting but if he loses, it will be his grandfather Om Prakash Chautala whose prestige will be at stake. All of them are repeatedly using the name of former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal to further their cause.

Former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s two sons - Kuldeep Bishnoi (Adampur) and Chander Mohan (Nalwa) and daughter-in-law Renuka Bishnoi (Hansi) are in the fray and they are invoking the name of the tallest non-Jat leader to seek votes. The architect of modern Haryana Bansi Lal’s daughter-in-law Kiran Chowdhury (Tosham) and son Ranbir Singh Mahendra (Badhra) are in the fray to cash in on his name even though his granddaughter Shruti Chaudhary lost the Lok Sabha polls

In Uchana Kalan, apart from Dushyant, Premlata Singh, the wife of Chaudhary Birender Singh who switched over from the Congress to the BJP is in the fray. Birender is seeking votes saying if his wife wins, his stature in the BJP would grow. “It boils down to the fight of moustache,” said, Ashwani Sharma, who runs a small coaching institute in Shahabad Markanda. (October 13, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/mooch-nahi-toh-kuch-nahi-in-kurukshetra.html

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Haryana Polls: Wolf in sheep’s clothing chants Gopal ‘Kand’!

 Amitabh Shukla | Sirsa

Outside Haryana, in the entire world, he is better known as the prime accused in the Geetika Sharma suicide case but on home turf here, Gopal Goyal Kanda has acquired a politico-religious image.

A local dera chief gave his “gaddi” (seat) to Kanda sometime ago, bringing about the halo of a god fearing religious man who follows the moral conduct strictly. The dera had a considerable following in the area and overnight Kanda’s image was transformed. Emboldened by the grant of the gaddi and the accompanying support, the 49-year old Kanda, the sitting MLA has gone aggressive. “I have been a victim of political conspiracy. Both the INLD and the Congress are against me,” he says about the abetment of suicide charges against him.

Local people recall that in the run-up to the Assembly polls and just before the Model Code of Conduct, he lined up one religious function after the other by inviting saints and sadhvis from Mathura, Vrindavan, Ujjain and Uttarakhand. “Entire town used to congregate as they were held on a grand scale, never seen in the town before,” said Rattan Singh, a school teacher living in Ratanpura colony in the constituency. Electronic gadgets were used to mesmerise the people on such occasions and event management experts were called from the metropolitan cities for a lasting impression.

The efforts of Kanda have paid and he has been able to ward off the charges in people’s perception at least in his home turf. “People do vaguely remember the case but they do not judge him on that. He has a larger than life image here,” added Rattan Singh. After being in jail for several months, Kanda is currently out on bail in the Geetika Sharma suicide case. As an Independent MLA, he supported Congress in 2009 after the party was reduced to 40 seats in the 90-member Assembly and helped Bhupinder Singh Hooda form Government. Rewarded with a ministerial berth and that too of the Home Department, Kanda was known for his high handedness before he was booked in the Geetika suicide case.

When Kanda was in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, his brother Govind Kanda helped him recoup. After being bailed out, the former owner of MDLR Airlines and a moneybag, owning several companies, effectively used various religious functions to bounce back not only in Sirsa but also the neighbouring areas. Buoyed by the exercise, Kanda formed Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP), has fielded 73 candidates in the assembly polls and now claims that no Government in Haryana can be formed after October 15 without his support. “There is a five-cornered contest in Haryana. Our party is in a very good position,” he says, unperturbed about the controversy surrounding him. He avoids any mention of the Geetika suicide case but whenever it crops up, he ducks the issue completely and blames political rivals. His supporters add business rivals too for the abetment case.

“Some from the older generation may not believe his version.  But the young swear by him due to his rags to riches story…Of his success from the owner of a shoe shop to a multi billionaire in a short span of time. Also, the constituency has no complaint against him as he has done so much,” said Anup Gupta, owner of a tea stall in Gandhi Colony. Gupta, who flies the Kite symbol of HLP on his shop and is a hard core supporter of Kanda, says, the local hero was falsely implicated.

Kanda himself has vision for women empowerment if his party is voted to power. He plans to open Women colleges on a large scale and has a women’s wing of his party. His wife Saraswati Kanda too is actively involved in party work. His slogan—“Vyapari, Majdoor aur Kisan, Halopa sarkar me pure honge sabke arman” (In HLP government, the wishes of traders, workers and farmers would be fulfilled) is being popularised through a variety of mediums.       

Some in the constituency say that the jail term came as a blessing in disguise for Kanda as it has created a sympathy factor. “He has been wronged,” Gupta said.

With his supporters raising the pitch, Kanda is unstoppable and talks what the party would do when it forms the next government. “In HLP government, farmers would determine the price of their produce…If farmer is not happy, industry or business cannot prosper…Employment to youth, formation of special economic zones…everything is on the agenda,” he says in the campaign. (October 11, 2013)

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Haryana Polls: Congress graduating out of Gandhi grip?

   

Amitabh Shukla | Ambala

Congress, it seems, is reinventing itself in poll bound Haryana as it has practically abandoned the Gandhi family and instead projected its regional satrap as an alternative to its two top leaders.

In the prosperous GT Road belt of the State, stretching from the outskirts of Delhi on both sides of National Highway 1 upto Ambala, the appearance of the two Gandhis — party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul in publicity material is rare. Instead, it is two-time Chief Minister of the State, Bhupinder Singh Hooda who juts out of the hoardings, buntings and the wall paintings of the party.

Most of them were put up just before the model code of conduct was put in place. Though a few have been removed fearing strict enforcement of the electoral laws by the Election Commission, a lot of banners and wall writings still remain, giving the message loud and clear that the party is seeking votes in the name of “all round development” carried out in the last 10 years of Hooda Government rather than the “charisma” of the Gandhi family.

A Hooda loyalist in Karnal summed up. “This is an Assembly election. People here know Hooda so seeking votes in his name is natural”. The owner of Lovely Dhaba near the 110 milestone, Narender Singh is more forthcoming. “In the land of the Jats, personalities do matter a lot in elections. BJP has Narendra Modi, INLD has Om Prakash Chautala and so Congress has Hooda,” he said, adding, “People of the State cannot connect to the Gandhis the way they can with Hooda”.

Congress sources say that all the publicity material at the local level has been approved by Hooda himself. He had even approved the copy writing in the slogans which eulogise him, hail him as a leader with vision, someone who has brought smile on the lips of every Haryanvi and given them something or the other. All the schemes of the State Government have been listed while those of the UPA Government in a similar period completely forgotten.

BJP sees an advantage for itself as Hooda is promoting himself in a big way. “There is massive unpopularity against Hooda. He is facing anti-incumbency of four terms — two of UPA Government at the Centre and two of his own,” said sitting BJP MLA Anil Vij, contesting from Ambala. He said Hooda has hijacked his party and mow both are on their way out.

The mood in the Congress office in Ambala is pessimistic. Those in office do indulge in political speculations but agree that it was an uphill task third time round. Asked about the party abandoning the Gandhi family in Haryana, a party office-bearer in Ambala refused to be named but spoke like a seasoned pollster. “The law of diminishing electoral return has caught up with them. The Lok Sabha elections exposed their (Gandhi family’s) charisma or lack of it so there was no point going with their names again. Maybe after some time…” he summed up.

In the GT Road belt from Murthal to Ambala, real estate is a booming business. The easy process of Change of Land Use (CLU) in the last 10 years has ensured prosperity to all - those giving permission in the State Government, the land owners, the builders and anyone associated with the building business, the brick-kiln owners, cement and building material sellers to the numerous property dealers dotting on both sides of the six-lane road, carved out during the regime of Sher Shah Suri in the medieval period. Hooda believes this belt will vote for him overwhelmingly.

Though the Congress does not declare chief ministerial candidates in advance as a matter of policy, Hooda has declared himself the candidate of the party. In the public meetings he has addressed, Hooda is seeking votes on his own name, on his claims of giving something to every section of the society rather than invoking the Gandhi family for the polls.

In the State Congress, critics of Hooda say that hitherto no one in the party had heard about over reliance on one person and promoting personality cult at the State level. “If Hooda delivers Haryana to the Congress single handedly, he emerges a hero and the cult of the Gandhi family gets demolished. If he doesn’t, the Congress will be back to its old ways,” a senior party leader said. (October 10, 2014)

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Dussehra & Diwali: Kill demonic qualities

  

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

This column primarily focuses on political issues and this is what I have been doing for the last three years when this began in The Pioneer. This time too with Assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra barely a few days away, the temptation of writing on politics was natural.

But I curbed my natural instinct to analyse political issues as my attention was diverted by the festive spirit gripping the nation, particularly north, the part of India I live in. We have already celebrated Dussehra, Durga Puja and Vijaya Dashami in the way we want. Now, we are preparing to celebrate Diwali. The basic premise of celebrating of all these festivals is the victory of good over evil. The demons die every year reminding us continuously how to guard ourselves against the demonic qualities which are ever ready to influence and affect us.

As I sat with the keyboard to write this column after visiting the Durga Puja pandal where goddess Durga kills the demon Mahisasur and after watching Ravan go down in flames amid bursting of crackers like every year, I was forced to introspect and think afresh. Three decades ago, when I was a kid, I had asked a learned person, my grandfather, “Why do we burn Ravan every year?” His reply was simple, which still remains the standard answer to the query. “Ravan symbolises evil”. Since time immemorial, every year, the day is celebrated as the triumph of good over evil.

Evil… he indeed was. Ravan kidnapped Lord Rama’s wife Sita by deceit and forcibly took her to Lanka. But there are different interpretations why he did so. A section of the scholars say that Sita was kidnapped to take revenge from Rama’s brother Laxman who sliced his sister Surpanakha’s nose. Ravan kept the kidnapped Sita in forceful confinement in Ashok Vatika but never ever touched her.

There is another interpretation that the king of Lanka wanted to win Sita over and had kidnapped her. Whatever, the interpretation and reasons, obviously no kidnapping is acceptable in any society. But the point is whether the offence is so despicable and unheard of in Indian society to be termed as an evil. There are people roaming around with much more serious crime. Why don’t we burn their effigies as well along with Ravan? As compared to these modern days “Ravans”, the actual Ravan of Ramayana looks like a saint. Kidnapping of course is a serious offence. But what about the incidents of gang-rapes and murders taking place with alarming regularity? Isn’t it time we burnt the effigies of the rapists to take the message across that this is more heinous act that what Ravan did?

The demon king of Lanka whose effigy is burnt with much fanfare was also accused of being arrogant. Well, if that is the criteria of terming someone evil, then I am afraid there is an evil lurking in most of the human beings and we need to cleanse ourselves from arrogance and anger. Then, Ravan was extremely egoist. Again, don’t we all suffer from this? Most of us are unable to let go of ego even if it remains a stumbling block for personal development. Ravan usurped the kingdom of his brother Kuber. But don’t we see politicians out of power plotting to dethrone those in power all the time by all means under their command — fair or foul? Isn’t it common to find brothers plotting against each other to get a larger slice of the family property?

Watching a popular television serial recently, I learnt a lesson — a lesson which is now deeply ingrained in me. The protagonist in the serial donates a hefty amount as donation for the local Ramleela management committee and gets the honour of shooting the arrows which would eventually burn the demon king of Lanka. The protagonist is in a joyful mood and waiting for the D-day as he had emerged as the hero of his colony, given the opportunity to shoot arrows at the effigy of Ravan. But he had a sleepless night a day before Dussehra. Ravan appears in his dream and asks him bluntly, why was he so excited to shoot arrows on the effigy the next day? “Because you have evil qualities,” replies the protagonist. “But do you have qualities like Lord Rama to shoot arrows at me?” asks Ravan in the dream of the protagonist. The poor fellow has no answers and awakens in sweat as he himself is trying to overcome anger, aggression, ego, possessiveness, etc.

As I watched so called VIPs and politicians firing symbolic arrows at the effigy of Ravan on television, the protagonist of the serial comes in mind. In Delhi, one finds politicians of all hues trying to be the chief guest at the final day of Ramleela when the effigy of the demon king is burnt.

This is not limited to Delhi alone but even in Chandigarh, Dehradun, Shimla and smaller districts. In the bigger events, you find the big politicians and at the colony level, you find local and aspiring politicians. People should now ask them bluntly, “You are welcome to shoot the arrows, but first answer one question honestly. Can you tell us if you do not have the evil qualities which Ravan had — anger, aggression, ego, possessiveness, lust for power and authority?” A majority of them would go away if they are honest to themselves.

The story of the protagonist on TV serial was taken from the life of Jesus Christ. A woman, caught committing adultery, was brought before Christ. Those who brought her to the Christ said the punishment was stoning till death. “Whichever one of you has committed no sin may throw the first stone at her,” was the reply of Jesus. When the crowd heard this, they all left, one by one, the older ones first.

Lord Rama had more qualities than Ravan and that entitled him to slay the demonic qualities of the Lankan king. Obviously the slaying is of demonic qualities of a person and not the person himself.

As a person, Ravan had a great lineage, performed intense tapasya to please Brahma and Lord Shiva, was an exemplary scholar, a very good ruler, an accomplished Veena player said to have composed the hymn known as Shiva Tandava Stotra. Above all, he was one of the greatest devotees of Lord Shiva.

Some scholars even say that his description as a ten-headed person is a reference to him possessing a very thorough knowledge over the four Vedas and six Upanishads, which made him as powerful as 10 scholars. But his evil qualities did him in. Though his skills far outweighed his negative qualities, still the message is that if you possess even a single quality which is evil in nature, this would lead to your downfall. If this could happen to a person of tremendous qualities like Ravan, it could happen to anyone else. According to my understanding, this is perhaps the greatest lesson from the Lanka Kand of Ramayana.

The lesson indeed is one of introspection. Forget the epic Ramayana for a moment. Just look within and tell yourself that you have none of the evil qualities which Ravan had. If you tell yourself honestly and convincingly that you do not have any nor do you intend to acquire those, you would have learnt the true lessons which Ramayana intends to impart. (October 6, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/dussehra-and-diwali-kill-demonic-qualities.html

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/2014-10-05-68083.html