ARVIND KEJRIWAL’S BITTER ANGER AGAINST THE AMBANIS

Arvind Kejriwal should be ashamed of himself for leveling charges against the media for not providing adequate coverage to his party - Aam Admi Party (AAP) and squarely blaming both Editors Guild of India and News Broadcasters Association “attributing ulterior motives”. Kejriwal ought to have recalled that the wide coverage his party got from the very day it came into existence. With it deciding to contesting to the Delhi Assembly election, the media, both print and electronic ran neck to neck in spreading the messages of Mr.Kejriwal and other leaders of AAP across the Union Territory of Delhi. Both the print and electronic media called the AAP – a phenomenon which is about to spread across India as more and more citizens in more and more States join it which would rule India one day if the party could prevail upon the masses and keep its promises extended to them bore fruits one day. There was a huge flow of citizens into the party soon after the unprecedented victory it scored within one year of its birth. And with the support extended to it by the Indian National Congress which came third when the result poured in with BJP (Bharathiya Janata Party) coming first. As BJP didn’t have the required numbers to head a government, it decided not to stake claim for the governance of Delhi. With BJP opting to sit in the opposition, the mantle naturally fell on AAP but it too was eight seats short for a majority. With Congress extending unconditional support to AAP it came to the fore to form a govt after dithering for a few days.        

Aam Admi Party’s first few days could be written in golden letters. The AAP govt as promised to the citizens made necessary arrangements to provide 700 litres of water free of cost. Secondly, the electricity charges too slashed to 50 percent. For the first one month it was bathed in euphoria and must have thought that euphoria would last for ever.

The first blot appeared on its face when the law Minister of Delhi Somnath Bharti along with AAP followers stormed into a building in the thick of night where a few Ugandan ladies were residing alleging that they were running a brothel there. It was actually a violation of the constitution as per that the law and order is not a Union Territory subject but which comes under the ambit of Central govt. Mr.Bharti’s war of words with the Delhi Police Commissioner was prominently displayed on the electronic media, to put it mildly, was nothing but arrogance. But Mr.Kejriwal, in his capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi sided with Mr.Bharti which was unbecoming of a Chief Minister.

Then on the issue of Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly which was not to the liking of both Congress and BJP, they voted against the AAP govt and subsequently had to resign. Thus within 49 days Delhi came under the President’s rule which is in suspended animation. 

From the very day the govt fell down Mr.Kejriwal evolved into a another man. His reference of Mukesh Ambani who according to him benefited most in hiking the price of CNG from $4.2 mm btu to $8.4mm btu by the Central govt. It is alleged that the Ambanis pocketed 54000 cr of money. Neither Congress nor BJP dared not speak against Ambanis from the early days the reasons for which are self-explanatory.

So be it. Let the law take its course. A common man like me was shocked when Kejriwal spoke against the media for not extending the needed coverage to his party blaming the media of ‘ulterior motives’. It was the media which gave a wide coverage to his party from the very day his party was formed. Kejriwal, you should not have leveled allegations against the media ‘attributing it of ulterior motives’.         

UKRAINE GRADUALLY EDGING TOWARDS CIVIL WAR WITH RUSSIA AND WESTERN NATIONS AT LOGGERHEADS

Wednesday was the bloodiest day in the history of Ukraine since November during which protesters belonging to various opposition parties began the struggle against Victor Yanukovych govt. Almost 26 persons have died when Ukraine forces stormed into Maidan which is also called Independence Square. The incident occurred when the protesters rejected when Ukraine’s forces demanded them to disperse which was defied by the rebels who wanted nothing short of President Yanukovych to resign from his post. In the beginning, Yanukovych kept a low profile and appealed to the protestors to keep their cool and in return he offered the opposition with post of Prime Minister. The opposition parties didn’t agree with Yanukovych and what they demanded was the 2004 agreement to be re-enacted by which the transfer of powers to lowest levels will materialize which was not agreeable to Victor Yanukovych.

The Opposition drew strength from the US and European nations and form an association with them which was turned down by Mr.Yanukovych who incidentally is Russia’s protégé. US and European nations though wanted Russia to stop aiding and abetting Mr.Yanukovych was rejected by Russia.

Russia extending support to Ukraine angered US and European nations and warned it to suffer unforeseen circumstances. Russia cared not to listen to the warnings of the Western nations and accused them of disturbing the peaceful atmosphere which prevailed over Ukraine, a former Soviet Union State.

Mr.Yanukovych shed his cool approach when the opposition’s demand gained momentum. His policy of appeasement had no takers and he started pondering over launching a ruthless action against the opposition. The followers of opposition leaders gathered at the Independence Square and after repeated warnings to disperse, they refused to oblige. The soldiers belonging to Ukranian govt decided to storm into the Independence Square and with firing rubber bullets, launching grenades and other weapons which forced the Opposition parties’ followers to run helter skelter.  On Wednesday in the melee 26 persons died and 10 of them were Ukranian soldiers.

With the arrival of evening there were reports of Yanukovych and opposition agreeing for a truce which both sides confirmed. In between what went wrong since as per latest reports the signing of a truce turned awry and violence at various parts of Ukraine continued.  If Russia and Western nations shy away from interfering and bring about a deal between the govt and the opposition so as to forcing both to sign a deal, Ukraine will gradually plunge into a civil war claiming the lives of innumerable persons and wounding as many or more than that and destruction of properties valued at lakhs of crores.

It would be better, Mr.Yanukovych steps down and order a fresh election under the watchful eyes of an Independent Election Watch. Otherwise it would turn a playground of both Russian and Western nations affecting the Ukranians most.

The situation has turned from bad to worse and it is high time all parties involved joined together to bring about a durable agreement, it would be better.               

CRASHING DOWN OF A SILENT LOVE

With the arrival of vacation

students,teachers and employees

proceeded to their

respective abodes

by buses, trains or cabs.

For he and she

the vacation moved along like a snail

each day seemed to them like an era.

Though he loved her

and though she loved him

and conveyed their feelings

by exchanging glances

or by conveying smiles

both of them couldn’t 

summon the courage 

to speak to each other or to open

their hearts to each other.

With the arrival of vacation

both went sad and gloomy.

Each vacation for them was

like a snail’s progress

with none taking the

initiative to convey the

love each one kept hidden

in the inner recesses of

each one’s heart.

During such a vacation

to her shock and disappointment

she with a cloudy heart

witnessed preparations to get

her married off to somebody

whom she didn’t know.

Except her, everyone in the

house was in a

delightful mood and

made it clear to her

about her impending marriage to a handsome youth.

She had to put an end

to her education midway

her heart longed to meet her silent lover

she couldn’t go

out again to the college

and had to spend her days

in seclusion wearing

an artificial smile and with a lump in her throat

with her eyes welling up.

              

THE STATE OF TELENGANA SEEMS TO BE MATERIALISING

After six decades of struggle Telengana State seems to be materializing into a reality. In spite of protests by the United Andhra loyalists, Telengana has turned out to be the 29^th State in Indian Union. K.Chandrasekhar Rao, the man who fought from the front with hundreds of thousands of Telengana dreamers for their quest for a State of their own, the people of Telengana saw to it that their demands seem to have materialized. Now it is time for euphoria for the citizens of Telengana, where as it is sense of loss for United Andhra loyalists with the passage of Reorganization of Andhra bill passed by voice vote despite pandemonium and chaos in the Lok Sabha ruling the roost since the day of presentation of the bill till it got passed on Tuesday. Now it needs to go through the Rajya Sabha where too it should get the majority approval. United Andhra loyalists were determined to block the passage of the bill in Lok Sabha at all costs, and to their shock and chagrin the Central govt had a tough time in the creation of the new State to be carved out from United Andhra.

A bandh was called by Jagan Mohan Reddy, staunch supporter of United Andhra and incidentally he is the son of Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

The hurry with which govt of India proceeded along bifurcating Andhra and creating Seemandhra and Telengana was with an eye on general elections scheduled to be held four months from now. The UPA 2’s calculations went wrong with Seemandhra leaders and their followers grouped under one umbrella and have turned against Central govt. Andhra Pradesh during the tenure of Y.S.Rajasekhar Reddy bagged maximum number of seats thus enabling the UPA 2 in cobbling together an alliance and assuming power and this time apart from Telengana, the UPA 2 can’t even bag half the number of seats at a moment UPA 2 is sailing rough waters and facing a certain defeat.

In the Assembly elections held three months back, four States went to Bharatiya Janata Party to the embarrassment and shock of Congress which is leading the UPA 2. It is almost certain that BJP led NDA is poised to capture more seats than UPA 2. To the UPA 2 it was a forewarning of how things are going to take shape in the days to come.

Reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh is to go thru and it is almost sure, the bill might scrape thru Rajya Sabha with support of main opposition alliance extending a helping hand to the govt.

The repercussions of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Seemandhra and Telengana are sure to result in demanding creation of new States such as Gorkha Land, North East parts like Bodoland and parts of Uttar Pradesh thus pushing the centre to the brink of a dilemma.

AGAINST THE CURRENT

He is only a floating log

in the river of city life

moving along with the current.

Though he nurses a dream

of swimming against the current

he knows he can’t ever swim against the current.

Like lakhs of floating logs like him

he too moves along like them.

Despite this truth still he cherishes

the dream of swimming against the current

though he has resigned to the fact of

mission impossible.

Ever seen a floating

log swimming against the current?   

BABY GIRL

Unmindful of

the cries of a new-born baby girl

left among the shrubs

on the street-side

by her mother

almost all the passers-by

never even took care

to listen to the

helpless cries of the baby girl

like a cry in the wilderness

walked down the street. 

A middle-aged woman

who happened to pass by the street

spotted the baby among the

shrubs crying for

the proximity of her mother.

The mother in the middle-aged woman

her heart beating fast

her eyes filled to the brim

took out the baby

held her close to her chest

walked along the street

and took the baby to her home.

Her husband waiting for

her in the portico

looked askance at her and she unraveled

the entire story to him

and stamped out the

sad feeling of being a

childless couple….           

WITH THE FAILURE OF TALKS BETWEEN PAKISTANI GOVT AND TEHREEK-E-TALIBAN IT IS BACK TO SQUARE ONE

Even before Nawas Sherif, Pakistan Prime Minister invited Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for talks with the goal of ending the terror activities across Pakistan, only common sense was required what would be the end result. That the terror outfit would pull the rug from under the feet was a foregone conclusion. Whether Mr.Sherif himself nurtured a cautious optimism that the Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan would declare a cessation of hostilities at least for a short duration if not for a long period. The invitation to invite the outfit did actually come out of Mr.Sherif’s heart since terror elements were roaming thru the streets without fear and would engage in blowing themselves killing hundreds and wounding numerous innocents anywhere they wanted thus indulging in a chain of terror activities and as a consequence citizens are always in a state of fear and apprehension and never dare to come out of their shells fearing the terror elements.

With the long array of suicide bombings causing immense destruction and as a last result Nawas Sherif ordered his forces to launch drone activities causing the deaths of the outfit elements including their leaders who are safely enconsced in the harsh mountainous terrains  of Khyber Pakhtunkwa. He could thus achieve the aim to do away with the terror elements. In the meanwhile Mr.Nawaz Sherif cherished a desire to hold a meeting with them and to settle the contentious issues which the TTP leaders in an atmosphere of bonhomie. The issues they wanted to solve were actually unthinkable and unimaginable in a democracy. They wanted the implementation of Sharia Law, Islamic system of education in all schools and the unconditional release of the TTP elements who were imprisoned for heinous crimes they committed and knowing their demands since a long time how come Mr.Sherif wanted to meet them and nursed the ambition of making them come to the negotiating table otherwise extending an olive leaf of peace?

Both the govt and TTP chose their representatives and went on with the desire of charting out and discussing, debating and deliberating all the disputes confronting both of them.

Even while the talks were going on TTP elements on a daily basis went on with their destructive activities across the nation. The TTP element couldn’t cease their business of killing whoever they wanted to finish off which the govt witnessed with a heavy heart.

When the representatives listed out their priorities and placed before the committee, their demand that their prisoners be released, TTP made it clear that the 23 soldiers within their custody were already beheaded to avenge the killing of their men by the govt forces. For the govt representatives, that explanation was a terrible shock and as a protest they made it clear that they didn’t want to proceed with the talks and withdrew from the talks and with that their mission of peace came to an end.

Now with the mission fizzling out we can expect the repeat of cold-blooded massacres both by the govt and Tehreek-E-Taliban Pakistan going on from bad to worse. A militant outfit still demanding the return of Sharia law and Islamic system of education across the nation, severing of ties with United States, and the release of their detainees and compensation to be paid for all losses they incurred, Mr.Nawas Sherif can’t sit idle, won’t sit idle and he may proceed along launching more and more drone attacks thereby finish off the monsters. The TTP too may come out with more vigour, determination and strength thus turning the holy land (Pakistan) into a blood soaked unholy land. It seems like for Pakistan peace will remain elusive for a long duration.