THE GREAT INDIAN MAP

Media, political commentators, political parties and citizens across the spectrum are unanimous in their views about the way with which Government of India (P) Ltd

under its chief executive Dr. ManMohan Singh – he is a renowned economist, a world bank product conduct its business nowadays. Barring 206 MPs the opposition parties, Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajavadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (U), Telugu Desam Party, Lok Janasakthi Party, mind you, in India it is a tedious task to prepare a list of our parties, near impossible so to speak and left parties. Barring CPI (M), CPI, Forward Block, Revolutionary Socialist Party - the Left Block - Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (U) to name a few, other parties though not in power, in fact during the formation of the UPA 2 Government denied them the comforts of power, the cosy seats they aspired for to taste the sweetness of power, without showing much bitterness or reservations, they knew their day would come and hence decided to extend support from outside.








With Left Front decimated in the 15th General Election, though not totally wiped out the UPA 2 formation heaved a deep sigh of relief in fact, the former was a perennial nuisance, or a thorn in the flesh, UPA 2 with much confidence and hubris with lightening speed decided to open up the doors to multination corporations in the fields of industry, trade, agriculture, strategic ties, education, banking on the whole the infrastructure as no one was there to block their neo-liberal path. The “party” goes on with full vigor and strength perhaps, UPA 2 must be fearing such golden chance would evade them in future.



Left who could successfully flex their muscles and twist the UPA 1 Govt as the former with 61 MPs could upset many an apple-cart, found themselves in the wilderness with a reduced strength of only 16 Members of Parliament in the 15th General elections and they ended in the wilderness. It was their own undoing and they had to pay dearly. The congress or any other party had nothing to do with Left Front’s decline, in fact the way with which they conducted governance in their powerful citadels of West Bengal and Kerala - the little state of Tripura alone remained an exception - the undue speed West Bengal Chief Minister took to bring in industrial development in the state, the red carpet spread to corporates welcomed Ratan Tata and a few multinationals without even arriving at a consensus by holding discussions with those who mattered most and forcible evacuation of farmers who are the backbone of the State. By handing over Singur and Nandigram on a platter adopting violent, belligerent approach and the blood bath that ensued made the well-wishers, leftist intellectuals including cultural icons, artists, writers, film personalities, social activists like Mrinal Sen and Aparna Sen turned against the Government and joined hands with the hapless farmers and share-croppers in taking up cudgels against Buddha’s Govt. The Left Front which ruled the country which enjoyed immense popularity and satisfaction of the majority for 32 years at a stretch beginning Jyoti Basu from 1977 found itself in the dock. The Trinamool Congress, under the present Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee who is a staunch opponent of the Left Govt cashed in on the opportunity and she alongside Congress fought the 15th General Elections campaigned with all might humbled the Left Front for the first time in 32 years. The assembly elections scheduled for 2011 is fast approaching and Left Block will have to sweat it out for another term. Emerging trend however points towards a not-so-happy outcome for the Left Front.



Internal wranglings in the CPI (M) unit in Kerala which has its genesis since years, one of the factors for the poor performance of the Left in Kerala. Even after the intervention of the Polit Bureau the divisions are still apparent. Moreover the lack of cohesion in the alliance during the seat allocation and a section of Janata Dal (S) switching over to the opposite camp, the reason being denial of a prestigious seat covert operations among the alliance partners to settle scores, all were factors for the disgraceful performance of the Left Front in the 15th General Elections. Kerala also will go to Assembly Polls in 2011, lack of cohesion among the alliance partners and internal wranglings still going on point toward a not so happy outcome.

I was writing about the arrogant, belligerent ways of the UPA 2 Government and the speed with which it conducts its business even without due consultation with its own allies the opposition parties though a group of fence sitters are keeping a guessing game, find themselves united under one umbrella has decided to fight against the authoritarian tendencies of UPA 2 on pressing matters of mounting price-rise of food items and essential commodities, fuel price hike, the issue of nuclear damage liability bill, 100 % FDI investment in Education, Banking sector, Super Market chains like Wal-Mart, through backdoor, defence sector besides mounting terror threats, in short the mortgage of nation to Imperialists otherwise why fear America on our foreign policy related matters, why buckle under their pressure without caring for the interests and aspirations of the country, why the nation is still lagging far behind in providing adequate dwellings, drinking water, sanitary facilities, nutritious food, at least two square meals a day to the impoverished, why 77 per cent of citizens still earning Rs.20 a day why can’t those living under BPL not wholly taken into account by accepting the Suresh Tendulkar report alone, (I do not know what criteria the gentle man adopted to compute the total number of BPL families of our nation) and why India occupies 132nd position the World Human Development Index?



Exploitation (the root cause of mounting Maoist threats along the difficult terrains of the forests of our various States is due to the massive money churning businesses of corporate giants depriving the tribals of their livelihoods since decades if not centuries. Only with the betterment of their living conditions the problem could be solved.), swindling, corruption, money-laundering, immoral trafficking, child abuse, haves becoming more and more rich and have-nots find themselves in the ditch – Interesting, as one news caster of a news channel said, perhaps unawares, while talking to a female journalist at Bangalore who was reporting the details of violent communal clashes going on there with all seriousness. (Though I know their names I do not want to reveal it the reason being envy. They might become celebrities overnight.)



The other day there was a news report in the media that more than 100 MPs in our Rajya Saba are crorepathis.



A public limited firm called Govt of India, admirably, unabashedly conducting a thriving business.



Let us watch and enjoy the scenes sitting in the ring-side seats. Have a hearty laugh. That is the only way out for us.