Power of the Ballot

The thumping victory of Hamas in the recent Palestinian elections definitely seems to be a change for the better especially with allegations that Fatah, off late, has been riddled with nepotism, inefficiency, corruption etc. However, it would indeed augur well for the much beleaguered Palestinians only if Hamas is truly capable in finding a lasting solution to this longstanding crisis. Hope our very own groups like the Kashmiri separatists, Maoists etc. take a cue from this.

(Published in The Deccan Herald)

Hamas' win

The win of Hamas in the Palestinian elections has well highlighted the fact that even militant groups can indeed participate in elections and win the public mandate. This support of the people would finally pave the way for their demilitarization. Hope our groups like the Maoists and Kashmiri separatists are listening, for the power of the ballot far surpasses that of the gun.

(Published in the Deccan Herald on the 28th of January, 2006)

Golden opportunity

The visit of the Saudi King to India is a blessing in disguise. It is a rare opportunity for us to capitalize and strengthen our longstanding concern of oil security. His visit to China and India also signifies Saudi Arabia 's paradigm geo-political shift towards the "Asian Giants." This could very well be heralded as the beginning of the domination of the world scene by the two Asian powers, akin to the emergence of the United States in the aftermath of World War II.

Buta must go

Buta Singh shamelessly wants to cling to his gubernatorial post despite the scathing indictment by the Supreme Court. Despite his report to the Union Cabinet in undue haste, the latter had no obligation to follow it verbatim. This entire episode makes one thing amply clear, that all this was done at the behest of an influential ally of the ruling coalition. The larger question at this juncture, however is whether we at all need this post of "Governor", for it has far outlived its efficacy.

De-freeze Government recruitment

Instead of cutting down heavily on recruitment, as recommended by the V^th Pay Commission, the government must realize that there is a wrongly skewed recruitment policy i.e. wrong people in the wrong places. It would do well for the nation if recruitment were more organized. Instead of huge recruitment in the unproductive areas, it would be appreciated if it were otherwise.

Hajj subsidy!!!

The fifth pillar of Islam, the Hajj, is a ritual obligatory only to those who are mentally, physically and financially able to undertake it. The subsidy by the government is wrong in the light of the above fact and vividly seems be nothing but an appeasement of the 'Muslim vote-bank.' Moreover, the way in which the applicants are chosen is by way of a 'lucky draw', akin to gambling. This too is a gross violation of the tenets of Islam.

IIM graduates in government!!!

Why can't IIM/IIT graduates, whose education has been heavily subsidised by the exchequer, be made to perform a mandatory service period in the government? Their infusion would very likely bring about radical changes due to their ideas and intellect, and eventually augur well for the people of India. There would for sure be a sea change in the efficiency and the attitude which is most worrying. It is high time the government took note of such alternatives to shape up the babudom.

Admiralgate?

It is sad to note that Admiral Arun Prakash, a close relative of him is alleged to have committed Naval data theft, is unaware of who makes calls from his own residential telephone exchange in response to serious charges against the Admiral that calls were in fact made from the Admiral's residence to Arms dealers despite having the Naval Intelligence. Three officers who were caught earlier in connection with this case were summarily dismissed from service without the court martial procedure, which now seems to have been done merely to hush up the case. Interestingly, not much headway has been made into the investigation of the Admiral's nephew's role.

Kudos to Iran!

Kudos to Iran for sticking to its guns in challenging USA's hegemony saying it would go ahead, come what may, in its quest for nuclear energy for purely civilian purposes. But in the light of the Iraq case it now seems that Iran too is a fit case for the US's quest for newer and larger oil and gas reserves. That apart, Israel can remain the undisputed 'leader' of the Middle East. Well what is this if not "two shots in a single throw"?

(Published in the Deccan Herald on the 21st of January, 2006)

The Iran fiasco

The carrot and stick policy of the US towards India seems to be working this time too. The US, determined to upset the Indo-Iran oil pipeline deal is luring us with its 'Civilian nuclear deal', to have its way acting as a proxy for Israel, to make India repeat the blunder of voting against Iran in the Security Council. The larger idea behind all this is the vast oil and natural gas reserves and cessation of a danger to Israeli aggression in the Middle East.