My Opinion

Gopal Das Neeraj, one of India’s renowned poet disagrees with writers returning their awards. He says this is no way to protest. By returning their awards, he feels writers and poets are unnecessarily politicising the whole issue and this is not good for literature. Perhaps there is an element of truth in what Gopal Das Neeraj has hinted. Writers should avoid such controversies, they should not get involved in politics. A writer has the power to express himself through his creativity, he should be a guiding force for the society. His pen should act as a tool to voice the emotions of the society.

There are two things that stand out about Pakistan. One, is that the country may have a democratically elected government, but it hardly has any decision making powers. It is the Army which sets the agenda, it is the ISI which is more powerful. And second is that Pakistan has become a breeding ground for terrorists and terrorism thrives because of the ISI and Army’s patronage. It is therefore of little significance to the US and the rest of the world of what Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has to say about India.

He is certainly not a politician. Having served the army for his entire life, Gen VK Singh likes to call a spade a spade. As a politician he is yet to realise how important it is to measure one’s words while speaking in public. One word here and there can either raise you to great heights or can even knock you down. Perhaps it is this inexperience that has often seen Gen VK Singh put his foot in his mouth. Each time the General has had to justify his comments as well as apologise for the controversial remarks.

The Shiv Sena has always been a formidable force in Maharashtra politics and the BJP has had to play second fiddle to it. Equations changed last year when in the Assembly Elections, BJP stole a march over Shiv Sena with a resounding win. The Shiv Sena was no longer the “big brother” and till date the party is yet to digest this change of power play. Not surprisingly its leaders like Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut have been repeatedly lashing out at the BJP. Their agony was quite apparent today when both these leaders made a vicious attack on the government. It could be a while before Shiv Sena is finally able to accept its nominal role.

It was known well in advance that due to drought like conditions, production of pulses would take a hit and would subsequently result in rising prices and black marketeering. Not just the Central government failed to take stock of the situation, even the state governments failed in their responsibilities. The government should have imported enough pulses to prevent a shortage and the state governments should taken steps to curb hoarding – all this with a bit of forward planning. And now when the situation has become grim, the Centre and the States are bent upon blaming each other. This crisis could have well been averted had the Centre and the States planned better.

The horrific killings of the two children at the Sunpedh village in Faridabad are result of a long standing feud between two families. A feud that had resulted in the murder of 3 people in 2014. Last year when the killings took place it was a Congress government in Haryana and this time it is a BJP ruled state. However this incident is not a result of any political upheaval but is more of a social issue. It is a grim reminder of what revenge killing is all about. And cutting across party lines, politicians should refrain from playing petty politics over this issue.

PCB chairman Shahryar Khan feels that the BCCI has buckled under certain “pressures”…the Shiv Sena of course is only too pleased that its protests have helped stall a possible Indo-Pak cricket series. However as reported in the Pak media, the series seems very unlikely when BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur clearly mentioned that bilateral cricketing ties can resume only when the Government gives a go ahead. The Government in no uncertain terms has said that the conditions currently are not conducive enough to have any cricket matches between the two countries.

As Virender Sehwag announced his retirement, there is no doubt that his stupendous performance will be forever be remembered in the history of cricket. With two triple centuries in Test cricket and a double century in ODI, Sehwag excelled in all formats in his explosive style. Perhaps the biggest tribute came from the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who compared him to the legendary Vivian Richards when he tweeted “Didn’t see Viv Richards bat in person but I can proudly say I have witnessed Virender Sehwag tearing apart the best bowling attacks”.

The question is why is the Shiv Sena repeatedly raking up the issue of Pakistan? After Ghulam Ali incurred their wrath, Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri had to face their onslaught. And today there were dramatic protests over talks between BCCI’s Shashank Manohar and the PCB Chairman Mr Shahryar Khan. Its dwindling support base and not being accorded enough importance in the State Government, is probably the reason that is prompting the Shiv Sena to hog the headlines through its anti Pakistan histrionics.

President Pranab Mukherjee once again raised the issue of growing intolerance in the country. Infact a fortnight ago when he had spoken out against disruption of communal harmony, it had prompted even Narendra Modi to endorse him and come out strongly against divisive forces in the country. However the ink smearing of Engineer Rashid and the Shiv Sena’s protests at the BCCI office in Mumbai today are classic examples of how the President’s words are falling on deaf ears on some people!

There is no doubt that the Right to Information Act has empowered people by giving them the right to question the system. It has helped exposed several scams. It has helped reduce corruption by making politicians and government officials more accountable. However a majority of the people are yet to understand the potential of RTI. More awareness needs to be created so that more and more people are able to participate in the democratic process.

When the National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill for the appointment of Judges had been introduced, except for one member, it was unanimously passed by both the Houses of Parliament as well as twenty State Assemblies. Prior to the NJAC, three commissions had earlier been constituted under the aegis of a notable Judge to usher in comprehensive Judicial reforms in the country and all of them were of the opinion that the existing Collegium system of appointing Judges needed to be replaced. It was a stunning blow today when the apex court quashed the NJAC as being unconstitutional. The NJAC had garnered overwhelming support even from notable jurists. The Supreme Court’s verdict could well put both the Judiciary and the Government on a warring path in the days to come.