Boycotting LS for one man

I do not intend to vilify George, he is a respectable veteran socialist leader with years of struggle behind him. His only drawback is that he cannot keep his personal hatred out of politics, and politics of hatred does not pay for long. His acrimony against the Gandhi family is evident from his abusive statements against all public personalities from the family for the last three decades.

Even veteran BJP and RSS leaders are reportedly of the opinion that because of one individual, the whole party has missed out the opportunity of attacking the government and redeeming itself in Parliament. Even a former veteran BJP leader, who holds a top constitutional post today, pulled up the BJP leadership over the LS boycott. He asked BJP leaders why they had become MPs if they did not want to attend Parliament. He pointed out that the agenda in this session was of vital importance, but instead of gaining anything, the BJP stood outside as noisy spectators even as the government went about its business and passed several important legislations.

Since AIADMK, TDP and Samajwadi Party were present, the NDA’s absence did not make it too awkward. The Finance Bills, SEZ Bill, CrPC Bill, Patent Amendment Law, Allahabad University Bills, regularisation of Private Securities Agencies, and most importantly, the Right to Information Bill were all passed, in what should be counted as a landmark achievement the government in this session.

As for the BJP, even the next session should not be very different, as it will have Justice Phukan’s report and ITC issues as excuses to stall or boycott the Parliament once again. Unfortunately, George Fernandes’ name figures again in both controversies.

Policing the cops

A supreme Court order has made a startling revelation in the Telgi case — that rivalry between senior police officers was primarily responsible for the charges against ex-Commissioner of Mumbai Police, R S Sharma.

Sharma was charged under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for unduly delaying a transfer and suspending two officers under him, who were prime accused in the Telgi case. He was denied bail in the Mumbai High Court, but the SC, where he filed an appeal, took a different stand.

It was interesting to read how the SC judgment charged senior police officers of fighting and implicating each other, even as Sharma spent 11 months in jail. The court concluded that Sharma had no direct influence over delays in transfer and suspensions, but his juniors and detractors in the police department had stalled his orders and thereby, prepared ground for charges against his inaction. Apart from noting factual errors, misreadings and misinterpretations in the HC’s observations, the SC claimed one senior officer ‘‘exceeded his brief implicating the appellant (Sharma)’’, that Sharma was ‘‘discriminated against’’.

Now, Sharma can, and should, file a defamation case against those who tried to implicate him.

India, China bhai-bhai

China is the flavour of the year in India’s foreign policy, and the historic success of the Chinese Premier’s recent visit is set to bring the relationship closer. So the timing seemed just right for Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh to release a collection of his essays on India-China ties, provocatively titled Making Sense of Chindia. Jairam’s extensive research on the history, politics and economics of Sino-Indian ties has manifested in an outstanding volume.

New chapters are being scripted in Sino-India relationship today, as economy mandates that both countries resolve their border disputes for good. From the Chinese side, it is the ‘‘PRC syndrome’’ (Jairamism for Peaceful Rise of China) at play, where China’s single-minded focus on ‘‘making China an economic superpower in every respect in the next two decades’’ makes them try and be ‘‘good neigbours and sober citizens of the world’’. However, even as trade is booming between the two countries, Jairam alleges that we are still unable to let go of our wariness about China. He says that India’s security concerns often impact foreign investment by China in India, despite the fact that China harbours no such inhibitions about India.

Should India join Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)? Should it emulate China’s Western Development Programme for kick-starting development in the Northeast as well as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh? These are some questions which Jairam raises. And in their answers lies more development through greater cooperation between two of world’s fastest growing economies.

The writer is a Congress member of the Rajya Sabha. He can be reached at shuklarajeev@gmail.com