Opinion The Telangana mess
Creation of a new State by division of an existing State,particularly if that is on the basis of language,religion or caste,is not desirable....
Creation of a new State by division of an existing State,particularly if that is on the basis of language,religion or caste,is not desirable. Formation of Telangana may be warranted on the ground of administrative convenience. The distressing part is that such a momentous decision was taken under the coercive pressure of a fast unto death undertaken by K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). This will send a wrong signal and several fasts unto death will be in the offing.
Chiranjeevi has now resolved to fight for unification of Andhra in opposition to Telangana. KCR has warned that any attempt to thwart Telangana will result in a bloodbath. In addition,there have been mass resignations of MLAs of different political parties,including the Congress. What a mess. These developments may cause problems for the formation of Telangana because under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution a bill for forming a new State has to be referred to the legislature of the concerned State,i.e. Andhra Pradesh,for expressing its views. One wonders what views can be expressed in light of the mass resignations. The only salutary fall out is that fasts will reduce obesity which supposedly contributes to cardiac failure. Hopefully there should be no failure of constitutional machinery paving the way for imposition of Presidents Rule in Andhra Pradesh.
Outrageous defence
A wicked hoax was perpetrated on the international community to justify the invasion of Iraq on the pretext that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and could mount an attack on the UK within 45 minutes. The proclaimed basis for invasion has been demonstrated to be false and indeed so acknowledged. One would have expected an unconditional apology and reparation and compensation for over 100,000 Iraqi deaths,widespread injuries to civilians and destruction of their homes. Far from it. Former Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair solemnly stated on a BBC ITV channel that quite apart from WMD,he would have nonetheless justified Iraqs invasion on the ground that it was right to remove Saddam Hussain! Agreed that Saddam was a brutal dictator. Is that justification for invading a sovereign nation? There are several dictatorial Saddams in the world and according to Blairs logic all those countries may be justifiably invaded unless of course the dictators of these countries further the economic and foreign policy interests of the UK. Blair is surely aware of the basic principles of international law and rule of law. UK Governments illegal and unethical action and its outrageous defence by Blair may well encourage other countries to embark on invasions to unilaterally remove heads of State considered to be dictators. Therein lies the insidious danger of Blairs logic.
Problematic pets
Humans have a certain affinity for animals. The poet Walt Whitman would turn and live with animals,they are so placid and self-centered. Most homes have pets. The selection of pets varies. Dogs are generally favoured though they are non-grata in some Muslim households where the preference is for cats. Some weirdos house snakes,especially the cobra,to ward off evil spirits and some go for the mongoose as a precaution against snakes.
A friend of mine was ambivalent about keeping pets in his home. He disliked cats whom he considered treacherous,did not fancy dogs because of their bad toilet manners. He was however very fond of his Zanjibar parrot who impeccably recited jazz tunes and classical melodies which he happened to hear when they were played. The snag is that he also picked up four letter words which were profusely uttered by his master. During a dinner party at home when respectable business persons were seriously engaged in negotiating a joint venture,the parrot despite repeated warnings,continuously said f¿ off to the consternation of the guests and the acute discomfiture of the host. After this incident he irrationally decided against all pets without distinction including his parrot. Arguing with him was of no avail. Incidentally my friend was a Parsi bachelor in his 70s. And thereby hangs a tale.
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