Scorpio Stings ! - Scorpio *** (web ebook reader .txt) 📗

First Citizen had to say on the eve of Republic Day? Can this be denied?

 

If so, is it not the responsibility of the Govt and the media to ensure that President’s Address reaches even the remotest corner of this Nation in the form and language understood by the people who live there? Doordarshan has carried the Address and its translation in all languages; it is commendable indeed. But the fact is that only a very small percentage of population could have listened to the President, of course, for obvious reasons. Hence more importantly the full text of Presidential address should have been available on print the next day in all the newspapers in India. Was it not a proud obligation on the part of the media both visual and print to broadcast/carry the full text of the address so that each word of wisdom from the President and his vision about India would be ringing loud in the heart of every Indian on the Republic Day?

 

Is there is any statute in vogue that lays down how President’s message to the nation will be reached to billions of Indian population?

 

If there is none at the moment, is it not prudent to make legislations to stipulate that President Address to the nation on 25th Jan and Prime Minister’s address to the Nation on 15th of August at the Redford are broadcast/ carried verbatim by all Visual/print media in India the next day so that their messages do reach every Indian in India and living abroad. There is no meaning in sending out copies of the address through PR channels to various states because by the time it reaches the destination it mighty be late and the massage contained therein in would have been lost its importance and relevance.

 

Could someone make a start?

 

  

 

03.  Dignity in Politics : 07 Apr 2006

  

  

 Dignity and commitment are two words we cannot normally associate with politicians. Our tolerance level is so high that we accept and adore all those who show scant respect to these words in the name of politics. Politics has become an uneven playground where so-called leaders play a game of rugby with their followers with no umpires.  And every time the followers allow themselves to get defeated and bleed to death just to glorify their leaders. What had been going on in the political arena in Kerala, acclaimed as the most literate state in India, during the last two months is a classic example of this game and it really reinvents political practices in its worst form which defies the very essence of democracy that our constitution envisages. A detailed analysis of political drama being enacted at the moment will test your patience and (my existence too!) and hence not attempted here.

 

However, two incidents could be sited here which stand out in the midst of this murky political mud hole. One in the national scene and the other in Kerala politics. Both, however, send bright signals that everything is not lost  in our political framework. It is because this great country still has the inbuilt resilience to emerge stronger from the ashes!

 

First, Sonia Gandhi deserves all the acclaim for resigning her Parliament seat when she realised that she was also in the same wicket as Jayabachan in the ‘Office of Profit’ issue. Her act, though being criticised severely as a political gimmick by her detractors, personifies utmost Dignity in Politics, which unfortunately for reasons unknown to you and me, the other 44 MPs including learned Speaker of the house Somnath Chatterjea could not emulate!

 

The Second, Anthony Raju former MLA and a leader of Kerala Congress (J) withdrew from Trivandrum West when the LDF objected to his candidature. Mind you, though Raju was the approved candidate of Kerala Congress (J), he declared that, if he is not having the trust, cooperation and support of the whole LDF and its leadership, he was not prepared to fight the elections. The sincerity, feeling and his concern for the front he supports were really visible on that dark face while he made his public declaration. If this were not political dignity what else would you call thus? It is unfortunate again that KK Nairs, Sarachandraprasads, Neelalohitadasan Nadars and many others denied seats by their respective parties who made them the leaders could not take a cue from him.

 

Please don’t compare the two people involved for there is no comparison between them in stature. But try to understand the value based politics they stand for; reasons, undercurrents and hidden agendas they could be blamed for do not take away the praise they deserve.

 

  

  

04.  Buck stops here Mr President: 17 Aug 2006

 

 

 

  Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification Act 1059) Amendment bill now being nebulously christened the ‘Office of Profit Act’ by the less knowledgeable is still to be given assent by the President. RK Laxman’s common man on the street poses a relevant question why the assent is being withheld by the President though the parliament has resent the bill for the second time to him more than ten days ago. You cannot grudge him if he whispers a bit loudly to remind the President of the famous sign ‘The Buck Stops Here’ exquisitely displayed in the rose wood desk of President Harry S Truman.

 

One actually wonders why the president has not yet given his assent to the Amendment Bill so far. As envisaged in the provisions of Sec 111 of the constitution, the President would have returned the Bill to the parliament with a message requesting that they (Parliament) will reconsider the Bill or any specified provisions thereof and, in particular, will consider the desirability of introducing any such amendments as he may recommend in his message, and the Bill is returned to him after having reconsidered the Bill accordingly by the Parliament. The common man has learned from the media that the Parliament has resent the bill verbatim to the President without any amendment for getting his assent the second time. The point at issue at this juncture is whether the Parliament has reconsidered the bill on the basis of the issues raised by the President (naturally he would have raised some) accordingly and if so whether President’s concerns were satisfactorily answered while it was presented to him for the second time? Is it not an inbuilt moral obligation for the Parliament, the highest law-making instrument in the country to dispense of the fears of the President though the President Of India is only ‘to reign and not to rule’? Though the constitution permits the Parliament to resend the bill without any amendment to the president again for his assent, wouldn’t the act be viewed by the common man as something crossing over the thin line between decency and insult? What does the long waiting by the President for granting assent to the bill, that he is bound to oblige in consonance with the constitution, signify?

 

 This Long wait surely points to the fact that President is not fully convinced by the essence and spirit of this bill. But, further wait will be branded as arbitratory and exceeding the limits of Presidential powers, for Sec 111 clearly says the President shall not withhold assent therefrom once it is presented the second time!

 

Is the president in a Catch 22 situation?

      

Seeking expert opinion on a matter that has utmost relevance in our democratic processes by a reference to the Supreme court, the highest judicial organ of the country, by the President is very much in tune with the constitution. As per Sec 143 of the constitution, if at any time it appears to the President that a question of law or fact has arisen, or is likely to arise, which is of such a nature and of such public importance that it is expedient to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court upon it, he may refer the question to that Court for consideration and the Court may, after such hearing as it thinks fit, report to the President its opinion thereon. Therefore the Bill can be referred to the Supreme Court for their opinion and Supreme Court’s considered opinion about its constitutional validity could be a guiding principle for the President to consider while finally putting his signature on the Assent to the Billor otherwise

 

Tailpiece

 

In the true spirit of the so called Office of Profit Act, would knowledgeable legal luminaries comment on the propriety or impropriety of appearance in Supreme Court in a recent case by a senior Advocate Shri Arun Jetly who is a Member of Parliament?

 

 

 

 

05. Silent Majority proves a point: 05 Dec 2006   

 

 

 

Celebrations are in galore by the LDF after the landslide victory in the Kerala Elections. Every party of LDF alliance vie each other to proclaim that it was its contribution that resulted in such a massive sweep of the UDF.

 

Each one of them is in living in fool’s paradise! As a matter of fact it is the Silent Majority of Kerala that routed the UDF and nobody else! So far this Silent majority, like Rip Van Winkle, was sleeping for years together and hence was silent and inanimate to what was being enacted in this State for the last so many years and was towing a criminally passive line of least resistance. It is a welcome change that now they have woken up from their slumber and voted in this election with conviction, moral courage and political wisdom which you and me would never have thought they ever possessed. If you carefully analyse the results, not withstanding the VS zunami that was inadvertently created by the CPM Polit Bureau and the anticipatory bail of anti-incumbfency factor the UDF would use to its advantage, you could easily see the commendable political sensibility and sensitivity shown by the Silent Majority of Kerala.

 

First and foremost, the Silent Majority has categorically rejected the DIC (K), a catastrophical misadventure by the ‘Leader’ and his son, a party that has nothing to boast about in terms of ideology or contributions to the people of Kerala. All the nine MLAs of DIC (K) had to bite the dust and only one of 18 candidates contested under DIC (K) banner was elected. More so, most of the congress stalwarts who initially supported the Leader in his revolt against official Congress and then showed cold feet for reasons only known to them were defeated. The Silent Majority was really severe, rightly so, in meting out this hardest blow to the ‘Leader’, a three time Chief minister of this State and rendering DIC (K) a nonentity in Kerala politics.

 

Second, the Silent Majority very carefully voted out those political bigwigs who allegedly had tainted personal images irrespective of party lines. Defeat of people like Kunjalikkutty, Neelalohitadasan Nadar, Kadakampalli Surendran, R Balakrishna Pillai, KP Viswanathan, KK Ramachandran Master and few others is case in point. This is a matter of great significance for, the Silent Majority has taught us that there is a need to elect only persons who have Character, Competence and Concern to represent us in the highest law making institution.

 

Third, the Silent Majority has cleverly exposed the mockery of coalition politics being played in this state. Here, if any one wants a ministerial berth he forms a party off his own and gets elected through some unholy alliance with one of the fronts and then stakes his claim for minister ship. The major parties fall to this trap easily and present them the ministerial berth in a   platter so that they can somehow or the other form a Govt and to wield power. It will be interesting to have a look of coalition partners in both fronts! Is there any ideological difference between JSS & CMP in the UDF and CPM in the LDF which common man like you and mew can fathom? What is the difference of ideologies and programmes ththat are advocated by Congress S, NCP, KC (J) in LDF and the Congress, KC (M), KC (B) and the DIC (K)