MODI OUT, BUT WHO WILL FIX THE BIGGER MESS?

On Sunday night when Kieron Pollard was trying to play the innings of his life in the final few overs to take Mumbai Indians home, another man in the stadium was also trying everything possible in the book to save his job as the chief of IPL. But for Lalit Modi this time around all his shots had failed. The BCCI just a few minutes after the final ball was bowled at the D.Y. Patil stadium clean bowled Modi. He was e-mailed his suspension letter which effectively meant that he could not attend the bigger final on Monday- the IPL governing council meeting.

The suspension of Lalit Modi without even given a chance to offer an explanation is definitely unfair. True, the man ran the IPL like his own private business and if the
allegations against him turn out to be true then he should be tried and punished for the same. No matter how big is the crime, the accused is always given a chance to defend himself under a fair trial and even Modi deserves a chance.

But the biggest highlight of the whole series of ugly events has been the manner in which the BCCI has crucified one man for the whole IPL mess. No doubt Lalit Modi was the chief of IPL and he is the prime accused but it was not only Modi who was running the IPL. There are twelve other members on the governing council of the IPL which include the BCCI president Shashank Manohar, three strong politicians & three former Indian captains. So how can all of them be given a clean chit that too by themselves? Isn’t the BCCI president who heads the cricket board morally responsible for what has happened? Shouldn’t the whole governing council resign so that a ‘fair’ investigation can take place? Shashank Manohar said in the press conference that the reason for Modi’s suspension is to have a ‘fair’ investigation without any hindrances. Doesn’t that apply to the whole IPL governing council?

The end result- the IPL governing council remains intact minus Modi, with some of its members being promoted and given bigger responsibilities. How can this council be trusted when they failed to question the very functioning of the same IPL in the last three years? This is one of the biggest failures on the corporate governance front. The whole issue of corporate governance was raised during the ‘Satyam’ fiasco and its back to haunt us again.

The issue is not restricted to the IPL only. This issue also raises doubts on the whole functioning of the BCCI. Many would argue that BCCI is a private body and therefore is not accountable. The fact that they run the most popular sport of this nation makes it mandatory for them to be accountable to the people of this country. Because cricket is not their private property- it belongs to the whole nation which adores the sport. The BCCI is accountable to the government for the simple fact that the government has exempted BCCI to pay taxes being a private trust. The government also provides them all kinds of facilities from stadiums to police security for matches and does not charge them a penny even though it’s run by a private body. And thanks to all these exemptions, BCCI is the second richest sports body in the world with annual revenues running into billion of dollars.

And finally, why is it that Shashi Tharoor had to resign? Doesn’t that rule apply to Pawar & Patel whose names have cropped up during the last few weeks? Or will the Congress this time again stifle under coalition pressure like it did during the A Raja controversy on the telecom 2G spectrum front sometime back. The government will have to ensure that a thorough enquiry is conducted not only into the IPL but the whole functioning of BCCI. This is a golden opportunity for the government to clean the stinking corruption embedded in cricket administration which is so essential for the sport to grow. If it fails to do so then cricket would continue to remain the golden goose which will keep giving golden eggs to a handful of politicians & businessmen of this country.

THAROOR PAYS THE PRICE, BUT WILL MODI SURVIVE?

It was Modi’s in swinging yorker that saw Tharoor’s middle stump flying out of the ground. Many would term Tharoor’s resignation as a victory for Lalit Modi & the BJP. But the fact remains that this IPL (Indian Political League) like the original one is not over yet. And there can still be a twist in the Tale.

Sonia Gandhi & Dr Singh’s decision not to back Tharoor had one key element attached to it. Both didn’t want the current UPA to be linked to any form of corruption charges. Tharoor might be a bit unlucky also as probably his intention was not to make money himself but the route chosen by him to participate in the IPL frenzy has cost

him dearly. From the time reports surfaced on Tharoor’s participation in the bidding process, he was in trouble. Being a little too straightforward for Indian politics which led to him acknowledging that he was mentoring the Kochi side and never shy of roaming with his love interest in public has cost him dearly. Now a mentor can be interpreted in different ways. Similarly his proximity to Sunanda Pushkar who happens to be a stake holder in the Kochi consortium without investing a penny was something too crude to digest for Indian polity. That’s exactly what Modi & the BJP did. And with each passing day a new revelation of Tharoor’s role kept emerging.

But Congress’s larger game plan was not only to keep its track record clean but also to launch a counter attack on the BJP led opposition. Even before Pranab announced that IPL will be probed and the guilty will not be spared, the Income tax department was on the game

The reason why Tharoor lost the first round to Modi many would say is because the former was a minister; hence he was a public servant, while Modi heads a private entity and is not accountable to the public directly. But there are other reasons as well which is why Modi survived the initial attack atleast. The first advantage Modi had was that he might be close to the BJP, but he is not a BJP worker officially. So even if they attack Modi, the Congress cannot link him directly to the saffron party. Moreover Congress ally Sharad Pawar is openly backing Modi.

But with the I-T department determined to implicate Modi, this just might be the tip of the iceberg. If Modi is sacked by the BCCI or taken to task for the alleged financial mishaps within the IPL, he will not go out silently but will make the whole BCCI face the music. IPL is a subsidiary of the BCCI, so if Lalit Modi is indicted so will be the IPL and invariably the BCCI. And if that happens then we will see a Pandora’s Box being opened. And with the likes of Sharad Pawar, Arun Jaitley & Farooq Abdullah on the BCCI council, this could lead to a major political storm. Not only are politicians involved but even the big corporates are involved in the BCCI & the IPL

N.Srinivasan who is the vice-chairman of India Cements owns the Chennai Super Kings. And Mr Srinivasan also happens to be the secretary of the BCCI. K.Srikanth is the official brand ambassador of the same team and he also happens to be the chief national selector of the BCCI. So wasn’t there a conflict of interest right from the first round of bidding which happened in 2008? It’s now a direct battle between the government and the BCCI backed by politicians & strong corporates.

But in the end the biggest loser is not the political class, but the brand IPL itself. Though till now there are no signs of the audience rejecting the tournament because of the latest controversy, but IPL as a sporting brand which is becoming a global phenomenon has definitely taken a beating. A brand which has made India proud may become a tainted sporting property. And again the culprits remain the same as they have always been in the last six decades- politics, money & corruption.

TIME FOR INDIA TO TALK TOUGH

On 18th July 2005 when George W Bush and Dr Manmohan Singh jointly announced the historic nuclear agreement in Washington, many thought that this would be the beginning of a relationship that would dominate the world in the 21st century. Some even compared it to the US-Israel relationship that has been rock steady for the last 6 decades. But Dr Singh would have never imagined at that time that the nuclear deal which was the symbol of this new love affair between the two nations for which he also put his chair and the government on the line in 2008 (The Left pull support from the UPA) would start loosing its sheen so early.


Bush and Dr Singh were the architects of this new strategic relationship which was created on mutual benefit & trust. But unfortunately for India the meaning of the word ‘mutual benefit’ which was defined by these two leaders in 2005 changed in January 2009 when Barack Obama took over as the president of the United States of America.

In the last one year there have been three key issues that clearly indicate Washington’s priority and preference. The thorniest issue has been the 26/11 investigation. From the time of 26/11, India’s reliance on the US to pressurize Pakistan to act against the Pakistan based terror camps has been a complete failure. Yes, the US has publicly always made statements that Pakistan must act and speed up the process. But the reality still remains that Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of 26/11 is still roaming around scot free. Similarly when David Headley admitted his role in the 26/11 attack, the US officials immediately made it clear to India that Headley will not be extradited to India. The only assurance given was that Indian investigators would be given access to him for questioning. How soon and for what period is still not known. The third issue has been the India-Iran relationship. The US has been continuously pressurizing India not to do any business with Iran. India has been in talks with Iran over the multi billion dollar gas pipeline which is pivotal for India’s growing energy needs.

Lets take an hypothetical example with regards to 26/11 investigations. Had the US been in India’s position and say Iraq or even Iran had been directly responsible for 9/11 then would it had ever allowed India to do business with either Iran or Iraq? It launched an all out war against Afghanistan in 2002. Not only did it attack Afghanistan but took along with it a host of sycophants like the UK, Australia etc, who were not the victims of 9/11. But on the other hand now the US is not only providing financial aid to Pakistan but also considers it a big partner in its fight against the Taliban. And for India, Pakistan’s soil was used to attack Mumbai on 26/11.

Similarly to the issue of Iran with which the US has had a long standing problem and till date the US has been alleging that Iran has a hidden nuclear weapons program in place which is dangerous for the world. Washington has been pressing for more sanctions and pressurizing New Delhi not to do any business with them. Iran is a democratic state and even if there are grey areas in their nuclear plan even then it should be handled through a dialogue in the same manner as the US has been advocating India on the Pakistan issue. Washington has all this while pushing India to have a dialogue with Islamabad even though they have failed to deliver on the 26/11 front. Washington has no right to tell New Delhi not to work with Iran. Washington has never had any problem with Israel, which has all along developed weapons and used them against Palestine.

And the last but the most major issue relates to Headley. US attacked Afghanistan citing that Osama Bin Laden is hiding there. Ironically, one of the main culprits (Headley) who has accepted his role in 26/11 is sitting in the US but the victim India cannot extradite him. But hypothetically, had India given shelter or even arrested Osama then was there ever a chance that the US would have agreed to him not been extradited to the US?

All these three issues highlight the double standards that have been followed by the US administration. It also reflects that Obama’s priority is not India but Afghanistan for which it needs Pakistan. That’s the precise reason why it is not handing over Headley as that would lead to a complete exposure of Pakistan’s role.

Dr Singh who is currently in the US for the nuclear summit and also met Obama should step up the gas. It is essential to convey the message to their US counterparts that 26/11 investigation is as important for India as the 9/11 attack was for the US. And its time that India stands firm even on the Iran issue. Because the nuclear deal is now history & there isn’t any more big presents coming from the US. If India stifles under US pressure then its journey to become the superpower of this century would be defeated.

MODI & CONGRESS ARE EQUAL CULPRITS

Narendra Modi can easily be termed as the most intriguing politician of modern day Indian politics. That’s why it comes as no surprise that his recent visit to the Supreme Court appointed SIT for questioning in the Gujarat riots has evoked strong emotions yet again. The media & human rights groups have termed this event significant as it is for the first time that a sitting chief minister is been questioned for his/her role in communal riots. Whether Modi gets indicted or not is still to be seen but it is important to note that the Congress which has left no opportunity in the past to attack Modi on this issue and is an equal culprit when it comes to communal riots.

Congress is guilty for been involved in communal riots directly or indirectly just like the BJP. The anti-Sikh riots in 1984 are still one of the worst riots that have taken place in independent India. The riots broke out in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the Congress leaders were alleged to have led the mobs and exterminate Sikhs in Delhi. Similarly, when the Babri mosque was demolished in 1992, it was again the Congress that was in power. Then PM Narasimha Rao was widely criticized for not having done enough to protect the structure (mosque) which led to one of the worst communal riots that independent India had witnessed. So why is it that the Congress has always managed to escape any legal scrutiny and has still presented itself as the ‘most’ secular political party?

When the 1984 anti Sikh riots took place in Delhi, the Congress was in power at the centre and Delhi been a union territory came directly under the central government. There was no Delhi chief minister but the central government, the home ministry which were very much in the heart of the capital failed to stop the riots which went on for three long days. And it’s been nearly two and half decades but no one has been prosecuted. Ten commissions were formed post the riots, but finally the Nanavati commission’s report did name Tytler and Sajjan Kumar. Yes, there are cases in the court against the Jagdish Tytler & Sajjan Kumar, but lets not forget that the CBI had given cleans chits to both these Congress leaders not too long ago. It was again the Supreme Court that ordered the reopening of these cases. The other factor that has helped the Congress is that from 1984 till 1989 the Congress was in power. And the ‘n’ number of coalitions that came to power in between including the NDA failed to investigate the riots.

Similarly, the culprits of the Babri mosque demolition and the riots that followed have still not been prosecuted. The much awaited Liberhan commission report which was tabled a few months back and which also named some BJP politicians but not surprisingly gave a clean chit to Narsimha Rao turned out to be a complete eye wash. Even the Congress did pursue any legal action as that would have also forced them to owe responsibility given that they were in power. The CBI case is still going on against Advani & other BJP leaders but a dramatic action against them is unlikely. With no television media presence during the ‘84 riots and limited print media, the news coverage was also lackluster in the long run.

On the other hand, Gujarat has managed to stay in the limelight for a plethora of reasons. Firstly, the role played by the vigilant media, especially, the English media which was instrumental in covering the riots in Gujarat comprehensively and objectively. The second important factor was the UPA’s or rather Congress’s return to power in 2004. The time UPA took over the home ministry in 2004, the Gujarat riots were still fresh in the minds of the people and the Congress used that to its advantage by expediting the investigation process.

The only difference between the Congress & BJP remains that the former has apologized for the ‘84 riots while the latter still remains unapologetic for the 2002 Gujarat riots. Sonia Gandhi & Manmohan Singh both have publicly apologized for the ‘84 riots where as BJP & Modi still refuse to accept any moral responsibility for the riots.

So if the Congress truly wants to proclaim the crown of the true secular party of India, it is imperative that the two incidents mentioned above should be investigated objectively and the culprits should be brought to the book. Yes, as a nation we have moved much ahead with the hope that such communal riots do not occur ever again. But still the culprits who have shaken the fabric of secular India move scout free, the emergence of the new Congress (Rahul era) will remain hollow.

BACHCHAN HAS TO DECIDE

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is facing a huge dilemma. From the time his close friend Amar Singh has been expelled from the Samajwadi party (SP), both Bachchan & Singh have been looking for a new political patronage. Given the number of controversies the Bachchans have been involved in, it is imperative for them to get some concrete political shelter.

Bachchan’s parents shared a very close & cordial relationship with the Nehru-Gandhi family. Bachchan himself was a very good friend of Rajiv Gandhi. But things changed drastically after Rajiv Gandhi’s death. The two families started drifting away and reached a point where the bitterness with the two was out in the public. In the 90’s when Bachchan was going through financial crisis, the Gandhis didn’t do much to help them out. It was during this period that Amar Singh’s proximity to Bachchan grew and eventually also brought him closer to Amar Singh’s Samajawadi party. In the early part of this decade Amar

Singh, Amitabh Bachchan & industrialist Anil Ambani became to be known as the famous ‘A’ group. This was also the time when the Samajawadi party was not only growing in UP but also had a strong growing influence in Delhi. But for the last 4 years Samajwadi Party has been on the decline. And during that period Amar Singh’s open fight with Samajwadi’s top bosses also didn’t do much good for the Bachchans. And now with Amar Singh out of Samajwadi, things are looking dicey for the Bachchans & Singh.

Bachchan’s proximity to Bal Thackeray has been growing for years even during the time he was in SP. Though last year when Jaya Bachchan (Amitabh’s wife) had to face Raj Thackarey’s rage for insulting the so called sentiments of the Marathi people, Bal Thackeray did not back him publicly. Surprisingly just a couple of months back the Shiv Sena went on a rampage against Shahrukh Khan for criticizing the non-selection of Pakistani players in this edition of the IPL. Where as on the other hand no one including Bal Thackarey even uttered a word against Amitabh Bachchan even though he publicly criticized the non inclusion of the same Pakistani players in the IPL and he was also the brand ambassador of the peace initiative by the two leading English dailies of India & Pakistan.

But given Bal Thackeray’s declining power & influence in national politics & with no Samajwadi to back him anymore, Bachchan needs to look for new political friends. Last month to everyone’s surprise Bachchan landed up in Gujarat to screen his latest hit ‘Paa’ for none other then Narendra Modi. A new friendship was seen brewing between the two when Bachchan immediately agreed to become the brand ambassador for the state of Gujarat. This growing proximity between Bachchan & BJP’s posterboy has send ripples across political circles. But another stunner came this week when Amitabh Bachchan was invited by the Congress government in Maharashtra to inaugurate the 2nd phase of the famous Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai. While just a year back the 1st phase of the same sea link was inaugurated by Sonia Gandhi. This latest invitation is seen by many in political circles as an indication by both the Congress & Bachchan for a public patch up. And this would have never been possible with out the permission of Sonia Gandhi.

It would be interesting to see in the near future which party will Bachchan publicly show more inclination. With bollywood always landing in the middle of some political conspiracy or the other, Bachchan is trying to keep good terms with all the parties. But on bigger issues it would be imperative for Bachchan to take a clear stand. With Shiv Sena on the political downslide and Raj Thackeray waiting for an opportunity to attack Bachchan again, Bachchan will have to make sure that atleast one out of the Congress or BJP gives him political protection. The emperor of bollywood desperately needs allies for future security. This script could end up having a much more thrilling climax compared to any other superhit bollywood movie would have had.

THE COMMUNAL RIOTS BILL

The last few weeks saw high voltage drama surrounding the controversial women’s quota bill. Though the bill has been passed in the Rajya Sabha, it still has to pass the acid test in the Lok Sabha. But there is one other bill that is bound to create a huge debate if not less when it is introduced in the parliament. The much delayed bill which should have become a legislation much earlier- the ‘communal riots’ bill.

One of the basic foundations of the strong Indian republic has been its emphasis on secularism. But a country that is home to more than half a dozen religions of this world

has been battered by bloody communal riots after periodic intervals. Communal riots have been part of Indian history for centuries but even independent India has seen thousands of lives lost in communal riots between communities. Among the many the more impactful ones include the hindu-muslim riots post partition in 1947, hindu-sikh riots in 1984 post Indira Gandhi’s assassination, hindu-muslim riots in 1992-93 post the Babri mosque demolition, the Gujarat riots of 2002 & the Orissa riots in 2008-09.

Right wing groups like the RSS, Bajrang dal have described the latest move as a ‘minority appeasement’ policy of the Congress. But human right groups && NGOs are blaming the bill’s current content as anti- minority. The current bill does not hold the police machinery or politicians accountable for the riots between two communities. It is this contentious issue against which human right groups are voicing their concerns. The current bill could become a weapon in the hands of the state machinery to use it against the minorities.

They have a valid point as the bill does not hold the police & people in power accountable. The Ehsan Jaffri case during the 2002 Gujarat riots is a good example to illustrate this point. According to Jaffri’s widow they made innumerable telephone calls to the city police commissioner when a huge mob started gathering outside Jaffri’s house. But the police refused to help them. Eventually Jaffri and dozens were pulled out from the house and hacked to death. Similarly, the sexual crimes committed against the victims is also been treated as ‘rape’. It is imperative to realize that sexual violence is a lethal weapon used by rioters to terrorize the victims.

It is vital for the bill to hold the state administration, police & above all the state government accountable for the riots. It has been proved in all the riot cases that section of the police and the state government encourage rioting between communities. Technically they are bigger culprits as compared to the actual rioters. The bill should be brought in for public debates so that changes can be made intune with the ground reality.

This bill is not only crucial to preserve riot victims but also highly critical to keep the secular fabric of India intact. If the government does not make the necessary changes as voiced by various groups then the bill would be complete eyewash. And the likes of Tytlers, Sajjans & Modis would continue to haunt & rape the secular credentials of this nation for years to come.

TO TALK OR NOT TO TALK

The Pune bomb blast on Saturday comes just ten days before the Indo-Pak foreign secretary level talks were scheduled to take place. This will be the first diplomatic engagement between the two countries post 26/11. But the Pune blast has again raised the issue whether ‘To talk or not to talk to Pakistan’.

For the record, the Indian government has maintained that the talks are on, even as investigating agencies are gathering evidence to get leads about the suspects. The most startling aspect of this whole incident is that on the 5th February, Jamaat-ud-Dawa’s (group waging war against India) deputy chief, Abdul Rehman Makki in a public rally stated that the war against India was not restricted to Kashmir but would also include cities like

‘Pune’. This merely 10 days before the actual attack comes as a shocker for many in India. This incident has again raised doubts about Pakistan’s inability in taking action against terrorist fundamental groups based out of Pakistan.

But the talks must go on. Yes, it is true that Pakistan has failed to clamp down on terror groups and nor has it made any significant progress on the 26/11 case. But without talks India won’t be able achieve anything. Till now India was banking heavily on the US to pressurize Pakistan. But the fact remains that for the US, Afghanistan is the priority. The only support India can expect is intelligence support from the US investigating agencies. Any major political step is out of question. India will have to carry out its battle alone.

Stopping people to people contact, breaking sporting ties is a wrong strategy. Let all the cultural, art & sporting activities continue but on a diplomatic level the agenda for the talks have to be focused. Pakistan will not act unless India discusses the concerns of Pakistan. Its take two to tango & therefore it is imperative for India to discuss valid concerns of Pakistan. If Pakistan wants to discuss Kashmir, no harm in discussing it as long as the demands are valid & practical. No point trying to achieve something very significant on that front which both the nations have failed to achieve for over 6 decades now.

The focus should be on two issues- 1) Working together to eliminate terror groups out of Pakistan, which Pakistan also claims to be a victim of.2) Easing tension on the Kashmir border. Many would argue that the focus should be only on cross border terrorism. Then let’s be realistic, Pakistan will never act if you make them feel that only India has genuine concerns and Pakistan does not. But yes, the stipulation attached to these talks should be that the dialogue will move forward only if both the sides act upon what has been discussed. E.g. - If Pakistan has agreed to take legal action against the 26/11 suspects and India has agreed to ease up military forces on the Kashmir front then there must be a timeline attached. If either side fails to deliver then the other side should also revoke the steps taken by it. But dialogue is the way forward with a focus and objective.

The Pune incident is a chilling reminder that terror groups can still strike at will and will try every bit to create hurdles as far as peace is concern between both the countries. But it’s high time that both nations display maturity in their approach. I know that it’s not as easy as it sounds but the cruel reality remains that other than this option both the nations have no other choice!!