Trouble Afresh in Dhaka as ISKCON head is held
Is more trouble brewing in neighbouring Bangladesh? A most disconcerting development that needs a most delicate and deft handling by both governments. Is the government in Dhaka proving to be ineffective in handling the trouble markers? Who are these trouble makers, most important of all? As the biggest single country in our region, with a border touching each of her neighbours, does India have an extra reason to be concerned? Indeed, peace and brotherhood are pivotal in ensuring prosperity and goodwill among our people.
Is there an anti-India sentiment? From where is it originating? The loss in cricket? Should we not play them, or prefer to lose out? Is it our long support for Sheikh Hasina, who has been ousted out, being declared an offender by the country’s new ruling elite? Should we hand her over, in preference to being branded anti-national in the eyes of the average Bangladeshi? Have we been engaging with Bangladesh for many years now, entering agreements one after the other, that have been one-sided favouring India? Can these be re-visited? Is there a third party creating that vitiated atmosphere, over a period in time, in a sustained and motivated manner, that works against Indian interests.
Reasonable to say that patience is the best virtue. That much of this will play out, mellow down, as tempers cool over many of these issues, as the Indian side will address these issues. It will take its own course in time. There is no denying we have a shared culture, tradition and a shared future to look forward to! However, there was no ‘hilsa’ this year imported from our neighbour; our side of the Bengali citizenry was left much denied. One hopes for early redressals, and to a renewed ‘hilsa’ import soon enough.
Meanwhile, the head of the ISKCON temple in Dhaka has been held at Dhaka airport, while protestors have stoned Hindu citizens. He has been charged with sedition after he led a massive rally of Hindus protesting targeted attacks against the community. President-elect Donald Trump, in his elections run-up, had especially singled out such attacks as unacceptable. Is there a bigger power play at work? Not in this magazine’s realm of ability to comment; these are sensitive subjects, not subject to try speculate.
Indian Constitution: 75th Commemorative Day
The Indian constitution is an extremely well drafted document that has captured every possible nuance around her people. It takes care of every possible exigency, has provisions that only need to be respected, adhered to, and followed. Says senior advocate Baba Kapur, “It is a well drafted document having borrowed thoughts from various constitutions of the world and having customised it to Indian conditions but things get outdated. They call the Indian constitution a dynamic document. And the reason is that from time to time the court needs to rewrite meaning of words to suit changing circumstances. For example, the word “law” in Article 13 was interpreted numerous times to decide whether the Parliament had the power to take away or abridge fundamental rights enshrined in Part III. So, the question is not whether it is a well drafted document. The real question to ask would be, is it so comprehensive that it should be left alone for all times to come?”
The answer may be obvious.
Kapur goes on to say “The constitution will have to be given a second look from time to time to adjust it to changing times. Nothing is perfect. However, the basic structure/spirit of the constitution must remain untouched. What that ‘spirit’ is, is something that has been a subject matter of debate. The problem is that the power to amend the constitution is in the hands of elected representatives, who are not necessarily the most knowledgeable on the subject, with the exception of some.”
But nevertheless, in current times, there has been a fear often expressed that the government in power is out to change the constitution. It is firstly not so easy to change it; secondly, and more importantly, why does the government need to change it, when it is serving it well. But Rahul Gandhi has made it his mission, throughout this year, from the general elections to the Lok Sabha to the recently concluded Maharashtra elections that the BJP is out to change it.
Either way, the government decided to make the anniversary day into a gala event, in the central Hall of Parliament, reaffirming its faith and allegiance to the word and spirit of the Constitution. Will this quieten down the allegations or make them worse?
President-elect Trump and “common cause” with Indian PM Modi
The ‘maha’ elections in the US, had a few lessons to teach the democratic world. First and foremost, was the vitriolic campaign led by president-elect Donald Trump. Forget the results, the fact is it was totally distasteful, unacceptable to a civilised world. Of course, it is now done and dusted, but it should not be overlooked, or forgotten. How much of its rhetoric driven pledges will Trump carry out, remains to be seen. He is also the most unpredictable among all leaders, can easily backtrack without giving any reason, as it can never be demanded of him to explain, it’s his right to change his opinion. My best sense is do not expect him not to change. He might well do so. Some of it for good, some for worse.
One undeniable fact of the election result is that it was the ‘will’ of the American people. Do not overlook this fact. It has been pointed out in various columns how Trump managed new support from swing states, from immigrant communities, from coloured nationals – however ironic this might well be, considering his position against them, can also signal that some respite may be in store!
Not to be overlooked is also the ‘common cause’ that Trump shares with Indian prime minister Modi. ‘Howdy Modi’ and ‘Namaste Trump’ were not celebrations in idle time, they reinforced how the two leaders make similar cast of characters in the global play. No surprise then, it was Modi among the first of the global leaders to call up Trump to congratulate him on his victory. Not to forget how, breaking protocol, Modi had wished Trump a victorious result ahead of the 2020 elections, when visiting the US! How much of this camaraderie will pan out in 2024, and in which areas, remains to be seen. There’s no denying Trump likes to bargain hard, he also loves others to bargain hard, so that he can relish what he wins. India will learn to give, to get what we want.
Trump is the global ‘disruptor’. In many ways, the world does need some of it, as the status quo is equally unsatisfactory. You cannot argue with some of Trump’s domestic basics – he wants to create more jobs, wants America to start manufacturing, he believes his country is soft on imports and wants to raise tariffs, his understanding is that unfettered and illegal immigration must be stopped in favour of locals. He wants to “Make America Great Again.” Is that not a “common cause” enough with what most nations will want, at least what we want in India, what PM Modi wants.
A New CJI, only for a six months’ tenure!
A New Chief Justice of India has been sworn in, Justice Khanna will run his term for just six months. His successor, Justice B R Gavai is also slated to be in that position for just six months. So much fanfare, so much regalia, to last for only six months? So much expectations from a new incumbent, only to learn that he cannot do much as his tenure will be too short to make any lasting impact. Such short tenures make them birds of passage, keeping a tradition that the senior-most next-in-line will take charge. There has been a CJI with just 17 days, or was it 19, one cannot remember for sure. While extension of bureaucrats does not require constitutional amendments, the position of CJI does. This tradition is as per the Constitution of India. Does this hang heavy on this post in the discharge of his duties, in a manner that the incumbent cannot truly make the difference?
Should this change? If disruption is the tenor of our present times, then this perhaps requires a second consideration, and why not? But will this open new areas of discontent, with lobbying for the top post becoming a new area of contest?
There is also a collegium in place that many observers prefer as the lesser of the two evils. One, where the judges amongst themselves decide who will be the next incumbent, and one which is led essentially be seniority. The other is where it means government intervention, which creates its own problems.
Saath Hai to Safe Hain!
EK hai to safe hai is being seen as the new way to go! EK to hona hi chahiye, how can this be disputed? As a nation we were divided and remained under foreign rule. For a few centuries and it took many a life to get our precious freedom back. It should not be taken for granted, only a strong sense of unity and a larger national purpose can hold us together. As a nation when we are together, when we are united, there is no looking back. Especially in today’s polarising global environment, it has become even more paramount that we iron out all and every fissure, ensure unity in all our diversity. Such slogans work at different and perhaps equally at all levels.
There were media reports, during the run-up to General Elections 2024, statements made by leaders suggesting all may not have been well at that time within the BJP and/or between the BJP and the RSS! Especially when Mohan Bhagwat was on record to say no one was God! From then to now, in time for state elections, in Maharashtra and by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, the two appear to have come together on the same page and just witness the results? Among all the factors that must have contributed to the party’s resounding success, unlimited resources at its command, controlling both the state and central governments in power, lack of foresight and unity in the opposition, one major factor must have been the principle of saath hai, togetherness of its own wings within the BJP and the RSS. That the India allies were really not there, it follows, they could not even put up a fight! There is no denying too that there is paramount need for Hindus of all hues to unite, to forget caste plays, forget what is upper and what is lower caste. This has hurt the Hindu fabric most and needs to be bridged. But more often than not, political parties are choosing caste-based candidates that suit specific profile groups in electorates. There appears little going back on this trend in the near future, at least. It remains critical that we celebrate our diversity, be proud of our multi-hued plurality and become all the stronger for it.
Of course, there is that expected noise and a thousand doubts expressed on the ‘play’ with EVMs. Why it played out in Maharashtra and not in Jharkhand, is explained that the idea was to mitigate the ‘planning process and give it some balance’. There is even a suggestion that even the alliance partners in the ruling alliance were doled out a number that would leave them marginalised within the new equations in the alliance. Like the EC has said, when you win, all is well; when you lose, there is grave suspicion. Even then, there are people who believe that anything with a chip within it, can be doctored. This may well be so, but how come the results were so unexpected for the BJP in the general elections, earlier this year? Even that has an answer. That without the sabotage, the results would have been worse. There is no proof, not even a semblance of actual on the spot element of proof, there are only suspicions, only aspersions. Is this, too, a new norm. The Supreme Court, in the meanwhile, has struck down a PIL seeking paper ballots instead of the EVMs. Elon Musk on his side, has complimented the Indian counting system that some 640 million votes are counted within a day in India, while some states in the US take a few weeks.
There is no denying, though, that morality and ethics are no longer that gold standard as we saw them some few decades back. There is a gradual decline in our lives, in almost every sphere of our lives. It is also true that there must still be a bigger share of good in our lives, than the bad, or how else does life sustains itself.
Meanwhile, Saath Hai remains true for the nation, most of all. There are saner voices all around, saying that unity of the country is most important of all, above any compromise, across cultures, diversities, religions, castes and sub-castes. Any divisive agenda must be nipped in the bud.
There is this old saying that “united we stand, divided we fall”, not invented or coined in India. Nothing has changed in that dictum, except it has been even more relevant. Except in the vitriolic atmosphere of a super charged election fever, it gets different overtones.
The Buzz Around IPL 2025 Gets Going!
There is no better activity than our game of cricket that brings nuances around our theme of ‘shifting sands’. Except for just a handful of players who have stuck themselves out for one team or the other; it is probably the big five, or so, like Rohit Sharma for Mumbai, Dhoni for Chennai and Virat Kohli for Bengaluru, the players have switched sides, that often one has to try hard to recall which side they are playing now.
The world of ‘shifting sands’ gets a shriller side as this year, even more than ever, only 46 players were retained, and some big names got roped into the auction mode. They were, so to say, now available for sale! And money is not the issue, how to spend it best, is the issue. With a defined overall budget per team, a ‘meagre’ Rs 126 crores only, each team makes a pick of the most and the least expensive heads, to balance out their funds.
In the IPL 2025 series, to be played next March to May, star India pacer Arshdeep Singh sold for Rs 18 crores to Punjab; South African Kagiso Rabada was sold to Gujarat for Rs 10.75 crore; Shreyas lyer almost became richest player but then Rishabh Pant was sold for Rs 27 crore to Lucknow, and eclipsed Shreyas lyer’s buy by Punjab for Rs 26.75. Jos Buttler was sold for Rs 15.75 crore to Gujarat while Mitchell Starc was sold for Rs 11.75 to Delhi Capitals.
KL Rahul sold to Delhi for Rs 14 crores; Liam Livingstone went to RCB for Rs 8.75 crores; Mohammed Siraj will now play for GT as the team bought him for Rs 12.25 crore; Yuzvendra Chahal will now adorn Punjab’s jersey as the team bagged him for Rs 18 crore; South Africa’s David went to Lucknow for Rs 7.5 crore; Mohammed Shami bagged a Rs 10-crore deal from Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Said a spokesperson for Punjab selections: “we knew Shreyas, Pant and KL Rahul were going to attract big money. I wanted to work with Shreyas. I’ve worked with him before and he is a great guy and a great player. He’ll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I’m pretty sure we probably will. And obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year. So, there are lots of great things about bringing him to Punjab”.
With new team compositions, with new combinations working for each team, there comes an aura of new winnability, so to say. Not every team performance is cast in stone, expect surprises.