What is the Relevance of the Rajya Sabha

What is the Relevance of the Rajya Sabha

Major General Mrinal Suman

A cartoon making the rounds in the social media shows a father watching WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) channel and his young son querying him, “Dad, why watch WWE when Rajya Sabha is in session? It has more action, sloganeering, chaos, pandemonium and disorder. What excitement with the Chairman looking more helpless than our class teacher!”

Another cartoon shows a young boy telling his father, “Why engineer or doctor? I want to be a Rajya Sabha member. It is the most lucrative job in the world – enormous power, salaries and privileges with life time pension – only for shouting slogans for a few days in a year”.

One wonders as to how the members of Rajya Sabha viewed the said cartoons. But one thing is certain; the cartoons do reflect the feelings of the citizens of the country. It is simply disgusting to see members storming the well of the house, displaying placards, shouting slogans and even resorting to howling to prevent the house from transacting any business. A new issue is concocted everyday to disrupt the house. Worse and quite unabashedly, they seem to be enjoying themselves; joking and goading each other to shout louder. Smug smiles appear on their faces on forcing adjournment of the house.

Independent India opted for a bicameral legislature as a single directly elected chamber (Lok Sabha) was considered inadequate to meet the challenges of India’s federal system with immense diversities. The second chamber (Rajya Sabha) was meant to be the federal chamber, to be elected by the elected members of the state assemblies and the union territories.

It will be in order here to examine the powers that the Indian constitution grants to Rajya Sabha. In case of an ordinary legislation, joint sitting of both Houses can be called to resolve a deadlock between the two Houses. There is no provision for resolving a deadlock between the two Houses in regard to a constitution amendment bill. Such a Bill has to be passed by the specific majority, as prescribed under article 368 of the constitution, by both Houses. However, as regards the Money Bills, Lok Sabha enjoys pre-eminence over Rajya Sabha.

In all bicameral systems, the upper chamber acts as the conscience-keeper of the constitution and imposes caution on the ruling party which may be tempted to take hasty decisions through its sheer majority in the lower house. In other words, the upper house ensures that all legislative decisions are taken after due diligence and in conformity with the underlying spirit of the constitution. Wherever required, it provides rational counsel to the lower house. It is certainly not expected to act as a stumbling block in the governance of the country.   

India spends hundreds of crores annually to sustain Rajya Sabha and on the on the pay/allowances/upkeep of its members. What does the country get in return: spectacle of shouting and shrieking members disrupting proceedings, with total disregard to national interests? The Chairman (who is also the Vice-President of the country) is disobeyed blatantly. His repeated pleas for order are impertinently ignored. It pains to see tax-payers’ money being spent on such a non-performing institution.   

Abrogation of Peoples’ Right

An issue that is of far more criticality than the above mentioned wasteful expenditure pertains to our right as the people. India is a democracy and in this form of government the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. In other words, the constitution has mandated the ultimate power to us, the people of India.

In a democracy, the relationship between the electorate and the elected leaders is of reciprocal trust. It is based on solemn commitments. Leaders seek support on the basis of certain promises; people trust them and vote them to power. As elected leaders are expected to deliver on the promises made, people demand accountability at the end of their tenure in power. Non-performers are rejected at the next hustings.

We, the citizens of India, decided to repose our faith in the promises made by Modi at the time of the last general election. He promised to improve the lot of the common man through radical reforms to spur economic and industrial growth. His past track record as an honest, dedicated, innovative, dynamic and visionary leader helped him to establish his credentials. His missionary zeal to make India a strong and prosperous country through all inclusive policies fascinated all. We were convinced of his sincerity of purpose and elected him to power. 

 

During the last 18 months, we, the people of India, have been impressed by the untiring efforts being made by Modi for the betterment of the country in all spheres. However, most dishearteningly, we are also witnessing the sordid drama being played out by the opposition to impede all progressive steps being taken by Modi. It is apparent that the opposition leaders are desperately trying to prevent Modi from succeeding in fulfilling the promises he made to us. Yes, they want Modi to fail, even if it amounts to damaging our national interests. They dread Modi’s success and likely re-election in 2019. Survival instinct is an inalienable trait of every politician’s psyche. For survival, he can damn his country as well.

GST is indisputably a highly progressive and overdue measure. Two sessions of Rajya Sabha have been wasted without passing this constitutional amendment. Modi wants to usher in reforms to fulfil his solemn commitments but the opposition leaders in Rajya Sabha thwart him by stalling the proceedings through continuous disruptions on superfluous issues. We, the concerned citizens of the country, find Rajya Sabha’s role to be totally unjustified.

How are the members of Rajya Sabha entitled to come between the electors (people) and the elected (ruling party)? What is their locus standi to usurp peoples’ right and decide whether the promises made to the people are to be fulfilled or not? Members of Rajya Sabha do not represent the people, the ultimate repository of power in a democracy. We have not elected them. They owe their seats in Rajya Sabha to their party leaders, and not to popular support.

Finally

A question that is agitating the mind of all those concerned with the well-being of the country is about the need to have Rajya Sabha. Why have an institution that costs the nation dearly but is proving detrimental to the nation’s development and progress? Rajya Sabha is doing more harm than good. Most citizens feel that it has outlived its utility and should be abolished. Unfortunately, howsoever desirable such a step may be, it is going to remain a pipe dream. Rajya Sabha will never approve such a constitutional amendment and hence India is fated to carry the load of this unnecessary institution.

Nevertheless, as has been done to the upper chambers in most of the countries, powers of Rajya Sabha should also be curtailed. A time frame should be laid down for it to consider all bills. Should it fail to adhere to it, the bill should be deemed to have its approval.

In addition, the rules of business must be amended. Any member entering the well of the house or shouting slogans or displaying placards should attract automatic suspension for the rest of the session with due deduction in pay and pension. We, the people of India, are not paying taxes to reward members of Rajya Sabha for indulging in hooliganism.  

   

When a Ghulam Nabi Azad or a Derek O'Brien or a KC Tyagi disrupts the house for irrelevant reasons, the whole country tends to lose faith in India’s political dispensation. People wonder if the framers of India’s constitution erred in opting for an upper house.

We elect leaders and give them tenure in office to fulfil the promises made to us. In turn, the elected leaders strive to prove themselves worthy of our trust by delivering. Unfortunately, Rajya Sabha stands between the electors and the elected like a wall. It impedes and stalls all progressive measures. Therefore, it is time the relevance, role and powers of Rajya Sabha are examined afresh. It cannot be allowed to hold the country to ransom for narrow political interests.*****

    

Ten Reasons Why Modi is Disliked

Ten Reasons Why Modi is Disliked

Major General Mrinal Suman

Modi became Prime Minister in May 2014. During his 18 months in office, he has earned the displeasure of many segments of the society. Here are ten reasons why he is disliked.

1.   Modi is a ‘usurper of power’. He is trying to replicate the reign of the Slave Dynasty of the thirteenth century by seizing Delhi Sultanate, an inheritance of the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty. How dare a petty tea-vendor have the audacity to gatecrash into the hallowed portals of Lutyens’ Delhi? Howsoever ill-equipped, inept and unqualified the dynasty may be, Delhi throne is its family heritage. In any case, no competence is required to plunder India. As in the past, the country can be easily ruled through a network of sycophants, stooges and dummies. It is just a question of fine-tuning the remote controls.

2.       Modi is a ‘sadist’. How dare he discard the long practiced tenet of ‘khao aur khane do’? His mantra of ‘naa khaunga, naa khane dunga’ is symptomatic of his aversion for the well-being of the ruling elite. It smacks of jealousy for the privileged.  Remember how smoothly the previous coalitions functioned. Different ministries were dished out to the partners as fiefdoms. It was left to their ingenuity to garner funds. No one interfered in Raja’s spectrum loot or in Praful Patel’s aircraft purchases. Modi must not forget that leaders and bureaucrats have families. They have to amass enough to secure the future of their progeny.

3.     Modi is a ‘workaholic’. Worse, he expects others to work equally hard. Introduction of biometric system to mark presence in government offices has been terribly painful. Earlier employees could walk in leisurely at any time and leave whenever they felt homesick. Many did private side-business during office hours.  Movement of files was never monitored. Offices were meant for rest and recreation. Long gossip sessions with colleagues in the canteen were intellectually stimulating. Group cohesion was developed during long hours spent under winter sun in the office lawns and sharing pea-nuts. All the charm of government service has disappeared. One is expected to work now. Even senior bureaucrats have been deprived of their life-style of yore – golf in the morning, relaxed hours in the office and evenings in the Gymkhana. Modi has ruined happiness of all government employees.

4.    Modi is ‘anti-media’. Eighteen months in power and not a single scandal or scam. Just not done. Media cannot be starved. Editors have no issues to embellish their headlines with. TV anchors have no hot topics for conducting high-decibel debates. They have to convert innocuous statements by some fringe elements into national controversies. No wonder media is unhappy with the present dispensation and is nostalgic about those good old days of scam-a-day. It did not have to look for topics for breaking news and evening debates. Media’s discomfort can be gauged from the fact that it has to stoop down to faulting Modi for not issuing statement on every single occurrence in the country. By depriving media of sensationalism, Modi is deliberately asphyxiating it.

5.    Modi is ‘anti-employment’. All his promises of generating jobs through economic growth are phony. In fact, he has been busy shutting down existence business. Look what he has done to the patronage industry. It had taken India decades to evolve such a fool-proof and credible patronage regime: far more reliable than the much-hyped match-fixing in cricket. Every appointment, license and contract was available for a price. Every appointment was for sale and had its MRP: it could be governorship of a state or directorship of a government bank/company or even chairmanship of the Railway Board. One could obtain a chit from PMO office and get a coal block. Full satisfaction was granted to all applicants, bureaucrats and ministers. Most unfairly, Modi has put an end to such a thriving business, thus rendering numerous people jobless.

6. Modi is a ‘pseudo-secularist’. Although he had been demonised by the self-proclaimed secularists as a communal menace for decades, Modi remains unscathed. Most worrisomely, even negative campaigns like phoney anti-Christian allegations during Delhi elections and spiteful intolerance crusade during Bihar elections have not provoked him. He is letting all the doomsday-prophets down with his inclusive policies which are well received by all sections of the society. He has said or done nothing to favour any community. If Modi is allowed to establish his credentials as a secular leader, it will be difficult to dislodge him. That cannot be permitted. Therefore, renewed attacks through cooked-up issues must be launched to dent his image. Secularism is the sole prerogative of the opposition leaders.

7.       Modi is highly ‘pretentious’. He has made a mess of India’s foreign policy. Instead of following the established diplomatic protocol, he has started establishing personal rapport with the world leaders. More shockingly, he has adopted yoga and hugs as instruments of his foreign policy. With his spontaneously warm embraces, he has befriended all world leaders. They admire him for his sincerity of purpose, clear vision and inexhaustible energy. Obama surprised all by agreeing to be the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang had a selfie with Modi. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended prayers at Varanasi. By trying to practice diplomacy through hugs and yoga, he is deliberately trashing the very foundation of India’s foreign policy of laid-back indifference.

8.       Modi is ‘intolerant’. How can a Prime Minister talk of cleanliness and toilets from the ramparts of the Red Fort? Who is Modi to deprive the public of the pleasure of defecating in an open and green environment? Height of intolerance to old Indian practices. If India could live with filth for so long, who is Modi to question? It is rightly said that ‘filth is in the eyes of the beholder’ and the dynasty never saw any. Similarly, it is for the parents to decide the future of their daughters. Why is Modi forcing them to educate girls? Intolerance once again. Modi has been elected to govern the country and not to don the mantle of a social reformist. He should not exceed his brief.

9.    Modi is ‘misusing his oratory skills’. Not only has he been able to inspire the Indian Diaspora, but has also infused euphoric enthusiasm in India’s psyche. Pessimism and negativity have been replaced by optimism and positivity. He is deliberately resorting to erudite talks in Hindi and English to show Pappu and other caste leaders in poor light. It is most unsportsmanlike. While Modi impresses the people with his vision of a developed and prosperous India; Pappu can only talk of ‘suit-boot sarkar’ or target RSS. Worse, in comparison to Modi, Pappu looks like a cry-baby who had been deprived of his favourite toy. Modi must stop displaying wisdom and vision. He is giving an inferiority complex to the opposition leaders.

10.   Modi is an ‘economic maverick’. Through his missionary zeal for economic growth, Modi has been upsetting many who were benefitting from India’s poverty. Modi’s success in attracting investment in the infra-structure and industrial growth through ‘Make in India’ campaign will improve the lot of the impoverished. That is also the main worry of the caste-leaders. Economic betterment brings awareness. An aware voter is a discerning voter. He sees through the facade of secularism to fool the people. He does not get carried away by rhetoric of caste loyalties. He demands results. No wonder that all opposition leaders view economic reforms as a threat to their political relevance. Modi appears to be hell-bent on upsetting the applecart.

Finally, a footnote of caution: Modi may not be perfect, nobody is. But he is the best bet for India. Should Modi fail to deliver or is prevented from fulfilling his promises by the anti-national elements that are stalling growth, India’s future will be bleak. We will have Pappu, Mulayam Singh, Lalu Yadav or Kejriwal at the helm of affairs. Does it not send shivers down our spine?

‘Intolerance’: a Spitefully Malicious Anti-National Campaign

‘Intolerance’: a Spitefully Malicious Anti-National Campaign

Major General Mrinal Suman

Intolerance is the flavour of the season (pun intended). Feeling ignored and craving for attention, issue a public statement against intolerance or announce returning of award as a mark of protest. It is a sure recipe for instant publicity. It is also another way of reminding the world that you are a recipient of an award, a long forgotten occurrence. Interestingly, no one has returned either the medal/scroll or the prize money. Worse, they continue to enjoy all the privileges and benefits that go with such awards. Can there be a more apt example of hypocritical and duplicitous conduct?

If you are a public figure, a jibe against intolerance will get you days of media attention. When Shah Rukh Khan or Aamir Khan accuses the prevailing political environment of intolerance, a storm breaks out. Newspapers are full of diatribes against the ruling party. TV anchors scream themselves hoarse with farcical debates.   

In fact, intolerance has become the most convenient tool to beat the government with. Whatever be the personal grievance, fire the salvo under the guise of intolerance and it works. Take the case of Shah Rukh Khan. Shah Rukh Khan has been highly critical of the allegedly-growing intolerance in the country. Well, his anger is understandable. Let us recount three incidents which caused him extreme distress.

One, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) banned him for five years from entering the Wankhede Stadium for the ‘trivial misdemeanour’ of manhandling a security guard and hurling the choicest of abuses on its officials after an IPL game in May 2012. How intolerant of MCA! It should have been more broad-minded and tolerated King Khan’s gross misbehaviour in true sportsman spirit.

Two, an illegal ramp constructed by Shah Rukh outside his house ‘Mannat’ to park his vanity van was objected to by the neighbours as it hindered smooth flow of traffic. Displaying gross intolerance towards the superstar’s unauthorised construction, they had been demanding demolition by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for long. All was well for years as a tolerant BMC continued to ignore all pleas. However, BJP MP Poonam Mahajan showed a distinct lack of tolerance and sought its removal. The ramp was finally demolished in February this year. Naturally, King Khan was furious at the environment of intolerance in the country.

Three, imagine the degree of intolerance of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in calling Khan to explain the sale of shares of the Knight Riders Sports and alleging forex violations of around Rs 90-100 crore. ED noted that the share transfers had taken place at par while the fair value was 8-9 times more. For King Khan, it was indeed a matter of gross sacrilege that a person of his stature had been doubted by the lowly officials of ED – visible signs of growing intolerance in the country. 

Similarly, Aamir Khan may be having his own grouses against the environment and his right to migrate to a ‘safer country’ must be respected by all Indians. But, does he honestly feel that India has become highly intolerant? His movie PK was a block-buster. In which country can one ridicule a god of the majority community by showing him hiding behind a commode? Could he have taken such liberties with any other religion, including his own? Riots would have broken out. Yet, he had the audacity to fault the country for intolerance.

With a single imprudent statement, Aamir has undone all the good work carried out by him over the years as an ambassador of 'Incredible India' campaign to promote tourism. Now, he has told all foreign tourists not to visit an ‘Intolerant India’. Although he supported return of awards as ‘one way of getting your point across’, Aamir opted not to return his Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards. Surprising indeed!

Everyone has a right to express one’s opinion and draw attention to the grievances, both real and perceived. There can be no dispute on that issue. However, two points must be kept in mind.

One, if something goes wrong in a family, every member has a responsibility to correct matters rather than choose the easier option of abandoning it. Similarly, it is a sign of cowardice to consider leaving one’s own country instead of setting things right. Whatever be the rationale, no loyal citizen ever maligns his own country to play politics and garner publicity. It is rightly said that loyalty is a trait of – either a person has it in him or does not have it.

Two, it is only fair that all grievances are first projected to the concerned authorities and a reasonable opportunity given to the government for redressal. If not satisfied with the response in a reasonable time-frame, the aggrieved person is justified in going public. It is the right course to follow for all citizens – more so for the public figures as their allegations get huge publicity.

Both Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan are matinee idols with mammoth fan following. Both have access to the top leadership of the country. Aamir Khan has met Modi on a number of occasions. One wonders if both of them approached their state Chief Minister, Central Home Minister and the Prime Minister with their anxieties and apprehensions before going public. In case they failed to do that, their allegations can be considered to be malevolent in intent and politically motivated.

When Tharoor declares, "It's safer to be a cow than a Muslim in India today," he puts the whole country to shame. The world media flashes such headlines with sinister pleasure. India’s image takes a terrible beating. Just to score a brownie point against the government, Tharoor presented a convenient propaganda handle to the forces inimical to our progress. How low can a leader stoop!

It will not be inappropriate to recall an old story here. An entrepreneur used to export frogs from India in lidless containers. When quizzed, he replied, “These are Indian frogs. When any frog attempts to rise and get out, others pull him down. So why waste money on lids?”

The above is equally true of most Indian leaders and the intelligentsia. They have no scruples and can go to any extent to further their selfish agenda, including harming the interests of the country. They cannot digest the fact that Modi has been highly successful in kick-starting developmental revolution in a short period of 18 months. Therefore, they have resorted to the highly slanderous intolerance crusade to undermine his efforts. They want to undercut his ‘Make in India’ mission with their spiteful ‘Hate in India’ campaign, a la Indian frogs. 

In view of the above, it can be said with certainty that the well-orchestrated campaign of intolerance is malicious in intent. The sole objective is to stall all progressive reforms by tarnishing the image of the government. When Modi is visiting other countries and trying his best to attract investments to improve the quality of life of India’s masses, the self-proclaimed champions of tolerance are busy dissuading foreign investors through treacherously detrimental utterances. How else can anti-nationalism be defined?*****