Political dividends in mind

Not even a single Indian irrespective of the religion he follows shall endorse Vishwa Hindu Parishad's move to perform 84-Kosi Yatra, given the fact that the same had already been performed in its ritually suitable dates.

*****This appeared in The Hindu*****

It is a pattern with bullies that they back off when challenged. Ground reports from Ayodhya and neighbouring areas suggest that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad exhibited this typical trait on day one of its fortnight-long “84-kosi parikrama,” now renamed a “yatra.” With the principal dramatis personae rounded up and placed under house arrest, the inauguration of the yatra fizzled out, though it is difficult to say whether the peace will hold. Just why the right-wing Hindu organisation renamed its programme is a story in itself. It turns out that seers attached to Ayodhya’s different akharas (religious traditions) had ritually performed the parikrama three months ago, in accordance with the Hindu calendar period of Chaitra Purnima extending up to Baisakh Navami (April-May, 2013). Not surprisingly, as our field report recounts, there is anger among the Ayodhya priests over the VHP misinterpreting the Hindu ritual with political dividends in mind. Last heard, they were busy organising a “siddhi-buddhi yagna,” praying for the VHP to gain wisdom. That the yatra has been intended with electoral calculations ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election is apparent from its suddenness. Indeed, relative calm had prevailed coinciding with the chief ministership of Mayawati, who, notwithstanding her other faults, kept a hawk-like watch on law and order in Uttar Pradesh.


The reason for the renewed tensions has been attributed to the Samajwadi Party’s interest in occupying the opposite side of the communal divide. A noticeable escalation in sectarian incidents has marked the tenure of Akhilesh Yadav. And yet, the Chief Minister deserves praise for acting firmly in this instance. The tight measures, including detention of the VHP’s top-order, were required because there was enough in the build-up to the yatra to suggest it could turn violent. Unlike the April-May parikrama that concluded peacefully largely because it stuck to the traditional route, the VHP’s yatra was deliberately designed to go through communally sensitive areas. Against this backdrop, it was incumbent on the Bharatiya Janata Party to rein in its troublesome affiliate, establishing thereby that it had left behind its divisive past and evolved into a mature political party capable of acting impartially when required. Unfortunately, the BJP has not only lent full support to the VHP, arguing that the yatra was a fundamental right, on Monday it disrupted Parliament over the issue. This overt support to the VHP does not square with the BJP’s stated claim that it will contest the next general election on the platform of good governance and development. When there is ample ammunition at hand to deploy against the Congress on the corruption front, why the BJP would choose to rake up a divisive, communal issue is anybody’s guess.

Poly Doon....

Polythene bag ban to be imposed from Monday....********  This appeared on THE HINDU on March 14th 2013

Ever evolving usage of Polythene bags by almost every household in Uttarakhand is one of the most thought upon menace to the society and to the environment as well. Recent strenuous initiative by the Uttarakhand government to curb the usage of polythene bags in the open marker is laudable. The movement received a great support from all scores of society and will be marked as a commendable step in the state Government's report card. Whatever might be the original character of this highly praised move by the state government, it has become a challenge for the administrators in order to make it a complete story of success.

Initially everybody felt enthusiastic with the move but slowly and gradually citizens have started falling to their same old habit of using these bags, often without any regret or shame on their faces. There are many instances wherein I myself came across shopkeepers giving things in poly bags. When asked, they said nobody has ever imposed any fine for using these bags, how could they realise that what they are doing is sheer disrespect to the ban.

One wonders where are the so called social saviours-NGOs-of city hidden, why aren't they picketing the municipal offices so as to make the ban stricter. And if they cant they should stop pretending to be the well wishers of the commoners. To my consternation, in all the twelve districts of Himachal Pradesh polythene is completely banned, nobody can even dare to hide his head in rain with a polythene bag. When a state like HP can implement this measure so diligently and encourage its residents to say no to polybags why cant uttarakhand, given that geographical location of HP is equally hilly as it is of Uttarakhand, in case any official finds an excuse in that. However,the statement that, the efficacy of the ban also relies and depends on the level of civic sense among the citizens,is somewhat correct keeping in mind the ignorance people show but it is still not enough to give officials a reason to shrug off without showing sincereness to the issue which it surely deserves.
    
Dehradun has again indulgently forgiven the administration and let them get away with such mismanagement.
But nevertheless, if there is any thing that doonites loathes, it is sheer disregard towards such a pristine environments that Dehradun has always boasted of.