After win, it’s work now
EVEN those who are uncomfortable with the ideological complexion of the leading members of the winning National Democratic Alliance are happy at the prospect of the new government completing a full term.

A wisely conducted poll
THE electoral process is coming to formal conclusion and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is going through the pangs of a new government's birth at the Centre.

Interesting ruling
THE Supreme Court recently delivered a path-breaking ruling on the right of the police to investigate cases beyond its territorial jurisdiction.

EDUCATION, BUSINESS & GOVT-II
PU & other varsities need globalisation
by Ravi Kalia
THE key factor determining the success of nations in the new millennium will be a population whose minds are open to the world. The recognition of this fact may explain the competition for international students among America, Australia, Canada and various European nations, including Britain. In this century, the American success story itself owes a great deal to the existence of international exchange of students and scholars.

Compensation to rail mishap victims
by H.L. Kapoor
SEVERAL people die unsung and unwept in rail accidents as the death is so sudden and tragic, which leaves a horrifying tale. Miseries of the dependents of the victims are indescribable, as for some, the lone bread earner “vanishes”. Apart from fatalities, some unfortunate people get maimed/ incapacitated.

Glib talk on anti-incumbency factor
by Tavleen Singh
I WRITE this weary from having spent the best part of two days talking to politicians of various hues about the message they gleaned from this election. I would like to tell you that they got the message that voters across the country have sent which, in my view, is that they want governance but, alas, I cannot.

Star News earliest on the scene
by Amita Malik
IT is one of the field hazards of a weekly column that it inevitably goes to press just minutes before momentous events take place. This column is being written on Wednesday morning, when only early voting trends are coming in, so one will have to wait till next week for a review of the complete election coverage right up to the election of a new government.

Apples again
by O.P. Bhagat
AFTER mangoes, it is apples. Go wherever you may, you will find baskets full of, or barrows laden with, the fruit. You’d say that it is an apple invasion. Pears are also there — lots of them. But they have a disadvantage. Their season is not so long. As for the apples, you get them fresh from the orchards up to the end of October, even after.

75 Years Ago

October 9, 1924
Sir Dadiba Dalal
REUTERS has been particularly late in wiring to India the news of Sir Dadiba Dalal’s resignation of the High Commissionership, and even then all that it has said is that the report is inaccurate.

After win, it’s work now

EVEN those who are uncomfortable with the ideological complexion of the leading members of the winning National Democratic Alliance are happy at the prospect of the new government completing a full term. The promise of stability stems from the increased number of MPs belonging to the alliance and, more importantly, from the sober leadership of the major allies. No more tantrums and blackmail attempts by holding out threats of desertion and parliamentary defeat. The southern allies and the BJP’s ideological alter ego, the Shiv Sena, will insulate the regime against any overnight attempt at subverting the mandate. Anyway, the opposition stands divided and is extremely reluctant to do anything that will even remotely suggest that it is courting another election. The BSP is an exception but its statements are more frightening than its actions actually are. But stability will be sterile if it does not show solid legislative work. In this respect the previous BJP-led government’s record is very poor; very little business was conducted to push forward the economic reforms agenda, or doing the spadework to build or recondition infrasructure or to attend to the problems the states faced. Blame for this should partly go to the obstructive tactics of some opposition parties but it is also true that the BJP-led government failed to build a consensus or where one existed, tap its potential in full. Floor coordination was non-existent with the Ministers concerned, first Mr Madanlal Khurana and then Mr Kumaramangalam turning out to be more combative than persuasive. This area needs a fresh look.

Hope for cooperation has brightened because of two developments. Take the Congress. Its spokesmen have repeatedly asserted that there exists agreement on a number of measures the government proposes to initiate. In fact they have happily claimed this as a point in their party’s favour. Actually, the Congress, to go by its manifesto, is ahead of the NDA in terms of meaningful financial and industrial reforms. This offers an excellent opportunity to secure inter-party cooperation to pass urgent legislation. Some small opposition parties will need much convincing and that requires creating a compact group of pleasant and knowledgeable persons, even non-politicians, to liase with them and get things moving. The other favourable factor is the mood of the main opposition party, the Congress. It is devastated by the poor showing and there is a clamour from within the party to radically restructure both the ageing leadership and policies. It needs time, a few years, to tone up the prostrate organisational units and regain the lost elan. It is buoyed by the creditable showing in three states, UP, Maharashtra and Karnataka, and is keen to repeat the same magic elsewhere. All this warrants wearing a smiling face and being reasonable with the government to prod it along the right course. This mood too converges with the NDA’s aim of ensuring a smooth passage for the economic agenda which the various ministries have drawn up for the government to get through in the first 100 days. This plan will remain paper work if the opposition is not enthused to make it a legislative reality. The days of hyper criticism are over and ahead are days of consensus building. It is a different ball game and the nation will keenly watch if the new regime with its comfortable majority plays it with equal enthusiasm.

A wisely conducted poll

THE electoral process is coming to formal conclusion and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is going through the pangs of a new government's birth at the Centre. This fortnight will witness many post-election manoeuvres, some of which will be on the expected lines. There will be wrangling and bargaining on the issue of ministerial berths within a complex arrangement — both formal and informal. The BJP will have more crutches than it had in the last arrangement although its own strength will be a source of much confidence to withstand compelling pressures and opportunistic blackmail. The general feeling is that the country has gone smoothly through a difficult exercise within a reasonable time-frame. The credit for it goes in ample measure to the supreme electoral authority — the Central Election Commission (CEC) — which has shared its satisfaction with the vast electorate. The people want stability which comes from varied sources including a stable government. The three-member CEC, while carrying out a not-quite-cheerful assignment, has shown the gutsy aspect of Indian democracy which falters or forges ahead on the basis of guidelines provided by the Constitution written about half a century ago and amended — occasionally avoidably — to respond to the need for social, political and economic change. The successor of the temperamentally mercurial and often self-exceeding Mr T.N. Seshan has functioned imaginatively and decisively, reconciling the inconsistencies of opinions within a small but individualistic circle of three equals to a consistency of purpose. Dr M.S. Gill has proved to be a flexible conciliator and he will be remembered for a long time for his endurance, wisdom, patience, tolerance and quick decisions. He has acted correctly by paying a public tribute through the media to voters, colleagues, political parties, the security personnel (including the police) and a whole hierarchy of dutiful government servants for the implementation of the poll plan. Many aspects of the General Election need appreciative mention.

Weather and security conditions; logistic problems; the multitudinous immensity of the electorate; legal challenges; the collection, computation and counting of votes; the introduction of electronic voting machines and, above all, the task of keeping the wily, violent and corrupt elements in check were formidable features. Making information promptly available to all concerned through the usually sluggish means of communication was a difficult requirement. Computers were of great help but their operators had to be equal in efficiency to the requirements of technology and speed. Violence was the biggest challenge. Some idea of this dreadful factor can be had from the havoc wrought by deadly landmines and other explosive devices. About 138 deaths were reported "due to poll-related violence". Among the lost personnel were 74 men belonging to the security forces and the election staff ! And could one anticipate the theatricality of Sharad Yadavs or the histrionics and nuisance value of Laloo Yadavs? One would hope and pray that the next test of the CEC would be less demanding — particularly in the areas of legal impediments and security arrangements. Here is cause for institutional gratification.

Interesting ruling

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a path-breaking ruling on the right of the police to investigate cases beyond its territorial jurisdiction. The dispute over the territorial jurisdiction of the investigating agency arose when in January, 1993, a woman from Patiala lodged a complaint of torture and dowry-demand-related harassment by her husband and in-laws with the Paschim Vihar police in Delhi. She was married to a man from Patiala in December, 1990. She was thrown out of the house two years after the marriage. Since then she had been living in Delhi. However, instead of trying to forget the unhappy chapter in her life she decided to fight for her rights and filed the complaint. The Paschim Vihar police even started investigations in the case on the basis of her version of torture and harassment by her in-laws and husband. Not unexpectedly the husband moved the Delhi High Court for the quashing of the first information report because the cause of action against him had not originated in Delhi. In the first ruling, the High Court said that “since the return of ‘streedhan’ and accounting thereof is being done in Delhi, the courts at Delhi will have jurisdiction to try the case”. However, the court had not answered the question of the jurisdiction of the Delhi Police in investigating a complaint made with it; but the incident which formed the basis of the complaint had occurred in Patiala. In April,1995, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi High Court on the basis of an appeal from the complainant’s husband to give the issue a second look. This time the High Court quashed the FIR on the ground that the investigating officer in Delhi had no territorial jurisdiction to investigate the case. However, the Supreme Court did not accept the interpretation of the High Court.

A Bench comprising Mr Justice K. T. Thomas and Mr Justice M. B. Shah ruled that courts have only limited powers in defining the territorial jurisdiction of investigating officers. The apex court ruled that the High Court had erred in deciding that the investigating officer had no authority to act on the complaint simply because the offence had been committed elsewhere. Of course, only the full text, and not what has appeared in newspapers, of the Supreme Court ruling can clear certain misgivings arising out of its ruling on the territorial jurisdiction of an investigating officer. For instance, would the ruling empower individuals to walk into the nearest police station to file a complaint or report a crime and would the investigating officer be duty-bound not to take the plea of the cause of action or crime having taken place in the territory of another police station? If it is so, the ruling would go a long way in answering the grievance of law-abiding citizens about the tendency of the police force to pass the buck by bringing up the question of territorial jurisdiction. Greater operational flexibility would indeed go a long way in making the police force investigate crimes and act on complaints with greater efficiency.

EDUCATION, BUSINESS & GOVT-II
PU & other varsities need globalisation
by Ravi Kalia

THE key factor determining the success of nations in the new millennium will be a population whose minds are open to the world. The recognition of this fact may explain the competition for international students among America, Australia, Canada and various European nations, including Britain. In this century, the American success story itself owes a great deal to the existence of international exchange of students and scholars. (Many Indians have profited from these exchange programmes, including this author. There are nearly 9,000 Fulbright alumni in India alone.) According to a report by the United States Information Agency, in the 1997-98 academic year there were 481, 280 foreign students enrolled on U.S. campuses, about a third of the total number of students from around the world who are studying abroad. The United States Department of Commerce estimates that foreign students enrolled on U.S. campuses bring more than $ 7.5 billion annually into the American economy. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) estimates that some 15 million people annually study or teach in countries other than their own.

Recognising the potential for income, goodwill and educational value, Australia, Britain and Canada have launched aggressive recruitment efforts in Asia and elsewhere. The French government has recently established a new agency, EDUFRANCE, to lure foreign students, and thus to secure a larger role in educating future foreign leaders. Germany charges foreign students the same minimal tuition rates that its own citizens pay, and it is increasingly offering graduate programmes taught in English on German campuses.

Education is a valuable product and educating international students is a growth industry, and therein lies a great opportunity for Panjab University and the City of Chandigarh vis-a-vis India. Indian higher education remains one of the cheapest in the world, is available in English, and is pedagogically strong. An average foreign student pays upward of $ 10,000 a year at an American campus for an undergraduate curriculum. Tuition increases in America have far outpaced the rise in earnings, making middle-income Americans anxious about their ability to pay for higher education. The effects on low-income families have been devastating. By 2010, almost half of the states will experience increases of 20 per cent or more in the number of high-school graduates they produce, and many states in the South and the West will face even greater increases. California alone, according to a study, should plan for an additional half-million high school graduates in the next decade. But America is not prepared to deal with this great surge of students entering colleges and universities in the next decade. Panjab University (and other Indian universities) can pick up excess student population seeking admissions to Western universities, and offer an undergraduate degree at half the cost, which would include boarding and lodging.

The Choice Foundation, a Kochi-based private institute (Kerala), has already seized on the idea: it is now training Arabs in six-week residential courses in English conversation and office management skills for $ 850 per head as opposed to over $ 4000 it costs for similar courses in Britain and the USA. The Royal Oman government, recognising the lack of English conversation skills among the people of the region, entered into an agreement with the Choice Institute to initially train a group of 21 Omanis. The 21-member group will sit for the Level-1 examination of the University of Cambridge Business Education Certificate organised by the British Council.

But there is only one problem: India, unlike other countries, does not have an international-education policy. This is reflected in the absence of foreign languages departments at most colleges and universities. Foreign languages classes have been left to commercial schools or to cultural wings of embassies. Faculty members also do not appear enthusiastic about having foreign students in their classes, although they are the first to grab an opportunity offered by a fellowship in America, Britain or Europe. They are also eager to send their own children to a university abroad. However, Indian universities do get a small number of foreign students, mostly from East African countries and West Asia.

A laissez-faire approach to the challenges of globalisation will not make Indians intelligent or foresighted about tomorrow’s world. Nor does it serve the nation’s economic and political interests. Several studies, including one by the California-based RAND Corporation, concludes that increasingly multinational corporations and international agencies are going to be looking for graduates with foreign language skills and cross-cultural experiences. If the present trends continue in India, neither the government nor the private sector is likely to get human resources each will need to play a defining role in international areas.

To capitalise on this great economic and cultural opportunity, what is required is to expand and improve Chandigarh’s infrastructure. This is an investment on which the city — and India — will reap rich dividends. There are good recreational activities in the region plus a decent climate, international recognition for the city because of Le Corbusier’s association, and Panjab University having a long and strong tradition of excellence. However, the university needs to internationalise its curriculum, and bolster foreign languages programmes.

In the next two decades a large number of American and European faculty members will be retiring. Already secure in their retirement plans, these faculty members will be looking for adventure and professional opportunities. There is also the availability of the faculty of Indian origin in many a Western university. Therein lies a great opportunity to recruit world-class faculty members on a contract basis, thus internationalising the faculty at the Indian universities. Gaining international exposure should also profit the Indian faculty, get them the experience to compete internationally, and help them finalise partnerships with their counterparts in the capitals of the world. The rise in the Indian faculty stature will attract international students to do their graduation in India, which will be an intellectual asset for the nation.

In making this suggestion, I’m aware of the fact that there are limited seats in colleges, especially for professional courses. Therefore, the suggestion is not intended to throw wide open the doors to foreign students, displacing Indian students, rather, it aims at gradual expansion as the infrastructure expands. As far capitalising on international faculty resources, imagination more than financial promise might actually make the difference in recruitment.

The recent global trend among nations and universities has been to rely increasingly on monies generated from alumni and from building relationships with the private sector. However, low tuition and heavy reliance on the government has kept Indian universities under-capitalised. (India’s decision at Independence was to keep the tuition level low to provide greater accessibility to students. Given the size of the Indian underclass, the low tuition still remains a good idea, although with the expanding middle class, it is now possible to determine tuition based on income for enrolling students.) Even the relatively well-off private colleges don’t have the financial capability and the access to wealthy benefactors. The educational institutions have only to blame themselves for failing to develop alumni programmes. And historically, Indian universities have viewed businesses with suspicion.

One way to support new programmes, finance new buildings, and encourage international exchange of students and scholars is to augment fund-raising by tapping the alumni and building relations with businesses. University leaders can be instrumental in making sure that development (fund-raising and endowments) is part of a larger context of the ways to involve donors with the institution. Many alumni are eager to receive college newsletters, serve on advisory boards, attend faculty workshops or lectures, and even help identify and solicit other alumni who are ripe for “cultivation.” When alumni feel that they are still part of the community, financial support becomes a natural expression of their sense of belonging. Another way to generate new resources is to contract with Indian companies and multinationals to train their work-force in specialised areas. Contracting with universities to train the work-force saves companies a lot of money in overhead costs, and has become a lucrative source of income for Western institutions to support their more traditional curriculum.

There is a natural synergy between education and business here. Many Indian corporations have collaborated with multinationals, while others are testing the waters to go global. Having access to a well-trained work-force helps in expanding business opportunities, which should be an incentive for businesses to invest in Panjab University and the city. In fact, the university can become a centre for training the international work-force of several multinationals, a great source of generating income.

I realise that what is being suggested here is subject to quick criticism. Some of this criticism stems from the traditional ways of thinking. Not until the educational leadership is willing to make a shift from the traditional thinking in viewing the future of education will there result a change. I urge the administration and the university leaders to elevate the importance of educational exchanges and develop international programmes. Only in that way will we promote and preserve India’s leadership in making students and scholars citizens of the world.

(Concluded)

Compensation to rail mishap victims
by H.L. Kapoor

SEVERAL people die unsung and unwept in rail accidents as the death is so sudden and tragic, which leaves a horrifying tale. Miseries of the dependents of the victims are indescribable, as for some, the lone bread earner “vanishes”. Apart from fatalities, some unfortunate people get maimed/ incapacitated. In major accidents culminating in loss of several lives and huge railway property, it is customary for the President/ Prime Minister and some politicians to express shock and grief and order an enquiry into the causes of the accident. By the time an enquiry report is received by the government the people, except the victims or their dependents, forget what had happened. The suggestions made after every major accident to bring about an improvement in railway journey are seldom implemented to check/ avoid such unfortunate mishaps in future. Not only that , the Railway Claims Tribunal adopts an unhelpful attitude and is less than fair to the victims, who have to run from pillar to post for compensation.

It hardly needs any reiteration that those travelling by railway pay money for a comfortable travel and in return do expect that their journey would be safe. Since the passengers avail of a service for which they have paid, they become eligible for relief and compensation, should such an unfortunate eventuality arise. The passengers are to be taken as “consumers”. The consumer courts, which came into being after the passage of the Consumer Protection Act 1986, have held the view explicitly in cases which came before them that the “Railway Passengers are consumers” within the meaning of the Section 2 of the said Act. Because of widely accepted view by consumer courts, the passengers have been provided relief/ compensation in cases of less importance, such as thefts of property, robberies, failure of adequate service on railways i.e. improper catering, nonfunctioning of air conditioners, non allotment of seats despite prior reservation etc. Even compensation has been given for loss of property booked, for which the people had paid.

People did receive compensation till 1994 when the Railways Claims Tribunal (Amendment) Act was passed in 1994. The amendment to the Railway Claims Tribunal Act, 1987 in 1994 completely belied hopes of the victims. Section 82A of the Railways Act (which has now been replaced by Section 124) providing relief to the passengers read as under:

“When in the course of working of the Railway an accident occurs being either a collision between trains of which is a train carrying passengers or derailment of or other accident to a train or any part of the train carrying passengers, then whether or not there has been any wrongful act, neglect or default on the part of Railways administration such would entitle a passenger who has been injured or suffered a loss to maintain an action and recover damages in respect thereof, the Railway administration shall, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, be liable to an extent for loss occasioned by the death of a passenger dying as a result of such accident and for personal injury and loss, destruction, damage or deterioration of goods owned by passengers and accompanying him in his compartment or on the train, sustained as a result thereof”.

The new Section 124 debars the passengers/victims to have recourse to consumer courts in case of loss of life or disablement as a result of a rail accident.

It is most distressing to note that those who passed the amendment completely ignored the rights and interests of the aggrieved persons to knock at the doors of the courts for redressal of their grievances or making a claim for compensation. The amendment further puts “fetters” on the jurisdiction of regular or consumer courts in case of claims filed by the victims of rail accidents for compensation. Section 15 lays down that “from 1.8.1994 no court or any other authority shall have or be entitled to exercise any authority or jurisdiction, powers in relation to compensation, payable for loss or injury as a result of collision between trains, derailment or accidents.

It is fantastic to find that the change in law has created an anomaly. The people travelling on railway may approach the consumer courts for deficiency in railway services or less important incidents of negligence but have been debarred to take recourse to consumer courts in case of loss of life or disablement as a result of a rail accident. Under the amended law the passengers (victims) or their heirs cannot exercise their right to take their cases to any court against the award of the Railway Claims Tribunal. This is something serious which needs immediate attention. This is painful and strange that the people cannot go to any court against the award. This, in other words, means that the Railway Claims Tribunal had the power to act arbitrarily and the victims or their relatives will be completely at the Tribunal’s Whims and Wishes. This is against the spirit of Art. 32 and 226 of the Constitution of India which empowers the Supreme Court and the High Court to take even suo motu, cognisance of any matter (where justice appears to have been denied ) to safeguard the fundamental rights of the people. It is the fundamental right of an aggrieved person to appeal for justice against any arbitrary order. The Supreme Court has observed this in the case of UP State vs Mohd. Nooh (AIR 1958 sc 86, 93: 1958 scr 595). The Supreme Court further observed that the fact where the aggrieved person had another adequate remedy may be taken into consideration by the High Court in arriving at a conclusion as to whether it should exercise its discretion or not.

It further observed that the superior court (i.e. the High Court) will ordinarily not interfere until the aggrieved person had exhausted his other statutory remedies. In the case of the Railway Claims Tribunal’s Award, it can be safely said that the aggrieved i.e. victim or his heirs can have recourse to the High Court/ Supreme Court (under Art. 32 & 226) as there is no other remedy left for the aggrieved person as discussed above.

It is, therefore, imperative that the rail accident victims may have the right to approach the consumer courts even in cases of death and disablement and the compensation claims of rail accident victims may be brought under the purview of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, that they may seek justice against the Railway Claims Tribunal’s Award. A suitable legislation is the need of the hour.

(The writer is a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police.)

Apples again
by O.P. Bhagat

AFTER mangoes, it is apples. Go wherever you may, you will find baskets full of, or barrows laden with, the fruit. You’d say that it is an apple invasion.

Pears are also there — lots of them. But they have a disadvantage. Their season is not so long. As for the apples, you get them fresh from the orchards up to the end of October, even after.

In cold storage they stay good until almost the next crop is ready. Apple drinks and other delicacies are also there round the year.

In Delhi you get the season’s first apples by mid-July. The mango dominates the market then. Rain-fed, the fruit is bigger and juicier than before. In contrast the apples are small and not in plenty yet.

But their pink and red tints at once catch the eye. Apples? They seem to be round, rouged fruity curios.

As the days pass, you see less of mangoes and more of apples. And more and better varieties too. Some are light green or pale yellow. Some others are golden. Yet others are beautifully blushing or glowing red.

In India the mango has more votaries than any other fruit. In many other countries the honour goes to the apple. That is why our poets sing of the aam rather than the seb.

But Urdu poets praise apple cheeks just as English poets talk of cherry lips. And they specify that the red is of Kashmir apples.

Himachal and Kashmir are our apple States. The fruit also comes from some hill districts of U.P. The apples grown in the plains are small. They are mostly used in cooking.

Some apple acres are there near Bangalore and in the Nilgiris too. But the yield is very little. The northern harvest is so rich that it reaches all parts of the country.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away... This sounds like an adman’s slogan. But it is an old maxim, and has brought many health buffs to the ranks of apple eaters.

Some experts, however, discount the claim. “On the whole,” says the Dictionary of Food (Pub: Mills and Boon) “apples are not eaten for their nutritional value since they supply but a few calories”.

“However,” it adds, “they are useful as a source of roughage and are excellent teeth cleaners.” Some varieties are rich in Vitamin C.

The apple may have “but a few calories”. But it has much else to recommend itself — colour, shape, taste and flavour. Its folklore alone will attract millions. There is apple poetry too.

A lot of apples are eaten fresh. A lot more go into making juice, concentrates and soft drinks. In the West cider, which is fermented apple juice, is popular. They have apple brandy as well.

Then there are apple delicacies like jam, jelly, pie and pudding. Apple sauce is the sweetened pulp of stewed fruit. By the way, apple sauce also means insincere praise. Apple toffee is an apple covered with a hard layer of toffee and held with a stick.

A Hindi nursery rhyme equates the apple with everybody’s favourite mango when it says: Seb sabhi ko bhata hai.

If anything dismays, it is the fruit’s high price. Not everybody can afford to have an apple a day.

However, in fairness to the apple, it must be added that few other fruits are cheaper.

Glib talk on anti-incumbency factor

by Tavleen Singh

I WRITE this weary from having spent the best part of two days talking to politicians of various hues about the message they gleaned from this election. I would like to tell you that they got the message that voters across the country have sent which, in my view, is that they want governance but, alas, I cannot. True, they all talked about ‘anti-incumbency’ as a factor but they used the phrase in a glib sort of way in much the same way they talk of caste considerations in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This is a great pity because until they get this message, loud and clear, we will continue to see politics and politicking rather than governance.

Ordinary voters, throughout the campaign, have talked about their disappointment that governments come and go but there is rarely any real improvement in their lives. They have talked about electricity and drinking water, jobs, schools and healthcare. They have voted in a manner that should make it absolutely clear that they want things to change quickly or they will continue to vote out governments and MPs. But, nearly all the politicians I have talked to interpret the election according to their own particular party line.

So, the BJP interprets the drubbing they got in Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka as a sign that they misjudged the situation politically. In Karnataka there is regret that they allied with the Janata Dal (U) which was in disgrace in that state because of the bad government that it gave the state. In UP they say it was because of factionalism in the party which translated into simple language, means that they believe that Kalyan Singh was an unhappy campaigner for the party. What they do not admit is that if Kalyan Singh had attempted to govern like Chandrababu Naidu has in Andhra there may have been a better chance in retaining the 60 seats they got last year. They talk, as always, of caste considerations and the Muslim vote without recognising that these take second and third place when there is good governance.

The Congress party, which is likely to notch up its worst performance ever, is equally reluctant to admit that when they offer the country ‘charisma’ instead of governance it no longer works. Party leaders continue to believe that the vaunted charisma of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty is the best thing that they can offer the people of India. In the words of Gandhi family loyalist, Oscar Fernandes, “Sonia Gandhi has generations of experience when it comes to government. Please don’t forget that she travelled everywhere with Indiraji and Rajivji so she knows exactly what needs to be done”. His colleague, Ambika Soni, said that in Uttar Pradesh it was the policies and record of Sonia Gandhi that made the difference. When she was asked why this had not worked in other states she said it was only because they had been unable to communicate their message properly.

When anyone has tried pointing out to Congress leaders that perhaps Mrs Gandhi’s inexperience of governance, as well as her foreign birth, could have been issues in this election they reject that idea as a personal slur on their leader’s character and personality. “It wasn’t an issue at all with rural voters” said Mrs Soni “they don’t care about these things. Mrs Sonia Gandhi represents a family that is associated with serving the country”.

Well, clearly, things have changed since those good, old days when the personality of a single, national leader was enough to sweep the polls. It did not work for Atal Behari Vajpayee and it did not work for Sonia Gandhi despite the fact that even, us hacks, have written about this election mainly as if it were a presidential contest between the two. And, speaking of us hacks it is also worth pointing out that anyone who relied on the press for news about the general election would have been left with the impression that the advent of Sonia Gandhi had revived the Congress party to its former days of glory. The emphasis on this was so overwhelming that even Priyanka Gandhi got more column inches than most senior political leaders.

So, we happily wrote off Mulayam Singh Yadav in UP. The Mulayam Muslim vote has shifted, we predicted, it has gone back to Congress so completely that leaders like Mulayam no longer stood a chance. It has come then as something of a shock that not only has Mulayam survived but he has done much better than last time as has the Bahujan Samaj Party. Mayawati was another leader who was almost absent from front pages during the campaign, Chandrababu Naidu, we said, was facing a tough fight in Andhra and the Congress was almost certainly going to do very well in that state. Exit polls were closer to the truth but we even dismissed these as not being totally reliable. One eminent magazine went so far as to compare exit poll results with reports from its own reporters and concluded that the polls were wrong and the journalists right. We have ended up with much egg on all our faces and if we want politicians to spend a few moments in introspection it has to be said that the Fourth Estate also needs to do the same.

We have been so swept away by our presidential elections theory that we heard more about the ‘impact’ of Priyanka Gandhi than about the feelings of ordinary voters. Whenever they got their chance they have said clearly that they are fed up of political leaders taking them for a ride. Some have even said that they were so angry with nothing being done for them that they had resolved not to vote this time. Had we paid more attention we might have been more accurate in predicting the way in which the election was going.

In the coming days you will undoubtedly hear much about the rise of regional parties and about fractured mandates. You will hear that the ‘local issues’ are what decided the way people voted. All of this is true but it is not nearly as important as the fact governance has been the key issue in this general election. If Chandrababu Naidu has done as well as he has it is mainly because, according to one poll, 60 per cent of the people of Andhra Pradesh thought he was doing a good job.

If Kalyan Singh has lost the BJP vital seats in UP it is not just because he was a reluctant campaigner of the party but also because you only need to drive to the state he rules to know that governance has been the last thing on his mind. He may not have inherited India’s best governed state but he also did nothing to make things better because he spent far too much time on politics and politicking.

The same, alas, is true of the BJP government in Delhi. Mr Vajpayee is seen by most Indians as a decent, honourable man but he is going to need to spend more time on issues of governance if he is to be seen as a real leader. Good government is what the people seem to want and they want it fast. It’s not a bad thing for the country either that they do so let us hope that the message gets through to our political leaders.

Star News earliest on the scene

by Amita Malik

IT is one of the field hazards of a weekly column that it inevitably goes to press just minutes before momentous events take place. This column is being written on Wednesday morning, when only early voting trends are coming in, so one will have to wait till next week for a review of the complete election coverage right up to the election of a new government.

Looking back on the pre-election coverage and right up to when the results have started coming in, Star News, with Prannoy Roy at the head of the team, has relied on teamwork, experience and tried and trusted psephologists and correspondents. It has been thoroughly professional, done meticulous advance planning and was the earliest on the scene, following closely by Zee News, Star News has down the years introduced programmes such as 24 hours with a politician, fights between candidates in the studios, early readings of trends with veterans Dorab and Mahesh, with much friendly banter, and this year, a charming confrontation between school children and politicians called Small Talk. Although some children sometimes came with briefs from adults, the spontaneous questions they asked in the studio showed there is a very politically savvy, generation coming up. Some of the politicians were distinctly uncomfortable in their presence. Star also had an expert psephologist observer, David Butler from London, to give an international perspective to our voting habits. Another area in which Star scored was in the number of women commentators they featured, from the newspaper and university circuits. Some were not quite up to it, but the outstanding ones made up for this.

In the last few months, there has been a noticeable transformation in Zee News. Of course they have picked up many ideas from Star, such a Campaign Trail, but the reach of their news, especially foreign news, has been greatly extended. I also like their one-line capsuled news, a la BBC. Their women newscasters’ fashion parade with ornate saris is not quite matched by the quality of their newscasting, where the men do rathar better. Zee’s correspondents, while hardworking and sincere, lack the numbers, the experience, the wider reach, the sophistication and above all training of Roy’s correspondents, but have visibly improved and can now offer competition to others. DD, as usual, did not do much advance preparation, its News Channel still has very poor audio quality while its National Channel has equally poor visual quality. Even its correspondents were downplayed.

But for election coverage, Vinod Dua, one of our most articulate telecasters and commentators, wisely shed earlier gimmicks, such as designer galabandha and switching languages with Mark Tully, and gave Zee News a brisk business-like start, with allies such as Saeed Naqvi, top psephologist Dr Lahiri (earlier Prannoy’s partner). His vast TV experience since his student days gave him the kind of assurance required to carry on the patter for two full hours before counting started, but it was a close shave. Doordarshan, with a channel each in Hindi (National Channel) and English (Pramod Mahajan’s instant News Channel) relied, as usual on old election faithfuls, mostly outsiders, such as Karan Thapar, Swapan Dasgupta, Tavleen Singh and, this time, Vir Sanghvi. Karan forgot that this was not Hard Talk or inquisition time, raved and rented and tried to harangue Dr M.S. Gill about George Fernandes. He was firmly put in his place and told by the CEC that was there as Election Commissioner and “not for interrogation”. Vir Sanghvi was his usual polished self and asked difficult questions with courtesy and a smile. Swapan Dasgupta was also quiet and civilised, as was Chandan Mitra.

TAIL-PIECE: In election coverage, a good deal depends on the way one addresses people. Even if she is a close personal friend, it was not good form for Barkha Dutt to address a senior party leader like Prakash Karat as “Prakash” every second breath. Strange, because Star News has a reputation for professional propriety.

75 YEARS AGO

October 9, 1924
Sir Dadiba Dalal

REUTERS has been particularly late in wiring to India the news of Sir Dadiba Dalal’s resignation of the High Commissionership, and even then all that it has said is that the report is inaccurate.

It was the London correspondent of the New Empire who was the first to transmit the report to India, and the report he transmitted was in one respect fuller than what the Associated Press sent us two days later from Simla.

While the latter says nothing about the circumstances under which the resignation has been tendered, the former makes the definite statement that it is on account of differences with the Government of India and of his not receiving adequate support from his European subordinates that Sir Dalal has resigned.

India has a right to demand that the full facts of the case should be published as early as practicable. Such publications ought to precede and not follow the appointment of an Indian successor to Sir Dalal because it is only fair that the successor, whoever he may be, should know under what circumstances his predecessor has found it impossible to continue in office.