tribuneindia...Mailbag

I AGREE with the observation made in ‘‘Playing with the backward card: mini-V.P. Singhs on the prowl again’’ (December 3) by Mr Hari Jaisingh that ‘‘Our main thrust now must be directed towards the uplift of ordinary citizens, who are still groaning under the weight of deprivation and injustice.’’ But, unfortunately, this is missing in today’s politics.

The caste leaders who happen to be regional players also move with inflated egos. They pander to local prejudices and remain hostile to national interests. Even Dalit and backward caste leaders (including Ms Mayawati and Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav) have been indulging in parochial politics for the last many years. Their political growth certainly reflects the upward mobility of the weak and the poor, but they are in no mood to side with the ordinary citizens decisively.

Then, in the style of capitalist and feudal parties like the BJP and the Congress, they too are busy adjusting big or small industrialists at the top party posts. Trusted party workers (like Mr Beni Prasad Verma of the SP) are being pushed aside for Amar Singhs. This is not a healthy trend in politics.

I see a lot of opportunism in the politics of Dalit and backward caste leaders. They want to behave like regional chieftains and are recalcitrant to transcend their partisan considerations.

So they have, no doubt, succeeded in challenging the monopoly of upper caste landowners in politics, but they have apparently failed to muster the support of the poor and the weak among the upper castes. Chaudhary Charan Singh was able to emerge as a powerful peasant leader in North India because he appealed to the peasantry as a whole. Besides his love for simplicity and commitment to peasant welfare, he did not approach industrialists for financial gains nor did he allow them to share the political platform with him.

Caste-based exploitation is a reality in India. No leader can eliminate this evil without organising the poor of all castes. The caste leaders are unwilling to see this grim reality.

Corruption in India: The writer gave a well-deserved drubbing to Mr V.P. Singh, who overplayed the Bofors tape to capture power as if there was no corruption in the country before the Bofors gun deal. Mr A.G. Noorani gave a brain-storming account of corruption soon after Independence in his book, ‘‘Ministers’ Misconduct’’.

Mini VPs like Mr Mulayam Yadav and Mr Laloo Yadav are an opportunistic lot. A frustrated Laloo’s new slogan is ‘‘suicide squads’’. Will the law take care of the politico-social criminal who is playing the politics of mayhem and murder?

Reservation for the weaker sections is all right. But it has to be viewed in the light of Article 335 of the Constitution which, as voiced by the Supreme Court, stresses on maintaining a balance between reservation, merit and efficiency in administration (Indra Sawhney v Union of India, 1992, Supp-3,217).

Who cares for the dying commoner? It’s all a Caesar’s game being played by Mulayams and Laloos, Kalyans and Katiars, Mayawatis and Meira Kumars, Gamangs and Kamal Naths. The man in the street needs bread (without butter), drinking water, a thatched roof over his head and a bit of healthcare, and not Mandal nor Kamandal.

Insignificance of Individuals: Too much importance has been given to Mr Kalyan Singh in the article. It would have been more appropriate to say that he became the Chief Minister of UP because the BJP won the elections, instead of saying that the BJP won the elections because of Mr Kalyan Singh. This is also evident from the fact that Mr Kalyan Singh was never projected as the future Chief Minister before the elections when the BJP secured power for the first time in UP.

It is sad that Mr Kalyan Singh has revolted against the BJP’s top leadership while the need of the hour is stability not only at the Centre but also in the states, specially in big states like UP. However, the future would tell that individuals like Mr Kalyan Singh do not count much as the BJP is there more because of its lakhs of dedicated workers rather than due to Kalyan Singhs and Vaghelas.

Quota beneficiaries: It has been rightly suggested that ‘‘those who graduate into a minimum standard of economic and social wellbeing must make room for... others.’’ However, the author has not elaborated on how to implement this suggestion in the prevailing circumstances.

Reservation is a right of the dalits as enunciated in the Constitution. But for individual dalits it should be a privilege only. It is true that the institution of reservations was essential and cannot be discontinued suddenly. But, in any case, it has to be discontinued which can be done by phasing it out in degrees.

At present only a handful of people are benefiting from the reservation scheme. The common dalit is still where he was five decades ago.

The tenure of dalit legislators from the reserved constituencies should be limited to only one in their life-time. Later he/she can contest elections from unreserved constituencies.

New millennium

This refers to the numerous letters of readers, beginning with that of Mr B.L. Tanwar of 2-12-99, on the subject of commencement of the new millennium. Mr Tanwar has also asserted that the new millennium will start on 1-1-2001 and not on 1-1-2000.

The subject has become very interesting. However, readers should not forget that in mathematics and astrology ‘‘zero’’ has great value, and the first century started in the year ‘‘0’’ and ended in the year 0099 (0,1,2,3,....... 99 is 100 years) and the second century started in the year 100 and continued till 199 (100, 101, 102, 103.....199 = 100), so on and so forth.

Likewise the 20th century commenced in the year 1900 (1-1-1900) and will end on 31-12-1999 (100 years). It is, therefore, very clear that the 21st century will start on 1-1-2000 and not on 1-1-2001, as some of the readers believe, and it will continue till 31-12-2099.

I think now all speculation about the commencement of the new millennium should be laid to rest. We should welcome the new millennium at the stroke of midnight on 31-12-1999.

T. BHATTACHARYA
Panchkula

	M A I L B A G	Friday, December 10, 1999
weather spotlight today's calendar