ELECTIONS '98
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Our political circus

The West is half a century ahead of us in technology and as long as they are ahead we have to learn from them. The BJP, on the other hand, is going to Indianise, nationalise and spiritualise our education system. And I hope nationalisation doesn't mean they are going to interfere with self-financed colleges. As far as spiritualisation is concerned, there are more than enough temples, churches and mosques in the country -- the government should concentrate on, as Manoj Kumar put it ... Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan.

I always thought the prime minister must be a very busy man. Never knew he had time to sit down and write letters. And writing a letter to Sahib Singh Verma who was also in Delhi seems very strange. But then Vajpayeeji may have more faith in the postal system than in the telephone department. Shakespeare wrote "All the world's stage," 400 years later, they are still acting.

Dr Verghese Kurien, our most successful and enterprising chairman of the National Dairy Development Board, is going to step down. At the end of the month after being in the saddle since 1965. He is not being allowed to select his successor. Funny isn't it? In a country where discredited, criminal politicians are allowed to appoint their wives in their post, an honest men cannot have his way.

By exploding nuclear bombs, we equated ourselves with China. And now Pakistan claims to be our equal. Were we better off earlier? And the proxy war continues in the North and North-East. Bomb or no bomb.

The Rajasthan Congress, the Madhya Pradesh Congress all have passed resolutions asking Sonia Gandhi to select candidates for the ensuing election. So the most popular and capable candidate in each constituency takes a back seat. Only the most servile, most humble, most fawning will find favour. I think the Congress-I should be renamed Congress-C ('C' for chamchas).

Looks like the Ranvir Sena is going to appear in Bombay. It seems the Bombay traders want to raise a private army. And the government is thrilled. Bombay businessmen who refuse to pay hafta are facing a dire threat from the mafia. But it is the government's job to protect them. Why the hell do we pay taxes? If the government allows private armies, it is running away from its responsibility. It would be better if it ran away from Mantralaya instead.

Union Minister for Health Dalit Ezhilmalai has suggested that dalits must have a separate electorate and separate places to live. It seems they are not safe where other castes live and so must live separately. By asking them to live separately he wishes to segregate and isolate them. While all right thinking people want to break caste barriers this man wants to erect them. How do they select Union ministers in our country?

And while on dalits, the National Minority Commission points out that those Dalits who convent to Sikhism and Buddhism continue to enjoy the benefits of reservation, but those who convert to Christianity or Islam do not. So we can presume that when you convert to certain religions you become forward and in others you remain backward. What logic! Somebody out there deserves a doctorate in logic.

Now that Deve Gowda doesn't get any attention in Delhi, he is channeling all his energy into his home state Karnataka. And political energy is always disruptive. A former prime minister should be made of nobler stuff not petty.

TNCC president Tindivanam Ramamurthy had discovered the reason for the caste clashes in Ramanathapuram in the first week of October. According to him, it was the "LTTE" that caused it. Yuck! When will our politicians grow out of the "Foreign hand" phobia.

The National Federation of Sugar Factories are demanding a 40 per cent duty on imported sugar because their business is suffering. And, of course, our politicians will always cater to the extremely powerful sugar lobby. But basically we should get our priorities right. Who is more important? A handful of factory owners or the public which has a right to cheaper sugar?

Vajpayeeji has allowed companies to buy back their shares. Companies which are doing well will want to buy back their shares -- and investors will certainly not sell. And companies which are doing badly will not buy back even if the investors want to run. And what about companies which purposefully run into a loss, buy back their shares cheaply and then turn the corner? And everybody says it's a great idea, and Vajpayee is an honourable man. So are they all. Honourable men come I to bury the small investor.

And the Intercompany investment idea isn't too bright either. Now you can legally transfer cash to sister concerns and brother concerns. Mostly to brothers and sisters. Earlier, this was rightly called siphoning of assets to leave behind a shell company. Remember the corporate raiders of the past decade. Now they are being given licenses.

And the BJP is going to teach the girls "Housekeeping." I thought the BJP didn't like the minorities. How come it is borrowing ideas from the Taliban?

Sad that yesteryear Hindi film villain Ajit passed away. He had made "Monica darling" famous long before Bill Clinton.

A Ganesh Nadar