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Modi victory can build unrealistic expectations

Sant Kumar Sharma
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Modi victory can build unrealistic expectations

The euphoria over Narendra Modi’s second coming is too heady at this moment. Getting re-elected with his own party, the BJP, getting a clear majority on its own is a very significant achievement. Very, very significant when you see it from the perspective of there being an absence of a government with a single-party majority from 1989 to 2014. For a quarter century.

These results will LIVE for five years, an entire tenure and it was amusing to read Shobha De’s comments about them. She wrote that the results could not be killed with over-analysis. In fact, that sounds more like wishful thinking and desire. If only it were possible to kill them, she and others like her would have done it! Without any remorse. That luxury is not available to anyone in India following a first past the post system or determination of majority. Fortunately. Gushing over Modi victory is one thing. A serious reality check another.

Modi is far behind Rajiv Gandhi who had over 400 MPs that was over two-thirds majority. Modi is nowhere near that figure of supporting lawmakers. He just doesn’t have that kind of support even with his allies. It seems almost all Congress PMs, at least once in their tenures, were better placed than Modi is now. The reference here is to those from the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Lal Bahadur Shastri and PV Narasimha Rao are excluded from that. Never mind that they discharged their duties extraordinarily well. Manmohan too doesn’t count. The dynasts had a larger pool of MPs on the Treasury Benches when they ruled. Perhaps it only led to their arrogance and sense of entitlement getting more readily entrenched in them.

Building narratives about what Modi might do is one thing, but constitutional checks and balances are another thing. They keep him on the back foot. Whoever said no to more! More of power, more of support, more of money, and so on. Modi has, less than, not more of MPs than he needs (or needed) to push forward his agenda. It needs to be understood here that two-thirds majority can lead to passage of laws as conceived by parties, or individuals. A lesser majority acts as a serious constraint and leads to compromises, it often dilutes a proposed legislation beyond recognition. It is often being said that not enough progress was made on Ayodhya Ram Temple despite a clear majority. Or on the issue of Uniform Civil Code. With a clear majority, but far less than two-thirds, Modi can only do as much as his mandate allows. These issues are there amongst us and cannot be wished away. Or brushed under the carpet, as it were. They need to be tackled now so that they are not campaign issues in the future.

Congress’s Kapil Sibal had argued that Ayodhya Ram Temple hearings in the Supreme Court be held after May so that they do not influence the general elections. That has happened and we are in the last week of May. The apex court can perhaps order hearings on a fast-track basis. Decide on the issue in accordance with established laws. Why let the issue linger on and on?

In the near future, crumbling of the Karnataka government seems imminent. More due to the inability of the incumbent Gowda dynasty to hold on than due to any serious nudges from outside. The Congress, despite larger numbers, played second fiddle to Kumaraswamy in May last year as keeping “the BJP out” was its top priority. This explanation will hardly help a year later and we can see this political dynasty crumble. In south, Jagan Reddy and Stalin are the rising dynasts even as Scindia, Akhilesh and the RJD clan are on their way out. Incidentally, one Congress spokesperson had claimed that south was more educated and hence voted less in favour of Modi! How will she now explain the rise of Reddy and Stalin? Her contortions will make for an interesting visual picture.

For now, one thing can be thought of as a takeaway from this round of elections. Hard work helps in all circumstances. Smriti Irani is a prime example of that. Relentlessly carrying on her work in Amethi and emerging as a giant killer. Naveen Patnaik, working diligently and without flashy style, managed to tame the BJP in his backyard. On his chosen turf. There is a lesson in that: Nobody is invincible. Not Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal either. Let us put the acrimony of campaigning behind and move on. Let us forget the bitterness and mend fences. After all, we are all Indians and working for the betterment of the nation is something that is our common goal. Or it should be. Let us bury the proverbial hatchet. Only to dig it out five years later, as has been ordained in our magnificent Constitution.

How a section of media sensationalized Northern Command Chief’s statement

Nilesh Kunwar
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How a section of media sensationalized Northern Command Chief’s statement

There’s an old saying in media circles that news is worth reporting only when a man bites a dog and not vice versa. This may now sound hackneyed. But then, how else can you describe media’s brazen attempts to fish in troubled waters with such insensitivity; such that instead of reporting an important event it chooses to utilise a comment made on its sidelines concerning an unrelated issue? This is exactly what happened when newspapers carried a report stating that while replying to a question during a press conference on May 21, General Officer Commanding in Chief (GoC-in-C) Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh had stated that the September 2016 surgical strike carried out by Indian Army against terrorist launch pads located in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) was the first of its kind. 

Since the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had already stated that there was no record of any surgical strike carried out by Indian Army prior to September 2016, there was nothing new in what Lt Gen Singh had said. Furthermore, since Lt Gen Singh had only drawn attention of the media to the statement already issued by Directorate General of Military Operations (DGMO) and steered clear of any comments that could be misconstrued as being political in nature, this certainly wasn’t a ‘man bites dog’ or ‘breaking news’ type of situation. All he said on this issue was,”A few days ago, DGMO said in a reply to an RTI that the first surgical strike happened in September 2016. I don’t want to go into what political parties say, they will be given an answer by the government. What I have told you is a statement of fact.” 

Readers would agree that there is nothing controversial in what Lt Gen Singh has stated. It is also amply clear that the question posed by the journalist was ‘politically loaded’ since it was in reference to Congress party’s recent claim that the Indian Army had carried out six surgical strikes when the UPA was in power, which the MoD had already refuted. Therefore, Lt Gen Singh sagaciously drew the scribe’s attention to official response of the army on this subject, thereby avoiding any chances of scandalous inferences being drawn. Regrettably, even this matter-of-fact reply didn’t prevent the media from turning a statement that was completely devoid of any contentious content into a sensational news report. Resultantly, instead of the main Project Sadbhavana event during which financial assistance was extended to 71 deserving students of Jammu and Kashmir from ‘Below Poverty Line’ {BPL} category, it was the press conference held on sidelines that hogged the limelight than the scholarship award function.

It’s obviously the media’s insatiable appetite for sensationalism that spurred journos to give an innocuous statement the tone and tenor of a politically charged comment in order to sensationalise the issue, which is rather unfortunate. Since practical experience has taught us the import of Texas Guinan’s view that “A politician is a fellow who will lay down your life for his country,” it doesn’t hurt so much when netas seek to extract political mileage out of the achievements of our armed forces. But the situation becomes worrisome and depressing when media, which the public adulates for being society’s watchdog starts indulging in or encourages sensationalism. Reproduced below are certain captions and excerpts that reveal the extent to which some newspapers and news portals can go just in order to create catchy captions:

  •  “Army contradicts Congress’ claim, says it carried out first surgical strike in September 2016 to avenge Uri,” reads one caption that conveys an erroneous impression that the Indian Army was exceeding its brief by getting involved in a pre-poll war of words between political parties.
  • Another report claims that “Lt Gen Ranbir Singh’s statement appeared to contradict one made by his predecessor Lt Gen (retd.) DS Hooda, who oversaw the 2016 surgical strikes.” But the article doesn’t even hint at, let alone amplify as to what the “contradiction” exactly was! Since Lt Gen Hooda (retd.) is currently associated with Congress, this misleading caption unnecessarily creates doubts in minds of readers and fuels rumours that the government is hiding something.
  • A news site published the report with a rather offensive caption that stated “BIG Embarrassment For Congress: Army Contradicts UPA-era Surgical Strikes Claim, Says First Was Conducted In September 2016.” While the statement may be ‘technically correct’, the fact is that it was not Lt Gen Singh but the DGMO who had made this statement nearly two weeks earlier in reply to an RTI query.
  • Another news report had the caption “Embarrassment for Congress: ‘India conducted first surgical strike in 2016’, confirms Northern Army commander.” Here again, it would be pertinent to note that all the Northern Army Commander did was to quote the DGMO’s statement and this cannot be construed as a “confirmation” under any circumstances.

While the media has all the rights to use journalistic liberties in the interests of positive reporting and conveying a social message, but unbridled sensationalism beyond can prove to be dangerous. Readers would recall that during the recent ICJ hearings, Pakistan’s lawyer Khawar Qureshi cited articles written by three renowned Indian journalists in order to strengthen Islamabad’s trumped-up case of espionage against Kulbhushan Jadhav and implicate him.

Therefore, with inimical forces lurking everywhere, isn’t there a need for the fourth estate to be a bit more careful while ‘sprucing up’ news reports so as to avoid the scope of these being misused by vested interests to generate negativity?

Human Rights Watch (Israel and Palestine) on Common Rights and Law Violations

Scott Douglas Jacobsen
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Human Rights Watch (Israel and Palestine) on Common Rights and Law Violations

Omar Shakir is the Israel and Palestine Director for Human Rights Watch (Middle East and North Africa Division). Here we talk about rights and law violations, and more.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: With regards to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict or issue, there are violations of international law on both sides. When these violations happen, what are common streams of international law in this conflict? How are they consistently violated?

Omar Shakir: Because Israeli authorities have occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip since 1967, international humanitarian law applies to the situation on the ground. International humanitarian law, otherwise known as the law of war or the law of occupation, provides one layer of protection to the occupied Palestinian population.

But, of course, in addition to international humanitarian law, international human rights law applies to the Israeli authorities, but also to the Palestinian authorities vis-a-vis their own populations and vis-a-vis Israelis. 

Different bodies of law will apply depending on the particular circumstances. For example, when there are armed hostilities, missiles fired back and forth between the Gaza Strip and Israel, international humanitarian would apply.

It would also perpetually apply because Palestinians are protected persons. Sometimes, a particular event might trigger a different body of law. For example, when Palestinians in Gaza are protesting or even in Ramallah are protesting, and there are Israeli forces there policing the demonstration, whether across the fence with Gaza or in Ramallah, the body of law that would govern would be human rights law because that body of law applies to policing situations.

So, different bodies of law will govern. When we’re talking about the Palestinian Authority dealing with its own citizens, for example, arrests or conditions of detention, that would be governed by international human rights law, because it is the obligations of a power that has some authority over people within its jurisdiction. 

Jacobsen: For those who may hear the basic phrase of “right to self-defense,” what does this mean in the context of the conflict? How is this typically applied in the media? But then, also, how is this properly applied within a legal context?

Shakir: The UN Charter has a prohibition against using force, except as a means to self-defense. There have been different analyses over the years on what exactly constitutes self-defense. Some argue this means only attacking when one has been attacked. Others have stretched the meaning to pre-emptive attacks at different levels of distance from imminence.

There are two main governing bodies of law. There’s what you call jus ad bellum and jus in bello.

Jus ad bellum concerns the legality of using force in general. Then there is jus in bello, which governs how force is used in the context of conflict. Human Rights Watch itself focuses mostly on the latter. We don’t generally make pronouncements on whether or not war, occupation, or the beginning of hostilities is or isn’t justified.

 Jus ad bellum is a body of law that’s generally been underdeveloped.

Most of our focus is on when force is used: is the use of force legitimate regardless of whether the war, occupation, or hostilities itself was justified?

Most of HRW’s focus is on research pertaining to abuse of all parties pertaining to the laws of war, which is, in essence, jus in bello versus jus ad bellum – which would concern a decision whether to go to war or ignite hostilities is itself justified. 

Jacobsen: For those organizations like HRW, and others, covering several sides of the issue in terms of human rights violation and breaches of international law. You can get bad press from all sides. 

You might get credit from one side for critiquing one side in terms of application and human rights violations and pointing out breaches of international law, and vice versa.

What would be a proper response to those who may be critiquing what seems to me like a very legitimate work that you’re doing in terms of having a comprehensive perspective in the application of human rights and international law?

Shakir: Certainly, one of the most common critiques of HRW in the nearly 100 countries that we operate in across the world is one side or the other claiming that we underfocused on the other side’s abuses while focusing on them. That we have a bias.

I used to cover Egypt for HRW. When we were covering the abuses of Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood when they were in power in 2012-2013, we were accused of being against them.

Then when there was a coup, and the military government was gunning down protestors and arbitrarily arresting thousands, we were accused of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood.

It is a similar pattern everywhere. Israel-Palestine, we have seen the same dynamic. The Israeli government says that we are biased against them.

When we released reports, as we have done for more than two decades, on arbitrary arrests by the Palestinian Authority or Hamas, or the unlawful use of force by them, we are accused by of being part of an agenda of Israel and the United States to undermine them.

Even in the last year, we have seen accusations from both Israelis and Palestinians. I think the way to respond to that is to be methodologically consistent, to use the same tools, and to document the abuses of all parties. 

That doesn’t mean that we have a ledger and then count how many reports we issued on each party’s abuses to make sure that it is equal, because human rights abusers are not equal in the amount of the abuse that they inflict on the others.

But it means that you bring the same tenacity and bring the same seriousness and rigour and approach, and use the same tools, to measure abuse, and the consistently reach the same conclusions for the same abuses in different contexts.

That’s the work that we try to do in the nearly 100 countries that we operate in, including every country in the Middle East and North Africa.

Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Omar.

Photo by Benjamin Suter on Unsplash

Supreme Court gets full sanctioned strength of 31 judges

News Intervention Bureau
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Supreme Court gets full sanctioned strength of 31 judges

Four new judges of the Supreme Court were on Friday administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. With the swearing in of the four judges, the number of judges in the Supreme Court stands at 31, the full sanctioned strength of the top court.

Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Aniruddha Bose and A S Bopanna were administered oath of office by the CJI in court no.1 in the presence of several other sitting apex court judges.

The apex court, which was functioning with 27 judges including the CJI has now reached its full strength of judges for the first time since 2008 when Parliament had increased the number of judges from 26 to 31.

On Wednesday, President Ram Nath Kovind had issued warrants of appointment of Justices Gavai, Kant, Bose and Bopanna as apex court judges.

Justice Gavai, who was a judge of the Bombay High Court, will become the CJI for a little over six months in 2025 and he will be the second Chief Justice of India belonging to the Scheduled Caste community after Justice (retd) K G Balakrishnan.

Justice Kant, who was till now the chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, will succeed Justice Gavai as the CJI in November 2025 and he will remain in office till February 2027.

Justice Bose, who was till now the chief justice of the Jharkhand High Court, is at number 12 in the all-India seniority of high court judges.

Justice Bopanna, whose parent high court is Karnataka, was till now the Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court and is at number 36 in the all-India seniority.

Yes, it’s a Modi Tsunami this time

Ravi Bhagwat
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Yes, it’s a Modi Tsunami this time

12 Reasons why PM Modi has won Lok Sabha 2019

Ashutosh Garg
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12 Reasons why PM Modi has won Lok Sabha 2019

The elections are over, and the results are out. Clearly, Mr Modi has led a resurgent BJP to a record victory. This was an election where the voter came out and voted for Mr Modi, for the work that he has done and to give him another mandate to complete what he started in 2014. The lies and canards spread by some journalists have been rejected by the voters. The single message of the opposition “Modi Hatao” was rejected. The Congress’ promise of doing away with the legislation for sedition was not accepted. The claim of saffron terror was rejected. The claim of opposition leaders that national institutions have been compromised was strongly rejected. The so-called threat to democracy was rebuffed.

On the other hand, Mr Modi’s statement of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas” was trusted, believed and embraced.

What is clear from these elections is that the average Indian voter is primarily interested in getting:

  • A clean administration. We have been angered and frustrated with the incredible amount of corruption that has been seen over the last 70 years in various non-BJP governments.
  • Strong economic growth of the country which will lead to wealth creation and job creation.
  • A secure environment without constantly having to look for potential threats that could physically harm us and our families. We do not want to keep looking over our shoulders. Nor do we want to keep looking under tables and chairs for unidentified bags.
  • A clean environment with all the necessities of life so that we can live normal lives with our families.
BJP supporters distribute sweets as they celebrate their win at party office in Thane, on May 23, 2019. (Photo: PTI Photo)

Let us explore and examine the reasons why the BJP has swept polls despite so much negativity from opposition leaders against Mr Modi personally.

  1. Positive Report card: During the last elections in 2014 Mr Modi had promised that he would come back to the electorate in 2019 with his report card. A lot has been written about the significant achievements in the first five-year term. In overall terms, the electorate was satisfied with Mr Modi’s governance and the direction he had set for India. The voters strongly endorsed all the schemes of the government. They have experienced the impact these schemes have made in their lives. They have voted for a continuance of his policies.
  2. Economy: India is now the sixth largest economy in the world and the second largest in terms of purchasing power parity. Mr Modi has put India on track for quick growth in the next decade. Here is a leader who has not hesitated to take the strongest possible decisions whether they relate to the economy or to make fundamental course corrections such as the bankruptcy code. The impact of these reforms will now be felt more completely in the coming 5 years.
  3. Clean Government: Mr Modi has clearly established even in the minds of his deterrents that he is squeaky clean. He has made every possible effort to make sure that there is no corruption in his government. There has been no major or minor scam in the past five years. The Rafale deal cut no ice with the voters and Mr Gandhi’s corruption charges against Mr Modi did not work. The more Mr Gandhi abused Mr Modi, the more he pushed voters towards Mr Modi.
  4. Foreign policy: India now stands tall in the comity of nations. India has managed to develop extremely good relationships with all neighbouring states barring Pakistan. At the same time India has managed to keep strong independent relationships with USA and Russia; Iran and Israel as well as a grudging economic relationship with China. The voter has recognised the growing respect India has at the international level. The impact of these policies can be seen in the increasing respect for the Indian passport.
  5. Mahagathbandhan: The mahagathbandhan has not worked. Certainly not in the manner that Rahul Gandhi had envisaged with him being crowned as the leader by one and all. None of the constituents of this motley group of regional leaders had any common minimum programme nor did they represent a similar set of values that they presented to the electorate. The warring mahagathbandhan leaders showed their true colours as they kept talking with forked tongues. Criticising and praising their alliance partners in the same breath. The Indian electorate is much smarter than what these political parties would have liked voters believe.
  6. Rahul Gandhi: Mr Gandhi has lost Amethi to BJP’s Smriti Irani. A loss in Amethi establishes how he has not been able to deliver anything of consequence. Though he would like to believe that his victory in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was only on account of him, if one looks at the electoral votes cast in the Lok Sabha elections, the numbers tell a different story. Mr Gandhi did not announce any clear vision or path for India. His Nyay scheme was announced without any thought and his advisor Sam Pitroda did not help him, shooting off his mouth at regular intervals. Priyanka Gandhi managed to split the votes, as she had said, but this happened for the SP-BSP combine.
  7. Hindi Heartland and Western India: The Hindi heartland and the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat clearly still have their heart with Mr Modi. They had voted out the BJP in three states but in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, voters have gone out and voted in very large numbers for Mr Modi, clearly the tallest leader in the country today. West Bengal and Odisha have also welcomed Mr Modi. Divisive politics was rejected by the voters and this marks a significant change for India in the years ahead.
  8. Infrastructure: There is visible improvement in India’s infrastructure. From building new roads to airports and from significantly improved power supply to super-fast trains, the path towards improved infrastructure is there for everyone to see. Prior to 2014, we had taken “load shedding” as a part of our daily lives. This has now stopped. The voter believes that much more needs to be done and has given one more term to Mr Modi to complete what he started.
  9. Support of Millennials: The 80 million new voters who exercised their franchise for the first time in 2019 voted overwhelmingly in favour of Mr Modi. These young Indians have no links to Ayodhya or the Ram Temple but in Mr Modi, these millennials see a leader who can deliver the India of their dreams. They see an overall improvement in their lifestyle, and they can see the visible change in global attitude towards India.
  10. Tough on Terror: The result of the Pulwama terror attack and the Balakot air strike are there for everyone to see. If the opposition had not criticised the government after the Pulwama attack, they would not have had to grind their nose in the dust after the Balakot air strikes. The voter recognises that only Mr Modi has had the courage to hit back hard and they want a leader who can protect the boundaries of the country.
  11. Rural Economy: Though the opposition parties would like us to believe otherwise, the figures of the fast-moving consumer goods companies and the automobile companies show a significant improvement in their sales in Rural India. If anything, Mr Modi has focussed his attention on the poor. While the Nyay scheme was a pie in the sky, the direct benefit transfer to farmers made a difference. More needs to be done and Mr Modi will certainly have this on the top of his agenda.
  12. Dynastic Politics Rejected: The Congress has seen almost no growth since the 2014 election. Congress leaders need to do some serious introspection on whether they should continue to be led be a member of the “family” or whether new blood should be injected to energise the cadres once again. The leaders of the 22 opposition parties who were determined to protect their family-hold on their parties have also been rejected. Will these leaders now start to show their fangs as their differences come out in the open or will they still be able to hold hands on a stage to show how much they love each other!

The opposition leaders will continue to make excuses such as the return of Electoral Authoritarianism, a partisan Election Commission, Negative elections and the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) but they will, in due course, realise that these are excuses to convince themselves. No voter believes any of their excuses. For the opposition leaders, the time for introspection has arrived.

Under the leadership of Mr Modi, the best is yet to come for India.

What absence of Lalu Prasad Yadav meant for Lok Sabha elections 2019?

Narender Yadav
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What absence of Lalu Prasad Yadav meant for Lok Sabha elections 2019?

Poll marathon has just ended in India and post-poll excitement has just begun. After a high decibel election campaigning, caretaker Prime Minster Narendra Damodardas Modi landed in a modern-era cave in Kedarnath for some man ki shanti, while opposition parties are still haranguing about EVMs and VVPATs. Exit polls have done their job of taking the biggest democracy on a ride and Election Commission (EC) is still looking into poll code violations by Modi.

The seven-phase election has ended, and it’s quite clear that Lok Sabha election this year was different from previous elections. Simply put, it turned out to be an extremely boring and lethargic electoral exercise, as compared to previous elections. One important factor that made the elections less ‘interesting’ was the absence of popular leader Lalu Prasad Yadav. Infact, during the last two-decades, after the formation of RJD, this is the first time Lalu could not campaign in the elections. Sentenced in a corruption case by a CBI court, and currently recuperating in a Ranchi hospital, RJD supremo’s absence was felt throughout the elections.

As Lalu remained confined to Ranchi, prime-time slots and special ‘interviews’ in media, conveniently passed on to Modi. Infamous for his ‘Mann ki baat’, Modi ruled the front pages of newspapers, not just with news, but more with advertorials and advertisements. ‘Breaking News’ became irrelevant for TV channels as they couldn’t match the high frequency diatribes of Modi. There is little doubt that only Lalu could have surpassed Modi in terms of media presence and limelight. Lalu has mastered the art of media management and he also knows how to ‘deal’ with mainstream English media, who has always presented him as a bit of buffoon and extremely corrupt to its urban middle class audience.   

This election was also unique – being an issue-less election. Opposition parties, be it Congress, BSP, SP or CPI – all failed to put forward strong election issues. Left, with its coterie of film stars and activists, couldn’t see beyond Kanhaiya’s election and Gandhi siblings, despite their best efforts, couldn’t give prime-time worthy political jumlas. Even BJP ‘failed’ to highlight crucial issues of global importance like ‘Chai’ and ‘Ram temple’ in the elections. Devoid of any relevant national issues, the elections were reduced to a fist fight between Modi and Rahul. An issue-less election, made Modi relevant and hot-favourite for media and film stars. Canadian film star Akshay Kumar even tried to win some brownie points in PM’s company but couldn’t get anything beyond mangoes.

While ‘Hindutva’ remained high on the political agenda of BJP, opposition could not even rake up communalism as an issue. Lalu’s presence could have altered the situation completely. There is no other political leader who can match Lalu’s ability to raise issues of national importance in the language of common people. ‘Secularism’ could have been a major political issue had Lalu been actively engaging in these elections. He shares a deep suspicion of the RSS, and has done stupendous work for communal harmony in Bihar. It was commendable that during the Lalu regime, Bihar remained riot-free at the time of the Babri demolition and later. In the era of flexible political ideologies and malleable principles, Lalu perhaps is the only national leader who, throughout his political career, refused to enter into any alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.  There is no other leader who could have fought against communalism with genuine passion and political commitment in these elections.

During the entire election phase, political rallies remained lacklustre. No leader from the opposition could effectively and emotionally engage with the electorate. This created additional space for Modi’s theatrics. India has not seen a better communicator than Lalu Prasad Yadav and no one can substitute Lalu in terms of campaign style or connecting with the audience in their own language. He has a deeper linkage with poor people and an unmatchable appeal. Lalu’s reputation as one who challenged deep-rooted caste structures and upheld secularism has earned him far more credit than the disrepute his conviction in the fodder scam brought him. That’s what justifies Lalu’s charisma, which could have been used as a masterstroke.

Lastly, the mahagathbandhan would have been on a more powerful ground had Lalu played an active role in it. He has a good understanding and appreciation of coalition politics, and in the current political scenario, he could have steered it safely amidst the sloppy waters of elections.

Lalu Prasad Yadav is distinct, unconventional and still relevant in Indian politics. His presence would have made these elections a memorable affair, not just for the media but for the country and its people.

China trafficking Pakistani girls as a price for CPEC

Mehtab Karan Singh
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China trafficking Pakistani girls as a price for CPEC

China has fewer girls of marriageable age due to strict implementation of the single child norm as most Chinese couples opt for a male child. Hitherto, Chinese had brought women from poor countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia as “brides”. They have now included Pakistan in this list. But most of these “brides” are trafficked from Pakistan and end up into prostitution or fall prey to organ harvesting racketeers.

On May 6th, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan busted a racket of Chinese nationals involved in trafficking young Pakistani girls to China by contracting marriages. Eight Chinese nationals were arrested from Lahore airport and other areas on charges of trafficking the young women. Each of these families were paid fifty thousand rupees.

This is the merely tip of iceberg, as much is remaining untold about this new trend. An in-depth article on the subject titled, “The Pakistani brides being trafficked to China,” written by Saher Baloch and carried by BBS Urdu, illustrates the modus operandi with the help of a case study. A Pakistani Christian girl going by the name of Sophia was married to a Chinese who posed to be a Christian. The marriage was conducted strictly in accordance with Pakistani customs. Within a month, Sophia was back in her parents’ house; she escaped the custody of her husband on realising that she was a part of a girl trafficking racket. Sophia was lucky, but many others are not and hundreds of such case are being reported every year.

Most of the girls being trafficked are from minority communities, mainly Christians, but Muslim girls are also being targeted. Senge Sering, a US-based activist from Gilgit-Baltistan, recently posted a tweet with a video of a Pakistani girl named Ismat from Lahore who had been bought by the Chinese and was waiting to be trafficked. The hapless girl makes a fervent plea in the video to be saved. Senge Sering also made an appeal to Prime Minister Imran Khan to intervene.   

The Chinese trafficking gangs pose as Engineers working for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). They lure families and arrange the sham weddings. In recent weeks, more than two dozen Chinese nationals and local Pakistani middlemen, including at least one Catholic priest, have been arrested in connection with the sham marriages. The trafficked girls are put into prostitution, sexual slavery and even used for the abhorrent practice of organ harvesting, which is emerging as a big industry in China.

There are some cases of Chinese looking for legitimate brides also. This is because of the population imbalance in China as a result of the single child norm, which led to parents opting only for a male child. The deficiency in women was being covered from poor countries like Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia. Now Pakistan has also been included, at the top of the list, since it is the easiest country to operate in. The country has seen a surge of brides applying for visa to go to China.

There are many factors that go into making Pakistan the preferred destination for this obnoxious, grossly immoral and illegal activity. The extreme poverty in Pakistan makes it easy for the traffickers to find girls at a very less premium as compared to other countries.

Secondly, the Chinese enjoy diplomatic immunity because of their preferred status in the country as the providers of much needed money; they now look at Pakistan as their fiefdom where they can do anything with no questions asked. It can be taken for granted that the Chinese caught in the trafficking racket will go scot free while the locals will be incarcerated; hence they have no fear. Post the FIA raid the Chinese embassy had the gumption to state, “According to investigations by the Ministry of Public Security of China, there is no forced prostitution or sale of human organs for those Pakistani women who stay in China after marriage with Chinese. We will never allow a few criminals to undermine the friendship between China and Pakistan….” This statement leaves no doubt about the raid being pushed under the carpet.

An important factor in this evil network is the legal marriageable age for women in Pakistan which stands at 15 years, in accordance with Sharia Laws. At this age the girl is too young to even understand what is happening to her and as such the process becomes very easy to handle. Pakistan is now going for an amendment bill to raise the marriageable age of girls to 18 years. The bill was approved by the Senate but it faced opposition in the National Assembly. Sadly, even some ruling party members in the Assembly were seen giving opposing views, which is quite unprecedented. Those with rigid mind set in religious affairs termed the bill as one denouncing Allah; they questioned whether the lawmakers knew more than Allah.

China is also exploiting and harassing Uighur Muslim women married to Pakistani traders. These traders leave their families in Xinjiang when they come back to Pakistan to conduct business. In 2017 alone, 40 such women vanished even as the hapless families went from pillar to post searching for them. They have recently been released but only after giving an assurance that their religious ideals will remain “adaptable to Chinese society.” The women are telling devastating stories of their time in custody, where they were made to eat pork and drink alcohol which is not allowed in their religion.

Pakistan is clearly paying a very heavy price for CPEC. The project is facilitating the infiltration of the Chinese into the very fabric of the Pakistani society and causing havoc to the people. While the rich are becoming richer beyond comprehension and remain unaffected by the Chinese duplicity, the life of the poor and marginalised is becoming unbearable. The minorities, already under stress of surviving in a vitiated environment, are now facing the biggest threat ever, where their children are being exploited beyond belief.

What is happening in Pakistan is no better than the slave trade of the olden times. It is time for the international community and human rights organisations to take notice of the terrible situation developing in the country due to the unholy China-Pakistan nexus. It has already deprived the poor people of their livelihood and is now directly attacking their family honour.

Campaign to control illegal wildlife trade launched by Dia Mirza

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Campaign to control illegal wildlife trade launched by Dia Mirza

UN Environment India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of India have launched an awareness campaign ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’ to be displayed at major airports across the country. Actor, Producer, UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador and recently appointed Secretary-General’s SDG Advocate, Dia Mirza, recently inaugurated the campaign in presence of officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of India, UN Environment, UN agencies and GMR Group.

“Conservation is innate to India’s ethos. While wildlife faces threat across the globe and India’s flora and fauna’s demand continues in illegal global markets, in keeping with our stringent provisions for protection of wildlife under the Wild life (Protection) Act, 1972, efforts towards creating awareness among public at large would go a long way to help protect our wildlife,” said, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri CK Mishra.

Illegal wildlife trade is driving species to the brink of extinction. A thriving industry with organized wildlife crime chains spreading across the world, in India, illegal trade in wildlife has seen a sharp rise. The campaign ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’ aims at creating awareness and garnering public support for the protection and conservation of wildlife, prevention of smuggling and reduction in demand for wildlife products. The campaign also complements worldwide action on illegal trade in wildlife through UN Environment’s global campaign, Wild for Life.

“There is an urgent need for awareness, action and stringent enforcement of laws to put an end to all illegal wildlife trade threatening biodiversity and conservation in the wild. This campaign is an important step forward in creating much-needed awareness on wildlife trafficking which threatens the very survival of these species,” said Atul Bagai, Head, UN Environment India.

In the first phase of the campaign, Tiger, Pangolin, Star Tortoise and Tokay Gecko have been chosen as they are highly endangered due to illegal trading in International markets. Tiger is traded for its skin, bones and body parts; Pangolin, the most illegally traded wild mammal on the planet is trafficked for its meat and its scales are used in traditional medicines; Star Tortoise for meat and pet trade and Tokay Gecko in traditional medicine mostly into South East Asia and particularly Chinese Markets. Phase two will see more threatened species and explore other routes of trafficking.
“A huge global demand for our flora and fauna is a major cause for illegal wildlife trade by ruthless cross border smugglers. WCCB stands committed to fight this organized crime but it is crucial to work together across various government and non-government organizations, private sector and civil society to save wildlife. Our awareness campaign at Airports is a step towards reaching out to the public,” said Tilotama Varma, Additional Director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of India

Recent media reports on seizures of illegally traded species and their parts at airports is a growing indication of rampant wildlife trafficking. Some of the major wildlife species being smuggled through airports are star tortoises, live birds, Shahtoosh shawls, tiger and leopard body parts, ivory, rhino horns, pangolin and pangolin scales, sea shells, sea-horse, Sea-cucumber, red sanders, agarwood, deer antlers, mongoose hairs, reptile skins, live snakes, lizards, corals, orchids and medicinal plants.

Dia Mirza, Actor, Producer, UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador & Secretary-General’s SDG Advocate said, “Wildlife trafficking thrives on ignorance and indifference to the species and laws that govern it .This campaign gives a glimpse of the cruelty and suffering these magnificent species have to endure for being trafficked. The need of the hour is greater awareness and commitment to protecting these species to ensure that they not just survive but also thrive in the wild.”

In collaboration with the Airports Authority of India and GMR Group, the campaign will travel across 22 airports across India over the next year. Both WCCB and UN Environment initiated a comprehensive approach with a focus on awareness building of various stakeholders towards the issue of prevention of illegal trade and smuggling of wildlife and wildlife products through exit points. The awareness campaign is expected to complement the efforts of the Govt. Agencies.

World gets new measurement units of kilogram, Kelvin, mole and ampere

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World gets new measurement units of kilogram, Kelvin, mole and ampere

After decades of ground-breaking laboratory works, the world’s scientific and technical community, in a landmark and historic decision taken in the recent open session of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) at BIPM on 16 November 2018, has unanimously adopted the resolution to redefine four of the seven base units, the kilogram (SI unit of weight), Kelvin (SI unit of temperature), mole (SI unit of amount of substance), and ampere (SI unit of current). This decision has now enabled scientists and researchers to base the SI units entirely on fundamental properties of nature, which will ensure their ongoing refinement and improvement for years to come. The fundamental constants are invariants of time and space and successfully replaced the artifact based units, and aptly opened up the new era for quantum world by linking all seven base units to fundamental constants/quantum standards.

The new SI is being implemented worldwide from 20th May 2019 i.e. the World Metrology Day. The World Metrology Day (WMD) is celebrated annually on this very day as the Metre Convention was signed by representatives of seventeen nations on May 20, 1875. The Convention set the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and in its industrial, commercial and societal applications.

DG CSIR, Shri Shkehar C. Mande present on the occasion congratulated the NPL in bringing out the new units and said that quantum computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Industry 4.0, space enabled communications, are some of the international challenges of the near future and it is necessary for India, the fastest growing economy to make the triumphs to meet the above challenges with the support of quantum metrology based quality infrastructure.

The whole metrology world, especially the National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) are celebrating this year’s WMD as mark for the new beginning of metrology, based on constant of nature on a large scale. CSIR-NPL, the NMI of India have kept the strides going in these fields and started the R&D efforts in establishing the new SI, alongside the international implementations from 20th May 2019.

On this historic day, CSIR-NPL introduced redefined SI Units to nation in terms of constant of nature through a series of events, delivering lectures, releasing theme (The International System of Units – Fundamentally Better) based poster of BIPM; release of NPL’s designed posters introducing redefined SI to nation highlighting fundamental constant of nature and impact of metrology on all walks of human life; release of poster on technologies transferred, commercialized, patents filed / granted, number of customer served through testing and calibrations by CSIR-NPL during 2018-2019, release of poser on Bhartiya Nirdeshak Dravya (BND) and release of new NPL certified BNDs.

As a national responsibility and keeping in view of the importance and recognition of new revision of SI, the CSIR-NPL has also prepared documents on i) NPL Policy on Metrological Traceability, ii) recommendations on the proposed changes to be incorporated in the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi textbooks and implement the new changes to impart cotemporary education to its students and iii) recommendations on the proposed changes to be incorporated in syllabi of metrology courses in graduate engineering and academic courses being taught in All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and other academic institutes.

On this occasion CSIR-NPL also published a book entitled, “Redefined SI Units and Glimpses of NPL Metrological Activities” of almost 100 pages to percolate and disseminate the information accommodating details on new changes, posters and documents mentioned above and role of NPL in strengthening the Indian metrological infrastructure for the govt. representatives, policy makers, regulator, certification bodies, academic institutions, industries and public as a whole.

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