Mad dog politics

The prospect of power drives politicians rabid Monday 03rd March 2014

Rabies is an infectious disease of dogs, cats, bats, mon eys, !ac als and other animals and man, usually fatal if prophylactic treatment is not administered" #t is caused by the virus $ormido ine%oribilis and usually transmitted to man by the bite of an infected animal" #t is also called hydrophobia" Rabid is e%plained in the dictionary as& irrationally e%treme in opinion or practice, furious or raging, violently intense, affected with or pertaining to rabies' mad" #n neighbouring #ndia, the prospect of achieving power in the (nion )arliament elections scheduled to be held before May 2014 has really driven the #ndian political class rabid" *ust after the +ll #ndia ,ongress )arty held its annual sessions in *aipur, Ra!asthan , a few months ago, which all but anointed Rahul -andhi , as the heir apparent, to lead the ,ongress party as successor to his mother the #talian born .onia, and widow of Ra!iv -handi, son of #ndira -handi and heir to the leadership succession of )andit *awaharlal /ehru and +dvocate Motilal /ehru, who was a contemporary and supporter of Mahatma -handi, Rahul said publicly that his mother had come to his room, told him that 0power is a poison1" There is much in recent .outh +sian political history which would establish this as a fact" ,ompletely rational, reasonably, sensible and balanced individuals, when the prospect of political power is dangled tantalisingly before them, go completely bon ers and there is only one word which would in reality e%plains their behaviour 2 is that they go virtually rabid" #n /ew 3elhi, some time ago, an attractive and glamorous young 3elhi4ite, Miss *essica 5al, was helping out behind the bar at a friend6s restaurant, in a fashionable part of the town, when after bar closing time, when no

alcohol can be served, a young rich politico7businessman came up to the bar and demanded an alcoholic drin from *essica" *essica politely informed him that it was after closing time and that the bar was closed" The young man pulled out a revolver and shot her dead, before a number of witnesses" The assassin, being a man of wealth and political influence, the police in8uiry was botched, as is nown to happen in our part of the world, and he was ac8uitted of murder9 + popular newspaper carried the headline :/obody illed *essica 5al19 There were humongous public protests, the police in8uiry was reopened by order of ,ourt, and the assassin was retried and convicted of first degree murder" /obody assassinated Ra!iv -andhi Recent events in the political environment in #ndia, has led to the distinct possibility that there will be a newspaper headline to the effect that :/obody assassinated Ra!iv -andhi69 The reason being that *ayalalitha *eyaram, the ,hief Minister of Tamil /adu state, in #ndia, has declared that seven men, who were convicted of plotting the 1;;1 assassination of former )rime Minister of #ndia, Ra!iv -andhi, would be freed from !ail, within three days, unless the #ndian (nion -overnment in /ew 3elhi responds within that timeframe" <er announcement came a day after the .upreme ,ourt of #ndia commuted the death sentences of three of the men to life imprisonment, saying they had been in death row too long, constituting cruel and unusual punishment" The message from the ape% court was that the right to life is sacrosanct" The court stated that an :inordinate and unreasonable6 delay in the disposal of the mercy petition of the convicts rendered the :process of e%ecution of death sentence arbitrary, whimsical and capricious and, therefore, in4e%ecutable6" +nalysts say that the verdict is also proof that #ndian *udiciary6s outloo is in eeping with the international call for doing away with the death sentence, awarding it only in the :rarest of rare cases,6 where there is irrefutable evidence" +fter the -overnor of Tamil /adu had re!ected the three convicts6 mercy petitions in +pril 2000, the Ministry of <ome +ffairs submitted the mercy petitions for consideration to the )resident of the Republic of #ndia in *uly 200=, after a delay of over five years" The )resident only re!ected these mercy petitions in .eptember 2011, after a wait of 11 long years, for the convicts" The .upreme ,ourt of #ndia observed that a :mercy plea can be decided at a much faster speed than what is being done now6" +nalysts say that this has been proved by the hanging of a >ashmiri Moslem Mohammed +f?al -uru, who was convicted and sentenced to death, in 2002, for the terrorist attac on the (nion )arliament in 3elhi in 2001' in $ebruary 2013, only si% days after the )resident re!ected his mercy plea, -uru was hanged, stealthily, without even his family in >ashmir being informed9 @ut there are other nuances to -uru6s e%peditious hanging, more of that later"

The (nion -overnment moved the .upreme ,ourt to stay the Tamil /adu ,hief Ministers6 decision, and the ,ourt directed the Tamil /adu -overnment to maintain the status 8uo on the three prisoners until the ne%t date of hearing in 3elhi, A March" The ,ourt, the bench headed by ,hief *ustice of #ndia )" .athasivam, commented adversely on the haste of the Tamil /adu -overnment, acting the day after the .upreme ,ourt commuted their death sentences" The ,ourt observed that :the remission of life sentence which is awarded on commuting death penalty is not automatic' there is an elaborate procedure for remission of life sentences, which the Tamil /adu -overnment appears not to have followed6" The case against the accused is that they were a part of assassination s8uad sent by the 5TTB of .ri 5an a to assassinate Ra!iv -andhi because, when he was )rime Minster of #ndia, he sent the #ndian )eace >eeping $orce to .ri 5an a to put down the 5TTB rebellion" + total of 2A people were found guilty of conspiring to ill Ra!iv' 1; were later ac8uitted" #n her Manifesto released for the elections, *ayalalitha further says that #ndia would move the (/ to hold a referendum amongst minority Tamils in .ri 5an a and the diaspora on forming a separate state9 .he also says that #ndia will renege on the treaty granting >achchativu #sland to .ri 5an a9 Rooted in competitive politics Chy can it be said that these are e%amples of rabid mad dog politicsD .he har -upta, Bditor in ,hief of The #ndian B%press newspaper, has said that the decision to free the three illers :#s so cynical, it6s criminal" #t6s totally rooted in competitive politics" #rrespective of whether # vote for him or not, nobody has any business to come from overseas and assassinate the most prominent leader of my country6" The :competitive politics6 .he har -upta refers to is the 2014 #ndian )arliamentary elections" The ,ongress has been in power at the centre for over a decade, the opposition @*) is vying for power, is supported by the <indutva R.., and has nominated the ,hief Minister of -u!arat /arendra Modi, a :char wallah6 Etea sellerF onetime R.. cadre, as their prime ministerial candidate, who has allegations regarding the treatment of Moslems in his state during a pogrom against him" ,hief Minister *ayalalitha, with her G2 million vote ban in Tamil /adu state, sees herself as a potential prime minister of #ndia , as head of a :third front,6 which is always tal ed about in #ndian national politics, as an alternative to the ,ongress and allies and the @*) and allies" Recently 11 #ndian political parties including *ayalalitha6s +#+3M>, which currently hold 100 seats Eout of =4=F in #ndia6s )arliament6s 5o .abha Elower houseF met to discuss a strategy to win sufficient 5o .abha seats to form the (nion -overnment without the @*) or ,ongress support" These are the +#+3M> of *ayalalitha from Tamil /adu, the .ama!wadi party from (ttar )radesh, the *anata 3al E(nitedF from @ihar, the @i!u *anata party from Hdisha, the +som -ana )arshad from +ssam, the *anata 3al E.ecularF from >erala and >arnata a and #ndia6s four leftist parties"

#n addition the *har and Iichas Morcha from *har and state, initially associated itself with the :third front,6 but has later distanced itself" + strange mi%ture of politicians from #ndia6s traditional <indu cow belt and the 3ravidian southern heartland combined with some Mar%ists and left wingers" The potential leaders of this :third front6 are *ayalalitha or /aveen )atnai of Hdisha" They have publicly stated that will decide on the )M post elections" ,ynical and ironic The mad dog politics has come into play over the G2 million votes in Tamil /adu" *ayalalitha hopes that these voters will propel her into the top !ob in 3elhi" <er stand on the release Ra!iv6s assassins is based on this" <er stand is cynical and ironic since at the time of the assassination of Ra!iv, *ayalalitha was against the 5TTB and highly critical of the assassination" #t was her opponent in Tamil /adu 2 the 3ravidian Munnetra >a?hagam E3M>F of Muthuvel >arunanidhi 2 who supported the 5TTB and was castigated by *ayalalitha for doing this9 Recently *ayalalitha celebrated her AAth birthday, and the ca e she cutD Jou guessed it 2 a model of the #ndian )arliament in /ew 3elhi 2 given to her on a platter by her acolytes9 The 3M> 5eader has tried to claim credit for *ayalalitha6s decision& :#t6s not a prompt decision by the .tate -overnment" They ridiculed me when # proposed their release96 The matter has been put in perspective by /eelam 3eo, 3irector of -ateway <ouse, a research institute in Mumbai" .he says& :#f there is any support for the plotters of the -andhi assassination, it was being manufactured by the Tamil /adu parties and not coming from the public" Ms" *ayalalitha had previously been highly critical of the terrorist attac s by the 5TTB" #n fact, most 3ravidian support that there had been for the .ri 5an an Tamil issue actually all evaporated after the assassination of Ra!iv -andhi"6 This was reflected in an earlier comment by the late 3r" +nton @alasingham, 5TTB ideologue, and advisor to 5TTB leader Ielupillai )rabha aran" <e was so close to )rabha aran that he used to call him :Thambi6 Eyounger brotherF" @alasingham described the assassination of -andhi as a :colossal mista e6" .atish Mishra, a senior fellow at the Hbserver Research $oundation, in Mumbai, says that *ayalalitha6s three4day deadline to 3elhi was her way of asserting her independence" 0.he is using her leverage because the ,ongress party, currently ruling at the centre, does not have an ally in Tamil /adu for the 2014 )arliamentary election" These may or may not be popular sentiments, by they are arousing popular sentiment, and they are converting it into a Tamil sentiment issue to essentially create a vote ban issue"1 ,ase of >ashmiri Muhammad +f?al -uru The case of >ashmiri Muhammad +f?al -uru was referred to earlier" /eelam 3eo cites this as another e%ample, as in the present Tamil /adu case, of the death penalty being used to rouse local passions" +s a classic e%ample of mad dog politics in 2012, $aroo +bdullah, #ndia6s current ,ongress )arty Minister of Renewal Bnergy and former ,hief Minister of *ammu and >ashmir, said, 0Choever attac s #ndia, should pay the price"1 @ut recently, facing a )arliamentary election late this year, +bdullah said of the hanging of -uru that it was 0absolutely un!ustified19 The @*) demanded the hanging of -uru, a Moslem from >ashmir, as it sat well with their <indutva agenda" ,onsider the stand ta en by )alaniappa ,hidambaram, the current $inance Minister in the ,ongress -overnment and a -andhi loyalist, but whose electoral seat is in Tamil /adu, on the release of the Ra!iv6s assassins" <e says& :#

am not unhappy" #f the court says that imprisonment for 22 years is sufficientK that6s it, that6s the end of the matter" # don6t loo at it as a cynical decision' # don6t loo at it as cynical politics"6 >apil .ibal, the ,ongress (nion -overnment 5aw Minister is of the view that the -andhi illers :should not be released but we must abide by the court order6" Minister .ibal also castigated the @*) who while baying for +f?al -uru6s blood was eeping mum on the pardon of Ra!iv6s illers due to the need to be on good terms with *ayalalitha, for post4election coalition purposes9 Hn the other hand, )rime Minister Manmohan .ingh condemned the Tamil /adu -overnment6s move" :The attac on .hri Ra!iv -andhi was an attac on the soul of #ndia" The release of the illers of a former )rime Minister of #ndia, our great leader, as well as several other innocent #ndians, would be contrary to all principles of !ustice" /o government or party should be soft in our fight against terrorism"6 ,ongress Iice )resident Rahul -andhi 2 the party6s heir apparent and Ra!iv -andhi6s son 2 e%pressed sadness over the Tamil /adu .tate -overnment6s decision& 0#f a prime minister6s illers can be released, what ind of !ustice should the common man e%pectD1 he as ed" @ut in 200L, )riyan a -andhi, Rahul6s sister and the late Ra!iv and .onia6s daughter, visited /alini .riharan, a woman convicted of the conspiracy to ill Ra!iv in !ail and said& 0# don6t believe in anger or violence and # refuse to let it over power me" Meeting /alini was my way of coming to terms with my father6s death"1 Reality chec of numbers #n this seemingly chaotic scenario of rabid politicians chasing after this elusive concept of coming into :power6 as prime minister of #ndia, it6s time for a reality chec of numbers" #ndia6s 5o .abha has =4= seats" To have an absolute ma!ority one needs to win 2G3 seats" The #ndian (nion of .tates has of late :federalised6 regional parties in control of a number of states, and the government at the centre will necessarily be a coalition, led by one big party" ,ho Ramaswamy, a lawyer and newspaper editor based in ,hennai, Tamil /adu, and sometime adviser to ,hief Minister *ayalalitha, says that the ,ongress or @*) has to win a minimum of 230 seats to be powerful enough to attract smaller parties into a coalition" There will be horse trading of a high order" The @*) now has only 11A" The highest it ever got was 1L2 in 1;;;" #t is doubtful whether ,ongress could even get near this figure" That6s where the :third front6 gets traction" The :third front6 has 100 seats now" ,hief Minister *ayalalitha of Tamil /adu is serious about leading the :third front6 and becoming prime minister of #ndia" .he wants to solidify the G2 million Tamil /adu voters behind her" That is why the cynical, rabid, political step of releasing Ra!iv6s assassins from !ail" #n ,hennai her posters and billboards cover every blan space" Hne commentator said& :+s a personality cult, it reminds me of 5ibya under -addafi"6 The ubi8uitous placards have spawned a humorous website :*ayalalitha is watching you6" E-ives you an idea, ehDF Hf late the posters have the )arliament building in the bac ground" *essica .eddon, an +merican economist based in ,hennai says, *ayalalitha :has no real ideology, but she embodies three of the most important trends in #ndian regional politics" .he is imperial in style, technocratic in her administrative approach and outrageously populist in her approach"6 The Tamil /adu economy has done well under her, to become :#ndia6s greatest manufacturing centre, and a home

to global companies such as $ord and <yundai,6 says -opal .rinivasan of the ,hennai4based TI. conglomerate" :.he is a s illed administrator and a formidable politician and could play a larger national role" )eople should not under estimate her,6 he concludes" +rvind >e!riwal @ut, then there is +rvind >e!riwal and his +am +admi )arty E++)F" (ntil recently ,hief Minister of 3elhi resigning because his signature anti4corruption law was not passed by the 3elhi +ssembly" @orn out +nna <a?are6s street anti corruption movement, the ++) Ecommon man6s partyF made a stunning electoral debut in 3elhi winning 2L out of the G0 seats and formed a minority administration for 4; days" The ++) slashed water and power prices and carried out an effective war against corruption" + straw poll was held before the 3elhi election at the #ndia #nternational ,entre E##,F an intellectual hangout, which was made world famous by the )un!abi .i h ta%i driver, who had his ta%i stand behind the ##,, who gave his address on his calling card with his phone number as :#nternational @ac side69 The straw poll showed that the retired and serving #+., #$., #)., #ndian +rmed $orces, *udicial officers and businessmen around the swimming pool and at the bar, their drivers in the car par and the char and paan wallahs, ric shaw and ta%i drivers at the :#nternational @ac side6 were all voting for ++), they were so sic and tired of both the ,ongress and the @*)9 The +)) will contest all the ma!or #ndian urban mega polis, university, industrial and business cities" The ++) in the view of one analyst is :small, young, hot headed and underfunded, with its platform still evolving" @ut harping on the corrupt rottenness of #ndian politics, it has the both the @*) and ,ongress running scared6" The ++) may well have a decisive role to play in the :third front6" )olitical hydrophobia + two4timing political class, which routinely indulges in :rabid mad dog6 politics, contesting on one set of policies and soon after the election, dropping that, changing sides and supporting a diametrically opposite set of policies, which they opposed tooth and nail before the election, !ust for the purpose of ensuring they are in :power6 is nothing new to us .outh +sians" The ordinary voter is sic and tired of these two and three timers, perpetuating themselves in power" @ut the 2014 )arliamentary election in #ndia may bring about a refreshing change, in this corrupt merry4go4round, with the ,ongress, @*), *ayalalitha6s :third front6 and the ++) all in the fray" <ope fully we may find a cure for this political hydrophobia which is the curse of our region" + respected @uddhist Mon once told me& 0Jou want to now the real meaning of :power6D Crite it in the .inhala script" Reflect on the fact that everything in this world is time bound, and thin " Then only will you appreciate the emptiness of the :power6 which rabid people chase after91 +s .onia -andhi told her son, it is, indeed, a poison" EThe writer is a lawyer, who has over 30 years of e%perience as a ,BH in both .tate and private sectors" <e retired from the office of .ecretary, Ministry of $inance and currently is the Managing 3irector of the .ri 5an a @usiness 3evelopment ,entre"F