Month: October 2020

Ex Civil Servants Urge Companies to Rethink Ad Policy for TV Channels Spreading Discord

“Advertising on channels which spread divisiveness is bad not only on moral grounds but bad for business as well.”

New Delhi: Ninety five former officers of the All India and Central Services, who have worked with Central and state governments, have urged companies and businesses to review their advertisement policies when it comes to feeding media which attempts to foster divisions.

The signatories, under the umbrella organisation called Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), noted in their open letter that “upholding the principles of the constitution is not a function of governments alone.”

“Today, we are addressing this open letter not to the government but to an equally important segment of society, viz. the various companies, business houses and corporates in the country. These entities, responsible for wealth creation in the country, have not, we believe, been doing their bit in upholding the rights and freedoms spelt out in the constitution,” the letter said.

“Sadly, an impression has gained ground that these bodies have preferred to look the other way even as a rising tide of hatred and divisiveness threatens the very foundations of our society.”

The letter alleges that many “well-established corporates have shown no hesitation in advertising their products on media channels which have made it a practice to ramp up their viewership by spewing hatred, creating divisions on the basis of religion and caste, manufacturing false narratives and making criminals out of law-abiding people.”

Also read: In Funding Hatred, India’s Corporates Have Compromised With Evil

“It is possible that these corporates have not given sufficient thought to how their acts have unwittingly strengthened the forces which divide the nation through deliberate false propaganda,” the letter says.

The letter cites examples on how channels which have flouted the fundamental right of the Indian citizen to be treated equally have received backing from corporates in the form of advertisements. “Channels which communalise the spread of COVID-19, allege that the UPSC has allowed Muslims to ‘infiltrate’ the higher civil services and dub sensitive advertisements about communal harmony as “love jihad” are unfortunately patronised by many corporates,” it reads.

The signatories have urged that it is time to “look beyond technical considerations” such as that of TRP.

“Advertising on channels which spread divisiveness is bad not only on moral grounds but bad for business as well.”

As several economists and social scientists have pointed out, investments tend to wither when there is unrest, the letter posits. 

“And that is, unquestionably, what has been happening in India. India’s investment as a percentage of the nominal GDP has declined from 41.2% in Sept 2011 to 21.4% in June 2020.  Many other growth parameters have been on a downward spiral too. Distrust, fear and uncertainty hurt not just the fabric of society but business as well.”

The letter also commends those houses which have withdrawn ads from channels that have spread discord.

A full list of the signatories is below:

1. Anita Agnihotri IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Social Justice Empowerment, GoI
2. Salahuddin Ahmad IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan
3. Shafi Alam IPS (Retd.) Former Director General, National Crime Records Bureau, GoI
4. K. Saleem Ali IPS (Retd.) Former Special Director, CBI, GoI
5. S.P. Ambrose IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping &
Transport, GoI
6. G. Balachandhran IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal
7. Vappala Balachandran IPS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI
8. Gopalan Balagopal IAS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal
9. Chandrashekhar Balakrishnan IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Coal, GoI
10. T.K. Banerji IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Union Public Service Commission
11. Sharad Behar IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh
12. Aurobindo Behera IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Odisha
13. Madhu Bhaduri IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Portugal
14. Pradip Bhattacharya IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Development & Planning and Administrative Training Institute, Govt. of West Bengal
15. Ravi Budhiraja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, GoI
16. Sundar Burra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra
17. R. Chandramohan IAS (Retd.) Former Principal Secretary, Transport and Urban Development, Govt. of NCT of Delhi
18. Rachel Chatterjee IAS (Retd.) Former Special Chief Secretary, Agriculture, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh
19. Anna Dani IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra
20. Vibha Puri Das IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI
21. P.R. Dasgupta IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Food Corporation of India, GoI
22. Nareshwar Dayal IFS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
23. Pradeep K. Deb IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Deptt. Of Sports, GoI
24. Nitin Desai IES (Retd.) Former Secretary and Chief Economic Adviser, Ministry of Finance, GoI
25. Keshav Desiraju IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI
26. M.G. Devasahayam IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana
27. Sushil Dubey IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Sweden
28. K.P. Fabian IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Italy
29. Arif Ghauri IRS (Retd.) Former Governance Adviser, DFID, Govt. of the United Kingdom (on deputation)
30. Gourisankar Ghosh IAS (Retd.) Former Mission Director, National Drinking Water Mission, GoI
31. Suresh K. Goel IFS (Retd.) Former Director General, Indian Council of Cultural Relations, GoI
32. S.K. Guha IAS (Retd.) Former Joint Secretary, Department of Women & Child Development, GoI
33. H.S. Gujral IFoS (Retd.) Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Govt. of Punjab
34. Meena Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI
35. Ravi Vira Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India
36. Wajahat Habibullah IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI and Chief Information Commissioner
37. Sajjad Hassan IAS (Retd.) Former Commissioner (Planning), Govt. of Manipur
38. Siraj Hussain IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Agriculture, GoI
39. Kamal Jaswal IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI
40. Najeeb Jung IAS (Retd.) Former Lieutenant Governor, Delhi
41. Rahul Khullar IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
42. Ajai Kumar IFoS(Retd.) Former Director, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI
43. Brijesh Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI
44. P.K. Lahiri IAS (Retd.) Former ED, Asian Development Bank & Former Revenue Secretary, GoI
45. Aloke B. Lal IPS (Retd.) Former Director General (Prosecution), Govt. of Uttarakhand
46. Subodh Lal IPoS (Resigned) Former Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications, GoI
47. B.B. Mahajan IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Deptt. of Food, GoI
48. Harsh Mander IAS (Retd.) Govt. of Madhya Pradesh
49. Aditi Mehta IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan
50. Sonalini Mirchandani IFS (Resigned) GoI
51. Noor Mohammad IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, Govt. of India
52. Avinash Mohananey IPS (Retd.) Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Sikkim
53. Deb Mukharji IFS (Retd.) Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Ambassador to Nepal
54. Shiv Shankar Mukherjee IFS (Retd.) Former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
55. Pranab S. Mukhopadhyay IAS (Retd.) Former Director, Institute of Port Management, GoI
56. Nagalsamy IA&AS (Retd.) Former Principal Accountant General, Tamil Nadu & Kerala
57. Sobha Nambisan IAS (Retd.) Former Principal Secretary (Planning), Govt. of Karnataka
58. P.G.J. Nampoothiri IPS (Retd.) Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Gujarat
59. P. Joy Oommen IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Chhattisgarh
60. S.K. Pachauri IAS (Retd.) Former Director General, National Productivity Council, GoI
61. Amitabha Pande IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI
62. Mira Pande IAS (Retd.) Former State Election Commissioner, West Bengal
63. Alok Perti IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Coal, GoI
64. R. Poornalingam IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, GoI
65. V.P. Raja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission
66. K. Sujatha Rao IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI
67. M.Y. Rao IAS (Retd.)
68. Satwant Reddy IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, GoI
69. Vijaya Latha Reddy IFS (Retd.) Former Deputy National Security Adviser, GoI
70. Julio Ribeiro IPS (Retd.) Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania
71. Aruna Roy IAS (Resigned)
72. A.K. Samanta IPS (Retd.) Former Director General of Police (Intelligence), Govt. of West Bengal
73. Deepak Sanan IAS (Retd.) Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh
74. G. Sankaran IC&CES (Retd.) Former President, Customs, Excise and Gold (Control) Appellate Tribunal
75. N.C. Saxena IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI
76. A. Selvaraj IRS (Retd.) Former Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Chennai, GoI
77. Ardhendu Sen IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal
78. Abhijit Sengupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI
79. Aftab Seth IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Japan
80. Ashok Kumar Sharma IFoS (Retd.) Former MD, State Forest Development Corporation, Govt. of Gujarat
81. Ashok Kumar Sharma IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia
82. Navrekha Sharma IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Indonesia
83. Raju Sharma IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh
84. Tirlochan Singh IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, National Commission for Minorities, GoI
85. Narendra Sisodia IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI
86. A.K. Srivastava IAS (Retd.) Former Administrative Member, Madhya Pradesh Administrative Tribunal
87. Sanjivi Sundar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Surface Transport, GoI
88. Parveen Talha IRS (Retd.) Former Member, Union Public Service Commission
89. Thanksy Thekkekera IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Minorities Development, Govt. of Maharashtra
90. P.S.S. Thomas IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission
91. Geetha Thoopal IRAS (Retd.) Former General Manager, Metro Railway, Kolkata
92. Hindal Tyabji IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir
93. Jawed Usmani IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Information Commissioner, Uttar Pradesh
94. Ashok Vajpeyi IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi
95. Ramani Venkatesan IAS (Retd.) Former Director General, YASHADA, Govt. of Maharashtra

Centre to Import Potatoes from Bhutan as Retail Price Reaches Rs 45 Per Kg

About 30,000 tonnes of imported potato is expected to reach India in the next few weeks.

New Delhi: After the prices of onions reached tear-inducing levels, potatoes prices have now skyrocketed, with the average retail price across the country hovering around Rs 45 per kg. Lack of adequate cold storage facilities and the effects of the pandemic-induced lockdown have contributed to the soaring prices.

To alleviate the shortage of potatoes, the Centre has issued directions to authorities concerned to import potatoes from Bhutan, The Times of India has reported.

“Some 30,000 tonnes of potato will start arriving from Bhutan in the next few days,” Union food and consumer and affairs minister, Piyush Goyal, has been quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

Accordingly, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued an order on Friday allowing unhindered import of potatoes from Bhutan until January 31, 2021. The government estimates that about 10 lakh tonnes of potatoes would be imported by the end of January next year.

Also read: Onion Crisis Reveals How Little the Government Can Do When the Chips Are Down

The data of the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has shown that the all-India monthly average of the retail price of potatoes in October this year has risen to Rs 39.30 per kg, the highest it has touched in the last 130 months. In fact, it is double that of October 2019 price, when the tuber was retailed at Rs 20.57 per kg.

Although retail prices of potatoes are generally higher during the months of September and November, the prices began to rise steadily during the lockdown in late March, April and May. The average price of the tuber during the months of February and March was about Rs 23 per kg.

Inadequate cold storage units

One of the primary reasons for the price rise is inadequate cold storage facilitates across the country. According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, potatoes in cold storage available this year have been around 214.25 lakh tonnes as against the 238.50 lakh tonnes in 2018-19.

Despite the fact that a report of the Ministry of Agriculture has sounded an alarm earlier this year about the potential rise in the prices of potatoes following lockdown, nothing has been done to mitigate the current situation.

“In view of lesser storage, there may be a possibility of rise in prices once the lockdown fully lifts, and especially in the coming months,” the Ministry had said in a report.

According to another account, cold storage units across the country have stocked only about 36 crore bags (of 50 kg each) of potatoes from the rabi crop as against 48 crore bags of tuber stocked in 2019, 46 crore bags in 2018, and a record-level of 57 crore bags of potatoes in 2017.

Meanwhile, it appears that the situation is not likely to improve in the months to come. Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 27% of the potato crop, is expected to see less crop area for potatoes this year owing to higher seed prices of potato. Compared to earlier Rs 18-22 per kg of potato seeds, currently, the price has gone up to Rs 60-70 per kg.

As for onions, a kilogram is being currently retailed at around Rs 65 in different parts of the country. To augment the shortage borne out of recent heavy rains that damaged onion crop and hit the supply chain, onions are being imported from Turkey, Egypt and Afghanistan. Around 7,000 tonnes of onions have already been imported by various market players, and another 25,000 tonnes are expected to arrive before Diwali. The government is not directly involved in the import of onions.

Hundreds of Indians From Diverse Faiths, Backgrounds Condemn France Attacks

‘No God, gods, goddesses, prophets or saints may be invoked to justify the killing and/or terrorising of fellow human beings.’

New Delhi: Hundred and thirty prominent Indians from diverse backgrounds have issued a statement condemning the Paris beheadings and the statements made by fundamentalist Muslim religious and political leaders in their aftermath.

Their statement comes a day after the Muslim Women’s Forum unequivocally condemned the “brutal and inhuman killing of three women and the school teacher Paty, in France, by extremists.”

“These killings are anti-Islam. We remind ourselves of the Quranic injunction, ‘Killing an individual is like killing an entire quam (humanity)’ (Surah 5:32). Such an act cannot be accepted by any democratic and civilised society,” the forum said.

Also read: To Mock or Not to Mock Religions, That Is the Question

The signatories of the latest statement vouched for a blanket rejection of any justification of murder on the basis of faith.

Their full statement reads:

We the undersigned unequivocally and unconditionally condemn the recent killings in France by two fanatics in the name of faith.

We are deeply disturbed by the convoluted logic of some self-appointed guardians of Indian Muslims in rationalising cold-blooded murder and deplore the outrageous remarks of some heads of state.

It has become the order of the day for all religious groups to indulge in whataboutery whenever such heinous crimes are committed by those belonging to their flock. Rationalising crimes by comparing them to similar crimes committed by others is an irrational and absurd argument as two wrongs don’t make a right.

We reject any ifs and buts in the justification of heinous crimes in the name of religion, any religion.

No God, gods, goddesses, prophets or saints may be invoked to justify the killing and/or terrorising of fellow human beings.

We stand in solidarity with the ‘French Council for the Muslim Faith’ for strongly condemning the attacks and issuing an appeal calling on all Muslims in France to “cancel all celebrations of the birthday of the Prophet as a sign of mourning and solidarity with the victims and their loved ones”.

The signatories of this statement are:

1. Abdul Aziz Lokhandwala, Industrialist, Mumbai

2. Abhilasha Kumari, Researcher

3. Ahmad Rashid Sherwani, Hyderabad

4. AJ Jawad, Advocate, mediator, Chennai

5. Akbar Shaikh, Social activist, Sholapur

6. Amar Jesani, Medico Friends Circle, Mumbai

7. Amir Rizvi, Designer, Mumbai

8. Anand Patwardhan, Documentary film maker, Mumbai

9. Anil Dharker, Editor, columnist, writer, Mumbai

10. Anil Hebbar, Social Entrepreneur, Mumbai

11. Anil K Singh, Insaaf, Delhi

12. Anjum Rajabali, Screenwriter, Social Activist, Mumbai

13. Anurag Chaturvedi, journalist, Delhi

14. Anvar Rajan, Social activist, Pune

15. Anwar Hussain, Corporate executive, Mumbai

16. Arshad Alam, Columnist, educationist, Delhi

17. Askari Zaidi, Corporate Communications, Delhi

18. Bilal Khan, Social Activist, Mumbai

19. Bharti Sharma, Mumbai

20. Cedric Prakash, Priest, Ahmedabad

21. Prof Chaman Lal, Rtd Prof JNU, Delhi

22. Charul Joshi, Political activist, Mumbai

23. Chayanika Shah, Queer Feminist Researcher, Mumbai

24. Chhaya Datar, retd professor, feminist activist, Mumbai

25. Danish Javed, Lyricist, writer, producer, Mumbai

26. Dilip D’Souza, Writer, Mumbai

27. Dilip Simeon, Historian, Delhi

28. Dolphy D’Souza, Police Reforms Watch, Mumbai

29. Fahad Ahmad, PhD Scholar, TISS, Mumbai

30. Feroz Abbas Khan, Writer-director, Mumbai

31. Feroze Mithiborwala, President, Bharat Bachao Andolan, Mumbai

32. Gauhar Raza, Anhad, Delhi

33. Ghulam Mohiuddin, Physician, PIO, New York

34. Guddi, S.L., Yusuf Meherali Centre, Mumbai

35. Hasan Ibrahim Pasha, Writer, Allahabad

36. Hasan Kamaal, Editor, columnist, poet, Mumbai

37. Hasina Khan, Bebaak Collective, Mumbai

38. Henri Tiphagne, Advocate and human rights defender, Chennai

39. Hussain Haidri, Lyricist, Mumbai

40. Hussain Indorewala, Academic, Mumbai

41. Jamsheed Rizwani, Sete, France

42. Jatin Desai, Journalist, social activist, Mumbai

43. Javed Akhtar, Poet, films, former MP, Mumbai

44. Javed Anand, Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), Mumbai

45. John Dayal, Writer, activist, Delhi

46. Joycia Thorat, Ecumenical Activist

47. J.S. Bandukwala, Social Activist, Vadodara

48. Julio F Ribeiro, IPS (retired), Mumbai

49. Jyoti Punwani, Journalist, Mumbai

50. Kabir Khan, Director, Mumbai

51. Kamayani Bali Mahabal

52. Dr K L Sharma, University of Rajasthan

53. Kasim Sait, Businessman, Chennai

54. Kavita Srivastava, Civil liberties & human rights activist, Jaipur

55. Kirtika Singh, Advocate, Allahabad High Court

56. Kishore Jagtap, Dalit activist, Mumbai

57. Krishnakant Chauhan, Environmentalist and Activist

58. Krishnaswamy Kumar, Rtd Prof, Coimbatore

59. Lara Jesani, Advocate, Bombay High Court, Mumbai

60. Mallika Sarabhai, Theatre personality, Ahmedadad

61. Masooma Ranalvi, Co-Founder, India Lead|WeSpeakOut, Delhi

62. Medha Patkar, National Alliance of People’s Movements

63. Mihir Desai, Senior advocate, Bombay High Court

64. Mohammed Arif, Social activist, Varanasi

65. Mohammed Imran, Delhi/New York

66. Dr Mridula Mukherjee, Rtd Prof JNU, Delhi

67. Mukta Srivastav, Social Activist, Thane

68. Muniza Khan, Social activist, Varanasi

69. Mushfiq Khan, Film maker, Mumbai

70. Nandan Maluste, Finance, Mumbai

71. Nandita Bhawnani, Writer, Mumbai

72. Nandita Shah, Feminist activist, Mumbai

73. Naseeruddin Shah, Actor, Mumbai

74. Nasreen Fazalbhoy, Professor (retired), Mumbai

75. Niraja Jayal, JNU, Delhi

76. Noorhehan Safia Niyaz, Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Mumbai

77. Pramod Mujumdar, Social Activist, Mumbai

78. Prashant Bhushan, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court, Delhi

79. Qaisar Sultana, Home-maker, Allahabad

80. Dr Ram Puniyani, Author, social activist, Mumbai

81. Dr Ramesh Dixit, Rtd Prof Lucknow University, Lucknow

82. Rohit Prajapati, Environmentalist and human rights defender, Vadodara

83. Sachidanand Sinha, JNU, Delhi

84. Salim Sabuwala, Social activist, Mumbai

85. Sandeep Pandey, Academic, social activist, Lucknow

86. Sandhya Gokhale, Feminist activist, Mumbai

87. Prof. Sanjay MG, National Convenor, National Alliance of People’s Movements, Thane

88. Dr Satya Mohanty, former Secretary, Govt of India

89. Shabana Azmi, Actor, former MP, Mumbai

90. Prof. Shafaat Khan, Marathi Playwright

91. Shameela Zaidi, HR Manager, Mumbai

92. Shikha Sen, Documentary editor

93. Dr Saif Mahmood, Advocate, Supreme Court, Delhi

94. Sajal Mittra, Rtd IAS

95. Selvyn Jussy, University of Calcutta, Kolkata

96. Shama Zaidi, Writer, documentary film maker, Mumbai

97. Shabnam Hashmi, Anhad, Delhi

98. Dr Shahnawaz, Physician, Sultanpur

99. Sitaram Prasad Singh, Theatre artist

100. S N Sahu, former OSD to President of India

101. Simantini Dhuru, Educationist, Mumbai

102. Sohail Hashmi, Writer, film maker, Delhi

103. Subhash Gatade, New Socialist Initiative, Delhi

104. Sucheta Mahajan, Professor JNU, Delhi

105. Sujata Gotaskar, Feminist activist and researcher, Mumbai

106. Sukla Sen, Peace Activist, Mumbai

107. Sumedh Jadhav, President, Republican Panther, Mumbai

108. Suresh Sawant, President, Samvidhan Sanvardhan Samiti

109. Sultan Shahin, Editor, New Age Islam, Delhi

110. Dr Sunilam, Leader farmers & workers movement, Indore

111. Dr. Suresh Khairnar, Social Activist, Nagpur

112. Swara Bhaskar, Actor, Mumbai

113. Swatija M. Paranjape, Feminist activist, Mumbai

114. Prof. Tahir Mahmood, Legal luminary, Delhi

115. Dr Tarannum Siddiqui, Jamia Millia Islamia, Dehi

116. Teesta Setalvad, Citizens for Justice and Peace, Mumbai

117. T.K. Arun, Consulting editor, The Economic Times

118. Tushar Gandhi, Writer, activist, Mumbai

119. Ujjwala Mhatre, Mumbai

120. Prof Vasanthi Raman, Delhi

121. Veena Gowda, Advocate, Mumbai

122. Vibhuti Narain Rai, IPS (retired), Noida

123. Vimla Chand, Consumer advocate

124. Vijay Krishna Acharya, Director, Mumbai

125. Vishwas Utagi, Economist & Trade Union Leader, Mumbai

126. Yoginder Yadav, Political Activist, academic, Delhi

127. Dr. Zaheer Ahmed Sayeed, neuro-surgeon, Chennai

128. Zaman Habib TV Writer-producer, Mumbai

129. Zeenat Lakhani, Screenwriter, Mumbai

130. Zeeshan Ayub, Actor, Mumbai

To Mock or Not to Mock Religions, That Is the Question

A little introspection in India would show that all those who are condemning Islam in terms of having some sort of fundamental defect in it are likely to behave very differently if Charlie Hebdo were to mock Hindu deities.

Two recent murderous attacks in France including the attack at a church in Nice and the murder of a teacher in a north-west suburb of Paris, have deservedly been met with worldwide condemnation.

However, as expected, #NiceTerrorAttack and #FranceTerrorAttack are trending on Twitter and there has been a flurry of posts, memes and cartoons blaming and deriding Islam per se for this. These incidents have provided a fortuitous opportunity to the usual suspects in India to launch their tirade against Muslims and Islam with renewed vigour. I do not intend to write a thesis on any religion in this article, but it can be easily proved to all but the diehard bigoted that murder does not have sanction in any religion.

All murders are equally condemnable

All murders are condemnable; however, from a strictly moral point of view, a murder in the name of religion cannot be more condemnable than murders in the name of say, sexual lust, monetary gain, or even nationalism.

A murder committed in the pursuit of sexual desire does not condemn sexual desire per se. As we know, had it not been for sexual desire, the human race would not have been able to propagate itself. A murder committed to acquire wealth does not denounce acquisition of wealth. Had people not been acquiring wealth, the human society could not have had the comfortable existence it has today. Nationalism may be a laudable thing, but murder committed in the name of nationalism is bad and could have disastrous consequences. The murder of Archduke Ferdinand by a Serbian nationalist was one of the precipitating factors for the devastating World War I.

A religion cannot be held responsible for the acts of its adherents

Similarly, even if a person deludes himself into believing that he would earn religious merit by murdering people of other religions, that fact does not qualify his religion for summary denunciation. A crime of any description remains the criminals’ individual responsibility. Even if a crime is committed in the name of religion by a group large enough to be called an army or a nation, it cannot implicate the religion. 

Therefore, from the crimes committed by individuals, there is no reason to claim that Islam has some ‘fundamental defect’ in it and blame Islam. Nobody has the authority to be the sole representative of a religion.

Strictly speaking, therefore, it was impolitic on the part of the French President Macron to speak of Islam being a religion, which is experiencing a crisis today, all over the world, citing tensions between fundamentalism, proper religious projects and politicians. As Macron had begun his speech by reasserting that the French principle of secularity guaranteed the freedom to worship, rejecting the ‘trap’ laid by extremists, which would seek to ‘stigmatise all Muslims’, it was clear that he did not mean to denounce Islam per se.

However, he overlooked the fact that common Muslim believers, politicians, Muslim religious organisations and Muslim extremists are all separate entities, which are not dependent upon each other, and their common factor, that is, Islam, could not be held responsible for their independent actions.

Moreover, since there are schisms and divisions in almost all religions, the fallacy inherent in his argument can be easily discerned. By an extension of his argument, all religions could be said to be experiencing a crisis. We cannot possibly think of religions, which are perfectly homogeneous with every single adherent following exactly the same line.   

There is no such universally recognised body of Islam, which has the authority to approve or disapprove of something related to religion and order actions accordingly. Pakistan has criticised French President Emmanuel Macron for ‘encouraging Islamophobia’. Besides condemning Charlie Hebdo, a French weekly magazine, the Turkish President Erdogan said that Macron needed ‘mental checks’ over his attitude towards Islam.

They are entitled to their criticism, but only in their respective capacities as representatives of their respective nations as political entities. They cannot subsume the authority of being universally accepted champions of Islam and thus speak for Islam per se.  Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed had no authority to speak for all the Muslims of the word when, in his 12th tweet out of the series of 13 tweets, he threatened, “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.”

He could speak only for himself, not for the 1.8 billion Muslims of the world.

Also read: Twitter Deletes Inflammatory Mahathir Tweet, France Wants His Account Suspended

One can mock anything, but cannot prevent others from reacting

The criminals in these and similar incidents, at their personal level, might have felt aggrieved at what they perceived as insult to their religion.

This brings us to the central ethical and legal theme of this article. If someone has a right to mock or abuse others in the name of freedom of expression – be it regarding their religion, culture, colour of skin, appearance, intellect, bodies, dress, mothers, fathers, sisters, whatever – others have a right to feel offended or provoked too. Now what they do in response is their problem. If it is a crime, they will be punished according to the laws of the land where the crime is committed.

Committing a crime is not their right, but to get angry or feel offended is indeed their right. In the name of freedom of expression, theoretically, one could ridicule anything under the sun. However, as long as the target of ridicule is prepared to face the legal consequences of his actions, he too has the freedom to do whatever he wants.

Police speak to Muslims protesting against Macron’s words at the French Consulate at Kolkata. Photo: PTI

In India, Section 295A IPC pertains to ‘deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs’. Section 153A IPC deals with ‘promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony’.

It necessarily follows that we admit that it is ‘natural’ for people to be hurt if their religion is mocked.   

There is a fundamental conceptual flaw in such laws because, numerous judicial pronouncements notwithstanding, religious feelings or sentiments are not physical entities and hence there will be always be an element of subjectivity in considering them. All offences against the human body, for example, involve violating the bodily integrity or sovereignty of a person that is verifiable and measurable in terms of injuries caused, etc. However, there is no scientific concept of a corresponding mental integrity or sovereignty of a person. 

Humans of various races and regions and have been mocking ‘others’ in their jokes or literature since ages. They have not led to murders. The reason is people tolerate something whereas they get outraged over some other things. This is purely subjective behaviour. It cannot be predicted that somebody would take offence over that thing only and not over this thing.

By the same argument, it cannot be legislated that people must not get their sentiments hurt or must not get provoked unless a certain boundary is breached. What that boundary ought to be, will always be disputable. Scientifically speaking, such a boundary cannot be defined without invoking the hypothetical concept of a ‘reasonable man’ because the effect of words, pictures or any other form of communication is different on different people. Unfortunately, being an ‘unreasonable man’ is not an offence. He could be punished for his acts, but not for being unreasonable.

That raises the question, how can humans live together then?

My contention is that understanding, tolerance and respect for others must be mutually evolved. Until such time that humans evolve this understanding, such crimes will continue to take place.

Some people argued that Charlie Hebdo has had mocked Christianity too and that the Catholic organisations had responded by suing them some 13 times, but not by murders. Well, it was very kind of them but we cannot expect everyone to behave that way. Not everybody is given to rushing to courts. We may punish people for committing crimes, even shoot them as they did in France; however, we cannot prevent them from getting provoked.

A little introspection would show that all those who are condemning Islam in terms of having some sort of fundamental defect in it because some Muslims committed a crime in the name of religion, are likely to behave very differently if Charlie Hebdo were to mock Hindu deities or Hindu religious symbols. There would be a call to boycott French goods and there could be demonstrations outside Alliance Françoise. Hotels and restaurants serving French fries might incur their wrath and some zealous people could demand to return the Rafales also.

We may recall how Hindus had reacted on such matters in the past, whether they involved some allegedly obscene paintings of M.F. Hussain or some advertisement by the hair stylist Jawed Habib stating ‘gods too visit JH Salon’, or designer shoes carrying pictures of deities, etc.

Indians must see to it that first, their laws like Sections 295A and 153A IPC admitting the fact that religious feelings could be hurt are scrapped. As long as we keep them, some crazy people will always find an excuse in them to feel outraged and commit offences. By scrapping them, we will at least be able to take the ‘religious sting’ out of the offences.

Dr. N.C. Asthana, a retired IPS officer, has been DGP Kerala and a long-time ADG CRPF and BSF. Views are personal. He tweets @NcAsthana.

Former Finance Secretary Subhash Garg Alleges Nirmala Sitharaman’s Role Behind His Transfer

Garg, who took voluntary retirement, said he “did not share a good and productive working relationship” with Sitharaman.

New Delhi: Subhash Chandra Garg, the former finance secretary who was shunted out of the finance ministry within three weeks of the Modi 2.0 government’s first budget last year, on Saturday alleged that Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman got him transferred out.

Garg, who took voluntary retirement soon after being moved from the finance ministry – where he handled the Department of Economic Affairs – to power ministry, said Sitharaman, unlike her predecessor Arun Jaitley, had “a very different personality and knowledge endowment”.

Both Ministry of Finance and Sitharaman’s office refused to comment on the blog Garg wrote on the day he said he would have in normal course retired from the government service but for the VRS.

Garg said he “did not share a good and productive working relationship” with Sitharaman, who came to the finance ministry “with some pre-conceived notions about me”.

“She did not seem to have confidence in me. She was not quite comfortable working with me as well,” he said adding differences over surplus RBI should give as dividend to the government and dealing with problems of non-banks had surfaced within months of her takeover.

“Serious difference also developed on some key issues like economic capital framework of RBI, a package for dealing with problems of non-banks, resolution of non-banks, partial credit guarantee scheme, capitalization of non-banks like IIFCL and other financial entities and the like.

“Very soon, not only had our personal relationship soured, but the official working relationship also became quite unproductive,” he wrote.

Sitharaman wanted him out in June 2019, ahead of the July 5 budget presentation, he said, but did not say why her request was not immediately accepted by the government.

Garg was transferred out on July 24, 2019, as Secretary, Ministry of Power and he applied for voluntary retirement within half an hour of receiving the order.

“Mrs. Sitharaman asked for and insisted on my transfer from the Ministry of Finance in June 2019 itself, within one month of her taking over as FM,” wrote Garg, who exited the government after serving the mandatory notice period on October 31, 2019.

Praising her predecessor Jaitley for his deep knowledge and understanding of the economy, he said his successor “Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, has a very different personality, knowledge endowment, skill-set and approach for economic policy issues and also for the officers working with her.

“It became quite apparent very early that working with her was going to be quite difficult and it might not be conducive to undertaking necessary reforms for the attainment of the objective of building a USD 10 trillion economy of India.”

The former finance secretary alleged that Sitharaman, for reasons not very clearly known to him, came with some pre-conceived notions about him.

“Very soon, not only had our personal relationship soured, but the official working relationship also become quite unproductive.”

Garg recalled he made up his mind in June 2019, much before the Budget was presented, that he would take voluntary retirement from the service to be able to work on the wider economic reform agenda outside the government.

“I drafted my months’ notice for voluntary retirement sometime in the fourth week of June after going through the rules relating to voluntary retirement and decided to seek it from October 31, 2019,” he said.

Garg also said that he had discussed with the then Additional Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, P.K. Mishra about his relationship with Sitharaman on a few occasions.

“Both of us agreed that the best course would be for me to make way for the new FM to ‘function smoothly’. Mishra offered me to choose any job in the government or outside the government in regulatory bodies or elsewhere,” Garg said.

The former finance secretary, however, informed Mishra that he had already made up his mind to seek voluntary retirement.

“I filed for voluntary retirement on July 24, the day I was transferred to the Ministry of Power instead of October 31, 2019, the date I had originally intended,” he recalled.

Garg, however on July 26, 2019, had asserted there is no connection between his transfer from the high profile Finance Ministry and decision to take voluntary retirement, saying he had already discussed the retirement matter with the Prime Minister’s Office on July 18.

The 1983 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, Garg came to the Center in 2014 and was appointed Executive Director in the World Bank where he stayed till 2017 when he was appointed DEA Secretary in June 2017. In March 2019, he was elevated as the Finance Secretary.

Jaitley, he said, was “a mastermind with an uncanny ability to sift through massive amounts of information and government files to discover the pith and substance of the public policy issue involved. He also had the right temperament and ability to forge consensus.” Jaitley focused on broader policy issues, leaving the running of the departments and implementation of policies to the Secretaries, he said adding Jaitley genuinely encouraged contribution on major policy issues to come from the Secretaries.

“He made the Secretaries present the policy proposals to the Prime Minister’s Office as well as to the media and the public. He was a very magnanimous and broadminded person,” he said.

Under Sitharaman, the Indian economic policy was getting distracted from what was required to attain her stated goal of building a USD 10 trillion economy by the early 2030s, Garg said adding that it was also one of the reasons for his leaving the IAS and quitting the government.

“The reform agenda and the investment plan for attaining the goal of USD 10 trillion economy articulated in the Interim Budget 2019-20 however, got side-tracked and was virtually forgotten,” he said. “The government was turning populist as well.”

BJP Leader Who Called Gandhi ‘Father of Pakistan’ Appointed Professor at IIMC

His appointment has triggered a row, with critics saying that he is being rewarded for defaming the father of the nation. 

New Delhi: The former head of Madhya Pradesh BJP media cell, Anil Kumar Saumitra, who described Mahatma Gandhi as the “father of Pakistan” last year, has been appointed as a professor at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi.

His appointment has, therefore, triggered a row, with critics saying that he is being rewarded for defaming the father of the nation. 

The BJP and its ideological parent the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have refrained from blaming Gandhi for India’s partition since Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, but Sangh Parivar affiliates have held the view for as long as they have existed in independent India.

The Indian Express reported that last year when he was suspended following his remarks, the saffron party issued a clarification saying that Saumitra’s social media posts were against “the party’s ethics, ideas and principles, and had affected its image”.

“He was the father of the nation, but of Pakistan. The country had crores of sons like him, some were worthy, some unworthy,” Saumitra had posted on Facebook, following which his party acted against him.

Also read: Hindutva Leaders Revile Gandhi and His Message, But Can’t Resist Basking in His Glory

As the editor of Charaiveti, the BJP’s mouthpiece in Madhya Pradesh, Saumitra was removed from a party position in 2013 after he carried an article titled ‘Church ke nark me nun ka jeevan’ (‘Life of a nun in Church hell’). The article made an unsubstantiated claim that sexual exploitation of nuns in the Catholic church was common. 

The Indian Express reported that Saumitra had then written to Sumitra Mahajan, former Lok Sabha speaker and the then BJP MP from Indore and the president of Sangh Parivar-affiliated Pandit Deendayal Vichar Prakashan.

“I have been treated like a criminal. I was selected as editor due to my RSS background and ideological commitment,” he said in the letter, which was also copied to RSS leaders Mohan Bhagwat, Suresh Joshi and Suresh Soni, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, L.K. Advani and state leaders, including current Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

His appointment at the IIMC came after over 60 applicants had been interviewed. The institute notified him of his appointment under a two-year probation period on October 20, and his joining date was confirmed by an order on October 26. 

While Saumitra has not responded to multiple calls and text messages from the national daily, IIMC director-general Sanjay Swiwedi has refused to comment on his appointment.

Kamal Nath Moves SC Against EC Over Removal of His ‘Star Campaigner’ Status

The poll panel on Friday took note of alleged breach of “ethical and dignified behaviour” after Nath had called the BJP candidate an ‘item’.

New Delhi: Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath has moved the Supreme Court challenging an order of the Election Commission to revoke the Congress leader’s “star campaigner” status for violations of the model code during campaign for the bypolls in 28 assembly constituencies in the state.

Senior lawyer and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha told PTI that the former chief minister has challenged the EC’s decision on various grounds and an urgent hearing on his plea would be sought.

The plea has been filed through advocate-on-record Varun Chopra and the defects pointed out in it by the apex court registry have been cured, said Tankha.

The poll panel on Friday took note of alleged breach of “ethical and dignified behaviour” and revoked the “star campaigner” status of the Congress leader.

While the political party pays for the expenditure of a star campaigner, the candidate pays for the expenditure of other campaigners.

Also read: Congress to Move SC Against EC Order Revoking Kamal Nath’s ‘Star Campaigner’ Status

In the order, the poll panel said, “…for repeated violation of Model Code of Conduct and for completely disregarding the advisory issued to him, the Commission hereby revokes the status of leader of political party (Star Campaigner) of Kamal Nath, Ex-Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh, with immediate effect for the current Bye-elections of Legislative Assembly of Madhya Pradesh.”

It said no permission will be granted by authorities to Nath as a star campaigner.

“However, if any campaign is done by Kamal Nath from now onwards, the entire expenditure related to travel, stay and visit will be completely borne by the candidate in whose constituency he carries out campaigning,” it said.

The EC said it has carefully considered the matter and has observed with “displeasure that Kamal Nath, despite being a leader of a political party, is repeatedly violating the provisions of Model Code of Conduct and breaching the ethical and dignified behaviour”.

The commission referred to his remarks against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

He had used the words “mafia” and “milawat khor” against a political rival at a recent campaigning event.

Last week, the EC had asked Nath not to use words like “item” in campaigning.

He had used the jibe to hit out at state minister and BJP candidate Imarti Devi at a rally.

The commission had announced the poll schedule on September 29 and the MCC came into immediate effect. Campaigning for the bypolls ends on November 1.

Nearly 300 Employees of Media Monitoring Body Set up by UPA Govt Fear Loss of Livelihood

The government has decided to replace the current contractor, Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited, with a new one by empowering it to hire a private vendor to find employees at “cheapest costs”.

New Delhi: The Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC) which was set up in 2008 to “monitor” media is now set to get a new contractor which will help the organisation find employees using private vendors at “cheapest costs”.

The current employees – about 300 in total – now fear that this will mean a termination letter for them. Many of them have been working at the organisation for over a decade and are afraid that the nature of their work, which is to “monitor” the media, does not provide them with enough scope to find work elsewhere.

Also read: Media Companies ‘Using Lockdown’ to Lay Off Employees, Cut Salaries

“When a private company will hires new people, they will ensure that they get the cheapest labour. The work standard would not matter so much, as the only purpose of private contractors is to maximise profits and minimise costs. We who have been working here for many years will either be told to resign, or to work at a salary even lower than our current salary,” says Sahil (name changed to protect identity). Sahil has been working there for seven years and earns less than Rs 30,000 a month.

What is the Electronic Media Monitoring Centre? 

In 2008, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government set up the EMMC under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to “monitor the content of private TV channels” with to check for any violation of guidelines and advertising codes. The two acts under which content is mainly monitored are the Cable Television Networks Act, 1995, and the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994.

Section 6 [2] of the Cable Television Network Rules (1994) specifies that channels do not offend good taste, decency or attack religions or communities. Nor should they carry anything that is likely to encourage or incite violence or anything that goes against the maintenance of law and order.

Specifically, the code says programmes should not telecast anything amounting to the contempt of court. They should not cast aspersions on the integrity of the president and the judiciary, and criticise, malign, or slander any individual in person or certain groups, segments of the social, public and moral life of the country.

However, the EMMC does not have any powers to seek action against the defaulters, which leaves the scope of “selective punishing” of certain channels by the I&B Ministry, according to one of its oldest employees, Aman* (name changed to protect identity).

High-profile monitoring work

Aman says that more than 50% of the work that they do is off the record. Even though it was initially formed with the view to monitor TV channels, the organisation, according to multiple employees, also monitors OTT (over the top media) platforms, newspapers and news websites.

There are multiple wings in the organisation – news analysis, administration, compilation, technical wing and newsroom, etc. The newsroom wing of the organisation also monitors prime time debates on an everyday basis, keeping an eye out for “anti-establishment anchors,” making a report based on their perspective in the show, opening and closing remarks.

“Just anybody cannot do this work. It takes a keen eye, a dedicated person, and lots of acquired talent to do this kind of work,” Aman adds.

Issue at stake

Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), its current contractor, has so far been responsible for several tasks, including that of hiring people. Now, it will be replaced by GeM (government e-marketplace) as the new year 2021 begins.

GeM is an online portal created by the Central government where private vendors register themselves on the portal, which then supplies goods and services to government departments/public bodies/central and state institutions.

Also read: Amid Allegations of ‘TRP Scam’, BARC Suspends Ratings of TV News Channels

“Private vendors don’t have an affinity for employees, they only care about profits,” says Sahil.

A notice dated August 21, 2020, was sent to the employees under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It says that while BECIL will continue to be the implementation partner of EMMC for technical work, other tasks such as purchase, and AMC currently carried out by BECIL could be moved to GeM from the next year.

“Regarding the HR component of the work, the current arrangement would continue till 31st December 2020. EMMC would hire manpower via GeM beyond 31.12.2020. A committee will look into rationalization of manpower well before this time limit,” the notice reads.

 

 

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting order on Electronic Media Monitoring Centre.

It is this “rationalisation of manpower” that the current employees say they are afraid of. “This term simply means that they will hire new people, and we who have spent almost a decade here will be told to go,” Aman sighs.

“It is after working here that I realised how powerful the government really is,” he adds.

According to Aman, the staff at EMMC are often sent for work which is outside their domain. “And we don’t get paid for the extra work that we do. Who should we complain if the very government isn’t on our side?” he asks.

Besides, they are not given medical insurance or “permanent” employee status even after several years of being part of the centre. According to him, maternity leaves in the EMMC were introduced as late as 2019, that too after a long process.

While The Wire has reached out to Information and Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar, for his statement, his response is still awaited. His response will be added as soon as it is received.

With China, India Has Revealed a Blind Faith in Diplomacy

It is clear that other than the cosmetic disengagement from friction points, nothing more can be expected as New Delhi has failed to create any ‘pressure points’.

Despite India’s continuing faith in dialogue, diplomacy and existing protocols with China for resolving the LAC standoff, it is clear that other than the cosmetic disengagement from friction points that has materialised, nothing more can be expected as New Delhi has failed to create any ‘pressure points’ (barring the occupation of Chushul heights) to force Beijing into implementing restoration of status quo ante.

India has rejected a Chinese proposal to prioritise de-escalation over disengagement.

While this will let PLA intrusions remain intact, it will help in defusing tension by withdrawal of heavy equipment like tanks and guns. The capacity constraints and the power differential do not allow India to exercise any punitive options other than on trade and investment which hurt it more than they do China.

The option to create a pressure point in the maritime domain has not been developed into one usable though this month some tentative steps were taken towards shaping a maritime deterrent by expanding Malabar naval exercises, strengthening Quad and sealing foundational security agreements with US.

On its own, India cannot restore status quo ante (fait accompli on the ground). The cumulative gap in conventional and strategic forces with China cannot be bridged without an external balancer and/or a concert of countries that are tied in a military structure like NATO with an Article 5 to invoke collective response to aggression.

Also read: China, the LAC, and the Possibilities of Diplomacy

Geography lends to the creation of such a deterrence in the maritime domain. But India will have to set aside its reservations of joining a maritime security grouping. In 1971, India creatively signed up the 20-year Indo-Soviet Treaty of Peace Friendship and Cooperation to fight the war against Pakistan, to deter China and US and manage the UN Security Council. Inserted in the Treaty were two clauses: consultations in the event of threats to security of either country and that India remain non-aligned, so sensitive was New Delhi about strategic autonomy.

Can the US be India’s erstwhile Soviet Union?

Will both countries be willing to go beyond the current Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership?

This week, the US foreign and defence policy duo of Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper were in New Delhi for the third 2+2 dialogue just days before the US presidential election. Both have targeted China, the world’s number two military and economic power and particularly the Communist Party of China, for bullying, aggression and bad behaviour – characteristics alien to civilised nations and civilisational states.)

External affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar and Defence minister Rajnath Singh with US counterparts, the secretaries of state and defense, Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper. Photo: Twitter/@MEAIndia
.

National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien warned India that its faith in dialogues and agreements with China will not work.

The Pompeo meeting with Jaishankar was the second this month after the Quad conclave in Tokyo. Overcoming its strategic hesitation over annoying China, India invited Australia to rejoin the annual Malabar drills it left in 2007 for the same reason, virtually militarising the Quad of the same four countries – India, US, Japan and Australia – that participate in naval drills and oppose China’s hegemonic behaviour. What Quad needs now is an operational charter, a security-weighted secretariate and a rules-based code of conduct for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Interestingly only India among the Quad countries shares land border with China.

Army trucks move towards the LAC in eastern Ladakh, amid the prolonged India-China stand off, September 12, 2020. Photo: PTI

The Indian Navy is the natural fulcrum of Malabar/Quad at least in the Indian Ocean Region and according to US strategic thinkers at the heart of the Indo Pacific Strategy. The resource handicap of the Indian Navy which receives jut 15% of defence budget requires its allocation to be enhanced to at least 20 to 25% to catalyse its blue water capability.

The strategic imperative of a right balance between continental and maritime strategies was realised way back in late 1980s when Chiefs of the Army and Air Force volunteered a cut in their allocation to boost the Navy’s share. In addition, Indian Navy will need logistics exchange agreements in Diego Garcia, Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles.

Last month, during a webinar, Lisa Curtis from the White House National Security Council stated that US would like India to assume the leadership role in the maritime domain (presumably in the IOR or Indian Ocean Rim). India taking the lead alongside the US was an idea first mooted by Admiral Harry Harris, CinC Pacific Command, in 2015. Pompeo told an Indian TV network during his visit that India and US can jointly deter (joint deterrence) China’s tyranny.

At the 2+2 meet, India signed up on the fourth and final foundational agreement – Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) – which will enable India to target its long range missiles and armed drones when acquired to pinpoint accuracy, a facility available only to a few countries.

As a Major Defence Partner of the US, India will have access to high-tech military equipment. “We see each other for what we are, great democracies, and real good friends,” Pompeo tweeted before the talks. The whole range of India’s security concerns were addressed including the situation on LAC, counter terrorism, Indo- Pacific and Afghanistan.

Also read: Why India’s Latest Defence Agreement with the United States May Prove a Costly Bargain

There is one crowning irony in the turn of events precipitated by China’s intrusions along LAC. In its quest to wean India away from the US, it has willy nilly pushed New Delhi closer to Washington by its aggression.

China has rejected the Indian notion that there is space for both India and China to rise peacefully together. It has tried to prove that India is the subordinate power and Beijing’s writ will run in the region. This is what prompted Jaishankar and the Modi government in to making strategic ‘choices’ and taking some ‘risks’, Jaishankar buzzwords from his book, The India Way.

India has quietly signalled to China that it will no longer be hedging or balancing but will contain it if necessary with external players individually and in a concert of democracies. It will not be cowed down or bullied by aggression on LAC but will stand up to illegal and unilateral breaches of protocol to change the status of the LAC or border. Still there is a hint that even now India may not go all the way if China will roll back on LAC. Even so the expansion of Malabar exercises is the first potential step towards securitising the Quad which is integral to the Indo-Pacific strategy. Relations with US are being elevated to virtual strategic allies through issue-based geo-strategic partnerships. The India mission is to try to turn the common good Indo-Pacific Strategy into a countervailing mechanism on LAC by creating pressure points in IOR.

Meanwhile President Xi Jinping has continued exhorting the military to be ready for war. Last week, at the 75th anniversary of the Korean war, he warned invaders that force will be met with force.

Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, took pot-shots at Quad and Malabar, calling it a ‘clique flexing muscles in the Asia Pacific Region’ adding that the Cold War mentality was visible in the bloc mulling military and security cooperation for self-serving political interests.

With Bihar elections underway the government has upped denial of Chinese aggression and loss of territory. The government’s lead spokesperson, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has been parroting India will not allow anyone to snatch an inch of land, clearly misleading the country on loss of face and land on the India-China border.

Also read: State Dept Omits Reference To ‘Reckless Aggression’ in Rajnath Singh’s Remarks

Still, the government received endorsement of its China policy from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. “Rising above China economically, strategically and securing cooperative ties with all our neighbours is the only way to neutralise [China’s] demonic aspirations,” he said in his Vijay Dashmi message.

Without naming China, NSA Ajit Doval simultaneously made a rare public articulation at Rishikesh on New India’s strategy of taking the war to enemy soil and source of threat. Taken together, the Bhagwat-Doval speeches seem to link India’s strategic thought to Hindutva. From sublime to the ridiculous, Rahul Gandhi’s latest shot at Modi is about his claim of throwing China out ‘in 15 minutes’ which is reminiscent of his grandfather’s blunder of an order to throw the Chinese off the Thagla Ridge.

The LAC standoff will see Chinese border guards and PLA and Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police battle it out in winter for survival. But even now India has left door to diplomacy open as part of its policy of engagement and containment. After November 15, India will not be able to pull back its troops from LAC as passes will have closed.

The PLA has no such problem. As India has bipartisan support in US, presidential election results on November 3, will not alter the foundation of the relationship though the pre-election rhetoric on China will moderate. Especially a Trump return, if it is gentle on Beijing, invoking his affection for ‘very, very, very good friend Xi’ could upset the apple cart of India’s perceived pressure points.

General Ashok K. Mehta was part of the monitoring team of Defence Planning Staff in MoD of the year long PLA intrusion at Sumdorong chu in 1987/88.

Scottish Movie Legend Sean Connery, World’s Favourite James Bond, Passes Away at 90

A prominent supporter of Scotland’s independence, Connery played a series of noteworthy roles besides the one that defined his career –
James Bond.

London: Sean Connery, who shot to international stardom as the suave, sexy and sophisticated British agent James Bond and went on to dominate the silver screen for four decades, has died aged 90, the BBC and Sky News reported on Saturday.

Connery was raised in near poverty in the slums of Edinburgh and worked as a coffin polisher, milkman and lifeguard before his bodybuilding hobby helped launch an acting career that made him one of the world’s biggest stars.

He will be remembered first as British agent 007, the character created by novelist Ian Fleming and immortalised by Connery in films starting with Dr. No in 1962.

As Bond, his debonair manner and wry humour in foiling flamboyant villains and cavorting with beautiful women belied a darker, violent edge, and he crafted a depth of character that set the standard for those who followed him in the role.

He would introduce himself in the movies with the signature line, “Bond – James Bond.” But Connery was unhappy being defined by the role and once said he “hated that damned James Bond”.

Tall and handsome, with a throaty voice to match a sometimes crusty personality, Connery played a series of noteworthy roles besides Bond and won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a tough Chicago cop in The Untouchables (1987).

He was 59 when People magazine declared him the “sexiest man alive” in 1989.

Connery was an ardent supporter of Scotland’s independence and had the words “Scotland Forever” tattooed on his arm while serving in the Royal Navy. When he was knighted at the age of 69 by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in 2000 at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, he wore full Scottish dress including the green-and-black plaid kilt of his mother’s MacLeod clan.

Sean Connery. Photo: Reuters

Fed up with ‘idiots’

Some noteworthy non-Bond films included director Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie (1964), The Wind and the Lion (1975) with Candice Bergen, director John Huston’s The Man Who Would be King (1975) with Michael Caine, director Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and the Cold War tale The Hunt for Red October (1990).

Fans of alternative cinema will always remember him starring as the “Brutal Exterminator” Zed in John Boorman’s mind-bending fantasy epic Zardoz (1974), where a heavily moustachioed Connery spent much of the movie running around in a skimpy red loin-cloth, thigh-high leather boots and a pony tail.

Connery retired from movies after disputes with the director of his final outing, the forgettable The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003.

“I get fed up dealing with idiots,” he said.

The Bond franchise was still going strong more than five decades after Connery started it. The lavishly produced movies, packed with high-tech gadgetry and spectacular effects, broke box office records and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars.

After the smashing success of “Dr. No,” more Bond movies followed for Connery in quick succession: From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965) and You Only Live Twice (1967).

Sean Connery. Photo: Reuters

Connery then grew concerned about being typecast and decided to break away. Australian actor George Lazenby succeeded him as Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in 1969.

But without Connery it lacked what the public wanted and he was lured back in 1971 for Diamonds Are Forever with temptations that included a slice of the profits, which he said would go to a Scottish educational trust. He insisted it would be his last time as Bond.

Twelve years later, at age 53, Connery was back as 007 in Never Say Never Again (1983), an independent production that enraged his old mentor, producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli.

Beer to martinis

In a 1983 interview, Connery summed up the ideal Bond film as having “marvellous locations, interesting ambiance, good stories, interesting characters – like a detective story with espionage and exotic settings and nice birds.”

Connery was a very different type from Fleming’s Bond character with his impeccable social background, preferring beer to Bond’s vodka martini cocktails that were “shaken not stirred”.

But Connery’s influence helped shape the character in the books as well as the films. He never attempted to disguise his Scottish accent, leading Fleming to give Bond Scottish heritage in the books that were released after Connery’s debut.

Born Thomas Connery on August 25, 1930, he was the elder of two sons of a long-distance truck driver and a mother who worked as a cleaner. He dropped out of school at age 13 and worked in a variety of menial jobs. At 16, two years after World War II ended, Connery was drafted into the Royal Navy, and served three years.

“I grew up with no notion of a career, much less acting,” he once said. “I certainly never have plotted it out. It was all happenstance, really.”

Connery played small parts with theatre repertory companies before graduating to films and television.

It was his part in a 1959 Disney leprechaun movie, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, that helped land the role of Bond. Broccoli, a producer of the Bond films, asked his wife to watch Connery in the Disney movie while he was searching for the right leading actor.

Dana Broccoli said her husband told her he was not sure Connery had sex appeal.

“I saw that face and the way he moved and talked and I said: ‘Cubby, he’s fabulous!’” she said. “He was just perfect, he had star material right there.”

Connery married actress Diane Cilento in 1962. Before divorcing 11 years later, they had a son, Jason, who became an actor. He married French artist Micheline Roquebrune, whom he met playing golf, in 1975.