Ram's Cafe

I think democracies, in general, get the kind of governments the people deserve. I say 'in general' because what is generally meant by 'democracy' is the government elected based just on a simple majority –  and not on a proportional representation – but that is a column for another time. I have  wondered in the past what India would have been like if Vishwanath Pratap Singh (V.P. Singh to everyone) was allowed to complete his full 5-year term as Prime Minister of India. His successor, P.V.Narasimha Rao did manage to complete his 5-year term and laid the foundation for India's overall ascent in the world stage in recent years – a fact that is not recognized by those who are ignorant, and denied or downplayed by those who want to steal the credit. I would think that these two men, though sincere in their efforts to bring about change in India, were also vastly different from each other.

The recent passing away of V.P. Singh brought back memories of the eighties – the time when I started following politics in India with great interest. Believe it or not, when Rajiv Gandhi was 'appointed' (of course, he won the next round of elections massively) Prime Minister by the then President, Giani Zail Singh, following Indira Gandhi's assassination, I was actually not sure if that was a good thing for India. Because, around that time I had started paying attention to issues such as the misuse of power, sycophancy on the part of those around elected leaders, and the misuse of the media (back then, there were only Doordarshan – the government-owned television, and All India Radio – again, government-owned and controlled) by those in power. Plus the sickening effort to propagate Hindi by misusing public infrastructure – especially radio and TV – that I had actually 'timed' the duration of programs in various languages. Profitability was not a concern – and those who worked in Doordarshan and AIR acted like they were working in any other government job, deferring to the netas (leaders) and babus (bureaucrats) – it was sickening. Why do I talk about Indian radio and TV in the eighties? Well, it was the time I wanted to know more and more about what was going on in the country – and radio and TV were pathetic in providing the kind of information and news I was looking for. So I turned to the Indian Express. I was either naive or the Indian Express was truly different back then – that most of my world view back then was shaped to a large extent by what I read on the Express. Just when I started getting irritated at all the 'news bulletins' starting with what the Prime Minister said or did that day, Indian Express started going after the various misdeeds of the Congress government led by Rajiv Gandhi – so it was a perfect fit, I guess. In retrospect, though, I am embarrassed by my rather unquestioning adulation for people like Arun Shourie and Ram Jethmalani. These guys possess a formidable intellect, no doubt, but over the years, I have had my serious doubts as to whether their kind of intellect was indeed a good thing for India – now I see them as just 'clever' people with a great deal of drive and ambition with their own agenda– that's all!
 
One person about whom I never had to change my opinion over the years was V.P.Singh. I remember when he was the Finance Minister and suddenly moved to the Defence ministry. At first I thought may be that was a good move – since India's defence needed shoring up, anyways (defence was my other big area of interest back then – I couldn't come across any international development without thinking for a second as to whether or how that would affect India). But later I learned that V.P.Singh was moved out of Finance because he was going after some big fish tax evaders. I remember many names and a few mega projects such as the HBJ pipeline in the news because they were apparently awarded to companies without going through a proper bidding process. And then came the Bofors scandal.
 

V.P.Singh resigned as Defence Minister because he apparently could not go along with the government's decision to buy the artillery guns from this Swedish company without the usual bidding process. And then Indian Express took up the issue with great gusto – there were allegations that bribes were paid, and apparently the trail led all the way up to Rajiv Gandhi. I was one of those people who was glad to see that Rajiv Gandhi lost the next election, and V.P. Singh became the Prime Minister. (I was glad because I had had enough of the dynasty even back then, so much so that even when V.P.Singh did not get to finish his tenure as PM, I didn't mind a Congress government back in power, led by P.V.Narasimha Rao as the Prime Minister – because, at least, he was not from 'The Family'. I truly thought that dynastic politics at the national level was over and done with in India – I was wrong, once again!) I must say here, that, over the years, my opinion about Rajiv Gandhi as a person has only gone up tremendously, and I seriously believe that he was misled and let down by a coterie surrounding him in national, as well as international issues. And the amount of bribe that was supposedly involved in the Bofors deal clearly appears to be peanuts compared to the level of corruption and bribery that are being talked about today – even at the state level. And for that kind of a 'small' amount involved, Rajiv Gandhi paid a big price politically. And I just cannot imagine Rajiv Gandhi taking money for his personal benefit - he comes from an aristocratic family. No sir, I don't believe he took any bribes himself. Oh, one more thing - the Bofors gun, irrespective of the scandal, proved its merit during the Kargil conflict. He later paid the ultimate price for taking measures probably based on seriously faulty advice in dealing with the situation in Sri Lanka. I even had an opportunity to challenge one of the architects of this policy at a public forum years later. I am saying this just to illustrate the evolution of my opinions and world view over the years. Also as a caution against following the herd, or any sensation-seeking and sensation-spreading media – especially today – you really have to shield your brain with an effective filter from the constant and often mindless bombardment by today's media. Although I turn to 'The Hindu' and 'Frontline' quite often these days for an intelligent take on current affairs, back then I just could not stand 'The Hindu' as I perceived it to be too friendly and deferential towards the Congress party.

I started writing about democracies getting the kind of governments they deserve – that is true not only in India, but elsewhere, too. It is especially frightening in a country like India because I have to wonder what kind of a society it will be in the future. The so-called 'educated' and 'middle class' people in India seem to be easily swayed by divisive politics, and not many seem to be bothered by attempts at rewriting the history text books. People are happy to identify with the 'Hindutva' ideology, failing to recognize that Hindutva has nothing to do with the highest ideals of Hinduism as a philosophy or a way of life. It is because of a bold approach to cover issues of equity and fairness that these days I routinely turn to 'The Hindu' to get my news. In fact, I think the name 'The Hindu' may be so ironic in today's India (although it is one of the oldest newspapers in India), because the term 'Hindu' has been usurped by the 'Hindutva' gang – but I digress.

I do not know how many people realize what kind of a man V.P.Singh was. Here's my advice: do yourself a favor, set aside about 10 minutes, and go read this one-page article on V.P.Singh. A truly great man, in my opinion.