Bumpy take-off!

I had written a few days ago of the West Bengal legislators’ and party leaders’ unprecedented defections to the BJP. TMC leads the defectors, but there are also a few from the Congress and the left. BJP, the party which was perceived untouchable and outsider has become an acceptable one now.

Today, a handful of TMC legislators led by a former minister Rajib Banerjee were to join the BJP in Amit Shah’s presence during the latter’s two-day visit to the city beginning today. However, Shah’s visit stood cancelled. What happened after that was bizarre, a private plane landed from Delhi to pick up the wannabe defectors and flew them to Amit Shah’s residence at Delhi. All the politicians joined the BJP in the presence of Shah.

There was nothing bizarre in either joining the opposition party, which is now a new normal or whisking them over to Delhi in a private plane. As I understand, the strangeness was the group insisted on joining only in the presence of Shah or with a leader of a stature higher than Shah. It sends a few disturbing signals. The local BJP leadership image was not good enough to meet the level of importance demanded by the group. Neither did the national leaders from the BJP camping in Bengal matched their expectations. The events may not augur well for times to come.

The insistence of Shah for the induction could also reveal the underlying incompatibility of perceptions of the former TMC members, injected with strong doses of the anti-religious and anti-outsiders stand of their earlier party about the BJP. Rajib, a former member of TMC for too long could have found it difficult to disengage from the deep inculcation to change over in a day, regardless of his discord with TMC.

It is time that the BJP must watch out, rather than filling in all and sundry discontent elements from the BJP. There will be many more, who will be denied tickets, who will all rush to the BJP, now that there are many familiar faces in the national party. It might make the management of the West Bengal chapter of the BJP, post-elections, rather difficult.

Rajib Banerjee though, could be an asset wherever he lands.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix

Rama, the holy mantra!

(This is not a political post)

Sadly the chant ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ is misconstrued as a political slogan when hurled by the supporters of the BJP. A hyper-reactive Mamata Banerjee concludes that the chant is an insult to her, and the chant has nothing to do with religion. Both hurling the chants and the reaction are grossly misplaced and must be avoided.

Long before Darwin’s theory on human evolution was known, Hindu religion described the ‘Dasavatara’ the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, one of Hinduism’s Trinity Gods.  The ten avatars, Matsya, the fish, Koorma the tortoise, Varaha the boar, Narasimha, the man-lion, Vamana, the dwarf, Parasurama the warrior, Rama the enlightened, Balarama the tiller, Krishna the diplomat and Kalki the human riding on a horse.

Rama was the seventh of the avatars and is uniquely revered as the ‘Maryada Purushottam,’ meaning the ‘Righteous Human. Despite another avatar of God Vishnu, Rama never exploited or misused his divine powers, lived and suffered like any ordinary mortal. Rama’s ascetic life is a perfect adherence to human values. He was an ideal son who obeyed his father to forsake his throne and live in exile in the forest.

Rama was an ideal husband to Sita, regarded as the incarnation of Laxmi. He displayed equal love to all his brothers. Rama did not discriminate anyone by their caste or creed and embraced Kewat, the boatman as his brother. He ate the fruits tasted by Sabari at her Ashram to prove that true devotion need not follow social protocols.

He was a true friend, and killed Vali, rescuing and returning the abducted wife of Sugriva from Vali. He was a noble warrior, sparing an injured Ravana to return the next day in the highest spirit of Kshatriya dharma on warfare.

Rama’s banishment of Sita was due to a curse from his previous birth by Rishi Birghu whose wife was killed by Lord Vishnu for sheltering his enemies.

On the Agni pariksha of Sita, Lord Rama had never doubted her purity for a second, but, displayed a true democratic trait towards his citizen who doubted the long abducted Sita’s honour.  He ordered the Agni Pariksha for Sita before the eyes of hundreds, well aware of Sita’s invulnerability by the fire god.

Despite born as a later Avatar than Rama, Krishna was known as Leela Avatar for his various sporty acts, romance, craftiness and compromise. It was only Lord Rama who could be called the righteous and noble, ‘Maryada Purushottam,’ for he never breached the virtuosity as a son, husband, brother, friend, king and also an enemy.

Therefore, calling Rama’s name an insult and a political move is inappropriate by people holding high positions. One must understand the inner meanings  and the symbolisms of Ramayana. Halleluiah and La ilaha Illallah could have no conflict with Rama’s nobleness and inclusivity epitomised in the epic.

One needs to know about Rama to support or oppose the Maryada Purushottam, but please do not criminalize the holy chant “Rama.’

Jai Shri Ram.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

Dear protesting farmer brothers of India,

Like the rest of India, I sympathize at your plight over the amended farm Acts and your democratic and undeniable right to protest. Being an eternal optimist, and despite many inconclusive meetings with the Government and your representatives, I hope you will find a solution.

Kisans providing security against hunger and malnourishment are as important to India as our jawans who provide security at our borders. I may be aware of some of your difficulties, having toured many states’ farming regions extensively. You are at the receiving end be it produces in abundance or failure of crops. The Government’s need to handhold and walk you safely is beyond any debate. There cannot be two opinions that the country cannot grow if you do not grow. The Farm reforms could have been in that direction, though I keep my personal opinions aside right now.

The stalemate of talks might have prompted your leaders to decide on a tractor-rally around Delhi today, an important and eventful day of the nation, our 72nd Republic Day. 

The situation was ripe for India haters, both Khalistanis and Pakistanis to infiltrate your movement and sully your image. For Modi haters, this was a God given opportunity, when the Delhi police trusted you and allowed a peaceful tractor rally within a stipulated route. The breaking of the cordons and diverting from the routes to converge at the Historical Red Fort’s gates could not have happened without a meticulous and crafty plan by the mischief-makers and anarchists.

Many from your household and villages must have served the Indian army, and many sons could still be donning the olives. I grew up near a Gurdwara, trying to learn a bit of Guru Nanak’s spirituality and the valour of many other Gurus like Guru Gobind Singh etc. Our next generation must remember these greats and their sacrifices in protecting our culture and nation and not one who hoisted another flag at red fort.

Sieging Red fort and hoisting any other flag today is a plain sacrilege against those great sacrifices of the past Gurus. Such actions do not change the Government in a large and well-founded democracy like ours. The protestors included women and children, contrary to the assurances given to the Supreme Court. The ploy of some could have been to foster trouble, force the police to fire and a few to die. Had such a thing happened, hell would have broken loose, the Government attacked within and outside the parliament and the paid media. But it also would have irreparably weakened your movement and demolished the perception of peaceful farmers protests.  I am thankful such untoward did not happen and saved the day.

I guess your associations number over fifty and therefore it is not easy to arrive at any agreement at any meeting with the Government. Therefore, you may be demanding a repeal of the Acts. Shrink your leadership to a few worthy and knowledgeable team to sit again and reopen your dialogue. This can only happen if you view the Indian Government as your own.

Do not be a party to let others hoist any flag other than the tricolour from the Red Fort’s ramparts, which symbolizes the national pride and strength. 

Please return to your villages and send a few representatives to carry forward your negotiations with the Government. Remember, those who may have provoked you, have all but backtracked and vanished from today’s scenes. I guess India will not disown you ever.

Jai Hind!

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The Netaji portrait!

The President of India, Ramnath Kovind, unveiled a portrait of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 23rd January, the 125th Birth Anniversary of the National Hero. Paresh Maity, a Padma Awardee artist, was commissioned to do the portrait, which he did from a photo of Netaji provided by his daughter Anita Bose Pfaff. To me, he has done a decent job of that.

A cantankerous TMC Member of Parliament twittered ‘God save India, (because this government certainly can’t)’ and preceding it with an ‘After donating Rs.5 lacs to the Ram temple the President honours Netaji by unveiling a portrait of Prosenjit, the actor who played him in the biopic.’ 

A few presstitutes butted in. Rajdeep Sardesai writing, ‘So it turns out that this is a portrait of Prasenjit Chatterjee who acted as Netaji in a movie! Surely @Rashtrapatibhvn could have found a nice original portrait to put up.’ Barkha Dutt would not be left behind and joined: ‘Shocked to hear that the President unveiled the portrait of actor Prasenjit Chatterjee who played Netaji instead of real deal. I wish this were a headline from onion. I had to look twice to make sure it had actually happened. How utterly embarrassing. The gang, Sagarika Ghosh, Swati Chaturvedi, and a few others lectured the President, guffawing on the social networks. Swati suggested Rashtrapati Bhavan not to use Ben Kingsley’s face in place of Gandhiji, a role the former had played in the movie Gandhi.

Srijit Mukherjee the director of the Bengali biopic on Netaji, Gumnaami posted a picture of Prosenjit Chatterjee, the actor who played the freedom fighter. He stated that the success of the similarity must go to his make-up artist, Somnath Kundu. Rashtrapati Bhavan, who characteristically does not respond to social media clarified that it indeed was the real Netaji. 

I thought the President was not ridiculed or trolled. Whatever had the unveiling of the portrait to do with donating Rs. 5 lacs to Ram Mandir? Did the President commit a misdemeanour by donating? The intolerance for Ram flows in every member of a party, but as long they are with the party. It is a must qualification for sticking on.

I thought intelligence and knowledge are two parallel attributes of a person. I am wrong, knowledge is not intelligence, and mere withdrawing of Tweets does not absolve these people from their scant respect and regard shown for the land’s highest constitutional office.

Not done! 

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

Five more years of frustration!

The nation watched the celebration of Netaji at Victoria Memorial Hall, when Mamata declined to address, miffed by slogan-shouting by a few from the rear, ‘Jai Sri Ram.’ It is a matter of debate about what was more offensive, whether the provocative sloganeering or Mamata’s reprimand to all those present, in chaste Hindi!

Mamata had waded through the stormy chit fund scams and Narada sting involving her colleagues and come out successfully. However, her party legislators deserting her and her party on one or other grounds were unplanned. It is perceived that a few more could join the BJP during Amit Shah’s visit on the 30th January.

The problematic part is regardless of which party wins; it will largely consist of known players. BJP is trying to build its strength engineering defections, indicating that it does not have enough ideal faces. Breaking TMC cannot be the only goal for a national party, aiming to win the elections. Neither should it rely only on the Modi-magic to turn the wave into its favour.

Suvendu was a prize catch. I guess not there would be as strong a grass-root level leader switching over to the BJP. The rest who would join the BJP may not strengthen it but might merely weaken the TMC.

There is also a large segment of quieter, middle-class Bengalis, who might have wished a change after ten years of scams and corruption. But their supporting the BJP as an alternative seems to be a serious question. People detest the noisy brigade of BJP cadres, who would become future syndicates. Only the colour of the flags would change.

Alternatively, in a quadrilateral fight, TMC, BJP, the Congress and the Left and now the ISF, none may have an absolute majority. The post-poll alliance between all the rest, save the BJP will bring the warring factions together and demand their share in every pie.

The National minders and leaders, who are camping here will all pack off to their homes soon after the elections, Bengal left with known BJP leaders. Save a very few they fail to impress as a party who could carry effective governance, dismantling the corrupt structures and rebuilding the State. Have they presented a positive economic plan, a foresight into industrial revival, on streamlining education and healthcare? I have not come across any!

The literati in the BJP must also spend time, besides spreading juicy stories or retorts to every silly remark or actions by the opposition. Like most, I want a change as well, but has BJP matured in the State to provide inclusive growth? A magical face thrust as the CM may not turn around the rot that has seeped in the system.

I must wait for 2026 to see if Bengal wakes up.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix

Four capitals!

The election round the corner, political parties burn the midnight oil to dig out forgotten issues that might interest citizens, even if such issues are stupefying or bizarre. It requires a high degree of imagination, creativity and daring, or the lack of all these to roll out ideas.

One such great idea which sprang a surprise was West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s idea of having four revolving capitals for India, ostensibly because of the concentration of power in Delhi. 

The idea of having more than one capital is not new, and as many as fourteen countries have such an arrangement. They include Netherlands, Bolivia, S. Africa, Cote D’D’ Ivoire & Benin, Chile, Georgia, Honduras, Malaysia, Montenegro, S. Korea, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania and Western Sahara. Ancient political or merger agreements, ease of congestion, ease of administration and redrawing political maps have been reasons for such an arrangement. India suffers from none.

Didi touted for Kolkata as one of the capitals; this is, if Assam, Bihar, Odisha and the North-East agree to award their votes in favour of Bengal. I wondered where the other three capitals could be. Being Tamil, and biased, I chose Chennai as the Southern Capital but heard war-cries from Karnataka’s Bengaluru even before typing this. Maharashtra could have been a choice, but would the increasingly powerful Gujarat let the Maratha regiment get a walkover? Where will the Northern capital be? The contestants could be J&K or Punjab. If J & K is chosen, which already has two State capitals, will the nation’s summer capital move with the State’s?

Why not start such a novel experiment with four State capitals in West Bengal to see the benefits and difficulties?

What will happen to Delhi? What will happen to the Parliament?  What about the embassies which are all located in the capital? What about the armed forces’ command? What about the Supreme Court of India? Where will the farmers protest with tractors and trucks? They can all be tackled and keep revolving with the revolving capitals. It will improve the infrastructure in the new capitals and our GDP.

I can foresee strong opposition from Central India. Why four and not five? Maharashtra might yield Mumbai for Gujarat’s Ahmedabad but might claim Nagpur as its alternative site. ‘Nagpur?’ would fume the secular lobby, never! Over our dead bodies would shout a few others. 

In the ensuing months, we keep fighting over the most suitable venues, forgetting the poverty, lack of education, tardy GDP growth and all other woes. Let us once again prove that we are a bigoted and divided nation. 

The concept of multiple capitals must be buried forever and rejected.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The distasteful dessert!

The idea of celebrating the 125th birth Anniversary of Netaji was faulty from the very outset, the State and the Centre drafting separate events without yielding any ground to the other.

125 years or otherwise, the 23rd January, Netaji birthday has been celebrated by West Bengal with pomp and gaiety, flag-hoisting, bands and cadets parading, schools renewing the nationalism pledge to the children etc. The 125 years required a special event. The forthcoming elections made the freedom hero’s felicitation a special occasion, although successive Central governments have shunned the hero for whatever reasons.

Didi garlanded the Netaji statue at the five-point crossing at Shaymbazar and took a long walk with her supporters up to Red Road. PM Modi arrived in Kolkata and paid a visit to Netaji Bhavan and drove to National Library. After that, he visited the Victoria Memorial Hall to inaugurate the Netaji Gallery. Mamata Banerjee too attended the event at VMH and took the dais with the PM. 

Mamata Banerjee, upon being invited to address, a section from the audience shouted, ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ which rattled the CM, who scoffed at being insulted and sat down without addressing the meet. The social networks and the TV media immediately exploded with the assault to the Bengal’s ethos, its culture, and the calculated assault on its Chief Minister.

For those who were watching the event, Mamata stayed a few feet behind, presumably sulking and avoiding the PM. I failed to see any interaction between them. Her body language may have revealed a degree of discomfiture. Her expression of anger came as no surprise.

Now, to all those who think that the culture has been brutally assaulted, think of the following options: 1) Didi takes the mike and says, “this is not Ayodhya, and I am not Ram. Please keep your chants for a later time.” 2) Had responded saying, “the event being Netaji’s anniversary, learn to say, Jai Hind.” 3) Keeping silent at the podium without uttering a word for a minute or two.’ Unspoken words would have had a profound impact on all, and she would have stated all without saying a word. She instead accused those who shouted as ‘insulters.’ One leader soon went on the now time tested ‘outsiders,’ filled in to wantonly take on the Hon’ble CM.

If one must tolerate political cartoons lampooning leaders, condone comedians pulling celebrities, it is also important not to get provoked by religious chants. ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ has become the singular expression of defiance against the State and its leader. I strongly condemn the raising of slogans in an event like this.

The daylong celebrations, reviving fond memories over the sacrifice of Netaji seems undone by the distaste from the finale. Referring to Jai Shri Ram as a political slogan would immensely the BJP, Mamata unwittingly did just that.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The faulty C-Voter Survey!

Three days ago, the C-voter survey for Bengal elections was released, which predicted big wins for BJP, winning between 98-106 seats. The Left-Congress combine could muster 26-34 seats and TMC retaining power winning 154-162 seats. For the TMC, which won 211 seats in 2016, it is a climbdown, the embarrassment to be offset by being the likely ruling party for the next five years.

Leaders of all the political parties from West Bengal thrashed the survey results. The TMC found their score poor; the BJP said they would win nothing less than 200 seats; the LF-Congress claimed they would have the last laugh in the secular State. The timing of the survey was interesting. It made no mention of an impending cut in the cake for the TMC and the LF-Congress combine. The formation of a new political party by the Pirzada of Furfura Shif Abbas Siddiqi is bound to impact West Bengal elections. His party, called the ‘Indian Secular Front,’ was born yesterday.

Ignoring the new outfit, now claiming the true face of the minorities in West Bengal, who account for nearly a third of the votes is a fallacy. The Pirzada is not alone and is backed by Asaduddin Owaisi, MP and the leader of the AIMIM and thus become a potent force. The latter’s late entry into Bihar to cause an upset, not only by winning seats but also denying a win for the RJD-Congress is now well known. He could ruffle the poll outcome in Bengal substantially.

While the BJP was restrained in its reaction to the minorities party, TMC quickly reacted by decrying the front as one devised by the BJP. Though there has been a suspicion about where Owaisi’s political loyalties lay, there has been no proof, and the leader has scoffed at such attributions, calling these a sacrilege.

Back to C-Voter’s survey, the announcement of the new party’s formation, the ISF, changes the political equations. Pirzada has made a statement, that they may consider joining hands with the LF-Congress combine. Being the biggest beneficiary of the minority voters’ benevolence in the last decade, the Trinamool would stand to lose the most by the new party.

TMC, to dismiss the new front as unimportant and inconsequential is similar to their response to desertions by several leaders, most of them switching over to BJP. Minorities have a right to be appropriately represented, not made to run with a carrot on a stick, with high poll assurances and low fulfilment. The minorities have a right to represent themselves, fight the elections, and respect mainstream India and join in its growth with a positive mindset.

The description of the word ‘Secular’ from the Indian Secular Front, is an oxymoron. Those who tore their vocal cords, calling the BJP divisive and an intolerant religious party, are strangely quiet on the new party. The fear of further alienating the minorities could deepen the wound and increase the electoral slides for anyone daring to cross their path.

Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix

Netaji-125!

There can be no other name as revered and as mysterious as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose of West Bengal. His commandeering the Indian National Army and fighting the British, his daring escape from a house arrest by the British or his meeting with world leaders opposed to the British are part of folklore in every household. Equally bizarre has been his sudden disappearance from an apparent air crash, never seen or heard again. The British had declared him as a war criminal, and there was a bounty for his head.

I had recently written about the three ‘National greats’ of Bengal, Swami Vivekananda, Tagore and Netaji. Not all may be spiritual or appreciative of poetry, but every Bengali was patriotic and had a genetic hatred for rulers. Netaji, fighting the British seventy-five years ago and remaining in the Bengalis and Indians’ hearts is no surprise. It makes no difference to many Bengalis, who dismiss the fact that Netaji would have been 125 years of age had he been alive today, still hoping that he is alive and could make a dramatic comeback.

Netaji was side-lined and shunned until now, when political parties, both the Trinamool and the BJP, fought a bitter battle to claim the hero’s true legacies. It is no wonder, as the polls are just around the corner and celebrating Netaji will strike the right chord with Bengal’s emotions.

The BJP took the pole position by announcing a glorious celebration on the 23rd January, the birthday of Netaji, naming the day ‘Parakrama day.’ Parakrama could mean a mix of strength, might and prowess and like.  The Central government also formed a committee, which also featured Mamata Banerjee and Sourav Ganguly, besides many central leaders both from the ruling and the opposition.

Not to be undone, Mamata also formed a West Bengal committee and named the day “Desh Nayak Diwas,” or National Hero Day. She demanded that the day be declared a holiday, which I guess none heeded to. The TMC parliamentarians have demanded that documents in the classified files of Netaji be released in the public domain. Successive Union governments have skirted away from the issue in the last seven decades.

The BJP has now dropped a bomb, renaming Victoria Memorial Hall after either Netaji or his Azad Hind Fauj (The INA army) which fought the British. The left front government too suffered from all thing British, and the VMH was not excepted. When I had gone to invite for my photo exhibition at the VMH, I recall the then CM quipping that he had never stepped into the museum. In fact, with a sense of mischief, the State had replaced Lord Curzon’s statue replacing it with Saint Aurobindo with nymphs all around and the saint with his back to Queen Victoria.

The BJP hit back recently with naming the Kolkata Port Trust after Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, a rightwing leader and bête noire for other political parties. PM Modi had named an island in Andamans after Netaji and had included a few INA veterans during the R.Day parade. ‘The Trinamool ignoring Netaji for nine years and engaging in celebrating the hero is a cheap poll gimmick,’ the BJP chided.

True celebration is when the Centre celebrates the hero together with the State.

Jai Hind!

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix

The new India-America chapter!

Like the rest of the world, India forgot its various pains as it watched the inauguration of the Biden-Harris U.S. Presidential team with a renewed interest. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become close to Obama on a one-to-one basis, which fortunately continued with Donald Trump. Modi’s aggressiveness matched with the less diplomatic and a no-nonsense Donald Trump, both of them on the same page on a crucial issue, that of keeping China under check.

The closeness between the two leaders had become a point of envy with our political opposition, who never lost any opportunity to taunt the relationship like our adversaries Pakistan and China. In the event ‘Howdy Modi,’ at the NRG Stadium in Houston, an excited Modi breaking into a loud chant “ab ki bar Trump Sarkar,’ meaning, ‘this time too it shall be Trump again.’ The overflowing stadium with Indians roared back in affirmation to a beaming Trump.  I had a bit of uneasiness; what if Trump doesn’t get re-elected? Would Biden forget the diplomatic faux pas of a foreign leader directly influencing the American voters?

Trump lost, and Biden won to lead the U.S. as its 46th President as my fears were proved right. Modi will have to recreate his image undoing his overt political allegiance to a President who left under questionable conditions and facing impeachment. 

Modi will also have to redraw an exhaustive wish list that would cover revoking the Trump era visa curbs, resumption of the Generalized System of Preferences on Indian exports costing us the U.S. $ 6 billion annually.

India would also wish an assurance against U.S. sanctions for our acquisition of the S-400 Triumf Russian missiles. Our list must also include a closer co-operation while combating the Chinese aggression at our borders and in our seas. The U.S. must secure India a seat in the United Nation’s Security Council. The U.S. must keep Pakistan under check and ensure security on our western borders, which will become restive due to Afghanistan’s American withdrawal.

It is ideal for the U.S., the oldest democracy and India, the largest democracy to join hands to help establish a new world order, a world of peace, growth and prosperity. We can only achieve our dream of a $ 5 Trillion economy with the active support of the U.S. I hope both Modi and Biden will carry our dreams forward.

Our best wishes for the 46th President of America, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., Vice President Kamala Harris and a huge team of twenty-one Indian Americans in the Presidential team. Together we shall make the world safer and secure to live.

Sampath Kumar

Intrépide Voix