Police State Coming to India …?

Big Brother - Coming soon to India!

Sixty years should have been sufficient to get over being a ‘subject’ of the state, and to attain citizenship. The state is sovereign vis-à-vis other states, but within the country it is the people who are sovereign. All this, however, becomes empty talk when the people have to report to the state about who they marry, when they move house and where, what jobs they do, how much they earn, where they travel, what their pattern of expenditure is, and who they live with. And to make tracking easier, there are the fingerprints and the photograph.

The NPR is not an exercise undertaken under the Census Act 1948. It is being carried out under the Citizenship Act of 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules 2003. Why should that matter? Because there is an express provision regarding `confidentiality’ in the Census Act, which is not merely missing in the Citizenship Act and Rules but there is an express objective of making the information available to the UID Authority, for instance, which marks an important distinction between the two processes. Section 15 of the Census Act categorically makes the information that we give to the census agency “not open to inspection nor admissible in evidence.” The Census Act enables the collection of information so that the state has a profile of the population; it is expressly not to profile the individual. (via The Hindu : Opinion / Leader Page Articles : Implications of registering, tracking, profiling).

Gurus … and chela

The Cabinet Rank is a dubious distinction, Shri Nilekani! (Cartoon - Outlook).

The democratic West, citadels of freedom, protectors of individual rights, at the vanguard of modernization and progress have the largest number of prisoners in the world. USA, with a prison population of 2 million, is a world-leader in prison population.

What is the difference between a ‘banana republic’ where people disappear – and in the Anglo-Saxon Bloc which has the world’s largest prison population?

Maybe, my being from a backward country, stops me from understanding this great ‘progress’ that these countries seemed to have made! Large data-banks store massive DNA, finger-print, financial, geographical, employment, litigation records. The world leaders in these practices are UK and the USA.

Can India be far behind.

Asuras and Mayas

The Indian Government has initiated a similar project. The UID project, under a info-tech Czar – Nandan Nilekani. What this project will do is create ‘maya’ – an ‘asuric’ illusion of a ‘caring State’, of an ‘efficient’ government, a ‘vision’ of an ‘effective welfare system’.

Above all it will create a logic and raison d’etre for a bloated and rampant Government. And that will be Nandan Nilekani’s job. So, while Nandan Nilekani for years, has been proposing ‘lesser government’, he will now be in the vanguard of creating a BIGGER Government.

What more! I am sure Nandan can see this. He is smart.

Small police force – Indic instinct or a matter of means

Sorry. We just noticed you

Wishing that this will be a benign system or used for benign purposes, may be wishful thinking! India has for long been a unique society with low prison populations, low police-to-population ratios, low-to-average crime rates, high gun ownership, low death penalty rates.

Is this the beginning of the end?

Related articles

• NYT: India scans 2.4 billion eyes – and future (msnbc.msn.com)
• India’s Way: With National Database, India Tries to Reach the Poor (nytimes.com)

The Supply of Justice – Indira Rajaraman

The Great Brown Indian State has become a land grabber

The replacement of indigenous systems of justice by the colonial British system of jurisprudence radically reshaped the structure of property and other rights in the country. The implications of this implant in the legal landscape continue to be explored in a large literature by historians and economists.Painstaking surveys of the topography of the land were a necessary underpinning of the new legal system. The initial cadastral surveys performed more than one hundred years ago remain the basis for land rights to this very day. The new legal structure spawned a class of Indian lawyers who functioned as its gatekeepers for a bewildered population, and earned fabulous wealth by so doing. Ironically, some members of this class, Motilal Nehru prominent among them, ploughed their wealth into the movement for the eviction of the colonial government, the very means of their enrichment. (via Indira Rajaraman: The Supply of Justice).

The indigenous system

Going by official accounts and history, India did not have any system of justice before the Colonial Raj. The modern Indian State has eagerly embraced the Desert Bloc system of justice, law and legality. Indian people and Indic systems have been neglected and excluded by the Indian State. The Indian State is becoming a captive of Big Business and the Big State – and to keep Indians quiet, it is throwing crumbs and bones (like NREGA) at us.

It is good that parts of the ‘establishment’ do remember that there existed an indigenous system of justice, law and legality – which pre-dated the colonial system. It is a radically different system.

The Great Indian Land Grab continues

The Indian State must resist this temptation!

The Indian peasant was the first and the only peasant in the world to own his property – till ‘Desert Bloc’ rulers started a 800 year trend of ‘landgrab’. Yes. India does need to re-visit ‘general governance’! We need traditional governance – and not the ‘modern’ colonial baggage, that India has not discarded. We need to give back the lands that were grabbed from the poor Indian peasant and the poor Indian tribal.

And it would serve India very well.

Britain – phuski or phoenix

It has been like this in the UK for 70 years now!

With just about two months left before the expected election date of May 6, the outcome is impossible to predict. A Tory majority, a minority Labour government, or a split Parliament with the third-party Liberal Democrats holding the swing votes are all viable scenarios. The markets have a jittery season ahead of them. (via In Britain, a Rout Turns into a Race – BusinessWeek).

At the edge of the precipice!

Last time around, in the stagflation of 1970s, as the low-exchange rates era in Europe ended, in the post oil-shock world of 1973, Britain inched to the edge of precipice of becoming a Third World economy. It was North Sea Oil that saved Britain. What will it be this time? Britain’s options are shrinking.

The Great Squeeze

Between 1930-1940, Britain was in a similar position, electorally and economically. Churchill, Montagu Norman executed the Great Squeeze on the Indian Peasant. What will it be this time around?

On October 27th, 1931, the Ramsey Macdonald led “National” Government (Conservatives and Liberals coalition, fearful of the rising Labour Party) in Britain won a huge majority of 554 MPs of 615. The economic crisis of September (misnamed as the Indian Currency Crisis), ensuing Depression era problems in the US, the Weimar Republic problems – and other issues pushed this ‘National’ government to ram through a series of measures (page 130-131) that depressed silver and gold prices and raised interest rates in India.

Which way the wind blows

Will Scotland secede? Will North Sea Oil go away with Scotland? Will Britain be able to withstand a hung Parliament and a coalition Government? Italy, after WW2 and before 1993 electoral reforms, had nearly 60 Government changes in 47 years (1946-1993). Will Britain go the Italian pre-1993 coalition-era way? Rapid descent or a slow spiral.

Or an unlikely phoenix-like rise?

PS – Phuski is colloquial Hindi for damp squib

It’s raining gold for RBI and SAIL staff

RBI's increasing faith in gold ...?

the apex bank of India has decided to distribute 379 kg of gold, worth over Rs60 crore, among its employees. As a part of its platinum jubilee celebrations, the Reserve Bank of India RBI will reward all its employees, including the retired staffers, with a 10 gram gold coin each on April 1. In all 37,900 gold coins will be given away. (via It’s raining gold for RBI staff | Jaipur, Today News).

Change in heart?

It is touching to see RBI’s change of heart. RBI is being honest with its employees. Instead of doling out depreciating paper currency, RBI is depending on gold to deliver value to its employees. Sometime back SAIL, the public sector steel company similarly paid its employees in gold.

Atta boy! Go for gold!!

Redefining Kashmir, Pakistan – and India

Kashmir crushed by US and British attention (Zahoor's Cartoon: Daily Times).

former Pakistani foreign secretary Najamuddin Shiekh … said that Kashmir problem should be discussed and the back channel negotiation is a best option for resolving the decades-old issue but at the moment no one can say that Pakistan and India could make any progress to chalk out a plan for resolving the Kashmir issue.

Media reports suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP, India’s main opposition party, on Wednesday blamed the Indian government of setting up a “clandestine Kashmir agreement” with Pakistan.

During Indian Parliament Lok Sabha proceedings, BJP leader LK Advani blamed Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of organizing for a “clandestine” deal with Pakistan for secession of Indian- controlled Kashmir in the name of granting it autonomy. (via Talks between Pakistan and India face hurdles).

De-linking Kashmir

India tries to equal Pak? No wonder India is failing in Kashmir? (I don’t know why but both India and Pakistan are quite interested in anatomy; Cartoon - Greater Kashmir)

For many decades now, it has been article of faith with India to deny negotiations with Pakistan on Kashmir. India repeatedly asserts that Indo-Pak talks must be de-linked from Kashmir. A report in Times of India says.

“We cannot de-link regional peace from peace in Kashmir. we have highlighted this thinking in the world and will keep projecting it,” he said. Describing Kashmir as the “jugular vein” of Pakistan, the president said: “soon the time will come when the world will take important decisions regarding Kashmir”.

In yet another interview with an Indian TV channel, it was Pervez Musharraf, who was tom-tomming Kashmir. He said “I would like to put forward my hope, my hope being we reach peace, we reach an accord on Kashmir, that is my hope.” Similarly, it is the Pakistan’s Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said “New Delhi should engage itself in talks to resolve the Kashmir issue.”

Time magazine reports,

The buzz in New Delhi foreign policy circles is that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants peace with Pakistan to be the crowning achievement of his second term in office — just as the U.S.-India civilian nuclear deal was in the first. Pakistan, meanwhile, is looking for a settlement of its long fight with India over Kashmir, something that the U.S. believes is a key to long-term stability in the region, especially Afghanistan. (via India-Pakistan Talks: New Diplomacy on Kashmir, Terror? – TIME).

Setting the record straight

I wonder why India is always on the defensive when it comes to Kashmir. Indian diplomacy behaves as a thief who is caught in the act. A few base assumptions are in order: -

1. It was India that was partitioned – and Pakistan is an of-shoot of India. This partition was based on a tall claim made by some Muslim leaders that Muslims would be better taken care of by a separate Muslim State, ruled by Muslims.
2. India, reluctantly, agreed to this false claim and logic. Pakistan better deliver on that – sooner rather than later. Indian Muslims in Pakistan, and the ‘muhajirs’ who emigrated, had little choice, and have suffered – immensely. Pakistani leadership is responsible for the same. Otherwise, Pakistan’s has no reason to exist.
3. It is India which is responsible for de-colonization – and Pakistan did not even exist. It was Jinnah who said that he, his secretary and a type writer got Pakistan from India. Let us take Jinnah’s statement at its face value. Good for you. Now deliver.
4. For more than 5000 years, it is India which has taken care of people living in the modern definition of South Asia. India has agreed to include Kashmir in the Indian Union – and a few thousand ‘jihadis’ can change that.
5. If Pakistan has some part of Kashmir, it is fully accountable – to India, the people of India. Every Kashmiri life is a responsibility of the Indian Government – whether it is governed by Pakistan or India.
6. It is time that Pakistan is called to account – for every Kashmiri who is uncared for, has been left behind. It is time that India sets deadlines for Kashmir – and Pakistan must accept and meet those deadlines.

Kashmiris are Indians. No discussions, questions or arguments there.

An enigma, inside a puzzle wrapped in a mystery …

Kashmir remains an interesting complication – from a historical perspective. It was Muslim majority – so Pakistan could take a technical refuge under the Indian actions in Junagadh and Hyderabad. Since, it had a Muslim majority, Pakistan could lay claim to it.

While we violently bleed ...

In Kashmir, the Hindu king wanted to remain independent – and then changed his mind – and decided to join India. Popular leaders of Kashmir, like Sheikh Abdullah, also wanted Kashmir to be a part of India. Since, it had a Muslim majority, Pakistan wanted Kashmir to be a part of Pakistan. There was only one glitch.

The popular leader of Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullah refused to even meet up with Pakistani leaders. He wished for an autonomous Kashmir as a part of India. Pakistan, of course, disputes, if the Sheikh Abdullah represented the popular leadership of Kashmir. So, while all these discussions were going on, the Pakistani Government and Army, which still had a significant British component, decided to invade Kashmir. Thus, Kashmir was an issue that was created by British commanders of Indian and Pakistani armies – in 1948. Mountbatten was the Governor General of India at that time.

The Indian Government and Army, headed by Earl Mountbatten, at the invitation of Nehru, messed up this situation.British generals, Roy Bucher (India) and Douglas Gracey (Pakistan) were the commanders-in-chief, succeeding generals Rob Lockhart and Frank Messervy, respectively. Pakistan occupied half of Kashmir. India rushed to the UN – a mistake. UN asked both armies to freeze – which they did. And there they remain – frozen from 1948. All in all, the Kashmir issue is colonial detritus – which both India and Pakistan have not been able to jettison.

History told, let us get on with what needs to be done.

Good cop … bad cop routine – a two-step tango

Lets us not fall for this dumb games …

A patronizing Milliband visited India and his remarks which must have gladdened many a jihadi hearts. A few days  after 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, Condoleeza Rice came calling. Her remarks must have made a few jihadi hearts go black with rage.
Lets us not fall for this dumb games …
This is a good ‘ole’ good-cop-bad-cop routine. India and Pakistan would be dumb to fall for this. We should stop wasting time in engaging with these terminally declining societies. We must get up and get going.

Little choice there.

Kashmir …

It costs Arundhati Roy nothing, sitting comfortably on her half-a-million royalty, with her fangs deep into Indian media, to suggest that India consign another 2 crore (twenty million) Kashmiris into the Pakistani hell. Based on terrorist activities of some 2000 jihadis.

Look .. Who's talking?

If a client state of the US is fomenting terrorism, by using about 4000-5000 people does not mean that the Indian State will shove nearly 25 million Kashmiris into Pakistani maw.

Kashmiris first paid a price for Britain’s imperial designs. Now, this time, Kashmiri-Indians are paying a price, all over again, for US policy failures?

The US misadventure into Afghanistan follows the earlier US decision to convert Peshawar into an arms bazaar. The entire Afghan-Pakistani tribal area has become a battle ground for a civil war. If the US is serious about Pakistan and Afghanistan, let them just leave the sub-continent. Stop playing off one against the other. Pakistan too, needs to grow up. They need to get out of the US orbit.

We can and will solve our problems.

Let’s do the numbers

Indian police has a superb network of ‘humint.’ But, they need more than that – for neutralizing terror.

There are finally less than 1000 SIMI + HuJI activists who could be future terrorists. There are a similar 1000 Kashmiri terrorists. What India needs to do, is to set up a national database on these 1000 suspects – allot (say) teams of 5 policemen each to these 1000 suspects.

Monitoring the activities of the 1000 suspects cannot be a national pastime. With neural networks and similar ‘intelligent’ systems, India police should be able to improve their ‘intelligence.’

Worse than Kumbhakaran …

It is said in the Ramayana that Kumbhakaran woke up twice a year to eat and drink. And went back to sleep promptly after his eating and drinking.

The Abdullah clan is not worried about Kashmiris in POK. The Muftis could not care less. The Indian Government, all our political parties (in alphabetical order – BJP, Communists, Congress,  Kashmiri political outfits) seem to doing one better. In the last 25 years, I have never heard a squeak from anyone about the state of Indians under the Pakistani heel.

Or is it Pakistani hell.

Ode to a Grecian Urn

So broke ... and so little glue?

Leaders of the 16-nation euro region endorsed a Franco- German proposal for a mix of IMF and bilateral loans at market interest rates, while voicing confidence that Greece won’t need outside help to cut Europe’s biggest budget deficit.“It’s an extremely clear political message,” European Union President Herman Van Rompuy told reporters after the leaders met in Brussels late yesterday. “It’s a mixed mechanism but with Europe playing the dominant role. It will be triggered as a last resort.”

After objecting to a possible IMF intrusion on the $12 trillion euro-region economy, the ECB endorsed the package, with President Jean-Claude Trichet saying that European governments will remain in control of the process.Trichet, who told France’s Public Senat television earlier that surrendering control to the IMF would be “very, very bad,” held his own press conference after the summit to revise the comments. (via EU Steers Greece to IMF, Pledges Loans in Last-Resort Update1 – BusinessWeek).

The genesis

On January 9, Standard & Poor’s announced that Greece, Spain and Ireland were on review for a possible downgrade, indicating that a Euro-zone country could default. The Greek situation acquired some urgency, as redemptions are due soon. Greece cannot be left to fend for itself, without reducing the credibility of the EU among its own member states – and may turn out to be the acid test for the EU and the Euro. But EU-Zone economy is contracting now for the last 18 months.

Enter IMF

Britain and Sweden are suggesting that IMF is better suited to handle the Greek situation – rather than the ECB. Germany and France, being the economic and political leaders of the Euro-pride brigade, are worried about IMF entry into Europe.

The gross debt (government, private, corporate) of the Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, UK, US are all above 200% – going upto more than 1000% in case of Ireland.