Delhi is not the problem, its NCR!

Over the last few weeks, there has been a sudden outcry against the critical pollution levels in Delhi. The Delhi government has come up with multiple plans that may have far ranging impact on the situation. The most controversial of these is the odd- even formula where citizens would be allowed to use their cars only for odd/ even days as per their number plate. In addition to this, the government has promised to take multiple other steps to curb the pollution.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this time indeed is desperate for Delhi. However, the odd- even formula can at best be a short term emergency measure. Till the time the city develops a comprehensive network of public transport, and by comprehensive I mean safe and reliable last mile transport, a plan like this will fall in the first few weeks. There are many exceptions that can be applied to the above and most have been endlessly debated on the media, primarily around safe transport for women and elderly and occasional use. Also, it may promote the use of additional cars for people who can afford it, thereby beating the whole purpose.

I take exception to this plan because I feel that the plan hits on the issue from the top. At the bottom of the issue lies the landlocked territory of Delhi surrounded by the most polluted areas of Faridabad & Gurgaon (Haryana), and Noida & Ghaziabad (UP). The last wave of cleanup in Delhi saw polluting industries being shunted out of Delhi into these suburbs that have now become independent industry clusters.

These cities are consistently ranked amongst the most polluted places in India ( seehttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Ahmedabads-air-2nd-worst-Faridabad-tops-the-list/articleshow/47142739.cms,http://cpcb.nic.in/divisionsofheadoffice/ess/Faridabad.pdf, andhttp://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/industries-polluting-groundwater-hc-flak-for-ghaziabad-dm-pollution-board/ Since most of these places are beyond the control (and eyes) of the government in Delhi, the increased checks in Delhi will not amount to much if these cities are allowed to go unchecked.

Take Kaushambi as an example, the former residence of the current Delhi CM. It is separated from Delhi by half a road, but instead of CNG rickshaws in Delhi, Kaushambi makes do with the archaic "Vikrams" that mostly run on a concoction of diesel and kerosene (because its cheaper) ferrying people to the suburban areas of Vaishali, Vasundhara, Indrapuram and Mohan Nagar. Add to this, around 1,000 small scale, poorly monitored industrial units in the area (including Sahibabad) plus the 20,000-odd trucks that pass by on NH 24 and the SH 57 every night. This past April, the PM10 reading for Kaushambi was 342 µg/m3 whereas on the same day, the Mandir Marg reading was 132 µg/m3. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/on-delhis-edge-a-township-of-25000-more-toxic-than-delhi/#sthash.Jv1jCWlF.dpuf

This is the story of a township that literally shares the boundary wall with Delhi. Go further deep into the suburbs of NCR, and the pollution levels, not just air, are extremely high. Add to this, the burning of crops in Punjab and Haryana and winter fog, there is little that any measure promulgated by the Delhi government can do.

To improve the air and water quality of Delhi, we will have to take the entire NCR under one umbrella. The NGT for example would need to come up with strict laws regarding industrial emission and waste, regarding use of diesel vehicles for private use and regarding crop burning and disposal. Only when Delhi restrictions find their way to these bustling suburbs will we be able to comprehensively tackle the problem. Anything less will just be window dressing for the moment.

Why India Should Give Up Claim On Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir

Earlier this year, Pakistan raised the issue of India building a wall along the LOC in the UN Security Council. Pakistan said that India has plans to "convert the LoC into a "quasi international border". According to the Security Council resolution of 1948, J&K is recognised as a disputed territory with both Pakistan and India laying claim to it. Adding to this mix is the Kashmiri populace, some of whom are advocating a separate state.

The area, in general, has been referred to as a potential flashpoint between two nuclear powered nations with one post-nuclear conventional war fought between the two countries in 1999 -- Bill Clinton famously referred to this area as the most dangerous place in the world.

Declaring the LoC as an international border will end the disputed status of Kashmir in both the countries.

The problem with the current arrangement is that the LoC is not a recognised international border. Pakistan lays claim to the entire Kashmir region in accordance with the Pakistan Declaration of 1933, while India cites the instrument of succession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir during partition. Both the countries control roughly half of the disputed territory with the Aksai Chin area under Chinese control. Despite the Simla Accord, where both countries accepted the demarcation, the LoC is not an internationally recognised border.

This state of confusion pushes both parties to keep their claim on all of Kashmir alive. Pakistan openly supports the Hurriyat Conference, a self-styled "separatist" organisation. The Hurriyat, in turn, does not let the Valley return to normalcy. They do not have any legitimate claim to be the leaders of the Valley except for the fact that they provide money believed to be drawn from various sources in the fight against India.The BJP government has tried to keep the Hurriyat at bay by questioning their legitimacy and trying to prevent them from meeting with the Pakistani leadership. However, it does not stop them from fomenting trouble in the Valley.

To look for long-term peace and prosperity in the Valley, the Indian government should relinquish its claim on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. This would put international pressure on Pakistan to give up the counter claim on the Indian territory. As it is, even though a Parliament resolution proclaims all of Kashmir as Indian, India will never attempt to take over PoK forcibly (for fear of a nuclear reprisal), and to expect a peaceful surrender is a day dream. Declaring the LoC as an international border will end the disputed status of Kashmir in both the countries.

In a stroke, it will also remove any legitimacy that the Hurriyat enjoys in Kashmir since Pakistan will have to endorse Indian sovereignty over the existing J&K. The Hurriyat leadership enjoys close ties with Pakistan with many of their family members living in the neighbouring country. A change in Pakistan's stance would force the Hurriyat to blend in to the new system to gain legitimacy. They would have to fight the elections that they have been boycotting for the last many years. The terrorist organisations operating in the Valley will also have to rethink their fight since they will no longer be able to get funding as mercenaries of freedom.

In a stroke, it will also remove any legitimacy that the Hurriyat enjoys in Kashmir since Pakistan will have to endorse Indian sovereignty over the existing J&K.

What this would do for the Valley? Surely, the hopes of all independence-seekers in Kashmir would be dashed, but the idea of a small landlocked independent nation between three nuclear powers is a non-starter. Kashmir does not have any economic/military strength of its own that would help it to keep its own. As for Kashmiris being divided, they have and will always be divided under the current arrangement. It is better for the people to be a part of either country and enjoy the growth that has been denied to them.

An assimilation of J&K into India followed by political normalcy in the state would allow industries to set up shop in the area. Youth, many of whom are unemployed and have no hopes for the future, will have access to opportunities and move towards creating a peaceful paradise. Trade relations between the two countries can open up and they can benefit from the smaller distances. Perhaps, travel restrictions can be lifted and people allowed to cross the border for work or meeting family.

If such an experiment succeeds, maybe India can do the same with the LAC in the Aksai Chin area to settle the long-standing border dispute with China along the entire eastern front.

The need for a new National Compensation Policy

In the aftermath of the Gurdaspur terror attack, the family of the slain Gurdaspur SP refused to cremate him until all his children were given high-ranking government positions. This was on top of the cash compensation announced by the state and the Centre. Then there was the case of a high-profile murder case in Delhi. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal  the Delhi CM announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakhs to the family, but politely refused when he was asked to award the same sum to other victims of murder.

The idea of a nation rests on its constituents believing in the concept of a state as bigger than a land mass. There is no other explanation why in a country like India, in the absence of a compulsory draft, youngsters voluntarily sign up for the armed forces and similar dangerous jobs.

A news item caught my attention recently. In the aftermath of the Gurdaspur terror attack, the family of the slain Gurdaspur SP refused to cremate him until all his children were given high-ranking government positions. This was on top of the cash compensation announced by the state and the Centre. Then there was the case of a high-profile murder case in Delhi. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal  the Delhi CM announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakhs to the family, but politely refused when he was asked to award the same sum to other victims of murder. Clearly, the lack of a national policy allows politicians to get into a game of oneupmanship depending on the media coverage an event receives.

Further in the list is the differential compensation to families of soldiers who die in the line of duty -- compensation for getting killed in a major attack is much higher than one for a lesser known ambush. In 2008, Minister of State for Defence admitted in the parliament that Kargil martyrs and those wounded in Operation Vijay received Rs 11.5 lakh more than those in other military operations. Again, this could be directly attributed to the amount of media attention the issue receives and the number of governing bodies involved.  Even here, in multiple cases, the widows of the soldiers received all the money leaving the parents in a state of misery.

In recent accidents, the Bihar government announced ex-gracia compensation of INR four lakh rupees to the next of kin of those killed in the April earthquake, whereas in the case of the recent train accident in MP, the next of kin were awarded a compensation of INR two lakh only. In both the cases, the victims died in their sleep for factors beyond their control.

This anomaly continues in another provision awarding jobs on compassionate grounds to families of government servants who die while in service. It is not required that the death of the person concerned was while rendering the service. Hence, even if someone dies at 59 of a heart attack, his family is often eligible to get a job on compassionate grounds. No such provision exists, however, for families of people working in the private sector. In 2012, the SC observed that "Appointment on compassionate grounds cannot be claimed as a matter of right. As a rule, public service appointments should be made strictly on the basis of open invitation of applications and merit."  However, that does not stop families from making such demands, primarily because a government job is still considered to be the most stable source of livelihood.

I believe that the government should base ex-gratia payments on a victim's potential future earnings, his/her age, as well as the level of negligence he/she suffered. Victims can, of course, seek legal recourse but the lengthy process deters many.

We need to study the system the USA followed after the 9/11 attacks. The US Congress set up a September 11th Victim Compensation Fund soon after the attacks. Payouts to families of the deceased were decided on a case-to-case basis, taking into consideration the economic losses suffered due to sudden death, the emotional burden it placed on the family of the victim as well as the worth of the family's existing collateral sources of income or insurance, with a minimum $500,000 for deceased with dependents. 

In India, the multiplicity of agencies and politicians on the prowl for populist measures only complicate matters. We need to create a new committee to study the various compensations (monetary/ employment/non-monetary) awarded in the last five years and highlight the differences. Then we need to create a framework for compensation in all possible scenarios. Such a system would lay clear guidelines for any compensation to be awarded and will mitigate the media factor to treat the loss of life/health as the same in all circumstances.

A nation is best if it treats all subjects equally, in front of or away from the spotlight.

Does Yogendra Yadav need to do a Sculley on Kejriwal!

Kejriwal's contribution to AAP cannot be ignored. Even though he relied on a team of selfless workers, the fact was that his deft leadership and courage. The Janlokpal movement that catapulted him and Anna Hazare into the national spotlight. Despite Anna Hazare being the symbolic head of the movement, he managed to get recognized as the master strategist behind the man.

Ideological differences led him to split with the original IAC team and go the politics way. Here, he brilliantly managed to amass a huge following in the national capital with a deft use of rhetoric and his anti establishment image.  With the congress government at the center falling into one trap after the other, the timing was perfect for AAP to launch into the Delhi elections. Shrewd mathematics, combined with a high degree of anti incumbency factors, led the AAP to a stupendous show that stole the BJP's thunder of sweeping all four states. And that is where the downfall started.

Even before a final tally was released, I heard Kumar Vishwas talking of Amethi and someone else branding Modi as the next target. The ruckus that followed saw AAP's biggest support base dwindling away, the BJP ending up as the biggest gainer. The lok sabha elections gave BJP a thumping majority, and Modi, riding on the plank of development came to the fore, decimating the "giant killers" of AAP, and all other parties in India.

Now the AAP rhetoric of anti corruption will not work, considering the new government has got down to task with Modi instructing officers/ ministers to work in a very corporate manner with fixed accountability and deliverable targets. However, Kejriwal seems to still be in a world of his own. Despite party founders leaving citing a lack of inner democracy, his only solution is that he shall personally oversee volunteers. For a party that has plans of going national, the chief hopes to personally oversee volunteers! The fact that in most of the seats where APP candidates fought, the NOTA option has got more votes than AAP proves that people do not see AAP as an alternative at all. Either they are seen to be like any other party, or they are perceived to be rabble rousers who cannot work. AAP lost the plot totally because one man wanted to be the Prime Minister.

In 1985, Apple had launched the Mac Office, that had bombed in the market. In Sculley's (then Apple CEO) words, the product was ridiculed as a toy, a victim of too much ambition for the relatively small amount of computing power available.(Link) However, Steve Jobs stayed adamant despite knowing nothing about running a company and despite the fact that Apple was constantly failing with new products. Sculley, with the board fired him. The time that Steve spent outside gave him a better perspective as also allowed the company to create a strong base on which, he could apply his vision when he returned and make Apple a masterpiece in the world.

That is the same problem with AAP and Arvind Kejriwal today, AAP is his baby, and he is not able to look beyond his vision (ambition). For him, what he thinks of AAP is what it should be, never mind the downward spiral. The devoted volunteers find themselves in a fix here. As they are done defending Kejriwal's actions, he takes a u-turn that the entire volunteer base now has to defend. AAP is a hope in the Indian political scenario. It is the party that stormed the drawing rooms of people who were hithertho oblivious to their political surrounding. We have to stop the relapse of these people into the unconcerned category, and for that, the country needs AAP. Maybe not to govern, but to keep the governing class on its toes. 

Someone from the AAP leadership must take this initiative, and in my opinion it is Yogendra Yadav. He understands politics, has a clean record and is widely respected. He should steer the AAP on to a trajectory where it becomes a credible political voice, devoid of cynicism, and contributing to the country's positive growth. 

Chit b meri, pat b meri, sikka mere b”AAP” ka

I pride myself on being politically aware and active in a nation where it is still considered a dirty dungeon where no one wants to tread. Hence, I was genuinely happy, when the masses in Delhi turned out to vote for the Assembly elections. Notwithstanding the fact that most voters did not know who they were voting for except that it was an AAP candidate. It was a red flag, but I ignored it, thinking it to be the start and that, it may hold the key to change.

I had genuinely not hoped that AAP would get more than 10 seats- that I guessed were enough to keep the ruling (sic) BJP and the other opposition (Congress) on its toes, as AAP would make a fantastic opposition. The results proved me wrong and horribly so- horrible because I know what a fractured mandate can do- (At the national level) we have all seen it in ‘96-’99 and even now, when vested interests decide major policies. The congress promptly tried to corner AAP in a difficult spot, and AAP fell for it- after a high voltage drama.

I am going to list out in numbers my problems with the entire thing for ease of discussion. AAP members, as I have observed, do not answer questions directed at them, but try to take it on a whole lot “holier than thou” level.

1. AAP asked Congress and BJP for BLIND support on 18 points: Anyone who is remotely familiar with legislative process knows that any law comes into force after a lot of debate, our constitution also provides for the same - LS>RS> back to LS for verifying changes and vice versa. Sure, it does take time, but it also ensures that no one is above a collectively empowered parliament. Or else, the Gandhis would have by now declared India a Gandhian sovereign territory piggybacking on their sycophants. By asking for blind support on legislations/ decisions, many of whom were not even presented, AAP was trying to undermine a constitutional consultative process. What if a BJP legislator had a point to be included/ removed from the AAP version of Janlokpal/ Mohalla samitis?

2. Lies and more lies: Since the very start, we have been witnessing a slew of lies from AAP’s stable. I will not even talk about not joining politics, not taking congress support, not in Lok Sabha fray etc. But it gets embarrassing when Kejriwal brings out a letter from the Ugandan embassy and it is found to be a dated internal memo. Our position in the world suffers due to such antics.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/mea-calls-bluff-support-letter-cm-waved-is-7-months-old-internal-ugandan-note/

3. VIP culture: Yes we are all sick of it, but Mr Kejriwal- the 4000 policemen deployed for your dharna today were part of someone’s security. You might well say that you didn’t ask for it, but the fact is if something went wrong, you would have come out clean saying that Delhi police is not under my control.

As for a house and security, enough has been said already. Im sure great leaders like Lal Bahadur Shashtri and Atal Behari Vajpayee did live in official bungalows, did use official cars, but never did we associate them with extravagance. On the other hand, I know many MP’s who use the MP shuttle (a Maruti Versa van that seats 6 MPs at one time) in the mornings to reach the parliament, and never did they publicise their austerity.

More important than the above, as we can see in the video attached here, the AAP workers are threatening the police saying- “Ap MLA ko marenge?” Surely something is amiss- because in the hurry of fielding 800 candidates, you are enrolling everyone into the party. Is there a common thread- NO?

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/aap-leaders-shout-at-cops-allege-supporters-are-being-detained-beaten-up/306071

4. Statesmanship: The moment AAP’s government was sworn in, they ceased to be a movement and joined the executive. You may surely be angry at the way the system runs, but that is no excuse for saying “Main in policewalo ko dekh lunga?” (AK said this in the interview with Rajdeep Sardesai) The Delhi Police may have its share of issues, but in my opinion, it is still one of the better managed forces. Disagree- try living in Gurgaon/ Ghaziabad, and you will know what I am talking about.

AK demanded suspensions/ transfers of 5 top police officers on account of non performance- meaning they weren’t registering cases on the basis of audio clips. Try taking one such case to a court and see how it falls. The result: The two honest officers that AK wanted to be posted to the ACB went to the governor and refused the appointment. Demoralizing your honest officers is not going to help.

http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/cm-scales-down-demand-officers-refuse-to-join-acb/

5. Saving your ministers even when they are wrong: I understand the point about your ministers being accessible to the people, but in these cases, they were clearly on the wrong- the law does not  permit the police to barge into anyone’s house, when there are women present. The day you authorise such actions on oral orders, you become another SP in a rural town, where the local minister can dictate the police actions.

Instead of taking actions against your ministers- you go on a televised drama using the rape case of a Danish girl, and your minister twice- against the law -spurts out the names of victims.

6. The last- biting more than you can chew- Even before any concrete work on Delhi has been delivered, the entire brass is busy making claims/ plans about the national election. It will be difficult to get 800 clean and capable candidates in a short period of time, especially when the party has no central ideology to bind people together. So, instead of expanding like Mallya did, be prudent and evolve a central ideology. Anti corruption can not be an ideology, there are many examples of partly corrupt nations that are doing pretty well in the world, for themselves and for their people. Get a backbone, and stick to it.

AAP has become a consortium of smug people, and a borrowed quote summarises it - “Subah ka corrupt agar shaam ko AAP me aa jaye to usey corrupt nahi kehte” My advice would be to take your mandate seriously before the people who voted you in, throw you into oblivion.

Let’s give AAP a chance, we have nothing to lose

I personally do not agree with AK’s “My way or the highway” mentality, nor do I believe that the Lokpal/ Janlokpal is the magic wand to clear all woes of the country. My views on this are already here- http://random-seriousness.blogspot.in/2011/09/why-janlokpal-will-die-silent-death.html  But as the polling day nears, I find myself increasingly wishing that AAP makes a dent, and a big one at that, in the BJP’s and the Congress’ vote share, and by extension, their bloated egos.

Politics today has become a huge melting pot of sorts, with everyone from corrupt journalists to young IAS’ aiming to join the nexus of power and money. During independence, the Sikhs decided to stay with a predominantly Hindu nation because they had a “roti-beti ka rishta” i.e. a culture of intermarriage and common eating. This amazing culture that saved a nation once has now turned into a disaster. Giving your daughter to someone was a mark of the absolute trust placed in each other. Cut to today, it’s not difficult to see instances of BJP/Congress leaders’ marrying their daughters into wealthy corporate houses, or even worse, into each other’s houses. This undying trust cuts across party and even ideological lines and is bound by a common love for money and power.

My home state Uttrakhand was founded on the premise of focused governance for the hill folk.  Over the years, people realised that the only reason politicians supported this was to ensure a greater number of red beacons in the state. I’m sure Uttrakhand today is the only state where there are greater numbers of red beacon vehicles in the state than the total MLA seats, both sides combined. The state of a department is inversely proportional to the size of the houses of the involved officers. It’s not uncommon to find small government officers (Net salary <50000 pm) living in huge mansions worth crores of rupees. Even the young IAS’ (The IIT-IAS types) have not been able to arrest this. In fact they are the ones colluding to increase this menace. It’s not hidden from anyone thata serving IIT educated IAS officer was found with Rs. 4 crore cash in his car that crashed killing him. That he was an IAS made sure that this story never made the headlines. Last year, a capable party founded and led by ex- Army/ IAS/ Doctors was in the election fray. They hoped to trounce the BJP and get the state in order. The end result- all participants lost their deposit, and the “Uttrakhand Raksha Morcha” as it was called fizzled out. The congress BJP combine continued on their path to plunder, this time under a Congress regime headed by an ex High court judge who had to resign on corruption charges.

That’s what I fear in Delhi- if the AAP loses, the entire honesty brigade will fizzle out, and people will return to their lives with the same slogan- Iss desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta. A win here will prompt a nationwide revolution against the current brand of politics and in the long term- that’s what we want. It will also prompt the Congress and the BJP to get their houses in order, and work towards genuine political work. To those who say that AAP doesn’t have the required experience- I would say it’s not difficult to gain that while working- especially when the leaders have some experience in the government. Anyways, we have nothing to lose. Delhi being a Union Territory - even matters as trivial as law and order are not under the state government. The presence of the Central Government here as also the powerful Municipal Corporations leaves little for the state government to mismanage. On the positive- the city is a beacon for the entire country and a change here will lead to a change everywhere. 

So personal differences aside- I call on everyone to give AAP a chance, let’s see what they bring on the table. Im sure honesty is one, and in today's world of Icons falling everyday, that may turn out to be the Sanjeevani Booti.

We as a nation

Its not the first time that I was hearing this: Iss desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta. But this time it was different. It was not coming from another cubicle bound software engineer, but from someone who left the green meadows to plough the fields back home. A dear friend, who left the relative ease of the corporate world to join scores of aspirants shuttling in and out of various coachings chasing the elusive dream called IAS, was now leaving the country to contribute to the brain drain that we so eloquently talk about.

I sat down to think, what are we doing wrong as a nation. A friend recently told me that in order to become successful, two full generations of a country have to slog hard in difficult times. He cited China, Japan, even Thailand as examples. True! but then which are the two generations that would have to take this mantle. Is it ours. Yes, if not entirely. Our grandparents really did not know how to handle the newly found independence. They did not have the benefit of hindsight, nor was there the money and the expertise of technology. Our fathers did, in some measure have the benefits. Our generation, blissfully has the advantage of technology. An advantage, that belies all other disadvantages we may have as a nation (with the possible exception of internet speed). To be true, I am sometimes amazed looking at the various memes floating on the net. We have exactly the same tastes, preferences, and knowledge as any other of our generation in any country. That is the power of globalization. We can acquire as much knowledge and expertise as required within the comfort of our chairs. I'm not discounting the power of globetrotting, and global education- Im sure it's in my list of to  do's in life as well. But to leave your home country in disgust with an aim to settle abroad surely is a warning bell.

So why are our countrymen turning into people cynical of everything- the corporations, the government, the lowers, the uppers. Just today I read an elaborate article in Open that talked about foreign funding of NGOs and how they are potentially harmful to the country.  Notwithstanding the awesome results from the stable of NGOs of the likes of MKSS, PRS, TERI and CSE- we are still skeptical.  However, where the country should be skeptical, we remain silent. I remember a  dialogue from the movie Oh My God, where one of the priests says-"The problem with people is that they are not God loving, they are God fearing"- They look for ways to please god, in order to get on with life.

Apply the same to our people. We want messiahs or people who would deliver us from all the wrongs in the society. RG may have no idea about the politics of the country- but look at people in the villages, for them he is what will deliver them from their misery. Modi's biggest supporters claim he will ensure transparency/ accountability. What they forget is that bulk of the system will remain comprised of the same people. Palm greasing is and will remain the norm till the people change their minds. A ruthless administrator cannot keep a check on 125 billion people.

Similarly, what we lack is the followup- I can point out certain instances where our anger vanished as soon as the story was off air:

• Anna hazare: All those who were roaming around with "I am Anna" caps last year won't even know where the bill is stuck today.
• Coalgate: The companies are functioning as usual, raking in the moolah
• Helicopter Scam: No body has yet asked the question- What was the Indian government doing all along?
• Vadragate: Last known, he has even got huge land tracts in Rajasthan at throwaway prices (mis)using the National Solar Policy- the BJP is quiet for some reason, and so is the press!
• Italian marines: Went home for Christmas, and will now go home to vote. No chargesheet filed.
• Kudankulam: The brouhaha over, nobody knows the state and fate of the project
• Leave these old timers: I recently read in the papers about the Delhi Rape Case- the victim's friend, who had pointed fingers at the police earlier, now says the police did a good job. Nobody raises a question, and the entire Jantar Mantar attendance is sipping coffee in the cold Delhi winters.

It is such lack of followups that makes the country weaker by the day. Such leaders know it will be a 10 day hoopla over issues, post which they can resume their vote bank politics, the nepotism, and the siphoning off of public money to last an eternity.

I wrote this earlier, but till the point all of us become responsible enough  to ask tough questions, to follow it up with actionable inputs and make this country a better place to be in, we will continue to see the despair in the eyes of the generation that is responsible to make this country a superpower. That invariably, will contribute to the best brains going abroad, and our country being ruled by dumb and corrupt people for atleast another generation- and probably we will miss the bus again!