Dear Harsh, Thanks for the post.
The edit by the DNA is quite a sensible one. The Telegraph and the Deccan Herald are also not too bad. Other editorials are essentially expressing their horrors at a Chief Minister continuing to be an "activist" - in other words, indulging in street politics mobilising the common public. I've my own strong reservations about the AAP role in the current episode, but I can in no way share the sense of horror articulated by the spokespersons of the "established order" at a Chief Minister indulging in street politics. Just to put the record straight, my own views are as under. Quote Four issues have got stitched together. One, whether the Delhi state government should have control over the Delhi police? Two, whether its proper for a Chief Minister to take part and lead a street agitation? Three, whether a minister has the right in indulge in racist and sexist violence - both verbal and physical? Four, whether a minister is right in forcing the police officials to follow his/her diktats regardless of the legal provisions? Given the fact that Delhi is the capital of the country with the Parliament, the Central ministries, the headquarters of the armed forces and the Supreme Court having been located there, the issue number one calls for wider debates and discussions. Following which the parliament should decide keeping the opinion of the Delhi legislature in view. As regards the issue number two, it is quite legitimate for an elected representative of the people, as the Chief Minister is, to lead people in street agitations for just causes if such need arises. That's a part of the democratic mandate. The answer to the third and fourth question is a firm NO. The call to the Delhi Police - in a way echoing JP, is, however, deeply problematic, specially coming from a Chief Minister. Unquote Sukla On 22 January 2014 04:02, Harsh Kapoor <aiin...@gmail.com> wrote: > [Posted below are editorials or reports dated 21-22 Jan 2014, from The > Hindu, DNA, Financial Times, Times of India, Hindustan Times and The > Telegraph ] > > The Hindu, January 22, 2014 > > Editorial > > The antics of a Chief Minister > > Until reason prevailed, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not > merely sitting in dharna in Delhi, he was also toying with the > people’s trust and endangering their hopes for an alternative form of > politics and administration. By holding the city to ransom until he > called it off last evening, he was violating the mandate of those who > voted for his party in the belief that he would place the public > interest above political posturing. And by making the patently > unjustified demand that police officers who refused to comply with his > Minister’s illegal orders be suspended, he was undermining the rule of > law. It is strange that he should be defending vigilantism by his > Ministers. The drama began last week when Ministers in the AAP > government embarked on law enforcement, in a fit of > self-righteousness, against purported prostitution and drug-peddling. > In one instance, their target was a group of Ugandan women, who were > detained, vilified and forced to give urine samples, with groups of > vigilantes hovering nearby. Forgotten here was the fact that Indian > law does not permit arbitrary search and seizure, especially involving > women in the dead of the night. Delhi’s Law Minister Somnath Bharti > demonstrated astonishing ignorance of the fact that the law on immoral > trafficking aims to rescue and protect victims of trafficking, and not > to capture them. The External Affairs Ministry had to assure diplomats > from African countries that the incident was an aberration, and not to > be viewed as an instance of how the country treats African nationals. > Surprisingly, the police are yet to proceed against Mr. Bharti; nor > has Mr. Kejriwal thought it fit to drop him from his Cabinet. > > Mr. Kejriwal sought to give a veneer of political legitimacy to his > absurd drama by raising the larger demand that the Delhi Police, now > under the Union Home Ministry, be made accountable to the Delhi > government, as he wants to ensure better security for the people of > Delhi. There is nothing new in this demand and it is hardly the kind > of issue for which the Chief Minister should plunge the city into > anarchy. Bringing the Delhi Police under the State government involves > amendments to the law and a process of calm negotiation. If at all > there is a political explanation for his actions, it is that Mr. > Kejriwal wants to invite the dismissal of his government, or at least > withdrawal of support by the Congress, so that he can face the Lok > Sabha election in the garb of a martyr. It was time he put his party > and his government on a proper course and called off the unseemly > agitation. A certain directness, simplicity and a move away from the > VIP culture did mark a welcome change, but Mr. Kejriwal should guard > against the new style degenerating into antics. > > o o o > > Daily News and Analysis > > Editorial: Failing a promise > > Jan 21, 2014 > > AAP came to power promising an alternative politics, but Somnath > Bharti's actions and the party's defence of them is not the way to go > about it. > > In the aftermath of Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti’s actions last > week, the escalating drama has rapidly created a situation where the > main issues at stake have become tangled to their detriment. And chief > minister Arvind Kejriwal’s protest outside Rail Bhavan — doubling down > in the standoff with the police and central government stemming from > last week — is further obfuscating them, creating a confused mix of > pertinent ends and faulty means. There are two main elements here. The > first is law and order for the capital being within the central > government’s purview rather than with the state administration. This > is an administrative oddity that serves no particular purpose, > undercuts the latter and enables police corruption and > ineffectiveness. AAP is not alone in arguing the point; former chief > minister Sheila Dikshit has spoken of this in the past, and so has the > BJP. The other element is the incident last week that catalysed the > current situation, and AAP’s continued backing of Bharti’s actions. > This is far more problematic. > > The criminal case now registered against Bharti and multiple accounts > of Wednesday night’s events have made this much clear: the manner in > which Bharti and his cohort compelled the Nigerian and Ugandan women > to be detained and subjected to medical tests was at best extra-legal, > and at worst an instance of mob justice. Neither did the law minister > appear to have a clear understanding of the limits of his authority — > or the police’s — when he harangued police officers for not following > his instructions and raiding a house he alleged was a hub of > prostitution and drug dealing. Laws preventing the authorities from > freely taking action against individuals on the basis of suspicion are > among the strongest barriers to state overreach. If the current > protest is predicated on the assumption that putting the Delhi police > under the state government’s control would compel it to fulfil AAP’s > demands, no matter the circumstances, it is a dangerous one. > > As troubling is the strong element of racism in the entire affair. > Bharti’s rhetoric hasn’t helped in this regard. When he warns that > foreigners will be tolerated only if they are “good people”, he is > employing a familiar rhetoric, that of groups like the Shiv Sena and > Bajrang Dal. And by accusing the BJP and the Congress of harbouring > pimps and supporting drug dealing and prostitution, he has employed > the crude tactics of mainstream parties where nuance is an ignored > concept and with-us-or-against-us polemics are the order of the day. > > AAP now faces a choice. There is legitimate anger in the capital > against its police force and racism against African nationals is an > unfortunately widespread sentiment. If Kejriwal chooses to tap into > these sentiments, explicitly or implicitly, he may well find that his > party has popular support. It may even be a canny move politically; by > taking on the police and underlining its lack of control over them, > the AAP government is putting itself in a position to disavow all > responsibility for rape cases and other law-and-order problems. But > this would be bargaining away a vital element of AAP’s promise. It has > come to power on a plank of alternative politics. Such a politics does > not include only matters of governance and corruption, but race and > sex as well. Defending Bharti’s actions — and conflating them with a > needed reform — is no part of it. > > o o o > > Financial Times > > January 21, 2014 1:24 pm > > Delhi’s AAP accused of failing to swap activism for governance > > By Amy Kazmin in New Delhi > > Push comes to shove: supporters of Arvind Kejriwal break police > barricades in New Delhi on Tuesday > > When India’s year-old Aam Aadmi, or Common Man, party, unexpectedly > took power in Delhi last month, euphoric residents of the city hoped > for a much-needed revolution in governance from a party rooted in a > popular anti-corruption movement. > > But the AAP’s political honeymoon is ending fast, as its > street-fighting tactics, including vigilantism and protests threaten > to alienate the middle-class voters who helped propel it into power > and raise its aspirations for a bigger role on the national political > stage. > > “In my view, the AAP’s magic has lost its shine,” says Dipankar Gupta, > sociologist and author of books on India. “On the national front, the > AAP has kind of blown it. Either they don’t have a game plan, or they > are not able to plot their strategy properly.” > > Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi’s chief minister, on Tuesday called off a > 36-hour street protest he had instigated to back his demand that > authority over Delhi’s police be transferred from the national > government to the local administration. > > The demonstration, and the police closure of metro stations and > blocking of main roads to prevent AAP supporters from joining the > protest, caused serious traffic jams and huge problems for commuters. > > The rabble-rousing tactics have also prompted fierce criticism that > the AAP is failing to make the transition from activism to governance. > It has even fuelled speculation that Mr Kejriwal is angling for the > Congress party, which has backed his minority administration, to > withdraw its support and spare him the difficulties of governing the > city of 17m people. > > “Delhi govt goes missing,” screamed a banner headline in The Indian > Express newspaper on yesterday morning. Inside, a scathing editorial > said: “Despite heading a state government now, Arvind Kejriwal’s party > seems to know only one trick – that of showy, permanent insurrection.” > > The AAP’s stunning electoral upset in Delhi – on the back of strong > middle-class support – prompted talk of it as a wild card in upcoming > parliamentary elections, offering a fresh alternative to voters fed up > with both India’s ruling Congress and its rival Bharatiya Janata > party. > > They’ve brought in a militant protest culture and a confrontational > attitude > > - Swapan Das Gupta, political analyst > > But even before Mr Kejriwal’s street protest, serious doubts had > emerged about the new administration’s style that critics say seems > rooted in vigilantism or mob rule. > > Its first step in the battle against corruption has been a new > telephone hotline that coaches citizens on how to carry out sting > operations against bribe-seekers. Party volunteers dispatched to > assess state facilities like schools and hospitals were accused of > manhandling the staff. > > Then last week, Somnath Bharti, the AAP’s law minister, led a mob in a > controversial raid in which four Ugandan women complained of being > held hostage in their car for hours. Other African women complained > that mobs tried to kick down their doors. > > Mr Kejriwal’s street protest – which began with the Delhi police’s > refusal to obey Mr Bharti’s orders to arrest the Ugandan women without > proper warrants – amplified doubts. > > “This is the instinct of people who have always agitated,” Swapan Das > Gupta, a political analyst, said of the current demonstration. > > “They’ve brought in a militant protest culture and a confrontational > attitude. They will certainly alienate the middle class. Chaos is > something they don’t want.” > > Additional reporting by Avantika Chilkoti in Jaipur. > > o o o > > The Times of India > > View > > Aam admi copout > > Jan 22, 2014, 12.05 AM IST > > Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has said that his government is open to > learning, as well as criticism from media. He should therefore be open > to the idea that it's a chief minister's job to govern with whatever > tools he has at his disposal (and they are plenty). A government > resorting to dharna and placing the national capital under siege is a > copout. If AAP's unprecedented moves in this direction are designed to > tempt Congress to pull the plug from their government and thereby prop > up popular support for itself, it's a pointless political gimmick. > > AAP's core support base — on which it is relying not only to sustain > itself but also to scale up rapidly across the country — is the > educated middle class and youth. The middle class is unlikely to fall > for such gimmickry. It will find mainstream parties' taunt, that > Kejriwal plays opposition leader even as CM because AAP lacks the > capacity to govern, more credible. Youth value jobs and personal > freedom, they will bolt when they find AAP policies militate against > both. Congress could well refuse Kejriwal's temptation and string AAP > along, till the latter makes a complete mess of governance. > > AAP has resorted to a cruel parody of the Gandhian idea of dharna. In > Gandhi's time colonial authorities enjoyed absolute power, dharnas and > strikes were the only available means of protest to people stripped of > power. But Kejriwal appears to be using his dharna to reach for > absolute power. He demands action against cops who upheld due process > and human rights when four Ugandan women were allegedly assaulted by a > mob instigated by vigilante law minister Somnath Bharti. The dharna > also crystallises fears around the Jan Lokpal Bill, whose main > criticism is that it hands over unchecked powers of harassment to a > vigilante Lokayukta. > > o o o > > Hindustan Times > January 21, 2014 > > Edit: > The agitation by Kejriwal and party made life really difficult for aam > aadmi > > Everyone expected the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to preside over a > government with a difference. But no one quite thought that this would > amount to protests and clashes with the police even as it got off the > starting blocks. As chief minister Arvind Kejriwal led the street > protests in the > Capital to get some policemen suspended, Metro stations were shut > down, buses diverted and roads near India Gate blocked. He has now > called off the dharna after apparently coming to a compromise with the > government and an assurance from the lieutenant governor that one SHO > would be sent on leave. Kejriwal’s dharna with his Cabinet colleagues > and supporters was anything but genuinely revolutionary. > > At a time when the need of the hour is good governance, one wonders if > the way to achieve this was through the CM himself sitting on a dharna > and signing classified files on the pavement. It seems Kejriwal, who > branded himself an anarchist, is unable to transform himself from a > rabble-rouser to a responsible chief minister. Kejriwal, who spent > Monday night on the street amid heavy security deployment, wants the > Delhi Police to be brought under the control of the state government. > However justified his demand is (his predecessor Sheila Dikshit too > made a similar request), a CM must display faith in the political > system and take up the matter through the right channels. > > AAP, born from the anti-corruption movement, has been in power only > for three weeks and with the Lok Sabha elections a few months away it > must utilise this time to showcase its achievements rather than > fuelling the suspicion that AAP is trying to push the Congress to the > wall so that the latter withdraws support. In effect, this will > deflect attention from the promises AAP has not delivered on. The > dharna caused enormous inconvenience to the aam aadmi with commuters > having to walk long distances to reach work. With the security threat > in the Capital heightened as Republic Day approaches, the police had > to deal with the unruly protestors at the dharna at the cost of > safeguarding the welfare of the aam aadmi. > > The debasing of public discourse as in the language used by the > party’s top brass is something that Mr Kejriwal should condemn > roundly. From Kumar Vishwas’ racist and sexist remarks about nurses > from Kerala to law minister Somnath Bharti’s statement that he wanted > to spit on BJP leader Arun Jaitley and senior lawyer Harish Salve > because the two had criticised his vigilantism, AAP’s rogue elements > seem to be taking the CM’s silence as approval of their conduct. If > this is the change that many people sought, some among them must be > hankering for the pre-AAP days. > > o o o > > The Telegraph > January 21 , 2014 > > Editorial > > WRONG ACTION > > Democratic governance is not just about translating political will > into immediate action. It is also the fruit of rational thought. This > rationality is the foundation on which the institutions of democracy > must stand, and must be embodied in its leaders as well. The Aam Aadmi > Party’s recent interventions in governance do not bode well for these > essential principles of democratic modernity. And what is more > alarming is that the lack of hard thinking, and of working out > consistent and clearheaded positions on matters of governance, comes > with a populism that is fairly adept at drawing upon collective > mindsets and prejudices in the name of a radical transformation of > politics. The Delhi law minister’s recent raid on Ugandan women in the > capital, followed by alleged physical violations of their right to > justice and privacy, not only undermines the due process of law, but > also taps into the worst kinds of racist and misogynist prejudice that > the women regularly face in the city. Moreover, in the way the > minister and his volunteers have chosen to handle the situation, and > the chief minister continues to endorse this modus operandi, has led > to a confrontation with the police that further degrades the political > and administrative ethos of democratic rule. > > There is something unpleasantly ironic about a law minister first > harnessing popular racism and misogyny, and then expecting the police > to subvert correct pocedure at his behest, in order to enforce the > rule of law. When a highly proactive antipathy to corruption is built, > among other things, on notions of purity that equate racial, cultural > and sexual difference with the illegal and the immoral, and when such > a position is empowered by the mandate of the ‘people’, then the risk > of a polity built on such impulses becoming unacceptably majoritarian > is rather grave. The AAP seems to have arrived at a rationale for such > behaviour through its own theories of how drugs, sex and rape are > related to one another, and are embodied in people who are, as the > minister put it, “not like you and me”. Such a commonsensical idea of > what is good or bad for the “common man” — held by more than one > minister affiliated to the party — seems to bypass the usual > institutions of law and order, like the police and the courts. This is > hardly the alternative to corruption and nepotism that would bring new > life to a jaded polity. > > o o o > > Deccan Herald > > Editorial: Immature action > > Jan 21, 2014 : > > Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his supporters, who sat on a > dharna in Delhi demanding executive control over the police and > transfer of some police personnel, have called off their protest > action. > > The action of the head of an elected government taking to the streets > to put public pressure on the Central government to concede a demand > had created an unprecedented situation. The Delhi police, for > historical and practical reasons, has been under the control of the > Union home ministry. Governments in Delhi, including the previous > Congress government, have been unhappy about this and have demanded > transfer of police powers to the state. The blame for law and order > problems goes to the state government but the power and responsibility > to enforce the law vest with the Centre. This is an odd situation. > There is perhaps a case for a change of the arrangement but the > tactics adopted by Kejriwal to force the issue might not find ready > acceptance. > > Kejriwal has claimed that he resorted to his unconventional protest > because of the refusal of the Delhi police to conduct a late night > raid on a house where some African women were allegedly running a > drug and prostitution racket. The AAP saw this as an attempt to shield > criminal elements. In another case, another minister put pressure on > the police to arrest some people allegedly involved in a dowry crime. > In both cases there was an element of vigilantism which goes against > the norms and procedures of the rule of law. The demands made by the > ministers and the method adopted by Kejrival were in agreement with > the populist stances advocated by the Aam Aadmi Party on other issues. > They have always made known that they would not accept the argument of > limitations of the system in finding solutions to > problems. > > The dharna was called off after an assurance was given that some > action would be taken against the police men who, according to the > AAP, were guilty of lapses. This might be considered a victory by the > party. But was it? It should realise that straining the system beyond > its limits would only be counter-productive. However well-intentioned > the ideas and demands of a person, group or party, vigilantism and > populism are not the ideal methods to get them implemented. The AAP is > in a hurry to change the system. But it should think through the full > implications of its actions. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Justice and Gujarat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to justice-and-gujarat+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send an email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
