JEWELS OF INDIA: NOT ALWAYS GENUINE

Bharat Ratna was awarded to  Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the occasion of the 90th birthday of the former Prime Minister and statesman. He was the first non-Congress Prime Minister to complete the full term of five years. That too as PM of a coalition govenment .Known for politics of consensus instead of confrontation, his contribution to the nation was immense. A poet, a great orator and a great humanist, Vajpayee was acceptable to political parties of different ideological shades across the national spectrum.He was on the verge of making an historical breakthrough in settling the Kasmir dispute which unfortunately did not materialize at the last stage.Such a great person of his stature was denied Bharat Ratna by the Congress-led UPA govt which ruled India for ten years purely because of political considerations.Now the Congress questions the credibility of the Bharat Ratna to Vajpayee just because the present BJP govt nominated him.

It has been pointed out that India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi nominated themselves their names for Bharat Ratna.Shocking, if Dr Subramanian Swamy is telling the truth.He must be correct because no one disputed Dr Swamy in an authentic manner.That is about the credbility of the source of nominations raised by Congress leaders.

The  UPA govt amended the rules of eligibilty of Bharat Ratna to sports personalties.Fair enough.But the motive was questionable.Hockey wizard late Dhyanchand, world renowned Chess champion Viswanathan Anand, and other deserving sports personslities were ignored.Instead it was conferred on Sachin Tendulkar on the last day of retirement from cricket hoping to reap political gains .The legendary cricketer Kapil Dev who led India to the World Cup victory and who was chosen cricketer of the century by Wisden, cricket's final authority, was not considered for the award.Rahul Gandhi was present at the Mumbai stadium perhaps to receive gratitude from Sachin for the award. The great scientist Professor C.N.R. Rao was also given the award along with Sachin giving the impression that he was awarded to give company to Sachin Tendulkar,and not for his outstanding scientifc  contribution.

The Indian nation will be grateful to the political  power structure of the country when Bharat Ratnas are unblemished jewels of India.

JUSTICE V R KRISHNA IYER: INCARNATION OF JUSTICE

A colossus of justice is no more after completing 100 years of mortal existence .

A synonym of  justice , VR Krishna Iyer's life and contribution has only few parallels in post-Independent India. As Minister of Law in the first democratically elected Communist government on earth led by EMS Namboodiripad in Kerala, iyer piloted the epochmaking land reform legislation  which conferred land rights to the dispossessed landless poor and the Dalits. Since then,for nearly 60 years ,Iyer carried his crusade for justice for the deprived and the  neglected as Minister, Lawyer,Supreme Court judge,and social activist.

Justice Iyer changed the political, social and legal landscape of India through his landmark judgements. His judgement on the redefinition of INDUSTRY under the Industrial Disputes Act has brought unimaginable benefits to the working class.He abolished the cruel practice of routine handcuffing of prisoners.He ordered that the prisoners could study, write examinations ,write articles and books during their jail sentence . Justice Iyer is the main father figure of PIL (Public Interest Litigation) in the country which has revolutionised Indian jurisprudence ,and ensured  justice to the millions and protected  people from the arbitrariness of the politicians,bureaucracy , police and other oppressive forces .Justice Iyer's  social change making judicial pronouncements are legion.His siglehanded contribution for the well-being and development of the people of India is more than even that of a goverment.

Till the last breath Justice Iyer worked for people's causes through speeches, campaigns , letters, etc.. His was the voice of hope for the desperate. A personal experience is unforgettable.He inaugurated a conference on human rights at Chennai straight from the hospital after a heart related surgery despite the advice of the doctors because he had  earlier assured us that he would inaugurate the programme.After the inauguration, we dropped him at the hospital. A rare commitment.

 Justice Iyer's judgements are literary pieces worth reading again and again. The government of India should commission a team of scholars to document Justice Iyer's judgements, speeches and letters for wider dissemination.

One debatable spot in Justice Iyer's unblemished career is his judgement on the Allahabad High Court order which enabled Indira Gandhi to continue as Prime Minister in 1975 .The declaration of National Emergency by Mrs. Gandhi is attributed to Iyer's judgement. This controversy in no way undermines the phenomenal life and service to the nation and the people by Justice Iyer.The eminent jurist deserved Bharath Ratna during his life time. Having failed to do so, his memory may be honoured with a posthumous Bharath Ratna as that would be a recognition of the causes of human rights, social justce, and equity

so dear to the great man and so vital for the Indian nation.

CORRUPTION COUNTRY INDIA

India has too many public servants both elected and selected.Barring a fraction of these servants, the public servants loot the public  without fear of law or feeling of guilt.

Yadav Singh is a public servant in Uttar Pradesh. He without an engineering degree moved up the ladder of government service till 1995 from 1980. When he was to be promoted as Project Engineer there was a minor technical hurdle. He needed an engineering degree, and it appears that he managed to get the four year degree in three years.A brilliant man.Singh moved ahead and became Engineer-in-Chief of Noida. He was very humble to all persons around him. He built a house for his family: a sprawling three-storied mansion or palace. A recent Income Tax department raids located movable and immovable property worth at least Rs 1,000 crore.Singh appears to be a lover of exquisite art work as his collections included a two kilogram diamond studded ornament suitable for gods and goddesses in Temples. Yadav Singh is now rated as India's Corrupt Number One. Sachin Tendulkar's cricket records may be difficult to be broken. But Yadav Singh's ranking may be overtaken by some other enterprising public servant as the batting ground is flat and the bowling/fielding attack is weak. These can be fixed.

Recently a senior IAS officer of the rank of Principal Secretary in Kerala  Mr.Suraj has been in the electronic and print media for disproportionate assets and unaccounted cash. Suraj has  strong political blessing and he has come forward with "explanations justifying the cash in his house". The case is on and may be he will be promoted one day. A similar case of an IPS officer in Kerala has been in the news often. But he is now IG of police !


From peon to principal secretary, corruption is an hourly occurrence in India.
No department or daily activity of the common man is corruption-free.But we should remember that these public servants create enormous wealth,though not for the nation. Many share the bribe amount with Gods as penance. As  no givernment in Independent India has succeeded in eliminating or even reducing  the menace of corruption, let the state and central governments institute Arjuna Awards to these public sernants. After all, corruption is an art and a sport.