*** Good Governance Matters, In India by Marie-Lou Fernandes ***

There is a new reason to feel vindicated, and hopeful, about India.

Last month the Indian state of Bihar – situated to the north of the country with a population of 83 million people (more than a quarter of the United States population) – re-elected a successful political alliance led by an outstanding Chief Minister. Bringing the alliance back to power through an unprecedented 206 of the 243 seats in the State Assembly, the voters of Bihar issued a resounding affirmation for good governance.

Bihar is significant not only because of the population and corresponding political impact on the Central Government. It is significant in terms of symbolic value to the rest of the country. For several decades Bihar has been India’s darkest state, the black hole of governance, the most cited example for crumbling infrastructure, poor economic development, regressive social conditions, institutionalized corruption and criminalized political elites. Decades of unscrupulous politics had pitted communities, castes and sub-castes against each other. In short, Bihar was India’s state of despair – one that fit the Western stereotype of a “Third World” society, dominated by primitive loyalties and doomed to squander its resources on infighting.

But it took one strong leader with vision to change that perception. When Nitish Kumar assumed the post of Chief Minister in 2005, he positioned his government as a unifying force, in stark contrast to predecessors and contemporaries who were appealing to constituencies on the basis of community, caste and sub-caste. He then forged a strong development-oriented agenda aimed at maximizing economic and social gains for the broadest segments of population. In the words of the manifesto – sadak, shiksha, suraksha (roads, education, security), commonsensical goals for a land splintered by hundreds of rivers and streams, for a population with a shocking 47% literacy rate and for a citizenry that had been thoroughly oppressed by mafia goons.

In the past five years of his governance Bihar has added 10,000 kilometers of road and built 2,100 bridges – more than what was achieved in the previous four decades of government. A positive spinoff from these and other development works was the creation of 4.2 million jobs in 2009-10 and a growth rate averaging 11.4% over the span of the new government.

To move forwards on education, more than 100,000 teachers were hired, 400,000 bicycles distributed to female students in rural Bihar to increase access to school (where female literacy is an abysmal 29.6%) and hundreds of new schools established.

But the boldest achievement was in crime control – the determination shown in tackling the criminal-politician nexus, and in breathing new life into a defunct criminal judicial system. In five years, the Nitish Kumar government ensured the conviction of more than 50,000 criminals by setting up fast-track courts to complete mass prosecutions in record time. Discerning the right officers for each post, and letting them do their jobs without undue interference, was all it took. For those of us who have worked at the cutting edge of police management in India, this is the heart of the matter.

Police managers in India are recruited through extremely competitive selection procedures, trained rigorously in professional skills and knowledge, and then, more often than not, expected to work under the dictates of an increasingly criminalized executive. When criminals control the Home Departments (Ministries of State), the mafia calls the shots through political puppets and the judicial system takes years to begin prosecution, there is very little justice the citizen can expect.

By acknowledging this reality, having the courage to tackle the criminal-political nexus, and then systematically addressing failures in the judicial system, the Nitish Kumar government has measured up to the greatest challenge of governance. And by re-electing this government, the voters of Bihar have demonstrated that it is good governance, and not primitive loyalties, that matter, even in a developing country like India.

For Western analysts and academics who are often predisposed to the ills of long-distance vision, and are wont to view societies in the “Third World” as symptomatic of exotic irrationalities and ancient hatreds, India’s darkest state may have just proved you wrong.

*** End ***

Related Post: First Shashi Tharoor, next Kathlal now Nitish Kumar and the NDA alliance…

P.S. This article first appeared in the Huffington Post on 4th Dec. Image Courtesy: Government of Bihar

Seeking votes in favour of party nominee…the Congress’ youth icon (said), “I have got better experience of politics than those who travel in air-conditioned vehicles; do not eat the food of commoners and do not live the life of a common man,” he said and added he has gained all such experiences.

My questions to you Rahul are:

1. Can you please mention the last three times you went anywhere in a bus or a non-air-conditioned car or a non-air-conditioned rail compartment?
2. What makes you feel you live the life of a common man? As a simple example, can you please share with us the last three times you stood in any queue (while in India)?
3. And finally, most “common” men (and women) in India spend most of their waking hours working very hard to earn a living.  To the best of my knowledge, you are into “full-time” politics and your total work experience is less than 10 years. Do you really believe you lead the life of a “common man?”

And while on this topic, here are a few questions from a decidedly “un-common man” – the redoubtable Sh Ram Jethmalani (emphasis added):

1. ..We have no objection to your mother’s ambition to see you installed as India’s Prime Minister. Obviously she did not entertain this ambition either for herself or any of her children in 1991. Are you prepared to take the nation into confidence and disclose the qualifications you have acquired since then to take into your hands the destiny of this complex and most populous and poverty stricken democracy?

2. Do you agree that the best available statesman in the country should fill that post? If yes, how have you convinced yourself that you are the one? We would not mind if your mother answers this question.

3. ..if democracy is all about transparency, would you kindly let the nation know what academic qualifications you have acquired, when, how and from which institutions. It will help if you also tell the curious Indian nation what books you have read during the last five years; have you published any articles or any readable material on politics, economics, terrorism, war and peace? Is there any speech in Parliament, to the local Rotary Club or to a bunch of tiny toddlers with a single quotable quote that illumines or inspires and gives us some clue to your intellectual attainments? We know quite a few talented young men in the Congress party and naturally people would like to be satisfied that you are better endowed than them all. That your mother is Soniaji or your father was Rajivji is not enough evidence.

4. There have been oft-repeated charges of financial impropriety and worse against your family, including by the president of Janata Party, Subramanian Swamy, Swiss magazines and, most unusually in a book on the KGB. Why have you not responded?

If you plead ignorance of all the stuff mentioned in the questions you do not deserve to be India’s Prime Minister any way.

Can we expect any response?

P.S. Against the backdrop of Varanasi, can you please elaborate on the context in which you made the remark that “terrorism can be destroyed in 15 minutes”?

Related Post: Open Letter to Rahul Gandhi from a “not-so-Aam” Aadmi*

I’m cheering the BJP win in Kathlal for the same reason I was pleased about Shashi Tharoor’s win in Thiruvananthapuram.

Both mark a break from “politics-as-usual” and offer hope for those of us working towards breaking the stranglehold of caste, religion and vote-bank politics in India. 

Today, Nitish Kumar led NDA alliance in Bihar joins this list that signals a break from “poliitics-as-usual”. This has to be good news for everyone concerned with (and involved in) transforming the face of politics and governance in India…and a solid step in the direction of “Reclaiming India”…Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!

Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Worse, “Several of these criminal charges are serious charges, like Murder, Criminal Intimidation, assault, wrongful restraint, etc.”

Some of the more “note-worthy” candidates include Rajesh Kumar Raushan urf Babloo Deo (RJD) who has “7 charges related to Attempt to murder (IPC Section-307)” against him;  Shankar Singh (LJP)  with “17 charges related to Attempt to murder (IPC Section-307) and 12 charges related to Murder (IPC Section-302) against him and Manoranjan Singh (JD(U) with 8 charges related to Murder (IPC Section-302) 4 charges related to Attempt to murder (IPC Section-307) against him…

Sadly, the “party with a difference” is not looking much different. Of the candidates it has fielded (with their affidavits available), 62% have pending criminal cases against them. Is Sh Gadkari listening?

The full 63-page pdf report is here (large download; 0.5 MB)

* whose affidavits are available

Related Posts: Of Criminals and Elections (recommended)

Volunteer to remove Criminals and Cash from Indian Politics

…The BJP has taken up the secret Indian Swiss bank money issue. Does it seriously contemplate recovering the money? Or is it just a poll gimmick?

…Are they political opportunists? Do they or don’t they really intend to deliver results on the Swiss money? If the BJP is serious about fighting corruption there is no dearth of issues. Take one glaring example.

On August 15, 2006 this scribe wrote: “Dr. Yevgeniya Albats is a Soviet journalist who …was appointed as member of the official KGB Commission set up by President Yeltsin in 1991…She authored a book, The State within a State: KGB and Its Hold on Russia …. Dr. Albats disclosed in her book that KGB chief Victor Chebrikov in December 1985 had sought in writing from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), ‘authorization to make payments in US dollars to the family members of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, namely Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Ms Paola Maino, mother of Sonia Gandhi.’ CPSU payments were authorized by a resolution, CPSU/CC/No 11228/3 dated 20/12/1985; and endorsed by the USSR Council of Ministers in Directive No. 2633/Rs dated 20/12/1985. These payments had been coming since 1971, as payments received by Sonia Gandhi’s family, and ‘have been audited in CPSU/CC resolution No. 11187/22 OP dated 10/12/1984.‘

“In 1992 the media confronted the Russian government with the Albats disclosure. The Russian government confirmed the veracity of the disclosure…The Hindu of July 4, 1992 carried this report….In November 1991 the respected Swiss magazine, Schweitzer Illustrate, published a report alleging that Rajiv Gandhi had 2.5 billion Swiss francs, equivalent roughly to two billion US dollars, in numbered Swiss bank accounts….”

On November 8 2006 I again wrote: “…Until now there has been only deafening silence from Mrs. Gandhi and the Congress party….If the Albats allegation published in a reputed research book is false, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi should promptly deny it. Otherwise, her silence could be perceived as assent.”

The government remained silent. But so did all the opposition parties! Why? Are the opposition leaders themselves also vulnerable and compelled to maintain discreet silence? Draw your own conclusions.

The second was this news about Rahul Gandhi’s visit to a few villages in the wake of the tragedy at ..Apparently he also gave his mobile number to the villagers asking them to call him in case of any delays in compensation.

…While the media and his partymen waited for him at the Bhakti Dham Ashram here, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Friday participated in the funeral of 22 persons who died in the stampede on Thursday. He quietly reached the Manikpur Raj Ghat and met relatives of the victims. On his order, the party flags on the vehicles were taken off.
After visiting the ghat, he went to 10 villages, including Itwara, Mawai Kala, Peer Nagar, Matpur, Bidasi, Vijaipur, Tiwaripur, Dhobiayan, Kusemal, Khemaipur and Mangal Kache, to meet family members of the deceased.

…Rahul asked his party workers to note down the names and addresses of the victims and their relatives and ensure that the compensation announced by the PM reaches them without delay.

As I read these links, the one question that came to my mind was:

Where are the BJP’s poll strategists? Where are the leaders for 2014 and beyond?

A healthy democracy needs a healthy opposition. We seem to have neither…

In the meantime, Rahul Baba appears to be on track for 7, Race Course Road.

Related Posts:

Reviving BJP – Points to Ponder

Three Questions for friends of BJP

P.S. From India will ensure return of black money from overseas: PM:

India will take every possible measure to ensure the return of ill-gotten money stashed away in tax havens abroad and has already started dialogue with other governments for necessary pacts, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday.

“…We have also approached Switzerland for renegotiation of our tax treaty so that we can have access to the information,” he told the lower house…