THE GODS OF THE SCAPEGOAT

As I sit down to key in my thoughts, the fate of Ajmal Kasab has been sealed. He has been sent to gallows. The verdict was on expected lines. Against such over whelming evidence he virtually had no defence. In any case he and his comrades knew they were traveling up the one way street. In execution of such mission the chances of returning home to safety are nil. Being the only survivor Kasab must be sacrificed now to the Gods of cold war. So let the Devil take care him in hell.

The real test of Indian state begins now. Kasab's fate is of little consequence. Dead or alive he is an insignificant figure in the whole drama. An illiterate, unemployed, starving boy from an impoverished family back ground, who from the beginning knew that his sacrifice alone will bring some scour to his kins back home. His parents had accepted his sacrifice in lieu of a few coins. Wonder whether they will get them now or not and of course that too is of no consequence.

What now matters is that is conviction of Kasab going to give India any advantage viz Pakistan. The perpetrators of 26/11 knew well that the all nine scape goats were expendable material. They were destined to execute 26/11 and then just fade away any which way. The Pakistan has already declared that they respect the Indian judicial system and expect India to respect theirs.

Dead or alive Kasab has served his destined purpose. In no way his trial and conviction going to facilitate the bringing to justice of the real architects of brutal ravaging of Bombay. No one knows it better than Perpetrators and the Govt. of Pakistan. They shall now get a chance to exhibit their deep respect for the judicial systems of their neighbouring countries. Neither Gilani nor Kayani are going to miss Kasab, the boy who contracted his death to feed his poverty stricken family. Earlier he is sacrificed better it shall be for all those who planned the carnage. It does not appear ' advantage India'.

THE QUEEN OF DELHI

I am 68 years old. I was not born in Delhi. I toddled across in to this city clutching the hand of my father who migrated to this metropolis in 1947 in search of bread and butter. Since then our family settled down in the city witness to ups and down of family and the city history. We did not make it to the golden pages of the city history as a family but our footprints can be seen at the memorial of unknown citizenry, if ever their will be one.We started calling our selves Delhiites. No one ever within the family or out side ever questioned our status and no one, except a few govt. offices ever asked us our birth places. We became and remain Dilli walas. In fact if you were to ask us about our roots unless we undertake a research project, we shall only refer to Delhi.
During the course of last sixty two years of independent India's history Delhi, the dusty, crawling city of traders and descendants of courtiers, changed its face without changing its soul. The traders still rule the roost, the courtiers have been replaced by Babus, Kotwali still exists for its name sake but the Kotwal has been replaced by a DCP, Ghantewala halwai's 6/7th generation is still doing brisk business, migrants keep pouring in the city in droves in search of livelihood and I protest at any social gathering their encroachment on my space in Delhi. I think it was always like this, the same play, the same dialogues with changing faces.
Delhi was always a capital city but now it has become a state,a half baked version of a state, which allows its callous babus and political bosses to take cover of ambiguity that defines the status of this city state.Having to bear the burden of the seat of Central Govt.the city tries to maintain a character of its own.A city of middle class people.
After the Chinese dragon's spew of fiery power and efficient administration during the last Olympic games in Beijing the political bosses of the country woke up with a huge mew of crying ally cat and decided to stake their claim as somebody. They hooked on to CW games started marketing it as an event next to Olympic only.which it might as well be.
Sheila Dixit became the chief minister of the state approx 12 years ago. In her third term now, her government along with powers at the center enjoyed each other's company for the last so many years till the CWG bug stuck them all. For two terms the governments at centre and Delhi kept dragging their feet for renewal of infrastructure in Delhi and now they want to gallop across the time gap and do in five years what they could have done in 12 years. This has resulted in compression of time and resources. They now have to produce the volume of capitol investment in 5 years what was otherwise required to be produced in 15 years. They have to earn the amount of money required in 5 years in order to be able to spend it now and they don't have it. Midway now centre too, struggling with paucity immediate money palmed off the burden on the state govt. to develop the infrastructure of the city. Sheila Dixit govt. has started dutifully palming of this burden on the people of Delhi.The taxes are being taken to new heights,the whole city is being dug up to create facilities for the games.The essentials of life are being made costlier without justifying the reason for opting for higher pricing. Sample this-
(a)The potable was made costlier for the citizens assuring them that after the price revision the shortage of water in the city will be part of forgotten past.
(b) The power tariffs were revised two years ago and now are being revised again. The citizen of Delhi went without power earlier for 3-4 hours, he still does.
(c) The transportation system of Delhi used creak it still does in spite of Metro. The middle class still avoids public transport because of its inefficiency and discomfort.
(d) The fuel cost revision has added fuel to fire. Delhi is perhaps the only city where attracts 20%vat on diesel.
Madam Sheila Dixit justifies all this with aplomb stating that Delhi people are earning more than required and need avenues to spend.She is perhaps comparing the earning of average citizen with her son and herself. They forget that the pay revision of a man in the street comes after 10 year sand the revised pay is given to him after 15 years by which time the hike in pay is neutralised and overtaken by the prices in the market which are artificially fueled by the same govt. The Delhi is perhaps on of the most costliest cities of the nation.
I have retired and I have a daughter who lives 40 km. away in a NCR satellite town. I invested my life time savings in a car with diesel engine to be able to maintain closer touch with her.Madame Dixit says I am earning too much and must give away every thing in order enjoy the security of living with the family. My grand daughter is two years old. I still watch helplessly when I see her squirming in extreme discomfort,when the power is suddenly switched off in the middle of hot Delhi afternoon/ humid night when the cooler in the room comes to grinding halt. I have been dreaming of having a/c in at least two rooms. Of course Madame does not have to bother about such alien issues.The queens can eat cakes when bread is not available.Over crowded metros station is three km. away from my abode. I spend more for reaching metro station than on ticket. I stand in the Metro for full one hour before I reach my destination. For madame it is a small price paid for living in Delhi.
Long live the Queen The subjects are dead

SHARK HUNTERS

Three days past the massacre of 72 CRPF personal in the forests of Dantewada, we must sit back as to what went wrong with this strong patrol of the unit which led to total annihilation of a company strong armed body. It appears that nothing was done right from the very beginning. In fact this movement t was never carried out as movement of body of armed men in an operational area. The movement of the company defied all rules of operational gravity.Movement was never planned at any level. Every body in the chain of command treated the move as a normal police beat in a rural surrounding and packed the men in the vehicles for a picnic which it never was.Close scrutiny of the videos reveals the way these bodies are made to move around, rest while on move or gather together for a fresh briefing after a phased operation.It does appear that the gentlemen planning these operations are doing it from the comfort of there air conditioned offices surrounded by ceremonial office staff and plush comfort of the their recliners in the office, with the help of endless tea/coffee/nimbupaani. Every thing was just right for every one in the hierarchy till Maoists reminded them that this is not play time, this is a war and in the forests and jungle.Even the most seasoned players of the jungle game have to sweat it in buckets to save just one drop of blood.
The governments of India since beginning have lived in their make believe world of fantasy highly coloured by Gandhi, their basic interpretation of Buddhist philosophy of non-existent nonviolence and power of political maneuvers not supported by physical might. When one takes birds eye view of India's governance scene one finds it akin to the that of the famous chess players of Avadh when the Britishers were swooping on Lucknow.
If the Indian state has to go to war against an enemy which has been preparing for it from 1967/68 ( Naxalbari )to this day and which has large areas of the state, poorrly administered by the Indian State, under its physical dominance, then it has to revisit and review its thinking. It has to learn to worship the gods of war. It has to train not only its security forces but also its citizenry to stand up and be counted. A sham of a democracy where any violation of law can be put in a freeze mode just by hiring a few lawyers and appeals in courts. where the writ of the government lasts only till the ink of its pen dries on paper and where not a single elected member has any knowledge of matters that are military in nature, we the people India, have decided to rise and take on the elusive, fleet footed and ruthless might of Maoists. If we do then we now require to find our heroes the magnificent men wearing the colors of the state and bearing its flag flying high.We shall need a trained and motivated force conditioned to the hard realities of war fare in jungles, over plains, in the water and in the air.
Home Minister Chidambrem showed decisiveness and perceptiveness of matured statesman when he realised that a confrontation with the Maoists is inevitable and it can not be postponed any longer but he delegated the task to various states and their respective governments who have no knowledge of such operations and have many other pressing political compulsions which take priority for their political survival.The echelons of command rigged up for such a warfare have been done with equal ignorance. The doctrine of the war has not been shaped and the orientation and training of the troops is not visible. Equally flawed is their equipment and the tactical approach. Mr Chidambram you will now have to find the shark hunters to enable survival of the Indian state further in this shark infested sea.

ADVANTAGE PAKISTAN
There appears to be a change in the mind set of UPA. The policy being pursued by India appears to be weak kneed and woblly.Following sequence be analyse to understand the thought process of the PM.
(a)The PM of India travels to Saudi Arabia, a faithful supporter and friend of Pakistan and declares there that If Pakistan acts then India will go an extra mile to resolve contentious issues with Pakistan.
(b) Shashi Tharoor, who is accompanying PM states that Saudies can act as interloqutors. The minister is privy to the PM's thought process and is to degree aware of what the PM IS GOING TO TALK.
(c) PM talks walking an extra mile. As yet one does not know how close that walk will take India to provide security to its people.
(d) Earlier the Pm has already pedalled India in to a morass by agreeing to bring in Balauchistan, til now a non issue, to be brought in to the ambit of discussions between the two countries. Resultant intensification of finger pointing by Pakistan, for whatever goes wrong there,has added fair amount of complications to our positioning when we sit for discussions.
(e) The belligerency and rebukes which Pakistan delivered during the last meeting of Forieghn Secretaries in New Delhi is a indicator of Pakistans latest posturing as far as its relations with India are concerned.
(f) The speeches of Pakistani foriegn Minister are clear indicator of the beligrent mind set of Pakistani rulers
The continuous ground yielding policy of the governmentisl severely jeoperdising the international recognition of our claims and our status as a soverign state. It does appear as of now that the Indian state is lying prostrate in a defencelesss posture.

CHINESE GHOST

The P.M of India has reached the city of Hua Hin in Thailand today to achieve a greaer cohesion with the ASEAN economic order.But the the focus of the visit it appears will be on the meeting between him and his chinese counterpart. The beligrent warnings from China to keep the Dalai Lama away from Arunachal is going to be repeated by Chinese interloqutrs. Going by the language of the invite for talks in Hua Hin it is quite evident that the self styled Lords of the Realm are going to give some lessons to India relatd to the propreity and conduct of the international poliical underworld. That Chinese find it easy to summon a mild mannered soft spoken India and thus assume that they can perhaps bully it to bow in supplication to the dictates of the Lord.
To a degree the PMO and MEA are responsble for promoting this attiude on the part of Chinese.Of curse this has not happened overnight. Sccessive Govts including that of NDA helped in creating an ipression of a maleable, soft and scared India on the internatinal stage, more so when it came to dealing with China The 62 debacle has dominated the subconcious of Indian politics. The succesive Impotent army heirarchy, lacking means and will to convince the political bosses added to the woes of Indian foriegn policy.After 62 till date inspite of being needled by the Chinese at every coceivable step and in the face of open physical hostility from them the Indian order chose to remain smug in the hope of achieveing its utopin goals on the strength of their lame diplomacy. For more than 40 years after the illfated rout of 62 we have failed to understand a simple Clausewitzian teaching i.e any political ngotiation is based and conducted from a position of military and economic strength. The two can not be separated and then used as a whip i.n isolation. The Chinese lernt it from histor and remember it to date. Ther history asa nation is rplete with examples. Th political bargains are not derived from compassion and huility. Only alms are given away to the downtodden.
Te nation is watching ad let us hoe wedon't walk in to a trap te waywe did when talking to pakistan by offering to become suspects on Baluch issue

INDIA: A BIG BUYER OF RUSSIAN JUNK

India has paid $650 million for acquisition of a Russian Nuclear Sub. The submarine in question, an Akula-II class 12000 ton attack machine has undergone repairs and refit at the Russian shipyards at a cost of $60 million after having been involved in a accident at sea wherein 20 of the crew were killed in a gas leak accident. The magnitude of repair spending indicates the the extent of fault which resulted in accident. The sub after repairs will be handed over to Russian Navy for leasing out to India. It is worth while noting down that the Russian Naval equipment and even aircraft are notorious for their being accident prone and require much higher and expensive levels of maintenance. The equipment has relatively shorter life span and lack multi dimensional operational profiles.
We are waiting for junked bath tub Groshkov to join the fleet. One can only speculate the usefulness of this junk collection exercise that too at great expense to the Indian tax payer. The reluctance of the beurocrates and the Govt to go for superior technology is is not fathomable. It is far better to keep the force leaner but muscular and agile than maintain a outdated and antiquated war regime. We are not going to fight future wars inside the museums.

INDIA'S DEFENCE EQUIPMENT ACQUISITION OPTIONS

It is quite heartening to note that India's budget allocation for defence has registered a hike of approx 33%. But I suspect that a major portion of this hike will be absorbed by increased expenditure on account of pay and pensions at various levels. The need to upgrade technologies and weapon system requires a larger allocation. Virtually 60% of equipment in use in the forces is obsolete and perhaps primitive by the standards being followed by any modern state. Our two major concerns are China and Pakistan. While there is no immediate threat from these two neighbours yet it can not be ignored that their equipment and training levels hold an advantage over us. Defence planners in India have to impress the present government of the need to upgrade the technologies and training systems in usage at present.
As for as China is concerned I think we are no match, at this point of time, to claim even a reasonable level of parity. The state of our relations with China not withstanding and the level of insurgency with in the country demands that we should now switch over to a leaner and meaner defence force capable of taking the battle to the door step our state's enemies as and when required.
The recent news item on BBC indicating our leaning towards Russia for procurement of Submarines and by now famous resource sponger aircraft carrier Groshkov must be reconsidered. In recent past it has been amply demonstrated that Russian naval equipment is most vulnerable and prone to system failures. In to days battle field environment the equipment for security forces has to be compact, self sufficient in all respects and self sustaining under the most hostile environment. The Russians designs have demonstrated their inability to meet these parameters again and again. Since Russians are no longer cheap and their conditionality are as complex as any other international supplier country in the world, we may consider widening the scope of procurement of equipment from vendors other than Russians.