tweets for anna

As published in free press indore on 23/08/2011

Here are some tweets in lighter vein

• This is a fight between “ India against corruption” and “India for corruption”.
• As per Delhi police 3 days are enough to complete fast unto death, means one should die within three days if fast is observed.
• He (Anna Hazare) was arrested for the fear  of  breach of peace and was released later in the evening for  the same reason.
• Government readily agreed for Ramleela maidan with the hope that it may prove second time lucky (after Baba Ramdeo) for it.
• The common man becomes an outsider to the parliament  for five years , as soon as  he exercises his vote in the election.

SENDHWA Bus carnage deserves national attention

As published in free press indore edition on 26/08/2011

It was no routine news or accident, it was most brutal and heinous crime against the innocent fellow human beings by few animals of their own species. Just imagine  that you are sitting in a bus with your family, your bus driver gets involved in a fight with another bus staff on the issue of passenger sharing and while you look on , the door of your bus is locked from outside and your bus is set on fire.  Any one of us could have been there. There was no unruly mob, no communal riot, no accident ,no natural disaster but it was just the  internal rivalry of  already infamous private bus mafia that has led to this incident near sendhwa (MP)  where a busfull of passangers were burnt alive inside a locked door bus.

It was really shocking to see the poor coverage and mild reactions of this incident in the press and the media. At the root of the problem , it is the governments’ failure and inefficiency in MP , not to be able to run the state road transport corporation, which is still running efficiently in many states of our country. The harassment of staff and passengers by the private bus mafia on the  government run buses of other states which passes through our state is quite rampant. The government and local administration have no interest or political will to control this high handedness of private bus operators. Everyday on every route the passengers are forced to travel in the ill maintained, uncomfortable buses and are suffering at the hands of private bus owners, and now the sendhwa incident is the climax of brutality.

Surprisingly , our sensitive CM has also not shown the required concern and courage to reach up to the real cause of the incident. He found the single door buses as the culprit not the private bus mafia. He announced a handsome compensation to the victims of the tragic incident but avoided the underlying issues of this incident. I request that public transport policy should be reviewed in the light of this incident. Fast track court should be set up and stringent punishment should be awarded to those who have done such dastardly act. MPSRTC should be revived and all private buses which are in good condition should be taken over (like land acquisition ) and be run by the state.

Some time back an excise inspector was burnt alive by a  petrol pump staff in maharashtra , which sparked a sharp criticism on the oil mafia and central government was deeply shaken to the extent that it seriously thought about  removing direct kerosene subsidy. The incident was mentioned by the finance minister in his budget speech. I wish this incident should also become  an eye opener for government as well as public.

Bharat Sharma

C-44/8 Rishinagar Extension

Ujjain

Advice, not interference

As published in free press indore edition


The government’s intolerance to any kind of dissent , political or otherwise is visible  even to a blind  so it is not strange if America has observed it and has put it on record. It is not an act of interference but a piece of advice  to a nation which boost itself of a matured democracy. So far  we  have displayed   great restraint  in handling cross boarder terrorism, tolerated all kinds of nuisance from neighboring Pakistan , followed a democratic and judicial process in cases of Afjal guru and Kasab’s conviction, scored well on the human rights scale,  and  remained soft on naxalites. All these  painfully patient responses have  established  our image as a truly democratic nation in the eyes of the world, therefore present  government’s violent and oppressive methods of  handling peaceful and nonviolent movements like those of Baba Ramdeo and Anna Hajare has not only shocked our countrymen but also has surprised the world community which  sincerely believes us as champion of democracy.

American advice apart, if we handle peaceful protests with  reasoning, transparency ,openness and dialogue then it will enhance credibility of the government. There is no need of playing political tricks by trying to defame the movement  or its leaders. Corruption can not be justified if  both parties accuse each other of being involved in it sometime or the other.  Let us address the issues not the individuals, eliminate the problem not the protester.

The rise and fall of petrol

As published in free press indore edition on 13th August.

The Government has forgotten all logic and reasons , it had put forth at the time of  deregulation of  petrol prices, specially the assurance of a floating price regime based on international crude oil prices. It was the only consolation   that whenever the base price will come down ,  relief will be passed on to consumers, but at the first sight  government has made its wicked intentions clear. As indicated by the  finance minister government  is in no mood to pass on the benefits of lowering of  international crude prices to the people at large, instead it will oblige the oil companies for making up their earlier losses.

Well said, Mr.Finance minister. Next time whenever you will reduce  taxes on any commodity in your budget, rest assured , respective industries or companies will adjust their losses too. You were also quick to anticipate  the momentary gain of  diluting inflation but this will not undo the permanent impact of high inflationary  fever in the past two years. Do you have any plans to make up those earlier losses ?.  Go back five years , calculate the inflation at 3 percent per annum and bring the prices to that level , then only the oil companies be allowed to compensate their losses.

We, the poor and middle class of this country will never forgive or forget you for this dubious growth theory persued at the cost of inflation because the growth is not evenly distributed however  the inflation isssssssssss.

Bharat Sharma

C-44/8 , Rishinagar Extension

Ujjain