Reservation for women in Panchayats etc
The new Bihar administration has done social engineering in favour of
women, by legislating on reservation for women by 50% at Panchayat level.
This has brought about some change in the power structure at the village
level.
There has also been some change in the reservation for jobs in the state
government in favour of more backward among the backward classes.
Absence of casteism and honesty of the leadership
When Sh. Nitish Kumar took over as the Chief Minister of Bihar, people
were reconciled to the fact that since he belonged to Kurmi caste, and
nobody would mind if like his predecessors, he too favoured his own caste
men.
But the biggest surprising element of a highly qualified Chief Minister
has been that he has acted fairly impartially, has been honest in his
intentions, has a good communication with his people and placed his agenda
in the open. For example, Bihar is still reeling under power shortages.
But he placed his options: either to buy power from NTPC at Rs. 7/- per
unit (which will be a big burden on the consumers) or wait for three to
four years, when the new power generating units would come up to meet
the power demand. This honest explanation went down very well with the
people of Bihar, who are weathering the power shortages without much gambling.
Conclusion
The new Bihar administration is now led by one of the better educated
politicians in the country, who innovates t of box⠳olutions to the
common problems. He has created a new faith in governance, with his honest
and sincere efforts. A big bang approach has worked rather well in Bihar,
particularly in the light of the fact that the state was languishing in
all areas for the last two to three decades with deteriorating law and
order, criminalized gangs ruling the roost, non existence of general facilities
for the people and migration of all sections of people, including labour
to other states.
The Chief Minister has created a new sense of euphoria and a new faith
among the people that Bihar was still not a lost case. If the present
trends continue, it may not be an exaggeration to say that the state of
Bihar can regain its top ranking which it had in 1949, as per the then
Appleby commission report.
A new exciting life for Advaniji through Philanthro-Capitalism
At the ripe age of 82, Sh. L.K. Advaniji, the ex-Prime Minister designated
of NDA is at a cross road. After a decisive defeat of BJP and the NDA,
he offered to resign, but was apparently persuaded to stay (as usual)
as the leader of the opposition, which he may become soon.
There are a number of serious anomalies in the working of Indian democracy
vis-୶is the democracies prevailing in the western world. Age is one
such factor. While Obamas, Carters, Blairs, Clintons, Merkers in the west
rise in their party hierarchy quite fast and became heads of states in
their 40s to mid 50s, genuine Indian politicians (unless he belongs to
one of the royal families) cannot even expect to be in limelight before
mid 50s). Leaders who rose on their own merit without any family background
are mostly in their late 40s. For example, Sh. Nitish Kumar, the new darling
of the media as a champion of development could find his feet only after
55. If he was born in a western country, probably he would have risen
at least a decade earlier. Indian politicians never retire and thus block
the path for the youngsters in their parties.
Shri L.K. Advaniji can bring about a radical reform in the Indian Polity
by embracing the true philosophy of the western democracy. Leaders after
the age of 70 do play a role in the western democracies, but most of them
have undertaken charity work or some other social cause. Being in power
should not be the first and such resort of politicians.
If Shri L.K. Advaniji quits politics and entirely devotes himself to the
cause of charity and for the development of the under privileged classes
in India, he would stand on the same footing as Nelson Mandela of South
Africa, who after facing jail for more than two decades remained in power
only for one term and then quit politics to devote himself totally to
the cause of charity for the under privileged classes. There are a number
of politicians in the west who faced by forcible retirement on account
of term limit are committed to charity work. Jimmy Carter (who was the
President from 1976-80) and Bill Clinton (who was President between 1994-
2000) are two good examples.
If Shri L.K. Advaniji quits politics to devote for a social cause he could
be a source of inspiration for a number of other aged politicians, like
Karunakaran, Bhajan Lal and more than four to five dozen politicians over
the age of 75, who refuse to retire. Further, indulgence in charity work
can bring about social revolution in this country, which is otherwise
facing deep problems of morality and integrity. The pace at which social
differentiation, crime, robberies are increasing is a bad indicator for
the future of Indian society. The grip of commercialism and greed is over
taking the entire society at the cost of a harmonious order in society,
which used to prevail till two to three decades back. It is a great opportunity
for Shri L.K. Advaniji to fill in the void and a lead revolution for changing
the society, outside the traditional power structure.
As goes the saying in management, to find innovative solutions, we must
think laterally. We must get out of the current paradigm, the current
thinking, play a new game instead of banging on the closed wall. If Advaniji
devotes himself to the cause of charity, with his wide influence, he may
be able to raise a fund say Rs. 100 crore, which may be especially devoted
for the upliftment of the most under privileged classes.
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