ArHi FF! We, the people [Completed] - Page 29

Originally posted by: shalini_s

nice update.. waiting to c how this progresses..

Thank you :-)

This is genius. Just pure genius.

Originally posted by: ivre

Honestly speaking, am unable to form an opinion about conscription.

It sounds like a good solution to one section of the society but then the other one will just suffer... I would suggest an open invitation to people below poverty line to join the army, makes more sense that way, and withdrawing the useless subsidies which are pushing us into deficits.

Secondly, coming to the fundamental rights- India's government has failed miserably to provide them. Let us take up the simple case of politicians and police commenting upon women travelling at night. The Constitution has given every citizen Right to freedom which includes the right to move freely within the country. When the enforcers of law do not understand the basics of constitution, I guess no argument holds valid. They need a shocker to understand the value of "freedom"

Also, offering education to students who are interested to study further but aren't able to do so. Drafting in military is however a complex decision given how one should feel that need to go there instead of making it obligatory. The psychological impact on a person who is unwilling to do so but would still end up doing it cause of other issues, would end up being a hazard to national security. That's a problem that we don't want given the state of perpetual unrest at the state.

Come to think of it, national security is never talked about [much] during election campaign which is little strange. Everyone talks about something easily attainable if the existing policies are properly executed but no one talks about national security, border issues, international treaties, UN presence etc.

Anyway, I digress. I am withholding commenting on second part of your comment since I will be writing a bit about it in next chapter..

Originally posted by: Kalyaani

It is a start and I want to do more, provided my government allows me, there is my issue. Progress is hampered by people like me too and I will admit it first. The country is after all made by its people. We should have spent time and money on education, sanitation and measured progress, post-independence. We made five year plans, but how useful were they? You mention freedom of speech and living, here too there are issues but then again it is there in many countries like ours, the degree is subject to one's socio-economic condition.

Note - general elections are around the corner, just take a look at the ads being aired on TV, that is all it is reduced to, promises for a better future. I am an optimist and the future I too wish to see, bright is a hope.

Kalyaani - That's where I am stuck at too. I want to do more and before that, I want to really understand what's going on behind what media presents to us. That's why the reading began and this FF became an exploration of what my thought process is. Anyway, that aside, there is a wide scale ignorance of what politics and its policies are. Blaming just one aspect, media, isn't fully right. Social Sciences were never taught the way it should be and it was yet another subject to be passed. Only when we read, realize and refrain ourselves from reacting, we realize that we are at a point where we feel that we can do something but are stuck in this void after being disconnected for a long time.

I mentioned in a comment above - why am I not hearing about inflation? Why am I not hearing about reducing national terrors? Why am I not hearing about national deficits? Why not about political unrest in north eastern states? The issues addressed are local and of course very much needed but what harm can it do if I get to hear the views of my leader on national issues?

I live across our area corporator [someone who represents a ward in city corporation] and I have seen his working style. The guy has zero knowledge about what's happening in the state let alone country or world and believes that West Bengal is near Gujarat. Reason - it has the word "west" in it.

I rest my case.

Originally posted by: tabbyj

just caught up with 3 chps!
woow payal is smart and we finally get to see mr guptas and rathods father side!!
i find khushi a bit annoying but then what wud she do if not question!

Thanks.

Well, Khushi's stand is somewhere between Akash and Arnav and is more cynical of the two. Her questioning nature comes with her profession and the fact that the two men are being obtuse about lot of things.

Someone has to question about the way things are else how will we know what people are thinking?

Originally posted by: CravingKhana

r

Okay...hope you come back to read this.

Originally posted by: boyznaka

This is genius. Just pure genius.

Thank you... wish to see your views here.

Chapter 18:

"What's going on out there?" Khushi asked Arnav, her question being rhetoric. Both were still stuck in a large compound for almost three weeks since Akash's men killed their respective drivers and bodyguards and abducted them.

"A revolution," Akash said walking towards them. "How about having some dinner under stars?" He added and waved at a man behind Arnav and Khushi.

Arnav and Khushi were in backyard and sitting on lawn when Akash joined them.

"A revolution is going to start Khushi," Akash said in an upbeat voice. "There are going to be elections and you know how the country becomes during elections." He said pleasantly. Arnav stilled for a moment but relaxed immediately. Arnav knew that Akash was brilliant and picked easily on body language. If he let Akash know that the news affected him, they would enter yet another round of arguments. Since they didn't have anything else to do, it seemed like a viable option but the aftermath always left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Political apathy had never tasted this sour either.

"You think by yet another premature election you can change course of history?" Khushi asked him in faint disbelief. "And here I thought you were much smarter than this," she shrugged.

"Sure why not? We will start with privatizing Indian Railways," Akash said and picked up dessert first.

Khushi and Arnav looked at Akash in surprise. Privatizing public enterprises was always met with political opposition since it reduced the discretionary power of the ministries. Any form of autonomy, reducing staff surplus and reducing control of state over such public enterprises were automatically deemed as 'against public interest' which in reality wasn't true.

"So that first thing you do when the new government comes to power is making the fourth largest employer in the world an autonomous body or privatize for that matter, and dissolve its ministry to practically non-existent in process. We are one of the very few countries who have budget sessions dedicated to railways and it constitutes to less than sixteen percent of the national budget. Let's not even get to the surrounding industries which are dependent on railways - infrastructure, platform vendors, railway support staff, subcontractors for supplying meals etc." Khushi rallied.

"I am not saying that all these support systems will be fully taken off Khushi. You very well know that it is not possible. But a start has to be made, isn't it?" Akash said.

"It's a bad idea. Reason - check what happened to airline industry in last one decade." Khushi replied flatly and picked up food.

"But Khushi, the problem has never been with intention but always with execution." Arnav said swallowing a spoonful of rice. "Sure, airline industry is suffering and almost every major airline is under debt but look at the possibility it opened. In last one decade, more people have opted for flight when compared to trains and they have more than one choice to do so. And yes, they are expensive and have their own set of problems but government did try to change working ways of the airline industry."

"I agree. In this regard the sort of policies that a government incorporates becomes moot and the way in which it is executes the policies makes all the difference," Akash replied agreeing perhaps for the first time with Arnav on any cause.

"I don't understand," Khushi said looking from Akash to Arnav. The men had fair idea that she knew what they were talking about but she had caught on a thread which didn't fit into their line of thought.

"Consider two countries with authoritarian regime in a common timeline - Zimbabwe and China. While China saw a sharp increase in economic growth even after having a setback of one of the largest famine from '58 to '61 with more than thirty million dying due to starvation, Zimbabwe saw a decline. Both the countries had leaders working on same fundamentals yet you have two contrasting results. India has never seen a famine post-independence yet there is an endemic malnutrition and starvation driven by poverty. The issue therefore lies in the way a policy gets executed." Arnav replied.

"Arnav and Akash; the dependency of execution of a policy by a government is flawed at its best. The policy is made with the kind of government and the way constitution is structured. By taking your own example of famine in China, Chinese government continued to work on the same policies which brought starvation in the first place and did that for three years. You can't do something like that in a country like ours with free press and get away with it. Execution depends on the way the country's entirety is based on - constitution, law & order, politics, local authorities, mindset of people, cultural influences et al." Khushi replied her eyes finally landing at Akash, who was smiling at her words. "Okay, why are you smiling?" She asked not understanding the reason behind it.

"You just implied that the 'basic structure doctrine' is flawed at its best and that's the root cause of issues with execution." Akash replied seemingly happy.

"I didn't imply that the constitution's basic principles can be altered by amendments. One cannot override the basic structure doctrine - for example fundamental rights." Khushi replied.

"Here is an example for you - 39^th amendment. INC did it once but because the Supreme Court used the basic structure doctrine, they were able to strike down the amendment, literally, and restore democracy after emergency." Akash said.

"But Akash, the ruling the Supreme Court gave withheld constitution and didn't make parliament above the constitution. It's a landmark ruling and will be considered as a baseline whenever someone comes up with a moronic idea of overwriting fundamental rights." Arnav replied.

"But that's just it, isn't it Arnav? The ruling is done by the Supreme Court. Not any other government body or independent or federal system but the Supreme Court." Akash said with an unfathomed intensity in his eyes.

"Of course it's Supreme Court - a judiciary body whose jurisdiction has been well documented in Articles 32, 131-144 of the constitution." Arnav replied not understanding where this was going.

"It's made up of people Arnav." Akash scoffed and fell silent, enjoying the warm food.

Arnav and Khushi exchanged confused glances.

******

"Why did you want to meet me here sir?" ACP Malvika Singh asked Rathore who was seated comfortably in a restaurant which required membership to enter. While walking in the lobby, she wondered what kind of people constituted its patronage. It took her less than three minutes after sweeping the main floor with her eyes exactly who socialized there - people who wanted to talk in public but didn't want to be gossiped about. It was like a cheap seedy bar in a shady street where everyone let down their guards and drank without fear of judgment. Men were men and women didn't care about moral ambiguity. By thinking that she felt she had already betrayed her gender.

"It's the safest place in the city ACP," Rathore said easily and waited till the waiter left their table after placing their dinner. "You have some news for me?" He asked.

"Did you know Arnav and Khushi had death threats?" Malvika asked observing the older man. He sighed deeply.

"Actually we all have those ACP. It's kind of an occupational hazard. Which one are you talking about?" He asked as if there were options to pick and choose from.

"It's not the variety that makes a threat because of their association to you or politics or their support. It's much complicated," she replied and pushed a folder in his direction. She waited till Rathore opened it and give a cursory glance. When he looked up from the folder, his face was grim.

"They aren't your garden variety group of oppressed individuals who believe they have been wronged by an idea or an arm of government. Generally the threats are much simpler when you break it down - it has religious or an ideological conflict which makes a bunch of people take extreme measures. But this - this is different," she said.

Rathore was quiet. "How did you find this?" He asked half a minute later.

"I have full access to their belongings sir. Everything they had on them during the time of abduction was in evidence. Our forensic IT team recovered a website address which had this content."

"Who owns this website?"

"We are still looking into it sir," she replied. In fact she already knew about it but nothing had given something concrete. A stolen credit card was used to make transaction to host the domain and the postings were all done from internet cafes around Khushi's work area. It was too convenient that someone lost a credit card and filed a complaint and the very next day it's used in a deadly way. Shukla was already searching for the original owner of the credit card who was an ex-journalist. His house now remained locked and his whereabouts was unknown. She and Shukla had agreed not to disclose anything to anyone till they had a solid lead - a lead which could give them an idea as to what was going on.

What was more bizarre was that even after their abduction, the threats had continued to come few more times and then it had completely stopped. The threats which came right after their abduction had subtly implied that their disappearance was a mode of hiding from the group.

This could only mean that the group which abducted Khushi and Arnav wasn't the same who had a hit on their heads.

She had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Note:

a) The landmark ruling - Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala - Wiki

b) Article 32 - Wiki

c) 42 Amendment - Wiki

d) 39 Amendment - Wiki

Another Note: Wiki isn't really a great source of information but a good starting point.

Wow. Just wow.

Originally posted by: boyznaka

Wow. Just wow.

I think I am with Akash on the privatization of railways. Simply because when it's privatized, the companies strive to work harder to satisfy customers. Yes the prices are high but then this would also increase job aspects and if the quality of the services is that good, as good as it is in the airline industry(which, however it may be, is far better than the railways) then people will be willing to pay a little more money. It's a win-lose situation. But I see a 65% profitable idea, so why not?

And this other group seems just more frightening than Akaash.

Also, all the subject matter you write about makes for such good debates it's like I am sitting in the middle of a classy newsroom around the smartest people of the nation.

Malayka - There are multiple problems with airways now. Not just the fee structure but the system that has been set up doesn't seem to workout for investors at all. How many of airlines are actually making profits?

When it comes to railways, privatization is sort of an extreme step given how the worlds fourth largest employer is running alright though customer satisfaction is not all that great. The issue with railways is that they are adding more trains and not fixing the root cause. What we need is efficient working model with route optimization and not generally add more trains.

If, instead of adding more trains, why not implement high speed trains? Currently the average train speed is 120Kmph at the max speed is somewhere around 150Kmph. If a speed train is introduced which runs around 200-220Kmph, then travel time between stations reduces. What once was an overnight travel now becomes a shorter travel. Once this infrastructure is achieved, then increasing trains would make more sense. People would not be too dependent on just one train a day and they will start having options.

Air travel is popular because of the time factor and that its almost impossible to get train reservations. I did a 20 hour bus travel cause I decided that I wanted to visit that place four days before travel. And to get train tickets [be it Tatkal or otherwise] you have to plan at least three months in advance.