Selecting Right Persons for Right Jobs

By KANTI B PATEL

I read India Post(May 31) news that Chief Minister Mayawati heading the BSP-BJP Ministry in Uttar Pradesh has decided to arrest and prosecute former ‘Bandit Queen’ Phoolan Devi. This woman is alleged to have killed 20 people and terrorized vast areas during her reign of banditry. This kind of people deserve to be behind bars and not inside the Parliament House but thanks to Mulayam Singh and his Samajwadi Party she is a Member of Parliament. She could not even read her oath and had to repeat after one of the Parliament officials. What kind of laws would people like Phoolan make when she herself spearheaded law-breakers?

I also pity those who elected Phoolan and made her a Lawmaker. God save this Motherland of ours that is poised to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of independence. During this half a century, what kind of Governments did we have that failed to educate people about what real democracy is and whom to vote and make Lawmakers!

These are among the Members of Parliament and State Legislators who will shortly elect a President and a Vice President. Who would that be? A TN Seshan, a KR Narayanan or a Sitaram Kesri? Kesri who supports the United Front Government from outside and on some whim withdraws support and then allows the same party to form another Ministry, sans his ‘enemy’ Deve Gowda! What does that show? A leader with no principles.

Then we have Vice President Narayanan whose main qualification given prominence to is that he belongs to the Scheduled Caste. Is that so important for the President of India? Is the country going to elect even the top man on the basis of caste? Have the people and their representatives morally and constitutionally gone bankrupt? And then Narayanan sings the so-called secular tunes ignoring the majority community. He also did not find time or showed any inclination to visit the Kashmiri Hindu refugees, driven out from their homes and living in tents in Jammu and Delhi, to wipe their tears. He has ample time to attend Iftar parties and Eid milan functions.

There is another leader in his own right who did his best to reform the complex, money-dominated election system of India by his courage and forthright attitude and character. TN Seshan deserves to be the President. He will not be a rubber stamp, as most political parties want, but he sure will be an effective President. As the Head of State he will uphold the Constitution, apply correct judgment to settle issues that are being posed these days with hung Parliament and Legislatures and splits in parties. He will not blindly put his signatures on orders to dissolve elected State Assemblies to favor certain parties and to put off certain other parties.

Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray has endorsed Seshan but I am surprised the BJP, that has a coalition Government in Maharashtra with Shiv Sena, has not come out in support of Seshan. It seems they are trying to be more ‘secular’ and trying to join those who play the ‘scheduled Caste card.’ If that is true it is disappointing, to say the least.

Let selecting criminals and leaders on caste consideration stop. The country has already suffered enough because of these. In this Golden Jubilee year at least start a new chapter with selection of right persons for right jobs.

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