Kerala faced an unprecedented flood with over 370 lives lost and more than 7,00,000 people in 5,645 relief camps and extensive damage to houses and infrastructure. Now the deluge seems to be over with relief and rescue mission almost nearing conclusion. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan outlined the roadmap the state government intends to take in the coming days as the focus shifts from rescue mission to relief and rehabilitation measures. He assured people that all necessary help will be provided at every step as they return home to rebuild their lives. It is assuring that the government is ready with plans and personnel for all aspects of relief work – be it restoring power supply or removal of waste, taking care of sanitation issues or repairing water pipes- involving state agencies, civil society groups and the thousands of volunteers already in the forefront of the rescue mission.
While the scale of the flood has been unprecedented, the response to meet the tragedy has been heartening. The state government and its agencies, Central forces, including the national disaster response force, the army, navy and air force, civil society, ranging from NGOs to self-help groups, the Malayali diaspora, the neighbouring states – all have been quick to respond to the tragedy. They have worked overtime to reach out to those in distress and ensured that the relief camps have adequate water and food stocks. A standout feature of the relief operations has been the selfless role of the state's fishermen, who came with their boats and braved the vicious currents to access places and home that the police, army and naval personnel could not reach.
The task before the government now is to build on the momentum and steer relief and rehabilitation. This is the third major natural disaster to strike the state this year – Cyclone Ockhi and the Nipah virus outbreak. The preliminary estimates of the government peg the cost of the floods at £2 billion. The state government has requested £200 million assistance from the Centre and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised £50 million over and above £10 million promised earlier. The Centre has now cleared the way for more aid by declaring the floods as 'severe' calamity. The state, hopefully, will not be short of funds to rebuild its public and private infrastructure – individual donations, contributions from the diaspora, other states and Gulf states besides government funds should bridge the shortfall. The scale of destruction and the measures it calls for will be fully known only when the water recedes completely from the flood-affected areas. The immediate task, however, would be to stave off possible health emergencies and epidemics and facilitate the return of people to their homes. It is reassuring for the affected people to know that in their hour of need, help is at hand.
India needs a strong and able Opposition
For a vibrant democracy a convincing and healthy Opposition is crucial, which should be led by a capable leader and other talented members of the leadership. The Indian National Congress, established way back in 1885 has been a national political machinery which ruled India for almost six decades in its 71 years of independence. The Nehru dynasty led by great Jawaharlal Nehru, brave and strong-willed daughter Indira Gandhi followed by her son Rajiv and 10 years of UPA government where though Dr Manmohan Singh - a reputable economist and gentleman was the Prime Minister, the Congress President Sonia Gandhi effectively was the decision-maker.
Today a 'National' party of that historical pedigree is confined to two states and few smaller pockets of India, dependant on the support of regional parties, who were up until recently their arch enemies. Rahul Gandhi has a very challenging job indeed. He has been to Harvard in USA, Singapore, Bahrain and other places to promote himself and his party. He and his associates would know what has been the response to his overtures.
Britain is very important, not only for India but to all its political parties and those ambitious politicians who know 2mn Indians residing in the UK, who are well-resourced, knowledgeable and influential. Asian Voice has received a substantial number of communications where the main concern about the candidature of Rahul Gandhi are three. First, his capability, second, his experience and third, his temperament.
In all honestly, though he is becoming more and more communicative and perhaps increasingly wise with age, somehow one feels that he still lacks that particular political acumen and consistency. In all honesty his administrative leadership skill has a lot to prove to say the least. Regarding the temperament of the future Prime Minister of India, people remember his several abrupt and tempermental public reactions such as tearing off the cabinet decision publicly in a press conference.
Let us make a suggestion. There are at least 8 months to go to the next general election in India. Why can’t the Opposition assemble a research group of eminently qualified persons who can objectively vet the aims, claims and actuals of the present Indian government led by a popular Prime Minister Narendra Modi? After all one has to remember, after 4 years of running the country, facing innumerable challenges and contradictions, he has a popular rating of some 74 percent according to the Pew research.
Mr Gandhi has a steep mountain to climb and for the sake of India why not? Let him try sincerely and we wish him a very good luck.
Indo-British relations under stress
Britain’s great wartime prime minister Winston Churchill said that his working and sleeping hours were devoted to ways and means of pleasing the American President, at the time Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Subsequently the US Secretary of State in the Truman administration, Dean Acheson, pronounced that, ‘Britain has lost an empire and not found a role.
It would appear from contemporary evidence that both of these observations have continuing relevance. So much British time and energy has been vested in the ‘special’ US relationship, and in taming the Russian bear, not speak of the stalled Brixit negotiations that it has left the government limp and exhausted. There has, of course, been silken statements of intent from Whitehall on the commitment to take Indo-British ties to the next level but roadblocks have brought the search to an abrupt end - hopefully a temporary closure.
Competing events occupied the public space. The Khalistani declaration of independence for Punjab and a counter-demonstration for time-tested Sikh values were writ large on on the streets of London. Among the speakers at the Khalistan rally was Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotheram. His Lordship organised a violent demonstration in front of the Indian High Commission during the visit of Prime inister Modi’s visi to the capital for the Commonwealth summit. The Indian Tricolour was burnt and an Indian woman reporter assaulted. The police stood idly by, fearful, no doubt, the accusation of Islamophobia.
When former UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson, with characteristic wit, likened burqha-clad women to post box slits, the politically correct fraternity had an epileptic seizure. A demand for a jizya tax on infidel humour may now be pressed on the authorities. The latest terrorist incident of a car ramming into innocent citizens going about their lawful business brings with it the hideous prospect of reducing one of the world’s great capital cities to a besieged fortress, with security checks atalmost every street.
The Hindu newspaper’s London Correspondent, Vidya Ram, compared Mr Johnson to President Donald Trump, widely perceived as the archetypal Islamophobe. The virus of groupie lunacy respects neither national nor rational boundaries.
Whither the Commonwealth? Barring the Royal family, few of Britain’s great and good look upon it kindly, perceiving its summits as a costume drama of talking heads. As Britannia no longer is ruling the waves, the mainstream media has poured scorn on the Commonwealth’s continued existence as a drain on the public purse.
The Government of India and the British government are at odds over immigration issues. Whitehall claims that 100,000 Indians were living illegally in the UK, and hence should be deported. India disputes the numbers put forward. Britain desires India agree to DNA testing of illegal Indian immigrants. The Government of India has rejected the proposal.. What next, you may well ask?
Indo-British trade and investments are secure, as both business communities will it so. Cultural and education ties are strong because both civil societies desire it be so. The political relationship is best put on the back burner until the propitious moment for its revival.
