Jayalalithaa's current term - Part 1

It might interest you to read my earlier post titled "Jayalalithaa's first term - a recap" before reading this post.

After her heavy defeat at the hustings in 1996, most people thought that it is the end of the road for Jayalalithaa's career as a politician. No one wanted to be in her shoes in the aftermath of 1996 elections as her successor Muthuvelar Karunanidhi's government slapped as many as 45 cases based on corruption charges and even made her spend about a month or so behind the bars.

Five years and political realignments later, when the elections for Tamilnadu Assembly were held in 2001, this Indian Voter had the opportunity to follow her campaign trail in interior Tamilnadu. Jayalalithaa, referring to her jewel-less face managed to elicit sympathy among the rural voters, especially among the fairer sex. At every pocket she roared, "Ungal anbu sagodhariyai paartheergala. Thamizh pengalukke uriya azhagiya murayil oru siru nagai kooda aniya vidaamal seidhu vittaan andha Karunanidhi", translating to "Karunanidhi is responsible for my current state. See, I am not even able to wear any jewel in the traditional Tamil way. Look at the plight of your beloved sister". In a way that only she can, Jayalalithaa managed to turn her great weakness (corruption charges) into a point of strength or sympathy. Jayalalithaa's AIADMK swept to power with a comfortable majority.

With the press constantly reminding the public about her previous tenure and the slew of corruption charges, with no worthwhile second rung leadership, Jayalalithaa's return to power in a way proved to her critics and the world alike that she is made of sterner stuff. Though she contested the elections in the alliance of Ramadoss' Paatali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and G.K.Moopanar's Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), in her typical style she dumped both of them very soon after assuming power.

Even for those who were not well versed with the kazhagam politics of Tamilnadu, one of the awaited incident was the arrest of M.Karunanidhi. Ever since Jayalalithaa stormed back to power, it was never a question of "whether", it was just a matter of "when". Jaya made the answer available late on a Friday night. What should have been a normal incident of arresting a politician turned to be a major national issue due to the high-handedness of Jayalalithaa in handling it in an inappropriate manner and the police officer Mohammed Ali, who went out of the way to please his boss. Not just Karunanidhi was arrested under controversial circumstances, Union Ministers Murasoli Maran & T.R.Baalu were arrested and the former was even beaten up. DMK's mouthpiece Sun TV utilised the opportunity well by beaming the arrest related incidents all through the day trying to evoke sympathy.

Entire nation was stunned on seeing the Union Ministers behind the bars and at one point of time, Vajpayee's NDA government even contemplated using Article 355 on Tamilnadu. The reason it was not used was because Congress, which was an ally of AIADMK at that time was ready to bail out Jaya in the Rajya Sabha, when the government had to get its order ratified in the Upper House of the Parliament. NDA didn't have enough strength in the Rajya Sabha then and Congress had already, much to the embarassment of the Government had voted against the ratification of use of Article 356 (dismissal) on Rabri Devi government in Bihar in 1998-99. Thus, Vajpayee government suffered the ignonimity of reinstating Rabri Devi as Bihar's Chief Minister few weeks after dismissing her. Coming back to TN, Jayalalithaa under enormous pressure from all quarters released Karunanidhi on "health grounds" within 3 days of his arrest. Karunanidhi's arrest had impact at two places, none of which made any difference to the common man. One, Karunanidhi was accorded 'Z' category security by the Central Government. Two, TN Governor Fathima Beevi was sacked for giving a partial report (in favour of TN Government) on the incident.

Advantage Modi

None of the players in India's grand political spectrum would be as happy as Narendra Modi today. Of all, the sole super-power in the world, the United States of America has put him in limelight now and a shrewd politician that Modi is, he has utilised the opportunity well by making his arch-rivals Congress run for him.

Narendra Modi's role or inaction in the infamous Gujarat riots of 2002 is very well known. Those were the days when the entire India was put to shame not just by the mindless rioting, but also by the inaction of the State Government headed by BJP's Narendra Modi to contain the violence that killed more than 2000. While his inaction to the events that unfolded is well known, the allegation that he had a role in instigating the violence in the first place is somewhat debatable and denied. Though a Chief Minister like Narendra Modi is not entirely new to an Indian state (Lalu, Mayavati, Shibu Shoren etc. are other shining diamonds that would make India proud on any day), what made the matters more embarrassing is the wide coverage of the riots by the International media that took the sheen away from the buoyant economy & the other good things that were happening in India at that time. As rightly acknowledged by L.K.Advani later on, it was a "blot" on Vajpayee Government's 6-year tenure. Whatever one thought of Modi, he displayed his mastery in politics by playing the 'communal man' card to his advantage by whipping up religious passions in the subsequent Gujarat State Assembly elections and returned to the seats of power with a thumping majority. Whether one likes it or not, it is a mandate given by the people and there is no disputing that.

Two and half years have passed since Narendra Modi reassumed power and still when anyone talks about Gujarat, the memories of 2002 always eclipses the vibrant business sense, the Gujaratis are known for.

With all such wonderful credentials against his name, Narendra Modi at the invitation of Asian American Hotel Owner's Association planned to go to United States early next month. It was at this juncture, United States of America, the self appointed guardian & champion of Human Rights rejected his application for a diplomatic visa on the grounds that his proposed visit failed to meet the conditions for such a permit. The consulate also revoked the tourist/business visa already granted to Modi under section 212 (A) (2) (G) of the Immigration And Nationality Act of United States. This is precisely what brings Narendra Modi to our discussion table today.

Granting or rejecting the visa is a sovereign right of any country. But this action of United States is totally uncalled for as it horribly exposes its double standards. The bitter truth for everyone is that Narendra Modi is holding a constitutional position in India, as he is the Honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat. Another fact is that, he has not been convicted or even charge-sheeted by any court in India. It is the media that has made all the allegations against him, however true they might be. As we saw already, the people of Gujarat gave Narendra Modi the mandate to rule after the riots, just like how George W Bush got the mandate to govern after a horrible first term at Oval office. It wouldn't have been a big deal had he been rejected the visa when he applies in his individual capacity. That Modi holds an important office in a country that US wants to develop relations with is what makes this a snub on India.

If United States applies the same standards, how could it host Pervez Musharaf, the beacon of democracy at White House & Camp David. If human rights is the main concern for Uncle Sam, shouldn't it close down its embassies & consultates in China & Saudi Arabia? Such double standards of United States are common knowledge and there is no point in debating these, but there are quite a bit of politics involved in India. How would it be if US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld or Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice were denied entry into any of the countries for the atrocities of the US troops in Iraq? For some reason, the Indian media hasn't highlighted one fact. When Narendra Modi visited Britain in 2003, United Kingdom did grant him a visa but quickly clarified that he is not under the invitation of the Queen. United States, quite expectedly isn't that polite.

Immediately after the news was out about the United States' refusal of visa, Narendra Modi quite expectedly launched a scathing attack on US and asked the right question - When Musharaf can visit, why can't I? His question is very much valid. BJP pressed the Centre to take this issue of 'insult to the nation' with the United States. While this issue has given Modi an opportunity of all time to go round the town and spread his theory of 'conspiracy by the West to hurt the Gujarati pride', the ruling Congress finds itself in a spot as it had to defend Narendra Modi by asking United States to reconsider the decision. It has rightly summoned the Deputy Head of Mission and registered its protest. For once, Congress has come out of narrow party politics and swiftly acted in the way one would expect a decent government to act. Definitely, the diplomatic skills of the UPA government would be put to test in this episode.

The heaven is not going to collapse if Modi could not visit America, but inadvertently Modi has been given a new lease of life by the US administration.

Did Supreme Court exceed its limit?

Although this Indian Voter wants to keep her focus away from Jharkand, quite a lot seems to be happening there that warrants some discussion in these columns.

We knew quite well how Governor Razi made a mockery of electoral mandate by inviting Shibu Shoren to form the Government, knowing fully well that he didn't enjoy the majority. We also knew how the independents were traded and NDA managed to 'buy' their support.

As soon as Governor Razi committed the 'mother of all constitutional blunders', NDA leadership not wanting to take any chance started knocking at all the doors. The first door it knocked was the Rashtrapathi Bhavan. It got what it wanted as it was able to parade its flock before His Excellency and also he summoned the Governor and gave what could have been a severe dressing down.

The next door the NDA knocked was the Supreme Court. Supreme Court was in an unenviable position of having to walk a delicate line in its ruling as the issue involved a State Governor and the State legislature. The Court had to be careful not to step out of its jurisdiction and encroach on the legislative & executive prerogatives. Passing its ruling on Wednesday, SC came down heavily on Governor Razi and the UPA government in the State. Not only that, the highest court of the land advanced the confidence vote by five days, stayed the nomination of Anglo-Indian representative, directed the police to protect the legislators and ordered the installation of video cameras to ensure that the proceedings are fair. A part of the ruling that didn't get highlighted is that the Court did not encourage the demand for external observers, thus not tutoring the legislature on how to conduct the business.

The Supreme Court ruling expectedly did open the floodgates on the debate about the rights of legislature & judiciary. Unfortunately, the person who gave some legitimacy to the debate happens to be the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee. He not only made a veiled criticism of the Apex Court but also called an all party meeting to discuss the issue. His concern about the so-called infringement of rights of the legislature lacks depth as this very same man lauded the SC when it intervened and passed a similar ruling two years ago in the Best Bakery Case. At that time, the government in question was Narendra Modi led BJP government. This time, the government in question is his friend Shibu Shoren's UPA government.

Even forgetting about the Left and Somnath Chatterjee for a moment and thinking about it neutrally, one is left to feel that the SC has done the right thing. When checks and balances available to the executive and legislature are made defunct by those in charge of the very same institutions by placing the party interests over the well-established democratic norms, somebody has to step in and in this case, it happens to be Supreme Court. It is not to be said that Somnath Chatterjee's concerns about the judgement are totally invalid. Simply put, he is barking at the wrong tree. This situation would not have arisen if the Governor had not acted in a parisan manner. Still, the situation could have been averted if the Centre had either advised the President to direct the Governor appropriately or have made Shibu Shoren resign. When neither of this happened, it is left to the SC to pass such an unprecedented ruling. After all this, the citizens of this country have reasons to be proud. Had this happened in any other country, the Court would not have intervened at all. But the army would have. That is the spirit of Indian democracy.

Post Script: While I type this at 1 am on Saturday, here comes the news about Soren's resignation egged on by the Centre and the Governor's decision to invite Arjun Munda (what a surname!) to form the government.

Sonia's list of woes

If Jayalalithaa had been in Sonia's shoes, she would have consulted Unnikrishnan Nambudri by now and perhaps performed a yagna or two. Last two weeks have been quite bad for Sonia. Look at her current list of woes.

1) Jharkand - With Supreme Court coming down heavily on Governor Razi and the UPA government in the State, embarassment is too small a word.

2) Bihar - Though it is governing the state through its agent Buta Singh, the fractured mandate in the assembly elections have exposed its irrelevance in the state. Add to that, an agitated Lalu who would use the next available opportunity to hit back. Also, BJP is doing enough to woo Paswan to its side.

3) Haryana - It should have been the happiest regions for Congress as it got a huge mandate in its favour. But Sonia blundered by humiliating Bajan Lal, who was responsible for the party's revival. He is a volcano waiting to erupt.

4) Kerala - Karunakaran once again makes a mockery of the party regulations, so-called discipline etc. Despite warnings, he has gone ahead with a rally against the ruling Congress government in the state. What is more humiliating is that, the turnout for the rally is huge.

5) Tamilnadu - Though the DMK has shut its mouth for now, the controversy over Elangovan-Karunanidhi duel last week has done enough to strain the alliance between the two at the State level. Few more sparks and the stage would be ready for the nice drama.

All this in two weeks is far too much for even an experienced politician, let alone Sonia. But some of them - especially the first two are of her own making. Lot more to write, but the Indian Voter is in the same boat as Sonia - in the middle of so many things.

What if?

To add spice to the already spicy tale of Government formation at Jharkand, how would it be if Ekka - the most wanted man at Jharkand as of now, switches sides and decides to support UPA? If you wonder whether this kind of U-turn is possible at such a short time, remember the kind of money involved in this business and these guys would be ready to sell their mom for that.

Having been humiliated enough by the developments last week, Shibu Shoren & his cronies would only be waiting to score a point over the NDA. Moreover, the Governor Razi after being singled out for shame in the national media would only be too happy if this development takes place so that he can "justify" his action of last week and save some face. Already a Congress MP from Jharkand is on record saying that they were ready to pay up to Rs.10 Crores in exchange for the crucial vote in the confidence motion. Perhaps, the BJP were more aware of the market rates and offered a better deal. Enos Ekka, who was apparently negotiating with both the sides, took the better offer.

What makes this U-turn a possibility is that Kolebira, the constituency that Enos Ekka represents is a Christian dominated tribal area and Enos Ekka - himself being a staunch Christian campaigned strongly against BJP for being anti-minority. While BJP was focusing its attention on the safety of its flock, Congress-JMM started playing the religious card at Kolebira resulting in most people who matter - from Enos Ekka's family to pastor of his Church now appealing to Enos Ekka to support UPA. This could not have happened naturally because if the people are so much in awe about the UPA now, they would have voted in favour of the UPA candidate who contested against Enos Ekka, just a week ago.

Unmindful of what is going on at home, Ekka & the other 40 MLAs are now enjoying their time at a plush resort in Jaipur with some BJP bigwigs for company. The country would have to wait till March 15 to know which side has the last laugh. Till then, the game is evenly pitted.

Dilemma

I wouldn't be surprised if Lal Krishna Advani signs a 'Thank you' card today. But he’ll be in a dilemma of where to send. Look at the reasons.

Just think about the status of BJP before 6 days. After an unexpected loss at the hustings in May 2004, BJP was struggling to come to terms. Having used to occupy the corridors of power for six years, it couldn't digest being in the other side. At first, if Sushmma Swaraj made a moron of herself by announcing that she would tonsure her head if Sonia became the Prime Minister, Sonia gently rubbed salt on the wound by renouncing the chair. Not only did BJP lose an issue, but in one stroke Sonia built-up a larger than image for herself. "She was never after power", claimed the Congress. BJP was literally speechless.

Thanks to BJP's time tested formula of stalling the parliament, Manmohan Singh became the first Prime Minister, who was unable to introduce his council of Ministers in the parliament. That none of them were worth introducing is another story. Though their diatribe against the tainted ministers had a very valid reason, the way the Opposition conducted themselves clearly showed that they were yet to accept defeat. BJP's - especially the senior leadership's image took a further nosedive when they conducted themselves in a very silly manner over the meeting with Manmohan Singh, where they alleged that the Prime Minister behaved in a rude way. Manmohan's version of events appeared credible and Advani looked like a school boy when he refused to listen even after the Prime Minister called him up personally to clear the air.

Not that the Congress was performing creditably in the seat of power. BJP had ample opportunities to put the ruling coalition in the mat. The Sutlej-Yamuna canal legislation by the Punjab Government (now everyone has forgotten that serious issue), shooting up of inflation, mis-handling of Manipur crisis, removal of Governors appointed by the previous regime, Veer Savarkar controversy started by Mani Shankar Aiyar, Dharam Singh's cheap publicity stunt to arrest Uma Bharathi, Arjun Singh's desaffronisation attempts - with in few months of assuming power, Congress gave opportunities to BJP/NDA like Tirupathi laddus. If each of these above issues were debated in the Parliament properly, the ruling coalition would have fumbled & tumbled into submission. Rather, BJP chose to ignore them all and created a ruckus. In all, they were proving to be bad losers.

If these were not enough, its heavy loss in Maharashtra, Uma Bharathi's open defiance and subsequent removal from the party etc further dented the image and put a big question mark on its revival. When the Congress Governor at Goa S.C.Jamir, demonstrated his mastery in pleasing Sonia, BJP's voice & howls were silenced by the elections to the three State assemblies. Even last Sunday when the results of the assembly elections were declared, although Lalu lost Bihar, neither was BJP able to fully capitalise the anti-incumbency wave nor it was able to survive the same in Jharkand. The results were only not-too-bad in BJP's perspective. When Palaniappan Chidambaram presented the budget on Monday, BJP found itself in a position where Atal Behari Vajpayee, for the sake of protest, had to condemn the withdrawal tax proposal.

Come March 2, things changed at a pace that no one expected. One man, Syed Sibtey Razi showed the nation what Congress is capable of. Governor being summoned by the President, the Government forced to be on the defensive, Congress spokesmen hastily disassociating Sonia from the actions of the Governor, media comparing Sonia with Indira Gandhi, editorials talking about the emergency-like situation, Natwar Singh trying to woo the Opposition leaders by singing praise about NDA government (yes, it happened on Friday at RS), Venkiah Naidu back with the press with his chirpy one-liners, Advani beaming with pride, BJP in an upbeat mood, shell shocked people - so, you know how things changed in a matter of few days. Not that this has completed a BJP revival, but don’t be surprised if this proves to be a turning point at a later date. Indian politics is a difficult road. You’d find U-turns at the least expected point.

Whom do you think Advani would send his ‘Thank-you’ card to? Sonia or Razi? Tough choice!

Jayalalithaa’s First Term - a recap

One need not be well versed with Indian politics to know Jayalalithaa Jayaram. The mercurial actress-turned-politician is a very well known figure all through India and sometimes to the surprise of her opponents finds a mention in the International media.

Jayalalithaa (the last letter was added to her name only about few years back) was a political novice until about 1982, when she was brought into active politics by her mentor and yesteryear Chief Minister of TN, M.G.Ramachandran. Thanks to her attractive personality, she drew crowds in public meetings that also turned into votes in the polling stations, which soon saw her nominated to the Upper House of the Indian Parliament. When M.G.Ramachandran passed away in late 1987, the party he headed AIADMK split into two - one of which was headed by Jayalalithaa, who later patched up with the leader of the other division & the widow of her mentor, Janaki Ramachandran.

Though the spotlight was clearly on her ever since the death of M.G.Ramachandran, Jaya's moment of fame came in 1991 when she became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on a brutal majority riding on the sympathy wave due to the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi. Her initial few days in office were a talking point for the people of Tamil Nadu. The promptness with which she turned up to the office, her fluency in many languages including English, the free hand she gave the police to contain the LTTE menace, the confident stride with which she asserted the state's cause in National Integration Council meetings won her quite a lot of admirers. She was the state's most educated Chief Minister after C.N.Annadurai in mid-1960s.

As months passed, Jayalalithaa's tenure became something that people of Tamil Nadu best wanted to forget. While she kept a tight control over her party men, who including her Ministers often prostrated before her in public without any shame, she could barely control the goonda raj, let loose by her friend Sasikala's family, more popularly known as 'Mannargudi family', Mannargudi being the town from where the family hailed. Law & order deteriorated that at one point of time, unable to stomach the criticisms, she held the then Union Home Minister S.B.Chavan for organising highway robberies in Tamil Nadu. She didn’t even spare the then Governor Channa Reddy of behaving improperly with her at the Raj Bhavan. That both these statements were made at the State Assembly makes it more interesting. Though her stand against LTTE was tough & consistent, the fact that as many as 50 LTTE terrorists escaped from the prison between 1993 & 1996 didn’t augur well.

If law & order was a point of concern, the way the then Speaker of the TN assembly, Sedapatti R. Muthiah conducted the legislative assembly would even put to shame, the current Governor of Jharkand. As for the common man, he would have to put up with the rudeness of persons, starting from the milk booth guy. If half the state’s prime real estate were rounded up by Jayalalithaa & Sasikala, the press which exposed them were attacked mercilessly with the killing of two staff of the Tamil weekly ‘Tharasu’, being the prime example of the state of affairs. Violence wasn’t just confined to lesser mortals. Even the popular Chief Election Commissioner T.N.Seshan was targeted, though he had moved away from the hotel when the attack was launched. However, the current Union Finance Minister P.Chidambaram was not so lucky. His car was attacked near Trichy (he was a Union Minister then in the P.V.Narasimha Rao government) and he escaped with bruises. But the seriousness of the situation would be best understood, if one were to see the acid washed face of IAS officer Chandralekha.

Not that Jayalalithaa’s tenure comprised only of violence. There were some positive aspects of that tenure too. The construction of Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, organisation of South Asian Federation Games, construction of the tennis stadium, hockey stadium, modern swimming pool still stand as proof for the few good work done during that time. What hurt everyone was the arrogance, the arrogance that had no parallels. The prime example of her arrogance was exemplified towards the end of her first term in 1995 when she conducted the wedding of her now-disowned foster son Sudhakaran’s wedding, best described as ‘mother of all marriages’. The money that was pumped for the lavish show was anybody’s guess. If there was one single event, that made even the proud fans of Jayalalithaa among the public turn against her, it was that wedding.

In the election that followed, Jayalalithaa’s party was routed in all the constituencies with Jaya herself losing heavily to an unknown Sugavanam of DMK in Bargur constituency. That marked the end of her first term (1991 - 96) as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

Arrogance, thy name is Congress

In my observation of Indian politics for close to 15 years now, I have never come across a party as arrogant as Congress. (Readers, please don't take me for a BJP activist or anything of that kind, I have quite a lot against them too.) How else, could you describe the way the Congress Governor of Jharkand invited Shibu Shoren to take the reins of the state?

An election is conducted and the results are announced. As is the trend these days, no party gets an absolute majority. The single largest pre-poll coalition NDA falls short of just 4 MLAs. There are about 11 MLAs in the 'Others' category. The horses are bought for a quick price or they express their interest to 'serve' the people - somehow, they decide to join the NDA gang and NDA’s number swells to 41 without any trouble. Suddenly, a picnic was arranged and all the kids were taken for an excursion to Raj Bhavan and were paraded before Syed Sibtey Razi, a man who would be happy to spend all his life dusting Sonia's shoes, but by quirk of fate happen to be the Governor of Jharkand now.

Now comes the time for the Governor to repay his debts to Madame Sonia for whatever reasons. He says that that he would hold discussion with the Independents separately, an euphemism for “I’ll trade with the horses, you don’t have to”. The country has seen many partisan Governors, Speakers & even some Presidents. But never before, has anyone stooped to this level. BJP shouts, screams, calls poor Manmohan and complains about the delaying tactics but is somehow confident that things can’t go wrong – as NDA is the single largest pre-poll alliance and BJP is the single largest party and enough horses have been given enough fodder. Despite the delay, it becomes a common knowledge that sooner or later, a NDA government is about to be installed.

The next day, the Union Coal Minister Shibu Shoren – the same bearded guy who despite being a Central Minister went underground on the face of a warrant from the court few months ago, meets the Governor and impresses him with his record in trading. Guess what, he comes out with an appointment order. Without giving much time for anyone to gasp or react, he is sworn in as the Chief Minister. The irony of the situation is that the 41 legislators (who form the majority) were sitting outside the Raj Bhavan protesting against the Governor even as Shibu took oath.

Now comes the real test. Shibu is in a position where he has to get the horses to his side. NDA is in a position where they have to safeguard their stock. With the entire government machinery (both State & Central), the Raj Bhavan on one side, guess whose job is easier. NDA, in their typical style have started with by stalling the parliament.

It beats me why, why Congress couldn’t stomach an electoral defeat that it goes out of the way to do this. Why does the party never learn its lessons? Where comes this arrogance when it is running the government at the Centre on borrowed strength? I don’t say that BJP is a party of all holy men from heaven. They have lot of ‘records’ to their credit. But never before, the game has been played this badly. Could this ever be checked?

In all, I would like to apologise to the horses for the juxtaposition.

Rs.9999 withdrawals

Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram produced a 'dream' budget in 1997. A sort of budget that was so dear to the salaried middle class, that only a man like P.Chidambaram could produce. Irony was that he was a minister in a 'kitchdi' government, whose constituents couldn't think beyond caste & the current term in office. Despite his not-so-bright companions in the treasury benches, PC introduced quite a few novel schemes in that budget -

1) Introduction of 'competition postcards' at Rs.2 each to do away with the habit of mass mailing the TV channels for participation,

2) Introduction of a flat Income Tax of Rs.1500 for small traders & businesses there by bringing them into the tax bracket, at the same time making it affordable, and most importantly

3) A general amnesty scheme where one could declare the unaccounted money (the so-called black money) and pay a nominal tax.

While the first two were appreciated for their novelty, the third scheme drew lot of flak, but was very effective. Within the stipulated time, thousands of crores were declared and taxed. This not only paved way for the abolition of black money, but also yielded good revenue for the government at that time.

Years have rolled and PC is again in the Finance Minister's chair. As only a sensible person could do, PC has again produced a growth-oriented, well-balanced positive budget. The industry is happy (CII normally expresses happiness at all the budgets, more on that later), salaried class is happy about the IT reforms, even the opposition could only mumble for the sake of it. But, as is the nature of PC, he has introduced something fishy. Something very fishy and very ineffective, that it has every potential to take the shine off the budget. In his budget presentation for the next fiscal, he has come up with a weird proposal to impose a nominal tax of 0.01 percent on cash withdrawals of Rs.10,000 or above per day, to curb the scourge of black money.

What is going to happen is that, people are going to withdraw up to Rs.9999 to escape the tax. Another thing is that, people would open multiple bank accounts and where one cheque and one transaction would do normally, there are going to be multiple cheques and multiple transactions. Apart from that the IT filing procedure is going to be very messy. Black money has always remained outside the banking realms and it is generally untraceable. That is why, it is called black money. Has PC run out of ideas to unearth black money that he is going to focus on millions of bank transactions that take place everyday?

Not a wise idea Mr. Chidambaram. Please, roll it back. One another amnesty chance would be a sensible thing to do.