The high decibel drama In Karnataka has ended in a whimper. BJP showed its improvement of its presence to a large extent in terms of seats. But its greed to usurp power by all means fair and foul did not raise its prestige and stock in the State. It is loss of face that will take its effects in the long run. In spite of not having a majority, the BJP tried to maneuver by dubious means. The Governor did not cover himself in glory trying to please its masters. He had resigned his seat in favour of his mentor in Gujarat and may be in turn favoured this posh position. The Supreme Court rose to the occasion in setting matters right in an unprecedented midnight intervention. There is no doubt that it was an invitation to poach and an inducement to encourage corruption. The principle of who should be invited has been constantly discarded in different situation in different states. That there is no uniformity of application of the rule compared to Goa, Meghalaya where traditions were thrown to the winds. It was absolutely crystal clear the large gap could only be breached by coercion; bribe and inducements. The BJP party leadership was blinded by power to override conventions and political reality of numbers in its desperate moves. There is no doubt that the Supreme Court has exercised its role to save the democratic traditions and conventions. The different yardsticks applied in the formation of government in different states under similar, identical situations were abhorrent. The united stand of the opposition parties has led to the democratic principles being upheld.
Learning to swim is not just about excelling in the sport but knowing to swim can also mean the difference between life and death whenever there is an incident of possible drowning. There have been several incidents of death due to drowning reported in the state. Probably a good number of these drowning deaths could have been avoided if the victim knew to swim. Hence learning to swim assumes significance in one’s life. Schools and colleges in the state need to make arrangements to conduct swimming classes for the students by charging a minimal fee. The school/college could have a tie-up with the hotels in the locality which have swimming pools or any other location which has the facility of a swimming pool and engage swimming instructors to teach the students to swim. Teaching the students swimming at a young age could also encourage them to take up swimming as a professional sport.
It is extremely difficult to understand how the Mahatma’s sage words that “what is morally wrong cannot be politically correct” could be interpreted so as to equate two aspects of the ‘philosophical truth’ of the politics of present era! Morals and politics cannot co-exist and more specifically ‘morals in politics’! If that was so, many of the uncertainties that plague the political system in the country today would have found immediate solutions, and that too in the interest of the common man. Unfortunately, the contradictions are far too many and usually snowball into controversies that are in essence the concept of modern day politics. Intensified and intriguing games at cornering power have however never been as evident as it is today. Nor has the government’s indifference to political criticism helped matters either! Combined with its ardent desire to unfurl the party flag across the whole country, the BJP has been citing precedents and proffering Constitutional validity to deny other parties and coalitions the right to form a government wherever it has failed to receive a decisive mandate on its own. But the Saffron-brigade cannot be held guilty of establishing a new tradition! Dismissal of various state governments headed by a party which is not in power at the Centre has been a favourite ‘pastime’ of many of the Prime Ministers in the past. The BJP’s machinations at gaining control of the states only pale in comparison to the feats of its predecessors. But such acts only go to make an expediency of the rule, threatening the spirit of the Constitution while going by its letter. However, similar cases where there have been blatant attempts to ‘usurp’ power show that more than Constitutional, such plots have only gone to serve political purposes in recent years. The Karnataka fracas for instance! The assembly election was fought with the perfect knowledge that the Modi-ensemble would connive to have its way in Karnataka. The verdict on a hung-assembly only emboldened them.