Operation Clean-Up

Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh invited the media for a post-Diwali do, which also turned out to be an interaction on the government’s recent cleanliness drive. Along with several secretaries, the interaction detailed initiatives of various departments in the course of the Diwali clean-up. Singh, a successful doctor before he became an MP, seems to have figured out that journalists look for a headline to sell a story to their bosses and so helpfully pointed out that more than 37 lakh square feet of space had been made available by getting rid of broken and unused furniture and rearranging and digitalising files. He also said selling electronic scrap had yielded a tidy ₹254 crore to the government, and the clean-up was not yet over. Among the office space reclaimed were rooms in the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), which was paying a rent of ₹2 crore a year to private landlords. Many WCD officials are now back at Shastri Bhawan in central Delhi. They may not be too pleased though as they are back in the crowded corridors of the administrative block which is further bedevilled by congested parking.

The Canada Conundrum

While India’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the UK have been in the spotlight due to political upheavals in London, a similar effort with Canada is making even more tardy progress. It is not the provisions of the pact itself that are a problem. With the successful completion of the FTA with Australia, there is a useful template for trade pacts with developed economies. The concern in the case of Canada is the rise of pro-Khalistan organisations, some of which are busy organising a “referendum” on their secessionist goals. Far from being an innocent exercise in assessing public opinion, the effort is being promoted by Khalistani activists with the full support of Pakistan where several fugitives wanted for terrorist acts during the Punjab troubles continue to roost. The view of the Indian government is that while the FTA will help both sides and will be a welcome development amid uncertainties clouding the global economy in the wake of the Ukraine war, the blatant anti-India agenda of the Khalistanis and lack of action against them cannot be ignored. A disregard for India’s security concerns is not going down well in New Delhi. It is felt the Trudeau government is wary of the clout of the Khalistanis and sees them as a vote bank, not recognising that they are proxies of Pakistan’s notorious Inter-Services Intelligence.

Old Habits Die Hard

Weaning officialdom off some bad habits takes time, and sometimes, more than a nudge. The system of senior railway officers being allowed to hire temporary help at places where they were posted was dismantled with some effort. The practice of the hires being absorbed in service after two years added to the department’s pay bill and had become an avenue for offering favours, and officials used this privilege at almost every posting. The broom of reforms continues to sweep and other such perks are being done away with, but old habits die hard. Recently, yet another officer was detected passing off his personal expenses in the office account.

Chinese Chequers

The presence of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Regimental Commander Qi Fabao, who was injured in the bloody clash between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan in June 2020, at the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Congress has attracted considerable attention, not the least because the Chinese chose to highlight his attendance. A clip on the Galwan incident was also played. All this, feel China watchers, is evidence that the confrontation that saw the death of 20 Indian soldiers in hand-to-hand fights has left a deep impression on China’s military and political leadership. Troubles along the India-China border do not usually figure much in China’s official narratives and by and large bellicose fulminations are left to quasi-official outlets like Global Times. The reference to Galwan is partly to show the Communist Party’s resoluteness in fighting “aggression” against China but also indicates that the incident left the PLA with much to ponder. Detailed references to the action and alleged Indian counterattacks on Chinese internet platforms seem evidence of a desire to build a narrative but are also an acknowledgement of the casualties the PLA suffered despite having the element of surprise on its side. Qi had managed to escape from the Galwan heights, but many other PLA soldiers were not so fortunate though China has refused to reveal the real extent of casualties suffered.

Trade Wind

ON the UK FTA, word is that with Rishi Sunak becoming prime minister, there is hope that a functional government will soon be in office after the short-lived Liz Truss experiment. Since setting the economy right is Sunak’s top priority, he might be expected to shift the focus from the economic mismanagement that has dogged the Conservative government in recent months. Even before Truss’ resignation, there was a plan to release a joint statement which underlines that both countries are committed to concluding the FTA. Indian officials point out that the ratification process in the UK will see the pact going to parliament where it will be closely examined by the MPs, including Conservative backbenchers. The Labour Party will also not be in a hurry to allow the Tories to score an economic success. A thoroughly vetted FTA will prove more durable and will not be revised if the opposition assumed office. In the case of Australia, the opposition Labour has honoured the discussions India concluded with the Scott Morrison government.

Overbearing Police

With even its cadres feeling the heat of police excesses in Kerala, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), has launched a sharp attack on the home department handled by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself. But since the DYFI leaders are wary about pointing fingers at the powerful chief minister, the man most party leaders are upset with is Vijayan’s Political Secretary P Sasi. The secretary was brought back and ‘accommodated’ in the party early this year, 11 years after he was expelled over charges of sexual misconduct. Sasi, who was political secretary under the late Chief Minister EK Nayanar, too, from 1996 to 2001, is an experienced hand. In private conversations, Sasi is said to often boast about having ruled the state at Nayanar’s behest and handled the home department with an iron fist back then. But with alleged police highhandedness drawing a lot of flak, Sasi is finding that things have changed. A successful lawyer in his politically fallow years now finds himself in a bad spot.

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