A leaderless nation stumbling from one crisis to another

In the south of India, a long-standing dispute centred on the Mullaperiyar dam threatens to snowball into a major flare-up between Kerala and Tamil Nadu…A few hundreds kilometers away, work on Kudankulam power plant remains stalled due to continued protests and concerns around the safety of the plant.  The first reactor was scheduled for Dec ’09.

In “distant Assam“, activists stop trucks carrying equipment marked for the largest hydro-electric project in India – the Subansiri lower dam project, saying that the government is not listening to their concerns. The project has already been delayed by two years.

In Manipur, a fragile calm prevails after the lifting of the longest “blockade” in recent history – 121 days.A local resident says:

“The lifting of blockade is a mockery of government as the two warring tribes (Kukis and Nagas) can hold the government hostage anytime they wish..It’s a slap on the face of government…It’s an utter failure of the state and the centre to control these recalcitrant groups”

A government headed by a PM mocked for not speaking up tries to bring in a series of controversial measures in one go: the bill on Communal Violence, a Quota within a Quota for Muslims…(not to forget, a Jan Lokpal that is satisfying nobody). A party which declared FDI as “anti-national” in 2002 now brings a bill in Parliament to allow 51% FDI in Retail.  Ironically, a party that had FDI in Retail in its manifesto in 2004 now says it should not be allowed under any circumstances.

The ruckus leads to Parliament being adjourned after 9-days of “heated arguments”.. but not before MPs manage to get Rs 50,000 for themselves to buy an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Meanwhile inflation remains stubbornly above the 9% mark, we continue to spend enormous resources (Rs 50 crores) on a certain Ajmal Kasab even as a flash mob does a Rang De “dance” at CST – for the “pure joy of dancing” – in case you were wondering (what next? Flash mob at Jantar Mantar? I wonder),  acommittee (!) that is examining ways to strengthen laws to curb black money gets a 2-month extension(even though it has been “examining” these issues for 8 months!) and the probe against Hasan Ali hits a dead-end.