Strong army needed for peace: Modi

[mshahadat]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he has accorded highest priority to the modernization of defence forces as strong security was necessary for an atmosphere of peace, amity and harmony in the country.
He was addressing a "Sainik Sammelan" in Badami Bagh Army headquarters here on a day's visit to Jammu & Kashmir.
Praising the valour and courage of the soldiers, the Prime Minister asserted that self-reliance in defence offset manufacturing was essential for the security of the nation.
Strong armed forces are necessary for an atmosphere of peace, amity, harmony and brotherhood in the country, and that is the foundation on which India would achieve new heights of development, Modi said.
He said today the world was looking at India with hope and we can interact on equal terms with all developed countries.
The spirit of sacrifice and selflessness of the defence forces was an inspiration for all Indians and this spirit would ensure their victory at all times, the Prime Minister said. He said the people of India trusted them and believed that no power on earth could defeat them.
The Prime Minister reiterated his government's commitment to building a national war memorial in memory of soldiers who had laid down their lives for the motherland.
He said the welfare of the army men and their families was the concern and collective responsibility of all Indians and his government would take all good decisions in the interest of the jawans. Earlier, the Prime Minister paid homage at the martyrs' memorial at Badami Bagh Cantonment.
He also wrote in the visitors' book at the memorial and visited the nearby 1,200-year-old Shiva Temple.

[mshahadat]

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[mshahadat]

New 'Republics' under Modi, Sisi, Poroshenko
Mahmood Hasan

DURING the month of May 2014 there were three rather important elections in three regions of the world. In South Asia, Narendra Modi was declared the winner in the Indian Lok Sabha election on May 16. In Europe, on May 25, Ukrainians elected Petro Poroshenko as their new president. And in the Middle East, Egyptians elected General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as their new president on May 27.

Since independence, Nehru's 'democratic paradigm' (first Indian republic?) was based on some broad ideals. He strongly believed in 'democracy,' 'secularism,' 'socialistic economic order' and 'consensus' to incorporate the diverse interests of multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-ethnic, multi-caste India. The Indian National Congress ruled for most parts of the last seven decades with Nehru's ideals.

With the overwhelming mandate will Modi deviate from the Nehruvian ideals? Will Modi change the political discourse and create a new 'Republic?' Will India be 'Modi-fied?'

The tone of Modi's maiden speech at the Lok Sabha was inclusiveness. He promised to fight poverty, change India's image from 'scam India' to 'skilled India,' convert development into a mass movement like Gandhi's freedom struggle.

Modi's passion for market-based solution for economic growth will no doubt strengthen the corporate houses of India. It will also help the growth of neo-capital that may accentuate the socio-economic divide. 

By inviting the Saarc leaders to his investiture, Modi held out an olive branch to his neighbours. He has yet to outline his policies towards China and the West. Interestingly, he has appointed Ajit Kumar Doval as his national security advisor, who has strong views about so-called 'Bangladeshi infiltration' into India.

On the ideological, social and political front, the secular segment of the society is watching with trepidation how his ideological mooring to 'Hindutva' manifests itself.

Hindutva followers have termed Modi's rise as India's second 'Republic.' Some have described it as India's second independence. The contours of Modi's 'Republic' are slowly emerging. Recent steps by Modi do not speak of inclusiveness.

As far as Egypt is concerned, the country has gone full circle from military dictatorship (first 'Republic' -- Gamal Nasser) to democracy (second 'Republic' -- Mohammad Morsi) and back to military 'democracy' (third 'Republic' -- Al-Sisi).

The first Arab Spring ousted Hosni Mubarak in February 2011 and catapulted Mohammed Morsi of Freedom and Justice Party (Muslim Brotherhood) to the presidency through multi-party democratic elections in June 2012. In a weird reversal, a second Arab Spring thrust Morsi into jail and brought General Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to the forefront of the Egyptian political landscape.

Al-Sisi was 'elected' president with 93% votes. That election was clearly a one-horse race. The other candidate, left-wing Hamdeen Sabahi, was there to give the election a façade of legitimacy.

Significantly, the Mubarak era constitution was abrogated and a new constitution adopted under President Morsi. General Sisi further amended that constitution, banning the Muslim Brotherhood's political Islam from Egyptian politics.

The features of the first Egyptian republic essentially revolved around the personality of Gamal Nasser, the hero of the Arab world at that time. Anwar Sadat, riding on the legacy of Nasser, became immensely popular after the 1973 war against Israel. Hosni Mubarak, a 1973 war veteran, carried on without any challenge until the first Arab Spring. 

It was under Sadat and Mubarak that the liberal capitalist elite emerged as an influential power group. They controlled the economy, while the military was left to handle national security and sovereignty. Mubarak maintained a balance between the two power groups. But as the elite group grew in size and wanted more power, Mubarak became increasingly isolated and eventually fell.

Morsi's 'Republic' was undone when the overzealous Muslim Brotherhood drafted a Sharia-based constitution. His Islamist agenda sharply divided the Egyptian polity and invited the second Arab Spring. When the army generals suspected that Islamist elements were trying to infiltrate and indoctrinate the army, he was overthrown. The elite capitalist group played their part in full during the second Arab Spring. That ended Egypt's second 'Republic.' 

General Sisi will now have to resurrect a third 'Republic,' which will require him to reunite the nation as a liberal, tolerant society; eliminate the remnants of Muslim Brotherhood; revive the badly battered economy; maintain Egypt's sovereignty; and reestablish relations with the West -- particularly in view of what is currently happening in Iraq and Syria.

The woes of Ukraine are not yet over even after the presidential elections. Ukraine's current problems aggravated late last year because of massive public debt. Besides, rampant corruption had made the country almost bankrupt. Ukraine needed funds from the West to stay afloat. When President Viktor Yanukovych, a Kremlin protégé, refused a European Union loan, violent demonstrations broke out in Kiev. Unable to contain the situation Yanukovych fled to Moscow in February 2014.

While Moscow openly supported Yanukovych, the demonstrations were instigated by the West in the name of democracy, freedom of speech, etc. The country today is badly split between those who support Moscow and those who want Western style government. The chaos led Crimea to break away and join Russia. Simultaneously, pro-Russian militants started an insurgency that threatens to break off eastern Ukraine and join Russia.

Billionaire Petro Poroshenko was elected president with 54% vote. Poroshenko has several difficult challenges ahead of him. Firstly, he will have to earn recognition from Moscow. Secondly, put an end to the insurgency raging in the east. Thirdly, revive the economy and put an end to divisive politics. Fourthly, he will have to stamp out corruption from his government. Finally, he has to get a new loyal parliament through fresh elections.

Ukraine, an east European country, is caught in the geo-strategic war between Moscow and Washington. Success of Poroshenko's 'Republic' will depend on how he walks the tight-rope, balancing between Moscow and Washington.
It will be worth watching how these three leaders impact their respective regions.

The writer is former Ambassador and Secretary.

http://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/new-republics-under-modi-sisi-poroshenko-32130

[mshahadat]

Departing Platform One at New Delhi station last week was India's fastest train: the test run of the Delhi-Agra express - dubbed "semi-high speed" by local media - topped a record-breaking 160 kilometres per hour on its way to the Taj Mahal.

But the velocity, though triple the 50 kilometres average clocked on trips across the country, is barely one-third of the top-speed of China's fastest train, showing the extent to which India's expansive but under-funded train network has failed to keep pace.

"The capacity of the track is almost saturated," Anurag Sachan, divisional railway manager for Delhi, said in his office next to New Delhi's giant station. "We could go as high as 200 km but we would need to have a completely new track for higher speeds."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who started out selling tea outside a train station, has promised to modernise India's railways and build high-speed engines befitting Asia's third-largest economy.

On Tuesday, his new government will unveil its maiden railways budget, with expectations high that he will offer bold plans to improve the service - a lifeline for 23 million Indians every day.

Among the goals is bringing much more private money into one of the country's largest state-controlled industries. At present, there's small private involvement in suburban services and locomotive manufacturing.

In a speech last week, Modi hinted at how much of a revamp he believed the railways needed, telling an audience in Kashmir that he wanted an upgrade of stations, many of which look much as they did under the British.

"Why do our railway stations need to be so old, why can't they be better than our airports?" he said, after waving a green flag to inaugurate services on a stretch of track in the mountain state.

Modi's government will announce plans for public-private partnerships in railway infrastructure, the Economic Times reported on Monday, citing government sources, and he is expected to update the country on plans for a high-speed rail between the financial capital Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

"If the railways are to fully benefit the climate, the economy, society, the government needs to bring in more money... including from private and foreign investment" said G. Raghuram, professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and co-author of a report about railway modernisation.

Raghuram said allowing private money into freight was a simple and relatively easy shift that would boost the economy. Railways' share of freight has fallen from 90 percent of the country's cargo in 1950 to one-third today, as congested tracks and slow speeds force shipments onto roads - in turn clogging them.

The tougher task for Modi will be finding a sustainable fix to the funding crunch facing the railways, including by allowing foreign direct investment into the network, a move resisted by the railways in the past.

By a conservative estimate, the railways need 20 trillion rupees ($334 billion) of investment by 2020, according to economist Tirthankar Patnaik at Religare Capital Markets said. That's far in excess of the 1.4 trillion rupees the sector is estimated to earn this year even after an unpopular fare-hike pushed through last month.

"Though there are some areas where the private sector can play a role, the bulk of the investment will have to come from the government," said Shri Prakash, a former member of the Railway Board.

Prakash said Modi needs to strike a balance between appealing to private profit-seeking investors and keeping fares affordable for the millions who depend on the network.

In New Delhi, railway manager Sachan said the job of the railways was to "cater to the masses".
"High speed is definitely important but it is much more important to give transport to our poor people," he said.

[mshahadat]

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