MEDIA SYNDICATE, VULGAR SALARY AND COMPANIES ACT

Yesterdays’ handsome figures are today’s vulgar shapes, with a prominent belly moving a foot ahead always. Salaries too are not immune to this phenomenon. The advertisements read as ‘handsome pay and perks’ will be translated in to the ‘vulgar salaries’.

The revelations of the Hon. Minister Mr. Salman Khurshid and the stamp of approval by Mr.Ahluvalia led to hectic discussions in the Economic Times and other Gazettes of Commerce and Industry. In no time, let me borrow the term familiar to Keralites, this Media Syndicate came out clamoring to prove a few CEOs right and the nation wrong. Economic Times even wrote the editorial on a development affecting a few; the number could be counted on finger tips.

Now Mukesh Ambani takes 2/3 cut in his salary. Will they apologize to the public? They had spent more than enough space for proving him right and others wrong. They screamed that 44 crore salary is too less compared with that of US and conveniently forgot that there are staggering Bullock Carts and flying Ferrares on the same road in India. Of course, the Ferraries housing a few CEOs and bullock carts with their products. The majority of population in India earns less than a Dollar a day. They forgot it too. I am not for the income uniformity among beggar and the big B, but against unfairness of drawing 44 crores when an average Indian makes a mere 100 a day

Further, they also drew the difference in era, the yore days were gones with winds and now the globalization rules the roost. In the Times point of view, this salary is handsome, not at all vulgar. Besides, the Companies Act 1956 provides for it, the rule states that up to 10% of profit can be spent as salaries. This is something like an MRP; to us it is the abbreviation of Minimum Retail Price.

Let us not get rid of ‘age’. The Times speaks relentlessly of the present age. But this 10 percent provision is as per an Act aged more than 50 years. Though they are very much confident that the past is a tale told by some idiots, not a single line was contributed for amending the Companies Act 1956. Everything else has to be changed except the old laws which had shed its teeth.

Either our words and deeds often take different routes or we speak a lot and do a little. The seriousness of the Government is well under cloud, with the declaration of the Prime Minister that the Government has no plans to enact laws for trimming the vulgar salaries to handsome pays.

We may remember the recent media reports on the pay, allowances and freebies our MPs are entitled. They also compared it with that of the best in the business world and people thought on it a huge executive pay with no responsibility. The intention behind the revelation aims to prove that the elected emperors are lesser paid than the business tycoons, lest the words and deeds would move go hand in hand. Necessary enactments for curbing the indecent salary would have been initiated by now.

LET THE TRUTH TRIUMPH; SACH KA SAMNA TOO

A consensus on any issue among our Members is something very difficult to evolve; perhaps all such occasions taken together won’t outnumber the total number of the Ministries we met. Often it happens when the papers are on the table for a hike in emoluments of the members for the members by the members.


Nation witnessed that sense of consensus again with the members in high spirits zeroing in on a Start TV programme. A few words on the programme ‘Sach Ka Samna’ is an oriental version of the occidental ‘Moments of Truth’. Rajiv Khandelwal, the host will be quizzing the guest with some 21 deadly questions, absolutely personal, moving from personal to official to physical to sexual. Just give true answers to all the questions of the host and walk away exactly not with Rakhi’s hands but with a handsome one Crore.


Right, as you may doubt there is no room for any anxieties that the depth of the Marina Trench or the height of the Mt.Everest will once again be measured for as Sidharth Basu is the Producer of the Programme. Producer’s attempt is to set soil, cultivate, reap and market the truth exploiting the present demand-supply gap. All the men and women who are not allergic to truth will be welcomed to try a hand under the limelight. People suffering from Alzheimer’s when it comes to truth better remain at home.


Host ensures either of the two situations for the guest. Either you walk out with a handsome one Crore thinking how to spend it alone, nearer you are to the Crore farther you are from the family, Or you forget the truth, polygraph takes over and you loss both the handsome one Crore and the faith of the audience and sometimes the spouse too, if so lucky. (When one loses something gains something else).


As a buffalo need not be trained in swimming, Basu need not be taught of the ingredients of a successful programme. We are all peeping toms in someway or other and the programme provides enough to keep the voyeurs sorry viewers interest undying. Above all, a controversy serves better than the pages of millions worth advertisement thanks to our beloved Members. Our public faces whose life looks like books wide open, are all out against the programme. To Brinda and Sushma, it outrages the modesty of women and to others like Shantha Kumar, former CM of Himachal Pradesh and others are sure that the Indian Value system is under attack. Our ladies and gentlemen will soon be taken to streets to protect the Indian Value System which even survived Macaulay’s mortal blows. Not so long before, one of our beloved poets shifted his allegiance to Buddhism, and during the ceremony, the Budhist monk asked the poet what he would do for Budha. His answer was that he will be defending Budha wherever and whenever necessary. The Monk famously said, “Budha is here for the last 3000 long years without your help”. Values never ever need any protection.


Shaking off the gender, caste, creed, ideology differences all our men and women join hands for pulling down the curtains for the Show. When all are on guard for our value system, a simple question peeps from above. Do our values, ethics and culture ever teach us not to tell the truth?

Not that’s the reason, our wise leaders view the worse days ahead. No one can predict what will be the sequel to ‘Moments of Truth’ in West. Imagination is not at all expensive. Just imagine the Channels there go ahead inviting public figures as guests and flashes the names of the men and women who rejects the offer during the programme. If Basu and others translates the programme to Hindi, and the Media Syndicate or Satans in Kerala into Malayalam, of course, the mansions of Indian ethics and value system won’t be razed to ground but the twin towers of reputation and character of our so-called leaders will touch the ground zero. So a stitch in time saves nine. It would be better if those clamoring for the ban on programme keep at least an arms length from the Mahatma, who never was afraid of truth, be it in personal or public life. The Mahatma holds a stick.

SPEAKER’S DILEMMA

It is a very rare moment for the Party and the Partisan to be right in their viewpoints and get divorced as both were perfectly alright.

Though the party is modern, the mindset is feudal and naturally the orders not be otherwise. But the whole episode took an unexpected turn when the proletariat’s feudal order landed upon the landlord minded partisan.

The Party has always been keeping its views on parliamentary democracy, a love-hate relationship. Today’s vibrant views will be tomorrow’s historical blunders and vice-versa.

Democracy, of course is the elixir only when the party is not in power. Once the party gets on to power the first victim should be the democracy. But in a democracy, it is the lifeblood for leaders to survive and followers to die fighting. Democracy has its own virtues and vices. While all the virtues are to be exploited by the leaders, the vices exploit the followers as lathis falling upon their backs

There is enough possibility for one to get fever if he sleeps with the guy or girl suffering from it. But no possibility for the sick to be cured of as he or she slept with a healthy one. It is also applicable in parliamentary democracy. The revolutionaries are highly inflammable in the parliamentary democracy experiments.

As healthy, never their virtues cure others bourgeois vices, but often happens otherwise and Chatterjee is not the last but latest victim. According to the party Somnath succumbed to injuries in the muscle flexing between working class virtues and democratic vices.

Earlier when the party nodded in negative to Com. Basu’s ambition and he lost the PMship between cup and lips he took the wise decision to stand by the party, lest the history would be otherwise for him to lose his party hold and PM status in a single stroke. Loss of power to the powerful is nothing less than death.

Though at a later date, when he was out of the danger zone, he could at least blame the party calling his loss as a historical blunder.

A decade is over by now, and it is more than enough for the party to take a u turn now. However, the quid pro quo dealings with democracy have helped the tumors to develop in the ideologic spine. Whatever are the explanations, the leaders grow up beyond the party, thanks to the lessons taught by the Congress. Their leaders are never bothered of the party’s stand but the other way round.

Com. Somnath Chatterjee is a symbol; symbol of the party limping from totalitarianism to democracy. Its hightime for the Party to be elevated or downgraded to be a democratic political party.

FAREWELL TO FACILITIES WITHOUT RESPONSIBILITIES

The words and deeds of the Congress leaders are like thunder and lightning; words useless as thunder but deeds often wreak havoc. Now as Somnath Chatterjee observed, it toughed the nadir making Gandhis on thousands dancing on the floors to the tune of Amar Singh.

A King Maker is a must if it is a hung parliament and the revolutionary responsibility of the CPI(M) General Secretary is limited to infusing life into any of these dead man prompting him to walk to the PM’s chair. Earlier it was Com. Surjeet to translate the poor peasant Deve Gowda into the prolific prime minister of the land. Com. Surjeet, who was badly suffering from Soniamania later fell in love with Dr. Singh known for his World Bank affiliations she declined the proposal, the President only knows the reason.

The night of the responsibility ends with the dawn of favours and facilities. Once crowned, its King’s turn to serve the Kingmaker. PM ensured that the revolutionaries enjoy all the bourgeois facilities so that they could invoke an Indian revolution as early as possible.

The Marxists always think the Congress leaders’ IQ is below poverty line and they themselves are known for their intelligence. They underestimate others and overestimate themselves and soon find themselves in the pitfalls.

When it was of no use Dr. Singh pretended to follow the blind Left; all were equally happy. The followers of the party could even think of the futility of a revolution so long as they are the kingmakers.

When the right moment arrived in the form of affiliation to Yankis, Sardar stood on his feet asking the revolutionaries to follow him. It took sometime for them to read the writings on the wall that they are led to their memorial park. That time was more than enough for Sardar to fix his tent. Left was left with no other options but to quit.

Mr. Advani and Dr. Singh were the birds of same feather when it comes to signing of the agreement with US.

Considering the nationwide protest, Advani thought it would be great if Sardar signs it himself. Sardar will be debited with the left’s wrath and himself will be credited for protecting the national interest.

In the meantime, Messiah shook hands with the Sangh parivar, the Satan so far and started bhoomipooja for next election. Advani assured that all of us together will make Madam’s heaven into a hell, and the left took his words into confidence first. Soon the revolutionary sixth sense started maneuvering some games with Mayawati the great. It was not too long for him to forget how they brought down A B Vajpayee.

Mayawati’s strength is the 17 out of 545 and that number is more than enough for her to become the PM according to Karat; democracy redefined, making himself a jester and prompting Advani change the guard. For the Sangh Parivar, it was the right decision of the moment throwing the left agenda to western winds. The left did nothing else, but committed suicide.

Sangh parivar turned out to be the winner; they could repair the fabric of the so-called national interest on others’ cost.

After the assassination of Caesar, Brutus said, “I killed Caesar not that I loved him less, but I loved Rome more”