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[We would like to bring to the notice of our readers that Prof. M. Venkatarangaiya, the well-known educationist of revered memory, used to contribute to �Triveni� regularly for several years a feature article � “Inter­national Affairs: A Survey�. The articles were unbiased and were of great academic interest. They were considered to be very valuable and were greatly appreciated by readers. He also wrote for some time “The Indian Scene� which was equally well received by our readers. We are glad to inform our readers that Sri Mamidipudi Pattabhiram, son of Prof. Venkatarangaiya, is pleased to resume the feature from this number. He is the Deputy Editor of “The Hindu�, India’s national newspaper. He has been working for the paper for the last 45 years � perhaps a record in Indian journalism.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     � Editors]

The Indian political scene in the last three months is a study in con­trasts. On the one hand there is a powerful trend towards stabilisation of the Government at the Centre and on the other it presents a picture of turbulence, especially in the sensitive States of Punjab, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir. Taken as a whole the principles of democracy so vital to the country’s future of secularism could be said to have triumphed. The by-­elections that were held in the states have shown beyond doubt that the people’s faith in the democratic struc­ture is as strong today as it was be­fore, notwithstanding the ugly events that had taken place following the destruction of the Babri Masjid on December 6 last. Even though the Government led by Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao has to take a part of the blame for what had happened, the faith of the minorities in the admini­stration is still intact. And yet it should have to be noted that the forces of destruction are very much in evidence during recent weeks and it is going to be a hard task for the Government to restore complete peace in the strife-tom areas. Bombay, for instance, has had its share of vio­lence unprecedented in the annals of the metropolis and at one time it looked as if the very foundations of orderly government are going to be shaken. Fortunately, it has been pos­sible to locate the mischief-makers on time and further damage to the fabric has been averted. If politics in a democratic system is complex per se, it is even more so in a country like India with all its diversity. The sheer size of its population and the highly complex problems that will have to be tackled make the work of the administration extremely difficult and acid to it the cult of violence that has spread in recent times the story is complete.

The main question that is being asked now is whether Jammu and Kashmir will ever again be what it was, say five years ago. There is no specific answer to this but there is no doubt that the entire country is con­cerned about its future. The game that Pakistan is playing in fomenting trouble is well known but the Govern­ment is not willing to take any action in the nature of a direct confrontation with the neighbouring country which may end up in a national disaster. The Centre is trying its best to convince Pakistan that it should keep its hands off Kashmir but the rulers of that country are in no mood to listen. Perhaps they are using Jammu and Kashmir to divert the minds and at­tention of its own people to the short­comings on their part. But public opinion in India is very much against the policy of appeasement which is costing the nation dear. There is now a new Governor for the State and an entire set of new advisers but it has to be seen whether these changes bring about a radical transformation in the state of affairs in the State. One thing, however, is certain. The Government has made it plain that the future of Jammu and Kashmir is not negotiable. It has now to find out ways and means of initiating a political process which alone can bring the people closer to the administra­tion.

Unfortunately all the known po­litical parties have withdrawn from the scene in Kashmir and the Govern­ment is hard put to finding the right kind of leaders with whom it can negotiate. Possibly when once peace is fully restored - and there is no knowing how long this is going to take - politicians will re-emerge. The growth of extremist organisations in the State with direct links with Paki­stan has complicated matters and it must be the effort of the Government to see that the nexus between them and the neighbouring country is bro­ken. This is not going to be an easy task either, considering the fact that there has been tremendous infiltra­tion from across the border and weeding out the anti-national ele­ments from the State is going to be an extremely difficult task. But that should not deter the Government from doing the right thing. Perhaps the Government wants to wait and see before contemplating drastic ac­tion. The visit of the Central ministers to the State to study at first hand the situation in the Slate is a hopeful sign and the Prime Minister is cred­ited with the intention of establishing greater contacts with the people. The political scene is thus not very dis­couraging, even if it is not exactly heartening, at least so far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned.

Punjab, however, presents alto­gether a different picture. The popular Government led by Mr. Beant Singh has succeeded in eliminating a large number of militants and this itself is a big achievement. The support ex­tended to the extremists by the people in some parts of the State is not forthcoming, since they are con­vinced that they are not fighting for a cause and are only indulging in kill­ings for personal gain. The Chief Minister has done well so far and had even succeeded in holding Panchayat elections which is a positive achieve­ment. The Akali leaders, who in fact could have given real content to democratic institutions in the State have not played their part. For long they were under terrorist threat that the slightest deviation from their secessionist goal would invite the ulti­mate punishment. The Akalis now seem to have realised that they need to distance themselves from the over­ground organisations of the extrem­ists, especially because they are no more under the hold of the militants. The politics in Punjab could make a change for the better, if the Akalis entered the political arena without fear. Of course, it is not as though Punjab is totally free of militant threat. Atleast conditions are propi­tious for a better political activity, even though the Government has still a lot to do to pacify the anger of the Sikhs who felt alienated following the Blue Star Operation and the killings that took place after the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The scene in Punjab is really encouraging on the positive side and needs to be further toned up.

Elsewhere in the country there has been violence of sorts but that is not such as to cause too much worry. Yet another important event in the past few months has been the budget session of Parliament which has taken up several matters of public importance. Of course, the proceed­ings in both houses of Parliament helped to highlight an unhappy fact, namely, that the elected representa­tives of the Indian people think noth­ing of bringing work to a grinding halt thereby wasting time. But the impor­tant point that needs to be stressed is that very often it is the insensitivity of the Government that forces the Oppo­sition to resort to these tactics. Expe­rience in the last two decades has encouraged the notion that it is easier to be in the limelight by throwing parliamentary norms to the winds than by applying skill to debate or mastering the art of argument. Little wonder there are many who talk about the decline of Parliament. At a time when there is an all round de­cline in tolerance, let alone respect, for dissenting opinions whatever may be the field of national life, is there anything surprising about the sharp fall in the quality of proceedings in Parliament? That does not mean Parliament has become functionless. The impeachment proceedings against a Supreme Court Judge. Mr. V. Ramaswami, are unique and it was for the first time that this procedure has been invoked to censure a sitting judge. It is another matter that the motion fell through but it has sent the right signals. Corruption at the highest level should not be tolerated and there has been just criticism that the ruling party finally fell a victim to its own indecision. The gainer is, of course, the judge who was found to have been guilty of gross misbehav­iour by a three-judge committee ap­pointed by the Lok Sabha Speaker to look into the charges against him. But this episode reveals that the people are vigilant and will not let go an opportunity to condemn someone who has been corrupt. Eternal vig­ilance is the price of liberty and this has been amply proved by the pro­ceedings in Parliament.

If the Congress party has not come out in flying colours in this development, it is also true that it does not present a picture of cohe­sion. Being the ruling party at the Centre this must be a matter of some concern to the people at large. There are also disturbing reports of the goings on within the Congress (I). It would seem that the ambitious Minis­ter for Human Resources. Mr. Arjun Singh, has chosen this time to make yet another move to embarrass the Prime Minister. His plea that the party should apologise for the Ayodhya happenings is not well-­founded. If at all, it is the BJP which was in power when the masjid was destroyed that must make amends for its failure to protect the monument. Unfortunately for the Congress (I), its decision to dismiss the popular Gov­ernment in Madhya Pradesh has been set aside by the High Court and this has certainly upset the calculations of the Centre. The best thing that the Centre could do now is to hold elec­tions in the four BJP ruled States of Uttar Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh, Ra­jasthan and Himachal Pradesh with­out further delay. That is the only way the strength of the BJP could be assessed. The use of Article 356 to dismiss the State Governments has been long under criticism and at one time it was thought that the Presiden­tial order dismissing the Government at the State is not subject to judicial review. This notion has been falsified and this has created new uncertainties of a political nature. How exactly the Centre is going to deal with the delicate issue arising out of the court’s order on Madhya Pradesh will, of course, be watched with interest. The road ahead is long and difficult and the Prime Minister, no doubt, is better qualified than most to lead the nation out of the many crises that politicians of all parties have created.

Meanwhile the tribals in Bihar and Assam have been carrying on a political agitation and this again has to be resolved quickly before it takes an ugly shape. The Indian political scene has certain positive aspects which deserve notice as, for instance, the ushering in of the Panchayati Raj system in all its glory. Although the special session of the Congress to discuss the matter could not take place, every effort is being made to put life into the system. Of course, the success of the system depends on the extent to which organised political parties refrained from interfering with it and trying to convert it into their handmaiden and use it as a jumping ground to climb to power. There is no doubt that as consciousness grows among the people at the ground level they would be less and less liable to be moved about as pawns by political parties and ambitious politicians. For the sake of the vitality of these institutions it would be best to leave them in the direct control of the people, although the political parties might carry on educative work among the people. What should be aimed at is real devolution of power and not a make belief.