Narendra Singh is a very valuable
team member of Nitish government.
His contribution could not be
undermined with one bad incident.
This is a political system where one
has to consider every aspect before
making hard decision like taking his
ministry away.
Before making decision based on a
single incident, one should look
back. Narendra Singh is the person
who was very instrumental in
bringing majority of LJP MLAs into
JD(U). At that time, he worked
according to the sentiment of
people. He worked hard in removing
RJD misrule.
Everyone is very much familiar with
Vijay Prakash Yadav getting caught
with liquor and cash. It is Narendra
Singh who could defeat Vijay Prakash
Yadav. When Vijay Prakash Yadav won
in February, his goons used to hurl
abuses on forward caste people in
their "Vijay Rally". When Abhay
Singh (Narendra Singh's Son) won,
Narendra Singh told his supporters
not to go for rally. People already
know who has won and now we have to
win heart of people by our good
work. This is the mindset Narendra
Singh showed after the election.
The incident of slapping the officer
is in no way right but nobody is
making any noise why the officer was
not told that there are people like
Narendra Singh who should be
authorized to enter Vidhan Sabha
even though he is neither an MLA nor
an MP. After all he is a minister of
Bihar government in which a lot of
people power is vested. Should we
not call this a bureaucratic error
for which this incident happened? We
are asking question why Narendra
Singh should not be dismissed but
nobody is asking why people involved
in this miscommunication should not
be dismissed. - Vinod Sinha -
Dec.16, 2005
Though the author had requested us
not to comment on the article I can
not stop myself from responding to
the comment of Shri Vinod Sinha.
Yesterday the Indian parliament was
evacuated following a bomb threat
received by e-mail. In the
not-so-distant past, our parliament
was attacked by gunmen. If
politicians go around slapping
people who have been entrusted the
job of stopping unauthorized entry,
who are they putting at risk? It
does not take an Einstein to figure
out that the politicians are putting
themselves in harms way. If the
morale of these people is eroded and
they stop checking who goes in we
can very well expect an attack on
our parliament and/or Vidhan Sabhas.
It is funny. When these politicians
go to the US, they stand there
meekly even when they are stripped
and groped but back home they do not
hesitate to slap and abuse people
responsible for their own security.
Readers can draw their own
conclusions. - Rajesh Chaubey -
Dec.16, 2005
On the back of my credit card there
is a space for the cardholder to
sign. I have not signed it. I have
printed in bold letters, "ASK FOR
PHOTO I.D.".
Now, when I go to the store, the
checkout clerk flips my credit card
and asks me to produce my photo I.D.
I pull out my driver's license and
that is in the end of it. I feel
secure that if I lose my card, the
Photo ID requirement will make it
hard (if not impossible) to use. The
hassle of pulling out my Driver's
license is a small cost to pay for
the peace of mind that my credit
cards are secure.
As has been rightly pointed out, the
security is for the Ministers'
protection only. A minister who has
been in office should expect to
flash his ID and develop a rapport
with this security staff so that
they know them. Maybe, if he did not
act like a power-drunk ass, a week
after being in office Narendra Singh
would have been greeted by the same
Magistrate with a smile and waved
in. This feudal mentality of hitting
the Magistrate for asking for ID is
revolting. I only hope a series of
workshops and team activities are
held where the Ministers have to
attend sessions with the clerks and
chaprasis of their departments so
that they can develop some
appreciation for the support staff
and for those who risk their own
lives to guard the behinds of these
'here today, there tomorrow'
ministers. - Aarcee -
Dec.17, 2005
I am in full agreement with Aarcee,
Rajesh and all the others who
supported the Magistrate against the
errant Minister. After working one
full year in the same place and
passing through the same door,
greeting security, one day I forgot
my ID. Security asked me for it. Can
I say he does not know that I work
there and I have proper ID and I am
authorized to enter this High
Security area? No. He is simply
doing his job. There are procedures
in place, and this man was simply
following protocol, as he was
trained to do. He was doing his job
and keeping everything secure. I am
very happy that he asked me to show
my ID. I felt that this was the
right way to do his job and I could
not forget my ID in the future.
Being a Minister does not entitle
him to change the laws to suit
himself and physically assault a
Civil Servant. If an ordinary person
had done that, he would have ended
up in jail. Why not a Minister? Do
we have a double standard? Are
elected Ministers held to a
different standard than the rest of
us? He should be barred from his
post, sent to jail, and banned from
running for any kind of office for
life. Mr. Nitish Kumar, if you want
to prove you are doing a fair and
balanced job, as per your promise,
you ought to first strip him from
his position, ,jail him and bar his
election.
As Rajesh mentioned in his comments,
when these politicians come to the
US, they become nearly mute, hardly
speaking a single word. I think many
are just hungry to be in the US at
any cost.
If we accept the stance of Mr. Vinod
Sinha, Narendra Singh should be
absolved of all responsibility in
this matter. He is such a valuable
member of society that he can slap
anyone, make rules to fit his own
situation, and act like a scofflaw
street tough. How shall ordinary
citizens understand their part in
nation-building? They fool us with
empty words, then get into office to
line their own pockets and make
backdoor deals. We vote and they
live in a fairy land of their own
design. Bringing LJP's MLA, into
JD(U) does not make anyone
respectable. More like they are
still Dalal, and you should be
ashamed mentioning this here. -
S. M. Khurshid Anwar - Dec. 18, 2005 |
