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The Mani Shankar Aiyar

Jose (Fri Jun 13 1997 19:53 IST)

Mr Aiyar, sir what is your opinion of TN Seshan as the president of India?

Hi everyone

Mr Aiyar, Welcome to the Rediff Chat. It is wonderful having you with us today.

Mr Aiyar: Do you think that newly elected president, Sitaram Kesri can revive the 112 year old party which looks like a dead institution?

Mr Aiyar: There are a lot of rumours that you are about to leave the Congress and join the BJP. You have even become a friend of Prabhu Chawla!

Mr Aiyar: Do you think that newly elected president, Sitaram Kesri can revive the 112 year old party which looks like a dead institution?

Everybody: Hi, I am here. So do start shooting your questions. Shall I go to Jose first?

Mr. Aiyar, how long do you think the present govt. will last?

Namaskaram, Sir. What is the prognosis for the Congress party now that you have Kesri in complete command. Do you think the old geezer can revive the party? Or do you think Sonia should take charge? You know the family. Will she?

Jose: Don't you think Seshan's pathetic attempt to become our Rashtrapathiji proves everything I have always said about the old fraud? First, he describes his IAS colleagues as "prostitutes", forgetting that since he made it to Cabinet Secretary, that makes him the madam of the cat house! Now after getting the admiration of his fans by saying he will retire to his "modest home" in Chennai immediately on attaining superannuation from the chief election commissionership, he is doing his damndest to get into the most immodest palace in India. No wonder, Gandhiji wanted to convert Rashtrapati Bhavan into a hospital. I doubt that Seshan would have wished to become a male nurse.

Will Bofors or Rajiv's assassination cause the downfall of this govt?

Maniji: You have been a staunch supporter of Rajiv Gandhi, For a long time I have not kept in touch with Jain commission, can you tell me what is the latest position of Jain commission??

Gopal: Since Kesri is all of 31 years younger than the Congress, he certainly has it in him to rejuvenate the party. Please do not think my party is dead; otherwise you will have to worship it like Jesus Christ because the resurrection is coming nigh-by the next election, perhaps. And do not you think that the next election is not many more days away than it took for Christ to go from crucifixion to resurrection?

Gowda said in Asian Age that Gujral won't last 90 days - do you agree?

Shri Aiyar: People might abuse you for being a khatta Congressi. But I believe you have the right attitude towards issues and events. I am just curious: The Congress looks like a dead duck. Is there any way your party -- and let us be objective about it, please, not the fantasy you wrote -- can face up to the challenges of the BJP? Most ofd us believe the Congress will be reduced to double digits in the next election.

Do you agree that we should go for Presidential form of govt. to give political stability if nothing else will come out of it

Maniji: Could you answer a queation from a fellow-Madrasi (though I have heard you aren't much of one): what is your trouble with Chidambaram? I have been reading your columns on Budget and I get the feeling you have your knife deep inside the poor fellow's back...

Chandra: The only thing that will cause the downfall of the UF government is the UF itself. I personally give them till either Sunday 15 when the Left Front will walk out on them over oil prices, or till Wed 18 when either Laloo Prasad will leave the UF or Sharad Yadav/Deve Gowda will call it a day. Where does Bofors come into this?

Maniji: Do you believe that next election is nearby and the country will again have to go for a wasteful expenditure for greedy politicians??

Good evening Mr Aiyar, It's a real pleasure. Could you kindly throw some light on this question which really frustrates many like me: why has the Congress become such a dowdy, lacking-in-vision, incapable-of-taking-bold decisions party. How can a man like Kesri sabotage party elections, how the hell can the Congress make an impression on the people, it never will. Why is the party just killing itself? Why?

Will JD split as is being predicted?

Mr. Aiyar: Mr. Vajapai never had the majority of the parliament behind yet he is enjoying all the previlges of an ex prime minister. Is it moral ? An interim prime minister who never had a vote of confidence/trust should not claim the benefits.

Mr Aiyar: You are super! I think you have a great career on the Internet. Just one thing: Do you think you are alweays destined to be a maverick? Never taken seriously by the powerbrokers who dominate your party. I saw a Star programme last week and couldn't but help notice Kamal Nath's irritation at how you dominated the show by your analysis and wit. You are simply too dangerous for the status quo.

God! Maniji, I just read your blaze at T N Seshan (who, incidentally, is a sort of idol to me)and, heaven's, it is a bit too much.. I think I am going to faint!!! Help!

Sanjay: Justice Jain is expected to submit an interim report in August. It will be dynamite. We will begin to see who are the domestic players who contributed, by omission or commission, to Rajiv's assassination; we will possibly get to know the international ramifications of the assassination. There is bound to be a major political fallout of the Jain Commission interim report as it will expose the present political links between those who, in 1990-91, accused each other of being behind the assassination of the EPRLF's Padmanabha, leading to the assassination, a year later, of Rajiv Gandhi. Of course, the political fallout of the report on the UF government will be there only if the UF government is still there in August!

Are you saying the UF will fall this coming week? Is the Congress ready to take over? Do you see the Congress aligning with factions in the United Front and forming a government?

Are not all parties' MPs wary of going to elections now - given their opposition and compulsion to hang in there no matter who is in power?

Dear, dear Maniji, could you tell us what you really think of Sitaram Kesri? Frankly speaking? Be frank as you were with T N Seshan. C'mon, now!!!

Do you think there are any leaders who have a vision for this country...who can think beyond guarding their own turf, their vote bank, religious, caste distinction, their own political aspirations and think about the country at large. A leader who can think about poverty elimination, unemployment. Is there anyone?

Mr. Aiyar, Chidambaram, I heard, is for Presidential form of govt. and so is Seshan - why don't you get on the case to get the message out to people since you are the highest paid columnist in India - will be good for you and the country?

Mr Kesri calls you up and says "Mani: I need your advice on how to beat the BJP. Give men an agenda to thrash them at the polls."

Maniji: You always have been stressing on PANCHAYATI RAJ , On one hand your party wants to proceed with the liberalisation. And moreover, in the era of liberalisation where market forces are dominating, how can U talk of ancient system of Panchayati Raj?? Can you please explain how Panchayati Raj will help India??

Uncle Mani, mind answering me? Especially, your thoughts about chacha Kesri? Or would you rather all you venom is against the poor UF wallahs?

Mr. Ayir: Sharad Pawar stands exposed after getting a mere 882 votes out of total of 7557. He losted Maharashtra to Sena/BJP and has no following on the national scene. Is the paper tiger' career finished?

Taking from you being the highest paid columnist, Mr Aiyar, frankly speaking, your last column in Sunday was quite disappointing, of'course leaving the last para. But we'll miss you there.

Mr Aiyar: We have reached such a stage today where the Congress is in decline and the BJP is clearly on the ascent, no matter what you say. Who do you hold responsible for this? Was it not Rajiv Gandhi who unleashed the forces of Hindu fundamentalism by the Shah Bano judgment and then by opening the locks. He was politically inadequate to the tasks. to counter sorry impasse?

Mr Mani: No response. Are we going to witness a torrent of words?

You said in your reply to me just now that where would Bofors come into play in bringing down a govt - Well, we are yet to receive second set of documents from Switzerland - Also, oil prices, JD leadership question, Jain Commission report, Gowda's itch for sheer revenge, Kesri' impatience to be the PM, Investigations on Kesri and the illegal foreign donations to Congress, TMC and Indian Bank scam, you take your pick Mr. Aiyar. Not just Bofors - anyone of these could jolt this govt. However, I disagree with you that before Aug. 15, 1997 - Fall of the govt. might not come Now, what you do you think?

Nandini: Let us take your question on Chidambaram first. About myself -- I belong to the smallest minority in the country since I am a Tamil Brahmin refugee from Pakistan! I was born in Lahore of two pure Tamil parents, learnt Tamil as my first language and also forgot much of the Tamil I learned. But as a Tamil Nadu politician for the last seven years, let me reassure you -- neenga pechuhirathu chen Tamizh;naan pechuhirathu yen Tamizh! Coming to Chidambaram, he is someone I have known very well and worked with very closely through the entire Rajiv Gandhi period and the 10th Lok Sabha (1991-96). I admire his education and intellect; I think he is a man of impeccable monetary integrity; I think he brings to bear on politics the high professionalism he has displayed as a lawyer. He is precisely the kind of young man our democracy desperately needs. That is why I am shocked beyond measure that he should be opportunistically associating with the same Karunanidhi and DMK whom he personally accused, in the course of a 90 minute intervention in the Lok Sabha on 25 Feb 1990, of aiding and abetting the assassination of Padmanabha. If you would read the Dinamalar newspaper of 12 November, 1996, you will find an anthology of all the statements Chidambaram made between 22 May 1991 and 13 June 1991 specifically linking the DMK to the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. If Chidambaram had been Phoolan Devi, I would have taken this betrayal in my stride saying what else can one expect of a Phoolan Devi? But when the scion of Tamil Nadu's most aristocratic family, a brilliant scholar, a Harvard graduate, an enormously successful professional secures the blessings and patronage of a Rajiv Gandhi while still in his 30s and then has no compunction about politically aligning himself with those whom he has himself accused of murder, then I regard that as the highest form of immorality. As regards his Budget, my objection to it has nothing to do with my anger and disgust over his joining hands with the DMK; I object to the Chidambaram Budget because it ignores the poor, panders to the rich and is based on arithmetic so poor that it amounts to either wilfull self-deception or wishful thinking.

No reply from Mr. Aiyar, for such a long time,is he answering a SOS from United Front?

Hi this is yogesh Patel from Houston Texas .How come mr. Mani Aiyar is not responding to any questions?

Mr Aiyar: We have reached such a stage today where the Congress is in decline and the BJP is clearly on the ascent, no matter what you say. Who do you hold responsible for this? Was it not Rajiv Gandhi who unleashed the forces of Hindu fundamentalism by the Shah Bano judgment and then by opening the locks. He was politically inadequate to the tasks. to counter sorry impasse?

Uncle Mani, where art thou? Us fans are waiting for your wise, venomy words...

Sabah: But you will find me every week in India Today!

Tahseen: This has not been a war between gladiators in a Roman arena. It has been no more than a party election. While Kesri clearly has 85 per cent of the party behind him, Pawar has something over 10 per cent. That, in absolute numbers, is nothing to sneer at. I am sure Pawar will have his work cut out for him in the months to come.

Mani: I cannot for the life of me see how the wave of Hindu fundamentalism can be halted. It is frightening. An analogy to 1933 to 1939 Germany would not be oput of place. Just read the letters to the editor on Rediff and you will know what I mean. I think the Congress is being myopic in thinking that the BJP will go away. Most Indians feel the Congress has lost its legitimacy and does not deserve to rule. Which is why your pulling the rug from under Gujral's feet will win you no friends in the country at large. You will be as bereft of legitimacy as Waghela. Is it not true that you Congressmen don't have a strategy for taking on the BJP?

Mani Uncle, I say wow! that reply on Chidambaram. Can I hope something as frank as that on Chacha too? Or is chacha too holy a cow for you to touch at this juncture??

How long India can afford to have elections every few months? How can you achieve stability? Do anyone really care for the country?

Mr Aiyar, what do you think is Sonia Gandhi's strategy. After becoming a member, where does she go from here. Do you think that only in her lies hope for a slipping Congress party?

The problem with the Congress today is a lack of idealism, a lack of vision. I think younger politicians like yourself need to revolt against the status quo, mutiny against the powerbrokers who have finished this great party. But I don't think you have the guts. All those years being a babu have instilled a sense of terror at challenging the established authority.

Why do I get the feeling that you are envious of what PC has achieved? After all, you are five years older and in my opinion -- this has got nothing to do with us being brahmins -- a darn sight more intelligent than the FM. But your endless carping at PC is beginning to jar with people. It looks as if PC has replaced Lal Kishinchand on your agenda. After all, when was the last time you took the BJP's pants off? Or are you about to jump ship?

atiqkhan: Don't despair. The BJP and its allies today, at the end of their famous victory in 1996, have no more seats than the Congress under Rajiv Gandhi got after the Shilanyas! How can 190 seats constitute defeat for the Congress but victory for the BJP? Yes, indeed, the Muslim women's (compensation on divorce) act 1986 and the Shilanyas contributed to the rise of the BJP. But the fundamental reason for the BJP increasing its seat strength between 1984 and 1989 by 4,000 per cent was the wholly unprincipled electoral alliance which V P Singh worked out with them, followed by the hopelessly incompetent government which V P Singh ran for 11 months giving the BJP the boost and the impudence to run their rath yatra. But the horrific destruction of the Babri Masjid on 6 Dec 1992 (to which Prime Minister Rao made an unforgivable contribution) has so horrified public opinion among the majority community in India that Advani's present Rath Yatra is a damp squib and a terrible flop compared to his 1991 performance. Equally, the BJP's performance in last year's UP elections shows that the Hindutva platform is running out of steam. Don't panic; just come home!

Hey... Uncle!!? Gone with the wind or bend over the terminal???

I fully agree with Mr Kamlesh Mehta, the Congress just doesn't care anymore. It is a party which is increasingly getting consumed with its own obsession, greed and corruption. You guys don't care, you are busy guarding your own damn turf, the country can go to hell, what will you revolt Mr Aiyar, one is often forced to believe that people like you too get sucked in the 'system"?

Supriya: Advani does not matter, Chidambaram does. The BJP is running out of steam; Chidambaram and the Confederation of Indian Industry are gathering steam. Secularism, we have saved. It is socialism we now have to save.

Mr Mani: Thank you for your response. But it will take more than your fantasy for me to return. You are out of touch man! You need to speak with my Indian friends to understand why the BJP is ready to storm the ramparts of Delhi. You speak of the BJP's "failures" in Up last year. But they have won every Lok Sabha by-election this year plus most of the assembly by-elections too. It is this kind of myopia that has reduced the Congress to what it is today. Get your act together man! Tomorrow may be too late for all of us good men!

Mani Uncle, your cyber niece in Madras has a sneaky feeling you are trying to wriggle out of answering anything on chacha Kesri... Is it true?? C'mon now, be Mani Shankar Aiyar now!

SECULARISM YOU HAVE SAVED? WHAT WORLD ARE YOU LIVING IN? JUST BECAUSE THE BJP WAS THROWN OUT IN 12 DAYS? DO YOU THINK YOU CAN KEEP THEM OUT FOREVER?

Mani: I cannot for the life of me see how the wave of Hindu fundamentalism can be halted. It is frightening. An analogy to 1933 to 1939 Germany would not be oput of place. Just read the letters to the editor on Rediff and you will know what I mean. I think the Congress is being myopic in thinking that the BJP will go away. Most Indians feel the Congress has lost its legitimacy and does not deserve to rule. Which is why your pulling the rug from under Gujral's feet will win you no friends in the country at large. You will be as bereft of legitimacy as Waghela. Is it not true that you Congressmen don't have a strategy for taking on the BJP?

MR AIYAR: RAJIV GANDHI WAS A HYPOCRITE, HE COULD NEVER READ INDIAN MIND. HE OPENED THE LOCKS OF THE TEMPLE TO APPEASE HINDUS. HE ACTED CHILDISHLY BY AGREEING TO THE MULAHS AND IMAMS ON THE SHAH BANO CASE. AND A LEARNED PERSON LIKE YOU, HOW CAN YOU ADMIRE HIM, SHAME, SHAME..

How can he attack Kesri? He is trying to get into the CWC!

Kamlesh: As Mani Talk shows, guts, if not brains, is the one thing I have! If I had merely wanted to feather my bureaucratic nest, why should I have left it when I had all of 10 years still to go? No, I think it is misconceived to imagine that all Congress men above 65 are dolts and all those younger than 50 are knights in shining armour. Being a good Congress man, or a good human being, has nothing to do with age and everything to do with attitude. You will see over the next few months a new line-up, below Kesri, that will breath into the Congress the life that torpor under Rao drew out of the party. I hope to be part of that line-up. The only ship I ever jumped was the Indian Foreign Service. Don't you think I was wise to avoid being the Indian ambassador in Washington to become an unemployed politician in Delhi?!

Mr. Aiyar: How come you find so much of time to read and write despite being an active politician ? What is your schedule for a day?

Mr Mani: Thank you for your response. But it will take more than your fantasy for me to return. You are out of touch man! You need to speak with my Indian friends to understand why the BJP is ready to storm the ramparts of Delhi. You speak of the BJP's "failures" in Up last year. But they have won every Lok Sabha by-election this year plus most of the assembly by-elections too. It is this kind of myopia that has reduced the Congress to what it is today. Get your act together man! Tomorrow may be too late for all of us good men!

Mr. Aiyar, I live in USA and I do not know much about you or your position in Indian politics but can you tell me how come we don't see any young educated people with fresh ideas come in the political arena? I see lot of bright minds inevery other field? When this Khadidharis will leave with their corruption filled jackets and hand over the reins of the country to the new generation. Just by wearin Khadi you donot become Pujya Gandhiji, You become Gandhi by Karma, khadi was just the symbol of simplicity and self reliance. Please respod .

Sanjay: Read my book Remembering Rajiv -- then get back to me.

Umemployed..? You? And rediff says you are the highest paid columnists. But forget that? Would you kindly condescend to talk about Kesri?

Mr Mani, Who would you think would be the Congress' candidate for PM assuming you folks would make it in the next term ??

What line-up? Ghulam Nabi Azad, K Karunakaran, Pranab Mukherjee, Sudhakar Naik, J B Patnaik, Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, Arjun Singh.. is this discredited lot the ones who are going to take the Congress to the next century? One Aiyar and one Antony and one Manmohan are not going to make a difference. I despair for the Congress.

Supriya: Cool down! BJP was never in power on its, they have a long way to go. I am surprised you getting so agressive a shrill at the mere prospect of they coming to power. Wonder what you would do if they get into the seat.

Do you think Manmohan Singh would make a better leader than Kesri or Sonia?

Samuel: I took up the Nazi analogy in Mani Talk seven years ago. Let us not be mired in the past. Contemporaneously, we have halted the BJP's chariot of fire. Don't ask me--ask Vajpayee. The BJP is being forced to turn to its relatively non-fanatical leaders because the Advani--Murli Manohar Joshi--Uma Bharti--Sadhvi Rithambara is just not selling any more than it already has to the voting public.

Tahseen: I am no apologist for the BJP. I just think Mani is being silly if he thinks the battle for secularism has been won.

Amen, to your desparation, Kamaleshji!!

Supriya: I agree with you that congress need to put its house in order to fight any challange BJP or UF.

Mani: I am from Kerala and the crowds that Advani drew there during his curren ratha yatra give lie to your thesis. I feel sorry that a man who I rated so highly is so foolish that he will not see the BJP's dominance among the voting public. I used to live in Bombay. I will wager you Rs 1,000 that no Congressman will get elected to the Lokm Sabha in the next general election. The city has just one Congress MLA!

MR AIYAR: IT IS EASY FOR A PERSON LIKE YOU TO WRITE BOOKS WITH ALL THE REFERENCES READILY AVAILABLE ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF RAJIV GANDHI FOUNDATION. I JUST WANT A ANSWER FROM YOU IN ONE WORD, SAY 'yes or no' ABOUT RAJIV'S IMMATURE BEHAVIOUR ON THE RAM TEMPLE AND SHAH BANO CASE. AFTER ALL THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE OF DIRTY POLITICS, HE PLAYED. AND YOU BEING A FORMER IFS OFFICER ARE DEFENDING THE PERSON WHO HAS SWON THE SEEDS OF COMMUNAL HATRED BETWEEN THE TWO COMMUNITIES?? SHAME, SHAME!!!!!! I AM SURE YOU WON'T REPLY MY QUESTION....

Tahseen: You know what it is like out here in the US. Most Indians are aggressive subscribers of Hindutva. It is no different back home. They have drifted to Hindutva for a number of reasons, but mainly because the Congress has lost its sheen and the BJP promises so much. Anyway, I have got to run. Good night!

yp: The reason you don't see educated, decent young men in Indian politics is because they have run away like you to the US. Our Independence was won by people of your class. But the people of your class have betrayed our Independence by abstaining from our democracy. I refer you to Walter Bagehot's The English Constitution where he makes his famous remark about every democracy needing "sensible men of substantial means." What India's democracy needs is not the carping criticism of sensible men and women of substantial means who are keeping themselves away from the rough and tumble of political life, but active participation by this class in our party politics. Democracy, like nature, abhors a vacuum and if, therefore, the YPs of our country push off to the comforts of the developed world, are you surprised that the Pappu Yadavs get into Parliament--sometimes straight from jail!

Thanks Mani. See you next month! And Happy Birthday for April 10!

Maniji: Forget Rajiv> I think you are not interested in taking his criticism. But can you tell me about Panchayat Raj, how do you differentiate it from liberalisation..

Hey, Samuel Thomas, neighbour, I think I will act the moderator between you and uncle Mani here. You know, sort of keep the money and watch over everything... so how will you guys send me the money? DD or MT or what? My address is--

Mr Mani, do you feel that consensus politicing is here to stay ?? I'd still like to know who would be your choice for PM from the Congress.

Ashwin: Let the dead past bury the dead and the unborn future give birth to whom it will!

Mr. Aiyer: Do agree with me that you get scrutinized more closely when you are in government? More of BJP scandals in Maharashtra, UP, Gujrat etc. are coming up. The so called RSS discipline was not to be found in Gujrat when Vaghle revolted. There is factions in UP and at national level -- there is no love lost between Joshi and Advani. Beside Advani's gang always treated Vajpai as a congress mole. And what about personal integrity ? Well, everybody knows Govindacharya and Uma Bharathi (a so called Sanyasin) have more to share with each other than just politics.

Mr Aiyar, there was so much more I'd like to know from you but I've got to rush. It's pouring outside and I don't have an umbrella. It was great having you on the Rediff chat. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Good night. One more thing: Please don't let the Congress go the way it is, there won't be any Congress if it does.

Kamlesh: Why not add Kamlesh to the list and see the difference it makes? Where can I post you the coupon for primary membership of the Congress? You will then be in the same league as Sonia Gandhi!

But what if the dead past is coming alive? Or people from the dead past -- like Sitaram Kesri -- is coming alive with 83 per cent wins? And are insisting on burying us, living us? Then what? What should we do then? Could you answer that Uncle?

YP: I hope your question about why talented, sacrificing young men & women stay away is answered. Mr. Aiyar may be wrong in his other predictions, but he is right about one thing, pure selfishness is keeping those people away. Our founding fathers knew that it was easier to win independence because you have a common enemy. After that, if sacrificing, selfless, knowledgeable, energetic people won't come forward the country will go to dogs, and that's what is happening. If you want to do something about it, try to contact me at untedin@airmail.net. Because I am building a party from scratch and you can help.

Maniji: Can you enlighten something about Panchayati Raj, how will it help India?? Please, answer. I have been observing this chat for long time. But this is the first question, I am putting you across.

Tahseen: You are absolutely right. The mystique of unctuous self-righteousness that the BJP assidously cultivated has been ripped open all the way from Mumbai to Lucknow via Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Delhi. They said they would throw Enron into the Arabian Sea. Now they are, metaphorically, in bed with Rebecca Mark. I think there is nothing like public exposure to expose the pretensions of politicians. Since the BJP has more pretensions than most, it has the most to lose through public exposure!

Mr Mani, would you have said that "let the dead past ..." if the Congress had ONE person it could project as the "messiah" ?? :)) I seriously think that we ought to look to someone we could vote for and be sure that he would do the country and the Congress a lot of good. Any comments sir ??

Dear sir, The reason congress will not win more than 100 seats in the next election is quite simple, you have no LEADERS.In fact there is nobody with any character in India other than Mr.Vajpayee, and it for this reason alone that the BJP is going to come to power.If you look carefully there is nobody who stands for anything in the congress. They have seem to lost direction.

Maniji, sorry for being late>>

Mr. Aiyar I did not run away from my country, Icame here for my family and I have seen what happened to hte real workers of Original Ganthi Bapu's Congress party. My uncle was in jjail so many times for our Independance. He was an honest congressman and he died poor and my aunt raised her four kids with her hard work selling milk and the other corrupt congress men become millionairs by their congress inflence. She didnot beg to party or anyone, You I am still a proud Indian even in USA but this corrupt politics can not create any interest in anyone. Show some ways where one can come back home and get involved.

Murali: We have so far boasted with justice of being the world's biggest democracy. However, the fact is that we have also been the world's least representative democracy. Till the Constitutional amendments of 1992, a mere 6,000 elected representatives in Parliament and the state assemblies represented all 900 million of us. Now, with Panchayti Raj, we have 30 lakh elected representatives, 10 lakh of whom are, statutorily, women. Indeed, in Karnataka, as against reservations of 33 per cent for women, as many as 47 per cent of the seats in the village Panchayats have been won by women. The empowerment of the poor has begun with democratic institutions at the grassroots which are irreversible. This was Gandhiji's dream which, to our great cost, we ignored as soon as he was martyred. However, although we have now got elected local governments established everywhere in the country (except Bihar, where a case is pending in the Supreme Court) the fact is that state legislatures and state governments are most reluctant to part with real authority and real finances. While Consitutional processes can push state governments in the desired direction, at the end of the day it is the political dialectic between elected representatives at the grassroots and elected representatives in the state assemblies that will determine the effective degree of devolution. That, I suspect, is an equilibrium that will be reached only progressively and that too over a period of time. Might I suggest that your read my column on Panchayati Raj entitled "Grassroots" which appears every second Tuesday in the Business Standard? I am also hoping to finish my monograph A Primer on Panchayati Raj by July. If you send me your address, I will mail you a copy.

Mr. Aiyar, Why is Gujral interfering with the CBI and asking it to explain why the raids on Fodder Scam related IAS officers have taken place. I thought he said he is not going to intervene. If the CBI is not justified, let the IAS officers concerned sue it and the courts are there to make a judgment as to the raids justification or the lack thereof. See survival will lead you to do somany things that you swore you wouldn't do. Do you agree?

God! Uncle Mani, whatever else you are, one thing you are NOT -- and that is modest... Only a true politician could promote himself so shamelessly/shamefully!

Aadithya: We have loads of leaders. Do you think anyone in Mayiladuturai has ever heard of -- or cares to know about-- Lal Krishna Advani or Atal Bihari Vajpayee? But can you name me one constituency, in all our 542, where they have not heard of Sonia Gandhi? Win or lose, the Congress is here to stay for the next 112 years as for the last 112!

Mr.Iyer What do you say about Mr.Shukh Ram's statemrnt that Rs.3.5 crores taken from his house belongs to the Congress party?

Maniji: You talk of Gandhiji's dream and chat on internet. Instead of that you must go to some village and start farmin. And yes, can you kindly give your opinion on liberalisation??

A final word to all: I am sorry time is running out and I have to rush to dinner as you folks get down to your American breakfasts! But I will keep your questions and comments in mind when I get back to you on Rediff On The NeT next month. Stay tuned!