The week india

DEPUTY CM PANNEERSELVAM

WORTH THOUSANDS OF CRORES?

MAMATA AND NEPHEW

SIGNS OF A DYNASTY DECEMBER 17, 2017

$50

NAVY CHIEF

WE’LL BE A 200-SHIP NAVY

MODI’S TOUGHEST FIGHT IN GUJARAT Narendra Modi leads an all-out battle against a rejuvenated Congress and aggressive young leaders

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VOL 35 NO 51 THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

CONTENTS

FOR THE WEEK DECEMBER 11-DECEMBER 17

36 BESIEGED FORTRESS COVER STORY

An organised and sustained offensive has allowed the Congress and its new allies to push the BJP on to the backfoot in Gujarat, where it has been in power for two decades. The tension in the ruling camp is palpable. ● Modi's pitch and what the 'beneficiaries' say ● How a resurgent Congress played it smart in Gujarat

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani takes on the richest candidate ● The Hardik Patel factor ●

COLUMNS

52 Interview: We aim to be a 200-ship navy in a decade, says Navy chief Sunil Lanba

14 Power Point Sachidananda Murthy

32 Forthwrite Meenakshi Lekhi

64 Sound Bite Anita Pratap

68 Travel tech: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have taken the lead in introducing Hyperloop, a revolutionary new transport technology

77 DeTour Shobhaa De

82 Guest Column Jorge Ramos

78 Legend: Shashi Kapoor's legacy is timeless

74 Cinema: Amid great roles and accolades, Parvathy refuses to play down her intelligence to suit the patriarchal film industry

NEXT WEEK

JANAK BHAT

Anniversary special: Double issue

SALIL BERA

PTI

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SPECIAL REPORT

Is Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam worth several thousand crores? THE WEEK investigates

ARVIND JAIN

COVER DESIGN: BINESH SREEDHARAN COVER PHOTO: PTI

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CONTROVERSY

The Biswa Bangla logo row points to the rise of the first political dynasty in West Bengal.

71

@LEISURE

Food walks, which are becoming popular in Delhi, let you learn more about what you eat

Printed at Malayala Manorama Press, Kottayam, Print House India Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, M P Printers, Noida and Rajhans Enterprises, Bangalore and published from Manorama Buildings, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi-682 036, by Jacob Mathew, on behalf of the Malayala Manorama Co.Ltd., Kottayam - 686 001. Editor Philip Mathew ● Focus/Infocus features are marketing/PR initiatives

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

LETTERS PRADYUMAN MURDER

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IAF’S AIRCRAFT AVAILABILITY: 56% DECEMBER 3, 2017

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PADMAVATI

ANUJA CHAUHAN ON RANI PADMINI AND TOXIC PATRIARCHY

THE RAHUL

I KNOW SSHASHI HASHI TTHAROOR HAROOR

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The Week RNI No. 36122/1982, Registered No. KL/KTM/57/2015-17, Licence No. KL/CR /KTM/ WPP-05/2015-17.

Licensed to post without pre-payment Published on Friday 24th November 2017

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M ILIND DDEORA EORA MILIND

BBerkeley erkeley vvisit isit aand nd aafter fter M EENAKSHI LEKHI LEKHI MEENAKSHI

EElection lection oorr ccoronation? oronation?

LONG WAY TO GO THE WEEK has given too much prominence to Rahul Gandhi; he has transformed himself, I agree, but I doubt if Rahul’s elevation will help the Congress win the elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh (‘Renaissance man’, December 3). There is still a long way to go for Rahul before he can be seen as a voice of marginalised people in the country.

Now that Rahul is all set to take over as Congress president, I hope the party is able to re-energise itself with a clear vision for the country for 2019.

Yash Kothari, On email.

RAHUL HAS become a beacon of hope for young people, dalits and millions of voiceless people in the country. At the end of the tunnel of despotic rule of Modi and fake promises, we see light in the leadership of Rahul who has inherited the values of his illustrious grandparents.

N.C. Sreedharan, On email.

I WAS surprised to see Rahul on your cover. I wonder how progressive thinkers like Shashi Tharoor can write on the sudden transformation of Rahul, whose qualifications don’t match Tharoor’s.

Trying to make Rahul an angel of virtue is sycophancy. It is suicidal for the Congress in the long run to appoint a person like Rahul as the president of the party.

The educated elite should continue to give Narendra Modi the mandate to rule the country for many more years.

Modi is on a mission to give us a scam-free, corruption-free and growthoriented nation.

G.V. Prasad, On email.

in a position to challenge the organisationally wellknit and well-led BJP. K.K. Cherian, Bengaluru.

RAHUL SHOULD try to reclaim the lost space of the Congress. He should fight on all fronts on a war-footing to achieve this goal. For this it is essential that the Congress wins back the confidence of young voters. Rahul should spell out his action plan to counter the alleged erroneous misadventures of the BJP. He should also restore the confidence of the minorities and other social groups.

C.J. Bhupathi, On email.

RAHUL HAS shown at times that he can listen to all and stand for secular and democratic principles.

He can resurrect the sustainable development goals to recreate a new tryst in pluralistic India.

Moin Syed, On email.

WHAT WAS the need to come up with a cover story on Rahul? I am reminded of several similarly loaded issues of THE WEEK, preceding the 2014 general elections, all of which came a cropper.

I request the editors of THE WEEK to be politically neutral.

S. Radhakrishnan, On email.

CONGRESS WORKERS, sympathisers and analysts may like to see a person from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family emerge to lead the grand old political outfit. I don’t understand the fixation that some Congress leaders have with the Gandhi family.

No doubt, Rahul has changed a lot over the years and has reached a reasonable level of political maturity. But he is not

NOTWITHSTANDING THE fact that Rahul has shown signs of rejuvenation as a leader of substance, it is too naive, if not too sycophantic, to assume that the ‘messiah’ has arrived. Tharoor, known for expressive articulation of ideas, could not carry enough conviction in his lead article, mainly because of its apologetic undertone.

Raveendranath A., On email.

WHILE GOING through the cover story on Rahul, I didn’t bother to read the guest column by Meenakshi Lekhi. By merely reading the headline, I could understand what she was trying to convey. Lekhi, it seems, has forgotten about Yogi Adityanath. Wasn’t his selection as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh coronation?

J. Hundal, On email.

RAHUL HAS to re-energise the rank and file of the Congress and weed out inefficient leaders. For that he should take politics very seriously rather than being a lazy leader who goes missing every now and then. All the best, Rahul, for a tough fight in 2024, as the result of 2019 is a foregone conclusion.

Binoj Mathew Chandrathil, On email.

YOUR COVER story on Rahul had no substance. I can understand the stand taken by Milind Deora and Sachin Pilot; they have no option but to praise Rahul.

It is observed from last few months that your magazine has become increasingly biased.

With the induction of people like Barkha Dutt as contributing editor, the graph of the magazine is plunging.

As a jubilant reader of your magazine for the last three decades, with much regret I have to say that the magazine is not headed in the right

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

LETTERS

EDITOR PHILIP MATHEW

direction. If I don’t see any improvement in the days to come, with much anguish I have to say that I will stop reading your magazine.

K.P. Nair, On email.

SENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR & DIRECTOR RIYAD MATHEW EDITOR-IN-CHARGE EDITOR-IN-CHARGE (ONLINE) SENIOR NEWS EDITOR V.S. JAYASCHANDRAN T R GOPAALAKRISHNAN STANLEY THOMAS NEWS EDITOR DEPUTY NEWS EDITORS LUKOSE MATHEW P. SRIDEVI, MATHEW T. GEORGE, MAIJO ABRAHAM RESIDENT EDITOR, DELHI CHIEF OF BUREAU, DELHI K.S. SACHIDANANDA MURTHY R. PRASANNAN CONTRIBUTING EDITORS BARKHA DUTT, ANITA PRATAP, ANUJA CHAUHAN

National pastime THE CONTROVERSY over Padmavati has become a national pastime and a constant source of political entertainment (‘My sister Padmini and Bhansali’s rani’, December 3). No filmmaker is obliged to appease the sentiments of a billionplus population. Instead of providing safe passage to the release of Padmavati, several states have joined hands with obscure outfits and self-appointed custodians of culture and history, which is sad.

People have the right to express their anger if emotions are hurt. But taking law into their hands and offering a reward to behead the director cannot be expected in a civilised society like ours.

Unless we watch the film, how can we conclude that Padmavati has been shown in negative light?

K.S. Padmanabhan, On email.

Great Scudder I AM an avid reader and subscriber of THE WEEK for over 20 years. Your story on the Christian Medical College, Vellore, was really moving and inspiring (‘Lighting Lives’, November, 26).

But you did not publish the photograph of Dr Ida Scudder. Her vision

CHIEF OF BUREAU, MUMBAI DNYANESH V. JATHAR

Dr Ida Scudder

and perseverance are worth saluting. Her determination to start a hospital even without any fund or infrastructure was amazing.

Unlike other hospitals, CMC seldom takes a commercial angle as its core focus and provides good care to the patients. I have come across instances where the treatment costs of the poor have been totally waived by the hospital.

From next year, your best hospitals issue should have another section on the most affordable hospitals in the country.

Running a great institution with so much dedication is not that easy. Had Mother Teresa been alive, she would have certainly appreciated the selfless service of CMC. Prakash Arjun, Chennai.

Error ACTOR SRIDEVI’S daughter Khushi has been wrongly named as Jhanvi in ‘People’ (November 26).

Veeresh Patage, On email.

WE REGRET the error.

Editor

CHIEF SUBEDITORS S. NEERAJ KRISHNA AJISH P. JOY SUSAMMA KURIAN NAVIN J. ANTONY

DEPUTY CHIEFS OF BUREAU, DELHI VIJAYA PUSHKARNA, NEERU BHATIA

SENIOR SUBEDITORS ANIRUDHA KARINDALAM ANIRUDH MADHAVAN

SENIOR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS REKHA DIXIT, MANDIRA NAYAR, NEHA SHARMA BAJPAI, NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA, SONI MISHRA, (DELHI); TARIQ AHMAD BHAT (SRINAGAR) SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS K. SUNIL THOMAS, PRATUL SHARMA, NAMITA KOHLI (DELHI); RACHNA TYAGI (MUMBAI); AJAY UPRETY (LUCKNOW); DEEPAK TIWARI (BHOPAL); PRATHIMA NANDAKUMAR (BENGALURU); CITHARA PAUL (THIRUVANANTHAPURAM); NACHIKET KELKAR (MUMBAI); LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN (CHENNAI); RABI BANERJEE (KOLKATA); PRADIP R. SAGAR (DELHI)

SUBEDITORS DIYA MATHEW NEERAJ KRISHNAN

PRINCIPAL CORRESPONDENTS NANDINI GUNAVANTRAI OZA (AHMEDABAD); SOUMIK DEY (DELHI); RAHUL DEVULAPALLI (HYDERABAD) SENIOR CORRESPONDENTS MINI P. THOMAS, ABHINAV SINGH (BENGALURU); VANDANA (DELHI); ANJULY MATHAI (KOCHI); PRIYANKA BHADANI (MUMBAI) CORRESPONDENTS DHRITI GANDHI RANJAN (DELHI); ANURADHA VARANASI (MUMBAI) CHIEF REPORTER UAE: JAIMON GEORGE, DUBAI

NEW MEDIA SENIOR SUBEDITORS

SARATH RAMESH KUNIYL SNEHA PILLAI HAZEEDA VIJAYAKUMAR SUMITRA NAIR

SUBEDITORS

ANNIFRED SOLOMON ANCY K. SUNNY VINOD V.K. JOSE K. GEORGE VAISAKH E. HARI ANITA BABU ELVIS KURIAN JOHN JUSTIN PAUL GEORGE

PHOTO EDITOR: SANJOY GHOSH DEPUTY PHOTO EDITORS BHANU PRAKASH CHANDRA, SALIL BERA CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHERS ARVIND JAIN, SANJAY AHLAWAT (DELHI); JANAK BHAT (MUMBAI); SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER AMEY SUHAS MANSABDAR (MUMBAI) PHOTOGRAPHER AAYUSH GOEL (DELHI) SENIOR PICTURE COORDINATOR BIMAL NATH C.

RESEARCHER

SAJU C. DANIEL MULTIMEDIA RAHUL J. MOHAN VIPIN DAS P.

ART EDITOR: JAYAKRISHNAN M.T. ASST. ART EDITOR: BINESH SREEDHARAN CHIEF GRAPHIC ARTIST: N.V. JOSE ILLUSTRATOR: B. BHASKARAN LAYOUT ARTIST: B. MANOJKUMAR DESIGNERS: DENI LAL, JOB P.K. GRAPHIC DESIGNER: SYAM KRISHNAN ARTISTS: RAJESH A.S., SUMESH C.N., SUJESH K., AJEESH KUMAR M. JUNIOR ARTIST: JAIRAJ T.G. RESEARCH HEAD: K. MANOHARAN RESEARCH ASSISTANT: RANI G.S.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GEORGE JACOB VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING, ADVERTISING SALES VARGHESE CHANDY VICE PRESIDENT, CIRCULATION CHIEF GENERAL MANAGER, SALES M. RAJAGOPALAN NAIR ANAND MATHEW CHIEF RESIDENT GM, MUMBAI REGIONAL CHIEF GM, CHENNAI SHREE KUMAR MENON K.C. SURESH CHIEF RESIDENT GM, BENGALURU CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER-NORTH RANJIT KURIEN AND HEAD, SPECIAL PROJECTS, NEW DELHI R. RAJMOHAN

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

power point ● Sachidananda Murthy

Uneasy partnership

C

handrababu Naidu has once again tried to raise the stakes on the special package for Andhra Pradesh. He says he is upset at the way his partner, the BJP, is treating the three-and-half-year-old state. The latest irritant is the under construction Polavaram irrigation project, which has been plagued by delays. Since the project is given the status of ‘national importance’, the Central government is a major financier.

Upset by the delays, Naidu decided to award some critical components of the project to a new contractor. But, the Union water resources ministry, which finances the project, has told the state not to change the contractor. Naidu thinks the new water resources minister Nitin Gadkari is throwing his weight around, and says his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is not going too far in the protests only because of its alliance with the BJP. Unlike the NDA-1 of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, where Naidu had enormous clout as the second largest party in the alliance, the TDP now has a diminished role in the Centre, with only one cabinet minister. The minister, Ashok Gajapati Raju, sticks to his responsibility of civil aviation, leaving Naidu to deal directly with Narendra Modi and the senior ministers. An important interlocutor for Chandrababu Naidu was fellow Andhra man and senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu, who was a major voice in the government, until he became vice president.

He could tell ministerial colleagues to

give special treatment to requests from Andhra Pradesh. Even though he is still helpful to the home state, there are limits of the constitutional office.

Chandrababu Naidu knows that he cannot pull the plug on the alliance, as the BJP has sent signals to Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the main opposition leader in the state. Though Reddy faces corruption charges from Central agencies, he has been careful not to criticise the Central government, and has concentrated his fire on the chief minister. Reddy’s YSR Congress, which is a rebellious offshoot of the Congress, is also weighing its options bePTI fore the Lok Sabha and the assembly elections, both to be held in 2019, if on schedule.

Naidu has, however, informed the world that the new state capital, Amaravati, is ready and doing business. He has been trying to attract large chunks of foreign direct investment, but the preferred destination is still Telangana capital, Hyderabad, which, ironically, he had built as the the cyber hub of India.

Naidu is now persona non grata in Hyderabad, which is ruled by arch-rival K. Chandrashekar Rao, whose government is pursuing criminal cases against the AP chief minister.

But, Naidu is a master tactician who waits for the right chance to take advantage of political situations, and he will have his own tricks for the BJP in the coming year and half. sachi@theweek.in

Long drives are fun. But really long drives may not always be so. Having company is advisable—to help you stay alert as well as to share the burden of driving. But if you are accompanied by someone who has carcolepsy, they are not likely to be much help. A portmanteau of car and narcolepsy, it is a condition where a person falls asleep as soon as the car starts moving.

If you are generally unable to sleep during long car rides, you cannot help but feel envious of these ‘gifted’ people. After all, there is a limit to staring out of the window and counting sheep, or stray dogs, as the case may be.

MILESTONES Hero boy: Mohamad Al Jounde, a 16-year-old Syrian boy, won the International Children’s Peace Prize for building a school for refugee children from Syria. The school was set up in a refugee camp in Lebanon and currently provides education for 200 children. He started the school at the age of twelve.

Deve’s saves: Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea’s 14 saves, the joint-most by a goalkeeper in a single English Premier League match, helped the Red Devils beat Arsenal 3-1. The 27-year-old equalled the record shared by Tim Krul (2013) and Vito Mannone (2014).

Dark signals: DAMPE satellite of China has found “mysterious” low-energy signals that could establish the existence of dark matter. A quarter of the universe is believed to be comprised of the dark matter, and it is considered as one of the biggest mysteries of science.

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

APERITIF party snacks

CM LEADS THE WAY AFTER JAYALALITHAA’S DEATH, Tamil Nadu politicians have become fodder for online trollers and meme makers. In April, the trollers went to town with Cooperative Minister Sellur K. Raju’s ‘thermocol experiment’—the attempt to prevent evaporation loss from the Vaigai Dam by covering the water with thermocol (polystyrene) sheets. In September, Environment Minister K.C. Karuppannan said people using soap were the reason behind pollution of the Noyyal. He, too, was not spared.

It was Forest Minister Dindigul Srinivasan’s turn in October when he said AIADMK leader O. Paneerselvam had met “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh” in Delhi. It is the turn of Chief Minister E. Palaniswami now. During his speech at the centenary of former chief minister M.G. Ramachandran’s birth, Palaniswami said Kamba Ramayanam was written by Tamil scholar Sekkizhar! By stealing Kamban’s thunder, he has saved his ministers from the trollers for now.

ILLUSTRATIONS: JAIRAJ T.G.

What’s in the pink book

Early Congress bird

AEROPLANES HAVE A black box.

Government departments have a blue book.

But not many know that the Indian Railways has something called a pink book. And there is nothing feminine about it. Bibek Debroy, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council, says in his book, Ideas for India: Faster Higher Stronger, that the pink book, which comes out after the budget in three volumes, outlines how the Railways intends to spend the money allocated to it.

IN A MOVE that could be seen either as jumping the gun or as being enterprising, Haryana Congress leader Kiran Chaudhary beat her party colleagues in congratulating Rahul Gandhi on his imminent election as party president. Posters and banners congratulating Gandhi “on becoming the Congress President” lined the streets on the day he filed his nomination. They were all credited to Chaudhary and her politician daughter Shruti, causing much heartburn among other Congress leaders.

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 17

A painful lesson in hospitality PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA Modi hosted a dinner at the Taj Falaknuma Palace for 1,600-plus delegates of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad.

In attendance were US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, cabinet ministers and the cream of the corporate world. While the VIPs got a red-carpet welcome, the delegates, who were the ‘real guests’ were stranded in their buses for hours because of the traffic congestion outside the hotel premises. While some of them went back to their respective hotels, a few decided to visit the local eateries, ditching the regal feast.

War over rice UNION MINISTER BABUL Supriyo said that the West Bengal government’s move to increase the number of people who get rice at 02 per kilogram is “nothing great”. This is because the Central government largely foots the bill, he explained. The West Bengal government gets rice at 01 per kilogram from the Food Corporation of India, said Supriyo, and the difference is paid by the Centre.

But West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee countered saying the Centre’s allocations were only on paper and that it owed the state 013,714 crore.

The communist brotherhood THE CPI(M) GETS into news these days only when its current general secretary Sitaram Yechury and its former general secretary Prakash Karat clash on the party’s approach towards the Congress. Even as the party is struggling to make its presence felt in India, it got an invite from the Communist Party of China to attend a high-level meeting in Beijing. Yechury was designated to represent the Indian communists.

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

SPECIAL REPORT While OPS’s wealth has not grown, his relatives have prospered. Critics say much of his wealth is parked in the names of his sons and brothers.

Law does not require him to mention their wealth in his affidavit, as they are not dependant on him. Said Thanga Tamil Selvan, former MLA from Andipatti: “He is a zamindar, but no property has been registered in his name.”

OPS’s ancestors had migrated from Srivilliputhur village, near Madurai, to Periyakulam. There are no records of the family owning land in Theni district 25 years ago. In 1996, when he ran for the Periyakulam municipal council, OPS declared an acre agriculture land, a tea shop and 25 sovereigns. His house, valued at 07.61 lakh, was owned by Vijayalakshmi.

Documents with THE WEEK show that the OPS family now owns 131 acres of agricultural land in Theni district. His sons, O.P. Raveendranath Kumar and V.P. Jayapradeep, have extensive corporate investments.

Vijayalakshmi now owns 32 acres.

OPS’s son-in-law Kasirajan was the advocate for Tamil Nadu government housing board, which handled the state’s housing and land projects.

And, until recently, Kasirajan’s father, Chellapandian, was additional advocate general at the Madurai bench of

the Madras High Court.

OPS’s brothers—O. Raja aka Ramasamy, O. Balamurgan and O. Shanmugha Sundaram aka Sundar—have significant land holdings in Theni district. Sundar reportedly ran away in his teens, and returned only after OPS became a minister.

While probing the story behind OPS’s assets, THE WEEK received what are reportedly pages of the infamous ‘Sekar Reddy diary’. J. Sekar Reddy, sand mining baron and industrialist, was a partner of SRS Mining Company. He was arrested on December 8, 2016, after the CBI seized 033.6 crore in 2,000-rupee notes. But, recently, the case suffered a setback as the RBI failed to provide serial numbers of notes supplied to banks immediately after demonetisation.

Reddy is said to have made regular payments to bureaucrats and politicians and recorded them in the diary. The Income Tax department confirmed that there was a diary and that information from it was used to trace tax evaders.

A source said OPS is codenamed Periyavar (senior) in the diary. The pages available with THE WEEK list payments made between June and November 2016. The list shows nine alleged payments to the OPS family, under three heads: “Periyavar, OPS Ramesh and Advo Kasi”. The source said “Ramesh” was OPS’s personal secretary and nephew.

Maximum payments are to “OPS Ramesh”: 01.5 crore (June 22), 050 lakh (July 14), 025 lakh (July 20), 03.7 lakh (October 28) and 020 lakh (October 31). Almost 02.49 crore, in total. “Advo Kasi” has one entry: 01 crore (August 31). There are three entries for OPS: “Periyavar” (025 lakh on November 16), “Periyavar/Ramesh” (03.5 crore on August 31) and “OPS adv for November” (03.7 lakh on October 28). Almost 03.79 crore, in total.

While the diary pages could not be verified, THE WEEK set off to find out what could be.

PECHIMUTHU TO PANNEERSELVAM In the late 1980s, the three sons of Ottakara Thevar wanted to go beyond their father’s money-lending business. OPS and bosom pal Vijayan set up a tea shop, P.V. Canteen. The seed money of 020,000 was loaned by City

BHANU PRAKASH CHANDRA

FIRST INVESTMENT The tea shop that Panneerselvam and his friend started. What was P.V. Canteen is now Rosie Canteen, and is owned

by Panneerselvam’s brother

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 21

DIARY, AND MORE Union Bank’s Periyakulam branch. Balamurugan (Left sheet) Page from borrowed the money, and OPS was guarantor. the “Sekar Reddy diary”, After they defaulted, the bank filed a case for reshowing alleged payments covery. Around this time, OPS changed his given to Panneerselvam; (right name from Pechimuthu to Panneerselvam. The sheet) page from Vani loan was paid in 2003.

Fabrics annual report, P.V. Canteen was later run by his younger showing Panneerselvam’s brother Raja. The canteen’s name was changed sons (3 &4) as directors after his daughter Rosie died young. Later, Vijayan set up Relax Canteen across the road from Rosie Canteen. While running the tea shop, OPS doubled as a real estate broker.

A close relative of OPS recalled him shuttling on a Bajaj M80, brokering land deals. 02,000 was considered a decent commission then, the relative said. “I remember him taking commission from lyricist Vairamuthu, for a 12-acre coconut grove in Pullakkapatti, near Periyakulam,” the relative said.

In 1996, all this changed. Two things happened—OPS became chairman of Periyakulam Municipality, and he met T.T.V. Dhinakaran, a nephew of Jayalalithaa’s companion Sasikala. Dhinakaran introduced him to Jayalalithaa. In 2001, just five years later, she picked him to warm the chief minister’s seat when she was convicted in the Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation (TANSI) land deal. This is when his political graph started climbing.

“OPS is an opportunist,” said A. Shankar, who blogs on AIADMK innerparty affairs. “He is not a popular leader. During his recent six-monthlong faction fight with Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, he could not win over any MLA to his side, which had 12 MLAs. After calling Palaniswami government corrupt, he joined the same government. Which means he is also not above corruption.”

DISPROPORTIONATE ASSETS CASE QUASHED In 2006, when the DMK came to power, a case of disproportionate assets was filed against OPS. He had the case quashed, something that even Jayalalithaa could not do. According to the charge-sheet filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in 2006, his assets

were 374 per cent more than his income. The charge-sheet named him as primary accused, followed by his wife Vijayalakshmi, brothers Raja and Balamurugan and their wives, Sasikalavathy and Latha Maheshwari. His sons Raveendranath and Jayapradeep, who was then a minor, were not named.

As per the charge-sheet, before 2001, OPS’s assets stood at 017 lakh. In 2006, it was 01.67 crore.

According to records, his expenses came to067.82 lakh, while his income was only 046.05 lakh.

The charge-sheet said that the excess expenditure and the value of assets acquired between 2001 and 2006 stood at 01.72 crore.

Rajasenthur Pandian, senior advocate in the Madras High Court, said, “The story of how OPS got himself out of the case is very interesting. If Jayalalithaa had followed in his footsteps, she, too, would not have been convicted in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.”

In 2009, when the DA case was pending in the Theni chief judicial magistrate’s court, OPS filed a petition under Section 173(8) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), requesting the court to ask the police to reinvestigate the case. As the prosecution could not convince the magistrate otherwise, he ordered a reinvestigation. Meanwhile, special courts were set up to hear cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the DVAC wing in Madurai proceeded with the case there, with the same charge-sheet.

OPS and the other accused then approached the special court saying the Theni court had ordered a reinvestigation. A senior officer in the DVAC, who was part of the case, said, “As the special court did not accept this argument, they filed another petition in the High Court in Madurai saying that the case cannot have a territorial jurisdiction. They got it transferred to the Sivaganga court. Here, in 2012, OPS was acquitted citing insufficient evidence. He was then

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finance minister.”

Pandian said: “An accused cannot file a petition under Section 173(8), even if he is innocent. He can only file a discharge petition. That, too, in the concerned court. Here, the petition was filed in one court and the transfer order was issued by the High Court, while the case was pending in the special court. He approached the court for reinvestigation after the court had held 13 hearings. This again is not possible under law.”

OPS was represented in court by Chellapandian. DVAC officials said OPS would have been convicted if the case had proceeded to a logical end. While they also agree that Raveendranath and Jayapradeep have considerable assets, they did not comment on why they were not included in the charge-sheet.

Selvan, the MLA, said the acquittal was as a shot in the arm for OPS. “He moved to Bodinayakanur constituency, as Periyakulam was reserved in 2011,” he said. “Around this time Sasikala’s family fell out of favour with Jayalalithaa, and Dhinakaran, too, was forced to keep a low profile.

It all helped OPS.”

THE GIANT WELLS

FAMILY AFFAIRS The OPS family, with Jayalalithaa (centre) in 2014. (From left) Keerthiga and Jayapradeep, with their daughter; OPS, Raveendranath and Ananthi with their children; Vijayalakshmi; OPS’s daughter Kavitha and husband Kasirajan, with their children

A muddy lane connects four giant wells to the Periyakulam-Lakshmipuram road. The lane meanders for 4km along the banks of the Varattaru, a river originating from the Agamalai and Sorlamalai hills. The river was bone-dry when THE WEEK visited the site.

You hear the pumps before you see the wells, and, at first sight, the wells look more like ponds. Water from the wells is sold, and is also used to irrigate the farm owned by the OPS family. Villagers had been protesting the wells, as the water table in the area had been falling sharply.

The village committee proposed crowdfunding to buy the land from Vijayalakshmi, OPS’s wife. The flashpoint was a 60-day protest which began on June 20. It ended on August 21, the day OPS became deputy chief minister. On that day, A. Subburaj, a close associate of OPS, donated the land to Lakshmipuram panchayat.

Only the wells were gifted; Subburaj continues to own surrounding land. A local source said that to distance herself from the controversy, Vijayalakshmi transferred the land to Subburaj on July 12, 2017. But, Subburaj insisted there was no foul play. “I sold the land to Vijayalakshmi in 2002, and bought it back in 2017,” he said. “There is no dispute at all.

Even before 2004, OPS used to own 52 acres in the same Thamaraikulam area. We were not close those days, but now he is a close friend.”

The villagers told THE WEEK that they wanted the land, too, and not just the wells. “We were all working hard to raise 06 crore to buy the entire 40 acres, which contains the wells,” said A. Rangasami, 68, who had begun the fight by filing RTI applications with the revenue department. Legally, he said, a bore well should be dug at least 200m away from a river. “The four wells dug by the OPS family are just 50m away from the river bank,” he said.

At one point, Subburaj and wife Uma Maheshwari held at least 100 of the 131 acres owned by the OPS family. Local residents say Subburaj has

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benefited from his loyalty to OPS. His Madurai-based Paapa builders was incorporated on December 16, 2010, with a share capital of 01 crore. The company has grown by leaps and bounds.

“I am into construction,” Subburaj said. “This is my own company, with my wife and I as directors. We deal in public works, highways and railways. OPS is a friend, but his children are not part of my company.” The last line is not entirely true. (Incidentally, OPS was PWD and highways minister from 2011 to 2016.)

Subburaj, Raveendranath and Jayapradeep are partners in Global Home Realties, Theni. OPS’s sons have invested close to 010 crore, and hold 45 per cent each of the company, while Subburaj holds the remaining 10 per cent. Reportedly, Global Home Realties has bought 150 acres near Renuka School in Lakshmipuram, Theni, for a construction project. The loan for the project came from an old friend—City Union Bank, Theni.

Another land dispute in which OPS is said to have had a hand is the transfer of 99 acres of government land to Bojaraj Textile Mills, Theni. Sources said that an OPS loyalist picked up the land at half the market price.

SONS, AND THEIR COMPANIES

We were all working hard to raise 16 crore to buy the entire 40 acres, which contains the wells.

A. Rangasami, villager

BHANU PRAKASH CHANDRA

Critics of OPS often point at the business empire of his sons, to highlight the fact that the family’s wealth has not grown organically. A decade ago, the sons made their first major investment—Jayawant Enterprises, a partnership firm dealing in scrap paper. The second investment was a spin-

Xllent Marineline has eight shareholders/directors. OPS’s sons became directors on August 17, 2016—one month before Jayalalithaa was hospitalised. The sons hold 16.5 per cent each of the company. One of the remaining six directors, Rajendhran Dharani, is a known associate of Raveendranath.

Other alleged investments in partnership firms are as follows: Both are partners in HSV Corporation Solar, Tirupur, and have invested 05 crore. Harichandran of Vani Fabrics is also a partner here, so is Senthilkumar, another friend of OPS’s sons. Raveendranath is a director of Willownet Exim Pvt Ltd at Rainbow Arcade, Pondy Bazaar, Chennai, and has invested 050 lakh.

Both sons are partners in Jayawant Enterprises, R.A. Puram, Chennai, and they have invested 050 lakh. The same R.A. Puram address is home to another investment—Matrix Media Designs Pvt Ltd. The sons are directors in the firm, and have invested 075 lakh. Reportedly, the total investment by the sons in these nine companies amounts to 057.75 crore. Sources say they are now looking for investment opportunities in Malaysia and Indonesia.

THE WEEK sent detailed questionnaires to OPS and his sons, at least 60 days before running this story. But, they have not responded.

CARDAMOM CONNECTION ning mill near Tirupur. Their adviser in the business was Rajaguru Naidu, an AIADMK leader from Theni. Sources said Naidu introduced them to Harichandran and Gnanasekaran, who were in the spinning and textile yarn business.

The sons became directors of the following companies owned by V. Harichandran and V. Gnanasekaran, and, over time, made substantial investments (in brackets): Vani Fabrics Pvt Ltd (012 crore), Vani Spinners Pvt Ltd (015 crore) and Vani Textiles Pvt Ltd (08 crore). As per registrar of companies (RoC) documents, the sons hold 16.67 per cent each of Vani Fabrics.

Another of their investments is in Xllent Marineline Pvt Ltd, a marine transport company with registered offices in Raheja Towers on Chennai’s arterial Anna Salai. Its other offices are in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Singapore.

The company, which used to hire shipping containers, now owns more than 500 of these. It also has sister concerns like Xllent Cargo Transport, a port logistics firm.

Bodinayakanur is a hub of cardamom trade, and the OPS family reportedly controls the market. Said S. Rajasekaran, 42, who runs a law foundation in Theni, “OPS is not directly involved in cardamom trade. But the market is controlled by his benamis.

Even the opposition party leaders are with him.” Rajasekaran’s RTI applications revealed discrepancies in the cardamom trade, and he filed a writ petition in the High Court in Madurai, seeking a detailed investigation.

“It is like a mafia here in Bodi,” Rajasekaran said. “There are at least

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ALL IS NOT WELL One of the controversial wells, formerly owned by Panneerselvam’s wife

67 dealers who trade in different grades of cardamom. They secure licences in the names of daily labourers who work for them. The government lost 026 crore between July and December 2013, after a commercial tax officer cleared a licence for a trader’s dead driver. I have sued Vimal Traders, its owner Maalai Saravanan and commercial tax officer Chellaiah for benami transactions.” Rajasekaran said his fight against the corrupt traders had come to naught as they had OPS’s tacit support.

When OPS was chief minister in 2014-15, commercial tax on cardamom was slashed to 2 per cent, from 5 per cent. The reduction in tax rates has cost the government at least 03,000 crore in the past two years, said an official in the commercial tax department. But, in response to an RTI application, the commercial taxes department said, “The question of revenue loss does not arise, as it is a government’s policy decision. Export of cardamom is zero-rated. Hence, no revenue is derived from it.”

A senior IAS officer said that the change in tax rates for yarn and cardamom was not cleared by Jayalalithaa. “This was when Madam was very upset because of the Bengaluru court conviction,” the officer said. “We used to give policy decisions for her approval and she would approve it with a pencil mark. For mobile phones there was a pencil mark. But, surprisingly, the tax reduction for cardamom, yarn and mobile phones came in the same government order.”

THE TRUST, AND DEATHS The Ottakara Thevar Educational Trust has as its trustees Raja, wife Sasikalavathy, son Amarnath, one of the sisters of OPS and one other member of the extended family. The trust owns 12 acres, with school buildings, worth around 015 crore. Sources said the trust owns much more land.

Many OPS loyalists blame Raja and death of a priest for OPS falling out of Jayalalithaa’s favour in 2016.

S. Nagamuthu, a dalit priest at the Kailasanathar temple in Thenkarai, Theni district, committed suicide in 2012. THE WEEK has a copy of his suicide note, which says Raja and a few others humiliated him by denying him entry into the temple. The temple is on a hill, near a farmhouse owned

by Venkatesh, brother of Subburaj, the builder.

“Raja killed my son,” said Subbuthai Subburaj, 60, Nagamuthu’s mother.

“It is a very old temple, and the surroundings were like a forest earlier.

My son found it in around 2002, and started prayers there. This was when OPS became chief minister. The family believed that the temple had brought them good luck. Till 2007, they helped him develop it. But, when my son found a cave with hidden treasure [near the temple], Raja and his henchmen started harassing him. They wanted to take over the temple.”

Nagamuthu’s family is fighting a case against Raja in the High Court in Madurai. In February 2015, the court ordered the police to investigate Raja and four others in the case.

OPS was then chief minister. Citing this, Nagamuthu’s father, Subburaj, sought a CBI inquiry into the case.

The case is pending in court.

Another case at Raja’s doorstep is that of a missing man, Kalaivanan.

Last February, his wife K. Mahapriya filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court in Madurai saying she feared someone had murdered Kalaivanan when she was away in Tuticorin. Kalaivanan had gone missing on February 2, 2016. “We suspect OPS and Raja,” she said.

Kalaivanan was working for Vishnu Motors, an Allinagaram-based company owned by Sannasi and his son Vicky. “My husband was assaulted

by Sannasi and his son Vicky, who are close to OPS,” she said.

Mahapriya said the local police did not investigate the case, despite several complaints. “Now the case is with the crime branch of the crime investigation department [CB-CID],” she said. “But, I wonder how it will proceed, as OPS is deputy chief minister.”

The faction led by Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) recently won the right to use AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol in the R.K. Nagar bypoll. And, the Sasikala camp was hit by multiple Income Tax raids. Dhinakaran said that the raids were “selective”. “If someone has to be raided,” he said, “it is EPS and OPS.” ◆

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

COVER STORY in Gujarat. In case of a less emphatic win, the Modi-Shah duo could follow the Goa example by appointing a new chief minister to give people a sense of change.

If the BJP does not do well or loses the election, which even its rivals feel is a distant possibility, all hell may break loose. It will send a message of Modi and Shah’s diminished appeal. This would be tricky as elections in eight states—including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan— will be held next year. The BJP will find it tough in taking its message across and convincing people in the states it has been in power.

Beyond electoral politics, its impact may be felt on policy formulation and governance. Modi had made electoral results a barometer of the success of his policy decisions. Demonetisation was hailed as a success after the BJP’s victories in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Goods and Services Tax has caused widespread resentment among traders in Gujarat. If the results are not in favour of the BJP, it may impact future policy decisions.

The BJP is counting on the tweaks in the GST to turn the tide in the party’s favour. “We have spoken to people in Surat. I have been there thrice.

We changed rates in the GST. Most of the traders have benefited now. Though a few days are left for the elections, I think people have made up their minds. Anyone can draw inferences based on their analysis, but we think it’s done. It’s in our favour,” Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan told THE WEEK. Gujarat results are unlikely to change anything in the BJP. A success will only increase the Modi and Shah charisma; but even a loss would not dent their hold over the party.

But the BJP is not expecting to lose. “Look at the Uttar Pradesh civic elections. People have again reposed faith in us. It will now impact the Gujarat elections,” said Dinesh Sharma, deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. “Gujarat elections have also shown people who work keeping in mind the religious values. It has even forced the Congress and Rahul Gandhi to do so. This means acche din.”

The campaigning in Gujarat has had a distinct flavour. Rahul has visited temples with a vengeance and was declared a janeu dhari Hindu by his partymen. The BJP’s aggressive hindutva push has only made the other political parties follow the path. Conspicuous by its absence has been any mention of the communal riots in 2002.

Gujarat provides the Congress an opportunity to turn the narrative in the run-up to the Lok

At ease: Rahul Gandhi during his campaign in Dahod

PTI

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Sabha elections in 2019. Rahul’s campaign has largely been based on the issues of lack of employment, the impact of GST and demonetisation on small and medium businesses, and the problems faced by farmers. He also highlighted the highhandedness of the BJP government in its dealing with Patidar protesters, the atrocities on Dalits, and the dissatisfaction among backward castes.

For a change, the Congress has a strategy to take on Modi this time. It involves attacking his government on the issue of development and staying clear of communal issues. There is an effort to rectify the perception of appeasement

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Places visited: 30 Distance covered: 2,800

km* Prominent region: Saurashtra *approx.

of minorities, which is said to have alienated the majority community from the party. “A major challenge before us is to script an effective counter-narrative that can replace the narrative that is being propagated by the ruling dispensation,” said Congress leader Milind Deora.

The outcome of the Gujarat election would determine the future of this strategic shift. The Congress’s aim would be to wrest power from the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where the saffron party unseated it 15 years ago.

In Rajasthan, the Congress under Sachin Pilot has been carrying out an aggressive campaign against

the Vasundhara Raje government.

Rahul filed his nomination for the election to the post of Congress president on December 4, and the political backdrop was unmistakably the assembly elections in Gujarat. Leader after leader, who turned up at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, praised his campaign in Gujarat. He will take charge as Congress president in the midst of elections, which is significant because the assessment of the party is that the state could well prove to be a turning point in the national political narrative.

If the BJP wins the election, however, it will be termed as another Rahul failure.

Getting an alliance in place would be crucial for the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. It was the motley group of regional parties put together by Sonia in 2004 that helped the Congress defeat Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A win in Gujarat would help Rahul in reaching out to allies with more credibility. He has been engaging with leaders like Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav.

“Given that even at the height of power and popular appeal, Modi won only 31 per cent vote, if we are able to bring to a common platform the remaining 69 per cent who did not vote for him, we will be able to overthrow the current regime,” said senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar.

A significant phenomenon being played out in Gujarat is the assertion of caste. The emergence of leaders like Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakore and Jignesh Mevani has shaken the hindutva project in the state. “We have to think how the narrative of caste has come to play here, whereas it is going down in states like Uttar Pradesh and beyond. Is Gujarat going back in terms of social changes?

Unlike in other states, everything Gujarati was a matter of pride. We need to bring it back,” said a BJP strategist. Dinesh Sharma, however, dismissed the caste leaders as the B-team of the Congress.

As of now, everything will depend on who is able to bring out the voters to the polling booth.

The BJP is an 800-pound gorilla here, with massive presence at the booth level. The Congress can only hope the fence-sitters will come out and vote for it. ◆

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Saffron sweat A REJUVENATED CONGRESS AND ITS NEW ALLIES HAVE PUSHED THE BJP ON TO THE BACKFOOT. THE TENSION IN THE RULING CAMP IS PALPABLE

T

he jibes and punches were coming thick and fast from both sides. Some sharp and well aimed. Others ugly and below the belt. But then, this is a no-holds-barred contest. And surprisingly for Gujarat, an almost evenly matched slugfest.

So, when Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, during his whirlwind campaign in the state, saw magicians hired by the BJP canvassing for votes, he quipped, “Ek jadugar kya kam tha ke BJP aur jadugaro ko laai hai?” (Was one magician not enough that the BJP has roped in more?).

Rahul was, of course, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And, perhaps he was right. The BJP, facing its most daunting electoral challenge in Gujarat in 22 years, does not need other magicians. Its magician is already in Gujarat and, like always, has been using his sleight of hand to slight the Hand.

On November 27, for instance, campaigning at Jasdan, about 50km from Rajkot, Modi said: “Chawala e tamari gaddi lai lidhi. Shu vaarsa ma lakhayeli hati?” (A tea vendor took away your throne. Was it hereditary?). The front rows of the modest gathering started chanting his name.

Modi resumed: “They [the Congress] keep sending me messages that they will make me sell tea again. I said I will sell tea again, but won’t sell the nation.”

A few days later, at Morbi town in Saurashtra, Modi told the audience about the time when

BY NANDINI OZA

Indira Gandhi had visited the region in 1979, with a “hanky over her nose”.

On December 5, at a rally in Dhandhuka, he said: “Kapil Sibal, a Congress MP, argued the Babri Masjid case in the Supreme Court yesterday. He can argue in court, but is it right for him to ask for postponement of the hearing till 2019?

Why is he linking elections with Ram Mandir?”

On several other occasions, the former Gujarat chief minister has bashed the Congress, even comparing Rahul’s imminent elevation as party president to the dynastic succession among Mughal rulers. “I congratulate the Congress on their ‘Aurangzeb Raj’,” he remarked, the sarcasm as evident as his confidence.

As a seasoned campaigner, Modi knows the tricks. He will roar in anger, make jibes with glee, mute himself for azan and, if need be, shed a few tears.

As Gujarat elects 182 MLAs to its assembly, on December 9 and 14, the BJP’s fortunes depend on Modi, as well as his foot soldiers, who are expected to mobilise voters at the booth level.

The BJP’s eleventh hour appeal would be based on Gujarati pride. The BJP cadres have already gone into overdrive, spreading the rhetoric. The country’s prime minister is a Gujarati, they say, as is the BJP president. If they lose, Gujarat loses.

They are also telling voters that a BJP loss could put the jobs of Modi and Shah in jeopardy, as many Hindi-speaking party MPs could call for

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The BJP’s fortunes depend on Modi, as well as his foot soldiers, who are expected to mobilise voters at the booth level.

JANAK BHAT

Face value: Modi supporters at his Jasdan rally, near Rajkot

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COVER STORY

their heads. If the party doesn’t keep its promises, they could punish it in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, they offer.

Moreover, the BJP has been selling the idea that having the same government at both the state and the Centre would benefit Gujarat. It has also been playing up the fact that the BJP defeated the Congress in the civic polls in Rahul’s constituency of Amethi, in Uttar Pradesh.

It is simple. If the BJP wins, it is Modi’s victory. If it loses, or concedes a lot of ground, it will be Modi’s loss, a loss of face. Though BJP president Amit Shah set his men a target of 150 seats, even he would know that his ask is farfetched.

After all, no party has ever crossed the 150 mark.

The best result was in 1985, when chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki, a Congress veteran, managed 149. Even in 2002, when Gujarat was highly polarised after the Godhra riots, the BJP won only 127 seats, the highest in its history.

It is 2017 now, and the issues are more varied.

The Congress is witnessing a resurgence, especially after party leader Ahmed Patel’s victory in the Rajya Sabha elections. A major boost to the party is its alliance with three young, influential leaders—Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti convener Hardik Patel, OBC leader Alpesh Thakore and dalit leader Jignesh Mevani. The Congress also has a tie-up with Chhotubhai Vasava, a strong tribal leader from south Gujarat.

Another thorn in Modi’s side is the growing popularity of Rahul. He has struck a chord with the Gujarati voter and, if the Congress wins, he could become a threat to Modi at the Centre.

Disconnect, discontent: Bhavesh Sapra, 23, says there are no government jobs in the state; (right) Jayeshbhai Parmar says there is nothing worthwhile in Modi’s development claims

Interestingly, a recent survey gives the BJP and the Congress 43 per cent vote share each. Though the BJP still has an edge of about 10 to 15 seats, its support, at least according to surveys, has weakened over the past few months.

All this has to be playing on Modi’s mind.

Perhaps that’s why, at the Jasdan rally, Modi talked at length about his pet topic—development.

He said he had sat on a fast to get approval for the Narmada dam, and had brought Narmada waters to the region through a project called SAUNI (Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation).

However, barely a kilometre from Modi’s podium, Dinesh Kukadia, 30, is still waiting for the water. “We haven’t got the benefit of the SAUNI project the prime minster is talking about. The pipeline has been laid at a different place and it does not benefit our village,” he said, adding that if they get the Narmada waters, their income could increase threefold. A majority of the farmers in his village, dependent on rains for irrigation, grow only one crop a year. Kukadia, who owns 2.8 acres, said that the minimum support price for cotton and groundnut was not enough; he wanted a price that would reflect the effort put into growing the crops.

Another nearby resident Jayeshbhai Parmar,

PHOTOS: JANAK BHAT

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 43

27, came to the Modi rally with great excitement, but said he found nothing worthwhile in Modi’s claims of development. “There has been no development for the middle class. Only the business class has progressed,” he said. Parmar, a diamond polisher, earns 08,000 a month and his father, who does odd jobs, earns around 06,000 a month.

Together, they feed a family of six. Holding his three-year-old son in his arms, he said: “The prime minister talks about housing schemes, but what we have experienced is that the names of only those associated with the BJP come out [of the lot].”

In June, at a programme in Rajkot, Mukesh Bavaliya, 27, was named as one of the disabled people who would receive free government aid.

Bavaliya, who came to listen to Modi in Jasdan, told THE WEEK that, on that day in June, it had poured heavily and they were told to return to their village. “We were also told that the appliances would reach us,” he said. “I have not got the bicycle and there is no response to the phone calls I make.”

Bhupat Makwana, who accompanied Bavaliya to Rajkot, said: “It can be an administrative hitch; the prime minister gives a lot of importance to divyangs (differently abled).”

Perhaps to address such grievances, the state government had recently announced schemes and benefits to the tune of 011,000 crore. “Had they done development works earlier, such announcements would not have become necessary,” said Bhavesh Sapra, 23, who makes bangle boxes.

Though the government recently promised more jobs, Sapra’s education—he is a 12th pass— might make him ineligible for a government job.

“But, otherwise also, where are the government jobs?” he asked.

Though the state government often highlights its development statistics, the human development indices leave much to be desired, said Hemant Shah, an Ahmedabad-based economist and professor. Quoting government figures, he said that, in 2007, 16.30 lakh children enrolled in class 1. In 2017, however, only 11.80 lakh children appeared for the class 10 examination. “Where have the remaining 4.50 lakh children gone in Vibrant Gujarat?” he asked. In health care, quoting the National Family Health Survey of 2015-16, he said: “In 2015-16, only 50.4 per cent children in the age group of 12 to 23 months were totally immunised.”

The only development, according to him, was the 24-hour supply of single-phase electricity to rural areas. “Though the BJP diverted a chunk from the farm sector to provide electricity to the villages, it has been done,” he said.

As for the highly debated financial moves— demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax—Modi himself knew that there would be backlash. “A new shoe bites. We have the capacity to understand the questions and effect the changes,” he said in Jasdan. The new shoe did bite, and has refused to let go. In the electorally

In 2015-16, only 50.4 per cent children in the age group of 12 to 23 months were totally immunised.

Hemant Shah, an Ahmedabadbased economist and professor

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

COVER STORY important Surat, for instance, textile traders and those in the diamond industry have been hit hard.

How this translates into votes, or lack of them, remains to be seen.

Modi, however, can rest assured that a certain segment of the electorate—the Modi bhakts— would always jump to his defence. “Basic time is needed [to implement GST],” said Prashant Pillai, a Malayali who works in Ahmedabad. “For example, you can’t expect a child to be out of mother’s womb in three months. Change does not happen overnight. I see Modi as one of us. He is one of us up there.”

In the anecdote about Indira Gandhi, Modi had said that the RSS workers in the area did not cover their noses. Soon, however, there were reports saying that Indira did cover her nose, but it was because she had gone there in the aftermath of a severe flood, which had left many dead bodies in its wake. A picture of the incident showed RSS workers also covering their noses. “Maybe this [Modi’s speech] was required for political reasons. Everybody is not perfect and a saint,” said Samir Pandit, a programme manager at a multinational company. He said that he accepted Modi even with his “imperfections”.

The Congress is aware that it cannot change the mindset of such voters. It is, therefore, banking heavily on its new allies. In fact, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the party was “on the finish line” and hoped to cross it with the support of the voters.

Though nobody has predicted a Congress win, the tension in the BJP camp is palpable. Modi has been fast and furious, making regular two-day visits to address public meetings. On each day, he addresses three to four meetings. In each meeting, he covers four to five assembly segments,

The BJP has not even dared to experiment with candidates in Vadodara, from where Modi had won the Lok Sabha election.

PHOTOS: JANAK BHAT

44

Hopes and promises: (Above) Mukesh Bavaliya is yet to receive a bicycle the government had promised him months ago; Dinesh Kukadia says he has not got any benefits of the Narmada project

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 45

said Bharat Pandya, state BJP spokesperson. The plan, said party sources, was to cover all the 182 assembly segments. Pandya was confident, saying that the Congress had no issues to raise and that, after the recent revision in rates, GST had become a non-issue in Gujarat.

Recent developments, however, suggest otherwise. Almost the entire Union cabinet is in Gujarat and Amit Shah has not returned to Delhi after Diwali. Apart from addressing public meetings, Shah has brainstormed behind closed doors, chalking out strategies till the night before the nominations for the second phase were to be filed, on November 27.

Given the discontent among the Patidars and the OBCs, it was difficult for the BJP to strike a balance. So much so that several party leaders, who were told that they would contest, were denied tickets at the last moment. A source close to Narhari Amin, who had switched to the BJP from the Congress a few years ago, told THE WEEK that Amit Shah had called him late on November 26 to tell him that he would not be given a ticket. Apparently, this was despite Modi and Shah having earlier promised him the spot.

Former minister of state for home Gordhan Zadafia, a Patidar leader, met with the same fate.

The source said that the leaders were told that if they were given tickets, there would be a rebellion within the party.

However, despite such efforts, 24 BJP members have rebelled, opting to contest as independents. They have been suspended.

Also, this time, the BJP is keen on playing it safe with candidates. A few years ago, in the local elections, Modi had put up new candidates in five municipal corporations, and yet the BJP had won with a thumping majority, said a BJP leader. Not this time. In fact, the BJP has not even dared to experiment in two of its safest seats—Manjalpur and Sayajiganj—both in Vadodara. Interestingly, Modi had won the Lok Sabha election from Vadodara.

“Modi can do anything to ensure that the Congress does not win,” said sociologist Gaurang Jani. “A Congress win would mean that the BJP will have trouble in the form of Rahul Gandhi at the national level.” Moreover, if the BJP loses Gujarat, intra-party rumbling would increase, which could affect the results of several upcoming state elections.

Modi, however, knows the pulse of the people.

They say a true magician never reveals his secret.

Who knows, maybe Modi has some more tricks up his sleeve. ◆

C A M P A IGN M A NA GER S

Quietly efficient

BY NANDINI OZA

B

oth the BJP and the Congress have their party bigwigs—Amit Shah and Ashok Gehlot—on ground zero for an election that has thrown up a do or die situation.

Shah has stayed put in Gujarat since Diwali and Gehlot, too, has more or less remained in the state.

They have travelled extensively to meet party workers across the state.

Amit Shah, who is considered the 'Chanakya' of politics and credited for BJP's landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh, has been campaigning aggressively.

A senior BJP leader said, “Even before campaigning began, Shah was deciding caste equations and held meetings with party workers till the booth level.” He said the BJP is giving emphasis to seats that it lost by a thin margin in the 2012 polls.

Gehlot keeps a low profile and coordinates with the teams sent by Rahul Gandhi. The team which surveyed the mood of the people also spoke to potential candidates. Gehlot has also brought his own team of workers from Rajasthan.

A senior Congress leader said, “He would not require a separate chamber to discuss things. He can also be found discussing poll nuances with party leaders.” Sources within the party said Gehlot had been instrumental in ensuring that the rebels withdrew in favour of the official candidates.

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

COVER STORY

Hand in glove IN A BID TO END TWO DECADES OF EXILE, THE CONGRESS MAKES SMART MOVES consider the Congress option. Patidar stir leader Hardik Patel says, “You have to choose between mahachor (big thief) and chor (thief).”

One thing that could influence fence-sitters is the BJP’s warning that if the Congress comes to power, there would be curfew. The BJP has boasted about maintaining a violence-free society. Patel’s answer to it: “The ones who were instrumental in violence are in power. So how

BY NANDINI OZA

T

he change has been noticed. To the Gujarati voter, neither the Gujarat Congress nor Rahul Gandhi are what they used to be.

For a long time, the Congress used the tag line ‘Navsarjan Gujarat’ (Gujarat’s resurgence). Now, more than the state, it is the party that is seeing resurgence.

In the run-up to the elections, Rahul had posed a question a day to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Twitter, of which the sixth one stated: “Double whammy by the BJP. On one hand, there are unemployed youth and on the other hand lakhs of people are on fixed pay and contract basis.” He questioned the low pay for contract workers that ignored the guidelines of the Seventh Pay Commission.

In other tweets, he asked why Gujarat is ranked 26th when it comes to spending money on education and called into question the purchase of electricity at high rates from private power companies.

Leading from the front, Rahul has shown the people that he has come out of Sonia Gandhi’s shadow. He gets responses at public meetings and road shows. Most important, as the main opposition party, the Congress is on the front foot, and this time around, it is for the ruling BJP to answer questions.

Demonetisation, GST and favours to certain industrial houses are concerns he has raised. He had also quipped about the vikas gando thayo che (development has gone berserk) issue that was trending. Rahul mingles with people, takes selfies and eats at roadside joints. This makes the average Congress worker feel that he is one of them.

Political worker Sukhdev Patel, however, feels that Rahul would have to bring up newer issues that people face. “Repeatedly talking about the 032,000 crore given to TATA’s Nano project won’t yield much results after some time,” he said.

Over two decades of anti-incumbency, unemployment, farmers’ issues and unrest among the Patidars, OBCs and dalits have made people

As the main opposition party, the Congress is on the front foot, and this time around, it is for the ruling BJP to answer questions.

VISHNU V. NAIR

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 47

will violence take place?”

Regardless of the stereotypes, the Congress has seen an opportunity to regain power. Said state Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi, “Teams sent by Rahul have been camping in Gujarat for the last several months and meeting people.”

They also met ticket aspirants.

To build the network, the Congress asked those who wished to contest to name 15 persons per booth who could help the candidate.

There are 250-280 booths in each assembly segment. Despite this, there is no comparison to the BJP’s foot soldiers at booth levels. For the rest, the Congress relied on the workers of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, its new ally. The PAAS, though not directly asking people to vote for the Congress, has been urging them to throw out the BJP. The Congress is also banking on the OBC supporters of Alpesh Thakore and dalit supporters of Jignesh Mevani, who is contesting as an independent from Vadgam, to chip in at the booth level.

Support drive: Rahul Gandhi at an election rally at a fishing area in Porbander

Shankersinh Vaghela, who quit the party and is heading the Jan Vikalp Morcha, is unlikely to affect the Congress as his new party has no big names.

With the Congress’s show of strength, Modi has been compelled to address a string of meetings and party president Amit Shah has remained in his home state since Diwali. All cabinet ministers are campaigning as well.

The optimistic mood is reflected in the number of ticket aspirants. According to Doshi, over 2,000 party leaders and workers had sought to contest.

Out of the 182 assembly seats, the Congress is contesting in 176. It has an arrangement with Chhotu Vasava’s party—Bharatiya Tribal Party—for the five seats in south Gujarat, and with Mevani for the seat in Vadgam.

Party sources said that discussions over ticket distributions were going smoothly until Hardik Patel, Thakore and Mevani came into the picture. While Hardik has stated that he did not ask for tickets, party sources said that he suggested names of Congress aspirants. Two PAAS workers were given tickets, following which they resigned from the Samiti.

More trouble took place handling the OBCs. There have been disagreements regarding a few seats in north Gujarat, where the Patidar agitation could work in favour of the opposition. Admits state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki: “The problems in north Gujarat are settling down. We are winning Visnagar and Bechraji seats, where there are problems.”

Said Gujarat Congress women’s wing president Sonal Patel, “Because of the BJP facing antiincumbency, I have been able to see a new set of people with the Congress getting active. There has been a lot of acceptance of the Congress and that is a sea change.” She claims that the Congress is getting unprecedented support in Mehsana, north Gujarat and Surat.

Like the BJP, the Congress, too, announced the candidates at the last minute but since the electioneering began early, there have been lots of constituencies in which the party finished its first round of door-to-door campaigns.

Party sources said that AICC general secretary and in-charge for the party in Gujarat, Ashok Gehlot, played a major role in convincing rebels to withdraw in favour of the Congress candidates.

Solanki is confident that his party would win 125 seats. “Anti-incumbency, the arrogance of the government, angry sections of society and the Congress talking of Human Development Index and Happiness Index will fetch us votes.” ◆

48

COVER STORY

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

JANAK PATEL

Hardy in fight: Hardik Patel

The Patel punch HARDIK PATEL COULD EMERGE AS ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAME CHANGERS

BY NANDINI OZA

W

inter days would normally see residents of Tragad village retiring to their homes early. But, on November 21, Tragad, a 90-minute drive from Ahmedabad, looked different. Its 3,500 people were on a fiery high. Amid them was the firebrand leader of the Patidar agitation, 24-year-old Hardik Patel.

The area is a BJP stronghold. But at the village chowk, the young and the old, men and women squatted on the mats laid out on the village road to hear Patel speak. Until August 25, 2015, when he addressed a massive gathering of the Patidars in Ahmedabad—the Maha Kranti rally—which later led to a violent agitation demanding the community’s inclusion in the OBC quota, nobody knew Patel’s oration skills. But now, people are keen to know his mind after his electoral foray.

On November 21, they waited in anticipation that he would announce the support of the Patidar

Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) to the Congress.

That did not happen at Tragad.

He started addressing the crowd, congratulating them for getting good rates for their crop. They burst into laughter, comprehending the sarcasm in his words. “Is there any Patidar from your village who has become a talati [revenue officer] or a police inspector?” he asked them. They replied with a loud “no”. The unemployment faced by the Patidar youth, in part due to lack of reservation, had forced him to start the agitation in 2015.

Patidars are around 12 per cent of the electorate in Gujarat. Patel has been successful in gathering large crowds in the Saurashtra region and North Gujarat from where the Patidar agitation began.

Some say that in many constituencies the real battle will be between the PAAS and the BJP. Patel targets his enemy: “Development has not even taken birth in Gujarat. Saheb [Modi] talks of the Gujarat Model. If that was the case, BJP would not have required leaders from other parts of the country to come and campaign in Gujarat.” He

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 49

Hardik Patel has been successful in gathering large crowds in Saurashtra region and North Gujarat from where the Patidar agitation began

told the crowd that whatever the community was having now was the result of their hard work, not because of any gift from Modi.

In Gujarat, there are not many who dare to speak against Modi or BJP president Amit Shah.

Patel is an exception. “I do not put a suffix of bhai or ji with his name [Modi], because he is wrong,” Patel continued. He referred to Shah as another ‘General Dyer’ (who ordered the Jallianwala Bagh massacre) for allegedly ordering the police to act firmly against the Patidar agitators, which led to 14 deaths. Patel also did not spare Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, he called him “pani vagarna”—spineless. Patel cannot contest this assembly election as the constitution mandates that a candidate be at least 25. Yet, he could be one of the biggest game changers in the contest.

Not that he has no problems. His close aides deserted him. An alleged ‘sex CD’ of Patel was circulated by rivals. A Delhi-based lawyer complained about it in the National Commission for Women. Complaints were also lodged against him for holding a massive rally in Rajkot without permission. The Patidar Organisation Committee (POC), which has six socio-religious outfits under its banner, alleged that the Patidar agitation had become his personal stir. The POC also says that the reservation formula the Congress has given the Patidars is not constitutionally viable.

Patel seems undeterred. He slammed media reports that the Gujarat government had withdrawn cases against the Patidar agitators. On December 3, he held a rally in Surat where more than 50,000 people turned up. It was dubbed as the anger of textile traders and workers in the city’s diamond cutting industry, who were hit badly by demonetisation and GST reforms. The massive turnout at his rally gave the jitters to local BJP leaders. Whether the high turnout will transform into anti-BJP votes remains to be seen. ◆

The oddball candidates Suman Chauhan BJP candidate from Kalol. Her fatherin-law Prabhatsingh Chauhan had asked for a ticket for his fourth wife Rangeshwari, but it was instead given to Suman. Interestingly, Suman is older than Rangeshwari.

Shweta Brahmbhatt Thirty-four-year-old Shweta is the Congress candidate from Maninagar, a constituency that Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier represented. Brahmbhatt has a master’s degree from the University of Westminster, London. She does not believe in BJP bashing.

Kandhal Jadeja Jadeja is a sitting MLA from Kutiyana and is contesting on NCP ticket.

Son of late Santokben Jadeja, he has a few criminal cases pending against him. Santokben was known as ‘Godmother’ in Porbandar. The Bollywood movie Godmother was based on her life.

from various The numbers game (Candidates communities)

Muslims (9%)* Patels (12%)* OBC (40%)* SC (7%)* *Population share

BJP

Congress

0 52 56 13

6 42 62 14

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

COVER STORY

Money man: Indranil Rajyaguru, the Congress candidate in Rajkot West

DEVEN AMRELIYA

50

Rupani & Richie Rich BATTLE BETWEEN CM AND THE RICHEST CANDIDATE HOTS UP

BY NANDINI OZA

D

oes the poll violence in Rajkot West indicate that it would be hard for Chief Minister Vijay Rupani to retain his assembly seat?

The attack on Congress candidate Indranil Rajyaguru's younger brother Divyanil, allegedly by BJP workers; the ruckus outside the CM’s residence in Rajkot; and the arrest of two Congress candidates in the district have affected the BJP’s chances.

The BJP, for the first time, has begun to feel the heat in the constituency it has been winning since 1985. In the 2014 bypoll, Rupani won by a mar-

gin of over 23,000 votes against the Congress candidate. The victory margin, some say, is probably too big to be overturned. However, Rajyaguru, who now represents Rajkot East in the assembly and is the richest candidate with declared assets of 0141 crore, is capable of springing a surprise.

Rajyaguru decided to leave his safe seat and contest against Rupani because he felt the chief minister was the “wrong person” for the post. “Goons elected from Gondal, Kodinar and Bhavnagar not only became MLAs, but also ministers in the Modi government,” says Rajyaguru.

“Rupani is occupying the chief minister's seat and my first duty is to stop him.” When told about Rupani's clean image, he retorts, “You ask that to the people of Rajkot.”

His aides say Rajyaguru decided to take on Rupani the moment he was made the chief minister in 2016. Sources in the Congress said the party found him the right person to take on Rupani.

Rajyaguru also played an important role in keeping the flock together when the party faced a crisis in the run-up to the Rajya Sabha elections in August.

Rajkot West has about three lakh voters, of which about one lakh are Patidars and Brahmins.

The Congress is banking heavily on Patidars voting against the BJP. Rajyaguru's camp feels that the Brahmins, too, would vote for him, as he belongs to the community.

Even before the elections were announced, Rajyaguru distributed pamphlets with his personal mobile numbers on it. He also set up 'Team Indranil', which organises the programme called 'Coffee with Congress' where voters can come, have coffee and snacks, and ask him questions.

Rajyaguru says he has not lost a single election since his schooldays and is confident of winning this time, too. Said Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi: “The fact that Modi visited the area four times is an indication that Rupani is feeling insecure.”

With both Rupani and Rajyaguru campaigning relentlessly, the heat is building up. Their children are also part of this fierce battle. Rupani's son Rushabh, who is studying at Nirma University in Ahmedabad, has shifted base to Rajkot. Rupani’s wife, Anjali, too, campaigns for him. Rajyaguru's daughter Darshnil manages the social media campaign of her father. ◆

THE WEEK Š DECEMBER 17, 2017 51

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

INTERVIEW Interview/Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Naval Staff

We aim to be a 200-ship navy in a decade

BY R. PRASANNAN

A

dmiral Sunil Lanba is a man of few words on personal matters. Asked why he spells his name with an ‘N’, instead of ‘M’ like other Lambas, the admiral retorted: “You have to ask my forefathers.” But the navy chief, who is currently the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee, is eloquent on professional matters. Excerpts from an interview granted on the eve of the Navy Day: It has been a year and half since you came to head the Navy. What have been your achievements?

The Navy itself is like a ship whose performance is dependent on team work. It would be inappropriate to attribute the progress made to any one individual.... As a proud member of this fine team, I am satisfied with where we stand today, but I am also cognisant of the fact that there’s much more to be done.

The achievements of the Navy over the last year and a half, on the operational front as well as capability accretion, are very credible.

There has been a steady improvement in maintenance standards, as also human resource management practices. An ocean free of maritime threats, secure coastline, unimpeded movement of vessels through piracyprone areas and our outreach to provide humanitarian relief far from our shores have been demonstrative of our capabilities and resolve....

Can you tell us about your acquisition plans.

We aim to be a 200-ship navy in the coming decade. The surface arm will get a boost with the induction of

next-generation frigates, destroyers, corvettes and missile vessels. We will expand our capabilities in niche areas such as aircraft-carriers and nuclear submarines. Revitalisation of the aviation arm is being accorded due attention....

Till a decade and half ago, China didn’t even have a carrier, whereas we have been operating carriers for four decades. Pakistan still doesn’t have one. We had a superior submarine arm, till those accidents happened. Today, are we losing that maritime edge?

Let me assure you, our modernisation and accretion plans are on track in all three disciplines of naval warfare—surface, subsurface and air. In order to tide over temporary delays in new submarine programmes, we are modernising our older submarines, through medium refit-cum-life certification programmes.... Lease of a nuclear-powered attack submarine [from Russia] has given further boost to our subsurface fleet. Deliveries of submarines under Project-75 have commenced. Project-75 (I), which is being pursued under the strategic partnership model, holds a lot of promise not only in terms of technology but also our domestic capabilities.

The Indian Navy is fully seized of its responsibilities towards ensuring good order and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

The indigenous carrier programme is progressing well for delivery in three years. As on date, we have more than 30 ships under construction in various Indian shipyards. We are confident of timely deliveries.

Acquisition process has also been initiated to induct more capable and versatile aviation assets including UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles]....

Your decision to forego the Tejas naval version was a surprise to the champions of indigenisation.

We have always been supporting indigenisation, and have always supported the LCA [Light Combat Aircraft] programme.... The Navy not only provided financial support to this prestigious programme, but also contributed manpower and other resources. However, there have been some delays in respect of the carrier compatibility tests of these aircraft.

Therefore, we had to explore an alternate option to meet the timelines for operationalisation of IAC-1 [Indian Aircraft Carrier]. It was not an easy decision; it was taken after lot of deliberations.

Look-East has been turned into ActEast in our foreign policy doctrine.

But now, there is much talk about Indo-Pacific. How do you view this new concept?

Indo-Pacific is a term being increasingly used in international discourse to refer to a very wide but interconnected maritime area, stretching from the east coast of Africa and the Persian Gulf to the central Pacific. This region has emerged as the locus of world economics and politics in the 21st century. India, Japan, China, Australia and a number of ASEAN countries are major economic and military powers

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 53

INDIAN NAVY

of the world. Together, they account for more than 50 per cent of global GDP. These growth engines are fed from the sources of energy in West Asia and Africa....

Neither the Indian Ocean littorals nor those in the Western Pacific can be spoken about in isolation. This is why the expanded nomenclature of ‘Indo-Pacific’ is gaining recognition....

As the primary manifestation of maritime military power of a responsible nation at the heart of Indo-Pacific region, the Indian Navy is fully seized of its responsibilities towards ensuring good order and security in the region.... Assistance to smaller countries for developing their capabilities and promoting a wider dialogue for evolving a universally acceptable framework for maritime cooperation are some of the efforts....

There is a lot of talk about jointness of operations, about integration, about theatre commands and even a chief of defence staff. But, we haven’t integrated our services.

Your views?

There is consensus amongst the services on the requirement of reforms in our higher defence organisation. The aim is to enhance our joint war-fighting capabilities, establish an efficient and result-oriented military-political interface and optimise the overall defence expenditure.

These outcomes are more important than any proposed nomenclature for the future organisations. Creation of theatre commands need not necessarily be seen as a beginning, but as a culmination of several sequential structural, organisational, operational and administrative reforms in the three services.

Having said that, I think it would be incorrect to say that jointness is lacking within the present set-up.

The extent and level of jointness between the services has substantially increased after HQIDS [Integrated Defence Staff HQ] and HQANC [Andaman & Nicobar Command HQ] came into being in 2001, followed by

HQSFC [Strategic Forces Command HQ] in 2003. Efforts are under way to synergise training infrastructure between the three services and enhance the extent of cross-staffing in each other’s headquarters and training institutions. A tri-service defence space agency and a tri-service special operations division are also on the anvil....

How do you plan to address the issue of gender parity?

The Navy has been committed to the cause of gender parity. Women officers are currently being inducted into eight branches and cadres—education, law, logistics, air traffic control, naval constructor, observers, pilots and armament inspectorate. The women pilots and observers on our reconnaissance aircraft are actually performing combat roles. In all these cadres, there is complete gender parity in terms of induction, training, career progression as well as consideration for grant of permanent commission. ◆

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

CONTROVERSY

Ominous signs The Biswa Bangla logo controversy indicates the rise of a dynasty in Bengal politics

BY RABI BANERJEE

C

ontrary to popular belief, Mamata Banerjee did not found the Trinamool Congress. Mukul Roy founded the party in 1998. Mamata joined it after she was ousted from the Congress. In 2011, Bengalis rallied to her slogan, Maa Mati Manush, and ousted the CPI(M). Today, she is supremo of the party, and Roy is with the BJP. Last month, Roy blew the lid off a little-known secret: neither Mamata, nor the Trinamool owns the rights to the three hallmarks of the party— the party’s name, the slogan, and the name of the party mouthpiece, Jago Bangla (Arise Bengal). The rights are held by Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata’s nephew and parliamentarian from Diamond Harbour constituency in Kolkata. It would not have happened without Mamata’s knowledge. She is said to be grooming Abhishek as her heir, but no one in the party would comment on record.

Abhishek had tried to acquire the rights for something else as well—the Biswa Bangla logos. Mamata created the logos in 2011, soon after she became chief minister, and they have been widely used by the West Bengal government ever since. One of these logos is patented by the government.

Abhishek applied to the Registrar of Trade Marks office in Kolkata for the rights of four Biswa Bangla logos in 2015. But the West Bengal Micro,

Small and Medium Enterprises Department wrote a series of letters to the registrar, requesting to reject his claim. “The applicant has adopted the identical mark Biswa Bangla with the mala fide and dishonest intention of trading upon the goodwill and reputation of the opponent’s said wellknown mark,” said the letter.

The government lawyer, S. Nandy, said in his letter that Abhishek’s application should be rejected considering the “obvious bad faith” involved.

“There is no justification or explanation for the applicant’s adoption of an identical impugned mark except that the applicant is interested in sailing under the opponent’s (government’s) flag,” said the letter.

After this, Abhishek withdrew three applications, but retained one. He continued the fight despite the tough stand taken by the MSME Department’s legal counsel.

However, he dropped the claim after Roy mentioned this at a BJP rally on November 10.

On November 13, Abhishek’s law firm wrote to the registrar saying the applicant was not interested in proceeding with the application.

Intriguingly, the letter Abhishek sent to his law firm, CJ Associates, requesting to withdraw the application was dated November 2. The law firm did not respond to a question from THE WEEK on the 11-day delay in approaching the registrar.

CPI(M) central committee member Gautam Deb said what Abhishek

SALIL BERA

54

Thicker than water: Abhishek Banerjee with Mamata Banerjee

did was a criminal offence. “It’s corruption at the highest level,” he said.

“How can an MP copy the government logo and want the trademark in his name?” Deb is facing a defamation case filed by Abhishek for calling his company, Leaps and Bounds, an “unlawful company”.

Mamata had redesigned the original Biswa Bangla logo from time to time, and had given them for government use. Currently, the government uses the latest one. It is illegal to use a government logo by anyone else.

“We decided to contest all trademark applications as all logos belong to our department,” said Rajiva Sinha, prin-

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 55

cipal secretary, MSME Department.

“Biswa Bangla is our own brand and no one can infringe it.”

The West Bengal government has been using the logo in every forum— be it the global business summit or the FIFA Under 17 World Cup. “The logo can be used by any department of the government of West Bengal,” said Atri Bhattacharya, home secretary. “But we do not allow anyone else to use it.”

Why would Abhishek want a government logo for his company?

“Common people would not understand the difference between the original and the other ones,” said

It seems Mamata does not want any of her works to go unprotected. Also, she might want to keep the control of the party name, the mouthpiece and the slogan in the family.

Arunava Ghosh, senior lawyer at the Calcutta High Court. “Also, it carried the same name. People would consider his organisation as government’s organisation. So it would act as sovereign guarantee for his business.”

Abhishek had cited in his application that he was a businessman and he would like to use the logos for the goodwill of his business. He mentioned he wished to use it for the purposes of party, conference, planning, entertainment, television production and shows.

The logo has been getting great visibility owing to its regular presence in government advertisements. “Every

CONTROVERSY

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

SALIL BERA

56

Interview/ Gautam Deb, CPI(M) leader

Abhishek should be prosecuted What do you have to say about the controversy over Biswa Bangla logo?

It is a crime to claim a government logo. Abhishek should be prosecuted.

Does the government need a logo to promote a brand?

First of all, the government is not a private entity that it would require a brand. We were in the government for so long. I was chairman of an infrastructure corporation. I never thought of promoting a logo or a brand.

Creating a logo and forcing the government to accept that logo as government logo itself is unethical. And then your nephew went a step further and is claiming it for his own business. Can you imagine this? Is this the Bengal we left? Only Mamata Banerjee can do that.

Perhaps it is helping industries in Bengal.

Forget businessmen or industrialists. They are fed up with her. When we were in power, we did not have to do a lot of fashionable things in the name of industries. When we decided to industrialise Bengal we went fast about it. Industries started coming. But then roadblocks came up. But in Mamata's case, she is not consistent. She often changes her stand. Some businessmen told me that they feel bad that such a person was chief minister of Bengal.

But industrialists meet her regularly.

Yes. She tried to get close to business groups. But that is not helping the state.

You are fighting a legal battle with Abhishek Banerjee.

Yes. I questioned with documents that Abhishek ran a company called Leaps and Bounds without any government permission. I had valid documents collected from various sources. I produced all of them in court. Now he is dragging it as he knows that he would lose.

government advertisement had the Biswa Bangla logo since 2013. The total amount [spent on ads] could run into several thousands of crores,” said a government official who did not want to be named.

Why would Mamata, who thrives on her clean image and spartan lifestyle, want her nephew to get the Biswa Bangla logo? It seems she does not want any of her works to go unprotected. Also, she might want to keep the control of the party name, the mouthpiece and the slogan in the family. Interestingly, though Abhishek lives in a house on the Alipore Road in South Kolkata, the address given in the trademark application is Mamata’s residential address—30 B Harish Chatterjee Street. Abhishek in his application had mentioned that all the logos he wanted to own were made by Mamata, and the claim was “done at the behest of her”.

Documents exclusively accessed

by THE WEEK also revealed that the trademark application for the Trinamool Congress, Jago Bangla and the Maa Mati Manush was done at the same time when Abhishek applied for the Biswa Bangla logo.

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 57

Symbol of trouble: The letter sent to the registrar by government lawyer; (left) The Biswa Bangla logo displayed at Parama Island crossing in Kolkata

Abhishek started his political career in 2012 as the national president of the youth wing of the Trinamool, replacing the Nandigram movement leader Suvendu Adhikari.

His meteoric rise is said to be one of the reasons behind Roy’s exit from the Trinamool. “I could not accept the fact that the party became the personal property of someone,” said

Roy. “It was a not an easy decision to sever ties with the party founded by me. But I had to do that as things were unbearable.”

Both Abhishek and the chief minister’s office refused to respond to THE WEEK on the issue. Mamata, however, said in the assembly that the logo was designed by her and she had given it to the West Bengal govern-

ment. “They can use that as long as they want. After that it would come back to me,” she said.

Experts are not sure about that.

“How can a government property be used by a person who would be in no way connected to the government?

This is baseless,” said Ghosh.

Roy said the government should make public the agreement between the government and the chief minister on the logo. “I don’t know under what rule and agreement the chief minister said this,” he said. “The people of the state would like to see her agreement with the government.”

While the strong stand taken by the MSME Department against Abhishek in the fight for the Biswa Bangla has been lauded, the whole episode has shown the chief minister in bad light.

The controversy has raised apprehensions that Mamata is trying to create the first political dynasty in Bengal. X

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HEALTH CARE

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

Auspicious start: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sachin Tendulkar at the bhoomi puja for Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Centre for Child Heartcare and Training in Paediatric Cardiac Skills in Navi Mumbai

Love & care A chain of hospitals for paediatric heart surgery is totally free

BY DR HIRAMALINI SESHADRI

O

ne in 100 children in India is born with heart defects. Though early detection and timely surgery can help them lead normal lives, most such children perish for lack of affordable medical care. India also has the largest number of adults with congenital heart disease. One ray of hope for them is the chain of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Child Heart Care Hospitals, set up by the Sri Sathya Sai Health and Education Trust. These hospitals have been providing world class paediatric cardiac interventions and surgeries totally free of cost.

The first hospital was opened at Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh in November 2012, a year after Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s samadhi. So far, more than 4,000 paediatric cardiac surgeries have been performed here, all absolutely free. The hospital provides free food and lodging for the parents as well; and through a Gift of Life programme, it mentors each child for life.

The second hospital, an international paediatric cardiac care and research centre, came up at Palwal (Haryana) near Delhi last year. As director of paediatric cardiology Dr Munesh Tomar said, the hospital has India’s first exclusive paediatric cardiac cath lab. She said around 200 children could be spared the surgeon’s knife in the past one year; non-surgical cardiac interventions mended their hearts.

During the inauguration of the Palwal hospital, Baba’s communicator Madhusudhan Rao Naidu had revealed that a similar hospital would be conceived in Mumbai in 2017. True to the word, the bhoomi puja (groundbreaking ceremony) for the third free Sanjeevani Hospital was held in Navi Mumbai on November 26, in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Baba’s devotees from 35 countries.

On the occasion, a US-based innovator, Arvind Thiagarajan, dedicated to India a smart-stethoscope that elicits information that hitherto could be accessed only by an electro- or echo-cardiogram—truly a boon while screening children in villages that lack even electricity. The manufacturer has donated 01 crore worth of smart-steths.

Baba saw health care as a free service, not a revenue generating industry. It is with this in mind that a centre for excellence in health care, called Chaitanyam, has been planned in Thane, Mumbai. With a 30-bed hospital, it will provide training to medical fraternity on humane health care, free of cost. SIDCO has offered 70,000 sq ft of space for it. Chaitanyam will open on August 15, 2018.

Compassion, when coupled with competence and confidence, transmutes ordinary medical care into divine loving care. This love-based, love-laced, therapeutic strategy switches on the patient's own healing ability like nothing else can. This is the secret behind the success of Baba's hospitals. The care team, in turn, experiences the fact that selfless service with love gives supreme satisfaction.

Baba established a free general hospital at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh 60 years ago and a free superspeciality hospital, also at Puttaparthi, 25 years ago. The USP of Baba’s hospitals is that they are world class but have no billing section.

Kolkata is the chosen city for Baba’s fourth paediatric cardiac care hospital and its bhoomi puja will be held next November. And the first cardiac surgery will be performed at the Navi Mumbai hospital on November 25, 2018. Going by the amazing track record of this miracle hospital chain, they simply will happen! ◆

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 67

forecast ■ By K.K. Vamanan Nampoothiri DECEMBER 12 - 18

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

There will be ample opportunities for those who want to make a career change, but avoid impulsive decisions.

There will be more success at home than abroad. Guard your health. Your parents will be the greatest source of support and inspiration. Teachers and planters will have a successful week.

Lucky day—Monday: auspicious

Legal disputes will end in your favour. All those trips to the gymnasium will reward you with a healthy body. False allegations might tarnish your reputation and give you sleepless nights. Elders’ counsel will restore your confidence. Some of you will see an increase in wealth and income this week.

Lucky day—Monday: the Midas touch

Those in the real estate business will profit from unconventional deals. Colleagues will make life easy at the workplace. Those in the advertising sector will have a good week. Your discipline will help bring order in domestic life. Those involved in animal husbandry might expand their business.

Lucky day—Friday: a reward at workplace

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

July 24-August 23

August 24-September 23

You will seek more authority from superiors. Some of you may buy property, while the luckier ones may inherit a legacy. Planters and wholesale businessmen will have a profitable time. Spend, but save wisely. Have a flexible mind and be ready for compromises in disputes. Some of you may help in renovating places of worship.

Lucky day—Thursday: a new vehicle

Your income graph is likely to take a phenomenal leap. Profit for banking professionals and recognition for activists and politicians indicated. Businessmen can rely on speculation for gains. You are likely to get respect and admiration. Some of you might get a timely promotion. Make wise use of your contacts with senior officials.

Lucky day—Tuesday: a surprise in store

Make the most of your energetic self this week. Those in the insurance sector will cross the week smiling. Some of you might involve in social activities and get due recognition. Business ventures will be highly successful. You will have a comfortable time with family, and a childbirth will bring immense joy.

Lucky day—Sunday: pals come calling

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Chemists and medical practitioners will taste professional success. Those in the hospitality sector will have a rise in wealth and reputation. Your contacts with foreigners will come in handy. Your seniors will appreciate your energy and resourcefulness. A promotion is round the corner for software professionals.

Lucky day—Tuesday: time to go overseas

You are bold and assertive this week. Members of the opposite sex will be bowled over by your charm. Your financial condition will improve. Your reputation as a trouble-shooter will come in handy at the workplace. You will enjoy robust health if you eat wisely. Politicians will win elections.

You will engage in meritorious deeds.

Lucky day—Thursday: party time!

You will be passionate this week; love at first sight or a quick marriage is likely for some. Your relationship with higher officials will improve and you might have a rise in position. Time is ripe for those who want to make it big in business. Politicians will have a good week. Your popularity will skyrocket in the social circle.

Lucky day—Sunday: a family outing

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

Some of you will show renewed vigour at the workplace and senior officials will appreciate it. You might buy paintings. The week will find you in the pink of health. You will have financial gains through friends. Being a jovial person, you will be the centre of attraction in social gatherings.

Lucky day—Monday: career boost

Your administrative and advisory abilities will be at their best. Some of you will donate more to charitable institutions.

In love life, trust your intuition rather than tips from outside. Your caring life partner will make your married life blissful. A legacy might come your way. You might also buy luxury goods or precious jewellery.

Lucky day—Wednesday: financial gains

Your enthusiastic nature and love for novelty will be appreciated at the workplace. There will be rise in power and prestige. There will be profits for those in the export business. Some of you will show more interest in religious matters. False accusations might give you sleepless nights, but your friends will be a source of support.

Lucky day—Tuesday: gifts galore

March 22-April 20

June 22-July 23

September 24-October 23

December 23-January 20

April 21-May 21

October 24-November 22

January 21-February 19

May 22-June 21

November 23-December 22

February 20-March 21

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TRAVEL TECH Interview/ Bibop G. Gresta, chairman, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies

Hyperloop is the secret weapon to beat China How is the project progressing?

We have signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government. There will be a six-month feasibility study and after that the construction will begin. We are working on a publicprivate partnership (PPP) model.

What about the cost?

Building a hyperloop costs just about

half the cost of building a high-speed rail system. We can invest up to 70 per cent of the budget and be associated with the project for about eight to ten years. The maintenance, too, will be cheap.

Why are you not considering an underground route?

It is easy to build hyperloop above ground. It is possible to build it underground but it will cost a lot. We want

It will discuss aspects like choice of final route, possible cost and engineering aspects. We will need traffic density of 5,000 passengers per hour for hyperloop to be feasible,” he said.

Bibop G. Gresta, chairman of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, said hyperloop was cost-effective. “It will be possible to recoup the investment in eight to ten years as the cost per kilometre is approximately $25 to $40 million.

The system is conceived to be elevated on pylons using new generation materials. This will allow us to build using existing right of ways on top of roads or rails, wherever possible,”

said Gresta. He said the project had several advantages compared with high speed rail and that land acquisition would not be a major concern.

“It is faster, silent, and it can generate more electricity than it consumes because we have decided to use a combination of renewable energies such as solar panels, wind, kinetic energy, regenerative braking and geothermal.

We can share the excess energy with landowners who are granting us the right of way. So, we have a better selling proposition for the acquisition of the right of way,” he said.

Transport expert Sudhir Badami, however, sounded a word of cau-

BY RAHUL DEVULAPALLI

to make use of existing highways or right of way for the project.

What are the challenges you face?

Land acquisition and taking up work in existing corridors are some of them. We have the best pool of scientists. We also have local partners who can help us.

How confident are you about the success of the project, and its safety?

It is not just about speed, hyperloop is an efficient mode of transport. Looking at long-term gains, it is important to invest in technology which is sustainable and energy-efficient. There is no doubt about the technology as we have put it to use in our test track in Nevada. The hyperloop will be safer than travelling by air or rail.

How will hyperloop be useful for a country like India?

India lacks infrastructure. Since it has a dense population, there is the need for sustainable and efficient transportation with a 21st century technology that does not cost much. Hyperloop can be the secret weapon for India to cross China’s economy. China has invested in infrastructure which is obsolete and high on energy and maintenance. The ‘Make in India’ policy is important for us and we are launching partnerships in India. We want to use the talent and resources here.

tion about the project, especially in Mumbai. He said hyperloop was a futuristic idea, but its implementation could bring hardship to Mumbaikars.

The metro is expected to improve the ease of transport and the delays in completing the metro project can be tackled by the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system, which is an inexpensive one, according to Badami.

He pointed out that there was no clarity about the financial burden.

“Therefore, all ambitious plans for the early completion of this project are false.”

With NEERAJ KRISHNAN & RAHUL DEVULAPALLI

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O

n a warm, pleasant day in Delhi, Ridhi Khurana was seen foraging for food at the Lodhi Gardens.

Accompanying the 25-year-old from Punjab were nine other foodies. They walked through the sprawling garden and picked leaves of cardamom, wood sorrel, noni, basil, fennel, horse purslane and Bihar saag—a weed considered to be pig's feed (not to be confused with spinach).

They also plucked vegetables such as brinjal and ridge gourd (with its flower and stem). The items were then handed over to a chef, who made a delectable platter with other ingredients. Bihar saag, which is rich in fiber and protein, was used as parantha stuffing. Wood sorrels were added to salads to create a tangy flavour. Ridge gourd flower was combined with purslane, beetroot and hung curd to make a chilled drink, which the group enjoyed together. Thus ended their foraging food walk.

Foraging food walk tours allow participants to pluck their own food and learn firsthand about the importance of various plants and the nutrients they contain. “Most of the items foraged are grown aplenty but people tend to ignore them because of lack of awareness,” said Kush Sethi, an urban gardener and core member of Delhi Walk Festival. “This experience allows them to learn, engage and experience the taste, touch and smell of the ingredients, which is usually missing in other food walks. We pick weeds to make people aware about their edible use.”

The idea of foraging is to celebrate the plants and look at them differently. “People discard common greens such as horse purslane, thinking it is bad for health, but it is very healthy,” he said. Chef Shamshul Wahid said: “We use some basic ingredients like beetroot, chapatti, mushrooms and hung curd since they are not available in the garden. I combined beetroot and purslane because it is detoxifying and compatible to other flavours.”

While foraging food walks are a

The learning process: (Clockwise from right) participants in a foraging food walk collecting ingredients from the Lodhi Gardens ; food walkers enjoying the drink prepared from their foraged ingredients; Anubhav Sapra, who started the company Delhi Food Walks, interacting with participants

PHOTOS: AAYUSH GOEL

different experience altogether, food walks in general are becoming a rage among the local people as well as travellers who want to experience the street food. A food walk is conducted by an expert who introduces renowned shops to avid foodies and tells them stories associated with specific dishes.

“People want to know the history and preparation of a particular dish,” said Prabjot Singh, who has been conducting food walks in and around Delhi for years. “It is no longer about just eating because a lot of people want to blog about it.” He does not look at it as a business, but as an opportunity to offer fellow food enthusiasts a memorable experience.

“When I do food walks, I try to take them to places that have been in the system for decades,” he said. “There is a massive difference between the food served by the old shops and the others. It can be spotted in taste, preparation, the use of spices and

even the seasoning.”

Singh led a food walk in Chawri Bazaar, where he took a group of 35 Delhiites to joints which have been operating for years and is run by the third or fourth generations.

Starting from Lotan Chole Kulche Wala, he covered joints such as Ram Swarup Halwai, Kudaal Food Corner, Shyam Sweets, Bhagirath Milk Shop, Kuremal Mahir Prasad Kulfiwale and Raj Kumar Chole Wale.

“Lotan Chole Kulche Wala is 100 years old, Ram Swarup Halwai is 42, Shyam Sweets is 110 and Kuremal Mahir Prasad Kulfiwale is 95,” he said. “None of these sell stuff after 12:30pm because the food runs out.

Since they prepare fresh, the chance of catching infections is minimum.”

Anubhav Sapra, a foodie and an avid food blogger, started a registered company, Delhi Food Walks, in 2014. He conducts food walks to offer engaging experiences to people.

“My idea is to take travellers to places

ARVIND JAIN

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 73

which are popular among the local people,” said Sapra. “Since 'Delhi belly' has been done to death, people are wary about trying out street food.

However, when we do food walks we ensure we take people to places where workers maintain hygiene and food is cooked in mineral water.

If mineral water is not used, we do not recommend tasting the food.”

Sapra recently took a group of four Canadians to the streets of Chandni Chowk. Said Russel, a horticulturist who was part of the group: “This is the first time I am in India and I have heard a lot about the desi food

from my friends who have visited the country before. However, since I am not a local, finding authentic shops selling desi food is difficult, hence a food walk.”

Russel and his group started their food walk from Chandni Chowk. They tried aaloo tikki at Natraj Dahi Bhalle Wala, stuffed paranthas at Pt. Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan, the meringuestyle chaat at Daulat Ki Chaat, sweet and crispy chikki from Subedar and Sons, and jalebis and samosa from Old Famous Jalebi Wala.

“We were told that all these places have been there for several years and have been selling the same taste. It's great to enjoy the authentic flavours of Delhi that are so rich and yet different,” said Russel.

Sapra said the reasons for choosing these places were their cleanliness and their legacy. At such places, he said, there is no fusion of street food with other cuisines unlike in modern shops. ◆

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

CINEMA

Cerebral star Amid great roles and accolades, Parvathy refuses to play down her intelligence to suit the patriarchal film industry

BY CITHARA PAUL

S

he is Parvathy and she prefers not to have a surname. She is a vegan, a feminist, and a self-proclaimed introvert who believes in “demolishing all stereotypes”. Her favourite books include The Light of My father’s Smile by Alice Walker and Khasakkinte Ithihasam by O.V. Vijayan.

Her favourite actors are Naseeruddin Shah, Bharat Gopi, Shabana Azmi, Srividya and Smitha Patil.

At the International Film Festival of India held in Goa, Parvathy was chosen the best female actor.

Rightly so: her brilliant performance in Take Off, a Malayalam film based on the story of the nurses who were trapped in Iraq’s Tikrit region during the war between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants was brilliant. In recent weeks, her first Hindi film, Qarib Qarib Singlle directed by Tanuja Chandra in which she essayed the role of a 35-year-old divorcee, has done decent business at the box office. But if you ask this English literature postgraduate which Khan would she like to work with next, she will tell you that it should not even be a question. Diplomacy is definitely not her forte. “Parvathy has always stood out as she has a mind of her own. She is an avid reader and very curious about the world outside,’’ said Sangeetha Padmanabhan, a film professional who has known Parvathy for long.

Parvathy has this cerebral aura about her and she refuses to play down her intelligence to suit the norms of the patriarchal film industry. “I would like to believe that I am normal. But yes, I never try to fit in. It is OK with me if you don’t like me,” said Parvathy.

Born to lawyer parents, this 29-yearold made a mark for herself as an anchor during her college days.

That was how she got noticed, leading to a role in the Malayalam film Out of Syllabus. But the film was a flop. She got noticed as an actor with her second film Notebook

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 75

SREEKANTH KALARIKKAL

Parvathy’s first Hindi film, Qarib Qarib Singlle, in which she essayed the role of a 35-year-old divorcee, has done decent business at the box office. which was released in 2006.

Around that time, she acted in Milana, a Kannada film which was a super hit. She followed it up with a brilliant role in the Tamil film Poo in which she played a village girl who worked in a firecracker factory. Parvathy spent weeks in villages to get the nuances of her character right.

She won the Filmfare award for best female actor for the film. “Parvathy gets totally into her characters. At times, she finds it difficult to get the characters out of her system,’’ said Mahesh Narayanan, who directed her in Take Off. Parvathy joined the big league of commercial cinema with the 2015 Malayalam film Bangalore Days in which she played a radio jockey called Sarah, a differently-abled girl full of energy. The film directed by Anjali Menon was a super hit and was remade in other languages. Despite cementing her place in the A-list, Parvathy remains selective. She takes a break after every film and sets off to distant places all alone with just a backpack.

Her next prominent role was of Kanchanamala in Ennu Ninte Moideen, a tragic love story of Kanchana and Moideen, which was the cinematic adaptation of a real life story from the 1960s.

Parvathy immortalised the role of Kanchana, who lived her life in the memory of her dead lover. She won the Kerala state award for best female actor in 2015 for her performance in Moideen and another movie titled Charlie. Take Off was her next big release and it won critical and commercial acclaim. In it, Parvathy played the role of a nurse called Sameera, who was trapped in an IS stronghold in Iraq.

“I had no one else other than Parvathy in my mind when the role was conceived,’’ said Narayanan. Parvathy had no hesitation to act

as the mother of an eight-year-old child,” he said.

“Her character carried the entire film. Nobody but Parvathy could do justice to that role.’’

Parvathy did a lot of homework for the role. She visited hospitals and spent time with nurses. “She imbibed minute details about nurses—the way they go about their hectic schedules, how they communicate among themselves and how they looked after long hours of duty. But she did not imitate any of them,’’ said Narayanan.

Members of the jury at Goa, too, had similar words. They praised the consistency of her performance through the film. While receiving the award—which she dedicated to the nurses from Kerala—Parvathy said she was representing women who were forever thinking about where their next meal would come from or how to pay off their loans and take care of their family. “She lived her role. Watching her, we felt that she was one of us,’’ said Siny Mathews, a nurse in Kottayam.

Parvathy is an active member of the Women in Cinema Collective, a group of film professionals formed after the controversial abduction and rape case involving Malayalam superstar Dileep and a prominent female actor. She is vocal about women’s rights and is proud to be identified as a feminist.

It is with the same spirit that she openly talks about casting couch and victim shaming in the Malayalam film industry. “I have not faced it in any other industry, only in Malayalam,’’ she said recently.

Even as Bollywood is looking her up following the success of Qarib Qarib Singlle, Parvathy is clear that she will not stick to the ideal body image that Bollywood is so obsessed with. To a question whether she belongs to the ‘lucky body types’ (the ones who do not put on weight), she replied, “Of course, I am lucky.

I get food on my plate every day’’. ◆

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

Interview/ Parvathy, actor

WE SHOULD FIGHT INJUSTICE AGGRESSIVELY

BY PRIYANKA BHADANI

F

PTI

rom Notebook (2006) to Qarib Qarib Singlle (2017) you have portrayed girls who deal with difficult situations.

In Notebook, I played one of the three girls and she had to make a tough choice. The filmmakers chose me for the role. I got really lucky in being given a character which is not exactly a good girl or a bad girl. She is what I call, real. We are all good people in our hearts. But when life throws certain choices at us, we end up doing things that might hurt our loved ones because we want to protect ourselves. We have all done that.

I remember telling the scenarist that I would not have behaved like that character. And, he asked me, “Are you sure?” That was an eyeopener for me.... When I get a character, I look forward to discovering an area which I have not experienced. The more unrelatable the character, the better it is for me. The moment I know how to play a character, I would rather say no to doing it because there is nothing to learn.

I don’t like being typecast. I look for something different. I wait. I have been here for almost 11 years and I have done only about 20 films. I can go back to studies any time while I wait for a director who might want me.

You are still pursuing academics?

I have always wanted to go back to academics. I have done my master’s in English literature. I really wanted to take up law. But with education, you need to put in certain hours of study.

That’s something I always do partly.

Whenever I know that my kind of film is not coming my way, I sign up for an online course and keep myself busy.

As a person and as an actor, your mind and body are your tools, which should be kept fresh. When you are not working, it is the time to replenish it. Your mind needs to be constantly reminded of how to stay alert and focused.

That can happen only through studies. These days, I do courses on civil and human rights because it is important for me to know what our basic rights are in this country.

You have also been noticed for your aggressive participation in Women in Cinema Collective?

Proud moment: Parvathy (right) receiving the award for the best female actor at IFFI in Goa

If I feel something is wrong then I want to do something about it. I don’t wait for another person to come and do something. When a situation came for the 20 of us to start doing something, we decided to educate ourselves. All of us—actors, directors, camerawomen, editors—were teaching each other how to make our work-space a dignified place for everybody—for men, women and transgenders. I wouldn’t feel valued if I see injustice happening in front of me and don’t do anything about it. We have been lacking in aggressiveness for so many years that we feel numb about it. It is time to wake up.

While speaking to your co-star Irrfan from Qarib Qarib..., I learned that talking about yourselves was really difficult for you both during promotions?

Oh my God! It was. I mean we did a lot of it but we were in solidarity with each other. In Malayalam, the maximum promotion is for three days, the date close to the release of the film, the release day and a day after the release. I understand the audience space in Hindi cinema is huge and actors have to cater to all the markets.

But it became very awkward for me because I have always felt that my job is only to act or to speak about issues in public. I can talk about my character and craft for hours. I would prefer to be asked questions like which storyteller would I like to work with.

Who is it that you want to work with?

I would love to work with Konkona [Sen Sharma]. I love her work. I love the way she has directed her actors.

In theatre, I would love to collaborate with Kalki [Koechlin]. She is a brilliant storyteller. I love her plays and poems. ◆

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 77

DeTour ● Shobhaa De

Cary Grant of the East

H

ow can anybody write an ‘objective’ obituary about someone who has been a lifelong crush? I was Shashi Kapoor’s fan girl from the moment I made his screen acquaintance.

And remained a mushy admirer till the very end. There are movie stars.

And then are perennial matinee idols—men whose appeal extends well beyond their screen characters. Kapoor was just that. A suave, charming, debonair and polished Cary Grant of the East. A man so distractingly, blindingly good-looking, it was impossible to keep ones knees from buckling in his presence. If he was aware of his lethal charm, he certainly didn’t show it. Perhaps, he was too refined to display male vanity openly, unlike most of his contemporaries, and certainly, all modern-day heroes.

Nobody has told these narcissistic men how unattractive they make themselves to women by their selfobsession. But here was Kapoor, with his impeccable lineage and enough talent to keep him right on top of the heap for years, showing admirable modesty when bombast was the order of the day. It was his self-deprecating wit and an easy, laid-back attitude that kept him grounded and real, through good and bad times.

As the tributes started to pour in right after his family announced his death on December 4, at age 79, I went into nostalgia mode, trying hard to focus exclusively on the Kapoor we instantly recognised. The droolworthy actor at his prime, working in an array of projects in India and around the world. Remembering him

at his physical best in films like Heat and Dust, and earlier in Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha. I wanted to block out the images of his recent and rare public appearances—a forlorn, tragic figure slouched in a wheel chair, his once beautiful eyes puffy and grief stricken. I preferred to cling on to the visual of an Adonis, romancing beautiful ladies in countless forgettable films, while still managing to inject humour and dignity into the worst-scripted roles. That is what professionalism is about. And Kapoor exuded it—quietly, minus pomp and ceremony.

Prithvi Theatre remains a permanent legacy of a cherished dream he shared with his late wife, Jennifer Kendal. She belonged to an extraordinary family of English Shakespearean actors, who spent their lives travelling across the world staging plays in schools, colleges... anywhere. I distinctly recall their performances in my old school, with a young and beautiful Jennifer playing Ophelia,

BHASKARAN

while her father, mother and sister, along with an efficient backstage assistant, enthralled awestruck schoolgirls with their impeccable accents and polished performances.

That assistant was a besotted young man called Shashi Kapoor—third son of the great thespian Prithviraj Kapoor! There he was, handling props and costumes, in order to win over his lady love and her family. He was born in 1938, and married his dream woman in 1958. The Shashi Kapoor-Jennifer Kendal love story has few equals in Bollywood. When she passed away 33 years ago, much of him died with her. He was never the same man again. His hair turned grey, his eyes lost their sparkle, and some say, he lost the will to live altogether. With Jennifer to look after him, Kapoor led a disciplined life. She made sure he controlled his notorious Kapoor appetite for food and alcohol, and looked after his health. With her gone, loneliness and a heart that never quite healed took their toll on an actor who had worked in over 175 films, some of them mega hits. Soon, the offers dried up, visitors vanished, and the children grew up and grew away, as adult children do and must.

Kapoor was in a league of his own.

With his passing, Bollywood has lost a class act. My daughter Avantikka remembered meeting him as a little girl at a splashy ‘Stardust’ party, and how he had treated her like a lady, and extended the same level of attention and courtesy as he had to all the top heroines swarming around him, hoping to catch his eye. That’s the mark of a true gentleman. RIP Kapoor. www.shobhaade.blogspot.com

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

LEGEND

SANJAY AHLAWAT

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SHASHI KAPOOR (1938 - 2017)

The sparkle that stayed

J

anoo Meri Jaan, the romantic number from Shaan with Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan courting Bindiya Goswami and Parveen Babi, respectively, in a double-decker BEST bus was my childhood anthem of sorts.

As a child, its lighthearted playfulness delighted me unlike the intense romantic numbers popular at that time. But there was another reason for its enduring appeal back then— ‘Shashi Uncle’ with the most mischievous and kind smile that I had ever seen.

As the years passed my favourite

heroes kept changing, but, Shashi Kapoor continued to be on the list all the while. The draw of his carefree, happy persona proved to be rather long lasting. I hoped that I would meet him someday. It was much later, when I moved to Mumbai as a young journalist, that I got the opportunity to meet him in person. By then, of course, I had also watched him in films like Kalyug, New Delhi Times, Muhafiz and Heat and Dust, and learnt that there was a lot more to him than just his pleasant looks.

I remember being very excited and taking some trouble over spruc-

The rich legacy Shashi Kapoor has left behind is timeless

BY PRIYANKA SINHA JHA

ing up my appearance—a rare occurrence those days as a rough-edged rookie reporter. But, evidently, I was not the only one trying to make an impression. Practically all the women in the newspaper office I worked in had at some point nursed a crush on the actor. Eventually, I landed up at his residence in south Mumbai with handwritten notes, flowers, a book of poetry among other things, and had the good fortune of spending a few hours with him talking about the good old days. I discovered that my childhood dreams were true— regardless of the weight he had piled

THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017 79

on (he admitted dejectedly that after his wife Jennifer passed away he had let go of himself) he could have easily charmed the fish out of the water!

After insisting that I drink some nariyal pani before starting the interview, he was all merriment and charisma, the trademark twinkle lighting up his eyes when answering, often with a chuckle. Film stars can be selfeffacing or aggrandising. He fell in the former category. When I asked him about being one of the rare actors, who at the peak of popularity had worked with a batch of new actresses, he laughed and impishly replied that it was hardly difficult as newcomers (Rakhee, Sharmila Tagore to name a few) in his time were all very goodlooking! The real reason, of course, followed—Nanda, a very established actress, had agreed to work with him when he was a newcomer. He was ever grateful and was just passing on the favour.

Given his suave good looks, it is easy to explain his popularity with the audience. But, Kapoor had a lot more going for him than merely optics. Director Subhash Ghai, who worked with him in Gautam Govinda and Krodhi, says, “I learnt a lot from him like work ethics, discipline, time planning and compassion. He was humble to the lowest rank person.

But, his love for good cinema and theatre development in India was something to be admired. Shashi Kapoor, the handsome gentleman with a beautiful mind, and an inspiring film institution by himself.”

Ghai’s summation is spot-on.

Kapoor, a leading man of the 60s and 70s, made an indelible mark in the films of those times, despite the reign of two of India’s biggest superstars—Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. This certainly had a lot to do with his passion for the craft of act-

On reel: (From top) Shashi Kapoor in movies Deewaar (1975), Sharmilee (1971) and Shakespeare Wallah (1965)

ing and film-making. Having trained himself through the rigours of theatre—he had a stint in theatre, both with his father Prithviraj Kapoor and father-in-law Geoffrey Kendal—he developed a versatility rare for that decade. From the popular entertainers to arthouse films, and then international projects, Kapoor straddled each with equal élan.

Thus, Kapoor’s filmography is eclectic, impressive and unparalleled, with international films ranging from Shakespeare Wallah and Bombay Talkie (James Ivory), Siddhartha (Conrad Rooks), Pretty Polly (Guy Green), to a little-known gem called Side Streets (Tony Gerber),

Given his suave good looks, it is easy to explain his popularity with the audience. But, Kapoor had a lot more going for him than merely optics.

and of course, Hindi blockbusters like Deewaar, Namak Halal, Chor Machaye Shor, Trishul, Sharmilee and Kabhie Kabhie among others. What the romancing superstar Rajesh Khanna could not manage in the era of the ‘angry young man’, Kapoor did with ease and elegance comfortably slipping into an effective on-screen pairing with Amitabh Bachchan in mainstream cinema.

However, given his penchant for deep, gentle stories, he continued acting and producing different kinds of cinema. His flair for the experimental was evident in some of the movies that he produced—36 Chowringhee Lane, Vijeta, Kalyug, Utsav and then Ajooba, a fantasy film using spectacular foreign-sourced special-effects long before VFX arrived on Indian shores.

Shashi Kapoor truly marched to his own beat. Being the youngest of the Kapoor stalwarts—including brothers Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, he created a very unique legacy of his own: a combination of theatre, international films and Hindi arthouse films. Kapoor and wife Jennifer gave Mumbai Prithvi Theatres—named after his father Prithviraj Kapoor who founded it—a permanent home in Juhu. And yet, Kapoor rarely spoke of his accomplishments as extraordinary. He famously likened himself to the humble aloo which can complement any vegetable in an Indian curry—alluding to his multi-starrer films with other actors.

Regardless of his physicality or the roles he essayed—the unsure young husband in The Householder, the righteous Ravi in Deewaar, or the overweight, decadent poet in Muhafiz, his was an appeal that spanned generations. One could say that some of Kapoor’s films were ahead of their times and he was very brave to have made them when he did. Fortunately, the rich legacy he has left behind is timeless. It will ensure that his memory will stay with us for a long time.

Priyanka Sinha Jha is a senior journalist, editor, author, and digital-media specialist.

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THE WEEK DECEMBER 17, 2017

guest column ● Jorge Ramos

Wizards of fake news

A

fter decades covering Latin American politicians, I am well acquainted with wizards of fake news and their tactics. I was reporting on them long before Donald Trump became a politician.

Still, Trump lies a lot. But questioning almost everything that the president of the United States says comes pretty naturally to me.

When it comes to Trump’s lies, there are the flat-out ones, like when Trump likened Mexican immigrants to “rapists” or when he boasted that his inauguration day audience was the largest ever. You only had to look at the numbers and a few photographs to realise that he was lying.

According to The Washington Post, Trump publicly made false or misleading statements 1,628 times in his first 298 days in office, most of which made the news. That’s an average of about 5.5 such claims a day. But I’m not surprised.

Hugo Chavez, the late president of Venezuela, was a big liar. In 1998, as a candidate Chavez assured me that if he became president, he would relinquish power within five years and would not try to nationalise private companies, nor the media. The dictator died after ruling Venezuela for 14 years, while censoring news and setting the stage for the economic disaster Venezuela is going through now.

Castro was a great liar, too. Using as excuses, national sovereignty and the defense of the revolution, he imposed a system in which he was the nation’s sole leader. This Cuban-style “democracy” allowed him to rule the island for 52 years. After he finally

stepped down, he handpicked his brother Raul to rule the country.

Mexican politicians have refined the art of handpicking their leaders in a similar manner. From 1929 to 2000, every ruling president chose his successor. Of course the astonishing thing was that politicians would always put up a big, theatrical display to make Mexicans believe the winner had actually been chosen by the people.

I clearly remember the fraudulent elections of 1988, when Carlos Salinas de Gortari won 1,762 precincts with 100 per cent of the vote. Which means, on that day voters from all those constituencies made exactly the same decision, and that all of them favoured him.

To cover up the fraud in 1988, with the assistance of other political parties, the winning party decided to

BHASKARAN

burn all the ballots so nobody could count them. In fact, the Institutional Revolutionary Party lied for seven decades to hold on to the presidency, and it will certainly lie again in 2018 if we allow it to happen.

Mexican, Cuban and Venezuelan politicians have taught me that you cannot trust them; you must always be suspicious of the official version of any story. And when you meet with them, you greet them, and then you doubt them.

In my career I’ve spoken with Latin American politicians who said they were not millionaires, only to learn later that they owned luxurious mansions and held foreign bank accounts. Politicians have told me they would not seek re-election, then changed the constitution in order to seek another term. I have heard all kinds of pledges through the years, including promises to fight crime or curb spending. Leaders have broken every pledge.

Right-wing and left-wing liars are equally brutal. Fidel Castro was no worse than Augusto Pinochet. Both violated human rights, killed their own citizens, seized power through violence and lied and pushed fake news to control their governments.

That’s why I’m not surprised by Trump’s lies. He’s just like many other liars I’ve met. The difference is that his lies go viral on social media.

Many of us have seen this brand of politician before.

Castro, Chavez, Salinas de Gortari, Pinochet and others were the true wizards of fake news. In fact, they were the masters.

Ramos is a veteran journalist and author.

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The Week RNI No. 36122/1982, Registered No. KL/KTM/57/2015-17, Licence No. KL/CR /KTM/ WPP-05/2015-17.

Licensed to post without pre-payment Published on Friday 8th December 2017