news details |
|
|
| Dr Karan Singh as president of India | | | Yash Bhasin | 6/12/2012 10:14:53 PM |
| After the JKNPP
adopting a resolution
asking Congress and UPA to field Dr. Karan Singh as its candidate for the office of President of India, the party supremo Prof. Bhim Singh, who had initiated the move in this regard, has shot up letters with separate subjects to UPA Chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, BJP patriarch and NDA Chairperson LK Advani and CPIM General Secy. Parkash Karat to support Karan Singh's candidature for the highest constitutional office in the country. The subject matter of letters address to these leaders are in keeping with the ideologies and thrusts of the respective parties. For instance in his letter to Advani, Bhim Singh has highlighted Dr. Karan Singh's in depth knowledge of Hindu scriptures, his spiritual traits and his firm faith in ancient Hindu ethos. In the letter to Sonia Gandhi, he has laid stress on Dr. Singh's long innings and seniority as a tall Congress leader. To Parkash Karat, Prof. Singh has laid stressed on Dr. Karan Singh's progressive outlook and anti autocratic dispensation. Prof. Bhim Singh has also appealed to the heads of regional parties to support Karan Singh for the post of President of India.
While Prof. Bhim Singh's advocacy for his mentor in public life, with Bhim Singh starting as a Congress man and also his financial supporter, may be brushed aside as expression of personal loyalty to his mentor as a quid pro quo or a casteist approach, an objective analysis of merits and demerits of Dr. Karan Singh to become the constitutional head of the country need be made. The last scion of ruling Dogra density in J&K, who started his public carrier as a replacement to his father as the ruler of the state in 1948 and then the first constitutional head of the state, designated as Sadare- Riyasat in 1952 has a very long inning in public life, in different capacities. He has gone through currents and cross currents in the politics of the country during theses 64 years after country's independence. Dr. Karan Singh is a highly learned and scholarly person, having in depth knowledge of Hindu scriptures and spiritual ethos as well as a good knowledge of other religious streams in the country and the world. As India's ambassador in USA, he did quite impress the intellectuals in that country with his scholarly tarts. However, his claim that the Americans look at him as second Swami Vivekananda, as he made before me during an interview after his return from USA, is some what exaggerated, if not deserves to be laughed at. Dr. Karan Singh is a thorough gentleman, quite soft spoken and courteous towards others and has simple habits. He is not given to the vices usually associated with royalty, although he is also without princely grace and dignity and self respect, having compromised occasionally to suit his political expediency. He is also not given to princely vanity and behavior like prodigal sons to give away lavish amounts to flatterers. Nevertheless he is not above weakness for flattery and sycophancy, a common trait with people having power.
Dr. Karan Singh is also not involved in any financial scam and no accusing finger has ever been pointed towards him for resorting to any corrupt practice and misusing his official position. However accusing fingers are often pointed towards him for using the resources for Dharmaram Trust, which he heads in J&K in dynastic order, to further his political interests. The commercialization of several religious places under Dharmarth Trust, including the historical Raghunath temple in Jammu, with allegations of kick backs and pecuniary benefits derived by his family members, is not in keeping with the reputation of Dr. Karan Singh as above financial corruption. The memory of physical attack on those who had strongly opposed conversion of land attached with the Raghunath Mandir into a commercial complex by some goondas hired by some real estate barons and construction contractors in Jammu on some social activists putting resistance to the commercialization of the religious place, with one of them later succumbing to his injuries received in the attack, has not brought glory to Dr. Karan Singh and his sons, whose involvement in the unfortunate happening was alleged. Dr. Karan Singh who heads Dharmarth Trust had also strongly opposed the constitution of Shree Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board in 1986 by the then state Governor Jag Mohan. Dr. Karan Singh also filed a write in the Supreme Court against this order by the governor, though later he withdrew the same. The take over of the Vaishno Devi shrine affairs by the newly appointed board hit the interests of Dharmarth Trust headed by Dr. Karan Singh earned quite good revenue from the land and some temples around shrines. But it has now amply proved that the constitution of the shrine board was a quite progressive step, which has brought great boon to the state economy by hundred times increase in Vaishno Devi pilgrimage. Presently, there are reliable reports that Dr. Karan Singh is a main stumbling block in the way of J&K Govt constituting a statuary body to manage and control the Hindu temples in Kashmir valley, which are subject to vandalizing, encroachment and fake sales by some unscrupulous elements. Various KP organizations have been agitation for the passage of protection, maintenance and management of Hindu temples and Shrines in Kashmir by the state legislature, providing for constitution of a statuary body for the purpose, on the pattern of Awqaf board and Gurudhwara Prabhandak Board. But it is alledged that Dr. Karan Singh has been exerting his clout and influence against this demand. Since many Hindu Shrines and temples etc are under the control and management of Dharmarth Trust, headed by Dr. Karan Singh, whose control he would not like to lose.
Above all it is the political inconsistency, lack of firm commitment to any political ideology and formation that is a demerit in the character of Dr. Karan Singh. Dr. Singh who joined active party politic in 1968 as a Congress man, was got elected to lok Sabha on Congress ticket from Udhampur constituency in J&K. he served as cabinet minister in Indra Gandhi headed Congress Govt in the country for many years. From 1972 to 1977 Karan Singh was the union health minister. After emergency was imposed in the country by the then Prime Minister Indra Gandhi, forced sterilizations of even some unmarried youth had assumed a scandalous proportion. After the formation of Janta party Govt in the country Shah Commission was appointed by the Janta Party Govt to probe excesses committed during the emergency. Deposing before the commission, Dr. Karan Singh who was the Minister for Health during emergency, washed his hands off all the excesses committed in the family planning drive during that period and put the entire blame for the same on the Prime Minister Indra Gandhi. Not only this, Dr. Karan Singh betrayed arch political opportunism by joining as a minister in the Janta Party defectors Govt head by Chaudhary Charn Singh. However, after the Congress again came back to power in 1980, Dr. Karan Singh mended his fences with the party and its leader Mrs. Indra Gandhi and joined back the Congress. But during this period he also hob-nobbed with the sangh parivar, when he presided over Virat Hindu Sammelan organized at Jammu by the Sang Parivar organizations. In the 1985 Lok Sabha elections, Dr. Karan Singh wanted to shift his constituency from Udhampur to Jammu, as a Congress candidate. But when he was denied ticket from Jammu seat an instead was asked to fight from his traditional Lok Sabha seat of Udhampur, he stood as an independent candidate from Jammu-Poonch constituency. However, despite all his moves to play Jammu regional card in the election complain, he was trounced by then a light weight Congress candidate Janak Raj Gupta. The latter had won hands down ridding on the sympathy way for the then Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi over his mother Indra Gandhi's assassination by Sikh extremists. Dr. Singh was humbled in the elections by emerging third, after NC candidate Shabir Ahmad salaria. During the election comparing Dr. Singh had assured the people of Jammu that he would form a regional party of Jammu, to highlight the grievances of the Jammu people and to fight against discriminations against the region. But after losing the election, he totally forgot about it and even did not visit Jammu for many years, nurturing the grouse against Jammu people for humbling him in the election. He again mended his affiances with the Congress party, when Narsima Roa was the Prime Minister of the country. He was rehabilitated by Narsima Roa, who appointed him as India's ambassador to USA. After completing his term as a diplomat he rejoined the Congress party. But he later blessed his son Ajat Shatru Singh to carry the plough on his shoulders, by joining the National Conference and becoming the minister in Farooq Abdullah Govt, after winning election with narrow margin from Nagrota constituency, on the NC ticket. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
