Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna still appears to be suffering from foot-in-mouth syndrome.
On Thursday, during Question Time in the Rajya Sabha, Krishna was asked by Shri Shivanand Tiwari (Janata Dal-United) about the status of Pakistani prisoner Mohammed Khaleel Chisti, currently being held in Ajmer jail in Rajasthan. Krishna, oblivious to the full facts of the case, replied that Chisti was in a Pakistani jail.
Had he stopped at this, he could have still gotten away with the excuse that it was a slip of the tongue. But Krishna went on to declare that Pakistan had been asked to show leniency in this case on ‘humanitarian grounds’ as the subject is more than 80 years-old and is wheelchair-bound. Chisti was arrested by police in Rajasthan over a 19-year-old murder case after coming to India to see his ailing mother. He was found guilty by the court and sentenced to life imprisonment last year.
As a stunned house listened to Krishna’s comments, Brinda Karat (CPI-M) interrupted the minister and said the questioner was referring to the case of Dr. Chisti, who is being held in an Indian jail. I think you have misunderstood the question entirely sir,’ Karat added tartly. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chose this moment to step in, before the situation got out of control, and said he had asked Home Minister P. Chidambaram to contact the Rajasthan government on the Chisti issue.
Krishna’s gaffes seem to be increasing in frequency. While addressing a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last month, Krishna mistakenly said India and Afghanistan aren’t neighbours, a controversial statement in light of India’s claims to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Last year, Krishna started reading the speech of the Portuguese representative at the United Nations, speaking for a few minutes before it was pointed out that it wasn’t his own.
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ozivan
This is the saddest thing about India , caused by too much DEMOCRACY for Indians.
In a post elsewhere ” The Limits To US-India Defence Ties ” , I lamented that there are so many Indians beyond count who are bright , sharp and very capable , yet why aren’t they in the corridors of political power in India,..!!?? …instead of the mediocre run-of-mill-type of politicians , who are wielding political power ?
Without intent to disparage Indian politics , it is too much DEMOCRACY that caused its predicament.
Why and How ?
Because the very educated , intelligent , bright and capable Indian intellectuals find it hard to relate themselves to the massive hundred of millions of poor Indian slum dwellers , poor farmers and poverty stricken Indian groups.
Democratic election is a numbers game.
The brilliant and best of the Indian professionals are put off , often depressing for them and discouraged from having to campaign for votes from this massive below poverty groups. It is not that the best of the Indians do not love their poorer brothers , but it is that the run-of-the-mill / grass-roots type of politicians who are willing to go down to the poorest , identify and rub shoulders with them , that gets the votes. In the context of India , the brightest of Indians were beaten by democracy , when it comes to elections.
It takes a lot of personal grit , determination , resoluteness to enable top , successful Indian professionals to bring their level down to the same level as the grass-roots politicians. The outcome being that the best Indian professionals generally stay away from politics.
Hence , while there are many millions of brilliant Indians , yet political power are wielded by mediocre leaders , again I remind , a result of democratic elections under Indian demographics.
However , in recent times , PM Mamohan Singh stands out which is the reason why India had progressed much faster. It would have been excellent if he had a team of real top Indian professionals. Future leaders like Rahul Gandhi may help , but a true professional cabinet team is still much desired.
I am not Indian , just an external observer. I hope Indians will write in to contest my view. I would like to learn more from Indians on the ground.
Desert Fox
Krishna is almost 80years old, I think he should retire and enjoy life with his grand children and family. At this age, he should sit in his lawn, and enjoy the monsoon rains with pakoras and tea and admire the plants, trees and nature.
ozivan
A socialist system based on meritocracy should be a better political system for a speedier development of India’s economic and military power.
However, democracy is too deep-seated for it to change course now.
Girish
@ozivan
There is nothing so strange about such gofups happening. Neither they only happen in India. Its just that Indian do not hesitate is discussing everything openly. And thats why you are reading article even on these things.
Please do not setup the prospective about a country of Billion 1+ people on articles like this.
Also India might not sound so serious to others [as I see most of the time when I read comments from Non Indian] But matter of fact it, it is marching fast and overcoming its problems much faster then those who thing about India siting outside.
Also there is no perfect template of governance which can be applied to any nation. Each nation and its people have their own way of doing things. We are a noisy democracy and so far it has worked for us in sustaining our integrity and making India the fastest developing economy and we are happy about that.
Also we prefer to pull the legs of our leaders when they do wrong. Sometime we do throw shoes too if we hate them. And we love all this as we are allowed to do so in this free nation.
Raj
SM Krishna is over the hill he needs to be sent out to pasture! If he were a horse – they would shoot him or send him to the glue factory.
The reverence of the geriatric in Indian culture has allowed these old dopes to mob the houses of power, be they the Parliament or the upper echelons of the civil service. This geriatric club’s entrenchment in New Delhi has become institutionalized with lethargy and anachronistic ideology becoming endemic.
Indian politicians no longer take any quick decisions, all matters are decided upon only after broad based consensus and listening to every half-wit and demagogue who has something pointless to say. No decisions are “owned” by anybody and any responsibility for any failure in government is shirked to everybody and anybody from the Minister who is actually in charge to the janitor.
SM Krishna personifies this level of dysfunction. When he was laughingly calling himself “Home Minister” and terrorists struck Mumbai, he was no where to be seen, he was not even heard. And due to his utter and total incompetence it took security force 24 hours to get from Delhi to Mumbai where there is a commercial flight almost every 2 hours. After than monumental disaster, he was put as Minister of Foreign Affairs because he was “old” and therefore his ability to suck oxygen for more decades than others around him implied some “respect” be bestowed upon him and they thought since he could actually speak reasonably well and looked like a man equine for funeral attire , he could be “Foreign Minister”!
Lo and behold, in came SM Krishna and lunacy came waltzing 2 steps behind him.
Raj
Sorry, SM Krishna never was HOme Minister. I was talking about another old man called Shivraj Patil.
SM Krishna only disgraced himself as the governor of Maharashtra during that fiasco.
ozivan
There are so many clever, capable Indian professionals, hope they can take political power as soon as possible.
Many years ago, there was a joke about Indonesia, that they had a population of 220 million, yet they couldn’t get a good capable man, but instead elected an old physically frail and semi-blind Mr Wahid as the President. Eversince they had a younger capable President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono elected in 2004, Indonesia saw a miraculous change for the better and is now a wealthier , freer and economically strong nation.
A good strong benevolent leader can transform a whole nation.