Pawar - The Great Indian Dabangg

The out-of-tune fiddler

Sharad (affectionately called Shady by some) Pawar has done it again!

This time he has successfully handled the price rise - of all the commodities - of onions, which is the daily diet of the so-called aam admi. This is the same aam admi for whom Manmohan Singh and his patron Sonia Gandhi never tire of showing fake concern.

The manner in which the prices of onions have risen by several hundred percent in a short time certainly could not be all owing to damage to crop by un-seasonal rains in Maharashtra’s Nashik region, a major producing center for onions, as Pawar would like the gullible public and still more gullible Manmohan Singh to believe. His assertion has been contradicted by the Commerce Minister, the Agriculture Secretary and the MD of NAFED. Going by Pawar’s handling of the agriculture portfolio so far, it is crystal clear that as in the past, the prices could not have risen so much but for deliberately created market distortions and manipulation not only of supplies but also of price sentiment.

A Reason to mislead?

Make no mistake. Entering into complicated tendering procedures, changing tender conditions, advancing bidding dates, FCFS basis, all these are strictly for the birds like A. Raja. But Pawar knows his onions. He has simple but highly effective strategies that yield results. One of his strategies is to allow the situation to deteriorate to a crisis point, mess it up and then gain from it. This has been done in his Agriculture Ministry, as well by his colleague in the Civil Aviation.

In the case of onions, even assuming that the supplies were likely to be affected by un-seasonal rains, he must have anticipated the impact on prices and should have taken appropriate steps not only by asking the Commerce Ministry to regulate the quantum or pricing of exports but also by co-ordinating actions to crush the hoarding that was inevitable. But he DID NOT ACT. Exports were merrily continued and nothing was done to keep watch on the commodity traders. This was so despite the IB providing inputs on the price situation to the Government. The situation was allowed to drift and lo and behold! Even when the supplies were continuing at a normal pace and before any real impact of the un-seasonal rains on the supply stream could be felt, the hoarders, no doubt encouraged by apparent deliberate lack of actions, planned for the kill. As they shot up the prices, Pawar obligingly uttered the one sentence that would tell the hoarders how long they had to make money and the common man that he would have to be ready to be robbed at least for that long. He said that for at least three weeks prices would remain high. His one-sentence strategy has earlier been successfully tested in the case of sugar and milk with disastrous effect on the common man’s budget. Now, as exports have been stopped and imports of onions are planned in a big way, naturally this would open up a new avenue to make money by vested interests (guess who?), as happened in the case of sugar imports earlier. Everything that has happened and that is happening appears to be part of a co-ordinated operation.

Shrinking supplies in the Shadow of Pawar

And this is certainly not the last straw on the common man’s bent back. The situation is about to repeat in the case of sugar, which is being exported now, to be hoarded abroad and to be re-imported as the prices rise. Everything works to plan.

By his actions and callous indifference “kya kar sakte hain? (what can be done?)” he has once again proved that he is utterly fearless and brazen and shameless. He does not fear Manmohan Singh – he is not feared by anyone in any case - or the people of the country or some Superior Power that be. He has proved to be the Great Indian Dabangg – the villainous daredevil. He seems ever willing to add more and more black feathers in his cap before finally nemesis catches up with him.

Failure, not a worry

Apart from his legendary greed and controversies like possible D-gang link, connection with Telgi Stamp paper scam and IPL, he has also been embroiled in the recent controversy related to the Lavasa project which was his brainchild.

Even discounting the events of the distant past, India-awake has consistently highlighted since 2008 the immense damage this person has been doing ever since he became the Agriculture Minister in 2004. His record in the Ministry shows nothing but rank incompetence and deliberate, gross mismanagement. Compared to what people have known about Pawar’s dealings in his long career, A.Raja would appear to be a novice and 2G scam is nothing.
See these articles:

Sorry state of agriculture and food security

The Mess in Agriculture

Food Prices and Inflation - Govt. Twiddling Thumbs

Pawar deserves the Sack

Related:

The New Role Models - 62 years after Mahatma Gandhi

The Altar of Hypocrisy and Expediency

Despite Pawar being the Number One candidate for sacking, Manmohan Singh sits there with folded hands, with the occasional notes asking him “to look into and monitor” the price rise etc. What is extremely disturbing is that while Pawar has let the rumor gain ground that he does not want to continue in the Ministry, it is the Prime Minister who it is believed, wants him to continue. It is clear, as pointed out in an earlier article that the inaction on the part of the Prime Minister leads to no other conclusion but that he is supporting Pawar in whatever he has been doing, for the PM is supposed to be aware of what he has been doing. Sadly, the entire Cabinet of which Pawar is a part, seems to be sublimely unconcerned about the plight of the people, let alone the scandalous actions and inactions of this man. Pawar has given them a handy slogan " Kya Kar Sakte Hain?"

And in passing,

This bird is the Great Indian Bustard - spelt with a U not A

But THIS is THE VULTURE that feeds on the misery of others

सारे जहाँ से अच्छा, हिंदोस्ताँ हमारा