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Political Narcissism

Dalvinder Singh Grewal

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Jan 3, 2010
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Political Narcissism

The News of Prime Minister of India Mr. Modi returning without laying wreath at Martyrs memorial and addressing BJP rally at Ferozepur was quite disturbing. I guessed it to be due to unexpected rain and tweeted on Facebook. Then appeared in news the comment from Mr. Modi passed at Bathinda to the officials that ‘Tell your CM that I have reached safe.” An interview with CM Punjab was then going on at News 18 Punjabi channel in which Mr. Channi said, “Modi ji had to return because the chairs in rally were 70,000 and there were only 700 of them were occupied.” Then came more serious counter claims from spokesmen of BJP’s Mrs. Irani and others saying: “It was a serious security breach. It was a conspiracy by CM of Punjab at the instance of Rajiv Gandhi and others to get the PM.” Kiran Bedi said, “PM was ambushed!” The blames went on and on in the Godi media specially.

Meanwhile I was going through Dr. J S Anand’s book ‘The Monster Within’, A quasi Fiction, third edition which had come to me for review. In Chapters on Political Narcissism, I find the following:

‘Politics must ensure that it creates such conditions in society as are conducive to human health, mental growth and evolution of a secular and cosmic outlook. But in actuality it is not doing so. The narcissists tend to collect all powers of the state in their own hands to control everything. Instead of the welfare of the people they think of their own welfare. Narcissism leads to dictatorial tendencies….. The politician who considered himself a humble servant of the people became the arrogant boss. The political power which earlier. was used for others, for public weal, turned its direction towards the self. And it started serving the selfishness of the leaders,’ (‘The Monster Within’, p. 40). Author termed it as political narcissism.

Narcissism is extreme self-involvement to the degree that it makes a person ignore the needs of those around them. While everyone may show occasional narcissistic behavior, true narcissists frequently disregard others or their feelings. They also do not understand the effect that their behavior has on other people. Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance and an excessive pre-occupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others.

Does the present case of breach of security not fall within the definition of narcissism or political narcissism? What was wrong in calling one of the representatives of agitating farmers and listening to him and pacifying him rather them projecting and publicizing them as terrorists that they were not?
 

A_seeker

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Jun 6, 2018
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Theatrics it might sound to for many....

But , when a Head of a nuclear-weapon State is stuck on a vulnerable flyover of a highway for almost half an hour while police and elite forces are contemplating what to do next , something is horribly wrong .

Last time when Indian Leadership failed to act on a such similar situations , a former prime minister was assassinated. That should be a reason enough to investigate what happened and why.

In general , laws are very clear the protection of all VVIPS is the responsibility of the state police . In Ferozepur case the PM safety thus lays with the Punjab Government and State DGP.

When the Farmers had blockrade the roads that morning it was obvious that things clearly did no go as planned . Local police posted on PMs route either failed to report that farmers had blocked the road- and that they in turn failed to clear the obstacles or higher officials in the Punjab Police did not respond to the warning .

Instead of seeking to duct the responsibility , the Chief Minister of Punjab is ought to be asking its DGP tough questions (infact the seat of DGP in the state has become a musical chair which only makes matter worse)
 

Dalvinder Singh Grewal

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Ground facts 1
A. Distance from Border to National Martyrs Memorial Hussainiwala- 0-1km
Time of stay of PM at Husseniwala Border 10-15 Minutes
B. Distance from Border to Rally site at Ferozepur 11.7 KM.
PM Time to stay art Rally site 30-50 minutes
C. Distance from Piareana to Border 30 kms
PM held up for 15 minutes
Where is PM more vulnerable to Artillery Guns or fire arms out of the above?

Ground Fact 2: (video attached)
Distance between agitating farmers and MOdi's vehicle 300 mtrs
Distance between BJP workers shouting slogans Modu Ji kai Jai,Bharat Mata ki jai- 30-50 mtrs

Ground Fact 3
Alternate routes available- Piareana to Ferozepur via Bajewali Rukna bagh 11.3 kms
Piareana- Sayanwala Ferozepur 13 kms
Why were the alternate route not adopted

Ground Facts 4
Road block by farmers inly when they were called on village Loudspeaker of Piareana Gurdwara and not before. They had Kisan Morcha flags with them.
Where was a conspiracy?

Ground fact 5'
Mr. Modi is a public figure and supposed to look after the problems of masses. Why could not he ask for one of them to come to him and explain problem? Was this not an political Narcissism as happened in log agitation on Delhi Border

Ground Facts 5:
There was no one near Mr Modi except BJP workers. No one showed black flags.

Ground Fact 6
The letter issued by MHA about the visit was PM flying upto Bathinda by Aircraft and from Bathinda to fly by Mi17 the most reliable helicopter meant from flying in bad weather including rain. Why was the plan changed to go by road?

Ground t fac7
Met reports were known earlier and were continuously being given. Why was this programme not cancelled earlier?

Ground Fact 8
Though there were stated to be 70,000 chairs in Rally sites but not ,more than 700 appear4ed to be occupied, Is it not sufficient reason for the PM to cancel rally?

Ground Fact 9
Since border area upon 50 kms deep in Punjab was passed under the command of BSF as per MHA then why not blame MHA and BSF

Ground fact 10
Since over all security is the responsibility led with MHA,SPG and other agencies why blame Punjab for all faults>

Ground 11

In view of the above were the remarks of PM. Minister Home, Minister Defense, Smriti Irani, Kiran Bedi, Mr. Tiwari, and BJP leaders of Punjab and neighboring states were justified? Would not the PM more vulnerable when laying wreath exactly at border or attending rally? Why was this place for rally was chosen if PM was going to be vulnerable? Why did PM mix official function of laying wreath with political rally at huge government expanse? There are numerous other questions which due to time and space I am not dwelling on.
 

aanand

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Jan 10, 2022
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Dr Grewal has given a balanced view of the situation. What we need is not heightened emotionality but a dispassionate mind great leaders display in times of grave emergencies.
 

Dalvinder Singh Grewal

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Some people think that PM belongs to them alone. We Punjabis are more cautious about the safety and security of our PM specially when he is in Punjab and most of us will not think twice to lay down even their lives to prot4ct his life. However what I say is that the principal of equality, fraternity and brotherhood must always be kept in mind and administration should consider welfare of the people as its bounden duty and meeting the public is one of the duty of the political leaders. If there is any neglect of duty that must thoroughly be investigated and guilty punished but you cannot blame the whole state or one particular community like this as is being done on Godi media. Both Punjabis and Sikhs have been hurt at all this.
 

A_seeker

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Coming up with nth numbers of theories in defense of the State government are missing the truth .

The PM convoy stationary on a overbridge while protestors being persuaded few meters by police to lift theroad blockade is a security lapse.

Rulebooks is clear that while the SPG is responsible for the PM’s proximate security, the overall responsibility for his protection lies with the state in whose jurisdiction the PM is.

Due to Bad weather ,a road journey was the alternative and it was already planned and rehearsals already done, than why didn't the state police keep the road clear?


One can hate Modi for whatever reasons but he is not a PM of BJP but ELECTED PM of the nation.
Congress should also realize India lost 2 PM and a CM due to security lapses ....
 
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A_seeker

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Jun 6, 2018
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Timeline of Events.

10:20am - PM landed at Bathinda airport ,due to bad weather, it was decided to go by road .

After 48 minutes

11.08 am - PM convoy left the airport for Ferozpur by road.

During these 48 minutes ,the SPG officers spoke to DGP of Punjab on phone 11 times .



10.30am
- SPG asked the DGP whether road was clear ,DGP gives a green signal at 11.00am.

There is no indication that the protestors are sitting on the way ,the road is jammed


At 12.45- PMs convoy reaches the flyover and there were protesters in front.

It is clear that DGP misled the SPG regarding security of the PM. Whether it was deliberately or was instructed from above needs to be investigated .

Punjab Police had 48 hours to clear the route. The PM convoy took 97 minutes to reach the spot from Bathinda .Question is what was the Punjab Police doing for one hour and 37 minutes ?


Punjab Police registered an FIR 18 hours after the security lapse against 150 unidentified persons under Section 283 of IPC (this section is generally imposed against those who organise petty protests) .There is no mention of the PM convoy in this FIR.
 

Dalvinder Singh Grewal

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Jan 3, 2010
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Why do you forget that he was to address a rally. There were not more than 700 people where plan was of 70,000. Since PM came only for BJP rally it would have been insult for a PM to address only 700 people. This was a way out to wriggle out. Rest what happened between DGP and SPG is a top secret conversation which only an insider or an agency man can know can know or it is all concocted to pass on blame on Punjab.
 

A_seeker

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Jun 6, 2018
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There were not more than 700 people where plan was of 70,000
Channi has been putting out series of contradictory statements, His initial statement after the incident wherein he admitted a security breach by claiming that it was ‘Kudrati’ or occurred naturally, than making a Uturn by claiming ''700 turned up for the rally ....'' theory.

These contradictory claims made by Channi could be attributed to the utter failure of his government to ensure safe passage to the PM .
 

A_seeker

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Some Sane voices from the community
U.K British Sikh Association, , has issued an official statement
1642058392055.png
 

Admin

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Jun 1, 2004
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We know in our hearts that its a concocted story against the Indian farmers... looks like somebody is being a sore loser to its own countrymen...
 

Dalvinder Singh Grewal

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Jan 3, 2010
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Here is what appeared on Rediff.mail today which will clear the situation better.

PM Security Breach: 'Real lapse happened at PMO'​

By PRASANNA D ZORE
January 13, 2022 08:37 IST


'The Punjab police was taking the prime minister by road for 100 km for the first time, maybe in the last many years.'

'But the SPG keeps travelling with the prime minister every second-third day outside Delhi.'

'They are better aware of the drill; they understand the PM's security parameters better than the Punjab police.'

'They could have refused even if the clearance was given by the Punjab police.'

More like this​

PM's Security Breach: Questions That Need Answers

PM's Security Breach: Questions That Need Answers


'Punjab police put PM's life in danger'

'Punjab police put PM's life in danger'

05modi-cavalcade.jpg

Avinash Mohananey, retired director general of police, Sikkim, and an ex-Intelligence Bureau officer, tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com about various aspects related to the alleged lapses related to Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi's visit to Punjab on January 5.

From Bhatinda airport to where Prime Minister Modi's convoy had to halt for 20 minutes on its way to Hussianiwala -- what could have gone wrong?
Nothing went wrong till he reached the flyover, where he remained stuck up for 15-20 minutes. Until that time, the movement of the PM's car-cade was smooth and fast.
The problem occurred when the Punjab police realised that some protesting farmers have gathered on the road near a village called Pyarana, which was slightly away from this flyover and blocking it.
The Punjab police was persuading the farmers to move away and clear the highway.

Did these farmers block the road all of a sudden?
It happened suddenly because in the morning all approach roads to Ferozepur district had been cleared of the protesting farmers and the movement of the traffic was smooth.
The people who wanted to participate in the rally (which was to be addressed by Modi) were being brought in by the BJP by buses and other vehicles on those roads.
Protesting farmers had moved away from these roads early in the morning before the visit on the condition that they would be given a meeting with the prime minister to raise their demands for the issues that are still pending.
This small group of farmers had gathered on the route were, in fact, on their way to Ferozepur, when they were stopped by the police. So, they squatted on the highway itself.
This was unexpected, but the Punjab police was trying to clear them up for the smooth movement of the PM's car-cade.

Couldn't this have been conveyed to the prime minister's security detail?
Yes, SPG (the Special Protection Group, which protects the prime minister of India) and Punjab police would obviously be in continuous communication, as they both were part of the same car-cade.

The entire car-cade keeps communicating with each other, so any obstacle on the route would be known to both security agencies at the same time. There were senior Punjab police and SPG officers in the car-cade itself operating in tandem.
Perhaps, the Punjab police was hoping that the farmers would move away from the road, but when it didn't clear, they had to stop the prime minister's car-cade on the flyover.
This was a huge mistake to let the prime minister remain inside the stationary car for 15 to 20 minutes -- that too on an elevated road with no escape routes.

Whose decision could it be to let the prime minister's car halt on the flyover? The SPG's or that of the Punjab police?
It must have been a combined decision and the mistake of both the SPG and the Punjab police because at that point in time they were both moving together in the car-cade.
In such situations, the security drill requires that if a PM is stuck, best plan of action would be to cancel the programme and the PM goes back. Or at least, he is taken to a nearby safe house till the road is cleared of protesters.
In the advance security liaison (ASL), safe houses along the route are identified, where the PM can be taken in such exigencies.
The ASL clearly mentions the locations of such safe houses. They could have taken the prime minister temporarily to the nearby safe house and waited for the police to clear the road of the protesting farmers. Thereafter, the car-cade could have moved smoothly.
But holding him stationary for that long was definitely a security nightmare that should have been avoided.

Who could have made the decision that the PM travel by road to Hussainiwala given that the distance is over 100 km from Bhatinda airport and takes roughly over two hours?

Could the Punjab police have had enough time to sanitise the route as the decision was made at the last moment because of bad weather?

First, road travel is always a part of contingency plan.
Contingency plans are also surveyed in advance before the prime minister's arrival as part of the ASL and certain measures are taken on the contingency route like police deployment along the route and at intersections where traffic could be stopped in case the PM decides to take that route.
This deployment is usually scanty; it doesn't involve barricading of the entire stretch. The deployment is not enough to sanitise the prime minister's route at a short notice.
Now the question is, who took the decision to move the prime minister by road? It is very difficult to find out exactly who decided the matter because there were people from the Punjab police, the SPG, and the prime minister himself. Only an inquiry can find that out.

In such situations, do the SPG or the state police decide what happens next or can a VIP in such situations over-ride the decisions of his security officers and proceed with what he wants?
It depends on the VIP. If he says 'I am moving' then the security officers have no choice but to accept it as a fait accompli and make as safe and secure an arrangement as possible in the given circumstances.
Obviously, you can't have anybody dictate to the prime minister what he must or must not do.
The security has to follow the instruction of the VIP and improvise on the situation.

Is there a precedent to this kind of decision where a prime minister travels by road for almost 100 km, and that too, in a state that borders Pakistan, and in an atmosphere as charged as it is in Punjab after the farmers' agitation against the farm laws?
I don't remember any such travel on such a long stretch. But there is no hard and fast rule that he can't be taken by road in some exigencies.
Normally, such travel (by road for such long distances) is not advisable.
The question, however, is in the first place, should Prime Minister Narendra Modi have travelled to a state to address a public meeting where farmers' anger over the passage of the three farm laws is still simmering and farmer organisations are continuing their agitation demanding minimum support price?
In fact, even before the repeal of the farm laws there have been regular protests across Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, besides those on the borders of Delhi.
My point is the real administrative lapse happened at the prime minister's office. Why did the PMO make this programme despite knowing what the ground situation is like in Punjab?
They know it is a surcharged atmosphere, the people are angry in the state, their demands remain unfulfilled, and the farmers had given an advanced notice that they will hold protests (during the PM's visit).

Was it then about the prime minister's decision that he wanted to go among the angry farmers and speak about the reasons why he framed the laws and why he repealed the three farm laws?
Difficult to say who took that decision (to organise Modi's public address in Ferozepur in such a charged atmosphere), but it was an absolutely misplaced understanding of the ground situation (by the PMO).

Assuming that the decision that Prime Minister Modi would take the road to reach Hussainiwala in Ferozepur by road was taken at the last moment due to bad weather, how much time would the SPG and Punjab police need to sanitise the route to the venue and ensure that no untoward incident would take place?
I think, after landing at Bhatinda airport, the prime minister's car-cade left within an hour towards the venue.
Given that Punjab has good roads, it wouldn't have taken much time to travel the distance where his car-cade got stuck. Had there been no protesters, the event could have passed without realising the security lapses that took place.

Given the suddenness of the decision to travel by road and the security logistics involved in sanitising such a long route, do you think the SPG and Punjab police would have tried to dissuade the prime minister from taking that route given that they had less than an hour to take care of the security logistics along the route after Modi's plane landed at Bhatinda airport?
Under those circumstances, the best advice would have been to tell the prime minister to not take the road route.
It is possible that both the security agencies might have done that given the ground situation and their preparedness to make security arrangements at such a short notice.

The Supreme Court has asked the registrar general of the Punjab and Haryana high court to secure the travel records of the prime minister's visit.

What will the travel records help ascertain?

Can the findings from these travel records help pinpoint the blame and make the responsible security apparatus accountable for the lapse/s?

This will help secure all the logs of the Punjab police, the SPG, the Indian Air Force, of the PMO.
These will have details of what communication transpired between these agencies, who was talking to whom, and finally, what circumstances led to the decision to travel by road. That is very crucial.
The most important information would be of what exactly happened from the time Prime Minister Modi landed at Bhatinda airport to the time when the decision was taken to travel by road.
I hope that the enquiry will have logs of all communication that was happening between various stakeholders during that period.

What are the chances that these log details could be tampered with before these are handed over to the registrar general?

Could the agency/agencies who know they goofed up with the prime minister's security compromise these travel details before they are handed over to the registrar general?

The political slugfest between the central government and that of Punjab already shows that the issue has been highly politicised.
It is likely that both sides would hold the other side responsible for what happened that day and can selectively manipulate or tamper the information.
However, phone call records and logs with the wireless stations can't be tampered with easily. I can say with great conviction that the IAF will not manipulate their records.

So, does that leave the Punjab police and the PMO which could tamper with travel details to absolve blame or try to create a picture to paint the other party as the villain?
Nobody can say anything with certainty about such a question.

In this entire episode, where do you think did the Punjab police and the SPG/PMO failed in their duties?
There was no threat to the prime minister's life during this entire episode. Nothing of that sort happened, but it surely is a huge security lapse.
It was the Punjab police's responsibility first at Bhatinda when they gave the go ahead to let the prime minister's car-cade travel by road. Such clearances are given by the local police.
If such a clearance was given by the Punjab police, then I think there was some mistake in their understanding of the situation.

So, the prime minister's car-cade took the road route because it got the clearance from the Punjab police? Without such permission, the SPG wouldn't have started the journey?
My point though is that even if the Punjab police gave the route clearance the SPG could have overruled it.
The Punjab police was taking the prime minister by road for 100 km for the first time, maybe in the last many years. But the SPG keeps travelling with the prime minister every second-third day outside Delhi. They are better aware of the drill; they understand the PM's security parameters better than the Punjab police. They could have refused even if the clearance was given by the Punjab police.

What are the most important learnings for improving the security of India's prime minister and other VVIPs?
The most important learning is to have professional and competent people with intellectual honesty in charge of as crucial a need as the prime minister's safety and security rather than have people handpicked and chosen by the political dispensation.
There are hundreds of people who fit this bill; hand over such crucial tasks to these people and they will do it with utmost integrity and honesty.
I can say this with utmost conviction again that within the all-India services there are many who have competence, professionalism, and intellectual honesty to take proper decisions for the safety and security of the prime minister.
The saddest thing is that such officers get generally marginalised. Only the lackeys and the sycophants climb the ladder.
You should have such people who would have told the prime minister that there was no way he could be taken by the road given the situation in the state.

Do you think that Prime Minister Modi misread the situation? Wouldn't the IB have alerted the PMO about such an eventuality?
I presume the Intelligence Bureau would have given its advice, but I can't say why and how the PMO took the decision to visit the state.
I think the prime minister best knows what actually happened and why such a decision was taken.

Let us now wait for the Supreme Court appointed panel to find out the truth.
 

swarn bains

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Apr 8, 2012
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the decision the pm made was a political one. there were 70000 chairs put at the place where he was going to speak. only 700 people showed up. that was the reason for him to return, but it was easy to blame someone else. so it was a political statement
 

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