Karnataka's share in the Union cabinet

Despite a pretty poor show by the congress in karnatka in the recent (15) lok sabha elections, karnataka has managed to bag 4 ministerial berths out of which three are cabinet berths.

On the other hand, in the state of uttar pradesh, though the congress has done relatively well, not a single cabinet berth has been given to the state. So is the case of AP where apart from Jaipal reddy, no other candidate has been given a cabinet post.

Karnataka was never represented well in the union cabinet (and also in the central bureaucracy).There was no cabinet representation from the state in the previous UPA government. Karnataka had only one cabinet minister in the NDA government between 98 and 2004, but had managed to carve out two plum posts of HRD(S.R.Bommai) and civil aviation (C.M.Ibrahim) apart from the PM post in the united front government.

So what has brought such good fortunes to Karnataka or rather the 4 ministers from karnataka? It is the poor show of the congress in the last years's assembly elections and this years lok sabha elections. Congress has seen their share of votes slowly taken away by BJP. In the recent Lok sabha elections, BJP has managed to win double the number of seats than congress and JD(s) combined.

Allocation of 4 ministerial berths including the prestigious external affairs ministry to the senior leader S.M.Krishna is a long term strategy of the congress managers to regain their position in karnataka. It is to please the state voters. It is a long term measure of the congress bosses to make these ministries influence state politics and electoral dynamics to swing the bastion back to their favour.

In all probability, the existing portfolios is not likely to remain for long. Though Mr Moily may continue in the law ministry for full 5 years, it is unlikely that S.M.Krishna and Mr. Mallikarjuna Kharge will remain at respective positions for long. After a couple of years, there may be a shuffle in the ministries wherein S.M.Krishna and Kharge may occupy positions which have more power to influence state politics. It will not be surprising if S.M.Krishna takes over Commerce and industries (or even finance) and Kharge the urban or rural development mnistries after 2 or 3 years. These ministries have more power to influence state elections.

Defnitely 4 leaders from karnataka gained because of the poor show of congress in the state. But who were the prominent losers. To my mind it was the charismatic Salmaan khursheed. He definitely deserved a cabinet post. He had the relevant experience and knowledge to head either the commerce or external affairs ministry. If not anything, at least he had the calibre, experience and expertise over Mallikarguna Kharge to be in the cabinet rank.

But this is how democratic politics works and its also good for the society in a certain way. As Mr Khursheed himself candidly put in one of the television shows that in democratic politics , "Merit is not everything".

Intellect beyond "so called" humans

I have been always wondering if man is the most rational animal in this creation. More i wonder about it , more i am convinced that he is not. Well, i will substantiate this in my next or subsequent blogs.In this blog i will just be sharing some of my thoughts and a piece of historical information that i recently read.

It is now beyond doubt that human existence is found, so far only on the third rock from the sun. Though scientists and even few theologians agree that there is a possibility of life (Human or otherwise) in other rocks in other Galaxies, no proof of the same has been given so far.

But my belief is that it certainly is possible that life, human or otherwise can exist at zillions of places other than the Earth. Absence of life at other places in space (not necessarily time) is simply in contradiction to limited human intellect. Its inconceivable that there cannot be life in other rocks or liquids in the infinite (so assumed) space.

I do believe very strongly in this theory. As i am just another speck in this gigantic creation, my feeling vis-a-vis this theory is similar to the feeling that "the pasture on the other side is greener". Simply put, there is a very high, very very high probability that the life existing in other liquids or solids (or even gases) in other places in space are much much more intelligent , smart and rational than we are as i have understood intelligence and rationality.

Scientists and philosophers are divided on this topic. Even today many scholars are not prepared to accept the presence of life anywhere apart from earth. They are in their own right to deny it or accept it.

My curiosity in this lead me to search the origins of thinking. By design or default i don't agree to the few popular statements such as "Searching origins are futile". It may or may not be. But human curiosity is never prepared to accept the futility of finding the origins.

Thankfully i got some detail on this. We all know that the origin of Haleocentric theory was from the revolutionary findings of Nicolaus Copernicus. His findings were first revealed in his book "On the revolutions of Heavenly spheres"(De revolutionibus orbium Coelestium). This book was completed in 1530AD and published in 1543 AD.

His theory was beyond that cultural and scientific age. It was vehemently attacked by Protestant theologians who held that the premise of a haleocentric universe to be unbibilical.

Of course, his findings were true and formed the shoulder from which Galileo, Kepler, Newton and Einstein could stand on. But when the book was first published, it had a major lacunae. It was so destined. The lacunae gave a major intellectual fillip for other avowed scientists.

Copernicus in his theory had done nothing to resolve the major problem facing any system in which the earth rotated on its own axis (and revolved around the sun), namely , how it is the terrestrial bodies stay with rotating earth. This was a baffling problem to Copernicus and also his followers (though not many at that time)

Giordano Bruno (1548-1600)

The answer was proposed by Giordano Bruno, an Italian scientist and avowed Copernican who suggested that space might have no boundaries and that solar system might be one of many such systems in the universe(creation) . Bruno expanded on Copernican thinking. In his writings and his lectures, the Italian scientist held that there were infinite worlds in the universe with intelligent life, some perhaps with beings superior to humans.

As it is now, even then Bruno's audacity brought to the attention of the Inquisition, which tried and condemned him for his hetrodox beliefs. He was burned at the stake in 1600.

As far as i know, this was the genesis of the thinking about the intellect beyond the known world. Copernicus apart from getting the credit for laying the foundations of modern astronomy must also be credited for the fillip his theory gave to other scientists who could use their intellect to predict intellect beyond them.

However, our understanding of the intellect beyond our intellect has remained beyond our understanding from 1600.