From SC Creator: I apologize to Godwin for not posting this earlier, but now it is finally online. It is a massive story set in the Third World War about the rise of India and its political leadership to the task of fighting the Hegemony. Godwin and I had an extensive amount of back and forth conversations in the creation f this story. Godwin wanted to keep it as true as possible to SC canon. 04012014.
From Author: Friends, I have taken some aspects from my favourite novel Chanakya’s Chant by Ashwin Sanghi. Chanakya is my role model from the history of India.So obviously the main charecter will be a modern Chanakya. I also want to stress that I am not an Islamaphobe. Specially to the readers from India, I have opted for BJP as the hero’s political party, because I feel BJP would be able to tackle India’s problems in a better manner. So, all those who are pro-Congress party, please don’t get offended. Glossary for SC fans are listed below. I hope everyone will enjoy this story.
SCFF: The True Leader
By: Godwin Joseph
May 16, 2077, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
New Delhi presented the picture of a typical city, ravaged by two decades of intense fighting. Even though it was liberated by Indian military in 2067, the city suffered from occasional Hegemony air raids. It ended only in 2074, when the Holy Islamic Empire was destroyed and Chinese was on the run in their homeland. By now, the war was slowly moving to an end. Allied invasion forces led by India and the United States gained foothold in the Chinese territory and were fighting for the control of the Chinese capital.
‘Sir, we have good news.’ General Lakshmikantha entered the PM’s room. The old man had been waiting for this news for the last twenty two years. ‘Our undercover operatives have confirmed the death of General Hon. He was killed by an Allied missile strike on his bunker one week back, during the battle of Beijing.’ Lakshmikantha was throbbing with happiness. He was just a soldier who showed his emotions right away.
But, Ashok Gupta, the honourable Prime Minister of India, was different. He did not show the slightest emotion or exuberance as he received the detailed report of the assassination of the monster – General Hon of the Peoples Liberation Army. The wily old politician knew that it never paid to let others perceive what one’s true feelings were. ‘Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead,’ he would often say.
Ashok was all together a different man. His clean shaven face and healthy body depicted that age hasn’t diminished his strength. Born in 1994, he was a confident and experienced statesman, with more than five decades long political career. He had not much friends in his long life. In this world of politics and war, there are no friends. Only enemies. No victory or failure. Only survival or death. Only one thing was clear. He was a poisonous snake, right from the time he started his political career, by joining the right-wing, Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
But he couldn’t help laughing inwardly. The fool Hon tried to be smart. Over smart, by changing his bunkers frequently to avoid the Allied missiles. Ashok’s decision to order missile strikes on random bunkers hit a ‘bingo’, by finishing off the madman.
‘Go tell my people that they’re on the verge of victory,’ the cunning politician instructed his General as his mind wandered back to how and when his saga had started.
2300 hours IST, Oct 16, 2012, A farmhouse in the outskirts of the city, Patna, Bihar, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The city of Patna in the Northern plains lay quiet in this hour. The same congested city was Chandragupta Maurya’s massive empire’s capital – Pataliputra. Pataliputra was one of the largest cities in the ancient world, comparable to Persepolis, Athens and Rome. It was the centre of world’s power, for a century since 322 BCE, when Chandragupta Maurya founded the mighty Mauryan Empire and united the Indian sub-continent, defeating the Nandas and the Macedonian invaders left by Alexander the Great.
The Bihari political kingmaker Mohammad Khan was in a foul mood. The all powerful Home Minister of Bihar was forced to resign after a series of scams. He was angry and embarrassed with the fact that many corruption and sex scandals were associated with him. It was an open secret that he ran one of the mightiest criminal syndicates in the country. He didn’t tolerate the media persons at all.
The man standing against him was also not an ordinary man. Mr. Gupta was a respected journalist of the Times of India, who had uncovered the truth about $100 million Ganga Action Scam. He was also a true patriot who wanted eradicate corruption and build a new prosperous and powerful India. His news paper reports and editorials cost Muhammad, his Ministership.
‘What do you want Gupta? You are the reason for the whole mess up here. Your articles exposed my role in the Ganga Action scandal. I was forced to resign from the Ministry. Tell me, what is your price?’ Mohammad was impatient and wanted to end the nuisance once for all.
‘You can’t buy me, you son of a bitch. I won’t spare you. How long will you loot my motherland? How long will mothers have to weep beside the dead bodies of their young daughters, raped and murdered by you? I will expose your dirty face to the people. Let them punish you.’ Gupta was shouting without thinking.
‘Wise men think what they say. Fools say what they think. Gupta, I am happy that you have made up your mind to die.’ Mohammad said with a devilish grin on his face and continued, ‘Kill this son of a whore!’ And that order was perfectly followed by his henchmen, who stabbed Gupta in the back and then silt his throat.
1100 hours IST, Oct 17, 2012, Patna, Bihar, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘He is dead, Ashok. I am sorry for your loss, my son. Muhammad’s goons are everywhere. You must flee. They’ll be looking for you.’ Explained Rudransh Vashistha, the Chief Editor of Times of India Patna Office and a loyal friend of Gupta. While in office, he had heard the news of Gupta’s killing and had quickly hurried over to warn Gupta’s son, Ashok.
Ashok knew his life is in danger. He lost his father, the only one whom he cared for since the death of his mother three years back. He knew he had to flee and come back one day.
The blank expression on Ashok’s face startled Rudransh. There was no sign of either dejection or anguish. ‘I am leaving now,’ said the proud and angry boy to Rudransh. ‘I will come back one day, and I will avenge my dear father’s death.’
0100 hours IST, Oct 18, 2012, Banks of the River Ganges, Patna, Bihar, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Ashok felt tears up in his eyes as he saw his father’s lifeless body. Gupta’s eyes were wide open and there were gaping holes in both cheeks were the insects had already started feasting. As gently as possible, Ashok took his father’s body on to his lap and kissed the forehead. His tears were in full flood and rained upon his father’s skull. He had not wept until this moment, but he silently promised himself that this would be the only occasion he would allow himself to cry; Ashok would make others cry. They would pay for what they had done; In terms of blood.
The arrangements were made for Gupta’s funeral by his loyal friend Rudransh. According to Hindu custom, a corpse had to be cremated before sunset, but the circumstances of Gupta’s death meant that tradition had to be broken. If Muhammad ever caught a whiff of the fact that Ashok was cremating Gupta, he would not hesitate to send his goons after the boy. He was above the law. So that even the police and government can’t do anything.
He saw a priest, arranged by Rudransh, waiting for him on the riverbank. He was holding a torch and silently gestured Ashok to follow him to the funeral pyre that had been prepared. The priest handed a bundle of burning grass to Ashok and asked him to circumambulate the body once and light the pyre thereafter. Flames enveloped Gupta’s body, freeing his soul trapped inside.
As the flames ebbed, the priest instructed Ashok to take another dip in the Ganges and gave him a dry set of clothes to wear. Bathed and dressed, Ashok took a small bundle that the priest offered him – a parting gift for him from Rudransh. It contained a dagger for his protection, an ATM card along with a paper denoting the PIN number and a train ticket to Kanpur.
Ashok left his hometown, with hopes of coming back one day to avenge his father’s death. His rest of the life will be only for that.
Oct 18-19, 2012, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Kanpur was a sleepy town, on the banks of the river Ganges. Kanpur had originally been Kanhapur, named after Kanhaiya – another name of Lord Krishna.
The reddish evening gave way to dark night when the Dwaraka Express train arrived at the Kanpur railway station. A worn out, tired Ashok came out from the second class compartment of the train. He walked through the busy platform and went to the chayawala for a late evening tea. The young boy got out of the railway station and walked through the streets of the city. His destination was the prestigious Government Law College in Kanpur. He thought it is better to go there in the morning. He spent the whole night in the street and painfully waited for the morning. He woke up early and went to his designated destination.
Shivering from the biting cold in the early morning, and nothing more than his cotton shirt and pants, Ashok found himself standing before the gatekeeper of the Government Law College. The congested streets else were in Kanpur paved way to well planned ones in front of the College.
‘Whom do you wish to meet, young boy?’ asked the gate keeper. Ashok replied that he needed to meet Yogendra Vashisht, the dean of the college. Following the gatekeeper’s instructions, he reached the office. The dean was drinking a cup of tea, while reading the news paper. He paused when he saw a handsome boy near the doors of the office.
‘Eh, boy, who are you looking for?’ Vashisht asked to the boy. ‘Come inside and take a seat.’
‘Sir, I would like to meet Mr. Yogendra Vashisht, the dean of this college.’ Ashok said, by taking his seat.
‘I am the person you are searching for.’ The dean replied as a matter of fact.
‘Sir,’ Ashok continued with a smile on his face, ‘I am Ashok Gupta from Patna. Rudranshji, the Chief Editor of Times of India, Patna branch, told me to meet you. He said he will call you.’
Rudransh’s name brought an immediate beam to the dean’s face. It was quite obvious that two had been childhood friends. He put his arm around the youth in a comforting gesture and took him to quarters (a small flat given to the employees by the university) near the College. He quickly instructed his servant to get the boy some breakfast. Ashok realized he was ravenous and finished eating in no time.
Vashisht was thinking about the phone call he got from Rudransh yesterday night. The dean already knew that Ashok was a bright student with very high marks in the Class 12 CBSE – Central Board of Secondary Education- board examination. ‘Rudransh wants me to get you admission in the college,’ said Vashisht. Doesn’t my friend know that the first semester is almost over? Vashisht wondered. His mind wandered to the days when Rudransh and he were students in Lucknow. Vashisht was a poor orphan and Rudransh’s father had financed his education. The dean knew that his old friend was calling in the favour. Refusal of admission for this boy was not an option.
His face beamed when he saw Ashok’s mark sheet. It showcased an outstanding performance and it was then Vashisht decided that he would make sure that Ashok is admitted to the college and would take care of him.
Aug 18, 2017, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘It is unfortunate that the concept of India – our great ancient civilization has been subjugated by petty thugs who indulge in the vote bank politics. This dirty regional and religious politics is a curse on the nation. Our culture is the common bond that holds us together. But why do we people doesn’t realize it? I can’t understand why people are so ignorant about our cultural unity. If not corrected, this will lead to our downfall in the future,’ said Ashok looking at his host’s smiling face. He was in Mishraji’s bungalow, who was a close friend of Ashok’s mentor Yogendra Vashisht.
In the past five years, Ashok had excelled in every subject in the college. In the past month, he completed his law graduation along with a degree in commerce with first rank from the Kanpur University. He was able to pay the college fees only due to the help from Vashishtji. Vashisht had introduced Ashok to his friend Mishraji, more than three years back. Although a rich industrialist, Mishraji was interested in talks about the Indian heritage, culture and history. Ashok enjoyed visiting his house every once in a while, whenever Mishraji was free. Mishraji had an instant liking for the young man who seemed to have an opinion on almost every major issue.
‘‘Solitary candles remain centered on their own flames until one applies heat to the vessel that holds them. In the face of a common enemy – heat- they coalesce into a single candle,’ said Mishraji.
He continued, ‘Unlike the sun which rises in the east and sets in the west, an unnoticed enemy is growing in the north, in the other side of the Himalayas. The Red Dragon which eradicates everyone and everything that confronts it. Your real enemy is not a small fry like Muhammad, but the Han monster in the north.’
‘What shall I do, Mishraji? My anger towards Muhammad has not abated. It is my duty to avenge my father. How can I disregard my objectives?’ asked a perbuted Ashok.
‘Ashok, one does not need to pluck fruit from a tree that is about to be chopped down. The fruit will fall by themselves. Focus on the bigger purpose and the rest of your manifesto will follow as a matter of course.’
Sep 14, 2017, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
It was almost morning when the Darbanga Express pulled into Varanasi railway station. Ashok and Vashisht were among the passengers who came out of the train. They slowly moved through the platform and slowly went to the small stall in front of the railway station and took their morning tea and breakfast.
As they slowly walked through the street, Ashok thought about his conversation with his father when he visited the city ten years back.
‘Ashok, the meaning of Kashi – the ancient name of Varanasi – is the city which is bright and leads to salvation,’ said Gupta.
‘Daddy, there are so many temples here. Do you know how much?’ asked Ashok.
‘Varanasi has more than two thousand temples and is rightly known as the spiritual capital of India. Kashi Vishwanath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva is the most important one among them. In the 17th century, Aurengazeb, the Muslim fanatic Mughal emperor destroyed the temple and built a mosque on the site. The temple was later rebuilt by Rani Ahalyabhai of Indore,’ replied Gupta.’
Ashok and Vashisht slowly walked to the banks of the river Ganges. The area was full of priests and devotees who have come here to do the final rituals for their ancestors so that those souls can attain salvation. Smoke was coming from the pyres that were burning in the graveyard nearby.
‘Ashok,’ said Vashisht. ‘Kashi is the door to attain salvation. You should not keep your parents’ souls in the prison in your mind. Let them fly away, towards the path of salvation. You have to do your karma.’
Ashok’s mind again wandered back to the past. He remembered what his father once told him. ‘Ashok, you are not a common boy. I see some talents in you that Chanakya had seen in Chandragupta. Make sure that you do your karma. You will play an important role in the history of India.’
Ashok slowly walked into the river. The water was very cold, freezing his legs for a while. Slowly threw the banana leaf used in the ritual over his head and took a dip in the water. ‘Father, I promise you that your sacrifice won’t go waste.’ Ashok wanted to cry for a moment, but he knew he wouldn’t do it.
He came back and wore the new clothes that Vashisht gave him. He said quietly to Vashisht in a very low voice, but in a determined manner. ‘I have made it my sacred duty to create a new Bharat free from the ills of corruption and weak leadership, so that it will stand up to the enemy nations surrounding it. My first step will be to finish Muhammad. I swear upon the ashes of my wise father and loving mother that I shall not stray away from my path, until I have killed Muhammad and as well the traitors within and created a strong united India!’ swore Ashok as he started the journey to realize his father’s dream – another miracle of a united India.
Oct 25, 2017, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Ashok sat before Mishraji uneasily. He passed out from college, but was not able to get his profession going or a good job. On advice from Vashishtji, he decided to see his mentor’s friend Mishraji. He hoped Mishraji would help him.
‘Vashisht have told me that you have completed the course with first rank, congrats!’
‘Thank you sir,’ said Ashok. ‘May I ask you a favour?’
‘Sure,’ Mishraji nodded.
‘It is difficult for me to organize my profession in a very short time. I owe a debt to Vashishtji. Even though he won’t ask me, I have to repay that debt. So, can you give me a job in your company? I will do whatever you ask of me, I promise I’ll work hard. Please help me.’
Mishraji smiled, ‘I don’t have sons of my own, Ashok. I’ll hire you but I will drive you like a slave. Your salary shall be twenty five thousand rupees per month. Agreed?’
‘You shall not regret this, sir. I am indeed blessed with good luck.’
‘Yes, I do believe in good luck, son. And I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it,’ Mishraji joked.
*****************
Mishraji’s had made his massive wealth during the years of economic boom after the economic reforms of 1991. He used the liberalisation and privatisation policies of the Narasimha Rao and Vajpayee governments in very efficient manner, expanding his company in various countries. He was also a shrewd man who knew that he needed political support. Keeping this in mind, he gave large scale donations to various political parties.
Next few years, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
The very first lessons were in book-keeping and accountancy. Mishraji’s books were maintained by his trusted treasurer – Praveen Krishna. He was given the task of explaining the intricacies of double-entry book keeping to this young man.
‘Ashok, what’s two plus two?’ asked Praveen on the first day.
‘Four,’ answered Ashok.
‘Wrong answer, I’ll give you another try later.’
Several days later they had progressed to maintenance of primary books, ledger posting and trial balance preparation. The treasurer once again asked him, ‘Ashok, what’s two plus two?’
‘Four,’ answered Ashok.
‘Incorrect. You’ll have another chance to answer it correctly.’
A few weeks later, they had covered income recognition, expense estimation and finalisation of profit-and-loss statement.
‘Your final chance. What’s two plus two?’ asked Praveen.
The frustrated lad snapped, ‘It’s whatever you want it to be!’
‘Correct answer,’ laughed the treasurer. ‘You’ve finally understood the beauty of accounting.
***********************
Ashok was with his boss in his office, discussing an idea. Mishraji always had profitable ideas; the latest was revolving around gold. The United States economy was in distress and it was having its impact throughout the world and Mishraji had reason for optimism.
The American dollar is always linked with gold. Till recently, a troy ounce of gold was worth forty dollars, but the recent crisis has resulted in the devaluation of dollar and the price of once troy ounce is now hundred dollars,’ said Mishraji.
‘So,’ asked Ashok.
‘What it means, Ashok is that the dollar is worth one-hundredth of an ounce of gold.
‘So, hows that an opportunity?’
‘As the economic crisis thickens in America, the value of dollar will continue to go down.’
‘And?’
‘As the intrinsic value of dollar falls, the intrinsic value of gold must increase. So there is an arbitrage opportunity.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Simple, if I own a dollar, I should be able to exchange it for one-hundredth of an ounce of gold, right?’
‘Right.’
‘But the value of that fraction of an ounce of gold is intrinsically much more than value of dollar, right?’
‘Right.’
‘So if we keep buying dollars and selling them in exchange for the official gold value, what happens?’
‘We’re in profit?’
‘Right. So what are you waiting for?
Mishraji earned his company millions by arbitraging the dollar against gold. Ashok vowed to himself that he would work overtime to acquire the raw cunning of his mentor.
*******************
It was late in the evening. Ashok was on his way out of the office when Mishraji called him in to his cabin. ‘The planning commission has announced that over the next five years, the country shall invest heavily in infrastructure development in the backward states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal,’ he announced.
‘But we’re not in the construction business,’ Ashok gently reminded his mentor.
‘Then let’s get in.’
‘Sir, but it’s a very specialised industry. We’re traders, sir. We don’t know the first thing about construction.’
‘Just incorporate the company. Allot ten percent of the shares to Lakshmi & Co. Register the comapny’s name with suppliers of steel and cement.’
‘Why?’
‘You can start placing orders for construction materials.’
‘But we don’t have any projects! Why would we buy materials without projects in hand?
‘Because we plan to sell the construction outfit a year later.’
‘But who will buy a construction firm with no projects?’
‘Any of other construction firms, because ours will be one of the very few that has huge stockpiles of cement and steel, both of which will be in very short supply!’
‘And what if the finance minister accuses us of hoarding?’
‘How can he do that? His son-in-law owns Lakshmi & Co.’
Ashok began to understand the incestuous relationship between business and politics.
Nov 22, 2024, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘Mishraji, I would like, with your blessings, to relinquish my service in your employment,’ said Ashok. Over the years, he had learned everything that Mishraji possessed in his bag of tricks. He was greatful, but wanted to move on. His hatred for his father’s murderer hasn’t reduced even a bit. He knew he has to become powerful to avenge his father.
‘Why, Ashok? You’ve learned so much with me. Why throw it all away?’
‘Sir, I think I can help you better from outside than from within.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘In India’s untidy democracy, politics and business shall always need each other. The former is about power, but needs money to realise it; the latter is about wealth, but needs power to create and sustain it. Let me become your political strength.’
‘And what do you want from me?’
‘Economic support. I shall repay it with political support when you need it.’
‘My blessings are always with you, Ashok.
June 10, 2026, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Shakha, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘Brothers and sisters, I just want to ask one question to you. How long will we continue this self denial? Why is it that the Indians, particularly its elite – the intelligentsia, the journalists, the writers, the top bureaucrats, and the diplomats - hold an image of themselves which is often negative, and have a tendency to run down their own country? The self-perception that we have of ourselves is frequently detrimental to our self- confidence,’ asked Ashok in the front of a large audience.
‘Our nation was the land of milk and honey in the ancient times. Was there any one like Buddha in the foreign lands? No country in the world as India has shown as much tolerance towards accepting in its fold persecuted religious minorities from all over the world. But for the last thousand years, the foreign invaders enslaved us, our culture and civilization. But the brave heroes fought the invaders till death and they made sure that our culture stood tall. Now, it’s our duty to preserve our culture and rewrite the history.’
‘Remember this; the most important thing in nation building is to know the true history of our motherland like how one child knows about his parents. We have forgotten our heroes and our culture because we have forgotten our true history. All the foreign invaders didn’t want us to know anything about our valour or the value of our civilization. They have tried to erase our cultural identity through converting our religion, languages and values. So teach our children the real history, not in the name of religion, but in the name of nationalism. For a day when all Indians realize that India has only one religion. And that is patriotism.’
‘Satyameva Jayate.’
Ashok was speaking in the meeting of the nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the right-wing organization working to mobilize India on the basis of the cultural renaissance – the Hindu nationalism. It was the mentor organization of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) , the then principal opposition party in India. Ashok had joined BJP four years back, when he was working under Mishraji, who was also a supporter of the party. His oratory and management skills earned him respect in the party in a very short time and he became one of the star orators of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh.
The RSS was founded in 1925 as an educational group to train Hindu men by character-building to unite the Hindu community, to counter British colonialism in India and suppress Muslim separatism. RSS volunteers participated in various political and social movements including the Indian independence movement and the group became an extremely prominent Hindu nationalist group in India. By the 1990s, the group had established numerous schools, charities and clubs to spread its ideological beliefs.
Its volunteers are also known for their efforts in relief and rehabilitation work during natural calamities and for helping with more than 2,00,000 charities and educational and service programmes in the fields of education, health care, rural development, tribal emancipation, village self-sufficiency, rural farming and the rehabilitation of lepers and special needs of the children. As of 2025, it was estimated that the organization has 10-11 million members.
Dec 20, 2026, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘I need a major victory,’ said Ashok, as Vashisht walked in.
‘But you are not fighting any election,’ said Vashisht, surprised by what Ashok was telling him.
‘I don’t mean an electoral victory. I mean that I need a huge public relations coup. It will propel me into instant fame so that I gain more power in the party!’
‘You obviously have something planned, Ashok,’ Vashisht said with a smile on his face.
Ashok smiled. ‘Vashishtji, did you know that the Tata Steel are putting up a huge steel plant in the outskirts of the city?’ he asked.
‘Yes. I read about it. It’s good for the state. More than sixty-five thousand jobs will be created upstream and downstream. The project is being put up in collaboration with a Japanese multinational and will be India’s largest integrated steel plant, surpassing all that have been built till date,’ said Vashisht.
‘Any idea how much land they need?’ asked Ashok.
‘I’m told that it will be spread over a thousand acres. The Uttar Pradesh government has offered it free. Various state governments across the country have been falling over themselves to woo Tata Steel. An instant GDP booster shot,’ said Vashisht.
‘And who owns the land on which the plant is being built?’
‘It’s mostly agricultural land. They’re delighted to surrender their land because they’ve all been guaranteed jobs by the Tata Steel.’
‘What if the farmers were to revolt? What if they were to announce that they were being cheated out of their meagre holdings?’
‘The media will have a field day,’ Vashisht responded, ‘but it wouldn’t be good for the state’s economy if the Tata Steel pulled out.’
‘I am going to meet a few of the farmers and will get them to make me their spokesperson. I would sit outside the gates of that proposed plant and announce that I am going on an indefinite hunger strike – a fast unto death – until the plight of these unfortunate farmers isn’t remedied!’
‘But you will be hungry!’ Vashisht exclaimed.
‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll have my victory within a day!’
‘How? We haven’t even negotiated with the management say yet.’
‘Ah! I forgot to tell you that I had a meeting with Mr. Ramesh Tata, the vice-chairman of the company, and he agreed to increase the compensation to the farmers.’
‘Firm commitment?’
‘Unfortunately, his partner, the chairman – Mr. Mukesh Tata – backed out. He said they couldn’t afford to pay more.’
‘So what have you told them?’
‘The Tata Steel was looking for a joint venture with Mishraji for oil exploration along the Kerala coast. The sea bed near Kochi has huge oil reserves, more than in Mumbai High. Mishraji was reluctant to enter in an agreement with them. I talked with Mishraji and he agreed.’
‘So, what’s the benefit for them?’ Vashisht asked.
‘Several billions,’ Ashok replied.
‘So you’ve negotiated to increase their profits? How will this help us?’
‘They’ve agreed to channel back a small portion of this profit to the farmers as a compensation for the land.’
‘So they don’t have to spend a penny more, but can still show that they’ve bowed down to your wishes and paid a hefty settlement for the land?’
‘Precisely. Everyone’s happy and I will be the instant hero!’
‘But why are you going for hunger strike? If we got an agreement, we could simply make an announcement to the media,’ proposed Vashisht.
‘Vashishtji, the media is not interested in the problems that are already solved! They first need a dramatic problem with insurmountable odds. That’s what they want to talk about. They’ll lap it up! After we have given them an unsolvable problem, we then give them a miraculous solution!’
Vashisht smiled at his protégé, knowing he would make him proud one day. ‘Go, eat a hearty meal. You’re not going to get any food tomorrow,’ said Vashisht as Ashok got up to leave.
Dec 22, 2026, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
The news starved media took an instant liking to the fresh, handsome young face who was sitting outside the gates of the proposed Tata Steel plant in the outskirts of the city. ‘Ashok the Champion’ said the Times of India; ‘Ashok Changes the Deal’ said the Hindu; ‘Ashok Takes a Chance – and Wins!’ screamed the Dainik.
‘You are amazing,’ said Mishraji as they sat in his veranda sipping iced lemonade.
‘Technically speaking, I just gave them a question and an answer,’ replied Ashok.
‘That’s funny,’ said Misharji.
‘What?’ asked Ashok, putting his glass down on the table in front of him.
‘To give a question and answer at the same time!’ he burst out, as Ashok laughed.
March 10, 2027, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘Hello, Mr. Ashok Gupta, congratulations for your massive victory from Kanpur. It was a spectacular one,’ said Muhammad Khan, present Chief Minister of Bihar and a powerful leader of the Indian National Congress (INC) in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.
The sitting MP from Kanpur Lok Sabha constituency died in last January before completing his term and polls were announced for the constituency. The party decided to field Ashok, a new, young and energetic candidate to win the by-election. Riding on the his popularity on farmers agitation a two months back, Ashok won by more than two hundred thousand votes.
‘Thank you, Mr. Mohammad.’ Ashok tried to hide his urge to clutch his hands around the devilish bastard and put an end to his life. But soon, the politician in him took charge, forcing a smile on his face. You don’t deserve a fast death. Harami! You will die slowly feeling the pain of losing everything you have carved for. They shook hands and Ashok left soon to hide his emotions. You will die. Slowly, a painful death.
The Gods were in favour of Ashok. Although his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party was not in power at the Centre, Ashok has become powerful – as an MP – Member of Parliament and consolidated his control over the party in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India. This gave Ashok an opportunity to avenge his father. I will kill you soon, bastard.
Nov 10, 2027, Birhana Road, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Both Vashisht and Mishraji were looking tensed. They were going to fight against a dangerous foe. But Ashok knew what he had to do.
‘Mohammad is a formidable foe. He is the most powerful leader in the Congress Party in Bihar and the only politician with strong support among the state’s large Muslim population. Now, he has sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar,’ said Mishraji.
‘He is dangerous even without his political clout. Our men in Bihar reported that he has countless black money which allows him even to control even the legislators from other political parties. We must find his weakness and strike.’
‘How?’
‘We’ll knock him out of his political power. This is the only way to finish him.’
‘What’s your plan?’ asked Vashisht.
‘Doesn’t he like women?’ asked Ashok with a grin on his face.
Nov 27, 2027, A farmhouse in the outskirts of Patna, Bihar, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘I love you,’ said Priya, to Muhammad, the Chief Minister of Bihar, as she kneaded his neck and shoulders.
Priya, Mohammad’s favorite mistress was the ideal spark for Ashok to lit the fire. For one thing, she was sexy. For another, she liked playing games. Mohammad’s only weakness was women and Priya was more than adequate. Her meeting with Mishraji two days back had ensured that she would be granted a deluxe villa in Gurgaon.
Priya had a dusky quality to her skin, which made her mysterious and desirable. She could not be called beautiful in traditional sense, but there was a particular quality in her that simply set the fertile imagination of any testosterone-bearing man into overdrive. She had curves in all the right places and this, combined with her tawny complexion, full lips, deep back eyes and thick black hair made her look tangy, saucy and sensual.
Mohammad moved down kissing from Priya’s lips to her belly button. Their naked bodies pressed against each other as they made love in the bed and soon he was lost in the throes of passion. Once he was asleep, Priya slowly woke up and ensured that all the tiny pen sized cameras in the room were working properly. Unknown to him, Muhammad’s love making was perfectly shot by these cameras.
Next morning, the country woke up by hearing about the sex scandal involving the powerful Chief Minister of Bihar. The footage was telecasted in various television channels in the country and in the cyber space.
0930 hours, Nov 28, 2027, Mohammad’s official residence, Patna, Bihar, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Scores of renowned journalists of national channels rushed in as Mohammad’s came out of his house. Soon they pushed through the police barricades and showered him with questions.
‘Sir, there are reports that you are involved in a sex scandal. The whole country has witnessed it. Your side of the story sir.’
‘No comment.’
‘What about the video? Do you think it’s morphed?’
‘No comment.’
‘The lady has given complaint that he coerced her to this?’
‘No comment.’
‘Do you have any other mistress?’
‘No comment.
Mohammad got into the waiting car and sighed. This is not going to be a good day.
1230 hours, Nov 29, 2027, Bihar Vidhan Sabha, Patna, Bihar, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The Bihar Vidhan Sabha was going to see all parliamentary traditions are going to be broken today. The sex scandal associated with the Bihar CM gave the opposition parties the strength to strike hard at the government.
‘The hon’ble leader of Opposition may address the House,’ said the Speaker.
‘Sir,’ the Leader of Opposition had a pen-drive in his hand, ‘the Chief Minister is involved in one of the dirtiest sex scandals in the political history of Bihar. I have a copy of the video, which was telecasted by the television channels in the morning. I demand an immediate statement- ‘
Mohammad’s face turned ashen as the proceedings descended into chaos. The uproar was deafening, with the Opposition members shouting ‘Shame!’ and occupants of the ruling party benches yelling ‘Liar!’ The leader of Opposition, standing spoke loudly. ‘The whole country has seen what the Chief Minister did. Let the investigating agencies check whether the video is real or not.’
Speaker shouted to stop the chaos in the assembly, ‘I request all the members to please take their seats. There is simply no reason why this House cannot maintain dignity and decorum.’
‘It isn’t possible to maintain decorum when the Chief Minister himself indulges in these acts. This government is rotten to the core and this House has lost confidence in it!’ shouted the Leader of the Opposition.
The Opposition members rushed into the middle of the House and the Speaker was left with little alternative but to adjourn the proceedings.
*******************************
About some hundred miles west in Kanpur, Ashok sat in his room with, watching television. Vashisht smiled at him, knowing that his protégé has delivered a huge blow to Muhammad’s political career.
‘Muhammad will have no option, but to resign,’ Ashok said in a triumphant manner.
‘But does it erode his power?’ asked Vashisht, barely concealing his joy.
‘It erodes only his political power. I have bribed the leaders in the Congress party to expel him from the party. And the villa for Priya in Gurgaon. Too expensive. We’re lucky to have Mishraji on our side, ’ Ashok smiled and continued, ‘I promised him an approval to start a medical college in Madhya Pradesh, where state government is led by our party.’
‘That’s not fine, Ashok. You shouldn’t have done that. We should not indulge in corruption,’ said Vashisht, in a half angry mode.
‘Vashishtji, how else could have I achieved my goal? I did it for destroying a criminal’s political career. A man shouldn’t be too much honest. Haven’t you noticed that in a forest, straight trees are cut first while the crooked ones are left standing?’
‘Okay,’ Vashisht was still not happy. But he knew Ashok was right.
‘But-‘, Ashok stopped.
‘What is in your mind?’ Vashisht asked as he saw Ashok in deep thought.
‘He is still dangerous. A wounded snake. He will strike back soon, if he comes to know that we are behind this. I am not willing to take the game any further,’ replied Ashok.
‘What does it mean?’
‘I am going to kill him before he knows who is behind this,’ said Ashok with a devilish grin on his face.
0030 hrs, Dec 2, 2027, Farmhouse in the outskirts of Darjeeling, West Bengal, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Muhammad’s farmhouse in the foothills of Himalayas was far from the crowded areas of Darjeeling. It was in this beautiful, isolated farmhouse, Muhammad used to share fun with his concubines. The loss of political power hasn’t reduced his pride. He left to spend some days in the lovely hill station. Today too, Muhammad was having fun with his favourite girl, seventeen year old Ayesha. The faces of the two helper-cum body guards armed with pistols, patrolling the premises of the farmhouse didn’t register any expression when they heard the sounds of Muhammad making love to the stunningly beautiful Ayesha.
The younger body guard didn’t notice a shadow behind him. In the next second, a knife silt his throat from behind. The shadow moved forward, confronting the second body guard. He recognized the shadow and said, ‘Ashok sir, what the hell?......’ Soon, Ashok came in front and cut off his scream. The knife pierced the body guard’s chest. Ashok stood there enjoying his death and entered the house. He knocked on the door of Muhammad’s room and waited.
‘Who the fuck is that?’ Muhammad sounded irritated, by the knock, late in the hour. The moment Muhammad opened the door, Ashok’s silenced pistol slammed on his head, rendering him unconscious. Ayesha woke up from the sleep and screamed. It prompted Ashok to fire and his bullet entered Ayesha’s forehead. She was dead even before falling on the floor.
Two of Ashok’s men stood at the door, ready to provide any help to him.
They tied up unconscious Muhammad on the bed and shoved a cloth into his mouth. Slowly, Ashok poured some cold water on Muhammad’s face, awaking him from the sleep. Slowly, a shocked expression came on his face, when he saw Ashok sitting near him.
The fucker is afraid.
It came out of nowhere. Pure terror gleamed in Muhammad’s eyes. Fear mounted when he saw the pistol in Ashok’s hand. He could not speak due to cloth shoved in his mouth.
‘Do you want to talk?’ asked Ashok with a devilish grin on his face. Muhammad nodded and Ashok removed the cloth from his mouth.
‘Ashok, why are you doing this? There is no enmity between us. I have seen you only in the Parliament,’ asked Muhammad in a terror stricken voice.
‘You don’t know why I do this. Look into my eyes. You can see a soul waiting for this moment. The soul of a poor innocent man whom you killed fifteen years back.’ Ashok’s mind was throbbing with emotion.
Slowly Ashok told him his story, about a man named Gupta, his father. This multiplied the terror in Muhammad’s eyes.
‘Have you understood what I have told you?’ asked Ashok with a cruel smile on his face. ‘I think you would like to know one more thing. I was behind the sting operation that knocked you down from the post of the Bihar CM. I just wanted to win where my father failed.’
Another nod from Muhammad.
‘Then, I hope you don’t have any difficulty in knowing why I am going to kill you. Blood must repay blood.’
These words created a fresh surge of fear in Muhammad’s mind. ‘The waves of cold comfort drove through Ashok. ‘You deserve it, bastard,’ he hissed.
Then Ashok reached out for him again. Muhammad tried in vain to resist his hands as he shoved the cloth back into the villain’s mouth.
‘I know that it was so painful for my father when your goons stabbed him. A slow death is more painful than a single bullet. That’s the kind of death you deserve. Slowly, Ashok reached for his sharp knife. He reached down till the belly of the hapless man lying helpless on the bed.
‘Pray for the hundreds of innocents whom you sentenced to death,’ Ashok said in a cold tone.
Ashok’s knife slashed out. It did not penetrate Muhammad’s body. Instead, it surgically split open the soft skin all over the lower half of the stomach, just below his belly button, in a thin red line. The line thickened as the blood welled out, gaining strength with every passing second, dividing Mohammad’s body into two perfect halves.
As the knife plunged deeper, Muhammad tried to scream harder, but no sound came due to the cloth shoved in his mouth. Ashok’s companions watched in silence as he systematically flayed the skin from upper part of Muhammad’s body. Every time Muhammad fainted, Ashok kicked him back to consciousness before he resumed the butchery.
Ashok tired of the game suddenly and drove the knife deep into Muhammad’s chest. Slowly, looking at the dead man’s body, Ashok felt the hate fading away from his heart. Shrugging back his thoughts, he moved out of the house while a time bomb set inside the drawing room by his companions. Ashok and his companions entered the waiting car and drove away, while the bomb exploded, completely decimating the house.
(According to official sources of the Govt of India, Mohammad is killed by pro-Chinese Maoists. Govt used this excuse to crush the Maoists in the red corridor.)
Dec 20, 2037, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Mishraji, Ashok and Sanjay were in Ashok’s two-bedroom flat in the Birhana Road. They were sitting in around the dining table, having tea and fried bananas. Ashok had been the MP from Kanpur for more than a decade. He has now resigned from his position as the Member of Parliament and decided to concentrate in his political base – Uttar Pradesh. The party’s parliamentary committee has asked Ashok to do anything to make BJP the ruling party in India’s most populous state.
Mishraji asked, ‘Ashok, do you think we’re strong enough to win the next state assembly elections?
‘The moot point is not whether we are strong enough but whether we can make the opposition weak enough,’ replied Ashok taking a bit on one of the fried bananas. ‘Don’t worry about the Congress party or the regional parties.
‘Knowing how you work, I already have a plan Ashokji,’ said Sanjay, Ashok’s secretary. Sanjay was the son of Ashok’s father figure Vashisht, who requested Ashok for a job for his son. Eager to help Vashisht, Ashok made Sanjay his secretary. Soon, Ashok knew he made a right choice and soon he knew Sanjay won’t let him down ever. Just in late twenties, Sanjay was like a younger brother that Ashok never had.
‘I am told that our honourable chief minister has a few not-so-honourable vices,’ said Ashok.
‘What are they?’ asked Mishraji.
‘The more appropriate question is who are they,’ replied Ashok.
‘Fine. Who are they?’
‘Shall I recite the ladies’ names alphabetically?’ Ashok joked.
‘Anyway, how does this help us?’ asked Mishraji. ‘Our chief minister has a good track record of governance. With him at the helm, it will be difficult to dislodge the current administration led by the Congress party. With him out of the way, the things could be different.’
‘The problem with men with men who are extremely zealous at work is that they tend to be equally enthusiastic about other pursuits,’ suggested Ashok.
‘With elections round the corner, he will be cautious. He will not be easy to trip up,’ said Sanjay.
‘Quite often, the only way to get rid of the temptation is to yield to it,’ said Ashok quietly.
Jan 28, 2038, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘Who is opposition’s main candidate in Pilbhit constituency?’ asked Ashok.
‘Ramprasad Trivedi,’ replied Mishraji.
‘Find me someone else with the same name. And who is the primary competitor in Aligarh?’
‘Rafiq Ahmed Hussain.’
‘That shouldn’t be hard. Let’s get someone with an identical name to contest in Aligarh city. Any idea who is the strongest aspirant in Lucknow?’
‘Prakash Yadav.’
‘Find me another Prakash Yadav.’
‘You want us to hand out BJP tickets to people with no qualifications, no experience, no vote share, simply because their names are identical to those of their strongest aspirants?’
‘No. Not BJP tickets. We’ll fund them but they will contest as independents.’
‘And why are we doing this?’
‘Because the votes of the primary Opposition candidates will get split. From the confusion in the similar sounding names, some of their rightful votes will get logged as favouring the identically-named independents financed by us.’
‘Is this a worthwhile exersice? Finding hundreds of independents to contest against the Opposition?’
‘Winning is not only about strengthening yourself; it’s also about weakening the enemy. Anything that reduces the Opposition’s vote-share must be done if we’re to win.’
‘But the opposing parties may adopt same strategy with us,’ argued Sanjay.
‘When is the notification of elections expected from the Election Commission?’
‘March twenty-first.’
‘And the last date for filing nomination would be a week thereafter – March twenty-eighth, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘What’s the deadline for filing nominations on March twenty-eight?’
‘6.30 pm.’
‘I want all our independents to file their nominations from various constituencies at six pm on March twenty-eighth. Let’s not give the opposition any time to react.’
Jan 18, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The farmhouse in the outskirts of the city was unknown to the public. It was one of the very few courtesans’ residences that remained frozen in time. The beautiful woman how owned the house was stunningly wealthy. She was extremely choosy. It wasn’t about the money – she had enough of it. It was about power. The only thing that could turn her into a wet and wild woman in bed was the thought was she was in the presence of power. And there was no more powerful in Lucknow than the state’s chief minister.
The young maid-servant entered the bed room and looked around. There was no one around and she carefully planted pen-sized camera in the pen-box in the table. She made sure it is working properly and walked out of the room. The reason for maid servant’s cooperation laid her bank account – a sum of five hundred thousand rupees deposited by none other than Mishraji.
The private detective keeping an eye on the farmhouse has suggested that the girl could be used. He knew she was suffering from shortage of money for her mother’s medical treatment. His tip-off had been perfect – the venue, date and time typed neatly on a slip of unmarked and unsigned paper. The chief minister came out of his foreign car, leaving his men in the darkness of the night. He was welcomed by his hostess and both lovers made their way to the bedroom. The cameras secretly planted there perfectly shot the lovemaking by the chief minister. The chief minister left late in the night, completely satisfied.
After one hour, the maid servant went out of the farmhouse, unseen by anyone in the locality and handed over a pen-sized camera to a waiting journalist. He thanked her and walked to his television channel office. He picked up pace as he began thinking that the chief minister’s sex scandal would be the breakfast for not only the people of Uttar Pradesh, but the whole country.
Jan 20, 2038, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘He has resigned!’ cried Ashok triumphantly, ‘I knew we had to play the man, not the ball.’
‘You mean the balls,’ said Mishraji wryly.
‘That too,’ said the excited Ashok, ignoring the joke. ‘With his resignation, his party will be in disarray. The left jab that we have just thrown must be followed in quick succession by an uppercut. It will ensure that the party is unable to recover and regroup,’ he said popping another piece of fried chicken into his mouth.
‘Who’s the next most powerful person after the chief minister of the state?’
‘The state’s home minister,’ said Mishraji.
‘And what’s the home minister’s job?
‘Maintaining law and order.’
‘What happens if law and order deteriorate?’
‘His colleagues would be reluctant to project him as their alternative candidate.’
‘Mishraji, as a famous industrialist, I hope you have direct access to the police commissioner, don’t you?’
‘Businessmen like me, and the cops always have a direct connection,’ laughed Mishraji. ‘What exactly do you want done?’
Feb 2, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Rajjo Bhaiya sat in the back seat of his blue BMW X3. Under trial in twenty-six criminal cases including several of murder, assault and possession of illegal weapons, Rajjo was a member of the state legislative assembly. A confidant of the chief minister who had been caught with his pants down, Rajjo was another ugly secret of the state’s political underbelly.
Sitting next to him was the police commissioner, an young officer who had specifically asked for the meeting in this isolated location. He could not be seen conversing with Rajjo – supposedly the enemy. The indignant social media and a gullible public would never accept the reality that Rajjo and the police commissioner owed their respective occupations to one another. Men like Rajjo were criminals among politicians while the cops were simply criminals in uniform. The police commissioner was feeling uneasy.
‘The home minister has asked me to investigate all pending cases and to make an example of you,’ said the police commissioner at last.
‘Has he fucking lost his mind? Doesn’t the mother fucker understand that it will hurt the party’s own position? I’m a prominent member of the ruling party, aren’t I? How’s this going to help him win the elections?’ demanded an enraged Rajjo.
‘At this moment, the state home minister’s bigger priority is to show his colleagues that he has balls. Once his own position is secure, he’ll start worrying about the party’s performance,’ said the police commissioner.
‘In that case, I’ll show the pussyface what I’m capable of,’ shouted Rajjo, getting out of the car along with his friend.
‘There’s one way you could send him a signal without declaring open hostilities that would lead to a complete breakdown of law and order,’ suggested the police commissioner helpfully.
And what’s that?’ grunted Rajjo.
‘You could challenge him politically. Hold a rally in his constituency. That should shake him up a little.’
Rajjo smiled. Two of his front teeth were gold. He flashed what he thought was a winning smile and said, ‘Who made you a police commissioner? You should have been a minister!’
Feb 6, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘I told him not to hold that rally, sir. I explained that it could cause a law and order problem. He assured me that he would reconsider his decision. Obviously, he didn’t,’ explained the police commissioner to a worried home minister of Uttar Pradesh.
‘So the son of a whore thinks that I will simply accept his outright rebellion?’ shouted the minister. ‘I’m worried that he’ll have the entire party in disarray. Arrest him today!’
‘That may not be wise, sir. He has considerable following from his own caste. They see him as Robin Hood. We would be playing into his hands by arresting him,’ said the police commissioner.
‘I’ll end up appearing weak and indecisive if I don’t arrest him. How’s that going to look? You bureaucrats never have to worry about fighting elections. For you, survival means hanging on until retirement; for politicians like me, survival is about making it till Sunday morning!’
‘I understand your sentiments, sir. May I make a humble suggestion?’
‘Go on,’ said the frustrated minister.
‘Why not round up his known associates instead? We’ll release them on bail later. It will send a signal that you will not tolerate insubordination, and yet, you’ll stop short of lashing him at him directly. You’ll be the gainer. He won’t have a leg to stand on.’
The home minister of Uttar Pradesh smiled. He was an old man of seventy-five. Giving the police commissioner a curious look, he said, ‘Why the fuck aren’t you in politics? God knows you are devious enough.’
Feb 17, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘Look at these warring criminals, my friends. They say that they’re serious about your safety and security. The truth is that they’re busy protecting each other – your safety to be damned!’ exploded Ashok to the sound of applause.
‘Why is this rascal, Rajjo free to roam about in spite of twenty-six criminal cases?’ he thundered. There was a huge applause.
‘Why is he allowed to thumb his nose at the home minister by roaming around the home minister’s own constituency? Doesn’t it tell you that they’re thick as thieves?’ There was louder applause.
‘Why is this home minister protecting known criminals? Our efficient police commissioner has rounded up hundreds of Rajjo’s associates. In each instance, he has been pressurised by his political masters to release these people on bail. Why shouldn’t we demand the resignation of this spineless man who dares to call himself the home minister?’ Thunderous applause and hoots of approval followed.
Feb 24, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘You became an instant hero,’ commented Mishraji. ‘You will quite easily be the claimant for the position of chief minister if the BJP performs decently in the next elections.’
‘That’s precisely what I told Paramashivaraoji when he tasked me with the affairs of the party in the state,’ said Ashok.
‘What’s next?’ We have to make sure that we mobilize maximum support,’ said Mishraji.
‘I hope it is time for some movie stars to enter politics.’
‘What?’
‘I hope you have connections with actress Anjali?’ asked Ashok with a mischievous smile on his face.
1030 hours, March 15, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
Anjali arrived in her red Rolls Royce, wearing a chic lemon cotton saree. The Bollywood sex symbol hid her beautiful eyes behind an extremely expensive pair of Versace sunglasses. She gently dabbed her kerchief under the sunglasses and the paparazzi contigent took photos of this beauty queen. She knew this would be in Facebook and YouTube within hours.
The streets leading up to the rally site were filled with flags and a hundred thousand people lined up waiting for a glimpse of their politician hero and actress heroine. The rally ground fully saffron – the colour of the BJP and the symbol of Hindu nationalism. Anjali walked up to the stage were Ashok and Chandini – the head of BJP Mahila Morcha (the party’s women organization), awaited her. The women hugged each other as though they were the best friends. They were actually meeting each other for the first time. Ashok greeted her and led her to the seat. Behind them were massive pink-cut-outs of their images, almost fifteen feet high – Bollywood movie poster-style. The image of Ashok showed him with a warrior’s expression and tilak on his face, holding the scales of justice in one hand and a sword in the another. The poster of Anjali showed her holding a Statue of Liberty-inspired flaming torch.
‘I promise you that I shall deliver pure, unadulterated justice to you, my beloved people. And if this hand ever needs to hold a sword to deliver justice, it shall be for one reason alone – to defend my people and the country!’ shouted Ashok emotionally into the microphone as the echoes of his words bounced off massive speakers located all over the rally ground. Thousands of his supporters roared in glee and chanted, ‘Ashok! Ashok!’
‘I am humbled by your love. I am honoured by your respect. I am blessed by your support. I am energised by your enthusiasm. I am motivated by your confidence in me. I shall not let you down – ever!’ he thundered as the crowd burst into deafening applause. Police had cordoned off the stage where he was speaking. Hundreds of baton wielding khaki-clad cops wearing riot helmets were preventing the surge of humanity from clambering up the platform.
Ashok sat down and Anjali rose to speak. She was nervous. It was quite easy to utter the lines of a screenplay in front of a movie camera, than to deliver a speech in front of thousands of screaming political activists. She was only here because her friend – Mishraji – had insisted that her presence in the rally was vital.
‘In a state were vote bank politics continues, where good governance is still missing, there is a single light that shines bright! I see the light! Do you? She yelled, and the grounds reverberated with approval. The light is intense; it’s the brightest light I have ever seen. This light can illuminate, this light is pure, this light is unadulterated energy, and this light is the light that shall envelope Uttar Pradesh – Ashok Gupta!’
As the crowd roared in approval, a shot rang out. It would not have been heard if it were not for the fact the gun had been fired near an open microphone. Ashok fell to the ground clutching his right shoulder. Blood was trickling through his fingers and a large red stain developed on his khadi shirt. Anjali threw herself to the ground and cradled Ashok’s head in her lap as the security officers rushed to prevent the frenzied crowd from reaching them. The cameras of scores of television channels beautifully captured the sentiment of the moment. Within hours, this emerged as hot news in the social media, leading to intense debates in Facebook and Twitter.
1700 hours, March 15, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
Mishraji, Vashisht and Sanjay were standing in the hospital corridor outside Ashok’s room. The media persons had been barred from entering the premises. They were in front of the hospital anxious to get news about the most popular politician in Uttar Pradesh.
‘How is he?’ asked Mishraji.
‘Fine,’ replied Sanjay. ‘The bullet grazed his right shoulder. A few stitches, some dressing and antibiotics – and he should be ready to go.’ The trio entered the room to see Ashok lying in the bed, smiling at them.
‘Did you meet the police commissioner?’ asked Ashok, pointing Sanjay.
‘Yes. I had told him that it should be on your right side, not the left. Too much risk of your heart being in the vicinity,’ explained Sanjay.
‘Sometimes I wonder whether I have a heart, murmured Ashok. ‘Did you also tell him that you didn’t want the bullet to pierce me, but only graze me? He had done everything in a perfect manner.’
‘I did. He told me that there were no guarantees of that one, though. We’d asked him to shoot near an open microphone so that the shot would be heard. He performed well. He’s waiting for you to put in a word so that he gets a fresh assignment in New Delhi.’
‘Yes, I promised him. That will be done. Is the scene spread adequately in the social media?’
‘The channels across the country have shown it many times. The photos with your head being cradled in Anjali’s lap are going to be superb. Coupled with the coverage of the Internet, I think that will be enough,’ said Mishraji.
‘Get those photos and put it on posters with the slogan – I am willing to shed every drop of my blood in the service of my people. Have thousands of posters printed and plastered over the city. Spread it across the Internet. I want to be a martyr without having died.’
‘But the doctor will be letting you leave pretty soon. You don’t require hospitalisation – it’s a surface wound only,’ argued Sanjay.
‘Get the doctor over here. I want him to announce that I’m in observation for twelve hours.’
‘And?’
‘Nothing else. Never say a lie unless it’s absolutely necessary.’
‘Should he reveal that you are not in danger?’
‘He should say that I am out of danger, but only tomorrow morning. There’s is a significant difference between lying and delaying the truth!’
April 26, 2038, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘And it now seems clear that the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are likely to throw up an unclear mandate with no single party being able to form the government on its own,’ said the news anchor. Ashok, Mishraji, Vashisht and Sanjay were seated in Mishraji’s drawing room watching the poll results as they were flowing in.
‘I thought you said that you would become the chief minister,’ said a visibly worried Mishraji. He had spent millions financing the BJP and was seeing his investment being washed down the drain.
‘I never said that I would become the chief minister. I said that BJP would hold the reins of power.’
‘How in heaven’s name are you so damn sure about such things, Ashok?’ exclaimed Vashisht.
‘Sanjay, how many seats does the Uttar Pradesh assembly have?’ asked Ashok.
‘Four hundred and three,’ replied Sanjay.
‘And how many seats are there with the BJP?’
‘One hundred and sixty.’
‘So we’re forty-two short of the halfway mark for a majority, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Is there any other party in the state has won more seats than the BJP?
‘No. The next highest is the regional Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) with ninety-nine seats. The ruling Congress party has got ninety seats. The rest of the seats went to smaller parties and the independents.’
‘And as per the Constitution of India, the governor of the state has must invite the leader of the party that has obtained the maximum number of seats in the assembly to form a government. Right?’
‘Right.’
‘The problem of course, is that if the governor invites the BJP to form the next government, we would need to make the opposition MLAs – Members of Legislative Assembly- to cross over to our side.’
‘So what?’
‘They’ll want cabinet berths. Our own members will be deprived of the positions. We’ll have disciplinary problems.’
‘So you don’t want the governor to invite us?’ asked the perplexed Mishraji.
‘If we don’t produce adequate letters of support from the MLAs of other parties, he’ll have to ask the next largest party – BSP – to try cobbling together a government.’
‘Yes, but if they need to reach the halfway mark, they will need the support of hundred and three more MLAs in addition to the ninety-nine MLAs they already have. They would need our BJP MLAs to get a working majority in the assembly,’ argued Sanjay.
‘Suppose we offer them our entire strength?’ asked Ashok quietly.
‘What? Are you out of your mind?’ asked Vashisht.
‘My price for BJP support is that I want each and every cabinet berth for each of my MLAs. All the portfolios – home, finance, revenue, industries, human resources – must be allotted to us. They can have their chief minister.’
‘Did the party’s national executive agree?’ asked Sanjay.
‘I had talks with Paramashivaraoji. He told me that I have full freedom to take the decisions. After all we are allying with BSP. They are not our main rival. It’s the Congress party.’
‘And what happens to you?’
‘I’ll wait until the government goes into paralysis.’
‘How?’
‘What will their chief minister do when all his decisions get stalled? All the portfolios shall be with us.’ Ashok smiled, having decided on what to do.
May 18, 2038, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘So you have managed to cobble up an alliance with the BSP and form the government. Good! But what now?’ asked Mishraji.
‘We’ll tell the chief minister to step down and let me take over,’ said Ashok.
‘But their party would want portfolios for supporting you to be the chief minister in the same way that we demanded the portfolios for supporting theirs. Why would their chief minister step down without a deal?’ asked Sanjay.
‘Sanjay, ask the reporter who helped us earlier to organize a sting operation,’ said Ashok.
Sanjay smiled, ‘You want the chief minister to step down without a deal, so that you don’t have to offer any Cabinet berths to him?’
Ashok just smiled in reply and Sanjay knew what his boss wanted.
July 2, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
The gentleman from Mumbai was well-dressed, handsome and soft-spoken. He arrived in a black Mercedes-Benz at the residence of the chief engineer of the PWD – Public Works Department. He carried an extremely expensive, the latest model Samsung mobile phone in his hand for his host. The appointment had been fixed a week earlier at the behest of the chief engineer’s nephew.
Preliminary introductions over, the man from Mumbai said, ‘This is a massive project – upgrading and widening priority state highways, constructing four new bypasses, and three major bridges. Who’s picking up the tab?’
The chief engineer answered. ‘Civil work, supervision, project management support, consulting contracts, land acquisition and cash compensation shall be funded entirely by the government of Uttar Pradesh, while other costs of resettlement and rehabilitation will be eligible for World Bank financing.’
‘So the entire cost is borne either by the state government or the World Bank, right?’
‘That’s correct,’ replied the chief engineer.
‘We have carried out our own internal budgeting and believe that the actual cost should be around six billion,’ said the man from Mumbai. ‘But we could inflate or deflate it, as required. That’s why I’m here. We want to be sure that our bids are submitted in the manner that you want.’
‘You will have to meet the principal secretary for that,’ said the chief engineer.
‘When can we arrange a meeting?’ asked the man from Mumbai, smiling.
July 6, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
The well-dressed, soft spoken man from Mumbai arrived in his black Mercedes-Benz at the Nirman Bhawan office of the principal secretary in Lucknow. In one hand, he held a bag containing a new Lenovo laptop for the principal secretary’s son. The appointment had been fixed two days earlier at the behest of the chief engineer.
‘As you know, the tender process can be handled in three ways – percentage rate, item rate or the lump sum. Under the first method, we would do the costing and you would bid by quoting a percentage below or above our estimates. In the second alternative, we would give you a schedule of quantities and you would quote individually on each item. Under the third mechanism, you would quote a lump sum for the entire project based upon our specifications,’ explained the principal secretary.
‘How can you swing it so that we get it?’ asked the Mumbai man.
‘Do you have subsidiaries and affiliate companies?’ asked the principal secretary.
The man nodded, ‘Lots.’
‘Then we’ll do it this way. The prequalification bids will ask for your background, technical expertise, and track record. Make sure that all your subsidiaries and associates bid individually.
‘How will that help?’
‘We will find qualitative reasons to eliminate other bidders at this stage. But it would look strange if only one party were left uneliminated. That’s why we need you to have at least five to six prequalification bids.’
‘So we’ll be the only bidders by the time it gets down to the commercial bids?’
‘Yes.’
‘And how much will it cost us?’
‘You’ll have to meet the chief minister for that,’ said the principal secretary.
‘When can we arrange a meeting?’ asked the man from Mumbai, smiling.
July 14, 2038, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The well dressed man from Mumbai arrived in his black Mercedes-Benz at 5, Kailas Marg, the official residence of the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. In his right hand he carried a bunch of orchids for the chief minister. In his pocket lay a golden necklace for the wife of the personal assistant to the chief minister. The appointment had been fixed a few days before at the behest of the principal secretary.
‘I’m told that you’ve already discussed the details with the principal secretary,’ said the chief minister.
‘Yes. I have come here only to seek your blessings.’
‘My blessings are expensive.’
‘How expensive?’
‘Fifteen percent.’
‘Cancel one percent and give me two.’
‘Ten percent?’
‘Yes.’
‘I would not do that under normal circumstances. But then you brought me orchids,’ laughed the chief minister, getting up to seal the deal with the smiling man from Mumbai.
**********************
Two days later, the well-dressed man from Mumbai arrived in his black Mercedes-Benz at the Birhana Road residence of Ashok Gupta. In his pocket lay the pen-sized camera and the pen-drive containing a video clip. Sanjay smiled as he took his reporter friend inside to meet Ashok Gupta.
July 20, 2038, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
Hundreds of MLAs were waiting outside the Mishraji’s residence. It was 11 am and Ashok Gupta had arrived at his mentor’s residence. Accompanying him were the MLAs from the Opposition who were willing to defect.
The sting operation had forced the chief minister to reconsider whether he should hang on to his chair. Good counsel had prevailed and he had resigned.
‘So, are you ready to go to the Governor’s residence to stake claim to form the state government?’ asked Mishraji.
‘Thanks for everything, Mishraji. The chief minister’s MLAs are waiting outside. They have agreed to support us without any cabinet positions – they didn’t have much of a choice,’ he laughed.
‘You need to do me a favour,’ said Mishraji.
‘I know. I will award the World Bank contract to a nominee of your choosing. Of course, after making sure that there are no cameras!’
*****************************
‘I, Ashok Gupta do swear in the name of God, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the soverginity and unity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and law without fear, favour, affection or ill will.’
Next few years, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘The traders of Uttar Pradesh are going on strike,’ said the finance minister of Uttar Pradesh. Chandini, the head of BJP Mahila Morcha –the women’s organisation was the minister.
‘Why?’ asked Ashok.
‘They say that the sales-tax rate in Uttar Pradesh is too high. They want it reduced.’
‘You don’t simply go around giving away tax revenue because someone wants it! Do you give a whisky to an alcoholic to because he just happens to want it?’
‘I agree. But what should I do? The strike will bring all economic activity to a halt. Prices of essential commodities will skyrocket. Our constituents will be angry.’
‘Hike sales tax by another five per cent!’
‘We can’t do that, sir. They are already in a combative mood-’
‘They have already taken the ultimate step of going on strike, right?’ What more they can do?’
‘And how will we ever get them to call it off?’
‘Give them a three percent as concession to halt the strike. We still gain two,’ Ashok chuckled.
************************************
‘The bus drivers of the state transport corporation continue to drive rashly under the influence of alcohol – this has been the fourth road accident in a fortnight,’ complained the minister in charge of the road transport portfolio, pointing out the news paper report at the chief minister Ashok Gupta.
‘Why don’t we sack the drivers if they are found guilty?’ asked Ashok.
‘They have to be convicted first sir. The court cases drag on for years.’
‘There is a perfect solution to solve the problem.’
‘And that is?’
‘Pay the drivers’ salaries directly to their wives. They’ll never part with a penny for tipple! Tell the transport commissioner to ensure that all salary payments are made out to the wives. You’ll halve the drunk-driving rate!’
********************************
Loan defaults plague our regional banks,’ said the finance minister as she pushed across the financial statements compiled by the state auditor.
‘Who are the defaulters?’ asked Ashok.
‘Farmers, home owners, traders, businessmen as well as people who run up hefty bills on their credit cards. If we don’t recover these amounts, Uttar Pradesh’s banks may collapse one day.’
‘Leave the farmers. The harvests were poor this year. Give them more time and write off the interests on their loans.’
‘And the others?’
‘They should have no difficulty in paying. They are simply taking advantage of the sloppy debt-recovery mechanism of our state owned banks.’
‘But the only action we can take is to go to court. That’s expensive and time consuming. It could be years before one sees the results.’
‘How many traders and businessmen among them are being prosecuted for tax fraud?’
‘There are several. Why?’
‘Ask them to pay back the loans within a short time. So that we can recover the loans.’
‘What if they don’t agree?
‘Tell them that their tax cases will be pursured with double the vigour.’
*************************
‘It is not good that people of Uttar Pradesh are still using conventional sources of energy,’ complained Ashok in the cabinet meeting. ‘With increasing vehicles and industries throughout the state, it is very difficult to continue the use of non-renewable sources of energy.’
‘Sir, but it is a need. Even now, we are using petroleum products in our thermal power plants. We have no other option,’ said the Minister for Revenue.
‘The problem is that you don’t take examples from other states? Don’t you know the various states in the country are using the solar energy?’ asked Ashok.
‘Yah. But is it possible here?’ asked Chandini, the finance minister.
‘‘Of course! We are getting good sunlight for more than nine months an year.’
‘Sir, what do you want us to do?’ asked the revenue minister.
‘Install solar power panels across the state, especially over the rivers.’
‘Why?’
‘It will address our power needs. Since the panels will be installed over the river, it will stop the unnecessary evaporation of water, thereby saving precious water. It will also reduce our dependence on the conventional sources of energy,’ said Ashok, smiling at his colleagues.
**********************************
‘Sir, waste management in the urban areas is becoming very problematic,’ said the minister. ‘The waste water in the cities is causing health problems.’
‘Drive the waste city water to the outskirts of the city,’ said Ashok.
‘So? How will this help us?’ the minister was confused.
‘Aggarwal, this has many benefits. First one is better environmental balance in our polluted cities. Secondly, the processed waste water can be used for agricultural purposes to grow vegetables. Thirdly, since this is done just outside the city, the farmers would get easy access to city markets and the people will get fresh vegetables.’
‘Sir, how did you know this?’ the minister was surprised.
‘This is common sense, my dear friend. And this is what our politicians are lacking!’
********************************
‘It is an utter shame that Pakistani army and terrorists have managed to kill five of our brave soldiers and yet the spineless Central government didn’t do anything!’ Ashok was frustrated by hearing the news of terror attack in the LoC. It was evident that Pakistani army was behind the attack, but the Congress led government at the Centre, chose to do nothing.
‘The spineless PM had announced that he will continue the peace process with Pakistan. What the fuck is happening there?’ Chandini too was angry. She was Ashok’s second-in-command in the Uttar Pradesh cabinet.
‘People are angry. I want to satisfy myself and my people. They should be taught a lesson,’ said Ashok.
‘But how sir? We are not in power at the Centre. We can’t pressurise the PM to go for war. It is utter foolishness,’ said Chandini.
‘I know that. We should at least give them a signal that India should not tolerate such nonsense of peace process in the front and backstabbing from behind. But all the Congress leaders including the PM have failed to take a tough stand and are keen on continuing dialogue with Pakistan. Fools!’ Ashok was angry.
‘What can we do?’
‘Are Pakistani delegates present at the Vibrant UP summit?’ asked Ashok. In the past two years, UP – Uttar Pradesh have seen tremendous economic growth and expanded trade relations with various countries. Delegates of all major nations were present for the summit.
‘Yes sir.’
‘Send all the Pakis back to their fucking land. I don’t want to serve biriyani to those rascals like the Congress party does,’ said Ashok as he walked out of the room.
March 29, 2039, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The flight from Lucknow to Delhi was short, but uncomfortable. Take off had been delayed for more than an hour due to bad weather. Mishraji, Ashok, and Sanjay were among the business class passengers. The usually grumpy airhostess had suddenly perked up and was making up an extra effort to be warm and caring towards her VIP guests.
‘What do we expect to achieve in New Delhi?’ asked Sanjay.
‘Do you remember our conversation when we both were touring villages in Ghaziabad two years ago?’ asked Ashok.
‘Which one? There were so many,’ joked Sanjay.
‘The one when I told you why we should be in power in Uttar Pradesh. That the party in power in Uttar Pradesh controls the government in Delhi.’
‘Yes. I do remember.’
‘So, what do you mean?’ asked Mishraji, putting him into the conversation. ‘We control the govt in Uttar Pradesh, You are the chief minister.’
‘Yes. The real power lies at the Centre in New Delhi and that’s where we are not in power. I hope you know why our party president Paramashivaraoji sent me back to UP,’ asked Ashok.
‘Yes, to increase our seats in Uttar Pradesh and thus help the party to come in power at the Centre,’ replied Mishraji.
‘Exactly.’
‘But we could have had this discussion in Lucknow. Why are we going to Delhi to discuss these matters?’ asked Mishraji.
‘To meet Major Godwin Joseph,’ replied Ashok.
‘Who’s he?’ asked Sanjay.
‘He’s the man who will ensure that we win sixty out of eighty Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.’
1800 hours, March 29, 2039, Guest house, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Major Godwin Joseph had been born to a middle-class family in southern Indian state of Kerala and had been wild and unruly throughout his childhood and youth. He was the leader of a gang who used to roam in bikes and cause ruckus in the neighbourhood. Godwin’s worried father had eventually requested one of his cousins, a colonel in the Indian Army to convince Godwin to take up a ten-year short service commission in the army. Godwin refused – he was having too much fun bullying others. The officer had called the boy to his cowshed and gave him the thrashing of his life. No options were offered. Godwin left for Officers Training Academy in Chennai, the very next morning. His father hoped the army would discipline the reckless youth and give his life, a sense of purpose.
It did. The discipline of army life suited Godwin. The discipline of army life suited Godwin. His stint with the army empowered him with analytical thinking, planning skills and team playing abilities. He rapidly worked his way up from lieutenant to captain to major. He was also awarded Kirti Chakra by the President of India for remarkable bravery in various counter-terror operations in Kashmir. Having completed his ten-year commission, he joined a small market research agency employed by the Government of India to carry out surveys of rural populations in conjunction with the ten-year population census. Godwin had spent the next ten years mapping population demographics across India, a difficult task, methodically implemented by the disciplined soldier in him. He left the firm having reached the position of Country Head - Rural Research, to set up his own consultancy, which would combine two symbolic things – polling and politics.
‘The Lok Sabha is the directly elected lower house of the Parliament of India. Five hundred and forty three members are directly elected by an electorate of over 1.4 billion voters, an electorate larger than that of Europe and America combined,’ began Major Godwin. ‘The reason I am here with you today is that your state – Uttar Pradesh- sends eighty members to the Lok Sabha. This is a significant number. Because if this number is ever to be controlled by a single party, that party – even if it is just a regional player, it would play a crucial role in forming a government at the Centre.’
‘Our party is not just a regional player. It is a national party,’ said Mishraji.
‘I agree, but you should consider the fact that BJP is confined to Northern and Western India. It is almost non-existent in the south expect Karnataka. It also cannot expect many seats in the east too. Your party has some allies only in Maharashtra and Punjab. This is not enough to get 272 seats in the Lok Sabha. So we should get maximum seats in UP to be in power,’ replied Major.
‘But that dream is far-fetched, Major. Uttar Pradesh doesn’t have a homogeneous electorate. It consists of people who vote on religion, caste, age and economic strata. One size does not fit to all!’ said Sanjay.
‘You are right, Mr.Sanjay. And that’s the reason why a single formula will never work in Uttar Pradesh. One popular emotion has resulted in political waves like the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Mandal reports or Ram Temple issue. But it can’t be used as a long term strategy. So the single formula is to get use issues from different formulas and cover as much as voters,’ explained Major, taking a sip of water to lubricate his throat. ‘Some seats will be fought on caste lines – Dalits versus Brahmins or Yadavas versus Baniyas; other seats will be fought along religious divisions – Hindus versus Muslims. Yet others may be fought on economic grounds. That’s where we should be careful.’
‘How? Wondered Sanjay, dipping a biscuit into his tea and taking a bite.
‘All the parties in Uttar Pradesh seem to have a core constituency. The BJP too has one; the upper caste Hindus and the youth,’ replied Godwin confidently.
‘But this is not enough. We can’t win more than fifteen seats with these groups,’ said Mishraji.
‘So we should expand our base into other sections of the society. So your strength lies in having no core constituency. If we appease Dalits for example, it would help the party in Dalit strongholds but it would be a drawback in Brahmin dominated areas.’
‘So you want us to ally with all the groups and run the risk of losing without a dominant flavour?’
‘Definitely not,’ said the Major. You have a core constituency of upper caste Hindus and youth. Don’t leave it. Being a Hindu nationalist party, it is not possible for you to ally with Muslims.’
‘So, what are you planning to tell us?’ asked Ashok.
Major switched his laptop on and kept it on the table so that it can be easily viewed by the politicians.
‘Sir, as you see, Hindus constitute 80 per cent while Muslims are 19 per cent of the total population of Uttar Pradesh. The number of Hindus includes upper castes, Yadavas and Dalits. We can’t do anything on the Muslim population. So we must try to polarize Hindu votes and try to build a broader base.
‘How?’ asked Sanjay.
‘Start your election campaign from Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Ram. This will make the Hindus think that the party is taking the Hindu nationalist agenda seriously. At the same time, there is an anti-incumbency wave against the Congress government in the centre, especially for being soft on Islamic terrorism. With the rise of an Islamic Caliphate imminent in Middle East and terror attacks in Lucknow last year, the people want the government to do more on strengthening national security. There is an impression that the Congress and regional parties are not able to take on terrorism. Make this an important issue in the campaign. The result will be the Hindus voting for BJP as a bloc.
‘So what will you do?’ asked Mishraji.
‘Have done,’ corrected Godwin. I was assigned by Ashokji the job of determining the ideal profile of a candidate for each of the eighty Uttar Pradesh constituencies a year ago. I am here to apprise you of my findings.’
**************************
‘You have eighty constituencies – Meerut, Varanasi, Lucknow, Allahabad, Rae Bareli, Amethi –‘
He continued rattling off all the names methodically from his list. Along with each name he described its population, the literacy rate, age demographics, gender split, percentage composition of castes, religions and ethnicities, and the primary occupations of the population. Facts and figures poured forth effortlessly from Major Godwin’s laptop.
As he reached the last constituency he said, ‘In Uttar Pradesh the electoral contest is still about settling the primary questions of social dominance. I have analyzed each of the eighty constituencies on this parameter.’
‘Social dominance? You mean caste!’ exclaimed Mishraji.
‘Not merely caste. Social dominance is influenced by caste, gender, religion, age and economic strength. Please understand that there is no single constituency where a single dominant group can win an election! For example in western Uttar Pradesh – Meerut – you have a concentration of Jats, the region often being called as Jatland. How many Jats are there in Meerut? Ten percent! Can you win an election with ten percent?’ asked Godwin.
‘So how does one win for example in Meerut?’ asked Ashok.
‘Look beyond the caste equations, Ashokji,’ suggested Godwin. ‘As per 2041 Census, Meerut has a population of more than two million. The city is sixty-one per cent Hindu, thirty-five per cent Muslim, three per cent Sikh, half per cent Christian and other half per cent Jain; fifty-three per cent of the population is male, and average literacy rate is ninety-seven per cent, quite higher than the ninety-four percent in whole Uttar Pradesh.’
‘So our candidate is an educated Hindu male?’ asked Sanjay.
‘On the contrary, Hindus doesn’t tend to vote as a bloc. Their votes get split along the caste lines or on other considerations. Instead, if I was a politician, I would have tried to forge an alliance of Jats and Muslims, which could theoretically capture forty-five percent of the votes,’ answered Godwin.
‘But we can’t put a Muslim candidate. Ours is a Hindu nationalist party. We can’t afford to lose the support of the Hindu population.’ said Sanjay.
‘That’s right. Hindus won’t vote as a bloc unless there under threat, probably that of Islamic terrorists. I hope you know that the consolidation of Hindu votes have led your party to victory in 1998, 1999, 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections. You need to go back to basics. Time is ripe for it. I would say our candidate will be a Hindu Jat. Provided that Jats and Muslims were historically rivals, we can get maximum votes from the Jats. The Congress and the regional parties are more certain to put up a Muslim candidate here.’
‘So what are you telling us?’ asked Mishraji.
‘A Hindu Jat is your perfect combination to win this constituency, if you can create a pro-Hindu wave in the state, consolidating the Hindu votes.’
‘What would further strengthen his chances of winning?’ asked Ashok quietly.
‘Meerut is an industrial city. Even though its youngsters turned into service sector in the previous decades, more than fifty percent of the population is engaged in sugarcane cultivation or employed in sugar-processing industries. If our Hindu Jat candidate were to be a sugarcane farmer, he would be much more acceptable – even to other castes and religious communities – because of economic considerations. By doing all these, we can get more than forty five percent votes, taking pro-Congress Hindu voters into consideration – we can’t get all the Hindu votes.’
‘But that still leaves more than fifty percent!’ said Mishraji.
‘The fifty five percent is only dangerous if it is concentrated in the hands of a single opposition candidate. That brings me to the second part of my strategy,’ said Godwin, flipping through his notes.
‘And what is that?’ asked Ashok.
‘The second part is to ensure that the remaining fifty-five percent votes get split.’
‘How?’ asked Sanjay.
‘Simple. Map the profile of the sitting MP and find a replica to put up as an additional independent candidate in each contest. The job of this candidate is simply to play spoiler and split the opposition’s vote bank.’
‘So we need to find ourselves a Jat sugarcane farmer? We then need to find ourselves a spoiler who closely matches the profile of the present MP from the Meerut constituency?’ spluttered Sanjay.
‘I have already found the former for you. His name is Rajesh Bhatti. He is fifty-three years old, a Hindu Jat – his family migrated to Meerut three generations ago – and owns a five-acre sugarcane farm along with a crushing facility. He is a natural choice,’ explained Godwin.
‘But-but are we expected to go around begging such people to contest elections on our ticket? We already have party workers queuing up for Lok Sabha tickets, why not make it easier by choosing from amongst them?’ asked Mishraji.
‘Do you want to win or not? Never make the mistake of choosing from a suboptimal pool. Identify the perfect candidate according to the constituency. Now, shall I tell you about the remaining seventy-nine ideal candidates from other constituencies?’ asked Godwin, as Ashok sat quietly, smiling.
May 9, 2041, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Ashok was seated at his desk in his spacious office at Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhavan. Mishraji was sitting on the sofa in the informal corner of his suite. They were watching NDTV 24X7 news. The anchor was saying:
‘The President of India on Wednesday dissolved the Lok Sabha with immediate effect, paving way to the constitution of the new House, which is expected later next month. The president has signed an order to this effect following a recommendation from the prime minister. Soon after the meeting of the Union Cabinet and the ruling Congress party led alliance, the prime minister drove to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit the resignation of his council of ministers to the president in person. The president asked him to continue until a new ministry was formed.’
Ashok switched off the television, ‘The bastard has called for early elections thinking that the founding of colonies in Mars and the economic boom will help his party in the elections.’
‘We are ready for elections,’ said Mishraji. It does not matter that the date has been advanced by six months. We’ve spent the last two years doing nothing but preparing for this.’
Even so, it’s now crucial that the early opinion polls put us in lead in Uttar Pradesh,’ said Ashok.
‘We don’t control public opinion,’ said Mishraji.
‘There’s no such thing as public opinion. There’s only published opinion and we must ensure that it’s in our favour.’
‘How can we ensure that?’ asked Mishraji. ‘Opinion polls are carried out by news papers and magazines. We don’t own them!’
‘Get your own private agency to carry out a poll. Newspapers that are starved for content shall be quite happy to publish the results as long as they can claim that they commissioned the study themselves. Also, use Facebook and Twitter to spread the results of this opinion poll as much as possible.’
‘Even so, we can’t control the outcome!’
‘Use the conjurer’s fourth card.’
‘Huh? What’s that?’
‘When a conjurer shuffles the cards and asks you to pick a card, he already knows which card he wants you to pick – and you do, in fact, end up picking the card that he wants you to. Opinion polls are like that. You structure them such that the respondent answers exactly the way you want him to.’
‘But what’s the fourth card?’
‘Surveys should be conducted as four-question polls specifically tailored to the subject being interviewed. Never publish the preceding three questions – only the results of the fourth. They’re the only answers that are relevant!
May 11 – 23, 2041, Throughout Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
The Brahmin interviewer was asking a Brahimin teacher:
‘Question One: As a Brahmin, do you think upper castes were uncared was left uncared by the politicians?’
‘Yes.’
‘Question Two: Do you think reservations in educational and employment have resulted in Brahmins being left out from remunerative opportunities?
‘Yes.’
‘Question Three: Even if you are a Brahmin, as a Hindu, do you think Islamic terrorism is the most important problem faced by the country?’
‘Yes.’
‘Question Four: Do I take it that you would be willing to support a bid by Ashok Gupta to give a greater voice to the Brahmins and Hindus as a whole?’
‘Yes.’
************************************
The Dalit survey agent was in the industrial area of Lucknow. He asked his Dalit subject:
‘Question One: As a Dalit, do you think years of discrimination have resulted in Dalits continuing to be inadequately protected?’
‘Yes.’
‘Question Two: Do you think reservations in education and employment need to be increased for scheduled castes and tribes?’
‘Yes.’
‘Question Three: Even if you are a Dalit, as a Hindu, do you think Islamic terrorism is the most important problem faced by the country?’
‘Yes.’
‘Question Four: Do I take it you would be willing to support a bid by Ashok Gupta to give greater impetus to Dalit and Hindu progress as a whole?’
‘Yes.’
**********************************
The young polling executive approached the university student.
‘Question One: As a youngster, do you think the youth of our country have been denied sufficient voice in the future of our nation?’
‘Yes.’
‘Question Two: As an youngster and an Indian, do you think Islamic terrorism is the most important problem faced by the country?’
‘Yes.’
Question Three: Do you believe it’s the time for the next generation to be in the driver’s seat to solve this problem?’
‘Yes.’
Question Four: Do I take it you would be willing to support a bid by Ashok Gupta to put the youth of the country in control?
‘Yes.’
******************************
Ashok smiled as he watched the evening news on NDTV 24X7. ‘Earlier this week, the Times of India published the results of a CFC opinion poll it commissioned regarding the general mood of Uttar Pradesh voters on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held in mid June. The survey found a massive polarization among the Hindus who are dissatisfied with the apathy of government in New Delhi and believe that Ashok Gupta’s bid to play a role at the Centre must be supported. It is found out that after a long time, Hindus are united under the banner of the BJP. “An overwhelming majority of electorate seems to think that BJP under Ashok Gupta can deliver better results by having a voice at the Centre,” said the CFC spokesperson releasing the opinion poll results yesterday.’
July 17, 2041, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
The general elections were held in five phases from Mid-June to the first week of July. The results came out almost one week later, completing the elections of the largest democracy in the world. Sanjay, Vashisht and Major Godwin were sitting in Ashok’s living room, sipping tea. They looked relaxed after six months of incessant electioneering, watching NDTV 24X7.
‘With a working majority in the Lok Sabha, Khandachalam Paramashivarao, the chairman of the victorious National Democratic Alliance (NDA) shall meet the President of India on 4 pm tomorrow to stake claim to form the next government. The chairman’s name was proposed by the BJP, the largest party within the NDA and was supported by smaller regional parties including Shiv Sena (Maharashtra), Shiromani Akali Dal (Punjab), All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Tamil Nadu) and Biju Janata Dal (Odisha).’ said the news anchor with a smiling face.
Major Godwin smiled. His formula of unifying the Hindu voters had worked. He took the news paper lying near the sofa and started reading. ‘The BJP had emerged as the single largest party winning two hundred seats. Along with the support of the several smaller regional parties, the coalition now has the backing of around three hundred MPs, much more than the two hundred and seventy-two required for a basic majority in the Lok Sabha. The stunning victory of BJP in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where it won sixty seats was the most important factor enabling the Hindu nationalists to come in power. The chairman of the alliance is expected to hand over the letters of support received by his party from it’s coalition partners. The president is likely to extend an invitation to the alliance to form the next government at the Centre. The oath taking ceremony is expected to be fixed for next Friday at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Thus, Paramashivarao is going to be the next Prime Minister of India.’
‘It is good that the number of MPs supporting the government is three hundred,’ said Ashok.
‘Why? Because that puts us at twenty-eight more than the halfway mark?’ asked Sanjay.
‘No. Because it puts Paramashivaraoji thirty-two short if I decide to pull the plug!’ said Ashok, chewing his aloo paratha while Godwin chuckled.
**************************************
Mishraji sat next to Vashisht, watching the scene unfolding at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President was administering oath to Ashok. He was saying, ‘I, Ashok Gupta do swear in the name of God, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the soverginity and unity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as the cabinet minister and I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and law without fear, favour, affection or ill will.’
***********************************
‘Your moving from state to central politics had created a vaccum in Uttar Pradesh.’ Mishraji had asked, ‘Who is in your mind to be the ideal one for the post of the Chief Minister?’
‘Chandini, the finance minister would be a good choice,’ replied Ashok.
‘Why?’
‘Uttar Pradesh needs her brilliance to make sure that all my projects are completed. I believe her,’ said Ashok.
‘I hope your belief rescues you,’ said Mishraji as he sat down on the sofa and switched on the television.
Next few years, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Ashok had sworn in as the new Union Home Minister. The allocation of the rest of the ministerial portfolios was a tug-of-war. Ashok demanded ten berths for the BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh. Meantime, he wanted cabinet positions in colonial affairs, commerce, telecom and agriculture although he was willing to settle for minister of state positions for the other trusted BJP MPs whose names were being put forward.
***********************************
‘What is the length of the border between India and Bangladesh?’ Ashok asked the Director of Intelligence Bureau – the former police commissioner of Kanpur.
‘4,096 kilometers sir.’
‘India and China?’
‘3,488 kilometers, previously. Now, including the border with Chinese occupied Myanmar – 1,643 kilometers. So the total is 5,131 kilometers.’
‘India and Pakistan?’
‘3,233 kilometers.’
‘India and Nepal?’
‘1,751 kilometers.’
‘Including Bhutan and Afghanistan, a total of over fifteen thousand kms, right?’
‘That’s right.’
‘And how do you prevent infiltration of terrorists through these borders?’
‘Barbed wire fences, satellites and patrolling wherever possible.’
‘Idiots! There’s no way that you can police fifteen thousand kilometers of border areas. Do you know who knows these borders better than your police?’
‘Who?’
‘The smugglers. Help them smuggle their stuff. They’ll help you catch the terrorists.’
****************************
Ashok was visiting the National Crime Records Bureau – the NCRB. He noticed tens of laptops and command settings. ‘What’s that?’ he asked.
‘These are used for storing, analysing and sending reports like Daily reports, crime statistics, national briefings – they are required at various levels of the home ministry. The data is processed here and passed on to hundreds of functionaries within the departments,’ replied the Home secretary.
‘Shut down these reports for a week,’ said Ashok.
‘What?’ asked the worried home secretary. ‘It will result in paralysis. How will the senior officials manage without information?’
‘Tell the NCRB to make a note of whoever calls up demanding it. The ones who call are the only ones who actually need it. The others merely receive it and file it away. Save time and expense by sending reports to only those who need them!’ instructed Ashok.
Nov 17, 2042, Chandini Chowk, Old Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Ashok and the director of the Intelligence Bureau were walking down the spacious lane of Chandini Chowk – the old city of Delhi. Old Delhi had seen tremendous infrastructure development in the past two decades, making it one of the posh urban areas in the world. This was a Muslim dominated area and riots had broken out. The director had requested the home minister not to come – the area was troubled and he could not guarantee Ashok’s safety. The minister however, had insisted. Chandini Chowk had become like an aftermath of a battle zone. Rocks and broken bottles lay all over the street. All the shops and other institutions were closed and there wasn’t a soul in sight. Police made sure that journalists were not there.
Ashok surveyed the scene and winced. Why are the people so excited by religion? ‘This is the last communal riot that shall ever happen on my watch as home minister. Is that clear?’ he told the director as he walked with him through the street. ‘There shall be no compromises. Offenders shall see that it isn’t a good idea to fuck around with us!’
They walked a few steps further when there was a crash behind them. They spun around and saw in horror as the vehicle near them erupted into a massive fireball. Two of the policemen escorting Ashok, died at the spot. Someone from one of the upper floors of an overlooking building has thrown a grenade at the home minister. ‘Send your men to search that building. I want all men, women and children lined up here immediately!’ shouted Ashok. Within ten minutes, around fifty people had been rounded up. ‘Anyone else inside the building?’ asked Ashok. ‘No sir, everyone’s here,’ came the reply.
‘Tell the women and children to return inside,’ commanded Ashok. There was a shuffling of feet as the nervous women gathered their children and hurried indoors. Around fifteen men were left standing in the line. ‘Check all of them for weapons and evidence.’ The policemen spent about fifteen minutes and found that one of them had grenades in his clothes and was the culprit behind the attack.
‘Step forward,’ he said softly. Worried young man tried to run, but was apprehended by the police. ‘Come here,’ he ordered the Director of Intelligence Bureau. ‘Are you armed?’
‘Yes,’ replied the director.
‘Take your pistol and finish this bastard,’ said Ashok as the captured man went into panic. ‘No wait, you can’t do that. Nothing has been proven –‘
The shot fired from the director’s pistol in was directly aimed at the culprit’s head. He fell to the ground, his brain splattered in gooey mess. There was a pin-drop silence in the street. ‘This is a word of advice from your home minister. Never, ever, fuck with me! Get it? I’ll always shoot first and ask questions later. Unless you want to get shot, don’t dare to mess with me!’ Ashok stopped for a while and said to the director, ‘Write it up as an encounter. He was hit in crossfire.’
‘He turned around and spoke to the fourteen remaining men. ‘Anyone else in the mood for getting a quick cure for a headache?’ Chandini Chowk was back to normal by five pm that evening. India has got the right home minister.
May 8, 2044, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘Bhabua State Cooperative Bank,’ said Ashok.
‘What is that?’ asked Mishraji.
‘I need to ask our appointee, the governor of Reserve Bank of India, to investigate the bank.’
Why?’
Ashok switched on his laptop and took a print out of a bunch of share transfer forms. He held up one of them. ‘See this transaction? Shiva Finance Pvt. Ltd sold this batch of stocks to Vishnu Investments Pvt. Ltd.’
‘Since when did selling company stocks become a crime? In any case, what does it have to do with an unobtrusive little cooperative bank in the state of Bihar?’
‘Dig a little deeper, Mishraji. Vishnu Investments Pvt. Ltd sold this same batch of shares to Brahma Securities Pvt. Ltd.’
‘I am still confused, Ashok. The whole point of share-trading is to buy and sell. What exactly have these companies done wrong? And how is Bhabua State Cooperative Bank involved?’
‘Don’t you get it? The sacred trinity of the Hindus – Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva?’
‘Sorry, I just don’t see what you are driving at.’
‘Brahma-the creator, Vishnu-the preserver, Shiva-the destroyer. Three facets of one single entity. Don’t you see that all the three entities are owned by the same promoter?’
‘Even so, what’s the problem?’
‘Here’s the problem. Shiva sells his batch of stocks to Vishnu on a Monday for 140 rupees per share, the prevailing market price. The next day–Tuesday–Vishnu sells the shares to Brahma at 150 rupees per share, a little higher than the market price. On Wednesday, Brahma sells the shares back to Shiva for 160 rupees each!’
‘So?’
‘Shiva loses twenty rupees per share and Vishnu and Brahma gain ten rupees each. It’s a zero sum game if all the entities belong to the same promoter!’
‘But why do it? There’s nothing to gain.’
‘Because if you do it often enough with the same set of shares and with enough money, you’ll end up driving the market price upwards. The share scrip that was traded by these three entities went up fourteen percent in three days! Three days!’
‘And where does the money for these trades come from?’
‘Bhabua State Cooperative Bank.’
‘But banks have to maintain a cash reserve ratio. There’s no way that a small bank in Bihar can possibly advance large amounts of stock speculation without regulator knowing,’ argued Mishraji.
‘Simple solution. Banks only need to report their cash balances to the Reserve Bank of India every fortnight. There are thirteen days in between when no reporting happens. Trades are executed during these thirteen days and the accounts settled on the fourteenth. The regulator never knows.’
‘So why not go after the share traders? They’re the ones who are speculating.’
‘Because Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are owned by a very important man.’
‘Who?’
‘Vijay Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar.’
‘And what do you hope to achieve by going after Bhabua District Cooperative Bank?’
‘What happens each times the music stops in a game of musical chairs?’
‘There is always one chair short?’
‘Precisely. Freeze the bank’s transactions in the middle of their reporting fortnight. They’ll be unable to explain the mismatch in funds. That’s the reason why I wanted my own man in the Reserve Bank of India.’
‘And what do you gain?’
‘A nervous chief minister of Bihar and his support of his party – the Janata Dal (United).’
May 17, 2044, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
For next few days, Ashok held massive rallies through various places in Bihar and a saffron wave began to engulf the state. He also used his influence in the BJP government at New Delhi to give more funds to the state for improving infrastructure and form launch various Central government sponsored welfare schemes. He was now back in New Delhi.
‘The chief minister of Bihar wishes to have meeting with you,’ said Sanjay.
‘Ah!’ said Ashok smiling.
‘Why are you so interested in Bihar?’ asked Vashisht. ‘Our centre is Uttar Pradesh.’
‘Vashishtji, Bihar sends forty MPs to the Lok Sabha. We won only two seats from Bihar in the last general elections. During the last general elections, the chief minister of Bihar had a seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress party. His party – JD(U) – Janata Dal (United) – contested fifty per cent of the seats while the Congress party contested the other fifty. He now wants to contest in seventy-five percent of seats in the next elections.’
‘So, why does he need us?’
‘Because if he has an alliance with BJP, we will contest in twenty-five per cent seats while his party can fight in seventy-five per cent seats. Our alliance can increase our vote share and will help both the parties to increase the seats and badly damage the Congress party.’
‘But why did you hold rallies in Bihar?’
‘How else could I have him on the run?’
‘Then you used Mishraji to get his bank in trouble with the regulators.’
‘A run on the bank was the perfect trap to set the chief minister on the run. Judging by the looks of it, my scheme seems to have worked! An alliance in Bihar will boost the BJP and thus the NDA tally nationally. The general elections are just two years away. We need to work on it.’
‘What did the PM say?’
‘He asked me just to do it. He had been trying to cobble up an alliance with the JD (U) for years.’
Jan – Aug 2045, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘How are we doing with Sentiosys?’ asked Ashok.
‘We now own twenty-five percent of the company.’
‘Good,’ said Ashok.
‘I still don’t understand why we’re buying Sentinosys,’ said Mishraji. ‘The company has shown losses for the past three years. I am doing this only because of your insistence. But why?’
‘I like the cover design of their annual report,’ said Ashok cheerily.
**************************
‘How much of Sentiosys do we now own?’ asked Ashok.
‘Fifty-one per cent,’ replied Mishraji, shaking his head. It had been one of the worst investments that he’d ever made.
‘Excellent,’ said Ashok. ‘We can now call shots in management.’
‘I am unable to understand you most times, Ashok. You’re so damned obstinate. Are you going to tell me why this company is important to you?’
‘I’m told their CEO is just twenty-four. I like supporting youngsters,’ said Ashok chuckling.
Sep 16, 2045, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
It was almost four years since the BJP led National Democratic Alliance stormed to power at the Centre. The economy was in good condition and the PM decided it was the correct time for early elections. The government have performed well, founding Colonies in Mars, Venus, Saturn and Neptune. India along with America and Japan, invested heavily in the colonies. The investments repead massive benefits in the form of metal ore, helium, energy subst.ances and gold. This gave a tremendous boom to the Indian economy, enabling it to urshure a new era of prosperity. BJP’s victories in recent state elections in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telengana, Rajasthan and Karnataka have shown that people are satisfied with the government. Hoping to cash on the good feeling throughout the country, PM decided to advise the President to call for early elections. Fresh elections were called to be held in next November and nation went to the poll mode.
Ashok was busy catching up on the previous day’s neglected newspapers. Ashok, Mishraji, Sanjay, Major Godwin and Chandini were having their session on strategy in a guest house in Shimla, the lovely hill station, situated near the Himalayas.
‘Isn’t this meant to be a meeting with Major Godwin on election strategy? We still need to finalise the candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and you continue to read the news papers,’ said Sanjay irritably.
‘There are four of you to decide election strategy. I’d rather keep myself posted on what’s going on in the country,’ replied Ashok.
‘But you never used to read the Economic Times and Financial Express. Why have you getting interested in financial matters rather than political?’ asked Vashisht.
‘It’s all the bloody same! Political power hopes to control economic resources of the country. Economic power hopes to control the politicians,’ he replied jovially. He resumed scanning the company reports, particularly those of Sentiosys.
‘So, if I may have your attention for a moment, our candidates for eighty Uttar Pradesh seats and ten Bihar seats will be a mix of incumbents and freshers,’ began Major Godwin.
Ashok looked up from his Financial Express and asked, ‘What was our share of vote in the last elections?’
‘Thirty-five percent,’ replied Godwin.
‘And yet we won more seventy-five percent of seats. What does that tell you?’ asked Ashok.
‘That we won not because we had a high share of the vote, but because the remaining votes were adequately divided,’ said Godwin, adjusting his spectacles.
‘Don’t worry about identifying strong candidates who can increase our vote-share. Vote share is meaningless. Instead, concentrate on causing divisions and fractures in everyone else’s share,’ said Ashok triumphantly.
‘And how do you propose we do that?’ asked Chandini.
‘I’m working on it,’ said Ashok, absentmindedly looking at the Sentiosys financials in the newspaper lying before him.
Sep 20, 2045, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘EVM!’ said Ashok loudly.
‘Excuse me Ashokji?’ said Sanjay.
‘Electronic Voting Machines. They’re being used in the elections since 2009.’
‘Ah, yes. It said that it’s more efficient and accurate. I too think it was so,’ said Sanjay.
‘Do you know what’s at the heart of these EVMs, Sanjay?’
‘What?’
‘Chips,’ said Ashok. ‘The EVM is like a sandwich. It’s of no use without the chips!’
*******************************
‘Do you know that it’s a complex algorithm that powers the chips inside these EVMs?’ asked Ashok.
Mishraji stopped pouring tea from the jar to his cup. ‘No, I didn’t,’ he said. ‘Any reason why I should know this?’
‘Well, the EVMs are made by different companies but they all use the same central chip. It’s the one that contains the software to make the machine register a vote and to tally the results.’
‘Ah, I see,’ said Mishraji, taking a sip of tea.
‘Ever learnt Latin?’ asked Ashok suddenly.
‘No. I studied English, Hindi and Sanskrit. Never Latin.’
‘That explains it.’
‘What?’
‘Why you didn’t realise that the word vote in English translates to sentio in Latin. You now own the company that makes the chips – Sentiosys.’
******************************************
‘But–but–that’s cheating, Ashok. We can’t rig these machines to give ourselves more votes,’ sputtered Mishraji. There was seemingly no limit to Ashok’s schemes.
‘I agree. If the machines were rigged to give us more votes, it would be cheating. But what if they were rigged to give others more votes?’ he asked innocently.
‘Are you a raving lunatic?’ asked Mishraji. ‘You want to rig these machines so that they can give more votes to others?’
‘Only to those who need them,’ said Ashok.
‘Just what are you going on about, Ashok?’ asked the exasperated Mishraji.
‘Let’s take the example of a hypothetical BJP candidate fighting in a given constituency. Supposing our candidate has fifty-one per cent of the vote share, it’s obvious that he’s the winner. Right?’
‘Right.’
‘But what if he has fifty per cent instead? What determines whether he wins or loses?’
‘How the other fifty per cent is distributed?’
‘Correct. If the other fifty per cent is consolidated with one candidate, we have a tie. But what if it is divided across two or more candidates, our candidate wins. Now, what happens if our candidate has only forty per cent of the vote-share.
‘Well, his winning or losing depends on how the remaining sixty per cent gets distributed.’
‘Correct. The remaining sixty per cent could be with one candidate, in which case our man loses. If sixty per cent is divided across two candidates, our man still loses if the sixty per cent is divided fifty-ten, but if the sixty per cent is divided thirty-thirty our man wins.’
‘So what do you plan to do?’
‘The algorithm will determine dynamically what our candidate’s vote-share is. It won’t add fictious votes to our tally but simply relocate the residual ones. This would help our party to win even in the strongholds of the minorities. I’ve always maintained that winning isn’t only about increasing our strength, but also about reducing the enemy’s. And let me tell you, we’re surrounded by enemies – people who won’t hesitate to use every dirty trick in the book!’
Dec 2, 2045, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The general elections were over after the polling in five phases that continued for more than one month. The results were decisively in favor of BJP and NDA. The NDTV 24X7 evening news anchor was reporting the results of the general elections.
‘The National Democratic Alliance had won three hundred and forty seats in the 543 member Lok Sabha, thus getting a clear majority. BJP alone had won two hundred and fifty seats. In alliance with the JD (U), BJP has swept Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, two of the most populous states in India. The senior BJP leaders including Prime Minister Paramashivarao, Finance Minister Rawat Sharma and Home Minister Ashok Gupta thanked the people for this massive mandate. Celebrations are going on in the BJP headquarters at Ashoka Road.’
March 28, 2046, Press Council, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Defence Minister Ashok Gupta had announced a press meeting at five pm. The reporters were anxious about what the honorable Minister was going to say. The meeting started precisely at five pm.
‘The government has decided to make military training compulsory for every able bodied citizen in the country,’ said Ashok, taking the journalists with surprise.
‘Sir, but this is a complex issue. Why do you think it’s really needed?’ asked one reporter.
‘I think the recent events in our neighbouring countries have made me to give a thought to this matter. We will have to face the full-fledged aggressions of the enemy nations in the near future In order to meet this twin challenge, there must be a strong second line of defence that could prove to be a morale booster. ‘Militarise the Nation’ should be our new slogan,’ said Ashok.
‘How will this help?’ asked another.
‘Training our students and youngsters in military science is important and useful in many ways. Firstly, it makes the people disciplined and inculcates the noble traditions of service, sacrifice, service and dedication. I hope you all know that military training serves as an insurance against foreign attack and increase the productivity of our human resource.’ He paused and continued. ‘As a matter of fact, by training youth in India, we shall not only be raising an army to fight the enemies of the country, but also to fight other wars to fight other wars at social, economic and health fronts.’
‘Do you think this help the civilians?’
‘Of course! By getting military training, we shall cultivate those qualities towards which, we have a very casual attitude. Our people lack several qualities like team spirit, loyalty, sense of duty, value of time, dignity of labour, selflessness, nobility of character and a spirit of good fellowship. All these qualities can be attained through this programme.’
‘Will it take a lot of time, sir? Do you think this is practical?’
‘There is no doubt that the mass military training would take time to complete and would cost a fortune. But the nation will greatly benefit in the long run. It would make the people realise that the interest of the nation is first and their personal gains are secondary. Efficiency and hard work would be guiding the citizens of the nation.’
‘Sir, what about the NCC – National Cadet Corps? It is well known that they are doing a very good job?’ asked one journalist.
‘They are doing a good job. It helps many of our schools and college students. I myself have participated in NCC during my college days. But it should be remembered that only a small fraction of the students join it. We have made it compulsory in 1963 after the Indo-China war of 1962, but was made optional in 1968. So this is what we are going to do. We will make NCC training mandatory in all the schools and colleges. The professionals and other citizens will given training by the NCC cadets based both in the rural and urban areas. I want the media to create awareness about the need of military training among the people. Facebook and Twitter can play an important role here by reaching out to the students and youth.’
‘So, what is the significance of this? There was outcry the previous time when the government tried to do this.’
‘I am sure that the people will understand the reasons behind our decision. It was this spirit that enabled Sir Winston Churchil to come out victorious during the Second World War. Napolean’s daring feats can also be attributed to his military discipline. It was also the same spirit, which moved Shivaji and Maharana Pratap to fight against the barbaric acts of their enemies. If we really want to ensure continued prosperity of this nation, it is imperative that we impart military training to our citizens. This would also serve as the second line of defence during the wars,’ said Ashok as he stood up to leave.
The journalists wanted to ask more questions, but the meeting was declared over and the Minister walked out of the hall, with the security guards.
June 25, 2052, Prime Minister’s Office, New Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Prime Minister Khandachalam Paramashivarao was having a meeting with his trusted lieutenant, Defence Minister Ashok Gupta. The threat from China and the Holy Islamic Empire was looming on India’s borders. The December Raid paid rich dividends, enabling India to seize half of the Pakistani nuclear weapon stockpile before its fall to the HIE. But it was not the enough. An important problem was the threat from HIE irregulars. The use of irregulars was largely seen in seen in the HIE conquest of Kenya. This was one of the most important threat that India faced – the loyalty of the native Muslims to the nation – as it had a large Muslim population. And the problem of Islamic terrorism. That is the reason why PM called Ashok for his advice on this matter. Rawat Sharma, the Home Minister and PM’s second-in-command along with Srinivasan Menon, the then National Security Advisor (NSA) was also present there.
The Home Minister is an incompetent arsehole. I would have been more comfortable if he was not here for my meeting with the PM. Why does this patriotic, decisive PM keep this fool as his second-in command. Ashok thought as he saw Rawat with the PM. Ashok had an instant dislike for Rawat from the first day he saw him.
‘Ashok, I am worried about the loyalty of Indian Muslims. They number about four hundred million. How can we ensure that the HIE doesn’t get them as volunteers,’ asked the PM, coming straight into the matter. All four of them sat on the sofas in the office.
‘Sir, I want you to take a look on the major religious groups in India as per the last Census held in 2051.’ Ashok switched on his laptop and kept it in front of the PM. ‘As per 2051 Census, Hindus constitute 78 per cent of the whole population in India, followed by Muslims 16 per cent. Other minor religious groups are Christians and Sikhs with almost 2 per cent each. Rest of the population contains Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, Atheists and Jews.’
‘So, there is common perception that Muslim population increase so quickly?’ asked the PM.
‘In fact, yes. PM, I think our National Security Advsior has the correct answer of your question.’ Ashok signaled Menon to continue.
‘Sir, the Muslim population has increased globally at a very fast pace, with population of the HIE skyrocketing at 2.8 billion now. There was also a very dramatic increase in Muslim population in Europe from 6 per cent in 2010 to 30 per cent in 2050. These Muslims are completely radicalized, placing them at the disposal of the HIE for a possible future invasion,’ said Menon.
‘Exactly! I am sure that Europe is going to get it’s assess kicked by the HIE in the future, if they don’t understand it now,’ said Ashok.
‘Okay, I understand, but what precisely about our Muslims?’ asked the PM.
‘Sir, as we see from this data, the proportions of various religious groups remained stable since the 2021 Census. This was much different from what happened during 1951-2021. The Muslim population increased at a very fast pace from 9 per cent in 1951 to 16 per cent in 2021. It seemed that Muslims will become about one-fourth by 2050. But, as you know it was not to be,’ said Menon.
‘Why?’ asked Rawat.
‘People are more intelligent than you,’ said Ashok, visibly irritated at his question. I can’t understand how this useless fool managed to be the Home Minister. Only God knows.
‘Sir, you might remember that there was a sense of insecurity among the Hindus and other religious groups, namely Sikhs and Christians. As a result, the people tended to have more children than earlier as a part of what they call the demographic counter offensive. The prosperity during the previous four decades enabled them to raise more children. As a result, for the last thirty years, the population of Hindus rose at the same rate as the Muslims, preventing changes in India’s demographics. Thanks to them, we are able to remarkably improve our internal security. In fact, the people saved themselves,’ said Menon.
‘So what do you expect from the Muslims?’ asked PM.
‘Indian Muslims are not radicalized as much as the Arabs and European or American Muslims. But, we should not forget about the earlier Islamic militancy in Kashmir, which we had defeated in early 2030s. What we have to do is to weed out the radicalized ones before it gets late.’
‘Explain that Menon. How do you plan to say? We have been hunting down the jihadis for decades,’ said the PM.
‘But there is obviously more that we can do. Till 2040s, we were reluctant to send our forces to finish off the terror masterminds hiding in Pakistan. We made a significant step in the December Raid as our forces assassinated half –a – dozen jihadi terror leaders. It is imperative that we continue these steps to ensure the security of our citizens.’
‘So, that’s what the offensive strategy against the terror should be. This shall be done,’ said the PM.
‘Yes sir, that’s what I am saying. The fact remains that fighting terrorism calls for a well-defined offensive-defence, a definite counter-insurgency strategy and constant innovation by security forces. There is no single strategy that we can use to successfully combat it. Any strategy we adopt will have to be a use-and-throw one. In fact, in this battle, the winner will be the one who keeps the basics in mind, but innovates constantly,’ said Menon.
Menon stopped and Ashok took charge. ‘We will have to work more on the root causes of alienation, which allows the terrorists to recruit and subvert easily swayed youth. We have to make sure that the local support for the terrorists is cut off since without that, they’re dead in the ditch.’
Ashok paused for a while and continued. ‘On the intelligence front, we have to make sure we have our eyes and ears to the ground at all times so we can see an attack coming. Simultaneously, our security forces have to keep an eye on the major mosques in the country to prevent the radicalization by the hard core, right-wing mullahs in the maddrassas.’
‘I don’t know how easy it will be to subvert these crazies,’ said the PM. ‘I think most of them have been brainwashed so thoroughly that they can no longer differentiate right from wrong. I was going through the old Al-Qadea recruitment manual the other day and it exhorted the recruiter to keep the recruit busy with lectures and religious pamphlets, especially those that discuss heaven and hell.’
‘Exactly sir, the recruiter will always try to play on the aspects of Eternal Paradise with the tale of seventy-two virgin girls for each jihadi,’ said Ashok.
‘So what do you think that can make sure that the Muslims remain loyal to the nation?’ asked the PM.
‘Sir, the basic flaw in our social engineering is that we haven’t defined the Indian identity. For a long time, the Nehru family tried to propagate that we were a nation of warring states and the British brought us together. As you all know, that’s not correct. The net-result is that the 400 million – Muslim community in India who are being appealed to by the HIE and jihadi groups saying your nationality is secondary, your religion is primary - and you have a job to convert all of India into Islam. So this is one aspect that troubles the Muslims. So, we should find a way by which the Muslim is an equal partner in the nation-building of the country. So we should teach our children that India is an ancient nation of Hindus plus those others whose ancestors are Hindus, so that Muslims too can claim equal right to the legacy of India as Hindus and other religions can. Privately Muslims accept that, because as we all know it is a fact that more than 95 per cent of Muslims in India are people who converted at some point in history and didn’t come from anywhere else.’ Ashok stopped for a while and looked at the PM.
PM nodded in agreement and Ashok continued.
‘The only problem is the hardcore mullahs in madrassas make it difficult, putting the Indian Muslims on the defensive. It is obviously because of universality of the Indian culture that we are able to prevent large scale radicalization among the Muslims. Only way we can retain the Muslim independence from HIE is to give them a sense of belonging within the country.’
‘But this is not going to be easy, Ashok,’ said the PM.
‘Yes sir. This is going to be a very difficult and time consuming process. If we do it today, we won’t have to regret tomorrow. I think we made a good start in 2040s by rewriting the history text books, freeing the educational sector from the influence of the Marxist intelligentsia,’ said Ashok.
‘Thus, we should have an offensive strategy to cut down the terrorist using military and a defensive strategy by making awareness among the people and especially Muslims?’ asked the PM.
‘Yes, sir,’ replied Ashok. ‘Our problem is that we follow only the offensive strategy but doesn’t do anything on the cultural front.’
The meeting continued for a long time. It became more focused and the decision had been taken to use two-sided strategy against terror. But time was not on their side. The world was moving into chaos.
1930 hours IST, Aug 10, 2055, Unknown Location, Northern India, Earth [Sol]
It was two days after ‘Spark’ – the battle of Taiwan which was a disaster for the Allies, with the Americans losing its entire Pacific fleet. Indian Army on the borders was on full alert and completely mobilized, expecting the outbreak of hostilities at any time.
Late in the night, Prime Minister Paramashivarao addressed the nation.
‘Today, Aug 10th 2055, a date which will remain in the minds of all Indians forever when the Republic of India was suddenly and delibrately invaded by the Peoples Republic of China and the Holy Islamic Empire? It can be easily concluded that the invasion was planned fairly years ago. They have launched an unprovoked nuclear attack on our various western and northern cities. I regret to tell you that more than forty million our countrymen are believed to be murdered. We have retaliated in the same fashion, hitting various Hegemony cities.’ He paused for a minute to let this news sink into his countrymen.
‘The Hegemony had followed the nuclear exchange by a full scale invasion. As we talk, millions of our soldiers and civilians are fighting the invasion forces along the borders. A few minutes ago, the Parliament had an emergency meeting and a bill was unanimously passed. The Republic of India is now officially at war with the Peoples Republic of China and the Holy Islamic Empire. Mother India expects a lot of sacrifices from its sons and daughters and we will need plenty of those if we are to survive. I hereby declare that the whole nation is under Emergency under article 352 of the Indian Constitution. I assure you that we will not fail. We will fight and win this war. I assure the people of India that all the persons and nations that support the Hegemony will encounter the full fury and might of the Indian Armed Forces.’
April 9, 2056, HQ, Somewhere in South Delhi, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Millions of civilians were being evacuated from the Indian capital as the PLA and HIE forces poured into New Delhi. The Indian military along with some foreign allied troops were bitterly resisted the invaders, buying time for the civilians to flee south. Most of the members of the Indian government have fled. Hundreds of thousands of civilians joined the militias that were assisting the military to slow down the invaders.
Small lights flickered in the command room in South Delhi. The major officers in the Indian military and the Defence Ministry were busy destroying the important documents. Most of the movable things were converted into small boxes and transported to Bangalore, the temporary capital. The Defence Minister Ashok Gupta and the senior military leaders gathered around the table in the command room for a final meeting.
The room had a large projector screen which had various images taken by the satellites of ISRO – the Indian Space Research Organisation on the Hegemony held parts of the city.
‘Sir, a PLA invasion force, about two million are coming from the north, while the Islamists are advancing from the west. Our undercover operatives are telling us that millions of civilians are trapped behind the enemy lines. We also heard about massive suicides of women in the Hegemony controlled parts of the city,’ said General Bikram Singh, in charge of the Northern Command looking at the screen.
‘Okay, we need to slow them down as much as we can. I think we should launch a counter-attack. At the same time, we must evacuate as many civilians and supplies south. We must also not leave anything useful for the Hegemony,’ said Ashok.
‘Colonel Lakshmikantha is doing it in a well manner. He has made sure that our forces will hold on for much more time than expected.’
‘Sir, we were not able to recover the old man’s body,’ said the Army chief about the Prime Minister Khandachalam Paramashivarao who was killed in the PLA airstrike.
‘General, it is not the time to mourn the Prime Minister,’ Ashok’s face was expressionless. ‘Rawat Sharma, the new PM and the members of the cabinet have been evacuated to Bangalore. It is imperative that you leave the city as fast as you can. Your assignments have been briefed to you. We will retake New Delhi one day, if the Gods are willing.’
Once the meeting was over, the large projector too was removed from the room. Nothing was left there, expect the Tricolour – Indian National Flag remained pegged up on the bunker walls.
The Generals left the room one by one. Ashok stood alone in the command room, thinking about his late Prime Minister Paramashivarao. He was a brave man. Ashok knew he felt some emotion that he had known before. The same thing that he felt when he did the last rites of his father, about four decades back.
Their sacrifice won’t be for nothing. We will come back one day to avenge all of them, thought Ashok as he finally left the command room for the transport waiting for him.
Aug 08, 2056, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
It was one year over since the beginning of the most destructive war in the history of the mankind. New Delhi fell to the PLA-HIE combined forces and more than two hundred million civilians found themselves trapped in occupied India, with only two options, to die an extremely painful death in the Hegemony concentration camps or to die fighting by joining the civilian militias. Most of them have chosen the second path, but it was not very effective due to the lack of coordination and support from the government.
For the last three – four months after the fall of New Delhi, Ashok seemed to suffer from inner melancholy and sense of desolation. He kept thinking about the future of the nation: With a weak PM, how will the nation stop the invaders? Will India’s indivisible culture survive? Against these invaders will this nation be able to safeguard its culture, tradition and its values? Or will this nation be shattered into fragments by these invaders? Who will lead them to victory in this war of survival? I see the sons of this soil being mercilessly massacred, yet I couldn’t do anything? All these questions taunted his mind and he finally laid a plan to be acted upon.
I know what to do. I won’t rest until I destroy the traitors within and expel the invaders from my country.
‘What have you decided Ashok?’ asked Vashisht.
‘No doubt conditions are difficult, but I am hopeful,’ replied Ashok.
‘In what way can I help you?’
‘Arrange a meeting with the student activists in our party and also the members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Most of them are interested in forming resistance groups,’ said Ashok to Vashist.
‘Ashok, whom do you want killed?
‘Let the time come. I’ll tell you everything.’
‘Okay. I will tell Sanjay to take you to our student leaders. Anything else?’ asked Vashisht.
‘I will tell you at proper time,’ replied Ashok, his face expressionless.
‘Be careful. We need you,’ said Vashisht as Ashok turned to leave. Mishraji passed away three years back. The old man having no heirs, left his immense wealth with Ashok. Now only Vashisht and Sanjay were his people whom he cared for.
‘Tell me how long you plan to organize them?’ asked Vashisht as his protégé reached the door.
‘Until I recover the honor of my nation,’ Ashok said as he left the room.
Aug 17, 2056, Kochi, Kerala, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The important members of the Union Cabinet assembled in the southern coastal town of Kochi to discuss the possibilities to form new resistance groups within the areas occupied by the Hegemony. More than two hundred million civilians were trapped behind the enemy lines. Defence Minister Ashok Gupta wanted to organize them into resistance groups to harass the Hegemony occupation forces. PM Rawat Sharma, the ministers of defence, home, external Affairs and finance along with the chief of RAW were present for the meeting.
‘We have to raise maximum number of civilian militias in the occupied zones. Unless we do that we can’t disrupt the flow of supplies to the PLA and the HIE and to stop the further invasion,’ said the RAW chief.
‘But this is so risky. This will create more problems for the civilians trapped there. They’ll massacre all of them,’ said the PM Rawat Sharma.
‘So what if we won’t do this?’ asked Ashok. ‘PM, they will kill the civilians in large numbers if they rebel. But what if they didn’t rebel? The chinks will use them for slave labour. We should take correct decisions at the correct time. Time won’t wait for anyone.’
‘Of course, I agree with Ashokji,’ said the Home Minister. ‘It has become a do-or-die game. We should use whatever means to stop the Hegemony, or else, we will be wiped out.’
‘But this is a question of playing with fire,’ said the external affairs minister.
‘I have already thought about it. Now it is your turn,’ replied Ashok. ‘I will lead the civilians into the war and everybody who is still alive will support them. Only those who are not alive will not support them.’
‘Ashok, we understand your sentiments. But is not easy as you think, said the PM.
‘With all due respect PM, one who wants nectar must remain prepared to taste the poison. It is the test of our capabilities. People elected us, expecting a lot from us. How can you remain idle when our people are being massacred and enslaved?’ Ashok was angry. ‘If we don’t do our duty, how can the nation survive? How can we produce patriots who will risk their lives for the nation?
‘Ashok!’ The PM was angry, ‘fighting the Hegemony is no game.’
‘Strength is life and weakness is death. If the nation is weak, then the nation will perish. This nation will have to learn to play with death too. I have given you the call of time. Are you ready to play with death?’
‘Ashok, consider it with calm and caution,’ said the PM.
‘If you said this to General Hon and that Caliph bastard, then perhaps there would have no need to assemble here. Go and give this advice to those who have lost the families in the war. Go and give this advice to those who are waiting to pacify the souls. I can do a lot without your support. I have decided what to do.’ Ashok stood up and walked out of the room while all his colleagues sat there surprised at his sudden outburst.
Oct 18, 2056, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India, Earth [Sol]
‘Traitors within the country opened doors of the nation to the enemy. Even our mighty army could not hold back the invaders. Our resistance fighters were fearless and strong. What they lacked was unity. Our lands bathed in blood. And kicking the skeletons, invaders marched ahead. There was no one who could stop them. Blessed is every step of India’s land where even women and children fought the invaders and accepted death with a smile. I bow to my head to those brave people who revolted against the Hegemony and accepted death, saving millions of our brothers. It was the misfortune of this land that for attacking the sons of this land, some Muslims and communists joined hands with the invaders. Blood of our own brothers was shed by our own brothers. They shot their own brothers with their rifles and pistols. They burnt their own homes and gave credit of victory to the Hegemony. The whole of Punjab was lined up with corpses. Even women and innocent children were massacred, but our army couldn’t save them. But nobody heard the cries of those unarmed people. All the people of Amritsar took arms against the Hegemony. They gave up their lives, but not the honor of their nation. This land of braves was being filled with disfigured corpses, yet we didn’t do anything.’ Ashok paused for a while and continued.
‘The danger is not of the slavery to the Hegemony. This war is different from everyone our nation has fought. We are fighting for our survival. Nothing else. The Hegemony won’t stop until they exterminate the Indian people and wipe out our culture. So, if the people is not awakened and united to fight the enemy, our chances of survival will be very difficult. Education leads the path towards salvation. If it can’t do it then it is useless. It is the duty of the students to liberate the nation from bondages.’
‘Order us, Ashokji. We are ready to be freed from the bondages,’ said one of the student leaders in the room.
‘Vande Mataram! Vande Mataram!’ the students shouted.
‘This nation must be freed from the Hegemony and in that lies your freedom,’ said Ashok.
‘Ashokji, show us the way. We are ready for the struggle,’ said another student leader.
‘Then awake the sleeping society. Bring up its latent strength! Awake the courage which is inherent in our society. Awake the strength which is inherent in this nation. But remember, freedom struggle will demand sacrifices of the youth. It’ll demand sacrifice of your self-interest. Moreover, the awakening of the Goddess of War will demand sacrifices of lives.’
‘JAI HIND! JAI HIND!’
‘Always remember! Awakening and freedom from invaders is our aim. Sacrificing is only the path, not the goal. Don’t let your sacrifice go waste. So light the flame of freedom in every village, city and state. And the invaders have to be sacrificed in this flame of freedom. Make a firm decision that the lamp of freedom must burn in every heart and it will vanquish the invaders.’
‘JAI HIND!’
‘May mother India guide your path. Jai Hind!’ thundered Ashok as he stopped speaking.
‘ARISE INDIA!’ The students shouted as Ashok slowly went out of the room.
Oct 26, 2056, Kodagu, Karnataka, South India, Earth [Sol]
For months, Ashok secretly travelled throughout free India mobilizing the civilians to support the resistance groups in occupied India. But he also made sure that he maintained a low profile not arouse the suspicion of the Hegemony. Now, Ashok was staying at a small house in a village in Kodagu district. Kodagu was famous for its brave warriors and coffee.
The spark that Ashok lit in the minds of the student spread throughout the country like wildfire. Thousands of students joined various civilian militias. Mishraji’s immense wealth inherited by Ashok fuelled the resistance groups. Students were trained in guerrilla warfare and militias were sufficiently armed with light-weight weapons, to harass the Hegemony troops through series of hit – and – run ambushes.
‘Ma, your sons were brave soldiers. Their valour in the battle of Amritsar inspired millions of our soldiers to fight the Hegemony,’ said Ashok to his host. She was more than eighty years old.
‘How can I let my only grandson to go for war? He is barely sixteen! You have even drafting the young men into the war. Do you think it’s good?’ asked the lady.
‘We have started training all the people in the country. But I want each mother to know why and for what their sons are going to fight.’ Ashok paused, but there was no response.
‘If you aren’t ready for a change, then nothing can be done. Mothers are the medium of change, we are only the means. You are our inspiration.’
‘I don’t want to hear anything you say, Ashok.’ The host was not at all happy to agree.
‘Only women can decide the future of this country. If you are incapable, then how can your children be capable?’ said Ashok, retaining his cool. ‘It is a challenge before you, Ma.’
‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ the lady was not convinced. ‘You carry everyone away with your clever words.’
‘Can I mislead you?’ asked Ashok with a smile on his face.
‘No. I won’t let you.’
‘Grandma, I have decided to go to war and fight against the Hegemony,’ said her grandson.
‘Keep quiet!’ she said in an angry voice.
‘If you say, we all will be quiet,’ said Ashok as he stood up to leave. ‘But tell me if someone attacks you can I remain quiet. Will he be silent?’ asked Ashok pointing at her grandson. ‘Then why are we silent when your and my motherland is being attacked? Is her honor of no importance? Just as you’ve nurtured him with your milk, so has this land nurtured us. We’ll mingle with Earth after death… yet that Earth will be our mother. Doesn’t this soil mean anything to you? Go and stop the cries of those who have lost everything to the invaders. Go and stop the laughter of those invaders.’ Ashok stormed out of the house in anger.
Soon, the host got up and went after him. She was shaken by what Ashok said. ‘Ashok, wait! Please come. Who are you? Who attacks direct on the heart?
‘It saddens me that who has come to you without giving pain of birth, you don’t consider him your son!’ said Ashok with a smile.
‘But you’ve caused too much pain to my heart.’
‘I’m your prodigal son!’
‘Shut up,’ she said with a smile. ‘I wonder how many hearts you will make suffer. Come inside. You have my permission. Take him. Now come inside,’ said the lady.
‘I would have taken him even without your permission,’ said Ashok smiling.
‘You are cunning!’ she said happily as Ashok walked inside.
July 11, 2057, A village near Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh, HIE occupied India, Earth [Sol]
The war in India was different from all other fronts during the war. The frontlines constantly shifted and many people found themselves behind the enemy lines. As time progressed, RAW operatives found ways to sneak into occupied India when needed. They knew the enemy satellites kept its eyes on movement on the ground, day and night.
In a small house in the village, Ashok was having a meeting with his student resistance leaders. His efforts began to reap benefits, as the reorganized resistance groups harassed the Hegemony occupation forces with more vigour and efficiency, inflicting huge losses on the invaders.
‘Controlling the revolutionary activities in Gujarat and Rajasthan will be a big problem to the HIE forces there. More than the revolutionary acts, its news will strengthen the morale of our fighters, their supporters and citizens in other states. Sikhs in Punjab had rebelled against the HIE even during the great purge of 2055. So, rebellion could erupt there again when they hear about Gujarat. Wazir Sheikh Kuwaiti – the Governor of HIE occupied India - will try very hard to crush the rebels. Kuwaiti is our first target. We must finish him soon,’ said Ashok as the leaders were surprised.
Ashokji, is it possible?’ asked Major Rohit Jaiswal, in charge of the Gujarat sector.
‘Difficult, but not impossible,’ replied Ashok.
‘Have you made any plans?’ asked Pratap Sharma, the leader of student forces in Central Rajasthan.
‘Our undercover operatives are telling us that Kuwaiti is planning to visit Ajmer in the next week. More precisely on 20th July. The security forces there will be innumerable armed with most modern weapons including the latest Chinese anti-sniper technology. But, we have no other option. We should do it there itself. Kuwaiti must die.’ Ashok stopped for a while and analysed the faces of his men. They knew what Ashok wanted. He seemed pleased and continued.
‘The death of Kuwaiti will destabilize the HIE due to indecisive leadership till another Governor is posted. This will lead to tremendous confusion amongst the Islamists and we can motivate our people to rise against the invaders. We have to succeed. The Islamists can come here any time from Bhopal.’
Ashok stood up to leave. ‘I am going to another city, but be careful. May mother India guide your path,’ said Ashok as he left the room.
The resistance group leaders meticulously executed Ashok’s plan. Kuwaiti was assassinated on 20th January by a sniper. The sniper was shot dead by the HIE troops, but his sacrifice didn’t went vain. His death emboldened the Indian revolutionaries and they began harassing the HIE forces more often.
Dec 9, 2058, Pune, Maharashtra, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Pune was covered by massive security blanket due to its strategic location. It was a very important city, considering the fact that huge supplies of food, ammunition and weapons were stockpiled there to keep India floating in the war. Ashok was struggling to go through the motions of another high-stress day when the call came. It was Sanjay, Ashok’s trusted lieutenant and closest companion, calling from Nashik. The minute Ashok heard the tone of Sanjay’s voice; he knew something was seriously wrong.
‘Ashokji, have you heard?’ Sanjay was almost crying.
‘Heard what?’ A sudden sense of foreboding flailed Ashok.
‘My father… is… is…’ Sanjay’s voice faltered. ‘He’s no more.’
‘Vashishtji, No!’ Numbness overcame Ashok. ‘What happened?’ he said struggling to stay calm. ‘How?’ As Sanjay told him, the scene played out in Ashok’s mind like some horrifying movie.
A group of ten dozen Islamic irregulars had surrounded Vashisht and the resistance fighters. They were Indians itself, radicalized by a self-appointed mullahs in dozens of mosques in North India. Young kids, barely out of their teens, who didn’t even realize that they were mere pawns in the unholy hands of the devilish Godking, who for his fanatic ideology, murder innocents in the name of religion.
Vashisht knew his time was up. Not willing to give up, he and his ten comrades rushed into the jihadis shouting slogans – Jai Hind! Jai Hind! Slowly, each of them died fighting, killing more than one of the jihadis. Vashisht was done and his soul left the body when one of the Islamists shot him right between his eyes.
Another five minutes later, a group of two hundred resistance fighters led by Major Godwin and Sanjay entered the area. They overcame the Islamists and slaughtered them. What they found was disfigured and mutilated corpses of Vashisht and his comrades.
‘Only ten minutes late,’ Sanjay said crying as Godwin tried to comfort him.
Ashok could hear Sanjay’s sobbing voice. ‘I will be coming there in a few hours,’ he said as the call ended.
How could Vashishtji die? It seems like only yesterday that we first met. Vashisht was his teacher, moreover the father figure who gave him a new direction for his life.
Ashok stood there a long time, letting his mind wander into the past. Slowly, from back of his mind, he dredged up the words from the holy book – Bhagvat Gita – that never failed to give him sustenance.
You grieve over those who should not be grieved for…. Arise O son of Kunti, determined to fight. Treating alike pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat….
Lord Krishna’s immortal advice to the warrior Arjun about five thousand years back in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, snapped him back to present.
Vashishtji fell doing his duty….. you must do yours….
The leader in him knew he had to stay focused on his task. He just muttered one thing. The Islamists have signed their death warrant.
March 12, 2059, Bangalore, Karnataka, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The secret meeting of the Lok Sabha was urgently convened to assess the situation in the country and abroad. The meeting in the underground bunker was bound to be problematic. India was losing ground to the Hegemony. The enemies had reached as far as the Vindhya mountain ranges with Mumbai and Nagpur under siege.
Long before the war began, India began massive development of its military to contain the rise of hyper aggressive China. Along with Israel, it tried to stop the formation of the HIE, by sending RAW operatives to the Middle East. The efforts failed and the whole of the Muslim world was conquered by the madman. Nevertheless, the Indian Special Forces managed to seize half of the Pakistani nuclear stockpile before its fall to the HIE (December Raid). India tried its best to deter war, but it found itself facing the vast Hegemony armed forces and losing half of the country to the invaders. The former PM Paramashivarao was killed, leaving the country without a strong leader. The morale of the people was low and Rawat Sharma, the present Prime Minister was planning to surrender to avoid the extermination of the Indian people. He knew nothing about the intentions of the Chinese, whose mission was to exterminate all the non-Han people in the world. He didn’t knew the only choice available was to fight. Fight for survival.
As the war went poorly for India, the unrest among the people increased. They wanted a new strong leader to turn the tide. The ruling BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition was also very angry with Rawat’s proposal to surrender. Most of the legislators were in a mood to ask the PM to step down even before the meeting started. About three-fourth of the Members of the Parliament (MPs) were from the NDA, after their stunning victory in the last general elections held in April 2055.
‘We have lost the faith in your leadership. You are responsible for the loss of New Delhi,’ said Khate Thackrey, the leader Shiv Sena, the second largest political party in the ruling coalition.
‘Absolutely, the PM has damaged the war efforts with his intentions for peace with the Hegemony. We need a patriotic person as the Prime Minister and not a traitor!’ Another leader of the BJP shouted.
‘Gentlemen, please listen, I think it is in the best interest of the nation to surrender. Or else, we will face extermination. The Chinese has sent us an ultimatum to surrender or get destroyed,’ said the PM.
‘And, you just decided to give in,’ asked another MP. ‘I am sorry to say that the country doesn’t need such a weak person like you as the Prime Minister of this nation.’
Soon, most of the legislators joined the debate. It literally became a no-confidence motion against Rawat. Although the legislators from the Congress party (the major opposition party) supported Rawat’s proposal to surrender, they didn’t make any difference since they had just thirty MPs in the 543 member Lok Sabha, due to their massive defeat in the last elections. The noise increased and Rawat realized he has lost the support of majority of the legislators.
He had no option, but to resign.
March 19, 2059, temporary Rashtrapati Bhavan, Bangalore, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
Millions of Indians watched the scene unfolding at the temporary Rashtrapati Bhavan. The President was administering oath to a man dressed in a shervani. He quite obviously had the text of oath before him on a single sheet of paper but does not seem to need it. It was almost as if he had spent his entire life preparing for the occasion.
‘I, Ashok Gupta do swear in the name of God, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established, that I will uphold the soverginity and unity of India, that I will faithfully and conscientiously discharge my duties as the prime minister and I will do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and law without fear, favour, affection or ill will.’
The swearing in was completed and the new Prime Minister spoke to the nation. ‘Brothers and sisters, I just want to tell you this. India remains. As long as it remains, the Hegemony cannot take the world. We are the tigers of Asia. Our great civilization has weathered the storms of Greeks, Shakas and Huns, before it wilted before the Islamic storms of the Arabs. However, a thousand year resistance saw this country bloodied but unbowed. Its civilization survived through the heroic efforts of the Vijayanagar Empire and of Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Govind Singh and countless heroes and martyrs. Now, we are in the same situation as our ancestors. We are facing the Islamist and Han monsters at the same time and our enemies now control more than two-thirds of the world. There is no victory or defeat here, but life and death. So we will fight until the survival of our civilization and that of the free world is ensured, until the free world can retake what was taken. That’s my promise to you.’
The ascension of Ashok as the new PM was a result of the chaos in the secret meeting of the Parliament a week ago. Rawat resigned after being disgraced by his party and the coalition partners. Soon, they agreed on a new leader – Ashok, as the people and the legislators were impressed by his organizing of the resistance groups against the Hegemony.
Jan 17, 2061, New York City, United States of America, Earth [Sol]
New York City, the cultaral capital of the world is now the capital of the United States of America, after Washington D.C. was destroyed during the Operation Dragons Fire. New York proudly lifted its head to greet the leaders of various allied nations across the globe. Thanks to the Allied forces in the space, the city was saved from the nuclear devastation. The secret conference was the first among the allied powers to coordinate the war efforts. Hegemony seemed practically unstoppable and the Allies were on retreat in every part of the Earth and the Colonies.
The American President welcomed the leaders of the seven allied powers who had gathered there – India, Australia, Free Japan, Free New Zealand, African Union, Columbia and Chile. All of them seemed tense.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, I think there had been enough beating around the bush. We need to coordinate the war efforts in a systematic manner to counter the Hegemony,’ said the American President. All his guests nodded in agreement.
‘The major problem is of stockpiling the resources for fighting a long war. Our supply lines in the Pacific front are not safe as the Hegemony is in control of the major sea routes in the south Pacific,’ said the Australian Prime Minister. Most of Australia has fallen to the Hegemony and it was cut off from more American reinforcements due to the Chinese invasion of the United States mainland.
‘Don’t worry about that. India will be glad to help Australia to set up a safe passage to direct the flow of resources for fuelling our war machines,’ said Ashok. He had anticipated this earlier and came up with this plan during his meeting with the Chief of the Indian Navy. ‘Our navy control Maldives and Lakshadweep, keeping the sea lines open in the Indian Ocean.’
‘That takes care of half of our problems,’ said the American President. ‘We need a safe water body in order to win. We should keep the resources flowing from mines in Allied held territory in Australia to India, from where it can be routed to Southern Africa.’
‘So, what shall be our overall strategy?’ asked the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
‘As we all know, there is nothing that we can do. Just to fight the defensive war along the borders with the assistance of the natural barriers that can slow down the Hegemony advance. That’s what we’re doing along the MDL – Mississippi Defensive Line,’ said the American President.
‘That won’t be applicable as a long term strategy. China will break through the MDL sooner than later or exploit the weak defenses in the rear. So we must do something that will help us to turn the tide all over Earth and the Colonies,’ said Ashok, with a face brimming with confidence.
‘How?’ Everyone in the room was surprised.
‘Let us pit HIE against China. I hope all of you know that they are uneasy allies. They joined together only for short-term tactical gains.’
Everyone in the room went silent.
‘Are you out of your fucking mind?’ asked the South African President. ‘There is now way that we can turn HIE and China against each other.’
‘It can be done provided we work together,’ replied Ashok.
‘This is madness,’ said the President of Congo, with a sleepish expression on his face. ‘I think we will have to pay with the blood of countrymen for your virtually impossible plan.’
‘Friend, I think you forget that thousands of my troops have paid the price for your incompetence in the Battle of Kigali,’ said Ashok in an angry tone. ‘I guess, you will understand if you listen to me,’ said Ashok, virtually pleading his colleagues to listen patiently.
‘Sorry Ashok, I don’t think there is any reason for us to continue with that topic,’ said the American President as he diverted the focus of the meeting towards other matters. Ashok subsided, realizing there is no use of explaining here. He has to plan extensively and act on it at the right time.
April 28, 2064, Southern HQ, Bangalore, Karnataka, Free India, Earth [Sol]
India’s capital was shifted to Bangalore after the fall of New Delhi to the Hegemony. Things were not going in their way as the Allies were on retreat in every part of the world. Something has to be done to turn the tide. Prime Minister Ashok Gupta was reviewing the present military scenario along with his trusted aides - Joseph Alex, the National Security Advisor (NSA), Major General Lakshmikantha and Alok Joshi, the RAW chief. The Ministers of External Affairs, Home Affairs and Defence was also present in the room. A huge map of India along with a various fronts was shown. There was only bad news. Mumbai was on the verge of falling to the Hegemony and the civilians who fell behind the enemy lines were living life worse than death in the Hegemony concentration camps. The reports from abroad were also not very good. America was on the verge of collapse. So was the European Union.
‘We have to find a different way to turn the tide. Everything is spinning out of control.’ Joseph said, expressing his worry on the face.
‘We have to cope up with the fact that we can’t survive this war through a conventional manner. Can’t we try something like Operation Kino of the WW2?’ asked the RAW chief.
PM was listening carefully to the opinions of his aides, but didn’t speak a word. The mood in the room was altered when they saw the expressions on Ashok’s face. They felt that he was planning something. This made them uneasy.
‘Gentlemen, till now we were trying to counter the enemies through the military might. It will be disastrous if we think that we can take the Hegemony in an open war.’ Ashok came straight into the point.
‘Sir, what are you saying?’ asked a bewildered Lakshmikantha.
‘We will try to lit a spark against China.’ If its home territory is under threat, their attention will be divided, so that we can reorganize our forces and get ready for a final push to the Himalayas.’ Ashok said in his usual cool, but firm voice.
‘Sir, are you suggesting what we think you are suggesting? Joseph asked. The plans of the PM have always surprised him.
‘No, Joseph. We shall not send our commandoes to China. Just get its enemies to attack its home front.’
‘Who is their biggest enemy?’
‘China’s strongest friend and ally.’
‘CFR?’
‘No,’
‘Then who?’
‘The Islamists.’
‘How sir?’ All the men in the room asked simultaneously.
‘I hope you guys didn’t forget the paper circulated by the RAW, almost a decade back, in 2053, when the Hegemony was formed.’ Ashok paused for a while and continued. ‘Islamists and the racist Hans are always uneasy allies. They both have their own agenda that has nothing to do with their alliance. The Caliph bastard always wants to wash the world in blood and won’t stop until the Islamic crescent rules the world. The fucking chinks are fighting for a Han ruled world. So, what if we break their alliance?’
Simultaneously, supportive nods emerged from the room, indicating that PM has taken the right path to turn the tide.
‘But how what is so special about the Islamists? Can’t we use the Tibetans, along with the Vietnamese resistance groups?’ asked the Home Minister.
‘These Islamists are not only mad about the religion. They are truly fundamentalist killing machines who would fight until death. Their irregulars are experts in creating chaos in the enemy country and demoralizing the population. We have seen the extensive use of these irregulars in the HIE invasion of the EU.’ PM explained.
‘The gods are kind to us. They didn’t get much irregular Muslims from India, due to their loyalty towards us.’ The Defence Minister commented, eagerly putting him into the conversation.
‘Do you want to sign cease fire with the Islamists?’ asked Lakshmikantha.
‘Absolutely no, my brave soldier. Islamists are mad about their Allah. They won’t care about anything else. Moreover, we are kafirs to them. They’ll do anything to destroy us.’ Ashok said.
‘But what will cause the HIE to rebel? It was HIE who invaded us from the west on the advice of that behen chod Hon before the chinks attacked us.’ The External Affairs Minister sounded sceptical about the success of the plan.
‘The PRC province of Xinjiang,’ said Ashok.
‘What?’ The Home Minister was surprised.
‘Xinjiang is PRC’s Achilles heel. The Uighur Islamic rebels there were fighting against China for more than a century. They are very angry that HIE has stopped giving supplies to them after joining the Hegemony? What if the discontent rises?’ Ashok smiled and continued, ‘we should just lit the fire and pour some oil into it. I am sure RAW is able to do it. Send some of our Muslim RAW agents in the HIE-Pakistan to Xinjiang and flare up the rebellion and recruit the youth there. Our agents should launch constant attacks on PLA supply lines and strangle them. With their rear under the threat of invasion, it will relieve the pressure on our forces and give us time for reorganizing our military to counter attack.’
‘Sir, but how can we be sure that this would help to break the alliance.’ Lakshmikantha said, still not convinced.
‘RAW chief has the answer for your question,’ said Ashok.
‘Our undercover operatives in HIE top brass is saying that the morale of the troops is going down due to the long war of attrition in India. They are also sceptical of the PRC support, coupled with the hatred towards the kafir Chinese.’ RAW chief answered.
‘This takes care of our biggest headache,’ Ashok intervened. ‘There are also reports that HIE is planning for a large scale attack against China and CFR in the middle of 2065. But it will be too late. I am confident that if we lit a spark in Xinjiang, HIE will expedite its decision to start the jihad against the PRC and the CFR.’
This piece of information surprised all the persons in the room except the RAW chief. The meeting continued and the plan was laid to strike hard by pitting the two enemies against each other. If Gods are kind, it will alter the course of the world history.
Dec 12, 2064, Panaji, Goa, Free India, Earth [Sol]
It was late in the night when the reports were confirmed. The Hegemony have broke apart with the Holy Islamic Empire declaring a holy war against the godless CFR and China. Millions of Indians heard it through the media while the Prime Minister addressed the nation.
‘Brothers and sisters, what you hear is true. Our enemies have started fighting among themselves. The time has come to avenge our fallen brothers and sisters. Remember those brave souls who gave everything to save all of us. We’ll fight those barbarians with everything we’ve got. From now, we wouldn’t wait for the enemy to come and hit us, but we’re going to take the fight on to them. Avenge our fallen brothers together and wake up to the call of time. Let us together say the slogan that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose gave the brave men of Azad Hind Fauj in 1942 to drive the British out of India. Chalo Delhi! Chalo Delhi!’ thundered Ashok as his voice echoed in the minds of his countrymen.
Dec 24, 2064, Dublin, Ireland, European Union, Earth [Sol]
Dublin, the capital of Ireland had become the powerhouse of the Allied forces in Europe. After the fall of most of the continental Europe, Ireland and Scandavia produced most of the weapons, ammunition and food grains that kept the EU alive in the war. Dublin was also the favourite destination of the refugees from the European mainland after its fall to the Hegemony. Due to this, the Hegemony conducted constant air raids on the city. But now, it stopped as the Holy Islamic Empire broke away from the Hegemony, creating trouble in their paradise. Allies all over the world realized that this was the moment that they were waiting for during all those years and began counter-attacks throughout the globe. The Allied leadership has assembled here for the second conference after the start of the war to coordinate the war efforts to get maximum advantage from the breakup of the Hegemony.
‘Thank you, Ashok. We all underestimated you,’ said Harry the Lion, the new monarch of the United Kingdom and the president of the EU.
‘Thanks, Harry. I was sad that you all didn’t join me in the operation. I had to do it alone and I did. Anyway, I am happy now,’ said Ashok. In fact, he was very angry when he was humiliated in the New York conference back in 2061 when he tried to explain his plan to break up the Hegemony. He wanted the Allies to thank him and remain indebted to him for what he is going to do, to erase the wound from his mind.
Soon, leaders of other nations entered the room and meeting started. Almost all of them congratulated the Indian PM for the master plan that broke up the Hegemony. Slowly, the meeting became more focused.
‘I think we should coordinate our efforts and get ready for a massive counter-attack. I think North America should be chosen as the site where we should combine our attention and important forces. As we said earlier, we need North America free from the Hegemony, so that it can be used as a spring board to liberate the rest of the world,’ said the American President.
‘How could you tell that?’ Ashok was angry. ‘We had been fighting those bastards by our own for the last ten years. No one was there to help us.’
‘What about us? We are on the verge of falling to the Islamists. You have to liberate Europe first in order to get maximum benefit from the breakup of the Hegemony,’ said Harry. ‘I hope this would also be a good option to relive the pressure on India. How could you Yanks forget both our nations?’
A noise erupted in the hall. Most of the respondents were angry. Both Ashok and Harry stood firm for the liberation of Europe while the Americans were adamant to liberate the Western Hemisphere first. The chaos continued for a while before Ashok took charge and offered an option.
‘We agree that there is North America is the easiest continent to liberated from the Hegemony. But you will have to move to Europe and relive the pressure on India once the Operation Angels Fire is completed.’
There was silence in the room as he gave his suggestion. ‘It’s the only way to get maximum benefit out of the HIE-Hegemony conflict. Unless we do that all my work will be futile. Also remember, Europe will surely fall if we don’t act soon. It will free up millions of Islamist troops to fight in India, creating problems for us,’ finished Ashok as other leaders were lost in deep thoughts.
The meeting became more focused, as hours passed. The outcome of this meeting is uncertain. Only time will tell. But the things have at least started to move. North America would be liberated first. Europe and India would follow.
Dec 22, 2066, Prime Minister’s Office, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, Earth [Sol]
Two years passed since the launching of the Operation Chanakya, which broke up the Hegemony. In the beginning of the operation, most of the political leadership was sceptical about the outcome. Even the American and European leadership didn’t pay attention to it, prompting the Indian government to do it alone. The RAW operatives did a very good job by infiltrating the Islamic groups in Xinjiang and creating chaos in the region, prompting the PLA General Hon to mobilize the troops on the PRC-HIE border in Xinjiang and also in occupied India and massacred the Muslims in the troubled province. The large-scale killing of Muslims in Xinjiang angered the Godking and he decided to direct the forces against the Chinese and its communist ally – the CFR. The surprise attack by the HIE on China and the CFR greatly weakened the Hegemony and forced it to withdraw their forces from Australia. The American and Mexican troops have liberated their homeland and are now back in Europe. India started a new counter offensive, pushing the Hegemony north.
The PM was having a small meeting with the RAW chief. They seemed happy with the present military situation and the mobilization of the Indian reserve forces. At first the RAW chief did most of the talking. PM just stood listening to what he said. Old man is planning something; the RAW chief smiled and continued.
‘Sir, there is a report that HIE is planning to send its reserve troops to India to boost its fronts against both us and the PLA. How can we prevent it?’ said the RAW chief.
‘The answer lies in keeping the Godking occupied. He should have the need of the reserve forces within its borders,’ counselled Ashok.
‘How?’
‘Stir up internal strife. Keep him busy controlling law and order.’
‘Easier said than done. The HIE population is happy. They are proud of their holy war against the infidels. What would make them revolt?’
‘Make them unhappy. Think, Joshi. Which is the most powerful community in the HIE?
‘The hard-line Muslims. The Wahabbists.’
‘More commonly, who?’
‘The Sunni Muslims.’
‘Do you know anything about the Sunni-Shia conflicts in the past?’ Asked Ashok, apparently testing his trusted lieutenant.
‘Yes sir. Of course,’ the RAW chief was happy to prove that his knowledge is not just limited to the military. ‘Sunnis believe that Abu Bakr, the father of Prophet Muhammad's wife Aisha, was Muhammad's rightful successor and that the method of choosing or electing leaders (Shura) endorsed by the Quran is the consensus of the Ummah, (the Muslim community). Shiites believe that Muhammad divinely ordained his cousin and son-in-law Ali (the father of his grandsons Hasan ibn Ali and Hussein ibn Ali) in accordance with the command of God to be the next caliph making Ali and his direct descendants Muhammad's successors. Ali was married to Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter. Muhammad's wife Aisha endorsed her father Abu Bakr as the successor to Muhammad. In the Battle of the Camel (656), Aisha opposed her step son-in-law Ali outside the city of Basra because she wanted justice on the perpetrators of the assassination of the previous caliph, Uthman. Aisha's forces were defeated and Muhammad's widow was respectfully escorted back to Medina. Sunnis follow the Rashidun "rightly guided Caliphs", who were the first four caliphs who ruled after the death of Muhammad: Abu Bakr (632-634), Umar ibn al-Khattab (634-644), Usman ibn Affan (644-656), and Ali Ibn Abi Talib (656-661).’
‘So, the conflict between these sects dates back to the beginning of Islam?’ Ashok asked, impressed by how Joshi has explained it.
‘The seeds of conflict were sown in the 7th century itself. There are also differences how they practice the religion. This Shia-Sunni conflict continued throughout the medieval times into the modern times. As you know in the beginning of the 21st century, Iran was the only Shia majority nation in the world. The hard line Sunni Muslims pressed for the total destruction of the Shities and the retaliation by the Shiites caused havoc in Pakistan, Iran and Iraq. The worst Shia-Sunni conflicts occurred in the 2000s, until the beginning of 2030s, when the Holy Islamic Empire was formed with the madman unifying them under one banner for the holy war against the infidels.’
‘What do you think? Is there a fire brewing inside the HIE? Shouldn’t we add some oil to that fire? What if Shias and Sunnis fight each other?’ Ashok asked with a grin on his face.
‘Sir, I don’t understand?’
‘What would happen if the Caliph, a Sunni, was seen to be encouraging and promoting Shia Islam?’
‘The Sunnis would be up in arms!’ RAW chief sounded excited.
‘Will you still have happy and content people in the HIE, Joshi?’
Joshi smiled, defeated. ‘But how do I get the madman to encourage Shias?’
‘The answer lies in our sources within the HIE top brass. Let them create an impression that HIE leadership started favouring Shias by giving grants to their Imams to establish their own Islamic universities. Then, the Sunni communities will certainly feel threatened.’
‘But the Caliph will never spend money for a Shia cause. Moreover, if he gets a wind of this, all our plans fail. A silly mistake and we all will be finished.’ argued the RAW chief.
‘Then better make no mistake. I know this is a huge risk, but if we pull it off, it will be the end of the HIE,’ Ashok paused for a while and continued, ‘The idea need to be framed in a way that the madman gets the credit without having to spend either his time or his money in getting the project off the ground.’
‘But sir, even if we finance it, is it wise to use the religious differences? We haven’t done such things before. It is not the strategy of honourable warriors.’
‘Joshi, I have always felt that we Indians lack killer instinct. We have to show our enemies that this is a new India which knows how to crush the aggressors. If I need to use religious differences to win the war, so be it. Ends justify the means.’
‘But this might spill over to India, creating problems in the Indian Muslim community,’ said Joshi, still not convinced.
‘Don’t worry. I am sure it won’t provoke Indian Muslims. They were one-sixth of the Indian population before the war started. But now they are less than five per cent of our total population. This means that HIE and China are targeting Indian Muslims more due to their loyality towards us. If they didn’t join HIE then, they won’t bother this too. Moreover, I intend to use Muslim RAW agents for this mission,’ said Ashok in his typical cool manner.
‘Sir, doesn’t this go against your conscience?’ asked the RAW chief.
‘Joshi, the world is at war and we still are on the verge of losing it. A clear conscience is usually the sign of bad memory. In any case, I can’t afford the luxuries such as a clear conscience!’
‘But why don’t we get Lakshmikantha’s army to simply attack the HIE?’ asked Joshi, visibly perplexed.
‘If my memory is right, the Pakistanis launched a low intensity conflict in 1989 to bleed us through a proxy war of thousand cuts. Now it’s our turn to bleed them to death.’
‘Why?’
‘Because attacking them is not an option. Remember, we politicians try to diminish the strength of the enemies while increasing our strength. War is politics with bloodshed, while politics is war without bloodshed. It is always easy to stab the enemy from the back, than from the front.’
Jan 24, 2067, Dubai, Holy Islamic Empire, Earth [Sol]
The political Sunni Islam, with increasing intolerance on the Shia minority, undue privileges for the Sunni clergy and Wahabists was suffocating for the Shias, Sufis and the Ahmadiyas.
Dozens of Sunni mobs marched throughout the major cities in the HIE, killed Shias in large numbers and burnt down their houses. Bombs exploded in the front gates of numerous Shia mosques in the cities in the HIE. The mob chiefs were angry. These mischief makers – The Shias – spread stereotypes about the first three caliphs, opposed the uniformity in Islam and killed our Sunni brothers. How dare they convert Sunnis into hypocritical Shia Islam! They were now being allowed to open their own universities too! They need to be taught a lesson so that they run like dogs! Of course, it helped that Sunni Muslim brothers from Hindustan were willing to finance the mobs’ expedition and defray other costs.
Jan 25, 2067, Mecca, Holy Islamic Empire, Earth [Sol]
The Godking was incensed. How dare they! If anyone and everyone could take justice into their hands, what would happen to the Sharia law? Sharia allows us only to wage jihad against kafirs and traitors. Not against our fellow Muslims.’ In fact, they were helping the kafirs by destroying the Islamic unity. Treason!! They would now see the merciless side of their king!
Upon his orders, the thugs responsible for the monstrous slaughter were rounded up by his magistrate for law and order. To make the matters worse, the magistrate was a Shia who was very sensitive relating to the matters of the community. This was not about punishment, but about retribution. In Mecca, almost hundred Shias were killed and about fifty women were raped by these butchers. In fact, they were being helped by the kafirs. How could he justify not punishing the perpetrators?
‘Line them up stark naked along the streets and let everyone see them suffer the most indignities that can possibly be inflicted on a human being. Their penis should be cut off and slowly bleed them to death!’ ordered the Godking frustrated that the riots were the handiworks of the kafirs. But he did not know that he was sitting on a volcano.
Feb 7, 2067, Prime Minister’s Office, Bangalore, Karnataka, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
‘Tell Lakshmikantha to get reserves and prepare for an attack at the time of our choosing. Our army should make full use of the time and resources when we begin the offensive,’ instructed Ashok when he analyzed the war situation with Joseph Alex, the National Security Advisor.
‘Sir, I think Lakshmikantha has enough forces under his command to wipe out the HIE army divisions in Northern Rajasthan and Punjab. The HIE army led by Qasim Suliman is very weak after the commencement of the Shia-Sunni conflict throughout the HIE. This internal strife has left the HIE forces in India without sufficient personnel or war machines. So, instead of wasting time by collecting more than adequate resources, shouldn’t Lakshmikantha attack the HIE occupation forces and finish off them once for all?’ asked Joseph.
‘No, I shall let the PLA General Xiabo do that instead,’ replied Ashok.
But sir, PLA’s attack will decimate the HIE. We will have to fight a stronger enemy then. It will be more difficult to defeat the PLA,’ said Joseph.
‘PLA will definitely wipe out the HIE forces in Rajasthan and Punjab. And that’s what I want them to do. While they are doing that, I want Lakshmikantha to stockpile supplies to start a massive offensive on the northern front,’ said Ashok.
‘Sir, I can’t understand what you mean. Isn’t it better that we finish off the HIE?’ Asked Joseph visibly irritated.
‘Joseph, the PLA may be successful in capturing the HIE occupied areas, but they’ll be bled dry by the HIE forces. I expect them to fight until death. At the same time, the supply lines of the PLA forces will be cut off by the our guerrilla resistance forces. Our fighters will inflict damage on PLA with hit and run ambushes. The PLA forces will be sufficiently weakened, making their control over whole of Northern India less stable. This will also turn PLA and HIE into more bitter enemies. That’s the moment when Lakshmikantha shall effortlessly run a knife through the hot butter. I don’t plan to merely liberate Punjab and Rajasthan. I shall also weaken the Hegemony all over India, paving to the liberation of our motherland. Let the PLA be the first mouse... the trap will kill it. We shall be the second mouse. The early bird catches the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese!’
Nov 22, 2067, Northern HQ, Liberated New Delhi, India, Earth [Sol]
‘Jai Hind, Bharat Mata Ki Jai.’ These slogans sounded across India as New Delhi was liberated from the Hegemony after a long period of eleven years. Ashok felt his face becoming wet as he let loose a single tear from his eye. He has finally liberated New Delhi and the whole of India.
Both the PLA and the HIE occupation forces in India was completely wiped out. Qasim Suliman was dead, having been killed by the PLA General Xiabo himself. Xiabo was dead, having been murdered by the Indian resistance sniper sent on him by the RAW chief. Ashok has succeeded in killing two birds with one stone. Lakshmikantha had a cakewalk to enter the Indian capital although he faced stiff resistance inside the city. The local population welcomed the Indian army with open arms and finally, the invaders were thrown out of the Indian soil.
Ashok moved into the heavily fortified underground bunker at once when he got information that PLAAF bombers are headed to bomb the Indian military installations in the city. New Delhi may have been liberated by the Indians, but the Hegemony still conducted air raids mainly to disrupt the supply lines for the Indian army. Ashok’s bunker was planned as a shelter in case of a nuclear attack, but the city was untouched by the nukes due to the Indian missile shield.
About eighty persons were waiting for Ashok in the bunker. The ministers of important portfolios including External Affairs, Home and Defence were present there. Rest of them came from top brass of the Indian military, Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), Intelligence Beaurau (IB), Strategic Nuclear Command and Integrated Space Cell. A pin drop silence was there in the hall as PM reached the podium.
‘Gentlemen, I consider it my privilege to conduct this meeting with all of you. It’s because of your great work that we are able to gather here today. We have liberated our motherland, but the war is far from over. We have lost millions of our countrymen to take back what was taken from us. It’s the time to make our enemies pay for their sins and avenge our fallen brothers.’ Ashok stopped for a while as the audience nodded.
‘As per my instructions, the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) has come up with a grand plan to bleed the Chinese through a war of thousand cuts. This is almost similar to what the Pakistanis did to us some decades back.’
‘Our aim remains the same, full scale elimination of the Chinese threat. We should seize control of Tibet by any means, before we can choke China into submission. Tibetans are simple minded Buddhist people who don’t easily take the path of warfare against foreign domination. So we must assist our Tibetan friends to wage a low-intensity conflict against the PRC. In other words, a coordinated operation to destroy the will of the enemy, damage its strength and create chaos. I am not going deep into operational details at this juncture.’
‘Sir, why can’t we push into the Tibet?’ asked Lakshmikantha. He was looking forward for a straight battle in which he could sink his teeth to.
‘Lakshmikantha, we can’t do it for the time being. Until we are in full control of the Pacific to take the war to China. Until then, direct military attack is a foolish option,’ replied Ashok and continued.
In brief, our plan for Tibet which will be codenamed as Operation Krishna, will be as follows’ – Ashok nodded to his aide who flicked on the first slide and projected it on the huge screen mounted across the podium – ‘Phase 1. A low level insurgency in Tibet, so that it is under siege, but does not collapse; after all, we doesn’t want China to turn its prime attention against us from the HIE.’
We will whip up anti-China feelings among the Tibetans. The militias created by us will create constant problems for the PLA by cutting off the lines of communication in Southern Tibet. The road from Kathmandu to Lhasa will receive special attention. The operation will be supervised by the Special Frontier Force (SFF), formed in the aftermath of 1962 war. In collaboration with the Cambodian and Thai freedom fighters, we create chaos in South East Asia and divert the attention from Tibet.’
There was a slight pause as the projector blanked out and next set of slides were readied for the screen. The PM resumed:
‘Phase 2. Exert maximum pressure on Xinjiang through our RAW operatives. This will again flare up the PLA-HIE conflict bogging down hundreds of thousands of the Hegemony troops.
‘Attack and disrupt the PLA supply lines painfully stretched from Xinjiang to Southern Tibet. Our undercover operatives within the Islamic rebel groups in Xinjiang, will push for more attacks against the PLA inviting retribution on the Muslim population there. This will make the raise the ethnic conflict in the province.’
‘Finally, a Special Force under the selected Tibetan officers will be readied to attack and destroy the airfields and supply depots in South Tibet and also in Aksai Chin – Lhasa route.’
‘At certain stage of the operations, Myanmar and the adjacent areas of South-eastern Tibet will be put under maximum pressure internally by our offensive posture.’
As the third set of slides came up on the projector, the PM triumphantly concluded his presentation: ‘Phase 3: Detailed plans for the liberation of Tibet and subsequent invasion of the Chinese mainland.’
‘The aide turned off the projector and Ashok walked briskly across to the centre of the room to look his audience squarely in the eye. ‘Please remember, we don’t have much time. Maximum pressure must be exerted before the PLA recovers from its fall out of the breakup of the Hegemony. By the blessing of the Gods, the HIE and PLA are in intense conflict along their borders are bled red. So even if we create a kind of free Tibet in some parts of the occupied Tibet as a beginning, the next step may not be as difficult as it appears today.’
Ashok paused, trying to gauge the effect of his words on those around him. When he resumed, it was with a line of caution: ‘On other hand, it should be noted that China is still strong and the control much of Asia even now. Our army must not make direct attacks into the Chinese soil, but only through the Tibetan militias and our operatives in Xinjiang. Don’t give them any reason to intensify the war against us, not at least until; our allies are in full control of the Pacific.’
‘And what about of our allies? Once they are in the control of the Pacific, we will start the invasion of the Chinese mainland, having created the chaos throughout Tibet and South-East Asia. With the full might of the Allied forces, we can push China into submission.’
Ashok paused dramatically before concluding his speech – ‘May mother India guide our path. Vande Mataram.’
Sep 4, 2067, Ruins of Somanath, Liberated Gujarat, Western India, Earth [Sol]
A sense of uneasy peace prevailed across the ruins of the great Somanath temple. Ashok felt his muscles tighten when he saw the temple destroyed by the Islamist vermin. The temple of Somanath was the symbol of the Hindu culture which rises from the ashes like a phoenix. Ashok’s mind travelled to the past, to the day when he visited the temple with his father Gupta at the age of fifteen.
He remembered what his father had told him; ‘Ashok, Somanath is a symbol. The symbol of our culture and resistance to the invaders from the west. Do you know that Somanath was built and destroyed eight times? Somanath is the example of the genocide by the Muslim invaders on India. The mass murder of millions of Hindus by the foreign Muslim rulers. Mahmud of Ghazni, Muhammad Ghori, Alauddin Khilji and Aurengazeb are just few among them. Don’t let our people be enslaved again. The present temple was built after independence at the initiative of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India. Don’t ever let down our culture. Don’t let this happen again.’
Gupta had always told him the story of the brave warriors who laid down their lives to protect Bharat from the Muslim invaders. Ashok felt like he had let down his culture and his country when it needed him the most. This will not happen again. And the vermin won’t be let off. They will pay for their sins. Ashok stood there thinking as he prayed to Lord Shiva to grant him the final victory.
June 21, 2068, Command Bunker, Outskirts of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, Earth [Sol]
‘How does that bastard think that he can mess up with me?’ Complained Ashok. He was really unhappy about the activities of the new Russian ambassador to India, Chen Akhulov. Being born to a Russian father and a Chinese mother, Akhulov was really unhappy about the CFR’s peace agreement with India. His plan was activated when he was posted in India as the ambassador from the Communist Federated Republics.
‘So, what shall we do sir? Shall we just exile him?’ asked the RAW chief.
‘That’s not a viable option, Joshi. Banishment of the CFR Ambassador will create problems in our relations with the Russians. We don’t want the Russians to join China against us. At any situation, I will see you tomorrow. Let me think about this matter in detail,’ replied Ashok with a grin on his face.
Two days later, liberated New Delhi, India
A sniper was waiting for his prey on the clock tower near the ruins of the India Gate, when the Russian ambassador was moving on to the car. Three Indian commandoes were guarding him. Whack!! Within a nanosecond, the Ambassador’s brains splashed on the commandoes. The shocked guards drew their weapons and within seconds, a soldier wielding the rocket launcher took out the sniper.
June 28, 2068, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, South India, Earth [Sol]
The lifeless body of the Russian ambassador was airlifted to Moscow by the CFR Air Force. The investigations were conducted with vigour and two HIE agents were shot dead by the Indian Army for the murder of the Russian ambassador.
Almost one week later, the new Russian ambassador met Ashok in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. ‘I always valued India’s friendship with Russia. Your nation was one of our closest friends during the cold war,’ said Ashok to the new Russian ambassador to India.
The ambassador shook hands with Ashok and continued talking. ‘It was very sad that Akhulov was shot dead by the HIE agent. I feel sad for him.’
‘Don’t worry. Justice will be meted out,’ said Ashok as he gloated over the memory of his last week discussion with RAW chief on how to deal with Akhulov.
‘I don’t wish to jeopardize our relations with the CFR,’ he had confided to the RAW chief. ‘I will arrange a meeting for both the Indian and CFR ambassadors at New Delhi.’
‘Is it wise to hope that Akhulov won’t create any problems for us? Given his track record, he is a racist bastard with loyalty towards China than to Russia.’ Asked the RAW chief.
‘You are absolutely right, Joshi. He will continue to make problems for us. That’s why I need him eliminated - but not officially. I want a new Russian ambassador who will be favourable to our goals.’
‘And then?’ asked the RAW chief, knowing the answer and also knowing that it was an answer that would remain unspoken.
Feb 28, 2069, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, liberated India, Earth [Sol]
‘My brave soldiers, the time has come again for India’s Bheema to tear open the chests of these bastards and purify the soiled dresses of Draupadi with blood. The HIE will not listen just like that. We have a centuries-old debt to settle with this mindset. It is the same demon that has been throwing a challenge at our nation since the time of Mohammad Bin Qasim. Arise, the brave warriors of Bharat. Who knows if fate has destined you to be the authors of the final chapter of this long story?
Don’t ever think that you are committing a war crime. The very existence of the HIE has become a curse not only for India, but the entire civilized world. The Islamists deserve to be punished for all its errors of commission and omission. The time has come to solve the problem of HIE forever and for all. So my brothers and sisters don’t show them any mercy, because they didn’t show this to our brothers. We will wipe them out of the face of the Earth. This is what your motherland and fallen brothers demand from you.
Jai Hind!’
PM Ashok Gupta’s speech to the Indian Army, on the eve of the Indian invasion of the HIE.
"Every square inch of the Rub Al Khali desert was piled up with rotting corpses of HIE military personnel and civilian population. You will be surprised to hear that, Indians had committed worst kind of war crimes in this region. It included everything from mass slaughter to immolation by concentrated sulphuric acid and death by boiling in crude oil. According to an estimate, Indians eliminated the population nearly five times the military personnel which they had lost during the siege. As India and her Israeli allies were the victors, these war crimes were forgotten and were lost in the pages of history. By the end of the war in 2077, India had avenged her thousand years of enslavement and exploitation by these hordes. True to the Nostradamus prediction, Somanath was avenged a thousand times. This is a new India which knows how to punish the invaders."
An article on New York Times, in 2225, long after the Third Human Civil War, as a tribute to Ashok Gupta, the last Prime Minister of the ancient nation-state of the Republic of India & one of the founding fathers of the World Govt in 2078. Ashok was considered by the U.S.E. historians as the chief architect of Allied victory in the Great War.
Sep 11, 2072, London, United Kingdom, European Union, Earth [Sol]
Almost five years were over since London was liberated from the Hegemony. It cost Allies millions of lives and more than half a decade to push through the Hegemony occupied Europe. Even now, Hegemony was reeling from the it’s breakup back in 2064. The war was going well for the Allies. Almost all the major nations were liberated from tyranny. Now, only China remained strong. Both CFR and HIE were slowly dying. Indians still in peace with the CFR, directed their full energy on their more than a thousand year old enemy – the Islamists.
The Indian forces had penetrated deep into the HIE and reached as far as Tehran, conquering Pakistan, Afghanistan and eastern Iran. The Indians were itching to avenge each of their brothers who had fallen to these subhuman bastards. The American and European forces were advancing from the west, while the Hegemony attacked the HIE from southern Russia. Both the Allies and Hegemony wanted to finish off HIE first. They considered Islamism more dangerous than even Hitler’s Nazism. Thus, the Islamic population in areas both under Allied and Hegemony occupation had become almost extinct. The whole cities and villages were razed to the ground. The HIE provinces saw large scale massacres, rapes and pillages by the marauding Allied forces.
The Allied leadership was here to make plans for the post-HIE world and to combat the problem of HAVA virus. By now, the undercover operatives have given detailed reports to the Allied leadership about China’s ultimate plan – ‘Project HAVA.’ The leaders of the major allied powers – United States, India, European Union, Israel and Brazil were present.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very happy to be a part of this conference today,’ said the EU President as he started the meeting. ‘I think it is good for us to look into our plan for the post-HIE world. I think we have discussed on how should our advance to Arabian Peninsula should take place.’ He came straight into the point.
‘Our forces have made plans for advance into the Peninsula and eventual capture of Dubai, Riyyadh, Mecca and Medina,’ said General Estavio, one of the commanders of the allied forces in Southern Europe.
‘Have you calculated the possible number of causalities for each city?’ asked Ashok.
‘Sir, it would cost as at least 100 million personnel to complete the invasion of the HIE. Mecca and Medina alone will cost 40 million,’ said General Kuldip Singh, in charge of the western Indian Army command.
‘Do you think we car bear these huge losses?’ asked Ashok. Since his masterplan – Operation Chanakya in 2064 – Allied leadership heeded to his words and respected his no nonsesne attitude. ‘I am sure that those bastards will give everything to defend their holy cities.’
‘So what do you suggest?’ asked the Israeli Premier.
Ashok smiled, turning his attention to his American counterpart. ‘Do you remember what happened when the Allies planned invasion of Japan in the Second World War? The invasion would have cost you at least two million Allied soldiers. Right?’ asked Ashok.
‘Of course, that’s why the invasion never took place,’ said the American President.
‘So what did our friend Harry. S. Truman do?’ asked Ashok, fully knowing the answer.
‘He dropped the nukes,’ said the British Prime Minister.
‘So what should we do?’ Ashok asked with a devious smile on his face.
‘Just nuke the bastards!’ said the Israeli Premier as Ashok chuckled.
Sep 17, 2075, Mysore, Karnataka, Republic of India, Earth [Sol]
The war was coming to a close and the Allies were encircling China from every side in the final march towards victory. HIE was completely wiped out and CFR surrendered to the Allies. Only China remained. The Allied forces from across the world were diverted into the Chinese mainland to force the Red Dragon into submission.
‘Good morning. I hereby welcome the top leaders of the major allied nations,’ said Ashok as he introduced his guests. This was going to be the final meeting among the Allies. They were almost on the verge of victory now and decided that time has come to discuss the future of the mankind.
‘As I said earlier, the time has come to discuss the future of the humanity after the end of this goddamn war. As you all know, we have to deter another war like this if we are to ensure the survival of the mankind,’ Ashok paused scanning the faces of his guests.
‘Ashok, I am happy to know that both of us are having the same ideas. It is the need of the hour that humanity should unite under one banner and should rise like a phoenix. Unless we do that, we will continue to bleed, as we had been bleeding throughout our common history. Time has come to clear our minds from the narrow feelings of ideologies and jingoism,’ said the American President.
‘I too think so. But we should hurry a lot on it. We have to follow a due process of dialogue where each free nation gets its chance to express its own opinion. Commitment from each of us is necessary if we are to achieve the goal of a united mankind,’ said the EU president.
‘So, what shall be the our plan?’ asked the Australian PM.
‘We are now started making inroads to China from south and South-East Asia. With full might of our forces, we can push them to sign an armistice favourable to us. I am not mentioning any operational matters because this was discussed earlier in detail,’ said the American President.
‘What the fuck? Don’t you know that Chinese have almost exterminated our people,’ said the Japanese Emperor. He was supported by the President of Korea.
‘So, you want General Hon to escape, after what they have done? How would you explain this to our people? Are you mad?’ asked Ashok. ‘We should do not spare them. They must pay for their sins.’
Soon, the stream of angry expressions and allegations filled the room. It was almost sure that the comments of the occupants of the room were leading to a brawl. Soon, Ashok and American President stood up and took charge.
‘Let me give you a suggestion,’ said the Israeli Prime Minister. ‘There will be no compromise on General Hon. He should be killed, in the battlefield by a bullet or in prison, by execution.’ Sounds of approval emerged from the room. ‘Also, the pro-Hon hard-line leadership should be executed like those of Nazis in the WW2.’
‘What?’ the Brazilian President was surprised. ‘Then, how can we force China to surrender and sign the armistice?’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Ashok, smiling at his colleagues. ‘The anti-Hon Chinese just want to end the war. We will make sure that Hon and his supporters in the PRC are eliminated, while we will negotiate with the anti-Hon groups in the Chinese government.’ He finished as others nodded.
‘I hope that takes care of our important problem,’ American President was relived. ‘So, we have discussed all the matters of the new world government. But, we haven’t agreed on the constitution to be followed. I suggest we adopt the American constitution.’ He said as some faces went red among the leaders gathered there.
‘Why the hell you want us to adopt every shit of the Yanks?’ the EU president said in anger. Suddenly, he felt a punch on his face as fell to the ground in pain.
‘Why the fuck do you argue with me in every matter?’ shouted the American as he suppressed a devilish grin on his face. The European came near him and wanted to pay back, but, both the angry men were stopped by their counterparts.
‘Is it a meeting or a market?’ Ashok shouted. ‘I feel nothing but pity about you all. We all want our people to be united in the future, but is this what we should do? Do you think this is right?’
Both of them lowered their heads as Ashok continued, ‘We all need the new system to be a free, democratic one. I think it is a good suggestion to adopt the American constitution with adopting some of the laws and other parts from the Indian and European ones to accommodate the complexities of a world government. Every nation will be able to preserve it’s culture, tradition and languages,’ finished Ashok, throwing a look at each of the persons in the room.
The situation cooled as the leaders settled down to meaningful discussion which would shape the future of the mankind.
1900 hours local time, Oct 8, 2077, Jerusalem Airport, Free Israel, Earth [Sol]
Ashok felt something in his mind as the Air India One – the official flight for the use of the Indian Prime Minister – was airborne. He was returning to India after signing the Treaty of Jerusalem. China finally surrendered under an armistice, ending the war that killed billions and devastated the whole planet. All the nations of the world, including the victorious Allies and the defeated Chinese Hegemony have decided to join together for a new age; of unity, peace and prosperity. Ashok knew he won the war and now has to work for peace. For a new beginning… For a new Earth…
The shrewd statesman was fully aware of the price he paid to attain this victory. The lives of his teacher and hundreds of millions of his countrymen. A sense of emptiness was haunting his mind. Ashok’s mind saw the lives of millions of tormented, but infinitely brave young men whom he had taken under his wing, who had unflinchingly stepped in harm’s way whenever the occasion had risen.
Ashok saw the man with a smiling face, his teacher, foster father Vashisht who had loved and believed in him, walked bravely beside him and paid the price. The memory of his mutilated body seared through Ashok to this day. That was a failure he will carry on his conscience all his life.
Ashok suddenly remembered his father whom he had lost at a very young age, who showed him how to live for the country. And his mother who gave him the love and affection of a whole lifetime, before going away to meet her maker. Again the Lord Krishna’s words to the warrior Arjun came to his mind – ‘You grieve over those who should not be grieved for…. Arise, O son of Kunti, determined to fight. Treating alike pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat….’
And just as they had done down the ages, these words delivered some peace to the leader from Patna, who lead India through the darkest period in the human history. And eventually, some of the calm that had always held him in good stead all his life returned.
One and a half hours were over when the Air India One landed in Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. Ashok knew there was still task to be done. There would always be. For a world, devastated by war, there would always be a job for the statesmen to pave the way for reconstruction.
As Ashok walked out of the flight followed by half dozen armed soldiers, his spine became straighter, his chin was held high and the resolve of the statesman returned to his eyes.
“I have many miles to go before I sleep – Robert Frost”
EPILOGUE
After the victory in the WW3, Ashok Gupta played an important role in the formation of a new world government mainly led by the United States, India and the European Union. The former Indian PM joined the new world government as the Vice President.
Ashok died in 2078 Nov, due to a normal heart attack. He was cremated at his hometown in Patna. His funeral was attended by VIPs including President Masada and General De-Tierra and General Lakshmikantha.
Note:- Bharatiya Janata Party merged with the Republican Party in Sep 2078 as part of Ashok’s plan to form a new global political party.
Bibliography
Books –
Chanakya’s Chant (2010) – by Ashwin Sanghi (on the matters on Indian politics)
Lashkar Series [Lashkar (2008), Salim must Die (2009), Blowback (2010), Tanzeem (2011)] by Mukul Deva (on the matters of Indian army operations)
The Demographic Seige (1999) – by Koenraad Elst
India’s Self-Denial (1999) – by Francois Gautier
Various websites........
Important words and Translations
Chanakya – A great scholar in India (4th century BC), popularly known as Indian Machiavelli (although his works predate Machivelli by more than 1,800 years), who played a key role in the formation of the Mauryan Empire, the first empire in the history of India. His protégé Chandragupta Maurya unified the whole of Indian sub-continent for the first time and drove out the Greek invaders. Chanakya is also a famous writer of two master books – Arthashastra and Chanakya Neeti (these books are based on the then society, economy and political scenario and is relevant even today). The lead character in the story is based on the modern adaptation of Chanakya.
Karma (Sanskrit ) – Duty.
Satyameva Jayate (Hindi) – Truth alone triumphs. It is a mantra from the ancient Indian scripture Mundaka Upanishad. Upon independence of India, it was adopted as the national motto of India.
Harami (Hindi) – Insult. Bastard
Behen chod (Hindi) – Insult. sister fucker
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) (pronunciation: /rɑːʂʈriːj(ə) swəjəmseːvək səŋgʱ/, Literal translation: National Volunteer Organization or National Patriotic Organization) is a right-wing, volunteer Hindu nationalist group. Its ideology is based on the principle of selfless service to the nation. Often considered as the parent body of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its predeccessor Jana Sangh.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – One of India’s two largest political parties. Centre-right. Often considered as the political wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Wants to build a strong India, by drawing inspiration from the cultural values of ancient India. Believes in Integral Humanism, Hindu nationalism, Gandhian Socialism & Positive Secularism. Approves strong national defence, free market economy and Uniform Civil Code. Tough on terrorism. Faces allegation of being anti-Muslim.
Indian National Congress (INC) – One of India’s two largest political parties. Centre-left. One of the oldest political parties in the world. Believes in secularism, socialism (before 1991). Favours free market policy (after 1991 reforms). Faces allegations for being soft on terrorism and for appeasing the Muslims.
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India. Since the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It contains a national party at the helm with various regional parties participating. Major regional parties in NDA, were Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal etc.
Shiv Sena - Shiv Sena (Marathi: शिव सेना , meaning Shiva's Army, also SS), is a Hindu nationalist political organisation in India founded on 19 June 1966 by political cartoonist Bal Thackeray. It is a major coalition partner in the National Democratic Alliance and an ally of the BJP.
Vande Mataram (Hindi) – Hail the motherland.
Lok Sabha – House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult franchise. The political party/coalition of parties with majority in Lok Sabha forms the government and the topmost leader of that party/coalition becomes the Prime Minister. Five year is the term of a Lok Sabha. Has 543 elected members. A party or coalition needs 272 seats to be in power.
Rajya Sabha - Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state" and Sabha means "assembly" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are nominated by the President of India for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social services. The remainder of the body is elected by the state and territorial legislatures. Members sit for six-year terms, with one third of the members retiring every two years.
Minister of State (India) (MoS) – Junior minister with to overseeing cabinet minister, usually tasked with a specific responsibility in that ministry.
Bhagwan (Hindi) – God
Ji (Hindi) – sir... Respect
Namaste (Hindi) – Greetings
Chayawala (Hindi) – Small tea shops
Bharat (Hindi) – The ancient name of India, derived from the name of emperor Bharatha. All Indians are considered as the descendants of Bharatha.
Rani (Hindi) – Queen.
Hindustan (Hindi) – Another name of India, derived from the river Sindhu (Indus).
Jai Hind (Hindi) – Battle cry of the Indian Army; translates roughly into – ‘Victory to India’. Given by great Indian revolutionary and freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Bharat Mata Ki Jai (Hindi) – Hail Mother India
Bhai (Hindi) – Brother
Union/Central Government – Govt of India
Home Minister (India) - The Minister of Home Affairs (or simply, the Home Minister) is the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. One of the senior-most offices in the Union Cabinet, the chief responsibility of the Home Minister is the maintenance of India's internal security; the country's large police force comes under his ambit. Occasionally, he is assisted by the Minister of State of Home Affairs and the lower-ranked Deputy Minister of Home Affairs.
Vidhan Sabha (Hindi) – Legislative Assembly for various states in India.
Legislative Assembly (India) - In India, the lower or sole house of each constituent state's parliament is called the Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Puducherry. The upper house in the seven states with a bicameral legislature is called the Legislative Council, or Vidhan Parishad. Members of the former are called MLAs, and those of the latter MLCs.
Chief Minister (India) - A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a state of India. The chief minister is the head of the state (governor is the nominal head (de jure executive)and does every thing under the guidance of the chief minister) Cabinet, and the leader of the state Legislature. By the Constitution of India, the chief minister is appointed by the Governor of the state (article 164 of the Indian Constitution).
Cabinet Minister (India) – Consists of top leaders (elected to Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha) of the ruling party/coaltion. Follows the Westminster system.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) – A regional political party in Uttar Pradesh with a prominent support base among the Dalits and Muslims in the state.
National Cadet Corps (NCC ) - The National Cadet Corps (Hindi: राष्ट्रीय कैडेट कोर) is the Indian military cadet corps with its Headquarters at New Delhi. It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis. National Cadet Corps is a Tri-Services Organization, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force, engaged in grooming the youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic citizens. The National Cadet Corps in India is a voluntary organization which recruits cadets from high schools,colleges and Universities all over India. The Cadets are given basic military training in small arms and parades. The officers and cadets have no liability for active military service once they complete their course but are given preference over normal candidates during selections based on the achievements in the corps.
Ma (Hindi) - Mother
Behen (Hindi) – Sister
Kafir (Arabic) - Infidel
Chalo Delhi (Hindi) – ‘March to Delhi.’ This slogan was given by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to the Azad Hind troops in Singapore in 1942 to drive out the British rules from India.
Special Frontier Force (SFF) – The Special Frontier Force is a paramilitary force that was conceptualized in the post 1962 Sino-Indian war period as a guerrilla force. Initially it was composed of Tibetan refugees who were involved in secret operations behind the Chinese lines in case of another war between India and China and was supervised directly by the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
Bheema – A hero in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, is the second of the Pandava brothers. He is one of the central characters and is symbolic of great strength.
Draupadi – The major heroine in the epic Mahābhārata, wife of the Pandavas and daughter of Drupada.
Air India One - Air India One (also referred to as AI-1 or AIC001) is the call sign of any Air India aircraft carrying the Prime Minister of India, President of India or the Vice President of India. Air India is the national airline of India. The aircraft are operated as VIP flights by the Indian Air Force (IAF). The IAF's Air Headquarters Communications Squadron, based at Indira Gandhi International Airport (formerly Palam Air Force Base) in New Delhi, is in charge of operating these aircraft.
SCFF: The True Leader
Fri, 3rd January, 2014
A Shattered Citadel fan fiction written by Godwin Joseph of India set in India during the Third World War.