[War] India: Echoes of the Past and Fog of the Future

[Dan Garcia]

"India:  Echoes of the Past and Fog of the Future"
President Ashwini Kanchwala, Republic of India
July 17, 2006

== January 21, 2006 ==

Dr. Ashwini Kanchwala heard the door open a floor below and a house away as his wife returned
home.  Ashwin took off his reading glasses and left his office in search of his wife.  He found
her getting sitting in the living room, having dropped her briefcase.  Stirrings in the kitchen
suggested that she had asked the kitchen servant for a drink.  In India, everyone had paid
servants.

"Hello, my dear," Ashwin said from down the hall, walking to meet his wife after her day at work. 
She flopped her head to the side and gave a smile, being lazy.  Reaching her, he kissed her on the
cheek.  "So, how was your day?"

"Fine, fine," she said as the servant returned with a drink of water.

"Is that all you need now, Miss Kanchwala," she asked.  His wife nodded as she started drinking
the water.  The servant turned to start, or continue, dinner.

"You know," Bidya, his wife, said, "I always feel like I'm getting in the way at work."

"Does it matter," Ashwin asked.

"Yes," she said.  "I really don't want to meddle."

"Well then don't.  Or do.  You run the place, after all," Ashwin pointed out.  Bidya ran a
successful if not huge real estate holdings firm which had holdings in several countries, a result
of what had been a diversion many years ago when she had followed him as he worked his way through
graduate school.  It had since became the family cash cow, a stable, moderately sized corporation
in which she had the largest stake.

"That's right, I do, don't I," she said, only playing to Ashwin's comments, he knew.  She'd still
worry and fret, and still do it anyway.  That was Bidya.  The couple was on the cusp of their
fifties, both of them forty-nine, only Bidya had just turned forty- 
nine, while Ashwin was looking forward to the big five-oh later in the summer.  They had both aged
well.  Bidya didn't look within ten years of her age, and her simple beauty still shone brightly. 
Ashwin had some grey, or silver as he said, around the ears, but retained a full head of black
hair.  That his father had gone bald by his age had been one of his great concerns.  And while
there were a few care lines on his face, he still retained something of a youthful, expressive
look to him.

"I assume you heard today's big news," Bidya probed.  Ashwin could only furrow his brow.

"News," he said, puzzled.

"Jeez, it's pretty big news.  President Kalam announced his resignation today.  I'd have thought
you of all people would have heard that," she teased.  Of course, she knew full well that he had
either been catching up on political correspondence, or had been catching up in the latest banter
in economics.  He could loose himself in work sometimes.  Sometimes.

"No, I didn't hear.  Why, do you know," Ashwin asked.

"He apparently is feeling a bit old and wants to spend his autumn years making like a certain
other doctor I once knew and teach and think," she said, referring to his own professorial years.

"Odd, I wonder why Samir didn't call," Ashwin pondered.  As if on cue, the phone rang.  The
servant answered it before appearing.

"Mr. Eswara on the phone for you," she said, referring indeed to Samir Eswara, member of the Lok
Sabha or House of the People of the Union.  Bidya smiled, rolling her eyes as she left for the
bedroom apparently to let Ashwin speak with his old friend.

"Hello," Ashwin said, standing.

"Did you hear about Kalam," Samir said right off the bat.  Ashwin smiled.

"Yes, I heard.  Pretty out of the blue, wasn't it," Ashwin asked.

"Yeah, though apparently from what I hear from Rashtrapati Bhavan, he's been doing a lot of soul
searching since the new year.  I guess turning seventy-five can have that effect," Samir said. 
"So, now, everybody's scrambling to put something together.  Doesn't help that Parliament isn't in
session, leaving half of everybody at home."

The conversation continued on for several more minutes on related political matters.  And while
each man expected interesting events to follow, neither saw how those events would come to affect
them as directly as they would come to.


== March 21, 2006 ==

With the door to the car closed, the car began to drive away, the dizzying day's events done. 
Ashwin looked over at Bidya, who was looking tired beside him.  The day had began with the close
run vote for the Presidency between him and Congress's candidate.  In the end, Ashwin managed to
pull of an upset victory, though one which had looked more and more likely over the last week
before the electoral college's vote.

After the vote, there had been interviews and some celebrations and congratulations.  He and Bidya
had managed their way through it all, with show smiles at the start, true smiles after the result,
and tired smiles by the end.  It had been a long day.  Now, however, they were returning to their
New Delhi apartment for some well earned rest, passing by the Rashtrapati Bhavan as they went.

"Is that where we'll be living," Bidya asked as they passed the President's mansion by, knowing
full well what the answer was.  Ashwin smiled.

"Yes, in just about a month," he said.

"The members of Congress didn't look very happy," she said.  Ashwin nodded and smiled wider at the
understatement.  With control of Parliament, they perhaps could have expected to win.  But some of
the more moderate members of their coalition had switched votes, and Ashwin had already heard the
beginning of the howls and backbiting which would be going on in Congress's camp.

"Well, they didn't quite get the man they wanted where they wanted him," Ashwin said, thinking
back to an earlier conversation with Samir, on the side of one of the parties.

"I bring news from hostile lands," he had said.  Ashwin, drinking a bit of water, had looked
towards him.

"Oh," Ashwin had said, raising an eyebrow.  "How unhappy is Congress?"

"Unhappy enough that new elections may be in the offing," Samir said, in a mock conspiratorial
manner.  Ashwin furrowed his brow.

"Really.  I find that somewhat hard to believe," Ashwin said.

"Well, apparently they haven't quite gotten their heads around how they lost.  There's a lot of
accusations going around in Congress, apparently, as to who's to blame," Samir said, turning to
survey the room.  "A few of the smaller parties voted for you, which tipped the scales.  Their
coalition, which isn't that dominant, may fall apart.  Besides, the Marxists would love to see if
they can't strengthen their hands to gain yet more leverage over Congress, and the government. 
Singh's liberal economics haven't really gone down too well, despite all the compromises."

"Lovely," Ashwin said.  "More work for me, then, wouldn't that be."

"I suppose so," Samir said.  "Of course, you already have to pick a new member for the Rajya Sabha
for the seat you're leaving."

"True enough, but that seat is somewhat apolitical.  Or at least as apolitical as any seat in the
Sansad can be," Ashwin said.  "Oh well."

"Don't look so glum," Samir said.  "After all, you've just been elected President of over one
billion human souls.  You better be happy."

Ashwin just shook his head and smiled.

== April 23, 2006 ==

It was evening at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the home of India's President, when Ashwin arrived, for
the day's second meeting.  His inauguration was tomorrow, but that didn't mean that the past weeks
had been easy going.  Just over a week ago, Prime Minister Singh had lost a vote of no confidence,
and then had shortly thereafter tendered his resignation to President Kalam.  Being something of a
lame duck, Kalam had sought to involve Ashwin in the process of trying to form a new government. 
Since then, the progress hadn't been very good.  This would likely be the last meeting on the
subject, as that morning's meeting had indicated that the only permanent way forward would be to
hold new elections.

"Hello, President Kalam," Ashwin said, entering the room.  Prime Minister Singh, Home Minister
Pandit, President Kalam, Sonia Gandhi - the leader of the Congress party - and Lal Krishna Advani,
the leader of the BJP opposition in the Lok Sabha.  "Prime Minister, Home Minister, Shrimati
Ganhi."

"If you approve, President-elect Kanchwala," Kalam began, "it has been decided to call new
elections for July 24th.  In the interim, as Prime Minister Singh has expressed his desire to
leave the post sooner rather than later, Home Minister Pandit will be taking over as caretaker
until the elections.  Do you have any objections?"

Ashwin looked over at Home Minister Pandit who gave a faint smile in acknowledgment.  From what
Ashwin knew of him, he wasn't very well distinguished, at least not as an administrator.  He had
campaigned well, though, and as such had gained himself a strong position within Congress.  In
Parliament, he had done a lot to keep Congress's coalition together.

"No, I have no objections if this is satisfactory to all the Parliamentary parties," Ashwin said,
deferring to the discussions which had previously taken place.

"Very well then," President Kalam began, "I will get you a statement to sign off on before the
night is through to make it official, President-elect Kanchwala."

With that the room began to empty, but President Kalam stayed seated.  Sensing that he wanted to
have a few words, Ashwin waited behind, and took a seat closer to the President once everyone else
had left.

"Dr. Kanchwala, if I may, a few words," Kalam said, and Ashwin nodded.

"I just wanted to give you a few words of advice in dealing with Shri Pandit.  Though in public,
and in Parliament, he puts on nice face, in private I have found him to be, shall we say,
determined," Kalam continued.

"Determined," Ashwin asked quizzically.

"Yes.  He is very forceful, and is always looking to advance himself.  In the business of
politics, this isn't that unusual I suppose, but he has expressed it more nakedly than others I
have seen.  It may be that you will have to exert a strong hand with him.  Of course, that is at
your discretion starting tomorrow," Kalam finished.

"Thank you," Ashwin said after a moment of consideration.  He then stood to leave.

Deep in thought, a few minutes later he found himself approaching the exit to the building. 
Somewhat startled to have found himself having travelled as far as he had, he noticed Pandit and
Gandhi near the entrance, exchanging a few last words before parting ways apparently.  For a
moment Ashwin's eyes met Pandit's.  They lacked the little warmth they had had in the President's
office, and looked cooler and more calculating.  Pandit broke the look by bowing slightly, and
Ashwin continued on his way, with Kalam's advice in mind.

== July 11, 2006 ==

Ashwin looked at the clock.  It read 6:20pm.  He sighed, for a moment what Bidya was doing in
Mumbai at that moment.  Probably resting before coming back tomorrow afternoon after finishing the
last bits of business she had left in the city.  Her own arrangements had been much more
complicated than his.

Ashwin turned back to the small set of papers sitting on his desk, and shook his head.  Pandit. 
Kalam had said he was determined.  Well, Ashwin had to admit, he was certainly that.  Pandit had
sent numerous ordinances to him for issuance over the past two months.  At first, he had been
accommodating.  After all, the Prime Minister was usually in the driver's seat.    The ordinances
themselves were a bit concerning.  To the naive, they laid out laws and programs which could do
some good.  To someone with a more political eye, they were obviously directed at securing votes
in the upcoming election.

When Ashwin had first brought this up with Pandit, he had barely stifled his anger, and more or
less told him to just do what he was told.  Ashwin had replied with one non-answer or another, and
things had gone downhill from there.  When Ashwin had decided to try to ask that the Council of
Ministers reconsider the proposed ordinance, it was returned to him after a short delay and
probably even shorter discussion for issuance.  He had done so, but had been asking for
reconsideration left and right since, with shorter and shorter waits for the return.

Speaking with Samir and other members of the BJP, it was clear that they were very unhappy. 
Pandit was trying to sway the election, after which he could just have Parliament okay everything
he had done.  All this left Ashwin in quite a quandary.  He felt that this was all quite wrong,
but his legal advisors told him that Pandit was being very careful, making building any case
against him legally tough going.  Which hadn't stopped Ashwin from ordering a few quiet inquiries.

As to today's particular ordinance, Ashwin finally decided to pocket it for the evening, and come
back to it tomorrow.  That was his latest tactic, stalling.  And then one of his aides burst
through the door.

"Mr. President, there have been explosions in Mumbai," the aide exclaimed.  Ashwin's heart skipped
a beat as he thought of Bidya, and then half-jogged out of the room, following the aide to the
nearest TV.  Strangely enough, that was where the best information was at the moment.

Images of explosions, first at a distance then, as camera crew were able to close in somewhat and
get good viewing angles, the images showed some of the close in carnage.  The western line of the
Mumbai Suburban Railway had been hit by several bombs.  It must have been five minutes of staring
before aides got independent information and sent it to him.  Then the news he had nervously
waited for all this time came, when an aide let him know his wife had managed to get a call
through, safe and sound from their home near some of the bombings.  Due to the jamming of the
Mumbai phone network, the call had been necessarily short, but Ashwin felt infinitely better all
the same, and began to actively take in information.

"I want to fly down there," Ashwin said, about forty-five minutes after the first attack.  The
statement hung out there for a moment, having been unanticipated.  Then activity began bustling
even faster than before, as arrangements were made for the trip.

By 9:00pm, he was on his way southward to Mumbai aboard the jet the the President and Prime
Minister shared.  Ashwin spent a quiet flight, staring out the window, thinking about nothing in
particular.  Once during the flight, he remembered the unanswered ordinance on his desk, and
smiled at how all that had been forgotten in all this.  When they were close to landing, an aide
walked up to him.

"Mr. President, I've just received word that the Prime Minister has been meeting for a long time
with several of the Ministers and advisors charged with security," the aide said.  "They've
already ordered a state of high alert in the major cities and airports, on their own authority."

"That's fine," Ashwin said.  It was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.  "How long has the meeting
been going on?"

"In twenty minutes or so, it will have been three hours," the aide said.  Ashwin's brow furrowed
at this.  That was an awfully long meeting for a situation that was largely out of their control. 
The responses had been made, and until more information came in, there wasn't a whole lot that
could be done except wait and see.

Five minutes later, an aide came and handed Ashwin a small sheet of paper.  Ashwin read it, and
his brow furrowed even deeper.  It was a message from Pandit requesting the declaration of a state
of emergency.  While the situation was bad, there was no sign it was spreading, and certainly the
measures already taken would be enough.  A pit formed deep in Ashwin's stomach.  Ashwin asked the
waiting aide to ask if there was any new information.  After he had done this, the pilot announced
that they would be landing shortly, and Ashwin just leaned back and tried to relax for the
remainder of the flight.

However, upon landing, but just before getting into the waiting car, the same aide handed him
another message.  It repeated the request, not answering his question.  Ashwin asked the aide to
tell Pandit that he wouldn't make a decision until he was told what, if any, information had been
received that warranted the state of emergency.  Then, mentally pushing away his annoyance, he got
in his car for the ride to one of the hospitals which had taken patients from the attacks.  Bidya
would be awaiting him there.

When he arrived, Bidya was there, just inside waiting for him, and they embraced.

"It's horrible," she said, barely holding back tears.  Some members of the media were able to get
shots, though probably couldn't tell what the Presidential couple was saying.

"I know," Ashwin said, unable to think of nothing else.  He just stood there holding her for a few
minutes.  Then an aide tapped him on the shoulder.  Ashwin slowly separated himself from his wife,
and kissed her on the forehead before turning to the aide, his wife's hand in his.  He grabbed the
note from the aide, and began walking into the hospital.

The note was short and to the point.  It read 'No information, disaster reason enough, need to
take stronger measures, ISSUE the state of emergency -P.M. Pandit.'  Ashwin shook his head, and
then motioned to his aide, and told him he wanted the state of emergency decision reconsidered,
and that Pandit should consult with the full Council of Ministers.  The aide ran off, and a doctor
started guiding Ashwin and Bidya through some of the wards with the injured victims.

The media was seemingly out in full force for this.  He was sure his press secretary had arranged
this, which annoyed him somewhat, but he didn't show it.  After all, there were more powerful
emotions pressing for his attention.  The scene was deeply saddening.  Ashwin stopped
occasionally, when he reached a patient who seemed able to chat for a bit, and did so.  The one
conversation he would remember most vividly, despite its brevity, took place with a young woman
who had lost one of her legs.

"How are you feeling," Ashwin had asked, standing next to her with Bidya.  The woman smiled back,
obviously under the influence of heavy medication.

"I feel a bit out of it," she said.

"What do you remember," Ashwin asked, kneeling down.

"Not much.  I don't remember much after waiting for the train," she said, she was obviously
slipping off to sleep.

"What's your name, and what do you do for a living," Ashwin asked, deciding to let the woman sleep
sooner rather than keep her up.

"Kalyani Patel.  I deliver meals," she said before dozing off.  Ashwin was suddenly struck with
pity.  It would be very difficult to deliver meals with only one leg.  He bit his lip, and then
moved on, not being able to do much more.

At the end of it all, Ashwin felt drained, and yet he knew he needed to give a statement at the
entrance to the hospital before returning to his home for the evening.  So he steeled himself, and
reached into his pocket for the short draft he had been handed earlier.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press, people of India," Ashwin began after a few moments collecting
his thoughts.  "What has occurred this evening on the Mumbai subway is reprehensible by any
standard of human judgement.  There can be no excusing these events, and no excuse will be made. 
Every effort will be made to bring to justice those responsible for these crimes, and I am certain
that such men will be brought to justice.

"That being said, I implore the people of India to remain calm, place their faith in and cooperate
fully with the authorities investigating this tragedy, and please extend whatever assistance you
can to assist the authorities in providing relief to those who have suffered so.

"And finally, and most of all, I would like to express the sympathy of the government, as well as
my own and my wife's personal sympathy to those who have lost loved ones, and our hopes that those
who have been injured make full and speedy recoveries.  Thank you."

The statement was brief and to the point, and probably all Ashwin could manage this late and after
such an emotional evening.  The press as always had questions, but they would have to wait until
morning.  For now, it was a return home and a good night's sleep.

Waiting at the Kanchwala home, one of Ashwin's aides handed him one last note.  Pandit had
consulted with the Council of Ministers, and still wanted the state of emergency.  Ashwin told the
aide that Pandit should expect a response in the morning, hoping that a night's rest would calm
Pandit down.

== July 12, 2006 ==

A knocking on the door awakened Ashwin.  Bidya was sound asleep, still, and probably could stay
asleep for a while longer.  Ashwin looked at the clock and groaned.  It was 5:30am.  And no doubt
he wouldn't be sleeping until late again.  Ashwin rolled out of bed to acknowledge that he was
awake, and then get ready for the rest of the day.

"So," Ashwin said smiling, clean and awake as he was going to get, "what's on the agenda today?"

"Mr. President, this arrived overnight," one of his aides said, handing him a few papers.  The
larger one was an official document, declaring a state of emergency, effective from the previous
evening.  Ashwin looked at this as if it were some alien curiosity before looking at the smaller
piece of paper on top.  It was a note from Pandit stating crisply that the state of emergency had
been declared as of last night, and that Ashwin should sign the document.

"What the hell is this," Ashwin exclaimed, using a rare expletive.

"It hit the news last night, on your way here from the hospital," his chief aide said.  "We've
been getting questions all night from the press about this, but have been deferring them until
this morning."

"Have you talked to the legal advisors," Ashwin asked.

"Yes, and they say that technically it's not official, though they're not very sure how much room
you have to resist the formal advice, dutifully reconsidered, of the Council of Ministers," the
chief aide said, apparently at something of a loss.  Ashwin sat down at the dining room table, the
temporary meeting area, to think.

"Get me a copy of the constitution, get me on the phone to my legal advisors, and get me some
paper and a pencil," Ashwin said, determined to figure out his options.  Kalam had advised him to
use a strong hand.  Now it was time to see how strong his hand was.

A few minutes later, one of his aides said there was a news report worth seeing.  As his copy of
the constitution was still printing out, he went to see.

"To repeat our latest story," the anchorwoman said, "the government, having declared a state of
emergency late last night has apparently, during the night, arrested several prominent opposition
figures, claiming that they were responsible for inciting yesterday's bombings in Mumbai.

"Among the arrested were Leader of the Opposition Advani, BJP President Singh, BJP Treasurer
Goyal, and Member of the outgoing Parliament and known friend of President Kanchwala Shri Eswara.

"Throughout all this, the President himself, at his home in Mumbai after visiting the wounded last
night, has remained silent, with aides declining to comment during the night.

"Now we go to," and Ashwin walked back to the dining room to get to work.  The pit in his stomach
was no a boulder, and it was time to get to work to try to end this before Pandit made things even
worse.

Thirty minutes later, after much thought, a bit of arguing, and a lot of pacing back and forth, he
handed his aides several pieces of paper, upon which Ashwin had written out by hand his
statements, messages, and instructions.  One was a statement refuting the state of emergency,
declaring that he had not signed it, and that he would not be signing it.  Another was an order,
to be issued publicly, to the Home Ministry to have all political prisoners arrested last night
released barring the use of direct evidence linking them to yesterday's bombings to obtain a
proper arrest warrant.  The third was a letter to Prime Minister Pandit, which was as follows:

'To P.M. Pandit,

'You have declared a state of emergency without the constitutional authority to do so.  The
constitution is clear in stating that the President must declare such emergencies.  You have given
me your advice, and the advice of the other Ministers, and I have asked you to reconsider it.  You
have, perhaps more quickly than would be proper, returned the same advice.  I am currently
considering that advice, and will let you know of my final decision when I reach it.  Until such
time, you and your caretaker government should cease and desist all activities taken under the
false declaration you made last night.

'Yours, Dr. Ashwin Kanchwala, President'

"Now," Ashwin said as the aide left, "we wait."

== July 13, 2006 ==

It was early morning, and nothing had changed.  Or at least, if it had changed, things had gotten
worse.  Pandit had continued arresting more prominent opposition members, and nothing had been
heard from those who had been arrested first since.  Ashwin worried over them, and in particular
his friend Samir.

Yesterday had been spent making statements and counter-statements.  Security had been heightened
across the nation, though if there had been any violence, it had been censored.  Meantime, near
Ashwin's home in Mumbai, there was little evidence of a crackdown, as Pandit apparently was
keeping his distance.

Eating breakfast, Ashwin watched the morning news.  The subject was, of course, the political
crisis.  The last commentator had just finished making references to the emergency declared by
Indira Gandhi in 1975 that had allowed her to rule by fiat for over eighteen months, and now it
was back to the anchor.

"Thank you.  In the meantime, the apparent stand off between caretaker Prime Minister Pandit and
President Kanchwala continues.  Yesterday morning, President Kanchwala issued a statement
stringently denying having authorized the current state of emergency, and the rest of the day was
spent in a duel of statements between the President and Prime Minister.  Both have declined to
make personal appearances since Wednesday.  So the nation is left watching and waiting..."

An aide handed Ashwin two pieces of paper, the contents of which had been written yesterday, but
whose delivery had been held off until today to see if anything would develop.  Nothing had, and
now the documents were ready, looking very official.  The first was the longer of the two, and was
addressed to Pandit, and was to be released publicly.

'Dear Prime Minister Pandit,

'I presume my letter of yesterday was received, and yet the state of emergency you illegally
declared has remained in force.  Having considered your advice, duly reconsidered, I have decided
to refuse to promulgate the state of emergency you have thus proposed.  Though highly unusual, I
have come to believe that your act is against the spirit if not the word of our nation's
constitution, and is thus void.

'I also believe I am acting within my prerogative as President and the embodiment of executive
power of the Indian government.  Specifically, I refer to constitution Article 53, clause 1, and
Article 74, clauses 1 and 2:

'The executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President and shall be exercised by him
either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with this Constitution.
(Article 53, Clause 1)

'There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head to aid and advise the
President who shall, in the exercise of his functions, act in accordance with such advice: 
Provided that the President may require the Council of Ministers to reconsider such advice, either
generally or otherwise, and the President shall act in accordance with the advice tendered after
such reconsideration.  (Article 74, Clause 1)

'The question whether any, and if so what, advice was tendered by Ministers to the President shall
not be inquired into in any court.  (Article 74, Clause 2)

'I believe that the constitution here gives the President discretion in acting on the advice of
his or her Ministers, and have decided to exercise said discretion.  This may be highly unusual,
but I believe I am within my prerogative and am acting in, if not the word, than the tangible
spirit of the constitution.

'As this opinion is highly controversial, I have decided to request the opinion of the Supreme
Court, and have done so.  I will await their decision before taking further action.'

'Yours, President Ashwini Kanchwala'

Ashwin signed this letter, and then handed it to an aide for copying, faxing, and delivery.  In
the meantime, he turned his attention to the second letter, alluded to in the first, a request for
the Supreme Court's intervention.  The Court should be awaiting the request, Ashwin having asked
that the Court be notified yesterday evening that such a request was in all probability imminent. 
That letter read as follows.

'Esteemed Justices of the Supreme Court of India,

'I am sure that you have been keeping a close watch on events as they have developed over the past
few days.  Though these events began as a matter of interest to those organs of the government
charged with the nation's security, they have since taken on more serious aspects which merit your
esteemed attention.

'To keep things short and to the point, the question has arisen of whether a President, having
received the advice of his or her Ministers, duly reconsidered after a request from the President
to do so, has discretion to act on such advice as he or she deems necessary to fulfill their
constitutional requirements.  This is the key question of the current crisis, brought to a climax
over the Prime Minister's declaration of a state of emergency, but also having been brought to my
mind after having been advised to promulgate several ordinances of questionable worth and merit
during a sensitive election season.  And it is this question that I ask for your esteemed body's
opinion on, in accordance with my power, under Article 143 of the constitution, to cnsult the
Supreme Court.

'Yours truly, President Ashwini Kanchwala'

He signed this one too, and had it delivered, and then began the wait.  The wait lasted most of
the day.  The Court began discussions at around 8:45am, and it was 4:20pm before it was announced
that the Chief Justice would be making a statement at 4:30pm.

Ashwin had spent the day taking calls, giving the occasional statement to the press, answering
some questions, and otherwise awaiting word.  At 4:25pm, however, the fax machine started working,
the Court's decision apparently in.  One look at it, and Ashwin decided to await the televised
statement like the rest of the country.  In the meantime, he had a few of his aides start sorting
through it to give him a run down of the details later.  A few minutes after 4:30pm, the Chief
Justice came on the television.

"Good afternoon," he began, putting his reading glasses on, and shuffling through a few sheets of
paper in front of him.

"This morning, the Supreme Court received from President Kanchwala a request to review the legal
question of Presidential discretion, in light of the current environment.  After discussions which
lasted all through the day, a decision has been reached.

"After careful review of the Constitution of India, of the relevant precedent and history, and of
the current situation, this court has decided that the constitution allows the President of India,
as the executive authority of the state, to use some discretion in acting upon the advice of the
Ministers that the President has appointed.

"As such, the Prime Minister's declaration of a state of emergency was illegal without
Presidential assent.

"The preliminary full court decision will be released shortly, with the final version to be
finished by the end of the week.

"Thank you," the Chief Justice said, standing back, and preparing to leave the podium. 
Predictably, the press in the room exploded with questions which would go unanswered, as the
television switched back to the anchor.

Meantime, in Ashwin's living room, cheers resounded through the house at the court victory, which
had been hoped for but not necessarily expected.  Ashwin kissed Bidya, who was standing next to
him during the announcement, and the two remained embracing for a few moments afterward.  Then
everybody realized that what would happen next would depend ery greatly upon how Pandit and the
other Ministers responded to the decision.  In the meantime, Ashwin prepared to give a statement.

"My good citizens of India, members of the press," he started.  "the past few days have been a
trial for us all.  As I am sure many of you have seen, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of my
refusal to declare a state of emergency.  With this in mind, I here and publicly declare all
actions taken under this state of emergency null and void.  All security services should return to
normal operating procedures, with provision for heightened alert in areas where the circumstances
call for it.  I also order the security services to release all political prisoners held without
charges or warrant.

"I am also dismissing Prime Minister Pandit from his post immediately, and will ask the Attorney
General to investigate his actions in office.  To replace him as caretaker Prime Minister, I for
the time being appoint Shri Samir Eswara.

"This ordeal has tried us all, and it is my sincere hope that in the coming days affairs will
return to normal for as many of the people of India as possible.  It is best that the nation of
India resume it's proper business and rhythm.  Thank you."

The statement was short and to the point, as had been so many over the past few days.  But it was
the beginning of normalcy.  Over the next few hours, the television news covered the fast paced
events.  The political prisoners were released almost immediately, on the responsibility of the
security officers holding them.  Then, the chief of the Central Reserve Police Force refused to
have his force enforce Pandit's orders, as the state police forces balked at this.  Finally, in
the evening, the Council of Ministers decided to capitulate to the President, and Prime Minister
Pandit left for his home.  The next day, Ashwin arrived in New Delhi and administered the relevant
oaths of office to Samir Eswara as Prime Minister.

== July 16, 2006 ==

Ashwin watched the last of the new Ministers leave the room, leaving only himself and Samir, who
was looking a little tired.  Ashwin smiled.  The day was drawing to a close at long last.

"I swear, that Karat really gets on my nerves," Samir said, flopping backward in his chair. 
Ashwin chuckled.

"I can see that, and I understand," Ashwin said, relaxing.  "But it was important to have an
inclusive government before the elections.  Besides, elections are in a week, and Parliament will
reconvene shortly thereafter.  You can last that long can't you?"

"I suppose I can," Samir replied grudgingly.  "But I seriously hope that this is the last time I'm
in a Cabinet with the Communists."

Ashwin had decided to build something of a short term consensus government in the wake of the
Pandit affair.  Many of the old Ministers in the Pandit caretaker government had been too
tarnished by events to continue in place.  This more or less meant that the BJP and Congress, with
their partners, were about equally represented, with the Communists and independents filling in
the blanks.  It made for interesting meetings.

Congress had managed to save itself, if not entirely than to a great extent, from fallout by Sonia
Gandhi's quick and decisive condemnation of Pandit's usurpation of power.  She forced much of the
rest of Congress to follow suit, saving many political careers no doubt.  However, the beneficiary
of it all was the BJP, whose leadership had been targeted during the brief period of emergency
rule by Pandit.

In the meantime, the government tried to return to normal, though this was difficult with so many
new Ministers, even if many of them were just holding their Ministries until the election a week
hence, where it was likely the shape of the government would change again.  Ashwin shook his head.
 He hadn't bargained for all this.  Certainly he hadn't bargained for being placed in a position
to exercise real power.  But there he was, making history, and perhaps remaking precedent.  His
ground was unsure, so he had been walking very carefully.

"Well, it probably won't happen again.  At least not for a while," Ashwin responded after a
moment.  Samir just nodded.

"Remember," Samir started, turning to Ashwin, "back at Cambridge, when we didn't have to worry
about much of anything, and could do what we wanted, and go where we wanted?"

"Yeah," Ashwin said, remembering briefly.

"Why can't I go back to that," Samir said with suddenness and frustration.  The way he said it
struck Ashwin comically, and he started laughing.  After a moment, Samir was laughing along.

"Oh," Ashwin said, catching a breath, but still laughing, "I'm going to cry in the morning."

The two laughed even harder, a bit of release after the long tension of the past days, and a
respite from the hard work that was sure to come their way in the not too distant future.  After
all, running a government responsible for over a billion people is a full time affair, and the two
of them were in the middle of it all.


ACTIONS:

1)  Dr. Ashwini Kanchwala becomes President of India, weathers a crisis, appoints Samir Eswara
Prime Minister, and makes the Presidency all that more potent in the process.  (OOC:  For details
of this horrid, 6000+ word long affair, read it...  ;) ).