Religion of Peace

Some fundamental questions to the religion of peace.

If Islam is a religion of Peace, why are governments spending billions defending us from its followers?
Why is it that Islam has  moderate and radical followers?
Why do followers of Islam scream "Allah Uh Akbar" while committing heinous crimes?
How does Jihad, in Islam, become a passage to Heaven for its followers?

Modi, Jaitley, Swamy Conundrum

This is one of the most interesting subplots in our politics of the recent times. I have tried to explain the behavior of the men involved to my friend Swamy with little success until the much ballyhooed reshuffle (a real damp squib). I think I know what’s going on. Let’s go over a little about the three men.

The PM: Anyone who has ever read this blog knows that we are bhakts and damned proud of it. He is a true karmayogi, a visionary and a true leader. He has his ways of working which has served him well so far. To question his political acumen is like showing a lamp to the sun.
A novice to the cruel and corrupt world of Delhi politics, he needed a man like Arun Jaitley who made himself indispensable to the PM (especially with Advani lurking in the background and loyalties of Swaraj, Gadkari et.al. up in the air). As per Madhu Kishwar, Modi always takes a couple of years to study the landscapes and then make informed decisions. In the interim he needs men who can show him around even if they are wheelers and dealers.
The PM also kept the RSS at bay during his tenure in Gujarat. Global economy and a diverse population often demands an all-encompassing vignette.

Arun Jaitley: After a very impressive initial career in politics (ABVP, youth leader in BJP’s infancy), he began to practice law and did well for himself. A consummate Delhi-wallah, he became an insider who had friends across the board. In fact, no matter who won at the center, Jaitley remained relevant. He has not won a single general election and has always came through the Rajya Sabha. In the Modi-Advani fight, Jaitley chose well. His ability to navigate the murky waters of Delhi politics made him indispensable to the PM.

Subramanian Swamy: A brilliant economist, well read, tenacious and a person of unimpeachable integrity is somewhat of a modern day crusader whose quest for justice is only matched by his inability to control his temper. He has a tendency to undo a lot of good by making loose statements. We are huge admirers of his.

RSS: Of course the story remain incomplete without the most important character. A truly patriotic organization whose members are true sons and daughters dedicated to Mother India. RSS is led by elders who could use a refresher course in global economy and technology.

BJP needs RSS to win elections. If that was not clear enough, it became more so in the recent Assam win and a strong showing in the Red Islamic Republic of Kerala. RSS members are going to play an extremely important role in upcoming elections. Modi needs RSS. Of course ten lost years of UPA 1&2 show that RSS need Modi for India to remain faithful to the cultural nationalism espoused by them. But the way Modi sidelined RSS during his tenure in Gujarat makes the RSS elders wary of him. These elders have this need to keep an eye on Modi. These elders also do not trust and like all the members of Modi Sarkar. It is clear to all but the politically blind that Swamy does not like Jaitley and what he stands for. Jaitley represents and has greatly benefitted from this corrupt ecosystem where mutual back-scratching is the norm and helping the ideologically opposite commonplace. In fact because of the extreme rot that has set in national politics, it was our fervent belief that an outsider like Modi would clean it up. So when we saw his dependence on Jaitley, we justified it by saying that Modi needs him for a short duration. But Jaitley has gone from strength to strength despite of non-performance and some really dubious stands. In fact other than Modi and Amit Shah, no one would miss Jaitley if he were to retire tomorrow. It is in this light that one can see Swamy’s role who clearly is there to help the RSS elders see Jaitley out. In fact that has earned Swamy millions of fans in the BJP.

I have often tried to figure out what Jaitley brings to the PM’s table. He has no voter support. Any lack of ground level success cannot possibly endear him to the BJP cadre. His record as FM has been lackluster. He has not been able to get any concessions from the Congress as it was visible in those washed out Rajyasabha sessions. So why does the hardest working PM in our history suffer this man? I guess somehow, Jaitley has proven his loyalty to the PM who clearly stand by those who have been loyal to him. Another thing that could be at play here is that the more RSS pushes the PM the more rigid his stand becomes. We hope for the nation’s sake, that the mutual need does not deteriorate into a mutual destruction.

To his credit, Swamy has be unequivocal in his support to the PM who in turn has been very diplomatic. Swamy quest for justice and bringing political criminals to justice can only benefit the PM’s Congress-mukt Bharat campaign. While the PM may not have needed the RSS in Gujarat, the same does not hold on the national lever where he really needs them. The corrupt Delhi ecosystem HAS to be cleaned up for the BJP to reclaim its ideological terra firma. Modi Sarkar could really use a dynamic Finance minister who can work as hard as the PM. We need a law minister who is not related to a Congressman. For all this to happen, if the PM has to sacrifice couple of his men then it is for the good of the nation and his possible second term. After all, this is for the greater good which is what the PM wants out of the RSS elders.