Hindu Nationalism, Puppies and Narendra Modi

Even non scientists know that oil and water do not mix. Similar poles repel. Day and night cannot coexist. Of course similar analogies cannot be applied to human beings because there always will be exceptions. However, it can be safely assumed that it would be difficult for Hindu nationalists who deem the land they live on, to be their mother and people who believe in the primary supremacy of Ummah (Muslim brotherhood) to get along with any degree of ease.

With this in mind, I am surprised that after all that has happened, Modi feels obliged to talk about Muslims at all. If he thinks that it is important to talk about them (or use analogies which give the votebankers a stick to beat us) with the next elections in mind then I have news for him and the rest of the BJP: “Muslims are never ever going to vote for you”. Modi could solve all our problems while curing cancer and bring peace on our borders and even then the Muslims are not going to vote for him. So why bother? One more thing, India’s problems are far far bigger than the concerns for Muslims and liberals who weep for them incessantly. Modi needs to talk about his visions for India and how he is going to implement his plans rather than make statements that the liberals and media whores are going to jump all over and criminal politicians from the SP are going to take umbrage. All this is very counter -productive.

In fact the whole exercise of the BJP about their plans for Muslims is a gross waste of energy. Modi should do nationally what he has done in Gujarat. Talk about developing the nation as a whole and show the universal value for all the citizens of the land. The discussion should be about India rather than sections of it (caste, regions etc.). Talking about developing sections of the society should be a secondary. If a patient is suffering from a coronary then the doctor is not going to worry about a bad skin rash. Problems facing Muslims are not unique to them. If they claim alienation being unique to them then they need to take a look at Hindu dalits and tribals.

BJP and Narendra Modi cannot afford to lose sight of what makes them a good bet in 2014. Modi has got nothing to apologize for. He needs to ignore the pseudo-secular attempts to change the narrative and derail the discussion. Focus should be on the extreme incompetence of the Congress and narrow minded politics of the regional parties. They need to establish the BJP as the only viable alternative. Like Arjun, he needs to ignore all and focus on the fish’s eye only.

Ishrat Jehan Case: Congress Is Scared And Desperate

“So jah beta Rahul, so jah nahin to Amit Shah aah jayegaa”. One can almost envision Sonia telling Rahul while tucking him for the night. When my friend Swami Tambi and I heard of Amit Shah’s appointment as the BJP point man for UP we were very happy. When we heard of his game plan we became convinced that Bhai Narendra’s confidence in the man’s abilities as an organizer. Swami thought that he should not be revealing his game plan. I told him that it would be found out anyway but what I did not realize how his appointment was going to unhinge the entire Congress machinery.

It is obvious to everyone including the diehard Congress supporters that this government has been an unmitigated disaster at all fronts and in both the terms. If it weren't for the disastrous campaign run by Advani and his crew, UPA would not have won in 2009 but that is neither here nor there. Congress has redefined corruption and scams by making them bigger and sleazier. Even their professed concern and love for the so called Aam Aadmi rings extremely hollow. The latest blow to their claim is a report which claims that India constitutes 40 per cent of the world's malnourished population and the highest rate of underweight children due to improper implementation of government policies. Writing about Congress’ sins and crimes has become repetitive, tedious and painful. But despite of all, it would be foolish to assume that the most corrupt government in our history will give up their dreams of continuing their astonishing run (Thank you Indian Voter!). They will try every dirty trick in their book to win. Since they are in power, they have their faithful babus and lawmen (whose only qualification is how loudly they can bark for the Gandhi family) in charge of important institutions. Subversion of Indian judiciary is chump change for the Congress.

Since the riots in the aftermath of Godhra Station carnage, Congress, their ilk and their media hyenas have tried everything that they could to bring down Modi and his government. They could not have failed more miserably. Since then, Modi has won two more terms, has shown his genius in governance and has become the most popular politician in India. His popularity scares all those who benefit from the status quo in New Delhi. This includes people from BJP also. If BJP brass is scared of Modi cleaning up New Delhi then how scared must the Congress be?

After all the judicial investigations, bullied witnesses (by Teesta Setalvad and others NGOs), lying weasels (like Sanjiv Bhatt), name calling (maut ka saudagar by the wife of Rajiv “Jab ek bada ped(Tree) girta hai to aap-pass ki dharti hilti hi hai” Gandhi), Goebbelsian smear campaign run by Congress’ media vultures, Congress could not bring the Modi government down. With no place to hang their hats on, they have rehashed an old encounter case where a known LeT operative (confirmed by Let, US FBI, jailed terrorist David Coleman Headly) was killed in an encounter with the Gujarat police. Again, despite their best efforts, Congress’s corrupt machinations could not bring Amit Shah down. Now that they have rehashed the case, one now wonders what is it that they could have (proof) or what is it that they hope to achieve?

The latest episode in Uttarakhand where an efficient Modi achieved so much in a short period of time while the Congress leaders were busy doing imitations of a headless chicken, has done nothing to change the voter perception of Modi and Rahul. Now with the Modi juggernaut moving along Congress now are really really afraid. A very conveniently leaked report to Tehelka (Congress owned) and NDTV (The sleaziest media liar. Watching this channel should be declared treason), they claim to have hearsay proof that implicates Amit Shah. It clearly is a gambit of a scared and desperate group who hopes to throw all the lies and insinuation at Shah and Modi and hope to create doubt in the minds of the independent voters (the kind who would vote for Modi but not BJP). Even a false case against Shah would divert his attention, time and energy from his campaign in UP.

I think that this move is going to backfire because Shah and Modi have been up against this for a long time and have successfully bested it. It is also becoming clear that not all the news channels are buying NDTV / Tehelka lies. Differences of opinion on the case among MHA, IB and CBI, have been openly talked about. That has to be expected. Babus in New Delhi are survivors and have loyalty to the chair not to the occupant. With a clear pro Modi wave in the nation why would they lie and cheat to implicate him? After all, if BJP wins then these guys would not want to be seen as Congress stooges.

Only in India and during Congress rule can a terrorist Like Ishrat Jehan (proofs coming from a diverse group of people including the American intelligence machinery) be declared innocent while Sadhvi Pragya and Col Purohit (exonerated by ours and American intelligence) be held without any charges for close to a decade.

I hope and pray for all this to change. The only way that can happen is for the BJP to ignore the barking dogs and soldier on and for the Hindu voters to ignore the incessant barrage of Media inflicted lies and unite and vote for the right person.

A brutally honest assessment of Indian media’s bias can be seen at:
http://www.newslaundry.com/2013/06/i-agree-with-madhu-kishwar-part-1/
http://www.newslaundry.com/2013/06/i-agree-with-madhu-kishwar-part-2/

Modi Is Rambo. Rahul Is Fredo.

Devbhumi in Uttarakhand has been destroyed. Nature has struck back hard and shown us the results of ignoring environmentalism and human greed. We are still counting our dead and rescuing whomever we can. Various parties and people have done their best.

Here is what CM of Uttarakhand, Vijay Bahuguna did:

Did not stop people from going into the disaster zone for three days despite of heavy rains. Key district did not even have a DM. And even though tragedy of this magnitude had struck his state, this man was still hesitating in cancelling his vacation to Switzerland (why do Indian politicians go to that country for vacation? We all know the answer, don’t we?). Truth be told, the disaster management conducted by Bahuguna was a bigger disaster than the disaster itself. And this man is supposed to have the right political pedigree because he comes from a small political dynasty himself – father (Hemwati Nandan)was CM of UP and his sister (Rita) is a Congress bigwig from UP. I wonder what nickname can we use for him?

Here is what Sonia and Rahul Gandhi did(in the words of Sanjay Singh of Firstpost):

(Congress) let party vice president Rahul Gandhi, who faced severe criticism from the opposition for his disappearing act at the time of a national calamity, make a grand appearance with mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, at the party headquarters in New Delhi to flag off 25 trucks carrying relief material to Uttrakhand. The whole exercise looked more like a Presidential salute at the Republic Day parade rather than a sincere helping hand to the victims of the natural disaster.

Of course stung by severe criticism of their appointee in Uttarakhand and his headless chicken act, Sonia and Rahul are still mulling his removal. Hopefully they can come to a decision soon. In fact this whole exercise left him so exhausted that Rahul flew to Spain (rumor has it that his girlfriend is Spanish) to relax. Because of criticism of his vacation, he has since cancelled his vacation. What nickname is apt for him? I will have to think about that.

Here is what those “communalist” “Hindu Terrorists” from the RSS have done:

In flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh cadre has hit the ground running and brought relief to tens of thousands of flood-affected people. Working with the Indian Army, the RSS has contributed greatly to the rescue and relief initiatives.

According to Sangh Praant Karyavah Lakshmi Prasad Jaiswal, 19 mini trucks full of relief material have already been sent to Uttarkashi, Joshimath, Guptkashi, Rudraprayag, Ghansali, Chamba, and other places. In addition to this, nearly 20 to 30,000 people have been fed at relief camps.

Of course here is what that “fascist”, “divisive”, “maut ka saudagar” and “credit stealing” CM of Gujarat Narendra Modi did:

The Gujarat CM, who flew in on Friday evening, held a meeting till 1am with his crack rescue team of five IAS, one IPS, one IFS and two GAS (Gujarat Administrative Service) officers. Two DSPs and five police inspectors were also part of his delegation. They sat again with the nitty-gritty of evacuation in a huddle that a senior BJP leader said lasted till 1am on Sunday.

He made good use of the BJP’s organisational machinery at district, mandal (block) and village levels in Uttarakhand and synchronized their activities with that of Gujarat state officials who had descended in good numbers and were camping at different trouble-torn places since 18 June, a day after calamity struck. By the time he landed at Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun on 21 June with a team of officers, a mix of senior and intermediate level officers, he had all the relevant statistics at hand and logistical support in place. It was perhaps the first ever rescue and relief act of its kind where the chief minister of a state camped in another state for three days and evacuated people of his own state without assistance from the host state.

Modi later in the day even offered to "completely rebuild" the temple at Kedarnath using "the latest technology available" in such a way that no natural calamity would ever shake it again.

The effort resulted in saving 15000 stranded Gujarat pilgrims. Bhai Narendra Modi did all this in a state which is enemy / Congress territory. This was akin to those Hollywood movies where the hero goes into Vietnam and rescues forgotten POWs. Thanks to Manish Tiwari of Congress, we now have an apt nickname for Modi: RAMBO (a character made popular by Sylvester Stallone). Of course it is safe to say that Tiwari did not mean it as a compliment but I could not have come up with a better name.

So if Bhai Narendra Modi is Rambo then who is Rahul Gandhi? The movie Godfather came to mind. Godfather’s second son was portrayed (brilliantly by Late John Cazale) as a weak and indecisive person. Yes. Rahul Gandhi is Fredo Corleone.

Sarcasm aside this effort by Modi has to be acknowledged as a proof of his excellent management style with whatever available resources. This is what Times of India (we all know which party this rag supports) says:

While Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna appeared completely at loss and helpless, his Gujarat counterpart won many admirers in the Uttarakhand administration. A senior Uttrakhand state official said, “One cannot stop admiring Modi’s administrative skills and grasp of the situation.”

We all know what Bhai Narendra Modi is capable of because our objectivity is unhampered by any leftist ideology. I hope that all thinking voters can set aside any preconceived notions about this man and see what he is capable of (this is just one example of Modi’s administrative brilliance). If he can save 15000 Gujaratis (at present he is only responsible for them) with a few IAS officers (why do these guys seem to perform better with Modi?) and limited resources, what do you think the rescue efforts would have looked like with the entire national machinery at this disposal?

It would be an act of suicide by the Indian voters if we bring back Congress. Of course if we fall for the disinformation and leftist lies then it is our fault. In my mind and a lot of others, there is no competition between Narendra “Rambo” Modi and Rahul “Fredo Corleone” Gandhi. I hope that between now and the next elections, the Indian voters see that as well.

The highlighted statements have been taken from

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Narendra-Modi-lands-in-Uttarakhand-flies-out-with-15000-Gujaratis/articleshow/20721118.cms

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/uttarakhand-cong-could-learn-from-rambo-modis-rescue-model-901315.html

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/06/24/rss-swings-into-action-in-flood-ravaged-uttarakhand-94456.html

Read Madhu Purnima Kishwar  original article:

Neither a Rambo Act Nor a Publicity Gimmick Modi Led Relief Efforts in Uttarakhand

http://www.manushi.in/blog_content.php?blogid=58

First Published in : The Economic Times

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-06-26/news/40206863_1_narendra-modi-gujarati-pilgrims-team-gujarat

Dump Advani. Reinvent BJP.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Lal Jaichand Advani pushed Nitish Kumar over the top in order to cause the recent events to turn to his advantage. When the BJP leadership (Rajnath Singh) dug their heels in, the break up happened thereby reducing the NDA to three likeminded parties who believe in the importance of a religious identity. Now with a major distraction gone, the BJP can start their campaign. But it would seem that Advani has another card to play. As per the intrepid Sandhya Jain, Advani is now trying to get rid of Suresh Soni who is the perceived power behind Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi. Here is what she writes in an eye opener of an article.

With Nitish Kumar formally calling off the alliance with the BJP on Sunday, June 16, the Advani coterie is working overtime to replace Suresh Soni as RSS coordinator with the BJP, as Soni is widely perceived as the power behind Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi. Though some RSS stalwarts deny such a move is afoot, others say that the organisation did ask Dattatreya Hosbale to step in, but he declined. There is now pressure on sarkaryawah Bhaiyaaji Joshi to replace Soni.

Advani’s aides claim that if he (Advani) works out the post-election coalition, he should have a shot at the Prime Minister’s post before paving the way for Modi. This plan rests on two assumptions. First, that BJP will not win an independent majority. Second, that BJP will not be able to sew up alliances without Advani, and will have to give him veto power.

I have some thoughts in the matter but before that, I would like to point out that Nitish Kumar is going to come out of this a much weaker politician. Vivek Kaul after a lengthy and lugubrious (IMHO) analysis surmises the following:

So the BJP’s attempts to resurrect this issue (as it is plans to in Uttar Pradesh by appointing Modi’s lieutenant Amit Shah as in-charge of the party in the state) won’t really work in Bihar. Given these reasons, it will be difficult for the party to win more than 10 Lok Sabha seats from the state, on its own.

His logic is that the real reason for Nitish’s break up is that unlike before, he will not be able to stop Modi from coming to Bihar which will hurt his delicately held together vote bank (you really have to read the analysis). He makes certain assumptions but does not talk about Nitish’s PM ambitions which renders his entire article ( as well researched as it maybe) null and void. He also fails to mention the importance of Narendra Modi’s own caste (OBC) will play in the caste ridden politics of Bihar. Therefore his prediction of ten seats is a rather pessimistic one which Kaul has made to prove his point. I think that Nitish is will be able to prove a wafer thin majority and continue as the CM but he will cease to be an effective administrator because now he has an upset BJP and a vulture like Lalloo Yadav to deal with. I will personally enjoy ever misery this man is put through.

Coming back to LJ Advani, I have one question: What leverage does this man have other than nostalgia to demand anything from the BJP cadre and RSS? I don’t think that he has any leverage at all and people are just humoring him like they would an old man. Moreover, if you really get down to the brass tacks and ask Advani one thing: What have you won or enabled the BJP to win in the last decade? Wins in Gujarat, MP and Chattisgarh are due to their charismatic CMs. In fact, the rootless BJP leaders who are just sitting in New Delhi waiting for their turn have brought once powerful national party to this pass where it has become a “Super Regional Party” (Thanks Shashi Shekhar!). People like Ananth Kumar (who with Advani and Swaraj) destroyed the BJP in Karnataka, Swaraj who seems to nurse political ambitions but has no pocket of support, or Venkaiah Naidu who is our man in Andhra but our presence there is next to nothing. These people also have little more than nostalgia to back up their claims to their current posts.

Now the RSS may bow down to Advani’s Chanakyan machinations (if everyone knows about these then how Chanakyan are his machinations?), remove Suresh Soni and install someone of Advani’s preference. But there is a problem with this plan as well. What leverage does Advani have over RSS? Now even if there was some small leverage (old time’s sake kind) then what can the RSS do to Modi that they have not done already. RSS never liked Modi and we all know why. In fact they went out of their way to undermine him and in some cases hurt BJP to upset Modi (making that buffoon Gadkari in charge and then installing Modi’s bête noire in important posts like the head of BJP’s campaign in the last state elections in UP which they badly lost). If RSS now seems to back Modi then they do so very reluctantly and because they also realize that without Modi, the BJP has no chance of winning anything. Modi is a bitter pill that the RSS finally have swallowed. Now after all this, why would the RSS capitulate to Advani’s demands? It renders Advani’s machinations rather Quixotic doesn’t it?

The cadre based support that Modi seems to have (don’t believe BJP’s statements about it. Watch Congress’ reaction to Modi’s ascension and their desperate maneuvers since and you will realize Modi’s ground level support) and Advani does not also should be a revelation to all parties involved. BJP is not a dynastic party where seniority and family trump merit and ability. Even Nitish Kumar who is making noises to the contrary, sidelined George Fernandes. But I don’t think that any of this is getting through to Advani. It may be a hard thing to do but the time has come to fire him from the party as part of reinventing the BJP and making them into a national party from their current super regional party. Shashi Shekhar whose articles are published in niticentral.com (along with the Daily Pioneer, the only unapologetic conservative newspaper) and are a treat

“With too clever-by-half political calculations the BJP’s permanent Delhi-based leadership has timidly submitted itself to conventional wisdom that the role of the Opposition is to merely oppose the Government with rhetoric. This timidity has prevented it from taking sharp ideological positions on the UPA’s Left-liberal socio-economic agenda”.

“Three years later, in 2013 with the elevation of Narendra Modi, the BJP finally has found an anchor to begin the process of evolving as a credible alternative to the Congress. The marathon mission to get to 272 will not be completed by getting nostalgic over alliances of the past. The BJP needs to look ahead to future growth of its own merit. A beginning was made back in April when Narendra Modi took the arduous route from Shivagiri Mutt in Kerala to Patanjai Peeth in Haridwar, Uttarakhand as he sought to connect his political vision with local idioms and icons. It is along this trajectory that the marathon mission for 272 must proceed”.

It is obvious that there exists a dire need to reinvent the BJP and we either need a brand new leader with no allegiance to the old guard or someone who is associated with the old guard but is not afraid of taking on them and challenging the existing political dogma – an outsider. Modi model of administration worked well for Gujarat. There is no reason why it cannot work for India. It is imperative that the party put all the NiKu/LJK drama behind them and focus on the task ahead. It is important that BJP win, it would be awesome if they win with 272 or more. The first step has been taken in UP by Amit Shah in UP where he has asked the state BJP personnel that each voting booth be adopted by one person who then will be responsible for campaigning in that area. Shah himself is going to adopt a booth. That is the kind of grassroots campaign that had been missing so far.

The blueprints have been provided by Bhai Narendra Modi. It is up to the party to adopt it while getting rid of distractions. To that end, firing Advani from the party would be the first step.

Nitish Kumar Is Disingenuous, Myopic, Selfish And Dangerous

People are trying to make sense of the game Nitish Kumar is playing. Before we get into that, I would like to point out that he could not be doing all this without some wink and nod arrangement from people in BJP who have this desperate need to stay relevant. You get no points for guessing the identity of this Jaichand.

In the movie “Magnum Force”, Clint Eastwood says: “A man's GOT to know his limitations”. Sun Tzu said: “He who knows his enemy and himself well will not be defeated easily. He who knows himself but not his enemy, will have an even chance of victory. He who does not know himself and his enemy, is bound to suffer defeat in all battles.” Both these statement apply to Nitish Kumar right now. Bihar which was in a massive hole was brought up somewhat and was put on a path to recovery by him. However, it still is one of the worst states and a lot of work needs to be done before Kumar can claim any kind of victory. It took Narendra Modi three victories and numerous achievements before he could throw his hat in the ring. This man has started to dream big based on positive signs and that is flabbergasting. Pseudo-secular jackasses in the media proposed Kumar’s name as an alternative to Modi because of their pathological aversion to Modi and the BJP. Kumar obviously fell for it proving that he does not know his limitations and thus he does not know himself. He also does not realize that he draws a lot of his strength from his pre poll tie up with the BJP. Now as to the enemy part of the quote, do you think that Nitish knows his or the state’s or the country’s enemies? I don’t think so.

He was fine with the BJP until they acceded to all his demands. He used BJP’s voters to win not once but twice. Now with Modi as the PM candidate, he is being forced to wake up from his stupor and his so called dream of becoming PM seems to be over along with it. For him, the “communal” BJP is fine when they enable you to win but not when they demand merit based reciprocity. This is why this man is disingenuous.

If he breaks from the BJP and somehow holds onto the power in Bihar, he will become vulnerable to Lalloo Yadav and Paswan because they all have the same votebank. As he saw in Maharajganj, he cannot win without BJP’s support. Yet he continues on this dangerous path of self destruction. How long do you think that he can lead Bihar with a razor thin margin with help from unscrupulous independent MLAs? Instead of leading Bihar with a solid margin and making tangible developments in the state, this man seems to be chasing the PM’s seat like Don Quixote chased those windmills. This is why I call him myopic.

If by some miracle he can see that he has no real chance of becoming PM or that the third front is an impossibility then his best chances are to stay put, rule Bihar well and get better quality help from the central government especially if the NDA is at the helm. Bihar can benefit greatly that way and achieve her full potential instead of remaining mired in the ongoing caste war (What do YOU call dividing the society into dalits, OBCs, mahadalits, upper caste?). But as we can see that currently he is angry, delusional, arrogant and blind to the reality and cannot think of anyone but himself. Bihar is not a priority for him anymore. A lot of BJP voters voted for the pre-poll alliance i.e. they voted for the JD(U) candidate (with no BJP candidate opposing) thinking that it was the same thing. By breaking up with the BJP, this man is betraying all those voters and their faith. Does it sound like a man who is concerned about Bihar and Biharis? This man is extremely selfish.

We wrote a blog on the topic of terrorism in Bihar and how the incessant pampering of Muslims for votes has turned pockets of Bihar into terrorist havens. Terrorists from Nepal, Bangla Desh and the SIMI kind seem to congregate there. They go over to other parts of the country, commit their heinous deeds and return to Nitish Kumar provided safety nets. Please read our post and the references therein to appreciate the gravity of the situation. It is Nitish Kumar’s love / apparent need for Muslim votes which is causing a lot of trouble. A man who claims to be a smart politician and able administrator would realize the follies of appeasement of an entire community without any safety measures. In this respect he is no less dangerous to the country that Mullayam Singh or Mayawati or Mamata Bannerjee.

Readers of our blog know our sentiments on the regional parties and the dangers they pose to our safety and progress. We are at a point in time when we have a chance of electing a leader like Narendra Modi who can make a real difference to the country. But with BJP members like Lal Jaichand Advani and delusional political caricatures like Nitish Kumar, we may not be able to get to the Promised Land. In fact these banes of our existence may even enable a third Congress term by keeping voters confused and divided. What a pity that would be.

Modi, Not BJP Versus Congress In 2014

After Narendra Modi’s promotion, people said that Modi is an idea whose time has come. I beg to differ with them. Modi is an idea whose time was in 2009. He should have been the PM candidate back then instead of Advani. BJP WOULD HAVE won. But I bicker. I am happy the way things are turning out to be and dismayed by the nautanki that is LK Advani. Now Advani is an old time politician. He should have seen the writing on the wall. I did. I knew that Modi was going to be our guy when Amit Shah became in charge of UP (read my post below) and I am not a politician (however, I have won as many Lok Sabha elections as Manmohan Singh). Advani should have resigned to his fate and bowed out gracefully. But typical of a desi politician (or cricketers), he will not resign but go out kicking and screaming like a petulant child.

In my opinion, Advani was BJP’s Mamta Bannerjee (well not that bad but I am angry right now). He did well to put BJP on the map by his yatra (which was organized by Narendra Modi). SO he proved himself to be a street level fighter but as a Home minister, the man was a big flop. I can cite examples of his incompetence but I will repeat myself. Instead read what NV Subramanian (who is a man in the know) writes:

To an extent, Advani did try to play the strong man in the mould of Sardar Patel to counter the soft image of Vajpayee. He hoped that as home minister, he would make a mark like Patel and even surpass him. That was the reason he chose home. But as home minister, Advani was lacklustre. India has never had a home minister as capable as Patel and it won’t in the future. But Advani brought nothing to the home ministry. No plan. No vision. He simply let the bureaucrats run the show.

Advani never appeared to have a mind of his own in matters of administration and governance. Whether this was a result of having remained in the shadows of Vajpayee is hard to tell, but it seems the most likely reason. By the time he had had enough of being Vajpayee’s number two, he had acquired limited skill sets. His expertise of organizing the street was no longer needed. His knowledge of Indian constitutional law and parliamentary procedures was handy but didn’t equip him in any serious way for prime-ministership.

I am sure what NVS had in mind was the Coimbatore bombing and the way Advani dealt with SIMI in its aftermath. During his tenure, we got bullied by Bangla Desh rifles who returned or murdered jawans, trussed up like animals. Advani being in charge of the security set up must shoulder a big part of the blame for the Kandahar fiasco. It was his responsibility to set up a security infrastructure where in case of an emergency (like hijacking) there are no turf wars between IAS babus and security personnel. But he failed. And despite of repeated failures, he still felt entitled for the top job. Amazingly, no one opposed him. It is because in India, merit always loses to entitlement. One of the biggest complaints about Modi is that he is creating a personality cult where the man becomes bigger than the party. The reason why this is such a problem (in the minds of politicos) is that incompetent leaders who hang around long enough know that collectively they will be in charge. On the other hand, individually, they will be exposed and lose their position. Advani wanted to become the PM based on seniority and not ability. He is not alone in BJP which is why it is in such a mess. That is why we lost badly in 2009 even though it was a winnable election.

What we now have is the first real opportunity to win the next election. Even if you ignore polls, it is clear that the kind of support Modi enjoys are unprecedented. All you have to go and talk to people out there who are independent voters with no pseudo-secular baggage. A lot of them say that they will vote for Modi but are not sure about BJP. A whole generation of new voters who has no memory of Advani’s rath yatra have seen Modi take Gujarat from strength to strength are willing to take a chance even though they are not politically inclined and have no Hindutva allegiance.

Consider the following data points written in an extremely good article by Shashi Shekhar in Niticentral:

- In 2004, the BJP either won or came second in a total of 271 seats.

- In 1999, that number stood at 294 seats.

- There are about 286 Lok Sabha seats that the BJP has won at least once between 1996 and 2004.

- In 2009, there were 113 Lok Sabha seats where the margin of victory was less than 3 per cent.

While the above is no assurance that the path to 272 is realistic, it provides the statistical basis to aspire for 272 as a wildly important goal rather than allow for complacency to set in with a much lower and easily achievable target.

These are real numbers not polls and provide us with a feel for the number of party faithful voters. Now if you add potential independent votes to this then you have a winning formula. Barak Obama’s two campaigns provide a blueprint for that. If you observe the way Modi has won in Gujarat and the way potential youth voters reacted to him tells you that the only man in BJP who can capture this ever eluding independent votes is Narendra Modi. As we have said on this blog that it is evident to the voters and now the media that Modi has changed the way India does politics. The BJP would be well advised to treat the next election as a presidential election, support and work for Modi and let him do his thing. We need proven winners, not seniors whose only skill is survival.

It is going to be between Congress and Narendra Modi. On one hand you have a man who is a performer, honest and incorruptible. A man of vision with energy to bring it to fruition. He has no baggage that the party has (Reddy brothers etc.). On the other hand we have Congress and the voters know who they are and what they do. If you give the voters that choice then even the most biased will be forced to look upon it objectively. That approach will win BJP the next election.

PS: By the time this article was finished, Advani come to his senses but the points made about him still stand.

The NVS article can be read at:http://newsinsight.net/Advani’stragedy.aspx#page=page-1

The Shashi Shekhar article can be read at:http://www.niticentral.com/2013/06/10/modi-will-reach-for-magic-number-272-87768.html

Are Indians Weak Or Forgiving?

It is said that if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything. Of course standing for something requires conviction, moral fortitude, commitment, energy and willingness to sacrifice. It may seem a lot but path to righteousness is not an easy one and certainly not for the weak. Why do I raise a topic of this nature? I may seem to ramble but I do have a point. I want to look into the mirror and hope that you would do the same.

Until two days ago, if anyone read the newspapers, they would get an idea that the biggest problem facing the biggest democracy and one of the oldest civilizations was corruption in Cricket. All other problems were brushed aside and Srinivasan, Jagdale, Shirke, Meiyappan, Dalmia and other men who should be ignored at the least and sent to prison at best, dominated the headlines. This left me breathless. These men and the scandal they represent, is in a GAME. It is a stupid British game which we have raised to the level of religion. A whole generation of youngsters is being raised on a steady diet of instant gratification, skimpily clad cheerleaders, and news about rave parties and orgies. Should we have any realistic expectation from these kids who are supposed to be the future of this nation of ours? But what can we do, you ask? STOP WATCHING THE BLOODY GAME. No TRP, no advertisement monies, no money to be made by greedy industrialists, netas and Bollywood crooks. Problem will be solved.

Out of the last nine years of Congress misrule, it is only of late that we (not the BJP supporters but the regular voter) have started to question the honesty and integrity of Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. Instead of trying to inform themselves of the truth, the lemming like Indian voter was willing to believe whatever the media pimps were ready to peddle. They are ready to believe the worst about Narendra Modi and willing to give any benefit of the doubt to Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family. Blindly following the regional politicians and media has brought us to this pass. In fact, in the name of regionalism and secularism, we are willing to forgive and forget any and all scams. Incredible, isn’t it? Of course solution to this problem is rather obvious.

We have been humiliated by the Chinese on a routine basis. We have been attacked by paki terrorists on a regular basis. The man on the street can voice their dissent by the power of their wallet. Stop buying Chinese shit. Even if you have to pay twenty rupees more or walk a kilometer extra to buy an Indian made article then do it. If enough people do it then it will get noticed. We all know about boycotts from our history lessons and our fight against the Brits but are we willing to make a little sacrifice and do the right thing?

Why do we forgive a felonious filmstar and keep watching their movies and make them rich instead of boycotting them and forcing them to rectify their behavior? Is forgoing a movie that big a sacrifice?

My point is that we have the power right in our hands or our minds or our wallet but we do not use it. Are we forgiving or are we weak? Is cricket and cricketers more important than problems of the common man? Who does the IPL benefit? In fact if the latest is true then one of the biggest beneficiaries in Dawood Ibrahim, i.e. Pakistani terror. And yet, people out there are loudly proclaiming that they will not stop watching the game.

So I ask you again. Are we forgiving or weak or ignorant or lazy (intellectually and physically)? Of course I am also guilty of some or all of it sometimes but I do try.

Amit Shah In UP: Is All Well?

There are leaders and organizers like Arun Jaitley who look good on TV and win sometimes. Then you have people like Sanjay Joshi with (allegedly) a lot of organizational capability but with precious little to show for. In fact Joshi was shoved down the gullet of the BJP workers trying to win the all important state of UP by the Nitin Gadkari (with RSS pulling the strings and trying to cut Modi down to size). The result was nothing short of a disaster.

And then you have someone like Amit Shah who may not have a lot of the backing of the BJP brass or the RSS or may not cut a dashing picture or speak well (like Sushmaji) but has the Midas touch when it comes to winning elections. He has been credited with winning the Gujarat state elections for the BJP (of course the job is slightly easy when you are selling Narendra Modi to the voters) under extremely difficult conditions and that too three times. The very fact that he has been targeted by the Congress as viciously as Modi himself tells you how he is valued by Modi and feared by Congress.

Shah by no means could have been an easy sell to the BJP old timers. The reason why Modi is feared by the so called New Delhi establishment is because he is constantly changing the rules of the game. When he reaches New Delhi, NV Subramanian said, “Modi sabki chutti kar dega”. If Modi is a tall leader then Shah is the shadow he casts. Bringing up Shah to the national scene implies one thing only. Business as usual is not going to happen anymore. Shah’s sole aim is to ensure his boss’ victory on the national scene and he will do whatever it takes including the shakeup BJP to its core. This cannot be sitting well with established fat cats.

Since even the political novices know that the road to New Delhi goes through UP, the significance of Shah’s appointment as the BJP in-charge of the 2014 elections cannot be lost on anyone. The fact that he has been appointed despite of a stiff opposition from non-performing leaders in UP and Delhi tells you one thing clearly which is Bhai Narendra Damodardas Modi is going to be BJP’s nominee for the PM candidate. You can take that to the bank. The moment my friend Swami Thambi told me about this appointment, I told him that he can now rest easy. Modi is going to be our man in the ring. Wow. How long I have waited to write that and I write it with a cautious optimism in my heart and a tear of joy in my eye.

The politics in UP is nasty, no more than politics anywhere else but the size of the prize (eighty MPs) makes it worse. Politicians are willing to cut any Faustian pact to win this prize. Akhilesh Yadav is trying to get reservation for Muslims despite of the fact that his tenure has seen almost one Hindu-Muslim riot every month. The state gets divided into castes and then into subcastes. Everything that is wrong with our society gets magnified many-fold in UP because of the size of the prize. Sleazy deals, SOPs, bribing the voters, economy destroying social programs are all part of the game. All the new BJP administration (Bravo Mr. Rajnath Singh) has done is to send Amitbhai Shah to UP. It’s like Hanumanji being sent to Lanka.

If you needed a sign of what Shah is going to do then look no further than his first order of business. He along with Mukhtar A Naqvi and Lakshmikant Bajpayi are going to court arrest in Rampur which is anything but. Rampur actually is the modern day Lanka because it epitomizes the worst of UP politics. By taking the fight into the enemy territory, Shah has sounded the war-shankh. He is telling the Yadavs and Khans that the BJP under him is willing and able to fight them on their turf. As a BJP supporter, I say it is high-bloody time that these guys are given a fight of their lives.

The path is long and treacherous for Shah but if Narendra Bhai has faith in him then so should we. He will have to weed out the non-performers no matter how established and bring up the capable leaders toiling in anonymity. He will have to acclimatize himself with the caste politics of UP and play the game accordingly. I am sure the man who along with Bhai Narendra took on the entire Congress party (with CBI, NGOs and the media) and still won in Gujarat is capable of dealing with the cesspool we know as UP. Clearly, Shah has Modi and Rajnath Singh in his corner. I sincerely hope that the UP leaders throw their weight behind this man rather than sabotaging him. After Shah’s appointment, one UP BJP leader said that why should he work if the credit is going to go west. To that clown I say this “ If by performing you mean like you did in the last state election then please fold your tent, wrap up your lungi and get the hell out of town. This is a man’s game and has no room for village idiots”.

Appointment of Amit Shah tells me that all is well in UP. That is the happy me. The real me tells me that this is as best as we can do in UP. With Amit Shah in charge under Modi’s guidance, I say it is pretty good.

The following is a fantastic analysis by Praveen Patil

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/05/24/uttar-pradesh-is-narendra-modis-new-frontier-81253.html

With Netas Like Sonia, Manmohan, Why Blame Sreesanth?

We are living in an era of guilt-free, responsibility-free pursuit of wealth and pleasure. The real leader of the Indian government has no post in the government and yet is the most powerful person in the country. She has access to all the national secrets, gets to meet visiting leaders, decide on major issues, use national resources of private purposes, enrich her family members (scams are too many to mention), is as opaque as cast iron plate, has no qualification other than marrying into the right family, garners all kinds of praise from the leftist brigade for sacrifices made, running the economy into the ground (even with a so called economist at the helm, we are either running bankrupting social programs or redefining poverty) and yet gets referred to as a hero by some in the media. Despite all her faults, sins and crimes, she enjoys all the power and is not accountable to any one. No one has the balls to say that the emperor has no clothes. When face with issues, crises, scams and problems, Sonia and Rahul retreat in the background and leave the stooge PM holding the bag. OF course the PM himself is the kind of person who has signed a Faustian pact for his chair.

Our netas have committed every crime or sin there is and invented a few of their own. Worse that African dictators (our children are worse fed than some sub-Saharan countries), these guys are talking about making new laws to curb spot fixing or fraud in betting on IPL. WOW. The hypocrisy is breathtaking. Kapil Sibal who has done his part in the 2G coverup is now the law minister and is talking about tough laws to fix betting in IPL. Well, Mr. Sibal, illegal betting in IPL is not the biggest problem facing India. As far as scams go, this is way smaller than what Indian politicos are involved in. Introspection would be a good first baby step for our netas.

Think about it. Dawood Ibrahim and his cronies in India are making money by illegal betting. Cricketers are making money (in lakhs and thus chump change). Bookies, team owners, gangsters and most probably some politicians are making money. Indian viewers who are addicted to cricket and cannot think of boycotting as tool or protest will continue to watch it (we still watch Salman Khan movies even with his crimes). The only losers are the gamblers who are stupid enough to bet through these bookies. But if there is no IPL, then these losers are going to find some other way of squandering their family fortunes. At the end of the day, the Ram Chandra Bhartiya is no better or worse than before. This is why, I am aghast that there seems to be more of an outrage over Sreesanth than Sonia Gandhi. Our priorities are really really misplaced. If our netas who are supposed to be caretakers of the future of the country cannot stand up and be accountable and do the right thing, why should some guy who is playing a stupid game (no matter how entertaining) be expected to do so?

Advani And Swaraj Are Destroying BJP

Non governance and corruption are crippling India. The Congress would have you believe that their ministers are corrupt but Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi / la famiglia are not. As far as Singh is concerned, almost all the fig leaves are blown away by the rail and coal scams. This power hungry man has no honor or shame (Lal Bahadur Shastri, a Congressman, resigned from his post because of a train accident. Compare him to Bansal and Singh). As far as La Famiglia (The Family translated to Italian) is concerned, no matter how many layers they hide behind, no one except truly gullible are fooled. The latest example (from a huge list of others) of their corruption and hypocrisy is the Sarkari Damaad, Robert Vadra who is as crooked as they come, was given a free pass by the Rajmata. Now the Congress would like you to believe that only after Rajmata’s intervention, did these two corrupt ministers resign and thus is a paragon of sacrifice and virtue! Buy this explanation at your own peril!

But why am I talking about Singh and Rajmata in this blog? It is because to some extent, Advani and Swaraj are guilty of the same sins. Of course no one can match Congress’ crimes so Advani-Swaraj sins are nothing. However, while Congress was, is and will be crooked, the BJP was supposed to be a party of difference. While their hands were tied (thanks to unscrupulous friends like Chandrababu Naidu) BJP regime still did a lot of good. If they had not bungled up the Kandahar hijacking episode and ran a sensible campaign (rather than the arrogant campaign run by Pramod Mahajan and other Advani followers) they may have won in 2004 and continued on their India repair (rather than India shining) campaign. After Atalji retired all we saw was missed opportunities and political blunders from Advani and friends. Even Congress was surprised when they won in 2009. Even at state level, petty egos and mishandling of affairs caused nothing but ruin. An excellent columnist, Mr. Virendra Kapoor writes the following:

However, this is not to suggest that the Karnataka outcome was not on the expected lines. It was. The BJP did not leave the voter with any option. It did everything in its power to court unpopularity. Its drubbing was well-deserved. Early evidence of factionalism in the state unit was accentuated further by groupism at the central level. If Sushma Swaraj patronised the infamous Reddy brothers, L.K. Advani played godfather to Ananth Kumar. The two together never allowed a moment of peace to B.S. Yeddyurappa. And now the Advani-Sushma duo is engaged in denying the BJP the only credible chance it has of dislodging the corrupt and non-performing UPA by blocking the graduation of Narendra Modi from Gandhinagar to Delhi.

No one could have captured the truth better. What makes this whole thing even more galling is that they are not seeing the writing on the wall. Not only is their way of doing business unacceptable to the voter but how the voter is reacting to Narendra Modi. Of course the eleventh hour campaign by Modi did not bear any fruits for the BJP (or did it? Could things have been worse for the BJP in the urban centers without Modi?), his speeches and ideas were received very well. Modi was given a rock star treatment not just the voters and the cadre but also other leaders like Venkaiah Naidu (while Sonia and Singh stared at empty chairs) by the voters. So why did they shy away from voting for the BJP?

There are enough examples, anecdotes and hearsays about voters agreeing to vote for Modi but not BJP. These are not the staunch BJP supporters like me but independent voters. They have stopped to see the BJP as a party of difference but see Modi as an honest, able, performing and inspiring leader. These independent voters are the ones who will decide the next election. Voters in Karnataka know that no matter what Modi says, he will not govern their state. Maybe they are astute enough to differentiate between state politics and national politics. Modi and only Modi has the capability of enthusing and inspiring the BJP cadre and middle level leadership. He is the only one capable of changing the nature of political discourse and thus leading from the front. He is the only man in BJP who can unite the party and bring independent voters in the fold. In short, he is the only chance we have of winning the next general elections and changing the fortunes of our motherland. We can ride his coattails into the central government and beyond.

However, by all accounts, Advani and Swaraj are doing all they can to stop his forward march. Advani has had two chances of winning the general elections and he has blown it. He needs to step aside, give his blessings (growing less important by the minute) to Modi but like Manmohan Singh, he is trying his best to worm his way into another race and IMHO, ruining it for the party. Swaraj screwed it up in Karnantaka and has miserably failed to expand her own political base outside of New Delhi (even there she is no force. Hint: Two Sheila Dixit terms). Even then, she is nursing some perverted ambition of becoming a national leader by creating a nasty atmosphere and placing herself for the spoils.

So we see that instead of accepting their limitations and doing the right thing these two are acting as spoiled brats hell bent on “my way or we ruin the party” trip. Modi should be preparing to unite the party, bring new alliances and draw up strategies to fight the next elections. Instead he will have to deal with these two miserable human beings. You can see that by the refusal of Modi to attend the recent BJP parliamentary committee.

Swaraj has no legacy other than being a proficient orator (even there, she is no match for Modi) so she will be forgotten with ease. However, we would like to remember Advani for all the good he did to lay the ground work for the current day BJP. But now he has become a liability. It is up to him now. Does he want us to remember him as the party founder and pray for him or remember him as a frustrated spoiler and pray for him to disappear one way or another. The choice is his.

The Kapoor article can be read at: http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/corruption-is-an-issue-believe-it-or-not

BJP In Karnataka: Crisis And Opportunity

This is what one analysis says about the recent election:

The big story of the election is the three-way split in the BJP (B. Sriramulu’s BSR Congress, or BSRC, being the other breakaway faction), which hit it really hard. Our calculations show that had the BJP, the KJP and the BSRC fought the polls as one party, the combine would have secured 87 seats while the Congress would have got only 91 seats—leading to a hung assembly. The three-way split of the BJP helped secure for the Congress nearly 30 additional seats.

Would that have been better than the big loss? NO. I will try to explain.

Really poor governance and petty egos of men past their prime have brought the BJP to their ruin in Karnataka. Staunch BJP supporters like us are licking their wounds and listening to Congressmen of abysmally low character crow. People who stole from the handicapped have taken it upon themselves to pass judgment on an honest performer like Modi. All we can do is put up with it and take it on the chin. However, there is one thing we can do. Remember, every crisis presents an opportunity. I am going to put my thoughts down as best as I can (I am still very upset):

1.BSY did not perform and stole. It is immaterial that his theft is nothing compared to what Congressmen and their cronies have stolen. Theft is theft. BJP was supposed to be the party of difference. People do not see them as such. Poor performance and cronyism in the state was there for all to see. The rapists of Bellary, the Reddy brothers, their obscene display of opulence and their proximity to Sushmaji was also there for all to see. I would have had difficulty voting for these guys.

2.Caste politics in Karnataka is as bad as it is in the rest of the country. BJP leaders knew that while kicking BSY out. Especially seasoned veterans like Advani. While Advani and Swaraj have done things in the name of realpolitik, they decided to adopt the high road when it came to BSY. I believe Ananth Kumar was also in the mix of leaders who got BSY kicked out. Didn’t they calculate the power of Lingayat votes? They clearly overestimated Shettar’s ability to consolidate the Lingayat votes. This was a blunder and these three have to answer for it.

3.Bringing Modi in late was like trying to put band-aid on a severed artery. Man is brilliant but even he has limits. Because of Advani / Swaraj / Kumar’s arrogance and mistakes, Modi has to face heat.

4.Loosing this badly was better than losing slightly. With 80 to 90 seats, Advani / Swaraj / Kumar could have come up with any number of excuses (Advani has already started to crow that if they had followed his advice and fired BSY before, this would not have happened. It is clear that he still does not get it). But with only 40 seats, the only honorable thing for them to do is to accept their mistake and step aside. As it is, Advani is a liability. If he does not leave quickly I and a whole lot of others are going to start hoping that he is removed from the scene by nature. Swaraj is a good speaker but a lousy vote getter. She is not even a force in Delhi. Ananth Kumar needs to be fired from the party. With the fat-man Gadkari gone (the damage that buffoon did to the party is incalculable), the party would be better off without these three.

5.It is clear that BJP needs to clean house. They need to either bring back BSY or completely destroy him so he does not divide any more of the BJP votes. Since the latter is not possible, I suggest that Bhai Narendra step up and bring him back into the fold. Uma Bharatiji has already made gestures. I am sure that BSY also realizes that he needs BJP and vice versa. He needs to swallow his pride. If Advani / Swaraj / Kumar are removed / sidelined then no one in the BJP has to swallow pride and thus will be easy to bring BSY home. Winning the general elections is a whole lot more important than a state election. This exercise in diplomacy will also give the new BJP leadership an important lesson, which they can then use elsewhere like in Assam (where a pre-poll alliance with AGP would have defeated Congress) or UP (where they need to get Kalyan Singh and others like him to recreate the old magic) or Bihar (where they have to decide soon if they want to go it alone or keep tied to Nitish) or Andhra (same concern as Bihar) etc.

6.Since Bhai Narendra is our candidate (barring some huge setback) he needs to evaluate his own tactics. Clearly his speeches in Karnataka, while wildly popular, did not translate into votes. Is it possible that the so called internet Hindus who feel brave and dedicated while sitting on their computers, feel too lazy to go out in the sun and back their talk? I hope that is not the case. After all these guys helped the BJP in Gujarat. Be that as it may, Modi needs to re-evaluate his tactics. He has been fantastic in his speeches and has brilliantly tailored them to the audiences concerns. He needs to do more of that and hit the road in battle ground states like UP, Maharashtra, Andhra, Karnataka, Bihar etc.

7.We do not have much time left. The win in Karnataka notwithstanding, the Congress is in deep trouble. Even their pet media dogs have started to ditch them. General elections are going to be declared soon. BJP need to get the leadership issue resolved sooner than later. The foot soldiers need to know who their leader is. Judging by the reaction to his speeches even in a devastated state of Karnataka (BJP-wise), Modi commands respect from all levels of BJP. They need to declare him as the PM candidate so he can start drawing the war plans. This is a time to show a very united party where we do not have eighty five year old senile leaders who have had their chances, muddling up the waters. This the BJP’s election to lose. In fact if they lose because of leadership issues, I am going to have to re-evaluate my support to this party.

The analysis was taken from the following:http://www.livemint.com/Politics/dnbRQfEz0k4pIJRgBBVvAI/Split-BJP-hands-over-Karnataka-to-Congress.html

China, Pakistan: What A Neighborhood!

I just read that Sarabjit Singh has succumbed to injuries sustained in the beating he took in the prison. Well, Pakistanis have shown us the right way. Imagine. Of course when it comes to killing, Pakistanis can teach anyone a few tricks. Now if we had done the same to Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Maulana Masood Azhar and did what was done to Sarabjit in their jail, then we would not have had the Kandahar hijacking, BJP government’s weakness would not have been exposed, Daniel Pearl would still be alive. Since any Pakistani in India is a potential terrorist or a spy, we should arrest then and solve the problem in pakistani style. And why not? Pakis love to live by the sword or should I say Saif ul Islam. Let them die by it as well.

However knowing the brave leaders we have elected especially the current PM, NOTHING will happen. It falls on us, the aam aadmi. We need to be aware of the paki bastardry and boycott everything and everyone coming from that shithole of a nation. However, I have some good news on that account. No matter what we do to them will always pale in comparison to what the pakis are doing to themselves. Arsla Jawaid writes the following:

According to estimates from the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, close to 2,284 people were killed in violent attacks in Karachi in 2012. By some media estimates, targeted killings and a string of deadly bomb blasts cost the lives of 500 people in 72 days of this year alone. Victims range from civilians to policemen, the paramilitary Rangers to development workers, journalists to lawyers.

Considering that it was just one part of Pakistan, it is a pretty impressive kill rate. Read the following from the same article:

In one of the most recent cases of violence, unidentified assassins shot a prominent Karachi social worker, Parveen Rehman, inside her car at a traffic intersection. Rehman was the director of the Orangi Pilot Project, and dedicated her life to working for the vulnerable and disadvantaged in Karachi's Orangi slum. While no particular group has claimed responsibility, suspicion has fallen on Karachi's ruthless land mafia, against whom she remained a vocal critic. Shortly after her death, students and media outlets paid homage to the courageous worker, hailing her as the "Mother of Karachi."

How many of you think that the aforementioned land mafia is unconnected to Dawood Ibrahim? After all he is the biggest gangster/terrorist (a two for one combo) under the protection of paki authorities. Makes sense that he will have a finger in the land pie. If he is involved, then I say keep him. He can continue to screw up Karachi to his heart’s content. So you see, we just have to wait it out and pakis will certainly implode. It is a criminal enterprise, not a country.

                  Beijing air on a 2005 day after rain (left) and a sunny but Smoggy day (right)

We have a bigger problem with the snake-pit up north though. The Chinese have intruded on our land again. Our response: NOTHING. Again. This is becoming unbearable. The current brave leaders are not even willing to put up a token fight. After all this Salman “will not do a scam for Rs 71 lakh” Khurshid is still going to China. In fact if you look at it from the Chinese point of view, why not do it. If I were a Chinese general, I would continue to intrude and build roads, rails etc on Indian land and not worry about repercussions. After all, what the hell is the Indian government do except roll over and play dead.

Again, since the brave men and women we elect are not going to do anything other than twiddle their thumbs, we may as well take it upon ourselves. BOYCOTT EVERYTHING THAT SAYS – “MADE IN CHINA”. What else can the helpless Indian voter do?

However, once again, nature has a way of balancing things out. In a mad dash to get rich, the Chinese have raped their land. As bad as pollution is in India, it is China which is referred to as the sick man of Asia. The pollution problems of China are too many to mention. More than 80% of their water cannot be used for drinking. Cancer and renal failure are the leading cause of death. That should tell you something. This is nothing to celebrate because the Chinese are going to go to war with their eighteen neighbors for resources especially water. But that nation is paying for its sins.

Another sign of trouble in China is the latest aggression against India (and Japan to some extent over the Senkaku Islands). Whenever dictators are in trouble then foment problems on their borders to unify the country. The Chinese are facing daily problems in Xinqiang and Tibet from two different ethnic minorities. Then they are facing problems from their workers. As far as corruption is concerned, they will give us a tough fight any day. Meanwhile there was a change in leadership. The new leader Xi Jinping is trying to consolidate power by using the military and the saber rattling that comes with it. It is a valid fear, not only for us that he may have unleashed forces which he may not be able to contain. Japan and the US are equally interested parties for their own reasons. In a rather revealing article, the following was revealed:

To many observers, however, his speech seemed to confirm that China's provocations against Japan were in fact "evidence of profound domestic insecurity rather than rational policy,"

Then, too, there is the very real risk that if China or Japan miscalculates over the Senkaku Islands and actually does spark a war, China may lose. That, at least, is the assessment of several military analysts with whom I spoke, who believe Japan's disciplined, professional forces would prevail even without direct U.S. intervention. More broadly, I have heard growing doubts about China's actual fighting capabilities in some sections of the Chinese military, foreign diplomatic corps, and U.S. academia, many of whose members are revising their views on the PLA. "Our assessment is they are nowhere near as effective as they think they are," a Beijing-based defense attaché from a NATO country told me.

What if the recent drums of war are a sign of China's weakness and not its impressive new strength? "When Xi tells his troops to be ready for war, it's really an admission that they're in disarray," says the defense attaché.

What is clear is that China is not as strong as they would like us to believe. To deal with that kind of bluff, we need a strong leader as PM. Manmohan Singh is not that leader. We really do need to elect a real leader with enough majority in the Loksabha that real decisions, tactical and strategic can be made with only national interests as the driving force. That is the task before the Indian voters.

The article on pakistan can be read at: http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/04/09/failed_city_karachis_violent_spiral

An idea about the pollution that China is facing can be read at: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution_in_China

The article on the Chinese military capabilities and adventurism can be read at: 
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/04/29/xis_war_drums Xi's War Drums