Anna Hazare And Politicians Response

The response of the politicians has been very predictable. It started off with ignoring Anna. That is the way the UPA has been working. Ignore the issue and hope that it goes away. In this case, the problem persisted and then the dirty tricks department was unleashed. When demonization aided by the media did not work then they came back with a more subtle approach. The glib Kapil Sibbal took advantage of Anna’s trust and got him to quit his fast. Now once bitten, Anna came back better prepared with more resolve.

This time around the UPA has run out of their usual tricks. Anna has wisely asked to keep Sibbal and PC out of the equation. However, the UPA has found allies- the opposition. Now why would the opposition work to help the party they want to bring down? It could be that they are also afraid of the Jan lokpal bill. That would make sense because there are corrupt politicians even in the party I support. Of course no one would come out and say that reason. So the line being handed is that they do not want to have a body more powerful than the elected parliament. Now that is correct. After all, we are living in a democracy and the body of elected members of Loksabha who are also the keepers of the Indian Constitution should be the most powerful body in the land. But judging by the mess we are in, it is obvious that the system is not working.

Most successful democracies have a powerful system of checks and balances that keep the politicians honest. Not being a lawyer, I do not know if this mess is due to a flawed constitution or a gross misuse of it. What I do know is that creation of a Lokayukta is going to create a very powerful body. This body will have the power to bring down the corrupt but highly powerful and rich people. This body will also create a mammoth bureaucracy especially if we bring the lower level babus under the purview of this bill. What I do know about human behavior is that power of this kind can and will corrupt anyone. Then who will police the Lokayukta personnel? Will we then create another body? What about the expenses due to this parallel government? Will that not be a major burden to the taxpayer? These details cannot be ignored.

My bigger concern is who will get to be on this body? Who will decide that? Will the leftist liberal NGOs have a say in this? Because if it were up to these people, hey will work like attack dogs hunting men like Bhai Narendra Modi. A leftist Lokayukta will be like Teesta Setalvad on steroids.

But then the politicians deserve every bit of this misery. They have had chances after chances to solve the corruption problem. If they have not actually dipped into the dirty money pool they have ignored it for love of power (like Manmohan Singh). They have let it fester until it has become the cancerous tumor it is. Now even if Anna is strong-arming them with unreasonable demands, it is their own fault. They and their minions in the media cannot complain about it.

So what is a possible solution? How can the politicians and activist meet half way? If both sides approach the issue with sincerity and honesty (a tall demand for sure) then we could enforce the Jan Lokpal bill for a limited time e.g. 10 years during which the system gets cleaned up. It may not be enough time to revamp the work culture but still could encourage the next generation of employees to approach work with a different set of ethics. Meanwhile the government could put in place the sort of checks and balances in the Constitution which should have been there from the beginning. Whatever the measure, the most basic need is for complete transparency and honesty from here onwards. Does anyone think that our politicians can turn the page that quickly? I for one, am not that hopeful.

Why has PM not faced Anna Hazare between April and August?
A start has been made. Ten days after his 'create disturbances' speech, the prime minister told Parliament that his government 'applauds' Anna Hazare and 'respects' his idealism. Oddly, between April and August, the Congress's 'Mr Clean' has never actually faced Anna Hazare. Why is that?
The answer to that must lie between the prime minister and his conscience.
The complete article by TVR Shenoy can be read at:http://www.rediff.com/news/column/column-anna-hazare-india-lokpal-corruption-manmohan-singh/20110826.htm

Anna Hazare: Response of the Voters

The second attempt by team Anna has invoked very strong response from the voters. The first campaign had support of the economically weakened sections of the society and Baba Rammed supporters. Those are the people who normally go out, brave the elements and vote. However, this time around, the supporters include sections of the society who would not step out of their comfort zones to vote. This also includes the younger population who are too cool to be bothered by the state of the nation. It is precisely because of lack of response from this class that parties like SP, BSP or even Congress get empowered. Now the same class of non voters is realizing the implication of inaction.
What we are now seeing is that people involved in the movement are a much better representation of the society. That is why; even the detractors of this movement are hard-pressed to question its legitimacy and seriousness. We now have celebrities (non famous ones), a couple of sitting judges, IIT graduates who boycotted convocations presided by Manmohan Singh. On a trip from Delhi to Agra, I saw a number of processions by school children. In short, I have not seen this kind of passion in my life time. Of course I do not remember JP’s campaign against Indira Gandhi regime. A passionate and peaceful gathering of Indians has not been seen outside of cricket stadiums. Good things come out of such events.

Of course you would expect some jackass to ruin the party. The Jama Masjid Imam has said that the Muslims should stay away from the anti corruption movement because it’s rallying cries include Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai. For this moron, corruption that the Muslims are facing is less important thing than facing calls of Vande Mataram. Muslims can attend the movement and support Anna without saying the offensive “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”. So when the Royal Family of Awadh (20,000 members) announced that they will not celebrate Eid as a mark of their protest, it was a major slap in the face of the Imam. On top of this, the national president of All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board, Shaista Amber has decided to come out in the support of Anna. She along with her supporters came to the Ramlila ground in her burqa along with the other members. I say, god bless this woman. She went to say that “Bukhari’s statement is illogical and everyone has a right to freedom of speech and expression”. She also accused the Congress government of insulting and exploiting the Muslim Community. Wow! This woman has more guts than most men out there. God bless her. We at this blog have always held that Islam will be brought forth into the modern times by its female followers. Well for that matter, every backward community in Hindus could use the help of their girls and women.

It is a proud moment for the country when her citizens rise and speak in unison against common evil in a peaceful way. That is the hallmark of a proud civilization which is sure of itself.

Some of our articles on Muslim women can be read at:

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2010/09/muslim-women-can-be-part-of-solution.htm

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2010/09/womans-jihad-against-islamic-jihadist.html

http://hindu.com/fline/fl2507/stories/20080411250702800.htm

Anna Hazare, Communalism and Some Thoughts.

1. At a loss for a proper way (there is none) to deal with the popular anti corruption movement, the Congress spin-meisters are branding the movement as a communal. They are trying to prove to their votebank that the evil BJP and the more evil RSS are behind the movement. It is a desperate move but one which betrays the diseased mindset of the fear mongering practitioners of the votebank politics. I think it an affront to all voters who are being told that communalism is a bigger problem than corruption. I really wish that Muslim leaders would get up and tell the Congress that they are not buying this anymore.

2. Of course taking a page from Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s book of crisis management, the UPA have also blamed the US for being in “cahoots “with the Anna Campaign. Yes. The two headed monster of RSS and CIA is back. This kind of predictability is indicative of desperation, lack of moral clarity and an abject lack of political sense.

3. Anna Hazare had entered the first fight unprepared. He had brought a knife to a gun fight. Once bitten twice shy, he has started the second phase of his fight much better prepared. Arresting a Gandhian septuagenarian like him to Tihar was a foolish move on part of the UPA but very good for Anna and the movement. The difference between good and evil has now become even starker, if that were possible. The parallels between Anna’s movement and Jayaprakash Narayan’s movement from the 1970s are uncanny. Both were / are being led by non politicians and followed by the youth of India. Both were / are against power hungry, corrupt and authoritarian regimes, only interested in welfare of a family. One can only hope that the end result of the current movement is the same as that of the first one.

4. While Anna learned from his mistakes from the first time around, the UPA have done nothing of the sort. What has become clearer (if that were possible) that the PM and the senior cabinet ministers have little to no power at all. If he were involved, a seasoned politician like Pranab Mukherjee would never make the mistakes being made. So who is running the show? It is the close coterie of the Gandhi family faithfuls (or is it fat-fools?) who are imperiling the nation with their corrupt, myopic and authoritarian approach to ruling. Even gullible voters of the UPA deserve better than this.

5. Our recent posts have discussed the lessons for the BJP in this mess. I certainly hope that the BJP is keeping on top of all this. Recent experience in Karnataka shows that contentious issues should be dealt by leaders who are respected by the cadres. My opinion is that the leaders who have shown their political mettle by winning elections and leading at the grassroots levels rather that nominated good looking public speakers are the ones who are respected and taken seriously. A common worker is more likely to take Narendra Modi seriously than Arun Jaitley. Then using such leaders, the BJP need to start a grassroots level campaign for the next elections. They need to be prepared for early elections and not be caught unawares.

A related article can be read at: http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-why-government-cannot-put-down-anna-movement-lokpal/20110816.htm

Article Congress accusing Anna of being a US agent can be read at:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/congress-sniffs-us-hand-behind-anna-movement/833336/

Indian Leftists: Useful Idiots or Traitors?

An Indian born, AMU educated Muslim Ghulam Nabi Fai was recently charged with spying on behalf of ISI / Pakistan and trying to influence American politicians. He was the head of Kashmir-American Council and used to hold annual meetings. He also used to contribute to election funds of gullible and greedy American politicians while lobbying on behalf of Kashmiri separatists. This proud son of Mother India was doing his best to help Kashmiri terrorists and weaken the Indian position on J&K in the world. American FBI and the US courts that are not influenced by his minority religious status (unlike Indian courts or authorities), charged him with spying on behalf of the ISI. Since then Dan Burton and Joe Pitts, the two anti Indian politicians have returned all the money. The so called think tanks who had bought into this man’s lies have since backtracked silently. Weak mea culpa has been offered by all.
These annual meetings hosted by Fai were attended by Pakistanis from various branches of the government and media. Of course Indian leftists and liberals were also invited. Many of these are people like Dileep Padgaonkar, are in position of influencing the policies of the Government of India. For these leftists, these meetings were an all expense paid trip along with a chance to thumb their noses at Indian conservatives and establishment – both catnips to leftists. Since Fai’s arrest, these people have offered the “babe in the woods” or the “innocent as newborn babies” explanations. No one in their right minds would believe that people like Kuldeep Nayyar, Dileep Padgaonkar and Justice Sachar could not figure out the actual agenda of Fai. One would think that with all the anti Indian rhetoric and Pakistanis from the defense and political establishment in attendance would have offered them some clue. After all these people are not idealistic college freshers. So the question is: are these people useful idiots or traitors?

As per Wikipedia, "Useful idiot is often used as a pejorative term for those who are seen to unwittingly support a malignant cause through their 'naive' attempts to be a force for good”. A lot of these people are seduced by ideas of peace at all costs and equality by any means. That approach may work with really small segments of population where the social dynamics and the implications can be managed. However with larger and diverse cross section of society or where national interests are involved, the costs and means for peace and equality HAVE to be considered.

Better things are expected from people like Justice Sachar and a veteran journalist like Kuldeep Nayyar. They may be leftists but still have seen enough of the world to know better. Frustrated academics like Angana Chatterji and Vijay Prashad or flash in the pan celebrities like Arundhati Roy who are after cheap publicity are expected victims of manipulators like Ghulam Nabi Fai.

The more important question is: are these people traitors? Probably not. After all they do have noble intentions and seem to be victims of their own bloated egos. However, the damage to the society or the nation because of their actions is as bad as that of a terrorist or an anarchist. The one thing that really bothers me though is that these people do seem to enjoy the power they have over conservatives and the establishment due to their celebrity, biased media and pseudo-secular politics. So are these people working towards peace and equality or bringing down the conservatives and the establishment? That question needs to be asked.

The articles on Fai's arrest and the role of Indian leftists are below.
http://www.rediff.com/news/report/isi-didnt-get-its-moneys-worth/20110813.htm

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/padgaonkar-j&k-interlocutor-is-among-fais/820304/

The Terrorist Leaders Of J&K

A Pakistani once told me that India had to be divided because Muslims cannot live under anyone’s (read non-Muslim) rule. This can be brushed aside as one man’s rant. But then if you look at problems caused by Muslim minorities where they are in a significant percentage, you realize there is something to that statement. It is from this vignette, I wish to examine two threats made by Muslim terrorists (or separatists, as Indian media calls them). Self styled reformed terrorist Yasin Malik has threatened increased violence in the valley if India and Pakistan do not resolve their dispute. Of course resolution to him and his Paki masters means surrender by India. Dileep Padgaonkar, Kuldeep Nayyar and Justice Sachar would disagree with my assessment but they are stooges of a known ISI spy so their opinion of their ilk no longer holds any water.

Another Terrorist Syed Shah Gilaani has said that terrible things are going to happen if Afzal Guru is hanged. To me this means a complete indictment of Guru’s guilt and a gross interference in Indian judicial system. Of course between pseudo-secular politicians and liberal media, justice cannot be carried out against Muslim perpetuators anyway.
Now these two criminal idiots are Pakistani stooges who want to carry out their master’s bidding. Their loyalty is commendable. But these two claim to be representatives of the Muslims from J&K. So let us try to examine what the Muslim aam aadmi in the valley thinks. For the moment, we will do a criminal act on our own and ignore the displaced Hindus from J&K. Now Sanaa Altaf has been writing on newsinsight.net for a while now. She has been a champion of the aam aadmi from the valley. She has written about the lost generation of J&K Muslim youngsters. For a long time these kids have been used by terrorists as cannon fodder. Between fiery speeches and bribes, these kids do not stand a chance. But if you read Sanaa Altaf’s articles on the orphans of the terrorism and other social problems then you will realize that to the terrorists and Pakistani, the aam aadmi is nothing more than a tool and means to meet their nefarious ends. They do not represent the J&K Muslims the way they claim. The moderate leadership which actually represents the J&K Muslims are deemed as enemies by the likes of Malik and Gilani and thus killed. Eradication of terrorism and extermination of terrorists is in the interests of J&K Muslims as well as the rest of the nation.

I can understand the desire of J&K Muslims for some degree of autonomy to preserve their culture. I can understand that as long as they include the Hindus and accept them as part of the solution. What I cannot understand is why the current day Muslim aam aadmi wanting to merge with Pakistan. PoK has never had any kind of elections ever. If it were not for Congress and their selfish policies in the valley, the elections in J&K would have been a lot fairer than they seem to have been. But at least there have been elections. If it were not for terrorism in J&K, the youth from the valley would have a lot more opportunities like the IAS topper from a couple of years ago. A lot more industries like tourism and food processing could have been opened in that state. It could have been a very prosperous state but for the terrorism.

But that is not what these terrorists like Malik and Gilani would have the aam aadmi believe. They want to merge with Pakistan. Let us examine that option. Daily deaths due to violence in Pakistan are in double digits and I do not mean accidents either. If it were up to the Balochis they would like to pull out of Pakistan. A once prosperous port of Karachi is now burning. That war is between two rival gangs. What caused an increased gangsterism in Karachi? Presence of Dawood Ibrahim and his henchmen. That is the ISI’s gift to Karachi. We all know what the entanglement of ISI / Paki army is with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Pakistan is not a country. It is a criminal enterprise. Muslims in UP have lots of relatives in the Mohajir community in Karachi. How many of them do you think want to move to Karachi right now? Pakistan is a failed state. Anyone with any means is leaving the country. Now why would the aam aadmi from J&K would want to join Pakistan? Either they have a death wish or they have been kept ignorant by these self styled keepers of the valley.

I wish that the aam aadmi in J&K would summarily reject these terrorists and get on with their lives. They need to be represented by moderate leaders who can actually negotiate with the central government for autonomy and development packages. I for one would support them wholeheartedly as long as the Hindus can go back to their homes in J&K.

The Gilani and Malik articles can be read at:http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/08/11/idINIndia-58727120110811

Are Manmohan And Sonia Clean?

Ronald Reagan’s real achievement was being at the right place at the right time. He looked good and spoke well. Other than that, he did not do anything. In fact if anything, he ran up the deficit and laid groundwork for future economic debacles. Yet he is looked upon as one of the greatest US presidents. Folks, it is all smoke and mirrors. Public opinions can be managed by careful media management.

In India, no one manages the media better than the Congress. It does not hurt to have a pliant media also. All these years through systematic brainwashing, subterfuge and careful dissemination of information, the Gandhi / Nehru dynasty has been protected. Despite of repeated blunders, Nehru has been placed on a pedestal as someone the nation could not have done without. Mrs. Gandhi was also protected in the same way. After the Bofors scandal, one would have thought that the Gandhi family was dome in politics but not in India. They were brought back by the Congress as saviors.

Which brings us to the present times when despite all kinds of scams and corruption cases, opinion polls indicate that Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi are thought of as above the sleaze. While everyone thinks that the UPA is corrupt and yet somehow the two people in charge are innocent. All these scams are part of an organized effort to rob the country and in organized crime, money flows from the bottom to the top i.e. from the doer to the person in charge. Then how can the money flow stop below the person on the top? Of course the media mavens would have you believe that despite of the sleaze around them, these two were unaware of it all. Even if one is gullible enough to believe that, how does one explain this astounding degree of naïveté? Or is it incompetence? Or worse? How do people of this kind deserve to be in charge?

The fact of it all is that the lust for power or money or both has forced the so called clean people to look the other way. In legal terms this is called aiding and abetting which are felonies in their own rights. My point is that despite of any overt proof, one can safely say that these two people are definitely guilty of something.

So why do people still think that they are above it all? Careful image management with help from media lap dogs is one answer. Of course you also have men like Digvijay Singh who is a master of diverting attention. You have men who are taking all the blame either out of loyalty or fear. How else can we explain the silence of A Raja or Kalamadi or Kanimozhi? Why are Balwa or Hassan Ali keeping quiet? But the bigger question is why the voters of India are not asking these questions?

May be the people cannot believe that they elected this bunch not once but twice. Maybe their need for something or someone to place their faith in is blinding them to the obvious. Maybe the years of media assisted brainwashing has made the Gandhi brand name impervious to any suspicion. Whatever the reason, the aam aadmi needs to open his eyes otherwise he will end up making the same mistake a third time. The nation cannot afford any more mistakes.

The article on public opinion can be read at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sotn-corruption-scams-dent-upas-image/174359-37-64.html

Corruption is The Big Issue: http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/archive/00748/State_of_the_Nation_748120a.pdf

Strengthen the Hands That Rock the Cradle

I have a nearly eleven year old daughter. When I think about her, all I can think are what toys I can afford or what books to buy or what are her strengths or her school. All my efforts are focused on keeping her healthy and happy. I DO NOT think about her getting married. I am a Hindu and traditionalist but I am also educated and forward looking. My religion and culture afford me the luxury of questioning the wrong and the incorrect. So when I see people marrying or their almost adolescent daughters, it chafes me to no ends. No one can justify child marriages. If it is tradition then it is wrong. Just because a man is a girl’s father, it does not give him the right to ruin her life based on some perceived male superiority. Ours is not a traditional patriarchal society. At least not in the way Islamic world is. On one hand we abuse women in every possible way and then we worship various devis. This dichotomy is baffling and needs to be addressed.

Indian girls have matched the successes of boys every step of the way. In a lot of cases they have well exceeded them. So why do we still cling on to traditions which demean and humiliate girls? I don’t think there is a simple answer to this. Boys do not have any interest in correcting this. Men with daughters do but somehow, instead of fighting the system, they seem to be succumbing to it which is a damned shame. So who should pick up this fight? Of course the girls. They really do need to stand up for their share in India’s future. It is their interest and it is in India’s interest. One of the factors common to all third world countries is the status of women in those countries. Half of our population cannot be held back and denied the fulfillment of their potential.

It is in this spirit that I want to talk about this young Rajasthani girl Sapna Meena. Instead of getting married, she wanted to get more education and get a job. In any other country, this would be a normal dream. However in the world of chauvinistic Indian men, she may as well have been asking for the moon. God bless this girl, she stood up elders in the family. When she could not get the help she so deserved, she went to the authorities. Amazingly, the sarkari babus stood up for her and her wedding was put off. She was awarded a certificate of gallantry by the government for being an "agent of change" in her community. Good for her!! It will be Indians like her who will carry the country to the next level.

What is the responsibility of others? The men should listen to the aspirations of their daughters and recognize their potential. The establishment should enforce the anti child marriage laws as they do other laws. They should also stand up for girls like Sapna. Instead of peddling their usual sleaze, the Indian media should tom-tom Sapna’s case and others like that. India deserves to hear stories like this.

The complete story can be read at: http://news.yahoo.com/india-schoolgirl-defies-tradition-reject-child-083022998.html

Is India A Shithole And Ganga A Garbage Dump?

Kevin Ruud used to adopt a very hard-line sanctimonious attitude when it came to India. He criticized our policies on Nuclear issues and human rights. Yet, when it came to China, he was a different man even though the Chinese are the worst proliferators of nuclear technology and are not aware of the concept of human rights. If the Chinese put shit on a plate, Kevin Ruud would call it pudding and eat it. You see, the Chinese are the largest consumer of Australian natural resources. Australians are the descendents of the criminal rejects from England. They have all of the worst English traits but are yet to master the British art of masking their hatred for the “lesser” races. So if some shock-jock radio host like Kyle Sandilands calls India a shithole and Ganga a garbage dump we should not be surprised. We should ignore this orifice of the posterior and deny him the cheap publicity he so desperately seeks.

As I have suggested many times before, we should boycott products from nations who do not treat us with respect or are inimical to our interests. Buying Chinese made stuff is equal to treason in my opinion. We should also treat stuff from Australia with similar disdain. They need to be punished for this and completely failing to protect Indian students.

That said, let us examine the statement made by that puddle of vomit Sandilands about India and Ganga. If an ignorant and heartless buffoon especially of European descent travels India, what is the most likely impression of the country? It will be that aside from prosperous pockets, it is a very dirty country. What about taking a boat ride in Ganga? They will see industrial and human waste being dumped unfettered into what we deem as a holy river. Sandilands may be a crude bastard but he has struck a very raw nerve here. Our reaction to it is also genuine and expected. It is one thing for me to yell and scream at my son for any mistakes he may make but entirely another if someone else does that. I will pick a huge fight with the other person. But our reaction, however genuine it may be, does not and should not end the story.

We have written many articles on this blog about the sorry state of our rivers especially Gangaji. As per WHO standards, the water in Hardwar is not fit to be used for agriculture. Think about how bad it must be downstream in Kanpur and Prayag. Please read the articles mention below for exact details. The worst culprits are unscrupulous industrialists who treat the river as a waste disposal unit. The worst of this criminal lot, of course are the tanneries in UP. Since most of them are owned by Muslims, it may be worth examining if they are getting away with it because the pseudo-secular parties in UP treat Muslims with kid gloves. Be that as it may, a zealot like ex Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is needed to clean up our rivers. It is a pity that he has been shunted off to another portfolio while his portfolio has been given to Congress mouth piece Jayanti Natrajan who is battling accusations of land scams in TN. The central government and our religious leaders need to get involved in this. Mayawati cannot do this work. The city administrations also need to be pulled up for laxity in human waste disposal into the rivers. Someone needs to light up a fire under all the IAS babus along the banks of Gangaji.

As far as the country being dirty is concerned, we are all guilty. Amazingly, we Hindus clean our houses, light up an agarbatti in front of our “eesht-devta or devi” and throw the garbage out. We need to be very scrupulous about where and what we throw. Of course, the Municipalities also need to be held responsible for the filthy condition of our urban and rural areas. We need to do all this so we can shut up worms like Sandilands forever. Otherwise, we should be prepared to listed to hurtful jibes from every jerk in the world.

Australian radio host says 'India is a shit hole'
Melbourne: An Australian radio show host is facing criticism from the Indian community over his reportedly derogatory comments on India and Hinduism, in which he called river Ganga a 'junkyard'. A Sydney-based Indian group is seeking an apology from the radio station following a report that host Kyle Sandilands made anti-India comments on his "Kyle and Jacky O" show. According to a report by a local ethnic TV programme 'Desi Kangaroos', Sandilands said "India is a shit hole" and went further to describe river Ganga as a 'junkyard'. The Council of Indian Australians (CIA) lashed out on Sandilands for the "insulting" remarks, and has said it would take up the issue with Australia's media regulatory body if it was not amicably resolved.
The article can be read at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/aus-radio-host-says-india-is-a-shit-hole/172044-2.html

Other articles on state of our rivers is below.

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2011/01/abuse-of-ganga-ma.html

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2010/10/we-are-killing-ganga-ma.html

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2011/04/bengal-tiger-gomti-and-hinduism.html

BJP In Karnataka: Time For Introspection

The whole sordid tale of BSY, Reddy brothers and illegal mining has been very disturbing to all of us who have treated the BJP as a party with a difference. The Jana Sangha and then the BJP WERE the party of difference. The supporters and members alike were proud nationalists. When the BJP came to power, they still were the party we could rally around. But they expanded too rapidly and that kind of growth created a vacuum, which was filled by people with love for power but not ideology. The suddenly big party needed lots of money to keep up with the Congress. This need brought in dirty money. Very soon, the BJP started to look like any other party albeit with few oases of hope (Gujarat and MP for example). Some of the older party workers were weak and fell prey to the lure of money which came along with power. BS Yeddyurappa is a prime example of this. We can say that he is still better and a lot less corrupt than others but that does not absolve the BJP of the responsibility of putting up with him and some other non-BJP partners. The aforementioned vacuum aside, how did we come to such a pass?

Long time ago, we saw a similar example in UP where the Lodh community held the entire UP politics hostage. The BJP had to put up with Kalyan Singh who like BSY is an ex RSS worker. Kalyan Singh worker tirelessly for the state and the party but his rule was one filled with distractions. After loosing, he could not do much to revive the party and he did nothing to make room for newer leaders. He saw himself as indispensable because he knew at the back of his mind that he had the Lodh community votes with him. Essentially, his ambition and his vote advantage overrode the BJP, UP and eventually the Indian concerns. Why Indian concerns? After loosing UP, the BJP lost their core base and could never come back to power with the support they needed and deserved. Now we have a sequel to that movie. BSY was clinging to the power with the knowledge that he has the support of the Lingayat community. If the BJP looses the state in the next election, we will know why. It is a pity that caste politics is still ruining and corrupting the entire nation. Of course, we the voters are to be blamed for that.

We cannot blame the entire episode on BSY only. Some others from the BJP also must have benefited. As we say, the flow of 2G money goes well beyond the doors of DMK. Yes they need money to run a national party but they still have to rise above the filthy quicksand in which all other parties have sunk. If the BJP want to be called the party of difference then they have to find a way out of this without any excuses. Conservatives, the world over, are blamed of self-righteousness. That is their cross to bear. They set the bar higher for personal character and integrity. They need to live up to it.

Before we expect others to follow the example of Gujarat and Narendra Modi, we should make sure that every one in the BJP is emulating that example. You see, at the end of the day, good governance wins over all other issues. It is the “trump ka ikka”. Votes from a community are something the BJP should leave for Congress and other pseudo-secular parties and focus on strong performance. That is what is going to win them the next election and make our dreams of a strong and united India come true.

India Pakistan Peace Talks: A Soap Opera!

India’s FM, a vapid septuagenarian and a family loyalist. Pakistan’s FM, a 34 year old, well made up rich brat with a silver spoon still sticking out of her mouth. That is the cast du jour of the latest episode of the soap opera that is Indo-Pak peace talks!

This show really gets the aman ki aasha brigade riled up like a bored housewife. Who else gets excited? Well, the PM for sure because he looks good to the western countries who are in awe of our restraint in the face of repeated terror attacks. He also gets to fulfill his legacy of being the first guy to bring peace in the subcontinent when everyone else has failed. English language media also gets pumped up. They get to cover the Paki glam doll going from meeting to meeting to masjid to dargaah. To what end one does and must ask?

These talks like most vacuous TV shows or a Bollywood flicks, have the excitement, dream sequence, locations and (this time) some glamour. However, as soon as the credits roll, you realize that nothing really happened. You are out of a few rupees and now have a headache.

Is there any point in talking peace with Pakistan? I have written many articles on this blog and am not going to repeat myself. I request the newer readers to read our thoughts on the subject in the urls given below. However, one must say that this time we knew this was just a charade when they sent us a newbie with a degree in hotel management with experience in parenting (rich woman like that does parenting by proxy) and running a restaurant at a Polo club. She comes to India and meets up with the Hurriyat terrorists. Who do you think she was instructed by? Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry or the almighty Paki army / ISI / Mullahs? Until we know whom we are talking to, is there any point in carrying out these charades? Who are we fooling anyway? The Americans are too smart to be fooled by this playacting. Let us not waste anymore time and money of the taxpayer. The GoI owes us more than this.

The following articles by us must be read in conjunction with this post:

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2011/03/is-peace-possible-with-pakistan.html

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2010/09/does-india-want-stable-pakistan.html

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2010/06/isnt-pakistan-perpetual-enemy-of-india.html

http://thenethindu.blogspot.com/2011/05/delusional-pakistanis-and-kashmiri.html

A Conservative India or A Liberal India?

Love and hatred are all consuming passions. Love can build or destroy but hatred ALWAYS destroys. Like Tina Turner, you may ask: “What’s love gotta do with it?” What indeed? I am talking about the increased polarization of the Indian polity where hatred has become the order of the day and civilized discussion between liberals and conservatives has become impossible. This destruction of civility in dialogue is going to hurt all of us. Both of them claim to love India but whose vision is better? Whose vision is better suited for our demographics? Whose suits the current day and age?
I would say it is the conservative vision. What drives my decision? Is it confidence or arrogance? It is but a thin line, which divides the two. So with the sliver of doubt in my mind, how can I convince my liberal brothers and sisters about my beliefs? At a philosophical and an emotional level, I will have a harder time doing that.
But with Mother India and aam aadmi in question, this discussion must and should take place. Name-calling and low blows should be kept out. Occasional sarcasm, which is often important to drive home, a point should be allowed. That said, I would like to present my case. Being a man of technology, I need to see proofs. In absence of proof, overwhelming statistics will do as well.

In terms of sheer performance and long term impact, PV Narsimha Rao was slightly better than Atalji. Until PVNR became the PM, the Congress was mired in Nehruvian socialism. PVNR ably assisted by Manmohan Singh set the country on the road to our current position. All things considered we’ve come a long way. We still have a very long way to go. But credit has to be given to PVNR and MMS team. Fortunately for them, they did not have to deal with as many dominant regional parties.

But after PVNR’s death, you have to examine which party followed the success recipe to a higher degree of success with lesser distractions like corruption, minority appeasement and dynastic politics. The answer is the BJP / NDA. MMS as PM has not been able to succeed like MMS as FM. As FM, his hands were not tied. But now he is dealing with everything except doing the right things. Compared to him, Atalji and the NDA have done better than MMS and UPA.

Even at state level you can see that the best performers are those from the BJP / NDA. People will bring the non-BJP states of TN and Andhra. The fact is that if you have economic centers like Hyderabad and Chennai, it is very hard to stop economic growth. Such is the momentum of today’s India. Look at Karnataka. Despite of Yeddyurappa’s subpar performance, the state is doing well.

Detractors will say that Gujarat was always a good performer. That is correct but during Narendra Modi’s rule, the central government has not helped the state (rather they have done everything to bring the Modi down) and yet Modi has converted a prosperous state into a juggernaut. People from all walks of life have acknowledged this fact. This includes Maulana Vastanvi who has since paid a price for praising Modi. A very conservative Economist Magazine calls Gujarat India’s Guangdong. China has been an economic miracle since mid 1980’s. But Gujarat did not achieve that level of productivity until Modi took over. Liberals often treat his US VISA refusal as his indictment in the post Godhra riots. They are welcome to their petty victory, which seems to soothe their frustrated souls. Other states like TN are now trying to explore the Gujarat model of development.

The point is that from an economic point of view, the conservative pro business policy works. If you follow the Gujarat model and balance the production and agricultural sectors then you have a recipe for success. If you include social responsibility in the corporate practices then you have a model for perfection. That way all strata of the society can enjoy the prosperity. In short, a conservative vision for India is good for prosperity.

But what about the social aspect? This is where I find myself on unsure grounds. Is a conservative society better or a liberal one? Unfortunately for this, we cannot draw graphs or quote numbers. The proof for this is empirical at best.

India is a land of Hindu ethos. Our culture and way of thinking is Hindu and it shows in all aspects of our lives. Even people of other religions in India have Hindu rituals incorporated in their lives. Just compare the weddings in Indian Muslim community and that in other Islamic countries. It is our faith and religion, which has kept this land of more than two-dozen languages together. No less than a Muslim intellectual like M J Akbar has said that India is secular because of Hindus. Since secularism is an essential ingredient of democracy, we can safely say that India is democratic because of Hinduism. Moreover, can you cite examples of Muslim democracies (Turkey because of Ataturk and Malaysia because of their eastern culture, do not count).

That said, I would like to add that the secularism in India of today is a perversion of the concept. Under a secular rule, all religions should be equal to the decision makers. If Muslims get Haj subsidies then Hindus should get their “teerth yatras” subsidized as well. Unfortunately, the definition of secularism as per most political parties is dovetailed with their need of Muslim and other minority votes. We need a political party, which will be an impartial guarantor of rights to all citizens of India. Which party has the moral courage to do that? A liberal party cannot do so. We have ample proof of that in the history of our young nation.

The point is that the social conservatism may not fit well with the Indian youth of today because it imposes boundaries on their lifestyle. Hinduism / social conservatism is not “cool”. I will concede that social mores are part of social dynamics and thus ever changing mostly for the worse. For instance, the urban Indian life is wreaking a havoc on the single most important unit of our society – the family. We need only look at the European countries and the effect of extreme liberalization on the society over there. We do not want to replicate it. So what is the solution to the problem? The perfect solution will involve holding on to our traditional values which have sustained us as a society and accept modernization as unavoidable. It is a difficult task but we have no other choice.

Hungry India

The most beautiful sight in the world? A happy healthy child. That always has been my answer. Of course other than the rich circles in India, you do not get to see that sight. In fact the sight gets uglier and uglier when you move away from the economic centers. Our children are worse fed that some sub-Saharan African countries. That is fact that should weigh heavily on us. Despite of being a complete basket case, Pakistan can feed her children better than us. Why is that?

Poverty would be the easy and obvious answer but it is incomplete and almost incorrect one. By most economic indices, we are way ahead of Sub Saharan Africa and Pakistan. Is it poor grain production? Judging the last few years agricultural production, we have done well. Can't blame it on rain gods either. The real answer is wastage and abysmal distribution system. A very rudimentary example of this is illustrated by the following:

In the back of his faded red transport truck were 27.2 metric tons of pineapple, ripened and ready for sale. With temperatures approaching 50 degrees, the fruit might as well have been ferried in a broiler. More than 20 per cent would be tossed aside by the time he arrived, fought over by cows, dogs and the children from nearby slums.

Yes folks, the villain is mismanagement and wastage. Completely human errors. Our farmers, braving the elements and poor infrastructure (financial, distribution and lack of any scientific and technical help) are producing more than possible. They are keeping their end of the bargain. However, our nation is not ready with something as rudimentary as food storage yet. We can host Commonwealth games and make our urban areas swankier than ever imagined but we cannot build covered storage facility. Here is part of a very damning report:

By January, the Government was aware that it would be a bumper wheat crop this year. Yet, it failed to lift a ban on wheat exports. According to the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the Government has, as of June, a stock of 65 million tonnes of wheat while it has a storage capacity of just 62 million tonnes. Of that, only 57 million tonnes can be stored in covered areas. The monsoon has set in over much of the country and eight million tonnes of stored, uncovered wheat will almost certainly rot. The Government has invested little in increasing FCI's storage capacity.

This is just this year. Last year the situation was as bad. Grains rotted away in the rains. We do not have adequate buildings for grains or cold storages for perishables. The power infrastructure is so bad that we have to decide whether to keep ourselves cool or the food safe. With blackouts extending beyond major parts of the day, is anything safe?

Meanwhile poor people are hard-pressed to feed their kids one meal a day. In parts of UP children were eating clay because it tastes like "besan" (powdered grams). That seems to be because due to some bureaucratic mess, these kids are not classified as poor and thus not eligible for government help. Astonishing stuff that! Meanwhile the people who are eligible for help have been given ration cards with color coding. The poorer the person the cheaper the grain. Except, unscrupulous business people are loaning money to the poor in exchange for their ration cards and then selling the grains for the poor in the open market. Quite a vicious circle has been created for these unfortunate souls. What is the use of our prosperity if people have less to eat now that when we were mired in Nehruvian socialism. The following is quite an eye-opener:

Today, there is less food available for each Indian resident that there was 30 years ago. In 2008, the most recent year for which statistics are available, India produced 436 grams of food grains per person per day, a drop from 445.3 in 2006.

Since Congress has ruled the nation most of our independent existence, they have to shoulder most of the blame. However, what is galling is that the BJP did not do anything about it while they were in charge. At the very least they could have initiated the development of the food storage and distribution infrastructure (well, the Golden Quadrangle project could have improved the transportation which was initiated by the BJP but has since been stalled). Of course the corrupt neta - babu - businessman nexus have contributed greatly to this problem.

If we do not do something about hunger, then we may not have peace in the nation for too long. The hungry will eventually storm the citadel and ruin the party for the Indian Nouveau riche. Those Porches and Audis will not be fast enough to escape the wrath of the aam aadmi!

Meanwhile I would like to urge the readers of this blog to do your best to help out the needy. If hungry, feed to the best of your ability. If unable, teach them something they can use to feed themselves. We all need to pitch in. We cannot depend upon our politicians.

More is available from these articles:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Not-enough-food-so-children-learn-to-eat-mud/Article1-527187.aspx
http://www.thestar.com/printarticle/1026114
http://in.news.yahoo.com/decline---stall-of-the-congress-empire.html

Who Is Responsible For The Blast?

After the 26/11 attacks, Home Minister Shivraj Patil’s performance was so bad that he was described by the then US Ambassador as “spectacularly inept”. The rest of the Congress leadership also cut a sorry picture. Maharashtra politicians were treating that event as a photo op and a way to score political points. Statements by the Muslim Congress leader Antulay were nothing short of adding insult to fatal injuries. The aftermath of those terror attacks were a bigger disaster. I tell my kids that mistakes are not necessarily a bad thing if you can learn from them. This is a lesson that our politicians never learn. If anything the mistakes get compounded and bigger.

So what happened to those responsible for our safety? Shivraj Patil who is a major loyalist of la Famiglia, held on to his job. After much consternation he was relieved of his post and then given another plum post of state governor. In any self respecting country, man like him would have been investigated for gross negligence of duties. The other politicians were also shufffled around. As far as investigating the actual crime is concerned, we have one terrorist in hand who is yet to be punished. We were led to believe that thirty odd men from Pakistan came in without any local help and committed mayhem. In fact, the next Home Minister went on to coin terms like Saffron Terror and went on Hindu Hunting trip. Digvijay Singh was supporting Muslims who were accusing RSS for the 26/11 attacks. Bhai Narendra Modi was being tough on terrorism and he got accused of staging encounters. Situation was beyond pathetic. All in all, no one was punished. Aam aadmi was left to mourn his dead.

But what did we do after that? In the next election, we brought back the same administration with a bigger majority. The definition of insanity is to repeat the same act and expect different result. We epitomize the word.

Now we are facing yet another terror attack. People are looking for answers. They are complaining that the government is not providing them with adequate security. They are scared. Who is responsible for this mess? Well, surely the terrorists are responsible for the actual blasts but what about the aftermath of it? Please look in the mirror. Yes, we the voters are responsible for it.
We had a chance to bring in a Hindu Conservative government in 2009 who had shown better ability to deal with terrorism but we did not. In democracy, we deserve the government we elect. I hope that the people of Mumbai and elsewhere who elected Congressmen are happy with their choice. I have no intention of being cruel or callous at this tragic time but we have very short term memory. Very soon we are going to forget it all and fall for all the pro-Pakistani propaganda of the Aman ki Asha brigade and relect Congress. We need to break this cycle and vote for a different party in the next election or be prepared to be face this recurring nightmare.

2G Relay Race Loot

With the 2G scam, the country was introduced to a new height in financial malfeasance. That said, it is entirely possible that there are bigger and better scams waiting to be unearthed. Growing economies run by corrupt politicians are especially vulnerable to such activities. Had it not been for A. Raja’s sloppiness and arrogant handling of the 2G allocations, the scam could have not come to light. It would be pertinent to look at the roots of this whole nefarious scheme.

It may be recalled Dayanidhi Maran was doing well as a Telecom minister when he was abruptly withdrawn and forced to resign from his ministerial post. Sighting a family feud, DMK then recommended A. Raja as the replacement. The reason given out by the DMK party was the survey conducted by Dinakaran the Maran familys news paper. The Dinakaran published results of a popularity survey between the Karunanidhi son’s M K Alagiri and M K Stalin, wherein Stalin was projected as the popular heir apparent. This was supposed to be the reason for the people of Tamil Nadu and the reason for Dayanidhi Maran’s dismissal from the Telecom Minister post. A poor excuse, this almost certainly was a way to divert the people’s attention from speculating the real reason. Could it be that the immediate family members of the Karunanidhi, namely Azhagiri, Stalin and Kanimozhi gang realized the money swindling potential of the plum Ministerial posting of Dayanidhi Maran and they might have wanted to increase their share of the loot. As per the Economics Times report “CBI evidence and material prove in the chargesheet filed with the SC that Kanimozhi “actively” lobbied for “re-appointment” of A. Raja as Telecom Minister in UPA II government as the process for allocation of 2G spectrum was initiated in his first tenure in the ministry in 2008”. Only difference being Maran executed the scam in a very polished and sophisticated manner leaving less room for undue suspicion. Maran’s actions were made to look like a corporate rivalry and takeover. Whereas on analyzing the actions of Kanimozhi and Raja we notice a bad reproduction of Maran events right from forming a rival TV channel, the Kalaignar TV to the other Telecom & Real-estate companies. It’s anybody’s guess the Karunanidhi clan could have become jealous of the Maran’s Sun TV enterprise phenomenal success or Maran’s didn’t share the booty as agreed. Who knows?

With the Dayanidhi Maran involvement in the 2G scam coming to light, this very much looks more like a Relay Race to Loot the Nation. Unlike a standard 4X100, this one seems to have many participants. Only two have been exposed so far, Dayanidhi Maran seems to have begun the race and A. Raja was the one to finish it. But who were the beneficiaries? As is the case in any organized crime like the Mafia in Italy, portions of any money stolen is given to various levels of the management. It goes all the way to the Godfather. It does not stop in the middle. In this case, A. Raja has not talked but with time, the dominoes seem to be falling. Of late, the recent exposure of Mr. P. Chidambaram involvement in 2G, is making him look like one the runners in the middle of this relay. Today we are hearing the name of Kapil Sibal. Now we are getting close to the top of the ladder. Ahmed Patel who is PA to Sonia Gandhi has been found to be a close friend of Hassan Ali who is a major player in the 2G scam. This gives you an idea, how far and wide this thing went. Obviously, the players are trying to protect themselves and the other VIPs. How long will they hold out is anybody’s guess. Hopefully, as the case progresses the nation gets exposed to other heavy weights. All the runners in this 2G relay race have not yet been exposed.

Rahul Gandhi As PM? Only In India!

Oscar Levant once said cynically of a politician, 'He'll double-cross that bridge when he comes to it.'

That is one of the large number of quotations on the integrity and honesty of a politician. That is no longer an unfair stereotype or a joke for people in the know. Everyone thinks so. Then why do we still send more and more dishonest MPs to the parliament? In fact the last Loksabha has more than 150 MPs with serious accusations like murder against them. Even the aware voters of West Bengal have elected a very large number of criminal MLAs.

Why do Indians settle for things instead of reaching for things? Why have we come to a pass where we take pride in our ability for “jugaad” rather than doing something by the book? Why does the “chalta hai” edict get adopted by every new generation? It is most likely because it is easy. To fight for something or to make a stand takes effort and courage. Collectively as Indians, we are showing remarkable lack of both.

In the west, when politicians contest elections, they go out of their way to showcase their families and their “regular” lifestyle. It is because the voter in the west thinks that a person who can identify with them, is more likely to understand their problems. Makes sense, doesn’t it. Moreover, when you elect a politician, you are trusting your motherland to him or her. Wouldn’t you rather know everything about them, including their private lives (generally speaking)? You really want to know if you have the right person making decisions which will have tremendous impact on the lives of our families.

When Atalji was elected, all we knew about his private life was that (in his own words) he was a bachelor not a “bramhachari”. A man like that will NEVER get elected President in the USA. However, in India, no one questioned his value system. Of course in his case, we knew about his public life and his achievements due to his very long and illustrious career. We also know that he has an adopted daughter whom he has raised well. Therefore in his case, there was a semblance of normalcy.

Manmohan Singh is a great family man, an academic and an honest person. At that level, we have never had a person more qualified for the job. Before becoming the PM, by most claims, he had a good run as a Finance Minister in the Rao government (there are some doubts about how much credit should be given to him though). However, he has never won a general election. A good person, he lacks the ability to lead a country. The way he has dealt with the corruption issue is making us believe that his love for power is stopping him from doing the right and the honorable thing.

That brings me to the point I wanted to make. Congress insiders are doing their damndest to make Rahul Gandhi look like a Prime Ministerial candidate. Let us examine this man as they would in western democracies. His education credentials are not clear at all. They would like us to believe that he has degrees from exalted places but there no records substantiating that. This guy has never held any kind of public office. He has never created anything or any wealth. He has never had to prove himself to anyone because of his name. General Secretary of Congress is not an accomplishment because he is still not answerable to anyone. He is enjoying all kinds of power with no responsibility. When things get hot, he and his mother recede into the background. His henchman come to fore and fight dirty. The only thing they keep harping on is his youth but he is more than 41 years old. That may be young compared to Karunanidhi and Pranab Mukherjee but that is not really young. Bobby Jindal became the Governor of one of the most conservative states in the US at the age of 37. That is young and remarkable. From what we have seen so far, Rahul Gandhi is a man given to irresponsible statements, a loose cannon. His utterances in front of foreign diplomats (as per Wikileaks) have been most irresponsible. Per some reports, Congress insiders claim that he is not coachable in the matters of politics. He is a very rich single man closing in on middle age. He has never dealt with problems of raising children or providing for his family. Do we get a sense of responsibility from him? How can we expect him to feel the pain of the aam aadmi from his perch. One evening of daal roti in controlled environs will not solve this problem.

India is at crossroads in time. We are on the verge of becoming an economic success story. New prosperity and ancient culture will be very hard to balance for the society. We live in one the worst neighborhoods in the world. Security of the nation is of supreme importance. The world economy is faltering and we have a very young and a rising population. We need a statesman who looks at the next generation and not a politician who looks at the next election. India deserves a man or a woman of character, vision, gravitas and courage. A good looking playboy just won’t do.