Today, would Delhi go by opinion polls or the AAP undercurrent would turn into a tide? I wish the latter!

So, today Delhiites are voting their new government for next five years. A POLL OF ALL OPINION POLLS, which were conducted between Aug 2 and Dec 1, predicts a hung Assembly with seats position as follows: Congress 26, BJP 30, AAP 12 and others 2.

I congratulate AAP for its sincere efforts in making corruption and clean governance important poll issues and emerging as a strong contender to form government in Delhi. MY SUPPORT IS FOR AAP, which is going to make a historic, countable entry into Delhi Assembly.

AAP has for the first time in Delhi’s electoral history has turned the Capital’s bipolar polity into a three-some phenomenon. Though both AAP and BJP on the basis their own opinion polls/ assessment claim huge victories, no independent opinion poll has confirmed their claims. Here exceptions are the two opinion polls of India Today which have predicted BJP victory.

However, at the ground level and while talking to middle class Delhiites I have noticed an undercurrent in AAP’s favour . If this undercurrent sustains till their pressing the EVM button, then ALL INDEPENDENT OPINION POLLS ARE GOING TO FALL FLAT ON THEIR FACE. And, this would be the first time that opinions polls would be so off the mark.

I have been following the opinion polls since the 1984 Lok Sabha polls. That year for the first time in India, the India Today group had conducted an opinion poll and predicted a huge 400 plus seat victory for the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress. The opinion poll proved right as Indians in sympathy to Indira Gandhi’s assassination had voted overwhelmingly for Rajiv and Congress.

Today evening or tomorrow evening we will move over to the EXIT POLLS, which would be telecast by almost all news channels. These polls will give a more better idea of the expected poll results as these are conducted on the people who have already voted.

I end with good wishes for TEAM AAP and a request that if you come to power then please don’t go for populist measures and enable Delhiites to have realistic expectations from the government and, more importantly, also discharge their responsibilities/duties towards Delhi and the nation.

परेशानियों से मुक्ति का सरल उपाय

इस कविता कि खुराक दिन में तीन बार अच्छे मूड में चाय के सात लेने से ज़िन्दगी कि परेशानियां कभी नहीं सताएंगी।  ये कविता मुझे एक फेसबुक के डाक्टर ने दी है:  


जो पाया कभी सोचा नहीं,
जो सोचा कभी मिला नहीं,
जो मिला रास आया नहीं,
जो खोया वो याद आता है
पर, जो पाया संभाला जाता नहीं,
क्यों अजीब सी पहेली है ज़िन्दगी
जिसको कोई सुलझा पाता नहीं.

जीवन में कभी समझौता करना पड़े तो कोई बड़ी बात
नहीं है,
क्योंकि झुकता वही है जिसमें जान होती है,
अकड़ तो मुरदे की पहचान होती है।

ज़िन्दगी जीने के दो तरीके होते है!
पहला: जो पसंद है उसे हासिल करना सीख लो!
दूसरा: जो हासिल है उसे पसंद करना सीख लो!

जिंदगी जीना आसान नहीं होता; 
बिना संघर्ष कोई महान नहीं होता; 
जब तक न पड़े हथोड़े की चोट,
पत्थर भी भगवान नहीं होता।

जिंदगी बहुत कुछ सिखाती है;
कभी हंसती है तो कभी रुलाती है; 
पर जो हर हाल में खुश रहते हैं, 
जिंदगी उनके आगे सर झुकाती है।

चेहरे की हंसी से हर गम चुराओ; 
बहुत कुछ बोलो पर कुछ ना छुपाओ;
खुद ना रूठो कभी, पर सबको मनाओ;
राज़ है ये जिंदगी का बस जीते चले जाओ।

रामू चायवाला भी दिल्ली के मुख्यमंत्री के पद की दौड़ में है

शायद आपको याद हो नरेंद्र मोदी ने प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह को हाल में ही इस बात के लिए लताड़ा था कि उन्होंने अमेरिका जा कर ओबामा के सामने देश कि गरीबी का रोना रोया है। यानि कि गरीबी कि मार्केटिंग की है। परन्तु मोदी खुद भी अपने ज़्यादातर भाषणों में अपने भूतकाल  के चायवाले बैकग्राउंड की चर्चा करना नहीं भूलते। क्या इसे किसी तरह की मार्केटिंग कहा जा सकता है?

खैर मोदी के भाषणों का असर चायवालों कि बिरादरी पर हो गया है और उन्होंने एक नयी पार्टी, चायवाला पार्टी, बना ली है। इस पार्टी के अद्यक्ष रामू भी ४ दिसंबर को होने वाले दिल्ली विधान सभा के चुनावों में शीला दीक्षित, हर्षवर्धन एवं अरविन्द केजरीवाल की तरह मुख्यमंत्री के पद की दौड़ में हैं।  यह बात मुझे तब पता चली जब मैंने दिल्ली विश्विद्यालय के कैंपस में दो छात्रों को बात करते सुना। ये छात्र कुछ इस तरह बात कर रहे थे:

राहुल: चल नरेंद्र यार रामू की चाय पीने चलते हैं।

नरेंद्र: रामू की चाय अब नहीं मिलेगी।

राहुल: क्यों?

नरेंद्र: जब से रामू ने सुना है की मोदी जी कभी चाय बेचा करते थे तब से उसने अपनी दुकान बंद कर दी है। और एक नयी पार्टी, चायवाला पार्टी, बना ली है।

राहुल: अरे उसे तो बहुत समर्थन मिल सकता है। दिल्ली में जगह-जगह तो चायवाले हैं और लाखों लोग उनसे चाय  पीते हैं।

नरेंद्र: यार, जिस तरह से रामू भाषण देता फिर रहा है और लोगों को आकर्षित कर रहा है, वह मुख्यमंत्री बन सकता है।

राहुल:  क्या कहता है भाषण में?

नरेंद्र: कल कमला मार्केट में अच्छी-खासी भीड़ के सामने आग्रहपूर्वक कह रहा था: "भाइयों और बहनों, मैं भी चाय बेचता हूँ मुझे देश की न सही कम से कम दिल्ली की सेवा करने का मोका दीजिये।"

राहुल:  क्या रामू ने कोई चुनावी वायदे किये?

नरेंद्र: हाँ कह रहा था कि अगर मैं दिल्ली का मुख्यमंत्री बना तो हर दिल्ली वाले को रोज़ दो चाय मुफ्त मिलेगी। वह भी पानी की नहीं, दूध में पती वाली चाय मलाई मार के।

राहुल: उसने यह नहीं कहा कि साथ में फेन और मट्ठी भी देगा?

नरेंद्र: हाँ यही बात एक बन्दे ने भी रामू से पूछी थी।  

राहुल:  तो रामू क्या बोला?

नरेंद्र: रामू बोला चाय कि तो मेरी पक्की गारंटी है।  फेन-मट्ठी के लिए केंद्रीय सरकार से पूछना पड़ेगा।

राहुल: चलो यार, रामू को जिताओ। दूध पती वाली चाय मिलेगी मलाई मार के। 

नरेंद्र: रामू ने यह भी कहा कि आप प्लास्टिक के पिद्दी-पिद्दी कप में चाय पीना भूल जाओगे। स्टील का बड़ा गिलास मिलेगा आधा भर के। इस पर एक बन्दे ने कहा, "आप फेन-मट्ठी नहीं देंगे, कम से कम  चाय तो गिलास भर के दीजिये।"

राहुल: तो रामू क्या बोला? 

नरेंद्र: वह बोला इसके लिए मुझे केंद्रीय सरकार से पूछना पड़ेगा। देखिये आप मेरी मजबूरी समझिये। में केंद्रीय सरकार से सम्बन्ध ख़राब नहीं कर सकता। आखिर मुझे भी पांच साल सरकार चलानी है।

राहुल: यार बात तो समझदारी की कर रहा है।

नरेंद्र: अब रामू की बात बहुत हुई।  चल जल्दी से माल रोड चलते हैं। आज चाय सैंडविच खिलाने की तेरी बारी है।

राहुल: मैं कहाँ मना कर रहा हूँ। मेरा मन तो रामू की दूध पती मलाई वाली चाय पीने का कर रहा है।

नरेंद्र: रामू की चाय जब मिलेगी तब मिलेगी, आज तो तू जेब ढीली कर.

राहुल: चल तू भी पैसे खर्च करवा के ही मानेगा।


तो इस तरह नरेंद्र और राहुल एक दुसरे के कंधे पर हाथ रखे हुए माल रोड कि और बढ़ चलते हैं।

अगर आप भी रामू की दूध पती मलाई वाली चाय पीना चाह्ते हैं तो ४ दिसंबर रामू को वोट देना नो भूलें। 

JISKA DAR THA WAHI HUA... feeling sorry for AAP

I begin with the following excerpt taken from my email sent to India Against Corruption on August 6, 2012 (about 15 months ago) when some members of Team Anna had decided to form a political party but the formation of AAP was still 4-5 months away:

"I wish to draw Team Anna’s attention to the following famous quote: Power corrupts. Absolutely power corrupts absolutely. In the context of this quote, I think Team Anna’s decision to turn themselves into a political outfit is fraught with serious adverse consequences for their anti-corruption crusade… Anna ji and a bunch of his loyalists can remain honest all their life. But, can they guarantee that the candidates they would choose for fighting polls would also prove to be diehard anti-corruption crusaders?"

The above excerpt, if seen in the light of the clippings of some AAP candidates’ alleged corrupt behaviour which were shown on social media yesterday (Nov 21), proves my fears right. Actually, I believe if fighting corruption is a mission of a bunch of people being supported by a few lakhs Delhiites, it won’t succeed. Particularly if you are a new party trying to eradicate corruption by ‘sweeping’ established parties by your 'jhadu’ (broom) out of reckoning. After all, not all the leaders in the BJP and Congress are corrupt. And, those who are corrupt can go to any extent to harm you.

Politics is like a “koyle ki kothri jisme Manmohan Singh jaisa imandaar aadmi bhi kala nazar aata hai.” As far as corruption and chai-pani culture are concerned, I don’t think that even BJP’s star CMs Narendra Modi, Shiv Raj Singh Chohan and Raman Singh can claim that they have banished these evils from their states.

The most important requirement to fight corruption effectively is the political consensus at the national level on the ways to fight corruption. And, then the strong will of bureaucrats and you and me to ensure that the political consensus leads to desired results. 

If your heart really beats for anti-corruption crusade then please do not follow shortcuts to get your work done in govt offices. 

Anna is right in questioning Kejriwal

In the morning’s post (‘Corporate Bank Politics’), I had written, “Though I do not agree with certain aspects of the AAP poll campaign…” As today Anna Hazare has asked Arvind Kejriwal whether the donations (collected during Anna’s 16-day fast in August 2011 at Delhi’s Ram Lila Maidan) are being used for poll purposes, I also wish to state my reservations about the AAP poll campaign.

Please have a look at this excerpt from my letter emailed to India Against Corruption 18 months ago following the decision of some Team Anna members to form a political party to fight corruption. At that time formation of the Aam Aadmi Party was still 4-5 months away.

The excerpt: “I think we can effectively challenge a system from outside. Once we become part of the system, we become prone to do compromises on our stated principles or agenda for surviving in that system.  Needless to say, Team Anna as a political outfit would need a comfortable majority to enact laws, which, as things stand today, is a Himalayan task to muster. Obviously, to succeed in the numbers game, they would have to compromise with their anti-corruption agenda…” 

Now, after observing the behaviour of AAP over the last one year, I think the party has done compromises to survive in the political system. I won’t go into the AAP funding because going by the AAP claims in the media, I only know that they have collected about Rs 19 crore from common Indians and NRIs. My reservations on the AAP poll campaign are as follows:

1. Long ago Anna Hazare had clarified to Arvind Kejriwal that AAP would not use his name in the poll campaign. But Anna's name is the fulcrum of the AAP poll campaign. 
2. AAP has painted Delhi black and white, claiming that it would pass Anna’s Jan Lokpal Bill on December 29 after coming to power in Delhi. Anna has rightly questioned AAP on this claim because Anna's Bill was meant to be passed by the Union govt not by a State govt. (I think AAP also wants to take advantage of people's emotions attached with Dec 29, the day Delhi Braveheart died last year.) 
3. In some AAP posters, the sentence "5 saal ki gudiya ko bachaya" (He saved a five-year-old innocent girl) is written below Kejriwal’s picture. Adjacent to his picture there is a picture of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who is blamed for the rising crimes against women. I found it in bad taste that Kejriwal, who claims to be a selfless leader, is asking votes in the name of a five-year-old innocent rape victim. 
4. No political party in Independent India has used huge posters to claim its victory on the basis of opinion polls commissioned by itself. But AAP has used autos and other strategic places to put big or small posters to claim that 41% Delhiites want Arvind Kejriwal to be Delhi CM and 46% Delhiites want AAP to form the govt. I think this is not an ethical way to mould people's opinion in your favour.  
5. Arvind Kejriwal hates the BJP and Congress in the same way as Narendra Modi hates the Congress. But in a democracy, particularly in the present times of coalition govts, you would need the Opposition's cooperation to complete legislative business. Otherwise House boycotts by the Opposition would paralyze your govt as has been happening with the minority Manmohan Singh govt for the past two years. 
6. Ironically, despite Kejriwal’s hate for BJP/Ccngress, AAP has fielded in Delhi polls about 10 candidates who in the past were associated with these parties. Interestingly, Kejriwal had gone on record in the media, saying AAP had asked its supporters’ views online about admitting BJP/Congress leaders. Then he told that AAP supporters had warned against admitting these leaders because ‘ye AAP ko kha jayenge.” Now, why this turnaround by AAP? Maybe, AAP will use these leaders as Vibhishanas to destroy the BJP/Congress Lankas!   
   
   

‘CORPORATE BANK POLITICS’

I’ve just coined this term. Let me clarify that it has nothing to do with the Corporate Bank. Actually, the context is the inquiry ordered by the Indian Government into the alleged foreign connection of Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) funds on the direction of the Delhi High Court given during a PIL hearing. Though I do not agree with certain aspects of the AAP poll campaign, I feel targeting only AAP is not proper. Wish the petitioner ML Sharma had broad-based his petition to know about the funding sources of big fishes like Congress and BJP. 

Now, I come to the term ‘corporate bank politics’. We are very much familiar with the ‘vote bank politics’ song of the Saffron brigade, which will  remain a chart buster till the 2014 battle is not over. But, we must also know that apart from votes, a candidate needs notes (money) for fighting and winning polls, which are taken care of by ‘corporate bank politics’.  

We have heard a lot about minority appeasement, but corporate appeasement is also a reality of our democracy. The simple reason is that there are no free lunches except those available in school mid-day meals. Saying it differently, no corporate would back a political party with its money just for charity. Any political investment from corporates materializes only when they had already been appeased or are sure of being appeased in future through favourable tweaking in govt policies.  

An ordinary voter, like you and me, may not get the benefits proclaimed in poll manifestoes in return for our votes, but corporates due to their sheer money power and in the name of development schemes always succeed in reaping huge gains from their money invested in political parties. 

It's fine for Narendra Modi to say that he wants to be the chowkidar (watchman) of India in Delhi. But here a million dollar question is: How would Modi say no to the corporates who are putting crores these days in organizing his hi-tech mega rallies? 

In contrast to BJP and Congress' banking on corporate money to fight polls, Arvind Kejriwal has collected money from the masses. This is a good step for cleansing politics. If he comes to power, this would enable him resist coporates pressuring govt for undue favours. In America also, political funding is quite transparent with special fund-raising dinners organized by political parties going to polls. We too can make political funding transparent and minimize indirect corporate influence on politics by exploring the idea of late Prime Minister VP Singh who had talked of govt financing poll expenses of candidates.

Once Advani called Manmohan ‘NIKAMMA’ and got a befitting reply, but now Manmohan’s silence and ‘inaction’ are hurting himself as well as AAM ADMI

In July 2008, BJP leader LK Advani as the Leader of Opposition had called Manmohan Singh as a ‘NIKAMMA’ (useless) Prime Minister during the debate on a no-trust a motion against the UPA-I govt. Then replying to the no-trust motion, Manmohan Singh had given a befitting reply (link given below) whose excerpts are as follows:

“The Leader of Opposition, Shri L.K. Advani has chosen to use all manner of abusive objectives to describe my performance. He has described me as the weakest Prime Minister, a nikamma PM, and of having devalued the office of PM. To fulfill his ambitions, he has made at least three attempts to topple our government. But on each occasion his astrologers have misled him…  All I can say is that before leveling charges of incompetence on others, Shri Advani should do some introspection. Can our nation forgive a Home Minister who slept when the terrorists were knocking at the doors of our Parliament? Can our nation forgive a person who single handedly provided the inspiration for the destruction of the Babri Masjid with all the terrible consequences that followed? To atone for his sins, he suddenly decided to visit Pakistan and there he discovered new virtues in Mr. Jinnah. Alas, his own party and his mentors in the RSS disowned him on this issue. Can our nation approve the conduct of a Home Minister who was sleeping while Gujarat was burning leading to the loss of thousands of innocent lives?...”

This strong reply presented Manmohan as an able PM and he received applause from the people as well as media. But for the last two years the country has seen a different Manmohan who has allowed himself to be painted by the vociferous Narendra Modi as a ‘man of no action’.  We all know that the scam charges, deserting political allies, rising prices of petroleum products, and gloomy world economic scenario have contributed to Manmohan’s woes. But when the poor and middle classes see the govt being unable to control even vegetable prices (which are not linked to dollar), they have no option but to consider the Manmohan govt as ineffective.

Media has time and again attributed the rise in onion prices to hoarding and black marketing of onions. Now I think hoarding and black marketing have also spread to other vegetables, like potato and tomato whose prices are also skyrocketing. It’s possible that many traders, having loyalty to the anti-Congress camp, may be resorting to these malpractices to paint the Manmohan govt in bad colours. But, to prove its sincerity for aam admi’s welfare, the Manmohan govt should have informed people regularly about its actions or its instructions given to state govts to check vegetables hoarding and black marketing.

I think Manmohan and  top Congress leaders very well know that the masses living with high inflation won’t care that UPA II is the first govt in Independent India, which acted against some of its own ministers and some members of high-profile political families, who were put behind bars for their alleged corrupt acts. They also know that people are facing hardships because of subsidy removal from petroleum products, which is a major factor of general price rise but is a good step to encourage judicious use of petroleum products and generate more resources for the exchequer.

But neither Manmohan nor top Congress leaders appear to be doing anything that would tell the aam admi that they understand his problems and want to help him. Have they already conceded defeat to Narendra Modi? 

Manmohan’s reply to no-trust motion: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-07-22/india/27927772_1_astrologers-home-minister-shri-advani

Intelligentsia’s ‘HISTORIC DECISION’ of Oct 2013, and ‘HONEST’ money making in politics

Noted columnist Vir Sanghvi has brought good news for Narendra Modi’s supporters in his article in today’s Hindustan Times (link given below). The very first para will make the hearts of Modi supporters dance with joy. The para reads: “When the history of this period of Indian politics is written, October 2013 will be remembered as the month when the intelligentsia and the commentariat decided that it was inevitable that Narendra Modi would become the next prime minister.”

Though Sanghvi has predicted Modi’s ascension to the PM chair, the latter’s supporters instead of thanking Sanghvi have criticized him left and right in the comments below his article on the HT website. The reason is they consider him and some other journalists as Congress spokesmen.  And, as usual the Ganhdis and poor Manmohan Singh also faced a lot of flak in these comments. Just comments of two bloggers as samples:

·         I have every doubt that Muck Mute Singh's brain transplantation has been secretly done to make him remote operated & programmable by his operators.

·         I'd vote Modi only if he promises to put Nehru-Gandhi clan, current UPA cabinet with PM in jail forever.

   

Now let me tell you about ‘honest’ money making in politics. According to an article in The Week (Nov 10, 2013), the assets of Chhatisgarh Chief Minister and some of his ministers have grown six fold since the last Assembly elections, that is, in just five years. Also, the ‘poorest’ candidate in the last elections with declared assets of Rs 20 lakh, today owns assets worth Rs 1 crore 4 lakh. I think Chhatisgarh ministers can help eradicate corruption from India if they come out with a ‘how to’ book on fast money making in politics ‘honestly’. I am sure after reading this book all Indian politicians as well as the masses will be able to make money fast without indulging in corruption.

Vir Sanghvi article link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news-feed/viewsvirsanghvi/a-great-sense-of-betrayal-why-india-feels-let-down-by-manmohan/article1-1150835.aspx

Praising ‘Pappu’ means inviting the ire of the largely anti-Rahul social media, but I will take the risk

Actually, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has started something in Youth Congress and NSUI, which if followed by THE CONGRESS ITSELF and other political parties in the country would help weed out criminals from politics and give more political power to people.

Before getting to the point, let me introduce you to ‘Governance Now’ (a fortnightly magazine) and FAME (an organization), and remind you of former Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh. The three-year-old magazine ‘Governance Now’ was founded by Adhikari brothers (Gautam and Markand, who own the SAB channel) and Anurag Batra to focus on governance issues and problems in India. Former Chief Election Commissioner JM Lyngdoh now heads the Foundation for Advanced Management of Elections (FAME) whose one aim is to promote internal democracy in political parties.

I take yet another digression to remind you of Rahul’s beehive speech at the CII in April last. In that speech Rahul had said that we the masses elect about 5000 MPs and MLAs. And, who could get elected as MPs and MLAs is decided by ONLY 200 TO 300 PEOPLE (the combined strength of ticket distributors in all parties). Then Rahul’s poser was, “…How can we talk about anything if just 200 people are defining those Vidhan Sabhas and Parliament?”

Now, coming to the topic, I refer to an article (link given below) in ‘Governance Now’ (Oct 16-31 2013 issue) that links FAME with Rahul, Youth Congress, and NSUI. After its formation about four-five years ago, FAME had written to all political parties to take its help in bringing internal democracy in them. However, no party sought FAME help. In other words, NO PARTY CARES HOW DEMOCRATIC IT ITSELF IS. However, Rahul sought FAME help in conducting regular elections to Youth Congress and NSUI units in all the states. Before accepting Rahul's request, FAME put the condition that “it would have the last word on all matters". Rahul agreed. And, for the last three years, FAME has been supervising Youth Congress/NSUI elections. In some cases the kin of some top Congress leaders were disqualified for rules violation but Rahul kept his word and did not intervene.

FAME has strict rules regarding selection of candidates for internal party polls. Not only convicted persons but even the persons charged with offences punishable with imprisonment up to five years can’t stand for elections. Violation of campaigning rules can also nullify a person’s nomination.

Rahul’s aim is to start selecting party leaders from booth level to district level, state level and national level through a truly internal democratic process with no scope for para-dropping leaders boasting of family connections. To underline the significance of this exercise, the slogan 'Neta bano, neta chuno' has been coined. This way Rahul would make it sure that ONLY 200 TO 300 PEOPLE do not get to decide who could be our MPs or MLAs. 

Rahul has given himself ten years to bring complete internal democracy in Congress. When Prof Jagdeep Chhoker, founding member of Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) asked him about the possibility of his failure in this task, then Rahul replied, "I will walk away and somebody else will have to do it." 

I wish Rahul success because it would help him shake off the dynasty baggage and make Congressmen look beyond a Gandhi.

‘Governance Now’ article link: http://www.governancenow.com/news/regular-story/how-rahul-our-insider-system

Can a middle class Indian or a poor Indian buy 36 pant-shirt suits or kurta-churidaars every year?

‘No’ would certainly be your answer. Before I come to the topic, I put another poser: Can a middle class Indian or a poor Indian afford Bvlgari spectacle frames, Monteblanc pen and Swiss luxury watch Movado? I know you will again answer in the negative.  

Let me continue with my puzzle. Here are the words of a ‘strong’ leader: "We have lived poverty and have known the pain of the poor. When someone makes fun of poor people, I feel the pain because I spent my childhood in poverty. " 

Almost at every major rally over the last two months this man has talked about his tea-vendor background and ridiculed someone as  ‘Shehzaada’, ‘Prince’ or ‘Yuvraaj’. Now, you’ve got it and I need not tell you that I am talking about BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

The above words he has uttered at his Kanpur rally today (Oct 19). At the rally he again made fun of Rahul by calling him ‘Yuvraaj’ and saying "People who are born with a silver spoon do not understand what poverty means and the pain of poor people."

But for your information, Modi gets 36 kurta-churidaars stitched every year in khadi, khadi silk and khadi linen. And, he prefers Bvlgari spectacle frames, Montblanc pens and Swiss luxury watch Movado.* Modi was not born with a silver spoon. But doesn't now he has the tastes similar to those of people born with a silver spoon? Maybe, if he comes to power we would all be able to live in luxury? 

PS: Yesterday Congress leader Digvijaya Singh told us that Gujarat has the highest per capita debt in the country.

*According to an article in The Week magazine (Sept 29, 2013) 

Datia tragedy reminds me of Anusha's words

I pay tribute to over 115 devotees who have died due to a stampede caused by rumours of bridge collapse near the Ratangarh temple in Datia, Madhya Pradesh yesterday (Oct 13).

Given the utter lack of discipline in us coupled with our mostly superficial devotion to religion and apathetic government machinery, Datia-type tragedies can happen anywhere, in fact, have happened in the past in other states also.

   

The Datia stampede reminds me of these words: 'Nothing can happen until people stand up and regulate the system.' These words were uttered by Anusha Rizvi, director of ‘Peepli Live’, a film on farmers’ suicide, when the film was released over three years ago. I had also responded to Anusha’s words with a post in this blog (‘Anusha, your’re right’) on August 14, 2010. The post is still there intact.

The Datia tragedy shows we are not ready to regulate the system.  Isn’t it surprising that in a land where numerous people in the past had done 'ghor tapasaya' for getting the blessings of god, today we are spreading rumours to break queues to have a quick ‘darshan’ of our deity? It shows our devotion to the deity is only skin deep. Shouldn't it be a serious concern for the people who always talk highly of Hindu religion and Hindu culture?  Actually, big religious festivals are used by all — petty shopkeepers, policemen, and people associated with religious institutions — to milk money from the masses' devotion for their deities.

A popular belief of Hindu religion is: ‘Kan kan mein bhagwan’. That is, God is present all around us in all things, even in the minutest particle. So, then why we waste time standing in miles-long queues for a deity’s darshan?  Isn’t it better to meditate by focusing on our deity in serene surroundings near our homes and spend the time that we waste in long queues in environment protection work.

My request to people managing religious institutions: If they are really sincere about proper management of religious institutions for the good of society, then they can seek advice of IIM passouts. I am sure that these passouts, who can do anything from selling soft drinks to managing the economy, can certainly help in preventing devotees going to heaven while they are praying their deity for good, long life on earth!

Bitter onion facts and ALL-PARTY ALLIANCE!!!

The skyrocketing onion prices have created a big hole in our pockets over the last two months. And, see what a prominent onion trader operating in the Lasalgaon market, India’s largest onion market, feels about our plight: “If prices have gone up from Rs 20 to Rs 80 a kilo, the middle class is paying hardly Rs 120 more than their average monthly spending. This should not disturb them so much.”

The Lasalgaon market is in Maharashtra’s Nashik district where 70 per cent of India’s onion trade occurs. 

The above quote is part of the cover story of THE WEEK magazine's current issue available at this link: http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/theWeekContent.do?contentId=15176275&programId=1073755753&tabId=13&BV_ID=@@@&categoryId=-208261 

Some more consumer gyaan (learning) related to the onion trade conducted in the Lasalgaon market over the past few months is as follows:

• A farmer who sold his produce at Rs 3500 a quintal, his profit after paying for raw material and labour costs was only Rs 9 a kilo.
• According to a farmer activist, traders in Lasalgaon Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) alone earned more than Rs 150 crore in just four days (Aug 12–15) this year.
• According to the leader of a prominent organization, “The (onion) auctions are a farce… Once the bidding is over, the winner announces the price. The farmers have to sell their crop to him even if the price does not meet their production cost. They get beaten up if they refuse.” 

Over the last few weeks we have seen much hue and cry over onion price rise in media and in the political arena. But hardly anyone told us about the plight of the onion farmer and how few traders monopolistic practices have created the artificial onion scarcity and consequent steep price rise.

Maybe it's due to the all-party alliance which is protecting the traders' interest in Nashik. One farmer activist points to this all-party alliance in these words: “About 90 per cent of the traders belong to the BJP; the state co-operative and agriculture ministers are from the Congress; and NCP chief Sharad Pawar is the Union agriculture minister." 

Manmohan 'marketed poverty' before Obama, but what the Gujarat 'strongman' is doing?

PM hopeful of BJP Narendra Modi recently charged PM Manmohan Singh of marketing India’s poverty before President Obama at their meeting on Sept 28. OK. Now, let's see what Modi himself is doing. Between Sept 15 and Oct 2, Modi spoke thrice (at Rewari and Delhi rallies and at a college students’ meet in Delhi) about his tea-vendor background. Isn't it marketing of Modi's humble background to touch a chord in the common man for electoral gains. Our former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri also came from a humble background.  He lost his father when he was only one. Given Shastri’s nature one doesn’t think he had ever tried to market his humble background like Modi is doing these days.

Vajpayee's statesmanship and potential PM's Congress-mukt Bharat

Noted historian and scholar Ramchandra Guha in one of his articles (link given at the bottom) narrates an example of statesmanship and political tolerance set by BJP leader Atal Behari Vajpayee while serving as foreign minister in the Janata Party govt in 1977. In the 1977 elections, the newly-formed Janata Party, in which BJP's erstwhile avatar Jana Sangh was merged, had trounced the Congress and formed the govt at the Centre.

When Vajpayee as Foreign Minister went to his office in South Block for the first time, he looked around, and immediately spotted a blank space on the wall. (He knew the room well, as he had often visited it as an Opposition MP.) "Panditji ki tasveer kahan gayi? (Where is the portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru that used to hang there?)." The officers present in the room remained silent. Actually, they had themselves removed Nehru’s portrait, thinking that Vajpayee who had been jailed during the 1975-77 Emergency by Indira Gandhi would detest her father Nehru. But Vajpayee commanded, "Wapas lao. Satara saal hamare videsh mantri rahe. (Bring back the portrait. He was our Foreign Minister for 17 years.) So Nehru's portrait was brought back. 

The above anecdote shows Vajpayee's magnanimity as well as statesmanship in accepting the important role Nehru played as the first PM and as Foreign Minister in building modern India. In fact, Nehru was also highly impressed by Vajpayee's oratorial skills when the latter was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1957. He had reportedly told his fellow parliamentarians that this young MP would emerge as a big leader in future. 

Now, see the contrast. Today potential PM Narendra Modi, belonging to the very party of Vajpayee, in his speeches seems to blame Nehru for all the ills afflicting the country. Young Indians also get carried away by Modi's speeches. But an impartial observer would give Nehru credit for laying the foundation of a democratic and plural India which provided an opportunity to people from backward castes, like Narendra Modi, Mayawati, and  Laloo Prasad Yadav, to develop political leadership qualities and become national leaders. 

Though Modi became a national leader by enjoying the fundamental rights bestowed upon him by the Indian democracy, he has coined the highly undemocratic slogan 'Congress-mukt Bharat' (Congress-free India). Many political leaders have great differences with BJP leaders. But nobody has ever coined the slogan 'BJP-mukt Bharat' (BJP-free India). 

I think a true democrat knows well that in a liberal society like India's anybody within the framework of law has the right to propagate his/her views or ideology. Does Modi need to be reminded of the requirement to tolerate one's opponents in a democratic polity?   

Ramchandra Guha's article is available at the following link:  

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130629/jsp/opinion/story_17049899.jsp#.UlFWctLI0mY

India needs 125 crore Lokpal Acts to fight corruption

Yesterday (Oct 5) I watched Abhigyan’s programme 'Sisayat Aur Bhrashtachar' (Politics and Corruption) at NDTV. In the programme, the young Indians appeared highly agitated to uproot corruption from India. And, the political leaders and political analysts, invited for the programme, also underlined the need to end corruption and focus on development. 

The young participants and some political leaders felt that enacting new laws and the Lokpal Act is a sure shot remedy to end corruption. However, JD(U) leader Sabir Ali felt that we already have very good laws which if implemented sincerely can remove corruption. I totally agree with Ali's views. However, I would like to add one thing here that if the Lokpal Act is considered a necessity then one Act won't do. Actually we all 125 crore Indians must enact our individual Lokpal Acts not to abet or indulge in corruption. 

A solid support for this argument is that recent poll surveys have shown that only a minuscule percentage of respondents consider corruption to be a poll issue. The C fore survey, published on Sept 19, 2013 in the Hindustan Times (HT), revealed that only 7% Delhiites consider corruption to be a poll issue. Similarly two earlier all-India poll surveys, conducted by the HT and The Week magazine, put the percentage of respondents concerned over corruption at 10 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively. So, corruption does not bother us much unless we are participating in a TV debate, or unless Anna Hazare sits on a dharna at Jantar Mantar or Ram Lila Maidan. For the anti-corruption movement to succeed, the young participants in Abhigyan's programme must abhor corruption in real life by not following themselves and also preventing their parents from treading the chai-paani route while dealing with the govt machinery. 

Regarding the political class's role in ending corruption, I strongly support the view expressed by NCP leader B P Tripathi in the programme, that all political parties must join hands to design effective ways to end corruption. This will ensure continued mass awakening and fight against participation cutting across castes, religions, and regions. 

In the programme, discussion also veered to development as a poll issue. I feel development is an issue which suits every politician for two reasons. (a) By undertaking development works a politician can fulfil the expectations of his/her electorate and can keep winning elections for a long time. (b) Any development work involves granting contracts worth crores of rupees, and it’s a godsend for the corrupt among the political lot to mint money.

An important but largely ignored aspect is the quality of development works.  Are we or our leaders concerned enough to ensure that we really get the expected return in terms of quality for the tonnes  of money being devoured by development works? Perhaps nobody is concerned. The reason: The masses have enough on their plate in the form of personal and family issues, and the rampant chai-paani culture makes even the honest among politicians/babus to look the other way when quality is compromised in development works. 

In this regard no govt is different irrespective of its political hue. For example, take the case of Delhi. An impartial quality and cost audit of the public works being carried out by MCD departments (controlled by BJP) and Delhi govt departments (controlled by Congress), will reveal same instances of unnecessary cost escalations, and lack of proper supervision leading to substandard quality in the works. So, our precious financial resources are not being used to construct buildings and infrastructure for 'sadiyon ke liye' though a company claims to produce cement for building 'imarats sadiyon ke liye'.

Another example on quality concerns comes from a story carried by The Week magazine few months back. The story reported that according to an NGO, Rahul Gandhi's economic package for Bundelkhand has allegedly been turned into a money spinner for the corrupt. Crores have reportedly been made through fake vouchers in the names of dead people, fake bills, non-transparent contracts and sub-standard works. It is alleged that among fake bills, earthmovers with fake registration numbers are mentioned, and scooters and motorbikes are represented as tractors used for digging to create rain harvesting structures.

Wish media devote due attention to the quality of development works as these are financed by budgets whose deficits are spiralling.

Good days ahead for Indian economy?!?!?!

Doubt and surprise, symbolized by the symbols ? and !, will be anybody’s reaction to this headline, considering India’s low GDP, a weak Rupee, and a rising current account deficit (CAD). But the following points, presented in an analysis on NDTV Profit by Raghu Kumar, co-founder of the broking company RKSV, may remove your doubt. 

1. The Indian stock market has outperformed the US stock market and those of BRICS countries. See how the stock index of these countries has appreciated over the past five years (2008-2013):

• India     – 45.04%
• USA      – 35.81%
• Russia   – 35.02%
• China    – 7.37%
• Brazil    – 4.55%

1. The BSE index for the Indian IT sector, which accounts for 25 per cent of India's exports, has appreciated a huge 38 per cent this year so far, an indicator that India's IT exports may rise in future. 
2. With the recovery of US economy India will see more FDI flowing from the US investors and thus helping the govt meet its target of bringing the current account deficit below $70 billion (3.9 per cent of GDP).
3. India’s annual GDP growth rate, which has declined from 9 per cent to 4.4 per cent over the past 5 years, is expected to rise to 5.6 per cent for 2013-14, according to IMF estimates if FDI inflows and IT exports increase.

Let's wait for the next few months to see whether's Kumar's analysis hits the bull's eye.  

Raghu Kumar’s article is available at the following link:

http://profit.ndtv.com/news/economy/article-why-indian-economy-is-primed-to-boom-now-328208?pfrom=home-otherstories

Should we take a lenient view of Arvind Kejriwal?

The following is an excerpt from my email written to India Against Corruption about a year ago following Arvind Kejriwal’s decision to join politics. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was not formed then.

“I think we can effectively challenge a system from outside. Once we become part of the system, we become prone to do compromises on our stated principles or agenda for surviving in that system." 

In the above excerpt the term system implies to politics. Over the past few months, I have noticed many compromises by AAP which may be OK according to the phrase ‘All is fair in love and war’ but are not in tune with the politics of principles which AAP professes to follow. Here are some examples:

1. AAP has been publicizing two sets of contradictory poll   survey data through huge flex posters hung over many foot bridges (a violation of traffic rules) in Delhi and in small posters behind many autos. A discerning person would question the authenticity of this data as no name of the agency which conducted these poll surveys has been given. The data details are follows:

The following are the Delhiites choices for Delhi CM following the Nov 2013 polls:

(i) Arvind Kejriwal      41% 

(ii) Sheila Dikshit         20% 

(iii) Vijay Goel             14%

The following are the Delhiites choices for a particular party's govt following the Nov 2013 polls:

(i) AAP        46% 

(ii) BJP        29% 

(iii) Cong     25%

The obvious contradiction in the above two sets of data is that more people want Sheila to be CM than those who want the Cong to form govt in Delhi. How can it be possible? 

2. On Sept 10 last, the Hindustan Times carried a picture of  Arvind Kejriwal campaigning inside a Delhi Metro coach. Delhi Metro doesn’t allow photography, marketing or campaigning inside its coaches.

3. "5 saal ki gudiya ko bachaya" (He saved a five-year-old innocent girl). Kejriwal used this sentence below his picture on posters at the back of three-wheelers. Adjacent to this picture there was a picture of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who was blamed for the rising crimes against women. I found it in bad taste that Kejriwal, who claims to be a selfless leader, is asking votes in the name of a five-year-old innocent rape victim. 

As AAP has limited resources to counter the huge poll campaigns of Congress and BJP, we may overlook the above diversions of AAP from the principles-based politics. But I think this the beginning of compromises which may grow once AAP becomes a player to reckon with in Delhi politics. 

A silver lining from Mumbai

I begin with my following comment published yesterday (Sept 26) on the NDTV website on a news item:

Salute to Vaishali Mhaskar, Rahul Rai and seven other Mumbaikars for living up to the high morals for which India is traditionally respected. Hope we the masses and our politicians learn from these selfless souls and start giving importance to morality, which we direly need to cleanse public life.

The news was about a Reader’s Digest a survey conducted in 16 cities worldwide to measure the level of people’s honesty in these cities. While Finnish capital Helsinki came out as the world's most honest city, our own Mumbai was declared second-most honest city in the world. Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, proved to be the least honest.

For the survey, researchers left 192 wallets in parks, near shopping malls and on sidewalks, in 16 cities in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Each wallet contained a cell phone number, a family photo, coupons, business cards and the equivalent of 50 dollars in cash.

Overall 90 (47 per cent) of 192 wallets were returned. In Helsinki, 11 out of 12 wallets were returned, and Mumbaikars returned 9 of the 12 wallets. Two of these Mumbaikars, as mentioned in my comment, were Vaishali Mhaskar and Rahul Rai.

However, some of my fellow netizens did not find anything great in this survey and made fun of it through these comments: 

• Good joke!
• Ha ha ha , 1st April is still far away , Indians and honest , i say NEVER ....
• When people are busy making money through corruption, where is the necessity to steal wallets!!!!!!
• If you lose your wallet don't expect it back by this survey, Indians and honesty are two opposite poles. If you don't believe it leave your wallet in one of the locals.

Despite the above comments, I feel common Indians try to behave honestly and are ready to help each other if they are able to keep themselves aloof from the political and bureaucratic machinations. I give two personal examples:

1. Sometimes I travel in a normal auto-turned-into a passenger share auto for a short distance, with each passenger paying Rs 10. One day I was sitting alone in that auto, and the young driver was waiting for two more passengers. Then a child came and wanted to travel by that auto. The driver thought he won’t be able to pay Rs 10, so he refused to take him. A little later when the two remaining passengers got into the auto, the driver rued refusing  the child. So he went looking for the child to whom he now seemed giving a ride for less fare or even for free. However, he could not find the child. So, he started the auto but on the way he expressed his regret for refusing the child. Then one of my fellow passengers, a youth in his mid 20s, consoled the driver, 'Yeh ahmiyat ki baat hai ke tumhe tumhari galti ka ehsaas ho gaya’. (It’s important that you have realized your mistake.) Since both the driver and my fellow co-passenger were young, I think for India not all has been lost yet. 
2. For the last 15 years, a physically challenged lady is a regular fixture on the pavement in our colony in the morning. I often extend her small monetary help. Sometimes it happens that she doesn’t turn up for days together. So, when I meet her after the interlude, I give a little more money than my usual daily offering. And, the next day when I try to give her some money, she refuses to take it, saying “Kal apne diya  tha” (You helped me yesterday.)  Doesn’t this physically challenged lady, with nobody to look after her, have a honest realization that as she has already received  a lump sum amount, so she is not entitled to get more money from me for the next few days? 

     Wish our politicians and bureaucrats also have such honest  realization about caring for the money which the masses earn  the hard way and of which they are the custodians.

   

    The NDTV news is available on the following link:

    http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/mumbai-named-world-s-  second-most-honest-city-study-424053

Now, he reminds us of Mahatma Gandhi's principles, and exhorts us to celebrate democracy

Common Indians and Indian politicians have not yet finished pondering over Narendra Modi's lesson in secularism given at a Haryana rally on Sept 15. But yesterday (Sept 22), he came out with more lessons for the world and Indians while addressing the annual national convention of Overseas Friends of BJP in Florida via video conferencing. So, efforts have begun for an image makeover to appear as a world leader and statesman!!!

According to the NDTV website, some of the lessons preached and thoughts expressed during the video conference by Modi (and my reactions in brackets) are:

• Gandhi's principles and message shout out to us that we should spread peace and fight terrorism. (Was there a short-term memory loss about Gandhi's message in his own Gujarat in 2002?) 
• Under the NDA, not only Indians but across the world it was believed that 21st century was India's time to shine. (But Indians didn't believe in NDA's Shining India poll campaign in 2004 and voted it out.) 
• It is necessary to collectively move forward. (So, then why these frequent disruptions of Parliament on issues which are either under investigation or just can't be raised in Parliament?)    
• We owe everything to India, our achievements. (If it is so, then shouldn't Modi give Pt Nehru credit for laying the foundation for a pluralist, democratic India? After all, India had such socio-economic and democratic conditions which enabled people with humble backgrounds like Modi and Mayawati to use their karishma to realize their dreams.) 
• 2014 is a year of big decisions. (Here I am on the same page with Modi. Yes, I am eager to see whether aam Hindustani's decision at the EVM  is in tune with the Modi hype created on social and main media.) 
• There is a lot of hue and cry about who will become the PM. (Isn't this hue and cry only centred on Modi and limited to BJP?) 
• Leaders will come and go, elections aren't for a post — its for the dream that Indians hold. (Is there any change of heart regarding allowing LK Advani to sport potential PM tag?) 
• Like 1977, 2014 will be the voice of the people. (My reaction given below.) 
• I appeal to all in India and across the world: let us prepare for this democratic celebration. (My reaction given below.)

Modi  has this habit of telling people, particularly young Indians, half truths. It's not in 2014 that we would get a chance to celebrate democracy. We have already had many democratic celebrations in the past, like when we voted out Indira Gandhi, who many today consider a very powerful PM, in 1977 despite her surname Gandhi. Or, when we defeated Rajiv Gandhi in 1989 despite his Gandhi surname and despite his landing a historic win of 400 plus seats for the Congress five years earlier in 1984.

Now, about the half truth concerning 1977. We had voted out Indira Gandhi, and India got the golden opportunity of establishing a two-party system with the newly-formed Janata Party coming to power. But because of individual political aspirations of the leaders of Janata Party with which BJP's erstwhile avatar Jana Sangh had also merged, Janata Party split into many parties. Seeing the fate of Janata Party, Indians had another democratic celebration by bringing Indira back to power in 1980. 

Young India should also know that great leader Jaya Prakash Narayan, who was the inspiration behind Janata Party, died a sad man seeing the Janata Party infighting. 

Awaiting for next lessons from Modi. By the way, one Netizen informs that to bring Tata's Nano to Gujarat every Gujarati was burdened with Rs 66,000, and in GDP growth Gujarat is at No 5 among Indian states with Maharashtra topping the list. 

Blower chal raha hai, bhai!!!

ब्लोअर चल रहा है, भाई. आप लोग समझ रहे हैं ये कुदरती हवा है, लेकिन हवा ब्लोअर से दी जा रही है!!!   (There is a blower at work. You might think this wind is real, but it’s coming from a blower.) — This is how Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dismissed Modi blitz sweeping social and main media as hype, while delivering the annual lecture of the National Commission for Minorities on Sept 20.

An impartial analysis of facts proves Nitish Kumar right and also underlines people's, particularly the youth's, ignorance of Gujarat's 'real development' story. That's why in an Urban Youth Poll, aired recently by NDTV, majority of youth termed Gujarat as the best administered state and Bihar as the worst administered state. 34% youth voted for Gujarat and 23% voted against Bihar. However, an impartial review of the development of resource-poor Bihar over the last 4-5 years won't find the state as worst administered.

Human development index (HDI) is a measure to judge how beneficial is a development model to the masses. In India, on the HDI parameter, Kerala ranks No. 1 while Gujarat is at No. 9. Here are some facts which pick holes in Gujarat's 'development' model, taken from an article in the Indian Express by Christophe Jaffrelot, professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at King's India Institute, London:

Gujarat in debt trap?

• The state's debt increased from Rs45,301 cr in 2002 to Rs1,38,978 cr in 2013. In debt, Gujarat gives company to UP (Rs1,58,400 cr) and West Bengal (Rs1,92,100 cr).
• In the current fiscal, the Gujarat government plans to raise loans of Rs26,009 cr. Of this amount, 76 per cent will be used for debt servicing. If this figure reaches 100 per cent, then Gujarat would fall into the debt trap.

Business friendliness bleeding exchequer: The price the Gujarat exchequer paid to get Tata's Nano to Sanand: 

• 1,100 acres of land sold to Tata Motors at Rs900 per sq.m against the market rate of Rs 10,000 per sq.m 
• Rs20 crore exemption on stamp duty levied on the sale of land
• 20-year deferral in the payment of value added tax on the sale
• Loans amounting to Rs9,570 cr against an investment of Rs2,900 cr (330% of the investment) at 0.1% interest over 20 years.

Filling the Adanis' coffers: gulail.com, an investigative journalism website, reports a loss of Rs 23,625 cr over the next 25 years to Gujarat due to the Modi government’s unfair power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the Gautam Adani power companies. See how discriminatory are the PPAs signed with the Tatas and the Adani group, both producing power using the imported coal:

• First, a PPA was signed with the Tata Group company Coastal Gujarat Power Project at the rate of Rs 2.26 per unit.
• Then a PPA was signed with the Adani group at the rate of Rs 2.89 per unit. So, the Adani group has been paid 63 paise more per unit.
• Smaller producers are ready to supply electricity at the rate of Rs2.30 per unit.

Don't the above facts remind you of the Haryana govt allegedly helping Robert Vadra make money? I think it is described by letter 'd' in Modi's English primer. 

'Benefits' to common man:

• Gujarat has among the lowest average daily wages (Rs144.52) for casual labour in urban areas. The national average is Rs 170.10.
• Only about 43% Gujarat children under ICDS are the normal weight.
• In 1993-94, the average MPCE (monthly per capita expenditure) was 49% higher in towns and cities in comparison to villages. In 2011-12, this gap rose to 68.1%, that is, the urban MPCE was  68.1%, higher than the rural MPCE. So, the rural Gujarat is still looking to Modi to get purchasing power. 

As the above figures show, the benefits of the tall claims of the infrastructure and industrial development of Gujarat have not reached the poor in the state. On the contrary, they seemed to have depleted the state exchequer. But Modi's social media army has succeeded in making the people, particularly urban  Indians, believe that Modi's Gujarat 'development' model is something very very very... great great great...

Christophe Jaffrelot  article is available at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/no-model-state/1165249/

The gulail.com article is available at: http://gulail.com/adani-modi-nexus-to-result-in-loss-of-rs-23625-crore-to-gujarat-in-one-deal-alone/

Will truth ever come out?

My answer is no. Because the issue is quite sensitive and also involves the country’s security. I  am talking about yesterday's (Sept 20) exclusive report in the Indian Express about the alleged irregularities committed by the Technical Services Division (TSD), a military intelligence unit set up by former Army Chief General VK Singh in May 2010. The alleged irregularities (including attempted covert political interference in J&K, attempt to block Commander Bikram Singh's promotion as the Army chief, and misuse of funds worth crores) were found following a secret Board of Officers inquiry into the functioning of the TSD.

The inquiry into TSD, led by Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia, DG Military Operations, has recommended that the functioning of TSD should be probed by an external agency like CBI. (The inquiry was an internal exercise by the Army.) 

Today the Hindustan Times added a new angle to the TDS issue by stating in a news that TDS was involved in covert operations in Pakistan and was even on the trail of 26/11 mastermind and LeT chief Hafiz Saeed. It’s this angle which makes me doubt whether the govt would order a CBI inquiry into the alleged TDS irregularities. Because if TDS’s Pakistan connect is true, then the govt won’t like the CBI going into TDS’s operations in Pakistan.

A good number of Narendra Modi supporters in their online comments on the Express report are blindly supporting Singh and criticizing the  govt. (Recently Singh had shared the dais with Modi at the latter's rally in Haryana.) But an impartial person, while looking at the events in the recent past concerning Singh, will also find fault with his conduct. For example, he went back on his word about his date of birth given to the army establishment and wanted to continue as the army chief for one more year. Honest, brave soldiers don't do this.

When the Supreme Court advised Singh to withdraw his petition on the date of birth issue, the government to pacify Singh offered him for one year all the emoluments, perks and privileges of the army chief even without his holding the office. Had Singh been true to the cause espoused by Anna Hazare, with whom he has appeared a couple of times, he would have refused to touch the army chief's emoluments, perks and privileges which he was not entitled to post-retirement.

The Express report had another startling revelation. When the newspaper failed to get Singh's response to phone calls, text messages, and an emailed questionnaire on the inquiry report, it tried to approach him through a mediator. But Singh reportedly told the mediator, "... should the newspaper write anything about me, they will get in the neck".

The Express report is available on this link: 

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/unit-set-up-by-v-k-singh-used-secret-funds-to-try-and-topple-j-k-govt-block-bikram-singh-army-probe/1171601/0

The HT story is available on this link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Army-spook-unit-carried-out-covert-ops-in-Pakistan/Article1-1125008.aspx

ONLY 7 per cent? Strange!!!

Corruption may not be an important poll issue in the 2014 polls if the results of a C fore poll published today (Sept 19) in the Hindustan Times (HT) are any indication. According to the poll, only 7% Delhiites consider corruption to be a poll issue.

Few months back, I had gone through two all-India poll surveys, conducted by the HT and The Week magazine. In these surveys also, only 10 per cent people (The Week survey) and 18 per cent people (HT survey) considered corruption to be a poll issue. So, corruption doesn't bother us much unless an Anna Hazare sits on a dharna at Jantar Mantar or Ram Lila Maidan.

The current C fore survey lists the following order of importance of poll issues as viewed by Delhiites:

• Price rise — 35% 
• Law/order and women security — 8% 
• Corruption — 7%
• Increased power tariff — 7%   

An obvious conclusion from the C fore poll survey is that Delhiites, like Indians in other states, have accepted corruption as a necessary evil of public life. 

The poll findings are a major setback to Delhi BJP as it predicts Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party spoiling its November poll party. For Kejriwal the happy news is that he is the choice of 22% Delhites for the CM post after the first choice Sheila Diskhit who may return as a fourth-time CM with 29% Delhites willing to give her the job.

A rider on this poll is that it was conducted before the naming of Narendra Modi as BJP's PM candidate. So, Modi's naming may enhance BJP's votes in Delhi if people are not going to give any importance to the recent Muzaffarnagar riots.

Another revelation from the C fore poll is that only 7% Delhiites consider increased power tariff to be a cause for concern. But sadly, both the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP have plastered Delhi walls with lakhs of posters promising 50%/30% cuts in power tariffs if voted to power.

In my July 7, 2013 post in this blog also I had written, "In Delhi the inflated power or water bills are not the real issues." And, now this poll shows the  AAP and BJP disconnect with the people on the power tariff issue. Their anti-power tariff campaign also falls flat if viewed against the Delhi govt ads which proclaim that among major metropolitan cities (even Modi's Ahmedabad), Delhi has the lowest power tariff.



The C fore survey report is available at the following link:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/MyIndia-MyVote/Chunk-HT-UI-MyIndiaMyVote-Delhi/Delhi-CM-Dikshit-set-for-4th-term-Kejriwal-gains-over-BJP/SP-Article10-1123959.aspx

For a change, lessons in SECULARISM from...

Just read Narendra Modi's speech at the Rewari (Haryana) rally today (Sept 15) at the NDTV website. The rally was largely attended by ex-servicemen. The man knows how to touch a chord in his audience. But for the discerning the contradictions are too obvious to miss.

At the Rewari rally, Modi said he has been in love with the Army since he was in Class VI. Then he gave a lesson in secularism to politicians: "I would like to tell the politicians who want to divide India into small groups... there is no bigger example of secularism than the armed forces".

Now see the contradiction, despite his life-long love for the Army and its secularism, he did not seem to have learned how to truly implement Army's secularism in governance. Otherwise, the post-Godhara riots (2002) would not have happened. Another reflection on Modi's 'secular' thinking: His government has gone up to the Supreme Court to justify its decision of not implementing the Centre's pre-matriculation scholarship scheme for students from minority communities. The Supreme Court has refused to stay Gujarat HC's order to the Gujarat govt to implement the scheme.  

One also finds it difficult to digest Modi's advice on secularism in view of his justification of voter polarization in his July 12 interview to Reuters. To the question "Allies and people within the BJP say you are too polarizing a figure", Modi had replied: "In America if there is no polarization between Democrats and Republicans, then how would democracy work?" But here, an obvious poser is: Have we ever seen the Democratic-Republican polarization leading to riots like we have just winessed in Muzaffarnagar (UP)?

I have another poser to the  new 'secularist avatar' of Modi: Why all these 60 years, BJP did not embrace Muslims? Because it made it easy for Saffron leaders to charge non-Saffron political parties of Muslim appeasement.

At the rally, Modi also congratulated the Indian scientists for the successful test-firing of the Agni-V ballistic missile in the morning. Here the discerning would have a poser: Was it possible for India to become a nuclear power and successfully launch many Agni series missiles without the suitable policies and encouragement of scientists by successive Congress governments. Modi, please give the credit to the 'Devil' where it is due.

To touch a chord in the Rewari audience, Modi also presented the following appealing facts of his humble background:

• I was in Class 6 and belonged to a poor family. I had not seen 2 rupees together. I saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a sainik school
• I saved Rs. 2 , and went to the post office for the first time. I got the prospectus from the school. Serving the country meant joining the Army
• I asked my father for money to travel to the sainik school, but my father said  we did not have the means.

Believing the above facts, one expects Modi to be well aware of the miserable life of the poor. But he and his party criticized the Congress govt for its haste in bringing the Food Security Bill for ensuring two square meals to the poor. This was pure politicization of a much needed legislation, which resembles in great measure with the Food and Nutrition Act 2012 passed by BJP government in Chhattisgarh. This act covers almost the entire Chhattisgarh — 90 per cent of its population. Though this Act was passed only last year, the Chhattisgarh government has been providing highly subsidized food to the poor, as has been envisaged in the Central Food Security Act, for many years now.

Today as the common man is reeling under high inflation, and most urban Indians seem to detest the Congress because of the alleged UPA–II scams, whatever Modi says is taken as gospel truth. The Congress attempts to put record straight mostly fall on deaf ears. 

Do you want to make money?

Why not? I expect this reply from most of the Indians to the poser in the headline. But author Amish Tripathi of the Shiva Triology thinks otherwise. In his piece "To make money is glorious" (Hindustan Times, Sept 9) he writes:

“Today, we live in an Age of Money. The most efficient currency of change is money, the way of the Vaishya… . Has India shifted from the Age of Violence to the Age of Money? I think we’re in a muddle... . We have a complicated relationship with money. Many, especially among our older, decision-making generation, hold that money leads to corruption.”

I beg to differ with Amish's views. I think we Indians very much want to make money. The greatest example of our love for money is that many 'spiritual' gurus and swamis, who are not supposed to be enamoured of any material thing, end up managing wealth worth billions. Actually, a good number of we Indians want to make money quick and fast through shortcuts. That's why scams happen, and sometimes we are also forced to pay for chai-paani to get work done.

Regarding China, Amish says, “China has used money as a tool for change.” We must not forget China has become the economic power the hard way. It has successfully combined its white collar talent with its blue collar muscle to manufacture all types of mediocre and quality products to cater to different markets of the world. That's why it is called the 'workshop of the world'. And, today leading international economists and scholars underline the importance of China growth story. They feel if “China grows, the world prospers.” 

But what about India? Here electoral politics (which the Chinese rulers need not play) takes precedence over everything.

Amish's article is available at the following link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/Amish/To-make-money-is-glorious/Article1-1119333.aspx

Kejriwal caught on wrong foot!

Yesterday (Sept 10), the Hindustan Times carried a picture of Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal campaigning inside a Delhi Metro coach on Page One Plus, a tear sheet. Delhi Metro has publicized it well that photography, marketing or campaigning is not allowed on its property and inside its coaches. So, Kejriwal by campaigning for his party and getting himself clicked inside a Metro coach has broken rules. Will now other politicians be allowed to campaign inside Metro coaches? I request Kejriwal that as he professes to live by principles and rules, he must not set such precedents that violate rules or encourage indiscipline. Better if he campaigns outside Metro stations.

How Nehru died? A 'REVELATION' on youtube

The language used against the government online, in particular, is more vicious in India than it is in any other English-speaking nation.

That's columnist Aakar Patel telling us how educated and civilized we are online. People who regularly visit newspaper and news channel websites can't disagree with Patel. The situation is more pathetic on those websites which allow the netizens to post their comments in Hindi. One can learn choicest 'desi' expletives while reading Hindi comments. Many of these comments, if members of rival communities or political parties hurl on each other face to face, will cause communal riots or violent political clashes. 

I have noticed one disturbing development while posting comments on media websites. These websites don't allow many anti-BJP comments even if they are written in civilized language and supported by facts. On the contrary, they don't delete uncivilized and highly abusive comments that are apparently written by BJP supporters against the 'enemies' of India, which in most cases are Pt Nehru and the Gandhis. So, the netizens' comments are proving to be handy tools to further the partisan political goals of some media houses.

The situation is more worrisome on Facebook and Youtube. These are being used increasingly to present concocted information which the gullible young netizens are prone to accept as facts. For example, one person has loaded a video on youtube proclaiming that Pt Nehru died of STD. How sickening is it.

Waterlogged roads and DOLLAR FLYING out of India

We can't run Delhi Metro, touted to be world-class, smoothly. The govt of the day is identified more with the alleged 2G, CWG, coal and other scams than for its developmental actions. We can't design roads to drain off rainwater. Nor are we bothered to dispose our garbage in a systematic and eco-friendly way. 

So, what's wrong if foreign investors are flying out of India? Obviously, they don't want to wade through waterlogged roads stinking with piled-up garbage. Nor they want a scam to eat into their investments, particularly when greener investment pastures have started emerging elsewhere. 

However, in the meanwhile, the government  and the opposition are locking horns on the floors  of Parliament to decide 'guilty' or 'not guilty' of scams, turning Parliament sessions into a huge waste of time and money. Instead of paralyzing the Parliament better if the Opposition forcefully demands fast-track, time-bound investigation/trial of 2G, coal and other scams. 

Does anybody read about Kalmadi and Raja these days? Before they fade out from our memory, better to fast-track their trials to prove them guilty or not guilty. Simply hurling allegations on ministers and other big-wigs doesn't help in cleaning the governance machinery. But their remaining scot-free despite facing serious corruption charges abets other people to indulge in corruption.  

We'll look at India when you WILL GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER

Whichever country I go to attend investor conferences, people say 'We'll look at India when you will get your act together'.

That's how noted economist and former Divestment Minister Arun Shourie (in Vajpayee-led NDA government) described current perception of India among foreigners, in a TV programme (The State of the Economy on NDTV Aug 20). Alas, India's dream run of an attractive investment destination has ended with foreigners telling us to put our act together.This makes me hang my head in shame.

Shourie says the Indian political class doesn't realize the gravity of the financial crisis India has been pushed into. Of   course, for this crisis the UPA-2 government has to share the major blame. Because following the revelation of many scams over the last two years, it has allowed the opposition led by the vociferous BJP to set agenda for it in and out of Parliament.

By frequent disruptions of the Parliament and by blocking the passage of many important bills, the BJP has succeeded in its strategy of creating a perception in India and abroad that Manmohan Singh is a 'good for nothing' Prime Minister. Ironically, this very Manmohan Singh had brought out India successfully from a more grave economic crisis in 1991 as the hand-picked Finance Minister of the then PM Narasimha Rao.

I think both Sonia and Manmohan, not being hard-boiled politicians with past baggage, could have set an example of clean governance. There was nothing wrong in accepting the mistakes if the alleged scams happened due to their oversight. They should have fast-tracked the trial of tainted ministers. It would have gone a long way in cleaning the government machinery and in presenting them as honest leaders before the people. But perhaps politics is like koyle ki kothri jisme Manmohan jaisa imandaar aadmi bhi kala hi dikhai deta hai.

However, Manmohan-Sonia still can undo some damage caused to the Congress by high-voltage propaganda of BJP's social media army if they agree to effect the desired changes in  the Lokpal Bill and by expediting the scams investigation/trial.

Aakar Patel's prescription for YOU and ME to build OUR DREAM INDIA

Jai Hind on India's 67th Independence Day

Akar Patel is a former editor of a Gujarati newspaper, and is a regular columnist of the Hindustan Times. Patel in his article (August 15, HT) writes a prescription for you and me to present a powerful and corruption-free India to our future generations. If you are willing to put in a little effort for the cause of India, then read the article at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/independenceday2013/Its-time-to-be-the-change/Article1-1108122.aspx

Patel's article is based on a talk by Harvard University's Lant Pritchett, author of the thesis that 'India is flailing state'. The thesis gives three examples of corruption which are everyday experiences for the Indian people. However, what made me take note of Patel's article is his exhortation to PEOPLE TO THEMSELVES BE THE CHANGE. This is something to which I strongly subscribe and try my best to put into practice.

Patel explains why WE OURSELVES HAVE TO change:
"We cannot behave in traffic in any city or state of India... It is possible to say, like Arvind Kejriwal does: police Indians firmly. Watch over them and penalize them and they will behave, as they do abroad... . Are other nations functional only because their populations fear punishment? This is not the conclusion one would draw when observing the West."

Patel attributes Narendra Modi's rising popularity to the Indian people's unwillingness to understand their own responsibility in setting things right. According to him, Modi's promise to transform the state 'absolves the citizen' of his responsibility. I think this citizen could be you and me, or an engineer who is not discharging his responsibility of ensuring desired quality in road or bridge construction, or a householder who is stealing electricity for his domestic use, or the nurses, mentioned in Patel's article, who draw salaries for the work they haven't done.

However, Patel has good hopes for the future. He says, (In India) The large and the important things — the civilisational and indigenous idea of a secular and pluralist nation; the beautiful, world-class constitution (over which there is no dispute — are in place.

Patel's lesson for us is: "The major one (change) must come from within. India will change only when we change. Each of us must contribute to this, by being conscientious in our work... For that to happen no politician is needed..."  

Two recipes

It's the story of two recipes designed by two persons of different tastes and different beliefs but with the same objective in mind. The first person announced his recipe on April 4, 2013, which "shocked and pained" the second person. He lashed out at the first person, dismissing his words "not worth listening". The first person was even warned, "...due to your ignorance, do not try to destroy the culture and tradition of this country."

Then two months later, on July 14 the second person came up with his own recipe. Surprisingly, the ingredients of his recipe appeared to be the same that were proposed by the first person but he described them differently. I don't know why he was angry with the first person, when he himself had to come up with the same recipe.

Both the recipes are for putting India on the path of development and helping its people realize their aspirations. The first recipe was proposed by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the annual CII General Meeting in New Delhi on April 4 and the second by the Gujarat 'strongman' Narendra Modi while addressing Fergusson College students on July 14.
Let's have a look at the similarities between the two recipes:

Modi: There is a difference between others and us. Others are interested in power, my priority is empowering the nation.

Rahul: No one can stop this tide of Indian aspirations. Our job is to channel these aspirations by empowering the people.

Modi: China prioritized education in its budget. In India, we dream of 7% of our budget for education but are stuck at 4%.

Rahul: There is great urgency to 'weed out the obsolete from our education system'.

Didn't I say the ingredients of both the recipes are same? But Rahul should not be accused of copying since he presented his recipe earlier than the 'strongman'.

Now I end with some statistics released by the 'strongman's government in Gujarat for the funds spent on some heads in the first quarter of the current year. Ideally 25% of the allocated budget should be spent in each quarter:

• Education: Only 8.18% of the allocated Rs 3580 crore
• Woman and child development: 6.71% of the allocated Rs 1300 crore
• Health services:  13.82% of the allocated Rs 3800 crore

Perhaps the 'strongman' is busy drawing up plans for uplifting the entire India, so the education, health services and woman and child development in Gujarat can take a back seat for some time. 

Dislike scores 17.6 pc and 31.8 pc. Which side you are?

Beena Samuel, I suppose she is an aam Hindustani like me. She writes at the NDTV website about Anna Hazare's disapproval of Narendra Modi as PM: 

Anna Hazare has been reduced to a tragic figure. I respect him as a saintly person who led one of India's major revolutions in the last 25 years. But he is unable to be pragmatic and shows no political acumen. Leaders evolve over a period of time. Whether Modi is the perfect leader is not the question — but Modi's still the best we have amongst the current crop of political leaders. Do we select our best or do we just sit and elect nobody?

Liked by 218, disliked by 102; Dislike percentage: 31.8

I reply to Beena Samuel with the following post at the NDTV website:

Not long ago, the middle class had identified itself with Anna Hazare's movement for the Lok Pal Bill. In fact, today if the social media is so much active against the UPA government, it's due to Anna's first 'anshan' at Delhi's Ram Lila Maidan two years ago. But today for this middle class Anna like Amartya Sen has no value if he dares question Modi's credentials to be PM. By the way, has anybody heard the Gujarat 'strongman' say how would he add more teeth to the Lok Pall Bill if elected PM? Wasn't  the Lok Pal Bill an issue close to our hearts few months ago?

Liked by 42, disliked by 9; Dislike percentage: 17.6

So, the Netizen dislike percentage for me (17.6) is less than the dislike percentage of Beena Samuel (31.8). Please don't think that I am boasting or I consider myself a better aam Hindustani than Beena. The point here is that greater dislikes for Beena prove that more and more Indians are ready to accept the double standards in our thinking and actions. Maybe, in future this acceptance would lead us all to create a value system and adhere to it. A value system is a must to eradicate corruption. The early we understand it, the better would it be for building a strong, self-reliant India.

Another important point is that Beena and myself have expressed our opinions as educated and civilized citizens of India to enable people like and dislike us in an equally civilized way. But this way is quite contrary to the brash and offensive language often used by many BJP and RSS leaders and supporters to run down their opponents. If a research is conducted that who mostly starts the slanging match in Indian political and public life, I think the results would adversely speak of many leaders of the Saffron outfits.

The latest case is of BJP Rajya Sabha member, the learned Chandan Mitra, editor of the Pioneer newspaper. Poor Mitra found it tough to restrain himself from running down Nobel laureate Amartya Sen for his anti-Modi remarks. He tweeted:  Amartya Sen says he soesn't want Modi to be India's PM. Is Sen even a voter in India? Next NDA government must strip him of Bharat Ratna.

A common BJP supporter Netizen goes a step ahead of Mitra to degrade Amartya with these words on a news channel website: Abe bhaklol  tu congeressi hai, es liye apni salah apne pass rakh. Amarya Sen  ki beti ke baare mein janata hai? Nangi ghoomti rahti hai saali. Jo aadmi apni beti ko sanskar nahin de sakta, vo Modi ko salah deta hai. Saala bhand!

So the only difference between Mitra and the common netizen is that he has not hurled abuses on Amartya. Thankfully, Mitra has now regretted the Bharat Ratna part of his tweets. But in the first place, Mitra himself being a man of letters must have respected Amartya's freedom of expression in the vibrant democracy of India.