Archive for the ‘Political’ Category
BJP goes the Cong way
What is happening in Delhi today saddens me. Horse-trading has been a cruel reality of Indian politics but expectations from Modi era was different.
The anger among youth was the reason for ouster of Cong at the Centre. This anger was largely due to corrupt practices and policies of quid pro quo. BJP seems to have failed the very first test.
“L-G will take his decision. Let us be invited by L-G first”. Such hiding behind the LG/Governors/Presidents back was what Congress did for last 10 years. It was good for TV debates, but the common man was not fooled; given all above constitutional posts toe the Home Ministry.
What BJP has to realize is youth of today is not as patient. We see through the deception. The arrogance that I see today from BJP spokespersons is like a slap on my face. Congress was voted out due to this very arrogance. Sad to see BJP repeating it.
Today’s sting operation was just a formality. Everyone was aware what was happening behind the doors.
We all lapped up to each and every Modi-vachan through elections and beyond. There was a Modi speech on the TV today. I changed the channel.
Analyzing Rahul Gandhi
When Rahul Gandhi visited our college back in 2004, I remember him getting mobbed by students. His popularity was sky high with huge eyeballs to each of his appearances. It’s not very hard to guess what the reception would be if he visited the same campus today.
What went wrong?
For me first 5 years were quite good. Youth appreciated him for putting his weight behind the nuclear deal. During 2009 General Elections he was still a phenomenon. Those were the days when Kejriwal was not known and Modi was still a despised figure. Then began the down-slide.
I would not blame the man himself. He went through the assassinations of Grandma and Dad; I can’t even begin to feel his pain. I think he had his own aspirations which he sacrificed to keep his family legacy alive. He did exactly what reluctant heirs do; surrounded him by a coterie of trusted men and let them call the shots.
Later, his inaction in 2G, CWG and Jijaji scams coupled with the slowdown shattered the mirage completely.
He tried his hands at politics, not to serve his personal ambitions or to serve the nation (the two major forces to get one going) but to honor his family name. This, though a noble deed in itself was the real reason for his political undoing.
Real reason for decline of AAP
When Aam Aadmi party (AAP) rose to power in Delhi, it was through sheer hard work. Youngsters all across the country marched to Delhi to realize a collective dream. How many times in life have they wanted to overthrow the corrupt in power! When the opportunity presented itself, it was lapped up. A mass movement resulted in a landmark political event.
AAP was just a bunch of common man like us. One who wears his emotions on his sleeve; who wants change today rather than tomorrow; who regales in revolution; who is fed up of years of exploitation.
AAP touched issues that were not prime-time before. They were known to all but no one dared speak. Issues which affected rulers and opposition alike; issues which hit the source of funds in politics. Be it Ambani, be it Gadkari, be it Vadra or be it Khurshid. No one was left unabashed. We regaled. Common man had finally found his voice. Rise and acceptance of AAP showed why masses like vigilantes and why classes hate them.
However, people who spoke of and supported them passionately are decreasing. If my tea-time conversations are any proof, the trend is alarming. AAP has undergone a sea change. With various committees, sub–committees, spokespersons, media managers and the entourage, it has relegated itself to be a clone of other parties. It is raising issues no different than say Congress, SP or BSP.
What is hurting it the most is the erosion of working class base. It was not just a vote bank; it was a passionate support structure. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think Kejriwal’s resignation is the cause. In fact his popularity had only increased then.
It all began with Kejriwal taking on Modi, AAP bashing BJP. It was the Lok Sabha campaign that did it in. It found itself in the same boat as Congress and bore the brunt of acquired anti-incumbency. Had AAP not bashed Modi, it would still have lost the elections, but would not have lost respect. Speaking against Modi was not the voice of common man.
What it failed to realize was that its supporters were just a subset of Modi followers. Kejriwal was just beginning while Modi had a track record of performance. It’s sad to see AAP still doing the same on TV debates. To stand out from the herd of opposition, it has to act differently. Modi is bound to goof-up sooner or later. You will have your chance. Till then find another target.
All party meet (Satire)
Indian Parliament is in grave danger. The very existence of our Neta’s is under threat. I am talking about bad quality of food in Parliament canteen. How can we expect the lawmakers to function without good food?
Gauging the graveness of the issue, Venkaiah Naidu promptly called an all party meet. There was a huge ruckus. “One at a time please. One at a time”, he pleaded.
Mamta Banerjee: No gooood fooood, areeee baba. This is a conspiracy by Govt. to suppress the voice of people. Ei no cholbe. Ei no cholbe.
Sushma Swaraj: Kaisa waktavya prastutt kiya hai? We also eat here. Blaming the Govt. is like not getting the pulse of the nation.
Mayawati (gate-crashing): Idhar aa tu. You are right we are not getting pulse but in canteen. Paani jaisi dal. Yeh manuwaadi log. Yeh manuwaadi mansikta.
Rahul Gandi (facing the wall): Only one voice is being heared in the canteen. The voice of the waiter from Centrefresh (kaisi jeeb laplapaayi) advt. I feel it. My mother feels it. My chauffeur feels it. My gym instructor feels it.
Sumitra Mahajan: Dekhiye, as Tai, I want to give everyone time to speak. However big or small. Manager or waiter. I will go by set precedents on it.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy: I did not become a minister. “Papa ki toh lag gayi“, my kids are made fun of. I make jokes on Congress just to soothe some pain. Congress wont be allowed scrambled eggs given they are scrambling for LoP. They just ate a humble pie. Aren’t they full. He He. Sigh!
Jayalalita: I don’t have the pull on NDA as in the yesteryear. But if Govt. awards me the canteen contract, I will side with them while deciding on dessert. My dream of Amma Canteen in the Capital.
Derek O’Brien: How long can I survive on Bournvita. I see hands of the cook dripping with gravy as he holds them up. But when food is served we get no gravy. “Where does the gravy go?” You have 30 secs to answer that question.
Mulayam Singh: We have been hit by inflation. Earlier we used to get bulk discount. Now we are just five. No discount. Ab per head jyada aata hai. Are these the acche din?
The argument went on for couple more hours. All that was agreed upon was the date of the next meeting.
Modi was seeing it all from spy cam. With a notorious smile he chugged at this laptop as he ordered a pizza. “Simple”.
Delhi Elections: Make or Break
Power struggle in Delhi has intensified. Impending elections in sight, Centre is trying to woo the voters with clean-up drive across the city. Detractors see inability to rein inflation and absence of knee-jerk reforms to be Govt.’s undoing; huge promises to outdo the fact that they just can’t be fulfilled in such a short span.
Amidst all this, we have failed to notice something substantial, which for me could shape Govt.’s future. The DDA flat allotment. In the past there has been rampant corruption in this much subsidized property allotment.
This DDA draw would be an acid test for the Centre which is ruling Delhi by proxy. Any whiff of corruption and the fortress will come crashing down. People will give Govt. time to fix inflation, poverty etc, but deliberate corruption, they just won’t accept.
Govt. would be well aware of this. It’s interesting to see what protocols it puts in place so as the lottery goes through without rigging. It’s a humongous task given much entrenched corruption across the spectrum. This would also be the first major test for the Govt. against the power dealers and brokers.
Most of us will bet the Govt. to fail. Come on, for once, prove us wrong!
By-Election Result: What it means?
By-election results surprised quite a few. It was first major vote since the General elections earlier this year. Some even called it a feedback on 100 days of the much celebrated Govt.
Outcome seems far from promising for the ruling party. Grand alliance in Bihar have triumphed. Karnataka and Punjab are also not a good omen.
Besides General elections, the biggest achievement of the PM seems to be bringing together the cut-throat foes in Bihar. To gain some perspective we only have to look back
There has always been a consolidation against the ruling party, however the ideological differences may be. JDU-BJP alliance of the past; NC joining NDA Govt. are just some examples. Late 70’s saw anti-Congress forces coming together only to fall apart. Such were their opposing beliefs. It was not until Vajpayee’s management that different ideologues learned to work together under the Common Minimum Program (CMP).
The CMP coalition method perfected by Vajpayee has come back to haunt BJP. Now that Congress has become irrelevant, regional parties have found a new foe. What confounds me is that the once anti-Congress parties have become anti-BJP. Perhaps they were always anti-ruling. It’s what gave them their anti-establishment credentials; a channel for much abused poor to vent out its anger.
The future seems even trickier for BJP. It has got a feel of Congress’ shoes. What a collective onslaught feels like; the fort getting attacked. It never saw a bigger victory and it will have to see even bigger opposition.
Governors Transferred: An Irony
Governors, their sacking, their transfers, their role and their political relevance is being talked about a lot these days in India. Recently one respected Governor was transferred from West to East. He resigned citing insult and inability to move. Controversy ensued.
I am not going to touch upon the usual politics but about something else.
The person mentioned has been a distinguished politician with an illustrious public life; has been a minister several times in his life. He would have his valid reasons not to move, but what I fail to understand is how the transfer was an insult? Why cry foul about the transfer?
These are the very politicians who when come to power start transferring officials at their whims and fancies. IAS/PCS officers are transferred in bulk without reason. Aren’t these officials insulted? There have been cases of honest IAS officers transferred over 50 times without reason. Now that the political class is crying foul, it should introspect about what it has done to the public servants over time.
I sympathize with the said person; it’s never easy to move. But do politicians ever think about the similar pain of honest public servants? It’s ironical to see the political class raising a hue and cry now. Are we all not equal? Is Governor more/less important than any other public servant? But I guess this is a question for another lifetime.
I would like the Governors not being transferred but not before apathy of honest public servants ends. Till then I reckon its payback!
PS: I am of opinion to make the Governors tenure synchronous with the Parliament.
India likes Modi, Diaspora hates him?
A lot of has been written about Modi over the last decade or so. A decade which has been one of the most exciting of recent times! It is not just mere coincidence that Modi has grown over the Urban India over the decade which has witnessed humongous growth rate. Given the pan-India appeal that Modi enjoys, it has always been a mystery to me why he has not been able to win over Indian Americans?
Why is the Indian American lobby so strong against Modi that he is not even allowed entry to US? Given that nothing moves in US sans lobby-ism, I am forced to take this giant leap in assumption that most of (if not all), affluent American Indian diaspora is anti-Modi (Or pretends to be).
Urban India stands shoulder to shoulder with Indian Diaspora on most topics. Then why this divide? My reasoning might not cut corners with many, but let me lay it out.
Urban India is full of aspiration and high hopes. People want Modi coz he has come up as a symbol of good administration. People feel he can relieve them of corruption and inflation.
Indian Diaspora, especially Indian Americans, is already living the Great India Dream. Their life is more or less shielded from corruption and inflation in India. Thus Modi’s appeal to them is limited. The sins of Godhra seem more prominent. They might feel at loss of words when civilized world questions them about the carnage. They feel better to go with the flow and side with the other and criticize him.
They are virtually forced to go hammer and tongs after him. Who cares about India’s development? Indian Diaspora is affluent, has lots of properties across India and is full stomach.
I am no Modi fan, but have to acknowledge that Urban/Semi-urban and of-late even Rural India has taken a liking to him. They think he can put some more food on their plate. They are ready to forget his old sins for their betterment.
Both sides can be called selfish. Well maybe that’s the common ground amidst the divide!
Judiciary exceeding the mandate?
Recently Indian Home Minister lamented that Judiciary is taking over governance and not letting Executive and Legislature work. In fact we have heard the same from a lot of politicians of late.
The argument that is given is, “Policies and Governance should be left to elected representatives”. To quote our Home Minister, “They may govern India badly, they may govern India well, but they will govern. If they govern India badly, the people will throw them out. If they govern India well, people would reward them”. Sounds convincing, right?
But herein where the problem lies! Judiciary was made independent and subjected to constitution for a very important reason; to put in checks and balances. Just being “elected representative” should not make someone supreme for the next five years.
If judiciary has gained upper hand, it is because of the blatant scams and corruption the Executive and Legislature have indulged in. Just because courts are putting corrupt parliamentarians behind the bars, it doesn’t mean judiciary is putting parliament behind bars.
Just because Judiciary is asking to provide better life to the people, it doesn’t mean it is over-reaching the mandate. Just because Judiciary is asking questions, it doesn’t mean that it is wrong.
I disagree with you Mr. Minister. Apex Court is the only reliable institution left out of the Trinity.
Obama 2.0
When a certain Mr. Kejriwal stormed the Indian political scene, my wait was over. This wait dates back to when Mr. Obama was elected the runaway President of world’s leading democracy. More than his deeds, it was his gift of gab that nailed it. A certain slogan, plummeting economy, and need for change. That’s all what was needed.
I wondered will it be ever possible in a country like India, where majority of the rural India, still owes its allegiance to Nehru, Indira or Vajpayee. Just then we saw the emergence of a new force. City-State of Delhi was the perfect playground for this experiment.
A need for change, heaps of corruption and an innovative election symbol was all what was needed. Whatever be the election results tomorrow, my wait has ended.
I have been critical of Obama as for me he never rose above his speeches. Will Mr. Kejriwal can go any further is a question only time can answer.
But what I like about all this is, Democracy’s true color has come out in India. If you can talk well, sky is yours!
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