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Lok Sabha Reviews

Lets keep our mouths shut now
May 18, 2004 04:53 PM 2520 Views

Sonia Gandhi. Too much has been said about this lady and not too well too. What is there to argue about? A Lok sabha of 543 or so needs a majority of 272 or so? whether it is got by hook or crook, meaning, whether the people chose it or whether their representatives did. A lady who was in the same Lok Sabha for the last term or so was elected head of the coalition that can get the 272 or more number.


So what?s the big deal all about?


Oh.. Didn?t you hear? She was born in Italy.


Oh! Is that so?


How in the hell did she get elected to the Lok Sabha then?


Oh! That.. it doesn?t matter.. she didn?t have too much power then.


So it al boils down to who has the power.. Ladies and Gentlemen? Sonia Gandhi.


Well.. so what?s the fuss about?


The fuss is? what if she was born in Pakistan instead of Italy? Would you have accepted her?


Well? first things first.. Had she been born in Pakistan, the most prestigious family of India wouldn?t have allowed her to be where she is now? there would have been no marriage.. Everything would have been taken care of.. if you understand that, that?s the way things are and will be, not just in India, but everywhere around the world. Everybody who has the power will work things to their advantage, first and foremost.


So, if she were a Pakistani, Mr. Gandhi would have known better. Second, even if he didn?t know any better, his family would have. And in the worst case, if they had not known any better too, the Congress would have, and then finally the people would most definitely have known better. If not, well we would have deserved it. So, then what?s the fuss about?


Well man.. Agreed she?s Italian.. But in India we are tolerant, so once she?s married into one of our families, we accept her as an Indian too. But the thing is, she?s supposedly dumb. She can?t make up her mind on anything.


Well, isn?t that something to laugh about? She led the Congress out of a slump and inspired a complete turnaround that has baffled not just everybody in India but al the political analysts across the world too.


Ah! That was easy.. a lot of Indians are dumb?


Well then.. We deserve a dumb leader?


NO.. That?s not it?. They aren?t dumb? It was her son that did the trick. It was his sweet and clean attitude like that of her husband?s that won her the election.


That?s mighty unfair man.. Don?t you expect a son to support his mother?s cause? Wasn?t it expected of him to campaign for her? Did she not cleverly manage how her son was held back until the right point of time. Perhaps she could have done better than that. But that?s beside the point. The point is? it served her purpose.


Well.. For one, it could have been her fair skin..


It is absurd to suggest that her skin now has all the charm. But it is indeed reasonable to suggest that a western upbringing makes you more disciplined, organized, and efficient in the matters of management. Well, that?s debatable too. Yes, but to a large extent, it is true. Don?t talk about IIMs now. Talk about people. Remember, that?s what got us where we are now? talking about urban and developed India.


In any case, I vote for her. I know and believe, enduring a life in India when she doesn?t need to, and facing all the ignominy of even being called an Italian bitch by an elected representative, the insult of hearing adjectives such as hooker being ascribed to her, I do certainly believe the lady has it in her to face any issue chin up. That attitude of hers and the grace with which she caries herself about, is good evidence for me.


She is Indian not by the dress she wears, not by religion, not by caste, upbringing, or any other but by volition. She had the choice and she made hers. We, as India had our choice and we made ours. So lets just shut up and be graceful in our acceptance of our choice. Indeed our choice did not give her party a complete majority. But, our representatives who have been chosen by us make the choice. Keep trust in your choices. Don?t be as fickle minded as this. Even if it is not your single choice, it is the choice of the majority.


Let them decide what is right now. Let us give her a chance to prove what she is worth. If she is not worthy of that office, it won?t be hers for long. If she is worthy of it, it is in our gain, that we get not just an Indian outlook but also a third outlook, and for the first time a western outlook that may not always necessarily be detrimental to our society. Those of you who are worried, she will sell India to Italy or act in such a way that the western civilization benefits from her decisions at her office, well let me quickly reassure you, she is not the only one in the office. There are people who can pull the carpet from under her feat. Does that make you sleep any better? Good!


Anyway, are you also not saying she is too dumb to even try anything fancy? Well, if she is so dumb indeed, then we have nothing to fear as far as conniving against our country is concerned. If you think that since she is dumb, the choices she might make will affect our nation, well there is an able body that will be with her, to govern not just our foreign policy but also every other goddamn thing in the country. It is not like, she is the only one on whom the entire nation rests.


Well.. if you say so.. but look at what Congress did to our country.. in all its years of power?


Ah! Now, Now, please don?t start with your history of Congress and its good deeds or bad ones.. or with the dynasty rule or with the Rajiv, Sanjay, Indira history. It is none of my concern. I have two choices today or perhaps three, INC, BJP or the Left, if you insist. My choice is and would have been the INC. I don?t want to delve into why..


That should have been done before the elections, not after.. Since the mandate is in our hands, let us not feel ashamed of our choice. Let us not make a fuss about it. Let us show the world we are liberal, which today, in the age where India is rising to meet International markets and trying to compete and co-exist, is a healthy sign for the world. It is a healthy sign that the world?s largest democracy with all its shortcomings is one up on the rest of the world to be able to trust its choice. If you believe, you can do a better job at governing, get going, get elected and fight your way up. Don?t start to bicker about dynasties, aristocracies, power and the like.


If you are not worthy of it, you wont get there. If someone who isn?t worthy of it gets there, be assured, he or she won?t last long there.


As a parting note, let me remind you one thing that is indeed true. That, when an Indian lady clad in a sari speaks with authority and the power that is bestowed on her, the world will listen. That when an Indian man clad in a dhoti speaks the same way, only his followers will listen. Well, I guess that is stretching things too far. Let me go a little further.


Will it be a spectacle to see an Italian born Indian lady, who is fair skinned and has a lot of power, speaking out to the world? I hope it will be and one that we will all hopefully come to respect. Here?s to you, Mrs. Gandhi. Our good wishes are with you. If the people have indeed chosen you, We choose you too.


RESERVATION - A CURSE ON INDIAN SOCIETY
May 18, 2004 04:52 PM 1081 Views

RESERVATION – A CURSE ON INDIAN SOCIETY


The Indian society is moving backwards. Demand for reservations in privates sector is becoming more louder. Social Justice Minister Meira Kumar says that reservation is not a dole but a corrective action. Her observation is guided by a mental thought process which was and is responsible for introducing reservation and then continuing it for indefinite period so that it can be used as a vote-bank tool.


The minister is wrong on both counts. Reservation might not be a dole at the time it was introduced, but with coupling it to vote-bank politics it has become a dole. Benefit given in any form for compensating a deficiency becomes a dole if given to extract favour, in this case votes. Meira Kumar has also talked that private sector industries had always enjoyed benefits and concessions from the government, and now is the time that these favours are returned. Still she says that reservation is not a dole.


Corrective action is needed to correct a problem to prevent its re-occurrence. If reservation was introduced to correct a problem then how the problem is still there even after more than five decades? Asking for reservation in private sector is in turn admitting that problem has not been contained but has become much bigger. In such case this corrective action (reservation policy) was either not correct or not implemented in a correct manner. It is time to think positive. The reservation policy should be scrapped and other alternative corrective actions should be determined. One such approach could be empowerment of downtrodden through investment in education. The Prime Minister has himself spoken about it. With 2% cess for education will provide necessary finances. The government should rise above the vote bank politics and initiate scrapping of the negative reservation policy.


The International Commission on Education has said that the aim of education is to transform a person into a complete man so that such an educated person could form the building block of a prosperous society and peaceful world. If some people are given relaxation in education norms then how they can be expected to become solid building blocks as their interior will be hollow. And if they are forcibly put there under reservation policy then the entire structure will come tumbling down.


There are many ministers and leaders in congress who are industrialists and can provide employment to many SC/ST people. Why Meira Kumar is not asking them to provide reservation in their companies? Charity begins at home. Let congress create examples for other private sector players. Similar is the case with non-congress champions of reservation.


India is a free country. It should also be a classless society. But how a society can become classless if every now and then more classes are added in the name of reservation. Earlier upper castes were criticized for their stand that a person should be known by his birth and not karma. With changing times, upper castes have changed their stand and now they treat people by their karma and not by birth. People are taking employment or business as per their competence and not as per their traditional family business. I have seen Brahmins working in shoe factories. Agrawals are running hair-cutting saloons. Things have changed. Caste and caste biases, discriminations and prejudices based on racial considerations like colour, language, religion and race have become things of the past. Whatever discrimination is still being practiced is by these champions of reservation. SC/ST or other so-called dalits have not changed. Rather they now take pride in associating themselves with their birth irrespective of the work they are engaged in. Perhaps India will be the only country where a dalit remains dalit even after becoming the President of the country.


Then these champions of reservation speak of social equilibrium? Is it a mere balance of numbers in schools, colleges, jobs, and legislatures, or some competence is also involved? And balance of numbers between whom – deserving and non-deserving? Is it going to be achieved by forcing non-deserving in slots where only deserving should be allowed? Is this social equilibrium will be achieved by sacrificing business performance and productivity?


Champions of reservation always cry that not many SC/ST people are employed in the Private Sector and their representation in this sector is negligible. What relation employment has with representation? Jobs are created to perform a specific function. The person employed for a job should be competent to discharge that function. How can a job be reserved for some unknown body who most likely will not meet competence criteria for that job?


Now let us discuss reservation as a concept and what has been achieved by this policy in last more than five decades. Reservation by nature is discrimination. It discriminates between merit and reservation-based non-merit. The concept has been based and practiced on hate for those who were considered responsible for in-human existence of a section of Indian society. Hate for hate has been the principle behind reservation – they took away our life from us so now we will take away their life from them. This poison of hatred has been forced in the psyche of these people by those who discovered reservation as a very convenient tool to fulfill their political ambitions. They have no love for these people. They only treat them as a tool. But the poison has gone so deep in the mind that the beneficiaries of reservation have become a liability on the society and national resources. Reservation has killed their self-respect. They have lost their self-esteem. They suffer with a deep inferiority complex. Otherwise how a person will think that God has made him less intelligent than his classmate of upper caste. Is he lacking resources or intelligence also?


Then how the problem should have been handled. Empowerment through investment in education was the right approach. Develop these people to such an extent that they can compete with every body else. Once they are developed then there will be no need of reservation. Now for development they should be provided a level field. For this all required resources should be provided. Such resources have been provided but with reservation in the store, the beneficiaries have not worked hard as competence criteria for them have been diluted to a large extent. It is but natural that a person will not work hard if he knows that he has to only appear in the exam. Whatever be his performance he will pass and get a job, already reserved for him. It is here reservation becomes a dole.


Empowerment should not be linked with caste. Resources should be provided to all those who need them and should be limited to one-time for every person in a family. This can be easily achieved by declaring children as national resource. It should be the responsibility of parents, then society and lastly the government to develop this national resource. Harming this resource in any manner should be considered a national crime. This should also be subject to two-child norm per parent.


The concept of reservation should be abolished. There should be no reservation in any segment of Indian society including education, jobs, facilities and legislature. All should be treated equal. There should be no VIP or VVIP. A Prime Minister and his peon should be treated as equal. After all both are doing their job and the one who is doing his job better should be appreciated. Only then India will become a classless society. Let us work together and remove the curse of reservation.


Electoral Process
May 18, 2004 01:42 PM 2427 Views

The mandate is out. NDA has been given the thumbs down . And Congress (I) is back in saddle by default.


Let us quickly see why the people voted the way they did. To keep the review within the prescribed limit I have just bulleted the main points .We can discuss in depth if the readers so desire!


The reasons for poor performance of BJP


§ Miscalculating arithmetic of UP


§ Foreigner issue


§ Not sacking Modi


§ Going soft on Hindutva


§ Amma


§ Saree episode vs India shining


§ Lulled by exit poll predictions


The reasons for improved performance of Congress (I)


§ Sympathy as a backlash of Foreigner issue


§ Anti TDP wave


§ Rainbow alliance with DMK


§ Getting back tribal support in Jharkand


§ Sheila Dixit


The People


§ You get what you deserve- reflection of society


§ Feel good people want to feel better


§ Poor want change for better


Role of the media


§ Harping on caste factor more than the parties themselves


§ Sensationalism over substance


§ General loss of credibility with their dubious opinion polls/exit polls


§ More coverage to the likes of Pajji & Chichi (especially the electronic media)


Alarmbells


§ Left will dictate agenda which is outdated


§ Support from outside dangerous


§ Does Sonia have maturity to handle coalition


§ BJP will turn hardline with eclipse/sidelining of Vajpayee


False Hopes


§ Congress has strengthened


§ Youth savvy congressmen – only holding on to legacy. All whiz kids are only privileged children of middle aged politicians(dead or alive)


§ Difficulty of educated middle class, lower class person to fight & win elections


Most neutral observers feel that Indian system is good that it allows the common voter to overthrow a government with his vote. But he has absolutely no say in the formation of a new government. Let me explain in today’s scenario INC(I) with 148 members is forming a government with the support of the left . The left and Congress fought against each other in sixty constituencies. The electorate in these constituencies chose one over the other. But now the very mandate has been negated by the two coming together.


Indian democracy seems to have the following three options


1. Slowly heading towards two party system BJP vs Cong (I)


But for this to happen , regional parties’ clout has to diminish. This is liking wishing away your problems. I don’t see it happen.


2. The age of coalition is here to stay.


This looks a reality. But it is like trying to run a marathon with 50 Kgs tied to each leg. Running India is tough enough without have to constantly look behind and around you. Here too Congress starts with a greater disadvantage, numerically they are lesser than what BJP started with in 1999 and they have 60 plus members who just shoot their mouths off and then start thinking! Yes those incredible commies!!


3. Find better ways of electing our representatives


Which comes to the purpose of this piece. I have outlined some possible solutions.


Possible Solutions


<b >- Presidential type with elimination and repoll till 50% barrier breached.


Too cumbersome


- State funding


Too fudgy and impractical in multi party system


- My theory




  • Voting for party on all India basis without candidates




  • Members nominated by the party on basis of % of votes earned




  • Each party before elections would have to give a list of their candidates based on their internal election prior to national elections..Person with maximum % of votes in internal poll is seeded no 1 and least % is seeded 544.




  • Based on % of votes got in all India election the individual party sends their members. For example if Congress gets 60% votes nationally it will get 326 members ie no 1 to 356 of their list would qualify. Similarly if DMK were to get 5% votes it will get 27 members.






Advantages




  • No vote is wasted. Hence more participation expected.




  • Truer representation of People’s mandate




  • Parties will be forced to have internal democracy




  • A person in UP can vote for a regional party in AP or TN if he so desires!




  • In the long run one man parties non serious parties will wind up.






Disadvantages




  • MPs do not have a constituency to represent. Smaller states like




North East may run the risk of going unrepresented.


Feel free to write in with your comments and critiques. After all dialogue is the cornerstone of any democracy.


Jai Hind!


YOUR RATING ON

Lok Sabha
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If Sonia Gandhi was Black?
May 17, 2004 06:32 PM 3333 Views

The 14th Lok Sabha has been elected in. Many reviews have been written on this topic giving various points of view. After reading Shreya’s review on this topic, I have been trying to read a lot of literature which dwells on the issue. My review is the culmination of all such points of view that I have come across during my research.


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SONIA GANDHI:


Future PM of India. European origin, Caucasian race, blue eyes, white skin, dimpled, auburn hair, above average looks. Daughter in law of India’s most powerful family which gave India 3 Prime Ministers.


The question which comes to mind is if Sonia had been a thick lipped black skinned lady of African descent,would the idea of her being our PM still been palatable? Or would our racist affiliations made us recoil at the very thought?


There are many chain mails going around spreading all sorts of stories about Sonia’s past. These include things like how she kept renewing her foreigner’s 5-year permit three times after marriage (1968-1973, 1973-1978 and 1978-1983). It was only 3 days before her third permit was to expire, did she finally go in for citizenship and that too only because her husband’s political fortunes could be affected. There are also issues such as how she fled to Italy during the Pakistan war in 1971 and took refuge in the Italian embassy after Indira Gandhi’s defeat in 1977 post Emergency.


There are also questions raised about how the most important scandal affecting the Gandhis, i.e. Bofors, has Italian connections. And are they going to be more in the future?


However, MERELY because these points get circulated in a “Chain Mail”, Sonia fans are quick to dismiss these as baseless.


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OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES


People’s Mandate:


You want me to respect the people’s mandate? Sure, this is the same “people” which had given a mandate to VP Singh (9 months govt), Chandrashekhar (6 months govt), Deve Gowda (11 months govt) and IK Gujral (4 months govt). Do you find these mandates respectable too?


“People’s mandate” is just a expedient phrase used by those who find it convenient to further their political ambitions. Come to think of it, the largest supporter of this Congress led government is the Left. This is the same Left which fought the Congress tooth and nail in the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala and West Bengal. Mind you, Lok Sabha elections, not the assembly elections. This means, by voting for the Left and rejecting Congress in W Bengal and Kerala, they have effectively rejected the Congress led government at the Centre. But what does the Left do? As soon as they have done with the voters, they quickly go over to the Congress President and announce their support to her. If this is not a mockery of the mandate of the people of West Bengal and Kerala, then what is?


Secular alliance


In 1989, Congress was on one side and all other political parties ganged up against it to form the ill-fated United Front. This was at a time when “anti Congressism” was a strong binding factor. (Mind you, not ideologically, but as a convenient slogan). The situation is now no different, except that instead of the Congress it is now the BJP. The slogan now is “Secularism”. Since the BJP has been labeled as communal, it becomes very convenient for all other parties to get together. The fact that apart from Gujarat, there have been no communal riots in the country (as against the plenty of instances during Congress rule) has no takers. A single riot of Gujarat has become a handy tool to beat the BJP - the logic being that the State government had a hand in instigating the riots. But, the fact is that every riot in this country has been instigated at the behest of the Government, so what’s special about this one. (Please note, I'm not condoning any riots, it is only the singling out of the Gujarat one that I'm finding strange!)


Constitutional provisions :


Sonia fans state that there is nothing in the Constitution to prevent her from becoming PM. They also give examples of how LK Advani was born in Pakistan and Vijayraje Scindia was born in Nepal.


A few replies are in order here:


Firstly, there are many things in the Constitution which we do not consider. For e.g. reservations were meant to be in place only for 10 years. Its been over 50 years and we still continue with them. Uniform Civil Code is very much part of the Constitution, but would the Congress hear of it? So, why only in this case is there so much regard for provisions of the Constitution?


Second, LK Advani was born in India. It was only when due to Nehru’s political ambitions when India was partitioned that some parts were carved out as Pakistan. Many Hindus from the other side were driven out of their homes and had to come as refugees in India. Isn’t such a comparison an insult to all these people?


Third, Vijayaraje Scindia was born in Nepal, that’s true. But when was she ever a candidate for Prime Ministership.


Security issues:


The Defence Minster in the outgoing Government, George Fernandes, once spoke in an interview of a secret file which contains all classified details of nuclear weapons, their locations, where the missile were, who are our spy links in different countries. The file is not accessible completely to even the Defence Minister or Army chief. It is only the Prime minister which has the privilege. The outgoing PM has to hand over the file to the new PM. Doesn't the prospect of a foreign born person who continues to have strong links with her country of birth, having access and control over such files, ring alarm bells?


Conclusion:


Being Indian does not just mean wearing pretty Indian sarees, or even speaking Hindi fluently. It means feeling Indian. Many NRIs even after spending a quarter of a century in places like US or UK still harbour patriotic feelings towards India. When the relations between India and US were at their low after the Pokharan tests, many NRIs had openly come out in support of the country of their birth. Even the US acknowledges this fact and hence has a specific provision to disallow persons of foreign origin from occupying the highest office. Madeline Albright, Henry Kissinger or Arnold Schwarzenneger can never aspire to become President. Only after the third generation born in US, this embargo is lifted.


Everyone knows this government is not going to last beyond 2 years. The DNA of the combination itself is all wrong. But that is not the issue. India will be the first country in the world where a foreign born person has come to power not by invasion but by a free and “fair” democratic process. We Indians in the rush to portray ourselves as liberal and democratic may be committing a serious mistake this time. What implications this will have for India, only time will tell. Till then, let us lull ourselves in ignorant bliss.


(In case you are an ardent Sonia fan, you need not take these specific points seriously. You are free to dismiss all these as ranting by an insane Sonia baiter. The loss is entirely yours!)


Sonia Shining!
May 17, 2004 02:51 PM 2287 Views

Dear Rahulbeta,


The Election results are finally out and your Dear Mamma is going to be next Prime Minister of India, The world?s largest Democracy. Instead of India, I am shining.


Our weird advertisements along with our slogan ??Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath??(I actually got confused with aam as in mangoes) and those strange looking models who showed their right hand, didn?t really do wonders.. but people were not able to digest India Shining commercial!


Shri Narendra Modi, who does not have control over his tongue must be hiding somewhere.. Instead of their Gaurav Yatras and Bharat Uday Yatras, our campaigning showed, and the number 13, which has proved lucky for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, didn?t help this time. And May 13, 2004, the Astrologers who predicted BJP?s victory are nowhere to be seen!


Moreover, I would like to warn you about you marrying your columbian girlfriend. Because, people today call you half Indian, your kids will be one-quarter Indians!! So that will prove to be a threat to your political future!


I would like to end my letter by singing the following lines..


Your Mama Shining,


BJP Whining.


Narendra Modi Hiding


Your loving mother,


S. Gandhi


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The above letter was just a figment of my imagination.(as if you people didn?t guess it already), and I am not much into politics, but the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections were quite interesting. Even the India-Pakistan one day series lacked such unexpected results!


I didn?t really expect Sonia Gandhi to be our next Prime Minister and am still not able to digest the whole thing!No, the foreign origin is not the issue. Basically the thing is that she does not look as dynamic as the PM is supposed to be!! Prime Minister of our country does not even know the National Language


As far as BJP is concerned, if there is one person I hate the most, it is L. K. Advani. If people can imagine other leaders having Mafia connections, I believe that this man is an underworld don himself.


Our Preamble states We the people of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India as sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic and to secure to all its citizens : Justice - social, economical and political, Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, Equality of status and of oppurtunity, and to promote among them all Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation.


We should ask ourselves the question. Do we follow even a millionth part of whatever is stated in our constitution? Some people claim that BJP lost because they didn?t have Hindutva as a topic for elections.. VHP accused BJP for breaking their trust by being lenient with Pakistan and putting Nation?s security in danger. All this will not lead to an unstable, not stable government. Individual interests should precede Nation?s interest.


I am not for or against any political party. I am only for My Country and so should each one of us be! We don?t need a Hung Parliament but we need Young Parliament. I can?t imagine our country run by Laloo Prasad Yadav, who I?ve heard is our next Home Minister!!


Instead of strong Political background, the leaders of our nation should have good Educational background and should be well read!! Instead of whining of past deeds, they should be rectified, if possible, and follow the PAR policy.. Problem, Action, Result.. and make India Shine in real sense!!


Moreover, as citizens of our country, we should exercise our right to vote and choose the appropriate leader. Weigh planning versus performance and then choose the Nath, i.e. Ruler for our country!! Because, democracy is for the people, by the people and of the people!


Jai Hind!


Jai Gujarat!


Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya Glaaneer-bhavati Bharat
May 16, 2004 08:09 AM 3187 Views

It was in 1991 when Late Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated and in the elections to follow, Congress got a clean sweep riding on the Sympathy Wave. Who knew then that P. V. Narasimha Rao, who was chaired as a Prime Minister (PM) would be the last one to follow for at least next 12 years enjoying a ?single party majority? in Lok Sabha (LS) ? Because if you see the elections that followed, none of them have given LS a PM who doesn?t need to count his MPs to go to sleep peacefully.


BJP, the party that won only 2 seats in 1984 elections throughout the country is has traveled a long and speedy path towards the CHAIR. But when success comes faster, it also demands an added responsibility to have firm base on ground level so that you can sustain it for longer. That?s what went wrong this year? INDIA SHINING actually couldn?t enlighten the voters but the ?Glow? of the multi-crore campaign was so much that the Party Leaders themselves couldn?t see anything else than it and they too started believing what that ADVERTISEMENT said.


They remained loose and less analytical; few of them became extremely confident of victory as if it was remained just a formality and couple of them descended so low that they left their INDIAN RESPECT towards WOMEN and barked few very personal comments on Ms Sonia Gandhi. They had only one song in their mind, ?I?m The Best, I?m The Best, I?m The Best??but voters, at the same time, were singing an oldie number saying, ?Yeh Public Hai, Yeh Sab Jaanti Hai??


Unfortunately, still we have got a Hung Parliament. No one is sure how long will LEFT will remain comfortable with RIGHTs (Congress, SP). There is a threat of having another bi-election in next couple of years, something current Indian Economy would expect the Last thing to happen, as we can?t afford to have one in next 5 yrs. IT?S OUR MONEY THAT IS USED FOR THE ELECTIONS.


It seems a very hopeless state of Indian Political Future. You meet any youth and they talk about utter lack of a Charismatic Leadership in India. Someone who will walk on the path of Character, Truth, Sincerity, Fair Politics and Selflessness. Well if one reads such attributes, they don?t seem to come any close with current politicians. The country seems to be ruled by Gangsters (real or hidden in Khadi) and one feels, WHAT?S GOING TO BE THE OUTCOME OF IT ?


Bhagawad-Geeta gives an answer to all these questions? Bhagawan has assured all of us, ?Yada Yada Hi Dharmasya Glaanir-Bhavati Bhaarat, Abhyuthanamma Dharmasya Tadatmanam Srujamyaham?? that means WHENEVER ?DHARMA? IS OVERSHADOWED BY ?A-DHARMA?, ?I? WILL TAKE BIRTH AND WILL RESTORE THE BALANCE ONCE AGAIN.


But BHAGAWAN doesn?t come from sky but lies in all of us. So it?s each of us who will have to make a big difference in our attitude towards the scenario if we want it to change for better. I won?t be giving any suggestions to the Authorities but would just give my resolutions thought for myself if I want to change the future of MY country..





  1. I will VOTE like I have done till now, without any excuse. Will not use the day as a Holiday but a HOLY-DAY.




  2. I will follow all the Traffic Rules for my safety; and myself. Not to avoid the fine.




  3. I would not give any Bribe or would Pressurize any of the officer to pursue my work as a priority.




  4. I would not throw garbage on road and as far as possible would clean the surrounding area for myself.




  5. I would pay my taxes on time and without any trick.






I have few other resolutions but I know that some of you must be thinking, what difference will it make if only I do it. Well, the difference is of an ATTITUDE and OUTLOOK.


I WILL BE DOING ABOVE FOR MY SATISFACTION AND ?MY? COUNTRY?S WELL-BEING. At least I will take away my share of WASTE (material, spiritual and social) and would make her a slight cleaner than earlier. If you too join me, we can surely make a difference.


What we need to follow is a UNIFIED EFFORT against Corruption, Dirty Politics, and all such problems that India faces today.


There is a saying, ?Yatha Raaja Tatha Prajaa? which means the population identifies with the Rulers. Let?s do it the other way round. Make ourselves better so that Rulers come out of us and make India Really Shine.


Jai hind !!!



::: Keh Do Na, Keh Do Na :::
May 16, 2004 04:35 AM 1935 Views

''Mayen yahan chaaaon mein kaddi ooo aur aap log doop mein kade o.''


The above was read out from a paper which had the above written not in the Devnagiri, but the English script. After all, Sonia Gandhi was the one delivering the speech. And as Mrs. S. Gandhi sympathised with the poor villagers as they supposedly had to endure the sun, the drops kept falling. It was raining.


Politicians are not the kind of people I would like to invite for my birthday. While half of them are not comfortable with languages I speak, the other half are (in)famous for murders, underworld links, scams, frauds et al. Yet, amongst these criminals, I had grown to respect a certain individual named Atal Behari Vajpayee. Today, Mr. Vajpayee is reduced to being the head of the opposition party and I ponder - what could be the reason that the Congress defeated the NDA.


~ Maybe the illiterates who voted wanted a fellow illiterate i.e. my idol, Laloo Prasad Yadav to be in line for a portfolio.


~ Perhaps, it's a conspiracy by Pizza Hut and Dominoe's to increase the Italian influence in India.


~ Since the entire female population adores Hrithik Roshan, they took his song a little too seriously. 'Keh do na, keh do na, you are my Sonia.'


~ It could be that the voters confused the word 'Congress' with 'Progress'.


~ I strongly believe that voters voted for Govinda instead of Ram Naik hoping that the Virar ka chokra aka Govind Ahuja quits acting when he is elected.


~ The male population fell for Priyanka Gandhi.


As my revered idol, Laloo Prasad Yadav says, ''Sab paalitix hay!''


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


No, I am not interested in politics. I am not interested in who threw a chair at whom. But, the news that Sonia Gandhi is most likely to replace Atal Behari Vajpayee as the PM (which incidently does not stand for 'pagal mantri') made me behave like Sachin Tendulkar and squeal ''Ailaa!''


No, I do not care about the fact that our probably future PM would be of foreign origin. Sonia Gandhi's case actually strangely reminds me of Jeffrey Archer's 'The Prodigal Daughter'. Just like the book, Sonia Gandhi, a female outsider goes on to become the Prime Minister without the greatest of political experience. However, the major difference is that Sonia Gandhi comes from an influential political family.


Which is what irks me the most. Indian politics is almost reduced to Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The only question I have is - in a country of a billion people, aren't there enough worthy candidates that we keep going back to the same old family? I have nothing against the Nehru-Gandhi family, for frankly I do not have much knowledge about their virtues and vices.


But, Sonia Gandhi, for one, does not have the experience of being at the premier post in the country. Her entry in politics was supposedly a forced one and she has been in charge of her party only since the past five years. Does that compare anything to the kind of struggle Vajpayee underwent through the years? Just consider some other politician - will he/she become the PM after merely five years of experience, had his/her surname not been Gandhi?


The lines I opened my review with are a true incident. Somebody who still does not have complete control over the national language, somebody who learnt the language only recently, just because she wanted to enter politics, somebody who would have been a nobody had she not married in the family she did.


Whoever I have spoken to, whether it's friends, relatives, fellow MSians, have expressed shock at the final verdict of the elections. A majority of them have been pro-BJP and the pure fact remains - if the choice of the entire nation would be seen, a majority of them would favour Vajpayee's government. The tragedy though, is that most of them are busy watching Shah Rukh Khan jump onto a helicopter from the roof rather than going and casting their vote.


Voters cards not being issued has been a major grievance. Yet, apart from this unforgivable lapse by the authorities, the general attitude of the middle and upper middle class can be summed up in Pepsi's Saif campaign - 'What's there?'


''Something's there. You will not understand'' might be Shah Rukh Khan's reply to the above question. But, the fact at the end of the day is, that like it or not, Sonia Gandhi has been elected by the Indian voters, the ones who turned up for their right. She may still stun the skeptics by being a good leader, but one must remember that if we ourselves didn't bother to vote, why on earth should we crib?


In my review which I posted on the day of counting, I had suggested that Shah Rukh Khan should become the PM. Shah Rukh nahin, Sonia hi sahi, though I still hope that better sense prevails and Manmohan Singh gets the spot.


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


I still suspect that Pizza Hut and Dominoe's have a hand in this, what's your opinion? Comments awaited!


Disclaimer: In the end, this review is not pro or against any party. I frankly do not have much knowledge about politics to root for a particular party. What I do know is that someone like Vajpayee deserved another term, rather than Sonia Gandhi, and if the NDA are not on top, then it should be someone like Manmohan Singh - not because of Sonia's origin but because of other factors which I mentioned in my review.


What a SHAME!!!!!!
May 16, 2004 01:45 AM 1463 Views

Hi,


At the outset let me be very clear that I am not a ardent supporter of any political party in India. India is the largest democractic country with huge number of voters. Now that Congress is all set form a Government with the Left, let us sit back and anticipate the future of India.


In 1999 BJP came to power with its allies on the grounds of Hindutva. I still cannot figure out how can BJP led NDA come to power on grounds of Hindutva, when India was facing more realistic challenges like the reforms which included the reduction of deficit and put India on the World map. Well thats is history, but BJP very soon realised that the Hindutva is not going to give NDA any kind of mileage in the elections in 2004.


They very quitely managed to put the Ayodhya and like issues on the backburner....at the same time not upsetting the communcal parties like the RSS. The BJP Led NDA government very rightly started concentrating on key issues like the reforms, the abolishing of the licencing, the opening up of the telecom sector, increasing the FDI limit in various sectors, the banking reforms etc.


Congress on the other hand was quite unfortunate to loose out in the 1999 elections after ruling the country for a good 5 decades by various generations in the Nehru family. In early nineties, Rajiv Gandhi actually thought in the lines of reforms which was followed by the finance ministers who knew exactly what India needs for becoming an Asian Superpower.


After nearly 5 decades of politicians holding the all important post of Finance Minister who didn't know the ''F'' of Finance, came the economist Manmohan Singh, who was instrumental in set the ball rolling for the reforms in India. Who can forget the Dream Budget of Chidambaran...well which was more of a political move....but quite a gutsy move. Yes I do agree that this was kind of dent on the deficit.... you need to loose something to gain something right? When the stage was almost set, BJP came to power to implement these reforms.


When everything seemed going well for the BJP and India, they lost the all important 2004 general elections. The NDA government was well aware that the voters memory is too short to forget the communalism idealogy....the Godhra incident and became very active in their reforms process in the past 18 months or so. Then came the much talked about ''India Shining'' campaign where BJP highlighted their achievements.


Now the question is why did BJP and its allies loose? The biggest problem in India is the minority v/s the majority....no...no I am not talking about the minority community....but the people who are educated and think who try and get the right party to power than the majority of the people who get fooled, election after election on hollow promises. The minority understand reforms and its importance while the majority are not even aware what reforms mean. The minority are the taxpayers while majority are non taxpayers.


Arun Gawli has been distributing ''Vada Pavs'' free of cost in his constituency. Majority of the people get lured by Vada Pav.....disgusting.... these kind of tactics are employed by the politicians. Take the instance of Chandrababu Naidu who lost in Andhra Pradesh.....the minority of the people could see this man turned Hyderabad into Cyberabad but the majority could just see Rajashekar Reddy distributing free power to the farmers.


The farmers are too naive to see that Chandrababu Naidu was seeking a loan from World Bank for USD 250 mio for infrastructure which includes power. It all depends how you look at things....either I invest part of USD 250 mio in power thus making the power tariff lower for the farmers or distribute this amount to the farmers free of cost. Mr. Rajashekhar.....have you thought where are going arrange this money for distribuing free power....but I know the answer.....no prizes for guessing it is going to your and my money....taxes and more taxes!!!


I am not really opposing Congress coming into power but the problem is the support from the Left parties who will hamper all the efforts done so far by the NDA government. The power struggle is so intense that parties with different ideologies agree to rule this country......what a Shame!!! Left parties are the most ridiculous bunch of idiots I have ever seen.....I am not sure which world they live in. Left parties with a paltry 60 out of 537 seats, will call the shots....What a Shame!!! Left parties have demanded to dissolve the Divestment ministry, which Congress will have to do it to ensure their support. Seetharam (the head of Left Parties) has mentioned that they will not allow disinvestment in profit making PSUs. Mr. Seetharam......wake up and tell us who under the sun will like to put their money in a loss making PSU.


Atleast I am not a bloak like you or your party to put my money in a loss making PSU. Even if you do manage to hive off the loss making PSU what kind of valuation are you expecting... does it not make sense to keep with the Government itself. With whatever valuation you get......how is the funding of the ever soaring budger deficit of this country happen. I can guess the easiest way is whip the Tax payers who are anyway in minority and the party care 2 hoots whether the tax payers votes their party or not.


In my opinion Congress is really stuck with Left Party support. I do not forsee this Government lasting for more than 2 years, except if the Congress does the following:




  1. Make a more seasoned politician the Prime Minister. I would place my bet on Manmohan Singh.




  2. Find a economist to become the Finance Minister.




  3. Try to nuture the second generation politicians viz.: Pilot Jr., Scindia Jr., Deora Jr.,........by trying to accept their ideas.




  4. Last but the most important......Drill the idea of reforms to Coalition parties especially the Left Parties. Wake them up from their slumber.






Please do RRC my review.


BTW if your money is a portion of Rs.100,000 crore erosion of Market capitalisation in the stock markets....do not cut losses. Enjoy the dividends for two years.... and then after NDA comes back to power....sell it at a profit.


Vijay


SALUTATIONS TO THE WORLDS LARGEST DEMOCRACY
May 15, 2004 04:50 PM 1267 Views

The 2004 elections will go down as the most Historic Elections our country has ever seen - a review on the scale of elections and precedents set by ''we the people''.


The Grand Scale of Elections


Every election in India is historic in its own way when you consider the gigantic scale of our country.


More than 668 million people spread over 3 million square kms of land spread across widely varying geographic and climatic zones - including unscalable snow-clad mountains in the Himalayas, the deserts of the Rajasthan and in sparsely populated islands in the Indian Ocean.


More than 300 languages/dialects spoken amongst an amalgam of various religions and castes; where the customs and traditions change every few 100 kilometers.


There were more than 800,000 polling stations where the EVM and staff/security was transported apart from the normal means, by yaks, horses & elephants. Travelling over 2-3 days on foot for as few as 10 voters in parts of Arunachal Pradesh - phew !!


Elections-2004


And just when every astrologer worth their name, every psephologist, every opinion and exit polls of either media had already written the common voter off by announcing a comfortable majority for BJP - ''we the people'' had our own plans to shock the world.


Do we still believe in Astrology ? Ask yourselves ...I have asked this question to several people and yes they are doubting it.


Not only have ''we the people'' proven everyone wrong & re-written history but we have made our vote felt and given a strong message to all the governments - DO NOT TAKE US FOR GRANTED.


''We the people'' have set a precedent for the whole world to follow by electing a person not born in our own country to lead the country - thus creating history. We have sent a message that its not being born in Indian which matters, its having India in you which matters.


I have always been proud of being an Indian and this mandate by the people has made me believe more in democracy then ever - I believe more that my vote counts irrespective of the government selected.


Maa Tujhe Salam !!


Some Interesting Facts


'' Ever heard of 1033 candidates for a single seat? Believe it or not, it did happened for the Modaurichi assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu in 1996. The ballot paper was in the form of a booklet!''


'' Lakshadweep has the largest presence of Muslims of all the states/UTs including Jammu and Kashmir!''


''EVM can manage a maximum of 64 candidates, above that ballot paper needs to be printed and EVM's cannot be used''


Congress - Restless cons in play.
May 15, 2004 03:43 AM 21839 Views

Havent we been told all these days that Sonia Gandhi wasnt really interested in Indian politics and that she was enticed into entering the political scenario by some senior members


of the Congress party. Ahhhh Congress .... the word conjures up images of some corrupt and ruthless brand of tyrants who under the cloak of ’’Educated class’’ decided to ruin the thin fabric of culture, that our country has been relying on for like 5000 years or so before this party came to power.


Before I talk about Sonia Gandhi let me first expound on the nature of leaders of this hypocritical party that is going to represent India in the next 5 years in the international arena. First of all how many of us here are aware of Rajiv Gandhi’s grandfather’s name (not the maternal grandfather). Let me answer. NOT MANY. It was actually Nawab Khan. This surely doesnt ring a bell does it.


The question is ’’Why then did Indira Gandhi choose Gandhi as her surname, when it should have been Khan or Nehru (if she decided to stick with her father’s surname)’’ Wisdom lies in realizing that it was to further her political ambitions and to use the Gandhi name to attract the masses. And who was behind this? Our very own apostle of peace - MK Gandhi. (Source: KN Rao’s The Nehru Dynasty). And this was followed by a Hindu wedding which again could be best described as a scam to cover off this shameless act and to avoid unwanted questions from the media.


All this was done to keep Feroz Khan’s identity a secret and to give him the credentials of a Hindu husband. Secular country - huh. Inspite of this much celebrated Hindu wedding, Indira Gandhi often had to visit temples alone because her Hindu husband ’’Feroz’’ refused to visit these temples with ash smeared on his forehead. Precisely why Indira Gandhi was refused entry to Jagannath temple in Puri.


Sanjay Gandhi aka Sanjiv Gandhi is next in the line. To the denizens of India he was a pilot who died in an air crash. Tears were shed when he died. But little do we know that Sanjiv Gandhi was actually a car thief and was arrested in London for the very same crime. As is common in India, Indira Gandhi tried to use her influence to get her son out of trouble which makes me wonder if she knew that England wasnt a part of India. The british government didnt relent.


Sanjiv Gandhi then approached the Indian consulate in England to get him a new passport which was the only way he could get himself out of the mess he was in. And the Indian consulate under direct orders from Indira rechristened him as Sanjay Gandhi and he was free again. Easy wasnt it? And he once had an affair (the media then, thought it was a rape attempt) with a Sikh girl who then became pregnant. Since that female was the daughter of a Colonel in the Indian army there wasnt much Sanjay Gandhi could do but marry her. The Sikh girl was Menaka Gandhi who later changed her name to Maneka Gandhi.


And another interesting bit of information that the youth of these days wouldnt have come across is that Sanjay Gandhi was a byproduct of Indira Gandhi’s affair with one Mr Mohammed Yunus who was arrested in the US for felony and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment there. And he was the one who wept the most when Sanjay Gandhi died. He was the one who chose a Muslim bride for Sanjay. He was the one who was against Sanjay marrying Maneka and infact threatened to kill her.


Rajiv Gandhi .... The mechanical engineer from Cambridge. The future of India as he was often described. He entered politics because he was the sole heir to the throne after Sanjay Gandhi’s death. His only claim to fame was being a mechanical engineer from Cambridge University. But the records in Cambridge university suggested otherwise. He was registered for a course in Mechanical sciences and not Mechanical Engineering and that he didnt clear even a single subject while he was a student there. This was the result of his association with Sonia Maino - a girl of unknown lineage. She was also a student in Cambridge University and was there to learn spoken English. From her English, I can safely assume that she wouldnt have fared quite well there like her would be Rajiv Gandhi. And before people could hear about this he was made the Prime minister. And soon after started the massacre of Sikhs. And of course the aftermath of the famous Shah Bano case. The lesser said the better about it.


How could I forget to mention about the scam called Festivals Of India the basic idea of which was to promote Indian cultural events abroad? Crores and crores of rupees were spent on this when at that point of time 42% of our population were living below the poverty line not being able to afford more than a square meal a day. But it did help in facilitating a meeting between Reagan (president of the US) and Rajiv Gandhi who sought his help in getting one Mr Adil Shahriyar (son of Mohammed Yunus) released from the US prison.


All this because Mohammed Yunus had the closely guarded secret ’’The Netaji Papers’’ in his possession which he used to threaten Rajiv by saying that he would reveal it to the public. This was followed by the Bofors scandal. A great prime minister - my foot. And there r a lot more that I can talk about like for example the peace keeping force sent to Srilanka. But dont want to hog this review with Rajiv Gandhi’s antics alone.


Now let me move on to the INDIAN BAHU Sonia Gandhi. She came to India after having married the Prime Minister of India’s son. She claims she is an Indian citizen though it took her more than 15 years to actually apply for Indian citizenship. She was not willing to forego her Italian citizenship - a consequence of her close relation with the Pope and the Vatican City. In India if you have to be an administrative officer you have to be proficient in atleast one of the many regional Indian languages. But it is a pity that such rules dont apply for the prime ministerial candidate.


Can she speak the national language Hindi or any other Indian language for that matter without using a prepared text to guide her? One of the few reasons why I admired Vajpayee and Vaiko (a MLA in Tamil nadu). The only reason she was able to draw large crowds can be attributed to the fact that she was fair skinned. We Indians have yet to get over our obsession for white skinned people. It is only in India that people would go to the extent of being shameless to elect a person of foreign origin to the Prime Minister’s chair. Pardon me for the usage of strong words.


During our conversation yesterday someone said that it is the people’s verdict and we have to accept it. BULLSHIT. Arent these the same people who went around feeding milk to Ganesha idols and arent these the very same people who massacred each other in Gujrat? And wasnt Sonia the same shameless female who fled to her own country Italy, during the war with Pakistan for the liberation of Bangladesh? Our country has been fed to the dogs by the Congress regimes and there is nothing much we can do about it. India Zindabad


A metropolitan city India (NRI)
Government By,For and From People
May 15, 2004 01:37 AM 4479 Views

With pleasant speech, who gives and guards with powerful liberal hand,


He sees the world obedient all to his command. -


The world will praise and submit itself to the mind of the king who is able to give with affability, and to protect all who come to him.


A sleepless promptitude, knowledge, decision strong:


These three for aye to rulers of the land belong.


These three things, viz., vigilance, learning, and bravery, should never be wanting in the ruler of a country.


From Thirukkural -


Note: I will talk mainly about the Topic in the review and will delve into the 14th Lok Sabha as an addendum


LOK SABHA – An Introduction


Lok Sabha (House of People/Commons), based on the British mode of governance is the lower house of governance. This is the place where laws are made and bills are passed. Currently a maximum of 552 members can sit in the house. (Upto 530 from the states, 20 from UTs and 2 Anglo Indians nominated by the President of India, if they are not well represented)


In the current Lok Sabha 543 members are elected by the largest democracy in the world. Lok Sabha is the place where laws are passed and everything regarding governance takes place. The minimum Age for entry is 25 years and the youngest one is Mr.Deora from Mumbai who is 27 years old.


In Lok Sabha, the speaker of the House runs the business and the deputy speaker assists him. Normally, the majority of the members choose the speaker. The house has the prime minister, appointed by the president with a majority support and a set of ministers for various duties. The house also has an opposition leader.


The Speaker of the house sets the rules of the proceedings. Various requests are received from the MPs and minister and are approved by the Speaker of the house. The order of business is printed and circulated in advance, to the members.


An important function of the house is “Question Hour”. Various MPs ask questions on important issues and are noted by the Government. The minister and government replies to various questions related to constituencies and functionalities of the Government


After the Question hour, various legislative and finance related businesses(budgetary) are held. All the bills are passed through 3 stages known as readings. After the passing of the bill (Government bill or Private Member Bill), it is passed onto the Rajya Sabha and finally for the President of India’s approval.


Lok Sabha also conducts




  1. Half an hour discussions




  2. Motions and Resolutions




  3. Discussions of Public Interest matters




  4. Debates






Lok Sabha also has voting system in place for various bill passing. It is automatic or manual voting. Some are passed via vocal consensus and some are recorded voting.


All the debates in the Lok Sabha are recorded and published. The Speaker has rights to remove any notes or remarks made by a member, as deemed necessary.


Before an election, the LS is dissolved with the consensus from the President.


14th Lok Sabha


In a major reversal, the 14th Lok Sabha results springs in a surprise to many. I am sure most of us who read this review are some of the gifted few in the country and are mainly the crème of the society. Thus, many of us may think it is a dramatic surprise and BJP should have won the election. Well, should it be the case? It is a very much debatable topic. I am not planning to side with any side but want to weigh in both sides.


India has more than a billion people. We have 700 million people who are the downtrodden. They want to have a nice and stable livelihood (They want upto 100 rupees a day!). That’s it.. This is the core reason why many of the downtrodden voted in masses, against BJP. IS India Shining? For me yes. It is. I am not one of those 700 million. Touch wood, I am well off and can afford many things to make lives easier. Is this the same with all Indians? No it is not so.


About India’s economic growth, are we in an instant lottery mode that we see benefits immediately after you invest? No. Like big trees, it takes years to reap the benefits. In all likelihood, the owners of the tree at the time of happiness claim the benefits for the same. With due acknowledgement to the efforts by the NDA government, it is Dr Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram who laid the foundation the economic reforms. Thanks to the IT growth, it was during 1996-2003 that India had the largest inflow of Foreign reserves. Without money, you cannot possibly invest in any initiatives. NDA did a good job in investments. So would any Government (however corrupt they are). You can fool some people some times. Few people all the time. Not all at all the time.


We should not be hypocritical in stating that people did badly by voting NDA out. We will become sycophants of a brand name. Just because Chandrababu Naidu did good to the upper crest means he is a good statesman. Governance is not for a selective few. We have many CMs and Ministers who serve only select sect. Take any well known politician. We are educated and should remove any kind of prejudice to stop from becoming a sycophant. NDA government did not do anything for down trodden. They lost touch. The Urban people alone do not make India. The educated cribbers who do not vote, don’t make India. Everyone in India has equal right to vote and elect who so ever is right.


What will you expect from a slum dweller who earns 20 rupees a day, when you ask him how does it feel to see India Shining. His life will shine if you give him a 500 rupee note, at least for a day or two. That’s what matters to him.


Just like educated and well off are happy that they can afford anything; seeing the sensex zooming, miilionaire becoming billionaire, affording everything they could; can think that India is shining, the downtrodden have every right to think the Government did very bad in helping them out.


It is not the issue of foreign-born-lady ruling the country, It is not the communalism, It is not the Temple/Mandir, It is not IIM Fees that is going to uplift these people. It is the stable income, basic infrastructure and happiness in their daily lives that makes difference.


We can say everything we want, but the people have spoken. India has voted. The People have given the verdict. Just like they did all the time. Just because India as a whole voted for our favorite party once does not give the right to say people are Intelligent and they are fools if they did the contrary.


Long Live Democracy and all the best to the new government.


Jai Hind


A shameful (because I couldn’t vote!)


KALIL



For forms of government let fools contest; Whate'er is best administer'd is best. – Alexander Pope


Sure there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too.-Richard M. Nixon



Of Election and Results
May 14, 2004 01:33 PM 2103 Views

I just went through Suyog's review and thought of writing one myself. Election results are out and as usual ifs and buts stuff has started.


Whatever happened, the results of this election brought an end to the reign one of the finest PM in India?s history. Thanks to Atal ji, India learned the basics of coalition politics and yes, it was his very charm and persona that was responsible for BJP completing the term. Having said that, there?s no doubt that Atal ji never had the good team to work with. Barring the likes of Shourie, Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha (Sad that he lost) all other were sheer dumb.


No wonder IIMs celebrated Murli Manohar Joshi?s defeat. LK Advani and Fernandes, though held high profile posts, could never get out of their typical union leader kinda 70?s image which relied on high talks and provocative statements. People like Modi, Mahajan and Togadia also never helped his cause.


But yes he was the person under whom India saw tremendous growth in IT and became a software powerhouse. Vajpayee ji reminded me of Karna in Mahabharata, good man on the wrong side.


Now please don?t jump into making conclusions that I?m a pro congress person. To me they all are what you call in Hindi; ?Ek hi thali ke chatte batthe?. But yes, I feel that Sonia Gandhi is very much Indian, just like we all are and to be frank far more Indian then the likes of Mayawati, Mamta Banerjee, Jayalalita and Modi. BJP remained in power for 5 yrs and still they could not pass the resolution barring a foreigner to be the PM of the country.


So till the time we have our constitution changed, Sonia is and should be as good a candidate for Prime Minister Ship as anybody else. The real issue instead should have been her inexperience which sadly nobody looked into.


Somebody also mentioned that it was Rahul Gandhi who won the elections for Congress. That in fact is not true for the credit for Congress?s good show belongs to Sonia and none else. It was she who took over Congress when it was in total disarray and when BJP was busy being over confident; she made it a point to connect to the people. And yes I found her silence over the whole Foreign Issue controversy very dignified.


To say that BJP appealed only to urban class was also proved wrong as the results in places like Delhi and Mumbai showed. And you can?t neglect the rural people. Shame on the so called educated class which though educated never exercise their voting rights and then blames the poor for election results.


Everything said and done, the results are out and congress is bound to be in the driver?s seat. As a common Indian, my prayer is that who so ever rules the country takes it to the newer heights and does good work to lift the poor and the needy.


Lastly, let?s see some young fresh faces; at least they will infuse some enthusiasm and energy. Of course there will always be a Siddhu and Dharam paji to infuse that action and drama always associated with Indian parliament.


And as far as my choice for the PM goes, guys why don?t we give the chance to gorgeous Priyanka Gandhi(Did I give you an impression of having a crush on her, I hope I did). Those who still have doubts, why I say so, check this out https://specials.rediff.com/election/2004/may/13elecimg3.htm


Hail To The QUEEN!
May 13, 2004 10:41 PM 3696 Views

So, finally after all the brouhaha about India Shining and Feel Good factor, it all boiled down to the un-shining and the felt-bad sector of the country which cost the BJP the mandate to lead India once more. Its ironic though, we are probably voting away a government which was actually doing good work ? or perhaps, to put it politically correct, was doing great work for a section of society in India.


While its debatable whether Vajpayee did or did not deserve another term at the office, one cannot possibly argue the power of rural vote in India. And here is an example, where the rural vote was yet once again deceived (again, debatable), and another party has come to power to lead India, ironically by a European ? or make that Indian perhaps.


Instead of looking at what Congress did right in these elections, it is more interesting and important to look what BJP did wrong.




  • BJP didn?t really do badly, but somehow they got carried away in their own reform ideas and trying vehemently to put India on global map, even before putting their own people under their confidence.




  • I have never supported BJP ultra soft approach to NRI brethrens and resulting political fiascos. While their ?Yatri Divas? program was much indeed novel idea to promote tourism, their ?NRI Divas? was as dumb as a dead cuckoo. If only BJP had devised something like ?Farmer day? or ?Rural Day? in addition to their fancy dress competition of NRI divas, they would have been more balanced in their outlook.




  • BJP certainly needs to get over the foreign origin issue which it has kept harping and harping about incessantly. Agreed, Sonia Gandhi may have been (and may still be) a foreigner, but truth of the matter was, Sonia reached out to people with BJP didn?t during the campaign ? and it showed. BJP was given a chance in these 5 years to bring a bill preventing people from foreign origin to hold an important post, though they didn?t, and well it backfired. As for me, Sonia Gandhi looks dumb to me, and is unfit for the post of PM, and that?s about it; whether she is Indian or not is simply a secondary issue. BJP could have instead questioned her political experience and qualification she had for the post rather than harp and cry about her foreigner issue.




  • Pro-Reforms but where? India Inc definitely has shown promising results in the last five years, and yes a lot of credit does go to the BJP. And yet, BJP/TDP in Andhra Pradesh could not explain farmer?s suicide, the state?s burgeoning deficit bill and overall state of the state?s rural areas. I personally consider Chandra Babu Naidu to be a visionary and fit enough to lead our country, but his over enthusiasm of developing a Silicon Hyderabad cost him dearly. Same applies to S. M. Krishna. He wasn?t bad either ? however one city centric reforms cost him the election. It?s the same at the center as well ? the urban centric approach.




  • BJP?s change of stance change from pro-Hindutva to secular party spoiled a good part of their vote pie for them. While the minorities still preferred to vote otherwise, BJP cut into its own skin by keeping away RSS, VHP and others at bay. I no way support VHP or RSS for their ridiculous activities, but the fact is, even if RSS / VHP and likes could convince 5% of their own people to stop supporting BJP, that still meant that BJP lost a chunk of their own votes. Its to BJP?s fault that the Ram Mandir issue has flameballed into something so communal and ridiculous; what was on their agenda 5 years ago, well, remained there - A costly move that cost the BJP.




  • One of the best things BJP did for the country was to start building Roads, the much necessary building blocks of a nation. Vajpayee?s dream project does deserve that mention, and it was indeed something the nation needs badly. But BJP had to defend itself from issues of Dubey?s murder and such likes. Unfortunately, and very unluckily for Vajpayee, he spent the better part of his PM time settling Amma?s and Mamtas of our country. On that accounts, yes he has been very unlucky. Congress doesn?t have any great shakes. With their rates of scandals hitting the TV with ferocious regularity, neither do they have great allies and friends within whom I am sure Sonia Gandhi or whoever will become PM will have a nicety to.




  • While the top rung of the BJP did have some really good people, they had their own share of fanatics and show stealers too. I have never liked Sushma Swaraj, however intelligent she showcases herself to be. Half the time she spent bringing adult call centers and adult channels and the likes down. I don?t say she didn?t do a good thing, but there is something called freedom of speech and freedom of democracy ? over doing it is not appreciated by all and sundry. But what went really wrong for them was the Murli Manohar Joshi and his IIM fiasco. BJP were targeting the middle and upper class sensibilities ? how could they even miscalculate Joshi?s jingo on the election? Not only in India, but people out here too were amused by the fiasco, which in many ways hurt the image of BJP. The issue could have held till they had been reelected, at least!




  • Godhra Riots was a big face downer for the BJP. Whether it was intentional done, or unintentionally done, the fact of the matter is that BJP had to make do with all the blame game and all the shame of the incident. Objectively thinking, BJP had a lot to lose from the incident; even their excellent political gamble of selecting Kalam as President didn?t work at all.






But then, the verdict is clear. Congress will probably be able to form the next government, and the dumb lady will become our next Prime Minister. More than anything else, it?s the fact that an absolute unqualified person is going to sit and rule is the worst thing to happen to India. If Congress were sensible, then they did grab the opportunity by both hands, and possibly elect a dignified personality like Manmohan Singh to lead the country. BJP has proactively led many projects, be it reforms, tourism or development ? Congress have the best possible opportunity to build upon the pedestal already laid for them. It remains to be seen, 5 years later where it all leads to.


As a parting quote, I am neither for congress nor for BJP. But, I think in the current political scenario of corrupt and deteriorating Congress, BJP deserved another chance. I think we as public of India were rather rude on the party by not even giving them a much needed second chance to prove their mettle, while we are the very same people who have tolerated a dynasty for nearly 5 decades. Perhaps, nothing makes more sense to me today than these golden words ?


?Bad politicians are elected by good people who don?t vote?..


Next time, I will make my vote count!


For now, a nation waits...


India Votes 2004.........Countdown Begins !!!!
May 10, 2004 06:53 PM 2216 Views

Battle lines are drawn again. Coalitions are formed; power savvy parties have joined hands; comments and campaign are getting personal, All of sudden every political Netas are visiting their constituencies, which they have forgotten in past 5 years.


No, this is not the preface of any Story or Novel This is the common scene that we do see in each and every General Election that happened over a period of past 47 years since Independence in India.


General Elections 2004, are not very different than the earlier ones, as democratic INDIAVotes back to elect /send their representatives to the 14th Parliament. Not really sure that their elected representative will do the justice their caste vote.


We are towards the end of month long election process that started with the dissolution of the 13th Parliament. Parliament that, people of Indian will remember for many things. First ever historic & one of its kind, attack on Parliament has happened during the Parliament session, First ever Non Congress led and more importantly coalition led government has successfully completed 5 years term in this very 13th parliament.


Every time the general elections are announced, we do hear few common words like 'secularism?, ?opportunism?, and last but definitely not least ?Dynasty - Gandhi Parivar?. Every individual in the political circle wants to express his opinion about these things that matters, when it comes to grabbing power at the Center. But this time we heard something new that never came up in earlier election era. Words like, ?FEEL GOOD?, ?INDIA SHINING? etc.


Well nothing bad with it, after all Marketing is the mantra to make any product successful. At times you have to market the abilities, skills and your work, to make other aware of what you have done and what you have not!


Every individual or rather middle class man was feeling good and was under the impression that INDIA is really shining. But then, someone whose is staying in rural India was not feeling the same, for obvious reasons that we all know.


NDA led government was very right in highlighting the work it has done over a period of past five years, but as someone has pointed rightly, it will not enough though, for NDA to secure the clear majority. At least that?s what it seems from the exit polls that we have seen so far. What really went wrong then? Is the work that has been done was not enough, or its not been propagated in right fashion?


I sincerely think, that apart from India shining or feeling good. If it would have development, stable government & running the 13 party coalition government successfully had been the election issues, then may be the story could be different than what it would have been so far? May be ??


This election will be historical one, as for the first time; Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used across the India. This is one of and biggest ever exercise that has been carry forward during the General Elections 2004.


The real issue that came initially and evaporated with time was the foreign origin. Although the idea seems to be logical one, but then that is all has to be decided by the people of India and not an individual. Sonia Gandhi seems to be stubborn Congress leader, I guess it will take some time and off course the experience to wider her acceptability as the unanimous leader of the Congress led coalition. It still shows that Gandhi Dynasty still holds the nerve to the Indian Politics. Few Good men (?) parted their ways due this very key issue and one can see them hands in hands in this election. Nothing new, as I said these are the common scenes during Indian Elections.


The voter is sending out a wake-up call to every political party. Yes, the voter wants stability and an able leader.


Most believe that the NDA will still form the government, and Atal


Behari Vajpayee will come back as prime minister for a remarkable fourth time, but clearly the NDA will not match Virender Sehwag?s record breaking triple century.


BSE has reacted sharply to what we have seen a largest plummet of over 250 points in a single day in a past 3-4 years, that too merely on a speculation. So it seems like even Corporate India has given the signals that who they want to be in Power!! It doesn?t point to one single party or coalition, but it points towardsstability, economic reforms and all that will come with Strong Center and not with the unstable coalition.


BSP seems to be key for the success to be in part of next government. Don?t mistaken me it is not the Bahujan Samaj Party or Mayawati I mean here. But what I meant was Bijli, Sadak & Paani. If the rural India gets these basic and necessary three things, then political parties don?t have market themselves or country as SHINING / FEELing GOOD, It will automatically come within it.


Ironically, its not as if the demanding Indian voter is expecting a dramatic change in life. But then when we see and talk a lot and project India as Developed but Not the Developing Nationby 2020, then these key things holds the base for that. So far what we have seen as mere 50% turnout for polling that has been conducted in three phases.


It shows that rest of 50% voters are really not interested in electing their representative to parliament or they don?t have any trust or faith in this process. I was watching election related programme on one of the popular TV channel and they were interviewing a rural man. The answer he has given to ?Whom he would vote for?? tell the true story of the expectation of Indian Voter. I quote ?Dekhiye saab, hamare MP toh television pe aate hain, lekin hamare yahan kuch nahin hua!?.


We all know that there are few regional strong and popular (among the masses) players, who are keeping an eye on the topmost post of the democratic this whole process. These few players and we all very well know at whom exactly I am finger pointing, should be kept away from that supreme post which at times honored by Late Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shashtri and currently AB Vajpayee.


Having said that, we are a democratic nation and every individual has a right to exercise his vote and elect his representative, but then whether each & every elected representative is really capable of holding the crucial post like PM? Bottom line is, people like these, should not be allowed to overrule the mandate the people of India, just because they have strong regional presence (?) and somehow they have got bargaining power to vote people to power.


The story is taking different turn or picture is becoming a bit shaky after every exit polls result that came out during 3 election phases that we have experienced. The final countdown will begin on 13th May when the real picture will get unfold. The 13th figure seems to be repeating every time. 13 party led coalition government, 13 days of power in 1999, 13th Parliament & counting will begin on 13th. The 13th figure seems to be lucky for Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a bachelor an leadership icon and formidable face that NDA led coalition has put before the 100 Crore strong India population, to vote them back to power.


Lets see how long it holds out to be lucky though and who really SHINES or FEELS GOOD. I know one person an Indian Soldier,who is really Feeling good , because of the peace prevailing on the INDIA-PAKISTAN border.


Let the blame game begin...
Apr 29, 2004 11:54 AM 1865 Views

I am an NRI but given a chance I would have defenitely voted. But as a whole we don't have time to think the most important issue that concerns our nation, do we?


I was really shocked to see a news item about the apparent lack of interest by the so called ''BPO kids'' towards democracy. (It's available at https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/642420.cms). What the hell?? I thought aloud. These guys are enjoying the current wave of economic boom and do they think it's irreversible?? Did you know only 30-40% of India's affluent votes?? So what does this point to? A lack of interest towards the development and stability of the country.


Every vote counts and if the educated wouldn't vote and if the illiterate vote for whatever is on offer on the poll day, where are we going with all this? Every responsible citizen of India should make it a point to vote and if you don't like the system, still you can go to the polling booth and come out without voting. This atleast prevents someone else voting in your name.


Even after 57 years of democracy, we don't have laws governing who can represent us.


1) Why can't we ban thugs and criminals from contesting polls?


2) Why can't we have a retirement age for Ministers?


3) Why can't we ban people for more than a certain number of children from contesting polls?


4) Why can't we have a minimum educational qualification to contest in polls?


5) Why can't we have a system where all would we candidates are put through a test to analyze their knowledge of our country's culture and our constitution?


6) Why can't we amend the constitution radically?


7) Where do these politicians get the courage to come before us with unfulfilled promises?


8) Why is that even Presidents like Venkataraman, KR Narayanan and AJP Abdul Kalam fail to bring about radical changes in the way our country is governed?


9) Better still why can't we have a Presidential system?


10) Why don't we have a people of the caliber of the Ambanis, Subbrato, Narayana Murti, Premji etc don't try and participate in the process openly?


Where is all this taking us? How can we prevent our grandchildren discussing the same topic 50 yrs since?


Everyone should remember that when you point one finger at someone three are pointed towards you.


banglore india
India's political system
Apr 29, 2004 10:41 AM 989 Views

It is almost 57 years that we got independence and still we the citizens of India dont know whome to vote or whome to select to represent us. It is not the fault of the people, its all the fault of the democratic system, our country has too many politcal parties contesting for the same elctions and no one is capable of leading the country effectively.


Each time when the elections is on all the political parties come out with promising propagandas and the propagandas fade as they come nearer to the seat.


Our media is also partly rersponsible for this failure of india's political system,they give too much of importance and hype to a person who never deserves thus giving a wrong idea for the people.Our government is too comercial each one think about himself and no one cares for the country.


It should be changed otherwise our country has a dark future.


-abhishek.s.iyengar


Hung Parliament?? .. the repercussions
Apr 28, 2004 02:50 PM 1543 Views

''A government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.''This is how Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg in 1863 described Democracy which is stated as the best description for democracy. But I beg to differ by the present ongoing political scenario in Indian politics and for me it sounds like this ? A government of the netas, by the netas and for the netas?.


We are claiming ourselves as the most stable and now a matured democracy in the world. For this we cite the people participation in elections and successive government formations from the last 50 years of Independent India. We say our multi party system is working fine which gives a real representation to all sections and all regions which truly represents our unity in diversity.True we have remained democratic throughout but I feel now our Democratic system is on the cross roads?.


The ongoing parliament and simultaneous assembly elections in some states is a indication for this. In the beginning, the opinion polls conducted by the various agencies predicted a possible simple majority for the ruling combine which later on changed / fluctuated and now the exit polls predict a hung Parliament. As a result the sensex and nifty crash to a record level leading to apprehensions in investors. Though these polls may not be scientifically credible (different agencies give different indications but mostly predict a hung parliament) they give us a insight into our true nature of democracy.


When India got Independence in 1947 the constitution was formed almost similar to the one in UK. Initially there was a strong party from the independence movement background which dominated for more than 30 years. Though that time 2-3 national parties were there their presence was not so strong. Later on in 1977 due to anti emergency wave along with JP wave a coalition government was formed having 2 national parties as major partners along with smaller groups. But the arrangement lasted for only around 2 years due to incompatibility of various partners.


There were so many PM aspirants and a change movement was marred by this individual aspirations which paved the way for reelection of previous government which became stronger and the so called opposition parties disintegrated and a new parties were formed. The history almost repeated in 1989 but with different people which also lasted for another two years but contributed to a major damage to the growth of India. After that though till 1996 we had a stable government it was at the cost of horse trading and other political games. The Prime Minister of India was charge sheeted for bribery case which involved our Parliament.


Then came so called coalition governments with small parties playing major roles than the bigger one. The strongest party started loosing its ground, the so called alternative national party broke into pieces due to power hunger but another party with a slogan of party with difference got more seats with another kind of movement. Here my objective is not to tell which party is good and which is not good. Though we have leftist parties they are mainly focussed on two states and other places they have neither vision nor focus. but now many states are dominated by the smaller regional outfits which with just 1-2 MPs tried to have their interests taken care. There are incidents of cent percent representation in the ministry for a party having just single digit MPs.


We cannot forget how a leader manhandled the prime minister and his team for her court cases. Also there is one Progressive CM who always blackmailed the government for his support to the government to take the maximum to his state which always creates imbalance in our democratic structure. The smaller parties are dominating the show with their narrow ambitions while the so called national party leaders have to wait for the leaders of regional outfits to decide what decision has to be taken.


In many states ( Eg. Tamil Nadu, Bengal and some north east states) the national parties have very small presence. This has lead to a very delicate governance where the government has to ride on a thin rope satisfying each and every constituent party which has nothing but increased the corruption enormously in every aspect.


The other face of Indian democracy is when we say our democracy has matured as the electorate are more matured in their selection. Is it really true? Except for some urban places (very few) people always vote for the same cast/ group etc., The regional parties are always built and banked on a particular section clearly shown by their selection of candidates. We have a high tech CM asking a section of voters for electing his candidate since he identifies with their caste which just shows how much our democracy has matured. This is because of our caste fragmented politics where we have to go a long way before we can call ourselves a matured democracy.


Though democracy is not just for the business sector the multi party system do little to the most backward society of India. The smaller parties ( Even bigger national parties too) will always try to encash the regional, caste and other dividing feelings and want the people to be poorer and illiterate so that they can harness them for their Power politics.


Then what is the solution??This is very difficult to answer?.May be presidential form of democracy or 3 party parliamentary system may serve better to India. But for a better tomorrow some change is essential in the minds of Indians if not in the system.


CV of MR MANMOHAN SINGH(SARDAR OF INDIA)
Apr 27, 2004 10:34 AM 7180 Views

Let's have A Look at CV of our to be PM Mr. Manmohan Singh


Born on: September 26, 1932


Place of Birth: Gah (West Punjab)


Father: Gurmukh Singh


Mother: Amrit Kaur


Married on: September 14, 1958


Wife: Gursharan Kaur


Children: Three daughters


EDUCATION:


Stood first in BA (Hons), Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh,1952;


stood first in MA (Economics), Panjab University, Chandigarh,1954;


Wright's Prize for distinguished performance at St John's


College,Cambridge, 1955 and 1957;


Wrenbury scholar, University of Cambridge,1957;


DPhil (Oxford), DLitt (Honoris Causa);


PhD thesis on India'sexport competitiveness


OCCUPATION:


Professor (Senior lecturer, Economics, 1957-59;


Reader, Economics,1959-63;


Professor, Economics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 1963-65;


Professor, International Trade, Delhi School of Economics, University


ofDelhi, 1969-71;


Honorary professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, NewDelhi, 1976


and Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, 1996


and Civil Servant


POSITIONS HELD:


1971-72: Economic advisor, ministry of foreign trade


1972-76: Chief economic advisor, ministry of finance


1976-80: Director, Reserve Bank of India; Director, IndustrialDevelopment


Bank of India; Alternate governor for India, Board ofgovernors, Asian


Development Bank; Alternate governor for India, Board


of governors, IBRD


November 1976 - April 1980: Secretary, ministry of finance (department


of economic affairs); Member, finance, Atomic Energy Commission; Member,


finance, Space Commission


April 1980 - September 15, 1982 : Member-secretary, Planning Commission


1980-83: Chairman, India Committee of the Indo-Japan joint study


committee September 16, 1982 - January 14, 1985: Governor, Reserve Bank


of India


1982-85: Alternate Governor for India, Board of governors, International


Monetary Fund


1983-84: Member, economic advisory council to the Prime Minister


1985: President, Indian Economic Association


January 15, 1985 - July 31, 1987 : Deputy chairman, Planning Commission


August 1, 1987 - November 10, 1990 : Secretary-general and commissioner,


south commission, Geneva


December 10, 1990 - March 14, 1991 : Advisor to the Prime Minister on


economic affairs


March 15, 1991 - June 20, 1991 : Chairman, UGC


June 21, 1991 - May 15, 1996 : Union finance minister


October 1991: Elected to Rajya Sabha from Assam on Congress ticket


June 1995: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha


1996 onwards: Member, Consultative Committee for the ministry of finance


August 1, 1996 - December 4, 1997 : Chairman, Parliamentary standing


committee on commerce


March 21, 1998 onwards: Leader of the Opposition, Rajya Sabha


June 5, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on finance


August 13, 1998 onwards: Member, committee on rules


Aug 1998-2001: Member, committee of privileges 2000 onwards: Member,


executive committee, Indian parliamentary group


June 2001: Re-elected to Rajya Sabha


Aug 2001 onwards: Member, general purposes committee


BOOKS:


India's Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth -


Clarendon Press, Oxford University, 1964;


also published a large number


of articles in various economic journals.


OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:


Adam Smith Prize, University of Cambridge, 1956


Padma Vibhushan, 1987


Euromoney Award, Finance Minister of the Year, 1993;


Asiamoney Award, Finance Minister of the Year for Asia, 1993 and 1994


INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS:


1966: Economic Affairs Officer


1966-69: Chief, financing for trade section, UNCTAD


1972-74: Deputy for India in IMF Committee of Twenty on International


Monetary Reform


1977-79: Indian delegation to Aid-India Consortium Meetings


1980-82: Indo-Soviet joint planning group meeting


1982: Indo-Soviet monitoring group meeting


1993: Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Cyprus


1993: Human RightsWorld Conference, Vienna


RECREATION:


Gymkhana Club, New Delhi; Life Member, India International Centre, New


Delhi


WHAT SHOULD THE NEXT PRIME MINISTER DO?
Apr 22, 2004 09:08 PM 1910 Views

This article I am writing is for the benefit of Indians. I don't belong to any political party and is writing with good faith to improve the living conditions of the Indians. Rather peaceful living with lots of services for the Indians for which we ALL INDIANS are created by Almighty God. In other words, all human beings around all World's are created by Almighty God to serve the people with our services.




  1. No corruption in India. Any corruption encouragement leads to Red tapism, inefficiency leading to warlike situation. A corrupt man expects money from all the people for all things like even for brushing your teeth or even for walking or talking or even for breathing.




  2. Red Tapism is making India a JUNK nation. Quick and early action solves most of the problems.




  3. In India, 99.99% are on war with all. This is due to the reasons that there are no proper policy makers. Too many cooks spoils our nation altogether. So we should have just 3 parties. In other words, one ruling party, one opposition and one extra party in case of dissatisfaction between the ruling party and opposition party.




  4. Why should we have so many ministers/MLA's and M.PS. Inside Parliament most of the MLA's, MP's, they just shout like School boys. Three MP's/MLA's from each state may be selected and given the assignment to submit the proposals. No Parliament for the childlike shouting MP's/MLA's. Also, Total ban on criminal MP's and criminal MLA's.




  5. Instead of shouting in Parliament, the MP's/MLA's should be given some field work assignments to go to the people in each village/towns and listen to all the people's problems and take their ideas of solutions.




  6. No war with Pakistan as long as USA ARMY is in Pakistan. A war with Pakistan may be made with proper sanction from the U.N.O. FOR A BETTERMENT OF INDIA WAR WITH PAKISTAN SHOULD BE AVOIDED FOR THE PRESENT. Indo-Pakistan Terrorism problem can be solved if Indian Army and Pakistan Army jointly work maybe the terrorism could be solved. Recently, Indo-Pakistan security agencies did an excellent job jointly and were able to make INDO-PAKISTAN cricket tour to go peacefully without any problems.




  7. Trillions of problems are already there existing and needs solution and these VIP's who are not giving the best for the nation with their excellent services should be removed by the PRIME MINISTER or THE PRESIDENT.




  8. The police force should be made more meaningful similar to Indian Army as for as discipline is concerned, in order to solve the problems of the people.




  9. Rowdism. Mafia Gangism and terrorisms which is rocking the entire World should be controlled to the minimum level.




  10. Hard working talented people who have earned money properties out of hard work should be protected.




  11. As on to-day 99.99% of the Indian people are dishonest in word, deed and action. This should be brought to minimum level of 5%.




  12. Strikes/lock-outs/bandhs/hartal/rallies should be banned. If this is not done, India will become a JUNK. All problems related to strikes should be solved by meeting/discussion. Due to strikes lockouts bandhs/hartal/ralles lots of my relatives and friends have died DUE TO NONAVAILABLITY OF ANYTHING IN INDIA. INDIA BECAME A JUNK YARD. SEVERAL CRORES OF MONEY OF THE PEOPLE BECAME A JUNK. PEOPLE WHO WERE APPOINTED FOR JOB WORK BECAME JUNK INSIDE THEIR HOMES WITHOUT ANYTHING.




  13. REST OF THEM YOU PEOPLE KNOW BETTER. ONE HUNDRED CRORES PEOPLE JOINTLY CAN SOLVE MOST OF THE PROBLEMS PEACEFULLY with your co-operation.




  14. I wonder whether HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY. If 99.99% are honest India will be with lots of money gold all over India.




  15. Best wishes to one & all.




  16. Field work to all IAS officers/Government officers should be given to solve the problems of all the Indians.




  17. A peaceful India is the dream. All the Indians should live in Peace. This is the main aim of this article.




Youth in Politics
Apr 15, 2004 10:37 AM 2238 Views

Much is being made about the foray of ?young blood?into the Indian political arena this Lok Sabha season. Rahul Gandhi, Varun Gandhi, Milind Deora, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot have decided to contest the elections this time around. The media on its part has gone berserk trail blazing these young political wannabes. The augmentation of such new entrants into what has always been considered a foothold of ?experience and wisdom? is a step in the right direction for the following reasons:


India needs ?young blood?; translated into normal parlance, youthful, energetic fervor; young men and women with enthusiasm, commitment, vision, passion, zeal and a spirit for adventure, for dynamism, with the ability to bring our country to the New World Order.


In a country where politics is considered a taboo career option for the youth, where the term politician has been traditionally equated with one-upmanship, treacherousness, and political ambition with slyness and dirty dealings, it is very heartening to know that these young men have decided to take on the baton.


The foremost objection against the entry of these wannabes is that all of them belong to political families; families that have been in politics for generations, or at least for two decades or so. Maybe this baton is being pompously passed on from one generation to another and these future political honchos have, in fact been carefully groomed to take over the reins one day (as if it were the family business). Maybe it is nothing but nepotism and partisanship. But would it be possible for a young man or woman, hailing from an average (read undistinguished) family, to bear the cost of contesting the Lok Sabha elections as they are contested today? Would they have the opportunity to grow into ?leaders? or get noticed as ?party workers?? Would the average gentry (read voting junta) trust these youngsters?


Given the benefit of their ancestry, the years of collective political wisdom and experience in their families, acceptability and in a way, contest-ability will come easy for them.


We need a young political force. On behalf of Gen Y2K, I do firmly believe that we are more motivated, we work harder, we are more focussed, more tech savvy, more aware of our duties and responsibilities as citizens and less inclined to corruption and deceit than the generation before us. It is all thanks to the glorious media revolution of the 21st century that has managed to bring home ?issues, debates, discussions and opinion sharing?.


We cannot do away with the old order because experience cannot be replaced by zeal. But the two can go hand in hand in the service of the Nation, a responsibility far more significant and superior to the achievement of personal goals. So lets give the young men a chance. We may be in for a surprise.


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