One India

Bolt from Bihar

2009-09-19T17:52:00.003+05:30

In the May general Elections, Bihar stood as a rock with the BJP - JDU alliance, giving them 31 out of 40 seats in the Lok Sabha. Yesterday, results of by-elections for 18 seats in the assembly saw Nitish suffer a major setback. His alliance with the BJP won 5 seats as against 8 won by Lalu Yadav - Paswan alliance. This is a complete turn around in just four months.

JDU - BJP is now making the classic mistake of blaming the defeat to 'local factors'. This is an ostritch like approach, which ignores the main issues.

First, The JDU has become a rest house (Sarai) for all members of the RJD - Mr Lalu Yadav's party. Nitish keeps on admitting all and sundry who are shifting from the other camp. The JDU is becoming a sanitised version of the RJD - the same people except Mr Yadav. People may have decided to vote for the 'real' thing, rather than an imitation.

Second, Good governance was the mainstay of the JDU-BJP campaign. This is not a political philosophy. Good governance is part of the basic duties of a political outfit. What is the big deal?

Third, most important, the Lok Sabha victory resulted in arrogance among the JDU-BJP leaders. This is political suicide. The people quickly show you your place if you are arrogant. Politicians are usually surprised to find that the purpose of politics is to serve the people, not vice versa.

The people of India are wise. In May 2009, they rejected the LKA led BJP alliance in MP, Uttarakhand and Gujarat. In the by-elections they have voted for th respective BJP led govts. Because, they did not appreciate the high and might airs of the central leadership, but accept the down to earth approach of the state leaders. This is a lesson that Sonia Gandhi has understood very clearly. No airs, no arrogance, dedication towards serving the people. This is a lesson that Atal Behari Vajpayee never needed, because he was made that way - simple, humble, caring for the people of India.

Slence is not always golden

2009-09-12T17:00:00.002+05:30

Politicans are expected to lead by their views. This was very true of the BJP. Atal Behari Vajpayee, L K Advani, expounded the views of the party on all appropriate occassions. Then, the second generation leaders came in speaking for the party, fairly clearly. A discordant note started after the BJP came in power, with ministers / party officials suddenly developing airs. In 2004, during the election campaign, Mr Venkaiah Naidu was the party president. His favorite theme was 280 and 360. He said, I have set a target of 280 seats for the BJP and two thirds majority for the NDA. Who was he to set targets? It is for the people to decide. Sonia Gandhi carried a much humbler campaign, and, won.

The period 2004-2009 went away with the leadership in a daze. They abandoned their supporters while josting for supremacy inside the party.

Now, the chance has come for the BJP to connect with its supporters. Unfortunately, after weeks of sordid drama, the leadership has suddenly decided that silence is the best way to lead. When the entire party apparatus suddenly shuts up, it is another way of abandoning your supporters.

So, speak out. Talk about the issues facing the country, talk about the issues facing the party, comfort your supporters, lead the country.

Empower the People

2009-09-08T16:18:00.004+05:30

In swapan's blog (http://www.swapan55.com/) , the comments section is a powerhouse of thought. If the BJP leaders read it every day, then we can start the celebrations of a 2014 victory.

mpanj makes a point that is THE POINT.

Quote

Remember both Raman Singh and Shivraj Chauhan won (atleast partly) due to their quasi-socialist policies of free rice and welfare schemes.

Should the BJP step away from industrialization/infrastructure building and focus instead on more efficient delivery of hand-outs that successive pseudosecular govts have promised but seldom delivered i.e. Handouts sans corruption. A more efficient mai-baap if you will.

UnQuote

Now, do not think of any activity in terms of winning the elections. Think as a human being: what is it that I should do as a leader to bring smiles on the faces of 115 crore people ?

In India, the answer will be:

Free / Subsidised food for anyone who needs it
Free education for the have-nots
Free medical care for All
Subsidised housing for ALL

This is what the BJP stands for. Infrastrucuture, WTO, income tax etc... etc... are all the methods to achieve these objectives.

Why is the BJP a party with a difference?
Because the BJP will deliver what it says without corruption, with integrity and without any display of absurd wealth of the leaders.

Hindutva is a way of life, NOT a political philosophy. It is living your life with honor and dignity and trying to ensure that everyone around you can also do the same.

A fully democratic party with a clear vision (as above) will make the BJP the natural party of the people for a many years.

Obsessed

2009-09-07T20:09:00.002+05:30

I am not in the group of people who go against the BJP philosophy (whatever that is). As you will now note, I do not talk about hannij. None of my post have discussed him.

There is a land called the United States of America, with a President named Barrack Obama. He is bent on providing health care to all Americans, irrespective of caste, creed, color and religion. Their entire country is now involved in discussing the merits and demerits of his health care proposals.

In India, we do not care about such silly things as health care for everyone. Since all politicians can get VIP health treatment free of cost, this is a non-issue here. We care for our prestige. Therefore, in full majesty of our respective posts, we pass diktats that show how powerful we are. If anyone talks about hannij. off with his head. Obsessed, really.

Here is a Zen story for you to think about:
Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed. As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!" "Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her."

Bumbling, inept: Yes, but not the Klu Klux Klan

2009-09-06T17:05:00.003+05:30

Jaswant Singh did great disservice to himself when he suddenly compared his former party to the Klu Klux Klan. By saying a blatant untruth he removed the martyr's halo which hung over his head and turned himself into just one more typical, selfish, avenging politician. Sad.

His former party, the BJP can be accused of many things, bumbling and inept come quickly to the mind. After all, since we write on the net, we have to be polite. Arun Shourie, with far better command over the Queen's language, described the BJP leaders like 'Alice in Blunderland' and 'Humpty Dumpty'.

I recently read an analysis of the 2009 elections in a blog (I regret, I did not keep the links) which described how Mr Advani went on saying that voters should not vote for the third front. They should stick to the Cong or the BJP. Well, voters took his advice in West Bengal, Kerala, Andhra and Tamil Nadu. And Mr Advani's repeated stress on 'Good Governance'. Surely, this is not a political philosophy by any stretch of imagination. Then, contrast the congress action in refusing a ticket to Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler because of a Journalist's shoe, and, BJP's repeated insistence that Varun Gandhi will contest come what may.

But the Klu Klux Klan? That is absurd. The KKK, says the wikipedia, has an avowed purpose to protect the rights of and further the interests of white Americans by violence and intimidation. Whome has the BJP intimidated, ever? When the Bangladesh Rifles sent the bodies of 20 BSF personnel, hanging by sticks, what did the Iron man of India, LK Avani who was then home minister, Do? Nothing.

In 1996, a head on crash between two aircraft flying over Haryana (Saudi airlines and Kazakhstan airlines) saw bodies strewn all over the crash site. The RSS came in to volunteer, removed the bodies, This is what the headlines said: (http://www.hvk.org/articles/1097/0054.html)
Muslims salute the RSS
In a signed editorial in his weekly, Jadeed Markaz, published simultaneously in Urdu and Devnagri, its editor and owner Hisam Siddiqui pays handsome tribute to the RSS, the only organisation whose volunteers worked day and night to help the overwhelming Muslim relatives of those who died in the mid-air colision between the Saudi and Kazakh aircrafts in November.

Summary: Jaswant Singh, enamoured of his command over history and the English language unfairly accussed the BJP/RSS of being like the KKK. He knows this is not so. Let him be a man, apologize for this statement.
The BJP, very unfairly expelled Mr Singh. Once Jaswant apologizes, let the BJP rescind his expulsion.

Swapan gets it right!

2009-09-06T16:27:00.006+05:30

Swapan Dasgupta is some kind of mentor to all BJP supporters who traverse the internet. His blog (http://www.swapan55.com/) attracts many readers, applause and criticism.

I am pleased to note that Swapan reads the comments carefully, and appears to actually accept ideas that emerge from the comments section. His article in the TOI lamenting why LKA continued as LOP may have been influenced by the comments on his blog. His opinion piece in The Pioneer, today (Sunday, Sept 6) contains thoughts which may have been influenced again by the readers. I take the print edition of the newspaper but I did find the article also on the Pioneer web site at : http://www.dailypioneer.com/200719/Let-legislators-elect-leaders.html
Swapan's article title is: "Let legislatures elect thier leaders." Exactly!

The ability to listen to others is a sign of greatness. Atal Behari Vajpayee had this knack. Now, Swapan seems to have the same ability. Well, well, well.

I blog almost daily at : http://www.india15august.blogspot.com/. I have added an About Me section in the blog.

Cheers for Swapan.

Let a thousand flowers bloom

2009-09-05T08:17:00.003+05:30

Swapan's thought provoking article may suffer from a fatal flaw - the either / or presentation.
Either have the RSS and be restricted to 80 seats,
OR, become an umbrella and look for an all India presence.

Let us say the BJP takes in plan B, and becomes an umbrella.
The more sensible questions are:
1. Will the 'leadership' allow free and fair elections to all party and legislative posts?
2. Will they continue with the nomination culture?
3. Will the BJP prevent RSS sympathisers from becoming members of the party?

In fact, the only way to prevent the RSS philosophy from influencing the BJP is to continue business as usual - Continue to have self seeking party leaders.

Now, if the party becomes democratic - all of the points raised by Swapan are redundant. Elected leaders are responsible to their electorate - the members. Elections also ensure a larger participation for a number of people - a thousand flowers will bloom.

The RSS is influencing the BJP only because the BJP central leadership has proved to be inept and completely selfish.

I will give an example. BJP heavyweights are President of two cricket committees - Delhi and Himachal. Now, why should a political person be a chairman of a sports body? What about the one man one post doctrine? What about the arms length doctrine? India is a populous country so what is the need for one person to occupy more than one post? This is the Indian culture, I know, but then the BJP could have been different ! Did the RSS force these gentlemen to become Presidents of the sports associations?

Just change the functioning of the party to a democratic environment and see the spring come in.

Events create political changes

2009-09-04T16:16:00.004+05:30

Unknown, innocuous events will often make significant changes to the political landscape of the country.
In 2004, the BJP decided to go in for snap polls because Vajpayee's team was convinced of victory. I read an interview by Late Pramod Mahajan in which he described the meeting - 'We explained that this was a favorable period becase we have just won the 2003 state elections. Atal ji listened to us, then simply said - Chalo. (Go ahead)'. My impresion is that Atalji was not convinced, yet he accepted the advice of his team. What if he had uttered another word - 'Ruko' (Wait). ?
In 2008, Vasundhara Raje did not accept the demands of Kirori lal Meena for a few seats. Consequently, he left the party, and his desertion cost Rajasthan. The setback to momentum may have cost the BJP, the Delhi throne in 2009. What if Raje had said "okay"?

I deeply regret the death of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra. He went on to a surprise visit in bad weather. His thoughts were for his people, not for himself. He was a true son of India.

Yet, this event may slowly trigger a series of activities which may affect the UPA govt in Delhi. Will this happen? Of course , no one can be a fortune teller. I just wish to point out that sometimes, small events trigger large actions.

Let us venture into the realms of the absurd.
Finding a weakened Congress, the BJP goes for sensible seat sharing in Haryana, making a rainbow coaltion between itself, Bhajan lal and Chauthala. This causes a surprise defeat for the Congress. In Maharshtra, bickerings between the NCP and Cong, as well as the realization that volting for the MNS helps no one, a surprise vote comes for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Congress men get restless. Meanwhile, the Manmohan Singh govt continues its policies of promoting the super rich in India and accepting all American suggestions. Without strong Andhra support, the family goes along with this economics. Eventually, a major unrest takes place in the country against pro rich policies. The BJP establishment support the MMS govt on its pro rich bias. A part of the Congress breaks away. So does a major part of the BJP which does not approve of the capitalist slant of the leaders. A new govt is formed.

As I said, this is absurd but stranger things have happened.

I blog almost every day on the BJP, at : http://www.india15august.blogspot.com/

What does the BJP stand for?

2009-09-02T20:20:00.002+05:30

Compassionate Capitalism

I start with a quote from the BBC website:
'Indian entrepreneur Narayan Murthy, founder of global software giant Infosys, says "compassionate capitalism" is the only solution to poverty in the country. '

The Congress has a policy of crony capitalism. The BJP must fight it, and stand with the masses. Unfortunately, the party keeps on giving the impression that it is more capitalist than the Congress!

Please start a discussion on this thread, in Swapan's blog, or in my blog at : www.india15august.blogspot.com

If you have any writings on this subject of What the BJP stands for, please tell me and I will link to those pages.

No need to worry about English language Media

2009-09-02T06:52:00.002+05:30

A lot of people are worried about the obvious bias of ELM Against the BJP. My suggestion is: just ignore them.
1. Very few people watch ELM. Since most readers are English conversant (that's why they read these blogs), they have the impression that all of India follows ELM. This is not correct. Even, literate professionals who are not comfortable with English, watch Hindi or other local languages TV. That's the way it should be!

2. The media people are not super humans. I have close interaction with some sections of the media, and I am about to reveal a secret - all these people are human beings! There intelligence, common sense, IQ, sense of fairness, desire to move ahead, are just the same as for all of us other Indians.

3. The power of the media is far overestimated. How does the BJP win in 116 seats, or sweeps Karnataka, Chattisgarh .... Clearly, the people vote with their mind. The problems lie with the party high command, not with the media. Once the media senses that the BJP is on the ascend, you can be sure they will desert the other lobby like rats deserting a sinking ship. Now, think. Do we want such people as our friends, anyway. Let ELM do what it wants, I doubt if they can swing even one lakh votes all over India. But, a soddy, inefficient, crass leadership can cause a loss of crores of votes, as we have just seen in 2009.

My suggestion is to focus on the constructive.

Transparency is the Key to political wellbeing

2009-08-31T20:07:00.003+05:30

Th BJP and its supporters - that's us, should be open and transparent in its dealings with everyone. The meaning of transparency is not just openness. It encompasses a larger meaning - fairness.
The party must be fair in its views. Party elections and primaries are good. Nominated posts are bad. Human Rights for everyone are good. The deliberate attempt to belittle Hinduism is bad.

Now contrast this with Mr Venkaiah Naidu's pronouncements. He said that all talk of a leadership change is baseless. This is the type of political speak which is NOT transparent. Whome is he trying to fool? And, more important, why? I think it is just habit. Deny the problem and hope it goes away. Far better ws Sushma Swaraj, who kept on saying "No comment". Now, if there is a leadership change, then Mr Naidu will be caught speaking the untruth.

Be open. We are like this with our families and friends. Frank and fair. Why do we change when we are in politics?

A Famous Victory

2009-08-30T16:51:00.000+05:30

Today's Times of India, with a lot of regret I assume, has this headline, buried on its fifth page:

BJP wins 3 seats in MCD bypolls

This is indeed big news for BJP supporters. Out of the five seats up for grabs, the BJP won three, Congress one and an independent, one. The BJP gains from the Congress.

Delhi is the state where the BJP lost all seven parliamentary seats just four months ago. So, what has changed. The answer is: Nothing! In May, the people voted against the idea of making LKA as the PM of the country. Now, they are voting in favor of the BJP workers who happen to represent the masses. If LKA were to offer his candidature again, the same people who voted for the BJP just now, will vote against his group.

The message is clear: Exit with Grace, better late than never.

Three cheers for Party Elections

2009-08-28T18:50:00.002+05:30

In England, the conservative party has organzed a primary to select their candidate for a by-election. In the primary, they allowed all party supporters to come in and vote (not just the members). in India, this practice should be followed by all political parties. Specially, by the BJP which promises to be 'Party with a Difference'.

Have you noticed how elections for the post of office bearers in the party are alway filled by nominations. The purpose of election is the full expression of popular will. If this expression is repressed, we will have conflict and rebellion. As is happening now.

RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat says that the RS will not interfere in the BJP' internal matters. Fair enough. Yet, good advice is always welcome, specially from seniors. Mr Bhagwat says the age of the top leadership should be between 55 and 60 years.

After having spent a lifetime in the selfless service of the party, why did LKA withdraw his proposal to step away from LOP post? This question will become an enigma for BJP supporters, a problem without a solution. Sacrifice is often the best way to galvanise a party. Ask the Congress!

The BJP can save itself by becoming democratic

2009-08-26T19:38:00.002+05:30

A lot of problems can be sorted out if the party were to become transparent and democratic. let leaders be elected by elections. Once this principle takes hold, leaders will be selected by majority. Once elected, they will be acceptable to all party men, and, party sympathisers.

Why did the BJP 'select' LKA as the Leader of the Opposition? Why not have a proper election? Why do political parties shy away from party elections? If Vasundhara Raje was elected by the MLA's, how can Rajnath Singh ask for her removal? Surely, it is the legislature party which has this right.

Nominated, nominated, nominated! All office bearers in the party are nominated. I nominate you, then, you nominate me, then we all nominate each other. That's party democracy!

Finally, the million Rupee question? Will the BJP survive, or, will a new moderate, democratic alternative emerge from the ashes ? Only time will tell.

Do not write a Book!

2009-08-23T19:08:00.003+05:30

Men and women of letters, be warned. Do not write a book. Shed all pretensions of being an author!
The BJP has expelled Mr Jaswant Singh for writing a book on MA Jinnah. The book was against the core values of the BJP, says its spokeperson.

What are the core values? Here is a list:
1. Elections are horrible. All elected persons are nominated. Those who were actually elected (like Vasundhara Raje) must be removed because they enjoy majority support in the party.

2. There is responsibility without accountability. If the President and the LOP lose elections, that is fine. No reason to take blame.

3. Nature's law of old order giving way to the new, does not apply to the leadership. RNS is quoted in the Times of India as saying "Why 5 years, why not 50 or 100 years"? This was in response to a question if LKA will remain LOP for 5 years. So the succession in the BJP is settled, LKA as LOP for next 100 years.

I feel betrayed. Having given unstinted support to the BJP since my voting age, I find that these people have feet of clay, probably worse than the Congress leaders. Is it so difficult to be just and honest?To paraphrase a saying "Hell hath no fury than the faithful scorned".

Mobocracy - Mobs go Crazy

2009-06-21T07:58:00.004+05:30

There is a sudden silence all over the so called 'Hindutva' world. Fortunately, wo do not see Kandhmal and Mangalore style events suddenly coming up. Why?
I can think of three different reasons:
First, The Mobocracy leaders have suddenly developed faith, realizing that their actions were not quite 'Hindutva'.
Second, In some way or the other, these events were sponsored by unknown groups who wished to defame the BJP. They succeeded because the BJP leadership turned out to have feet of clay.
Third, The leaders are cowards. They thought they could push the BJP around. Now, confronted with a strong, 'we will not take any nonsense' political dispensation, the leaders have run back to take shelter in their little empires.

It does seem that the BJP leadership was found wanting when they were expected to defend the norms of civil society. The Mangalore situation should have been addressed in simple civil society terms: Can a group of people enter a pub and force a woman out? The answer obviously is : No. If someone tries to do this, the full majesty of law must be visible to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. This should have been the policy from minute 1. Hindutva, religion does not come in the picture.

In most cases, the question is reduced on a single sentence: Can you take law in your own hands? The answer must always be: No.

The Congress is making the same mistake in Lalgarh, West Bengal. Today's column in the Pioneer by Mr Swapan Dasgupta on Lalgarh led me to write this post.

I will put this as a comment in Swapan's blog. I wonder if Swapan protested as much on Mangalore and Kandhmal.

Just to clarify: I am a big supporter of the concept of Hindutva - it is way of life. But mobs? No way.

What is Hindutva?

2009-06-10T20:36:00.003+05:30

It is the ancient culture of India - of its indigenous people. It is the lighting of a Diya on an official innaugration. It is the breaking of a coconut on a ship launch. It is the speaking of Hindi, Tamil, Marathi. It is the worship in a temple.

It is also the acceptance of all people who make India their home. Thus, muslims and christians who have made India thier home (because they were born here or because they came here) are accepted as part of the composite culture of Hindutva.

Why should a cultural concept be part of politics?
If Hindutva is the culture of India, should the BJP include it as part of its political activities?

Hindutva is not a political charter. The BJP should not make it a political point.

But, the BJP should practice the values of Hindutva, day in and day out. No discrimination. No foul language. Respect for the rule of civil society. No corruption. No sly deals. No dynasties. Openness. If you are a Hindu, go to the temple. Do not worry about the media. If you are a muslim. Go to the mosque. Again, do not worry about silly people. Fight against the caste system. Fight for the poor. This is the real Hindutva.

Does one swallow make a summer?

2009-06-03T05:46:00.003+05:30

Good news for the BJP comes in the form of the Kapkot (Uttaranchal) byelection results where the party candidate won by a margin of over 7000 votes, increasing this lead from 2,800 votes in the May lok sabha election.
The election result should be kept in perspecive. Winning any election is a step forward but we must remember that we have just lost the mother of all elections, so the Kapkot victory does not change the dismal scenario.

The BJP should face the true realities of the 2009 election:
1. The BJP won 116 seats.
2. The Congress won 233 seats. (Congress 206 + trinamool congress 19 + NCP 8 ) Remember, both the Trinamool and the NCP are offshoots of the congress created after year 2000.

The Congress, then, is double the size of the BJP in the Lok Sabha. This is the reality. We can ignore this reality and focus on smaller issues but at the end of five years, we will again be big losers.

The Congrss had reached a similar situation after its 1996 defeat. Its leaders appeared old, jaded and out of touch with reality. A new leadership emerged in 1998 under Sonia Gandhi. The benefits of this leadership have been felt by the Congress in 2009, after 11 years of hard work.

The BJP will have to face the leadership issue - sooner the better. The second generation of leaders were developed by Atalji and LK Advani. Where is the third generation leadership? The second level leadership did not develop and encourage the next level. Pity.

Challenges ahead in 2009.
State elections will be held in Jharkhand and Maharashtra in 2009. These will be the first challenges to the party after the May debacle. Will the BJP reinvent itself and allow for primaries to select the candidates? Democracy is the only way for the party to survive - elections inside the party and primaries to select elective candidates.

Is Middle India Changing?

2009-05-31T09:08:00.002+05:30

I have just come back from a trip to Agra. My travel was through train. I try to use a train instead of a car wherever possible because (a) trains are GREEN. They use much less resources as compared to a personal car, and, (b) If you want to know the real India, goto railway stations, bus stations.

I sense that something is changing. Young people are better dressed. They look healthier. They are not sullen. Instead, there is cheer and laughter. Young people standing on the stations of Agra and Mathura give this impression. Their parents are probably villagers. They may have voted for Ajit Singh's son who was elected from Mathura (in an alliance with the BJP). I get the impression that the village middle class is improving its standard of living. This is good news for all of India.

This also means that the economic catastrophe that we (BJP supporters) have been predicting may not be coming about. Or, its effects are restricted to specific sectors of the economy. Or, it is effecting the people, but not to the extent of making them despondent. If this is so, it is good for the country. What is good for India is good for the BJP.

These people belong to the middle class in cities and emerging in the villages.

Middle India is the natural constituency of the BJP - hard working, god believing middle class. What does the BJP offer that captures the imagination of these people? (please do not start on the hanging of some terrorist - that's not BJP's core policy).

There are 115 crore people in India - 1 crore rich and 114 real Indians. The BJP must ignore the rich completely. Every single policy must be measured in terms of Gandhi ji's talisman "what is in it for the poorest poor?".

Is Sacrifice a political weapon?

2009-05-28T19:55:00.003+05:30

Sonia Gandhi declined to accept the Prime Minister's post in 2004. While many motives can be attributed to this act, why not accept the easiest explaination: She never wanted to be PM. She felt that she can serve the people of India without becoming the Prime Minister. Now, we shift to 2009: Rahul Gandhi declines any post in the Govt because he wants to build the party.

This brings up the question: Is sacrifice a political weapon used to effectively overcome opponents? For arguments sake, let me say that the act of sacrifice is really to obtain bigger political gains. But, the act of giving up is noble. No matter what the reason behind it, society is richer for the act. Mr Advani gave up any possible claims for the post of Prime Minsiter in favor of Atal Behari Vajpayee. This provided the BJP with power at the centre. LK Advani also refused to accept any position while he was under scrutiny of the hawala cases (the cases were later dropped..). This enhanced his reputation.

Then, something has gone wrong in the BJP where the act of sacrifice is now completely missing. The Indian public wants to see leaders with shine. They will compare the BJP leadership with that of the Congress. It will be India's good fortune if leadership of both the parties is above average, the best of the best. The BJP leadership must accept this challenge to sacrifice its power and position for the greater public good. Some suggestions: accept responsibility for the defeat by resigning, move from Delhi to states where party work needs good leaders, announce publicly that the leader will not be a candidate for public office (renounciation in favor of the poor people who will get a chance to move ahead in the party). In the BJP itself, Nanaji Deshmukh followed the path of renounciation - he will be rememberd for ages while the others will simply dissappear.

How the British labour Party selects its candidates

2009-05-27T20:09:00.002+05:30

Each constituency has an organization of the labour party members in that area - it is called Constituency Labour Party (CLP).
Functions of the CLP include selecting the local Labour Party candidate for a national parliamentary election.

Where there is a sitting Labour MP, the CLP organises a 'trigger ballot' to decide whether it wishes to carry out the full selection procedure outlined below or simply endorse the sitting MP as their candidate at the next election. It is unusual for a sitting MP to 'lose' their trigger ballot.

In the event that the MP is from an opposition Party, the sitting MP is retiring or has lost their trigger ballot a full selection is organised. The candidate is selected from a list of approved candidates which the party maintains. The National committee lays down procdeures on the list - if the list should be an open list or an all-women's list.

The CLP can choose whether or not to select a candidate on the Labour Party's Panel of approved candidates. If it chooses an outsider, its decision is subject to approval by the national committee (to avoid controversial choices). In such cases, the national committee satisfies itelf that the candidate reaches the standard required to join the Panel.

My Notes: This seems quite open and democratic. A panel is made of persons wishing to offer themselves as candidates of the party. The persons must satisfy the requirements of candidature. The locl party members then meet and vote to choose the candidate from the list. Candidates who are on the list have an incentive to meet the people of the consittuency, hoping to get party votes. This is what 'nursing the consituency' meant in earlier days.

If this process ws adopted, perhaps the local parties may have chosen different candidates in many constituencies in MP and Uttarakhand. Who knows - these candidates may have won also.

Party Elections and Primaries

2009-05-25T20:12:00.002+05:30

When Mr Advani resigned, I had suggested through comments in number of blogs, that the BJP should hold an election to elect the Leader of the Opposition. Many others had the same idea, and, there has been a consensus (in swapan's blog - swapan55.com) that the BJP should hold elections for all party posts. The party should conduct primaries to select candidates for elective posts (MP, MLA etc...).

What a revolutionary idea!

Elections, indeeed! What will the unwashed masses think of next? If power is given to the poeple, then what will happen to the cabal of old geezers who sit in dark rooms, plotting and planning the party's tryst with destiny? The distribution of tickets is a powerful weapon in the hands of the party managers. Why will they give up this power?

Now for the optimistic side. This is the BJP. The party that picked roses from the mud, for example, Gopinath Munde. Here is what Mr Munde writes in his website, http://www.gopinathmunde.com/childhood.htm :
"My primary education was in the village (population then 500, now about 1000) that did not have a school building. The "school" was held under the shade of a tree.........
I remember having trodden a long stretch of 12 km to appear for the examination, even though my foot was badly swollen."
[I picked up th name of Mr Munde, almost at random, then did a web search. I am sure that many BJP leaders will have similar childhood].

If any party in India is likely to become democratic, it is the BJP, because it has till now nurtured talent. Will the leadership rise to the occassion, or will it fail us? Only time will tell.

Why the BJP will have another chance in 2014

2009-05-24T22:02:00.003+05:30

Dr Manmohan Singh, a decent person - may his tribe increase, follows an economic philosophy whose time has already gone. It had an expiry date much earlier than 2009.
Dr Singh's philosophy of unbridled capitalism is not going to work. Earlier, the Left acted as a brake, now the Govt has no political cumpulsions to slow down on 'reforms'. Dr Singh has been hailed by the English media and the super rich as the great 'economic' reformer, but the big question is: who benefits from his 'reforms'? Mainly the super rich - Indian and foreign.

Now comes the confusion. If Dr Singh gets his way, India will probably become the most capitalistic nation on earth. The common man will not benefit. That will lead to a series of severe electoral setbacks. If Dr Singh does not have his way, the govt will muddle through its term, with some throw aways to the common man, the rest to crony capitalists. This will again lead to a series of electoral setbacks.

India really needs a well thought out, finely tuned, balanced conomic policy. The poor must be given strength to raise their quality of life through education & health care. They must be empowered. The BJP had the right idea, with Antyodaya and Ladli Lakshmi schemes. Both empower the poorest people. Delivery leaks should be plugged. This alone will quickly enhance the quality of life for the poor. The congress is unlikely to follow this path because (a) It is a party of imperial intentions - we give to you. It never will say, you become the king. (b) it hurts the cronies, and, (c) the congress has been in power since independence, thus, the delivery leaks are known to it.

Therefore, while there is a way forward, the congress is unlikely to follow it. The BJP is likely to get another chanc in 2014. The BJP's chances of success will depend on how much it can reinvent itself.

BJP should follow the correct path

2009-05-23T08:19:00.005+05:30

A number of analysts and comments from sympathisers have analysed the BJP defeat and offered suggestions.

I disagree with most of the analysis given and also with the suggestions made for the resurrection of the BJP.

The BJP stands for Hindutva. Why should it be apolegetic about it? Hindutva is a way of life. It is the essence of India. Take it away and you are left with a materialistic society. That's what the rich wants us to become - a slave society with 114 crore people who work for the one crore haves.

Rajesh Jain who sponsored the friends of BJP organisation has offered his comments on the frindsofbjp.org website. Somewhere, he says:
"The BJP needs to take the moderate approach with a tinge of inclusive cultural nationalism. "

But this is what the BJP has been trying to do all along! Devise a marketing strategy and offer it to voters. The idea that the party 'needs' to do something or the other to get votes is to suggest that what the BJP believes in should be seperated from what it wants to market to the people. This thesis assumes that the unwashed masses are idiots, who will be fooled into believing our advertising campaign. (Note I have used the word 'our' - I am a BJP supporter, will remain so).

Two faces of Adam
Before the election results I watched a TV show with Rajeev Pratap Rudy of the BJP. With your agenda, how will the allies come, asked the anchor. Oh, we have two sets of policies, said Mr Rudy. The first is when we have allies. this is the moderate tone. If however they will not come, then we will revert to our original agenda. Wow!

The Real BJP

The real BJP is a lot of good things.

1. It is Atal Behari Vajpayee. He shaped it, gave it life and finally took it to power.

2. It is a direct connection with the masses. The first BJP meetings had volunteers who drove the cars for the leaders, leaders who stayed with the volunteers, travelled in non-ac coaches in trains. Atal ji and all the younger leaders then spoke the language of the common man.

3. It is an affirmation of the core values of the country. India is secular because it is predominantly Hindu. All Indians are equal. The BJP will not accept discrimination against anyone. The BJP was never a fan of big business - it always stood for the small trader, professional, farmer, - making life easy for the 114 crore.

4. It is national in its inclusiveness. There is no caste equation, no religious discrimination. Never. If you are an Indian, we are with you. (This is the reason why the OBC's gave large support to the BJP. The BJP never had class, caste, or religious distinctions). This also means that the party does not discriminate based on your lineage and surname. (If you are born in the right family you become prime minister - not in a democracy, not in the BJP)

(The BJP has always been inclusive. We do not have to justify or explain our nationalism. Remember, all Indians are equal. That does not mean that all of them have to vote for us. Many Indians vote for the congress. Should we change our policies so that these people will vote for us? No. The idea is to convince them, not to become a chamelion. ).

5. It is a party that encourages talent to grow. This allows every Indian to aspire for the highest levels of achievement. How did a second generation of leadership emerge? Because it was encouraged by Atal ji and Advani ji.

Once we have these core values clear, the actual details will of course change with the passage of time. The BJP offered an IT plan in 2009, which was relevant. It could not be thought of in 1989. So the changing times will bring about change in details, but the core values remain.

The BJP moved away from core values, so it lost the way.

The problem then is not with the core values of the BJP. The problem is with the leadership. They deviated from the core values.

The way to resurrect the BJP is: develop a leadership that is committed to the BJP. I have no idea how this will happen, but the solutions lie in the people, not in vote share.

Media Views on reinventing the BJP

2009-05-22T21:52:00.006+05:30

Swapan Dasgupta's blog, Usual Suspects , carried a lot of comments on the BJP setback. Included were a number of links to media writings where the reinvention of the BJP was discussed in some form of the other. I have collected these links and put them together. All links open in new windows.

added on June 23
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=4&theme=&usrsess=1&id=258560

added on May 31
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/like-blair-like-bjp/466973/0

added on May 26
http://www.dailypioneer.com/178617/BJP-failed-to-connect.html

The following two are in Hindi.
http://www.patrika.com/article.aspx?id=10668
http://www.virarjun.com/Sampadkiya/sampadkiya.aspx?page=hindi&id=1050

I have translated the first article in English. Available at http://india15august.blogspot.com/2009/05/rajasthan-patrika-analysis-by-kothari.html

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1257566

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Columnists/Swaminathan-S-A-Aiyar/Graveyard-of-electoral-theories/articleshow/4553746.cms

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bjp-at-crossroads/462514/

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickiearticleshow/4559697.cms

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Editorial/EDITORIAL-COMMENT--Rebooting-BJP/articleshow/4556745.cms

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Who-Defeated-Advani.html&Itemid=&main_category=Locus%20Standi&contentid=43046&contentid=43046

http://barbarindians.blogspot.com/2009/05/bjp-lost-because-of-its-divisive.html

Honesty in Politics is urgently needed

2009-05-21T22:48:00.004+05:30

Congress should call the DMK bluff

Evening reports suggest that the DMK may provide outside support to the Congress govt if it is not given the desired cabinet posts. the DMK's party chief, Mr Karunanidhi had earlier gone on an indefinite fast which was broken in a few hours. The congress should simply say "nothing doing" and wait fo the DMK to melt. (as an aside: the absence of DMK ministers can easily add upto half a percent to the nation's GDP. No systematic analysis, just my perception!).

BJP should openly say "we will not vote against the govt for the next ten months"

Maybe they have said it quitely, we do not know. Why not be open and transparent. All of these backroom politics belongs to a different pre-internet era. Say this. Say this loud and clear so that all of India can hear, and, applaud.

Naqvi says BJP must move beyond mandal and kamandal.

Well said, Mr Naqvi. We knew you had it in you. Now to stick to what you said and not retract it under pressure.

Rajnath Singh says formal analysis of defeat will not be done

Party representatives will go to different state to analyze the reasons. Fine. Formal or informal, the analysis must be done.

Rajasthan Patrika analysis by Kothari

2009-05-20T15:52:00.007+05:30

Gulab Kothari is editor of Rajasthan Patrika. He has written an insightful article on the BJP. I found the link in comments section of Swapan Dasgupta's site - http://www.swapan55.com/ . Thanks. The article is in Hindi. I have translated it into English for the benefit of people who cannot read Hindi. The nuances of his writing are probably lost in my translation, so anyone reading Hindi should read the original here - http://www.patrika.com/article.aspx?id=10668

Here is the English Translation:

Lost in the woods BJP (Translation of orignal Hindi article by Gulab Kothari, editor, Rajasthan patrika)

In this Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has emerged with the same picture which it had in the previous elections. The slogan of Shining India was buried in darkness. There was an environment of furious anger in the BJP over such a massive defeat. This time too, the claims were sky high, but eventually the BJP fell flat on its face. In fact, Lalji had declared that "if I do not become PM, I will return home."

Neither did he become PM, nor did he return home. It was BJP's biggest mistake to declare him as their PM candidate so much in advance. It became impossible for him to digest this honor. During this entire tenure, his attitude was that of a Prime Minister. Finally, the public rejected his leadership. During the election campaign, one more smart leader opened up a pandorra's box with Modi's name in it. One meaning of this was the refusal to accept Advani's leadership by one section of the BJP, that also just before the elctions. Even the Congress did not do so much damage to the BJP. Narendra Modi spread his fangs after this declaration. All the leaders were spewing poison with their words. The results were obvious. All of BJP's allies refused to consider the leadership of Modi.

The fortress of Delhi does not have a single solider from the BJP. The party had to return empty handed from Uttaranchal. A famine hit Rajasthan. The BJP had to accept just four seats. There was a lot of hot air during the election campaign here (rajasthan). As Gulab chand Kataria moved ahead with his rath Yatra, the BJP's prospects folded into oblivion. From day 1, five of the six seats (excluding rajasamand) in Udaipur seemed to be going to the Congess, but the BJP people refused to accept this reality. If we compare the numbers of this election with previous ones, we find that the BJP voter is becoming indifferent to the party. Between 2003 and 2008 assembly elections, the congress vote share increased by just 1% but the BJP vote share fell by 5 percent. The lok sabaha elections of 2004 and 2009 took this story ahead. the congress saw its vote share increase by 5.75% while the BJP saw its share decline by 12.44%. The BJP voters simply did not turn up to vote.

Two congress candidates who had lost the assembly elections were elected to the Lok Sabha - C P Joshi and Lalchand Kataria. While BJP assembly winners - Ghanshyam Tiwari, Kiran maheshwari and Rao Rajendra Singh - lost the Lok Sabha elections. It is also a fact that the rural employment program had a positive impact in villages. On the contrary, many of BJP's prorgams never saw the light of the day.

It has become a matter of pride for the BJP not to listen to anyone. Whether it is Rajnath Singh, L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj or Vasundhara Raje. For them, right is what they think is right. On top of this, the ghost of caste has become imbedded so much that nationalism appears smaller than caste. People are not prepared to empower anyone beyond their own caste groups. BJP's image went on falling during the campaign, yet no one was aware of this. The BJP is not behind other parties in given shelter to the corrupt and criminals. Till now, the BJP has not been able to emerge out of its communal label. The younger generation seeks calm and peace.

What should be the role of the RSS in politics, this is a question to ponder by the BJP. Today, no one is satisfied with the BJP - niether its workers, nor the country. But, the BJP is also the country's second largest political party. If the BJP wishes to get beaten down every time, that's its wish. But if it wants to become capable of achieving something, it has to re-organize the party and rethink its policies. All old faces should be made advisers and put in the backseat. The congress has many such people. In the congress, the structure is hollow. At least this is not so in the BJP. In the BJP it is arrogance.

This is the nation's misfortune that one of the two large parties has become derailed. If this had not happened, there was no need to talk of the third front. Everyone knows about the type of people who constitute the third and fourth fronts and what it can give to the country. If the BJP fails to carry out required reforms, it is these people who will become the leaders of the country.

The Rot Within

2009-05-19T23:17:00.002+05:30

The BJP, at the national level sets up 'cells' on different subjects. Details of the cells are available at : http://www.bjp.org/content/view/2612/461/

The membership of these cells is almost exclusively from Delhi/NCR suggesting that membership in some cases (not all) may simply be an extension of patronage by the party President. Here are the details:

Number of cells : 31
Number of members: 72
Out of which, from
Delhi/NCR : 43, Mumbai: 4, TamilNadu: 3, UP: 7
MP: 2, Maharashtra(exclusing Mumbai): 2, Karnataka: 2
Rajasthan: 2, Kerela: 2, Andhra: 3, Gujarat: 1
Bihar: 1, WB : 1

[The reason this caught my interest was a news item which I read an year or maybe two years earlier where some of these appointments were named. I knew one of them - if that person was a specialist in the chosen area then I was the king of timbucktoo (I am not!)]

If the members were appointed from accross the country, work for the BJP could take place all over India, involving people from different states, empowering local activists, spreading the party's reach. With modern communications technology, there was no justification to become delhi-centric.

Follow your principles, the votes will come

2009-05-19T21:03:00.002+05:30

The means justify the end. That is why the Bhagvad Gita asks us to do our duty and not worry about the result.
Principled politics will pay off at the time of elections. The public appreciates politicians who mean what they say, follow what they preach, stick to principles in times of difficulties, ignoring all short cuts.

Example 1. Party positions should be filled by elections. All western democracies do it. Elections are best, selection by a group is second best. So, choose the best.

Example 2. Many many years ago, Rajinder Puri used to give cartoons to the Statesman, Kolkata. The background was: Charan Singh was supported by the congress, as UP chief minister. Jagjivan Ram was congress president. Suddenly, the Jan Sangh, and Congress(O) offered support to Charan Singh who took it. Then, in another flip-flop Charan Singh went back to congress. The cartoon shows Jagjivan Ram saying: Back stabber, defector, Opportunist....... welcome back! The point is: Controversial people do not get better because they are on our side.

Example 3. Our corruption is better than yours! Not really. The BJP has a clean image. Keep it that way.

Example 4. We claim that we work for the people. Then, mix with the people. They may be unwashed - but they are the masters. Politicians should serve the people, not vice-versa. And... the people will not be available in air conditioned auditoriums. Make an effort to search them, you will find them.

Time for a Reality Check

2009-05-19T06:44:00.003+05:30

Members of the BJP and BJP supporters (including myself) have always taken the high moral ground vis-a-vis the congress party.

I think we acted like we talk to God on the phone every day.

The superiority complex was clearly evident in our speeches, TV and in statements made by leaders, discussions done by supporters like me. I do not know about others, but I would start shaking with anger if anyone started a discussion and began to deny BJP its 'natural' role as high priest of Indian politics. Such was the intensity of my passion for the BJP. We came to detest the two congress spokespersons on TV who did not appear to be in awe of the BJP's superiority. (They made fun of the BJP, which was sacrilege)

Those who were not with us were against us. Those against us were 'stooges', 'corrupt', 'fools', 'pseudo secularists', 'dividing the country'.

We had any number of conspiracy theories explaining how the hindus were being owerwhelmed by this or that.

Our leaders often gave speeches that I would not like my children to hear.

It is time for a reality check.

The BJP is a political party, like other parties. It is NOT a party with a difference. We are NOT racially, intellectually superior. We do NOT claim a divine right to rule. We are NOT the natural party of governance (that is for the people to decide at every election, no party should preempt the wishes of the people).

Members/supporters of the BJP come from different strata of Indian society - as do members of other parties. We are part of Mother India which includes 81% more people who do not vote for us. We respect and understand it.

We have a clarity of vision -

Protection of the indigenous culture of the country (Malayasia, Indonesia do it)

Development with a human face (the congress is the party for the rich, funny how the BJP has got tagged with this)

These two ideas alone are enough to keep the party going.

Graceful Exits

2009-05-18T19:20:00.003+05:30

As I write this, much to my disapointment, Mr Advani has been 'persuaded' to carry on as Leader of the Opposition. The express website carried this news, then I saw it on CNBC. Maybe they got it wrong. If that is so, my thoughts will stand corrected.

A number of interesting issues come up:

1. The leader of the Opposition is elected by the members of the Lok Sabha. How can another body - 'parliamentary board' ask him to continue?
2. When the Mumbai attack took place, BJP stridently demanded the resignation of the PM, and all others. The Congress did remove the Home Minister of India, the Chief Minister and the Home Minister(NCP) of Maharashtra. This was in response to the people's demand for some retribution. The Congress was sensitive to the needs of the people. So, when it is the BJP's chance, why did it back out. Why not a number of resignations which is a graceful way of accepting responsibility? Is it because this is a 'party with a difference'?

Who should resign:
L K Advani. Please exit gracefuly as a fitting finale to a long and distingushed career. Is anyone on earth indispensible?
Arun Shourie. The man who started it all by naming Mr Modi as the PM candidate for 2014. No, it was not the media. It was Mr Shourie. Please resign your Rajya Sabha seat.
Rajnath Singh. Take responsibility for this defeat. Be a Man!

I do not include Mr Arun Jaitley in the list since Mr Jaitley can at best be responsible for the indifferent peformance in UP.

I write this as a person who has voted BJP ever since I was entitled to vote.

The Joy of 2009 results - end of caste

2009-05-18T07:29:00.005+05:30

As a BJP supporter, the sheer joy of seeing the Left, Mr Lalu Yadav, Mr Paswan and Mr Amar Singh, cut down to size overwhelms the little sorrows of the BJP performing slightly poorly.

The BJP caught the imagination of the country, thanks to Mr Vajpayee. His pan indian image helped the BJP capture power in 1998, then 1999. If and when the BJP throws up such leaders again, and, the time is favorable, the party will bounce back again. Why worry?

It seems fair to say that the time of the communists is gone. In India, the last five years of TV news was dominated by Mr Yechuri, Mr Bardhan, Mr Lalu Prasad and Mr Amar Singh. The people have given thumbs down to all of these gentlemen. This is the best news we have had for a long time. This event probably marks the demise of the communists, caste based poltics, and, the caste based parties. This is good news for the country.

Reinvent the BJP

2009-05-17T08:47:00.004+05:30

Does the BJP have a 'Yes We Can' generation?

Now is the summer of BJP discontent. It should be widely accepted that the party needs to reinvent itself. It is also apparent that nobody knows what that means.

To be sure, the election wasn't a total rout for the BJP despite the congress landslide. The BJP picked up 118 seats, more than the Congress did in 1999. The party's loss was marginal in most losing states except Rajasthan.

The problems
But it will be a party out of power for the next five years and one that cannot keep riding the Lotus in the direction it's been going. The BJP members have too many splits, from blatantly hard hindutva in Gujarat & UP to social conservatives in Rajasthan to 'Bijli Sadak Pani' moderates in MP, Chattisgarh, Karnataka & Bihar.
The BJP is now at risk of becoming an upper caste, semi-urban party whose core geographic base stretches only from Gujrat to Bihar covering central India.

The Objective
To regain traction, it must re-invent itself as a party of hope and of ideas relevant to a wider range of Indians. To do so, it must reject the extremist conservative thought that offers political stereotypes and personal venom. It cannot fall into the trap of being only an opposition party whose primary focus is denigrating ruling party leaders in order to score some points.

Some Solutions

The Party with a Difference, to avoid being out of power for at least a generation, should imitate the modernizing example of the British Conservative Party under David Cameron.

What is the Cameron strategy?

The conservatives in Britain were down and out.
In 2005, however, the Conservatives, having lost several general elections, changed course. They elected the young and dynamic Cameron, who adeptly recast the party’s image by focusing on climate change and social injustice. He wore Converses and quoted Gandhi. He dropped his opposition to gay marriage, along with some of his vowels. In short, he tried to become more Blair than Blair—or, as he is reported to have put it, “the heir to Blair.” The ploy seemed to work. Under Cameron’s leadership, the party’s position in the polls dramatically improved. And after Blair resigned in 2007, with the eminently unlovable Gordon Brown taking his place, Cameron’s stock rose higher still.

Mr. Cameron also sees a government role in fixing broken society: "We have seen a decades-long erosion of responsibility, of social virtue, of self-discipline, respect for others, deferring gratification."

The looming economic catastrophe has given Cameron an opportunity to reiterate the compassionate strands of his Tory blend, enthralling disillusioned conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic with his promises of “radical social reform.” At the Davos World Economic Forum, Cameron struck a distinctly localist and antiglobalist tone as he denounced “capitalism without a conscience.” He expressed dismay at a world in which “someone working in the local branch of a global corporation can feel like little more than flotsam in some vast international sea of business.”

Possible Problems with the Cameron strategy

Yet, Conservatives are still by no means certain to win the next general election.
1. Part of the problem lies with Cameron himself rather than his politics. His upper-class origins can irritate the average voter.
2. Having dramatically shunted to the center, the Conservatives are easily attacked, especially by wounded right-wingers, as unprincipled chameleons. Even the party’s former joint chairman, Lord Saatchi, called them “the say-anything-to-get-elected Tories."
(It should be recalled, though, that many people, on Left and Right, felt the same way about Tony Blair, and he never lost an election)

The BJP Strategy

Give democracy a Voice

1. Promote inner party democracy. Fill up every single party post through party elections.

2. Install a system of primaries to select candidates for elective posts, for Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, municipal & panchayat elections. This provides healthy debate and some amount of drama, catching the public eye.

Give the Poor & Middle Class a Chance

1. Focus exclusively on health, Education and Employment. The message should be : "Har haath ko kaam, Har ghar mein ho khushhali". Develop and promote schemes for these three issues. Ladli lakshmi is one such example. [as an aside, the scheme was promoted by Mr Advani in his campaign. But have all the BJP run states implemented it? If yes, give due publicity. If no, errrr..]

Go Green

1. With limited natural resources and rising population, India cannot ever go the American way. The congress (under Dr Singh) is taking a path that will eventually end in disaster. Call for a Green enviroment. Oppose the loot, plunder of mother earth. (This also requires the BJP to oppose acts such as a helipad for the super rich in the middle of mumbai, use of private aircraft, mining in the Aravelli.....)

Follow the rule of the Law

This is not a strategy. It should be ingrained in the psyche of the BJP. Oppose all unlawful activites, ireerspective of the reason behind it, or the persons doing it.

Join willingly in all activites in Parliament, the people are watching

If BJP want a comeback, they could become the loyal opposition that joins debates with the congress on the best way to create more opportunities for Indians, allowing them to increase their social mobility through hard work and education.

[Parts of this paper have been taken from different websites which refer to the cameron strategy]

Robin Hood Budgets

2009-05-12T15:46:00.005+05:30

A financial catastrophe threatened to engulf the world. This was the result of extraordinary greed shown by financial wizards. Greed Kills.

Now, countries are slowly picking up the pieces of this devastation. Many countries have understood that the poor and middle class have suffered the most by actions of the super rich. New policies are being planned to tax the super rich segment.

Bloomberg reports:

Wealthy to be targeted in Robin hood Budget as Australia enters Recession

(The Australian Finance Minister will) unveil a Robin Hood-style budget, slashing tax breaks and welfare-payments to high-income earners as he tries to contain a record deficit amid the global recession.

The Obama Budget plans to raise Income tax rates for rich Americans

In the U.S., President Barack Obama, has proposed raising income-tax rates to help narrow a record budget shortfall and pay for a planned overhaul of health care. Obama’s budget, which must be enacted by Congress before taking effect, would reinstate the top two Clinton-era tax rates of 36 percent and 39.6 percent, up from the 33 percent and 35 percent the richest Americans now pay.

In both countries, Income tax rates are being slashed for the middle class while rates are being increased for the super rich.

Farmer Suicides: What is the Govt doing ?

2009-04-28T22:06:00.003+05:30

A report suggests 16000 farmer suicides in 2007, most of them occuring in Maharashtra and andhra. You can read the full report here .

The report datelined December 2008, says: "As Singh's five-year term comes to a close with India facing general elections by May next year, experts have flayed the government for failing to meet its promise of curbing farm suicides and implementing reforms with a "human face."

In 2006, a UN report on the Extent of Chronic Hunger and Malnutrition criticized the Indian government for the rising number of farmer suicides.The report said that economic growth through the 1990s had made India a more market-oriented economy but had failed to benefit all Indians equally.

231 Million Hungry Souls

2009-04-27T07:36:00.002+05:30

There are 231 million chronically hungry people in India. A Blog - read here says this:

India has many things to be ashamed of - entrenched corruption, pathetic basic infrastructure, frequent communal violence, abject poverty and chronic hunger of its many poor millions, to name just a few.
But nothing is more shameful than the growing number of chronically hungry or undernourished people in the country.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, India has the maximum number of chronically hungry people in the world.

After 62 years of independence, this is what we have !

55 million people pushed below poverty line

2009-04-23T05:40:00.002+05:30

In the last five years (2004 to 2009) the number of people below the poverty line has increased from 270 million to touch 325 million. That is an increase of 55 million people below the poverty line in five years.
Full details can be read in the article 55 million pushed below poverty line.

However, all is not lost. The super rich, who had 19 billion in assets in 2004, now have 200 billion in assets. So, the GDP growth has benefited at least some people. (information collected from wikipedia - the world's richest people)

Growing Shame of Hunger

2009-04-21T22:40:00.002+05:30

After 63 years of being ruled, 87% of rural population lives in utmost poverty.
Excerpts from Growing shame of hunger

Last year (2007) the Arjun Sengupta Committee report gave shocking figures that suggested the pervasiveness of poverty in India. According to the report, there were four distinct groups – extremely poor, poor, marginal and vulnerable, with a per capita expenditure of Rs 9, Rs 12, Rs 15 and Rs 20 a day respectively.

The number of such people was 836 million. Out of which 82% were Dalits, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Muslims.

The Other India - 2

2009-04-20T21:34:00.002+05:30

Sixty years after independence -
with 40% of its population under 18, the country is now confronting the perils of its failure to educate its citizens, notably the poor. More children are in school than ever before, but the quality of public schools such as this one has sunk to spectacularly low levels, as government schools have become reserves of children at the very bottom of the social ladder. The children in this school come from the poorest of families—those who could not afford to send away their young to private schools elsewhere, as do most families with any means.

What were the politicians doing these 62 years. ? The best for my children, and nothing for my vote bank.

"Education in the new India has become a crucial marker of inequality. Among the poorest 20% of the population, half are illiterate, and barely 2% graduate from high school, according to government data. By contrast, among the richest 20% of the population, nearly half are high school graduates and only 2% are illiterate."

I have summarized the contents here, but the entire article - "Children still work for a living" published in 2008, can be read Here.

The Other India - 1

2009-04-19T20:56:00.005+05:30

There is one India we know about, where we live. There is another India, that of 100 crore Indians.

Amartya Sen, Noble prize winner says this about public health in India:

There is little doubt that health has not been one of the Indian state’s priorities since independence. Only in the last few years has public expenditure on health in India risen above the level of 0.8 or 0.9 percent of GDP, which is India’s historical average, lower than almost any other country in the world. The share of public expenditure to total health expenditure in India is around 15 percent: the average for sub-Saharan Africa is 40 percent, and for high-income European countries, over 75 percent (Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze, 2002).

We cannot even imagine the lives that the 'Other India' leads. Here is a story, please note the contents are ugly, so you do not have to read it at all. India's Sanitation Nightmare

Stand up and be Counted

2009-04-18T21:13:00.002+05:30

What is the purpose of a democracy ? It is designed for the people to exercise their will in choosing their government. Therefore, at some point, it is important for the common man - 'people like me and you' - to move out of our day to day activities, and participate in the process of democracy.

Since democracy is about choice, and free choice, there will always be a group or party which will be preferred. This does not mean disrespect for all other groups / parties. It simply means that we are fulfilling our duties as a concerned citizen of the country, and part of the duty is to choose.

We sustain democratic traditions by appreciating the honesty of free choice. If I have to follow what the big leaders want me to do, then we turn into a dictatorship. That's why the leader of opposition is an important part of a democracy. The ruling party and the opposition together offer choice to the country. If the ruling party exists alone, then it exists without democracy.

India's Money stashed abroad - A Primer

2009-04-17T19:03:00.002+05:30

Probably a trillion US dollars of India's money is stashed abroad in secret bank accounts in tax havens such as Switzerland, Liechtenstein (a small European principality), Bahamas and more. This is a fact which has been confirmed by numerous international orgainzations.

The Time Line

1947. India gains independence in 1947. The Government is now controlled by Indian politicans, so our time line starts here.

2009. 62 years of independence. Out of this:

Congress (includes supported govts) rules for 53 years
BJP/NDA rules for 6 years
Janata/VP Singh/Chandrashekhar rule for 3 years

Over 1 trillion dollars of Nation's money is abroad, illegally. The money has been siphoned away, day by day, not in one go. So, who is responsible ? Readers have to draw their own conclusions.

2009. The CPI(M) calls for a return of the money stashed abroad.

2009. L K Advani, BJP leader begins a campaign to seek return of India's money illegally transferred to foreign banks.

2009. Immediately, Mr Kapil Sibal, Congress leader demands to know why Mr Advani did not get this money back when he was home minister during 1998 - 2004.

The question then is: Why is there a demand now, why not earlier ?

Mr Sibal is a well read man. He probably knows the answer. For readers like us, I am explaining what actually happened, and, why now.

Banking secrecy has been a big barrier for information, in tax havens like Switzerland. Therefore, no country was able to get information on money stashed in these banks. There was no question of trying to get the money back, because the banks refused to even discuss their accounts. The USA, UK, germany & other countries could not get any information. Therfore, Mr Advani could not have done anything to get this money back, during his tenure as home minister.

Something changed in 2008

Change in 2008
In 2008, the German Intelligense Service acquired a CD from a Liechtenstein bank official, which had the names of all account holders in a particular Liechtenstein bank. There were many germans in that list. Immediately, Germany mounted immense pressure on the Liechtenstein principality to disclose the full details.
http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1012658.shtml
German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatened Liechtenstein that it would be isolated within Europe unless the Alpine tax haven, relaxed its bank secrecy rules, that have promoted tax evasion by wealthy German nationals.
The Germans pursued this issue at the highest level and succeeded in gaining full information of these accounts.
In 2008, the German Govt offered to share the information with any country that requested for it. The USA, UK, New Zealand, requested and received the information.

Change in 2009

Now comes the second change that has taken place. In the USA, the UBS bank (owned by the Swiss) was accused of illegally helping Americans to transfer their money abroad. The US Govt pressurised the Swiss Govt to reveal details of these accounts. After Liechtenstein gave in, the Swiss Govt was on weaker footing. It finally agreed to give this information.

Therefore, in 2008 and 2009, the walls of secrecy are breaking down !

All Indians must join together

There is a term used in America - Bipartisan
This means, an issue on which all the people are agreed upon. Reservations in the Lok Sabha for SC/ST is one such issue. Getting money from banks abroad should surely be one such issue, where leaders, irrespective of their political affiliations should work to get back to the people, their rightful legacy.

Mr Sitaram Yechuri gets it right

2009-04-17T10:52:00.004+05:30

It is not easy for the Left to be Right. But this time, Mr Sitaram Yechuri (CPI-M) has managed the impossible. I attended the CNBC conference on impact of elections, held in Delhi on April 1. Mr Yechuri was one of the three paricipants, the other two were Mr Arun Jaitley (BJP) and Mr Kapil Sibal (Congress).
Mr Yechuri defended the CPI-M manifesto, which says:
1. Impose a wealth tax on rich individuals - Mr Yechury says most European countries have such a tax.
2. Impose Estate Duty - the USA has a stiff 40% duty, so why not a duty on the rich in India.
3. Impose a Capital Gains Tax - the USA has tax on all capital gains. In India the rich do not pay any tax on such gains.
Mr Yechuri said that the capitalists ask us to follow the USA, so why not in case of taxes ?

My Notes
The super rich in India pay less taxes as compared to most other countries. There is a case for reducing the burden on the middle class & the poor, and asking the super - R to pay their dues to society. Because of the stiff estate duty, rich persons in the USA leave a lot of their wealth to charity. This includes the living - Mr Warren Buffet & Mr Bill gates.

Laugh of the day - April 16

2009-04-16T21:06:00.002+05:30

A Congress Ad on TV which asks people to support Congress so that it can fight terrorism !

What will these ad makers think of, next ?

An Ad asking people to support Congress so that it can fight corruption in high places ?

Our Money in Swiss Banks

2009-04-16T13:57:00.002+05:30

Revelation on Swiss Bank Accounts
(article written by Paritosh - : paritosh4india@yahoo.com)

Black money in Swiss banks -- Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of following countries :

Top Five
1. India ---- $1,456 billion
2. Russia ---$ 470 billion
3. UK -------$390 billion
4. Ukraine - $100 billion
5. China -----$ 96 billion

Now do the maths - India with $1456 billion or $1.4 trillion has more money in Swiss banks than rest of the world combined.

India has more money in Swiss banks than all the other countries combined !!!!

The second best Russia has 4 times lesser deposit. US is not even there in the counting in top five !! Recently, due to international pressure, Swiss govt. agreed to disclose the names of the account holders only if the respective govts formally asked for it.

Congress led UPA govt.. is not asking for the details .No marks for guessing why ????

AND THE BJP HAS MADE IT A CAMPAIGN ISSUE AND THE CONGRESS ARE ON THE DEFENSIVE! ADVANIJI HAS PLEDGED THAT HE WILL DO EVERYTHING TO BRING THIS WEALTH BACK TO THE COUNTRY AND TO MAKE INDIA BETTER 70000 LAKH CRORE RUPEES! THATS THE MONEY INVOLVED. OUR MONEY!

1. River linking project just needs 2 lakh crore...just imagine..if this money was there...no floods or no droughts and Happy Villages and Farmers and a second Green Revolution!

2. All villages can have schools - educated India will make India better and social evils will reduce, economy will bloom!

3. Drinking water and Roads for all villages

4. Healthcare for all Indians! India will become Singapore and migration from villages to towns will stop.

5. crores of new jobs will be generated and our GDP will crack 14% growth!

We need to start a movement to pressurize the Indian govt. to do so !!

Its elections...vote for BJP and bring in a nationalistic govt who cares for India, throw out the third front and UPA...This is perhaps the only way, and a golden opportunity, to expose the high and mighty and weed out corruption !!

DISHONEST INDUSTRIALISTS, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS officers have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $ 1500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country's foreign debt. With this amount 45 crore poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each.

This huge amount has been appropriated from the people of India by exploiting and betraying them.

Once this huge amount of black money & property comes back to India , the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished, then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably.

Just read the following details and note how these dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, corrupt officers, cricketers, film actors, illegal sex trade and protected wildlife operators, to name just a few, sucked this country's wealth and prosperity. This may be the picture of deposits in Swiss banks only. What about other international banks?

Naturally, the secrecy associated with the bank accounts in such places is central to the issue, not their low tax rates as the term 'tax havens' suggests. Remember Bofors and how India could not trace the ultimate beneficiary of those transactions because of the secrecy associated with these bank accounts?

So Read, React , Act and VOte with a Mission....Mission to end the Black money supporting regime and usher in a new tomorrow for India.The Motherland beacons us to do our bit for her.