Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

[Sushupti]

The Ishrat conspiracy

Narendra Modi stands in the way of a sell-out on J & K.
By Gautam Sen (10 July 2013)

London: It appears that the attempt to manipulate Lashkar-e-Toiba operative Ishrat Jehan’s death to persuade Narendra Modi to withdraw from India’s prime-ministerial race has more sinister roots than immediately apprehended. An insider with intimate knowledge of Anglo-American policy towards India suggested that a virtual resolution of the historic Kashmir issue has already been negotiated discreetly through the intercession of Washington. It seems an understanding has been reached with Manmohan Singh’s government that major Indian concessions would be on the table. Apparently, this entire package would be in jeopardy if Narendra Modi were to become prime minister of India.

Pakistan, whose rapid acquisition of nuclear weapons’ capability is considered an urgent problem, including its known proliferation activities, is prepared to reciprocate with suitable steps acceptable to Washington. It is hoped that the lowering of India-Pakistan tensions would also reduce the dangers of a nuclear exchange that would have devastating wider global consequences. Pakistan will also restrain the Taliban and accept a half-way house in its expedition to control Afghanistan’s destiny though Hamid Karzai will apparently have to depart.

The grim inference is that the incumbent Indian government is not entirely in dissonance with Pakistani agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence and its arms-length proxy, the Lashkar-e-Toiba, to corner Narendra Modi. The evident bonhomie between the two parties is a product of Washington’s mediation, which is keen to retrieve something from the mess of its Afghan misadventure. Certainly, the elimination of Narendra Modi, physically if need be, as some observers, including myself, have warned of, would suit some quarters because otherwise he is guaranteed to propel the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead at the 2014 general elections.

Private polling has been showing that in the best-case scenario, the Sonia Gandhi Congress would simply not have the numbers to consider forming a government, even if the BJP itself failed to approach the magic number of 220 seats. An interesting question is the extent of involvement of some senior BJP leaders and their advisers in this colossal conspiracy. {Loh Purush and Kulkarni} Some have enjoyed close ties with United States’ agencies since the Cold War period when Nehruvian nonalignment was considered nothing short of support for the Soviet Union. Even closer ties have evolved between some leaders through the intervention of a prominent Indian business family in London who have always been US surrogates. {Hindujas}

The so-called solution to the Kashmir dispute would almost certainly be based on the four-point formula suggested by the former Pakistan military president, Parvez Musharraf. It entails softening of Line of Control (LoC), self-governance, phased withdrawal of troops from entire Jammu and Kashmir and joint supervision by India and Pakistan. Pakistan is confident that such a plan would enable it to absorb the entire Kashmir Valley eventually making Indian resistance to such an outcome both politically costly and militarily expensive. Publicly-aired Pakistani misgivings about Musharraf’s four-point formula when it was first outlined were officially sponsored to create the impression that Pakistan would only acquiesce reluctantly. The idea was to make the Indian public believe that it was the gainer from the agreement. However, in private, there was widespread official consensus that the agreement would be a prelude to Pakistan gaining full sovereignty over the Kashmir Valley and possibly even more. The survival of other areas under Indian control would be rendered untenable if Pakistan were to achieve political suzerainty over the Valley and some adjacent areas.

The interim policy, in the aftermath of the agreement being fully implemented, would be to embark on a policy of demographic assault that has already succeeded in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The extensive marital links between PoK Kashmiris and Punjabis, for example, has ensured huge support for the Lashkar-e-Toiba’s activities against India. It is reasoned that encouraging marriage between residents of India’s Kashmir Valley and those on the Pakistani side with the help of local religious authorities would create a growing constituency within the Kashmir Valley that would be Pakistani in essence.

It is concluded that it would be impossible for the Indian authorities to curb this development because there would be an international human rights’ outcry. It is also perfectly well-known in Pakistan that India has failed to stop the massive migration of Bangladeshis into India which has grown to startling proportions in many cities far removed from the Indo-Bangladesh border. The result of such demographic changes would also guarantee the election of governments in Kashmir that would favour Anschluss with Pakistan.

Once such an elected government agitated, in the first instance, for closer ties with their Pakistani co-religionists, prior to elevating the demand to formal accession, the Indian government would be left in an unenviable position. It would have to consider intervening militarily from a position of huge political and military weakness. The Indian authorities would have to arrest very large numbers of Kashmiri politicians, stop all electoral processes and embark on a military crackdown that would result in massive casualties. The international and domestic Indian reaction to such a response to adverse developments can easily be anticipated. It appears Pakistan has leveraged its nuclear weapons with extraordinary success. By contrast, India’s aspiration to great power status would be in tatters, reduced to a weak, minor player.

In addition, it can be safely predicted that Pakistan will find ways to prevent India reaping any sort of peace dividend, by reducing military commitments on the India-Pakistan border once an agreement with Pakistan on Kashmir has been implemented. Such a peace dividend for India would be opposed implacably by Pakistan’s all-weather friend, China, itself examining every option for cutting India down to size. Any reductions in military commitments in relation to Pakistan would immediately mitigate India’s two-front war threat that alarms its defence planners. China will make sure that Pakistani redeployments in the aftermath of any peace deal with India will nevertheless remain a sufficient threat to prevent any significant Indian reduction in commitments against Pakistan. Indeed it may well be hazarded that the loss of Kashmir to Pakistan will create a strategic nightmare for India owing to altered military options on the ground and require even greater attention to the India-Pakistan border. The final denouement will be in the shape of an emboldened Pakistan facing an India militarily and politically weakened by the loss of Kashmir. Nothing that has transpired in the past sixty years suggests that Pakistan will abandon its determined quest to rival India, having emerged victorious over Kashmir.

As the conspiracy unfolds to derail Narendra Modi’s pursuit for national power, though he enjoys massive support along the length and breadth of the country, many outwardly innocuous events acquire more significance. The successful campaign that stopped Narendra Modi from even addressing a mere student gathering in the United States is likely to have been officially instigated. The same officials responsible for intervening against Narendra Modi also hold compromising files on the alternative to him, pertaining to his corrupt financial dealings and personal peccadilloes.

Former US spy, Edward Snowden, has highlighted the extraordinary reach and assiduity with which information is collected by Anglo-American intelligence agencies on even their closest allies. He has also confirmed that India enjoys a special place on their intrusive radar. It is they who have been collecting evidence on the murky social life and financial dealings abroad of their preferred candidate for prime minister of India.

Editor’s note: Intelligence Bureau officials have sounded the warning that they are under enormous pressure from the ruling Congress party to implicate Narendra Modi in the Ishrat Jehan case. A particularly vocal Congress party general secretary has been meeting and harassing Central Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence Bureau officials to manufacture evidence against the Gujarat chief minister. There is desperation in ruling party circles as Modi nears his goal of becoming prime minister. The Intelligence Bureau is resisting the pressure and there is growing resentment within the institution about this. Worse is expected in the coming days unless Manmohan Singh steps in and ceases the witch-hunt against Narendra Modi.

http://www.newsinsight.net/TheIshratconspiracy.aspx

[Prem]

The Ishrat conspiracy

Editor’s note: Intelligence Bureau officials have sounded the warning that they are under enormous pressure from the ruling Congress party to implicate Narendra Modi in the Ishrat Jehan case. A particularly vocal Congress party general secretary has been meeting and harassing Central Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence Bureau officials to manufacture evidence against the Gujarat chief minister. There is desperation in ruling party circles as Modi nears his goal of becoming prime minister. The Intelligence Bureau is resisting the pressure and there is growing resentment within the institution about this. Worse is expected in the coming days unless Manmohan Singh steps in and ceases the witch-hunt against Narendra Modi.
http://www.newsinsight.net/TheIshratconspiracy.aspx

If the above Kashmir soultion is negotiated then why does this not include the transfer of population as advised by Baba Saheb? No only this , if true then Pakistan Ka Beta MMS open himslef to be charged with treason .

[disha]

How Modi undoes the political math

The above article requires a wider coverage, here are some snippets from the above:

based on Modi's anti-minority perception, that is making regional players cede their middle ground and take extreme positions to emphasise the divide. But in doing so, they are taking positions similar to their traditional rivals. The fact is that Kumar will increasingly sound similar to archrival Lalu Prasad in his attempt at distancing himself from the BJP. The same will be the case between Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati, as every other divide will collapse in the larger argument of who is more secular and, therefore, the true claimant to the Muslim vote. The Congress and the JD(S) will end up in a similar competition of sorts in Karnataka, and even though the BJP and Modi may have little say in West Bengal, the Left is bound to draw Mamata Banerjee into a similar competition in the parliamentary polls. Let's not forget that the subtext of the Trinamool Congress's victory in the Howrah by-election was that the BJP withdrew its candidate to the benefit of the TMC. The Left is surely going to exploit this further, turning it again into a contest of who is the greater secularist

It is hence the race for the SecularTaj for the rest of the parties including "D4"

Coining new word: SecularTaj (Or Secular Crown, some parties think that to be relevant in Indian political context they need to don the Secular Crown or "SecularTaj" - a kind of play on the tea brand Wah! Taj!)

[sudarshan]

So we will have a situation where 80 to 85% of the political parties vie for 15 to 20% of the popular vote. Now if the remaining 80 to 85% of the popular vote would consolidate, then the 15% of the political parties on the other side would reap rich rewards. Hopefully things are moving that way.

This would be such an unstable equilibrium, with 85% of the political mass standing on 15% of the political base, that a toppling would be bound to occur. While the 15% of the political mass would enjoy 85% of the political base. Talk about game changer.

Let's wait, hope, pray, and see.

Edit: I'd love to see Nitish be the first one to topple off his flimsy base. He could be a shining example for generations to come.

[Sushupti]

PB Mehta redeems himself.

While we were silent
Pratap Bhanu Mehta : Thu Jul 11 2013, 04:26 hrs


A story of destructive governance and citizens who did not speak out

First, the UPA came for the roads sector. They destroyed contracting. They slowed down road construction. They left highways half built. We did not speak out. After all, the only reason the NDA could have started the golden quadrilateral is because they wanted to spread Hindutva.

Next, they came for the airline sector. They let Air India suck more money from taxpayers. They let bad regulation destroy the private sector. They let crony banking sustain bad bets. They ensured India would never be an aviation hub. We did not speak out. After all, flying is what birds do, not humans. Besides, aviation is bad for climate change.

Then they came for the power sector. They confused creation of mega capacities with actual generation. They had no rational pricing plans. They were arbitrary in the awarding of licences. They could not make up their mind whether they wanted to protect the environment or destroy it. We did not speak out. After all, the only power that matters is political. Electricity be damned.

Then they came for education. They promulgated the RTE after 100 per cent enrolment. They expanded capacity, but cut-offs still rose. They regulated in such a way that there was a glut in some subjects and a shortage in others. They confused university buildings with building universities. We did not speak out. After all our, our low quality education left us incapable of speaking out.

Then they came for industry. They turned the clock back in every way and waged open war. Ensure that regulations become more complex and uncertain. Ensure that input costs rise. Ensure crummy infrastructure. Promulgate a land scam policy known as SEZ and sell it as industrial policy. They encouraged FDI. But they forgot which one they wanted: outbound or inbound. But we did not speak out. After all, India is a rural country.

Then they came for employment. There was some growth. But they decided that the only good employment is that which has the hand of the state. So the NREGA’s expansion was seen as a sign of success, not failure. By its own logic, if more people need the NREGA, the economy has failed. But we did not speak out. After all, the more people we have dependent on government, the more we think it is a good government.

Then they came for agriculture. First, they create artificial shortages through irrigation scams. Then they have a myopic policy for technology adoption. Then they decide India shall remain largely a wheat and rice economy; we will have shortages for everything else. Then they price everything to produce perverse incentives. But we did not speak out. After all, why worry about food production when the government is giving you a legal right? Is there anything more reassuring than social policy designed by and for lawyers?

Then they came for institutions. They always had. This has been Congress DNA for four decades. They drew up a list of institutions that remained unscathed: Parliament, the IB, bureaucracy and you name it. They then went after those. They used institutions as instruments of their political design. They demoralised every single branch of government. But we did not speak out. After all, this was reform by stealth. Destroy government from within.

Then they came for inflation. They confused a GDP target of 10 per cent with an inflation target. Inflation will come down next quarter, we were told. Then they tried to buy us out. Inflation: no problem. Simply get the government to spend even more. Then they pretended inflation is a problem for the rich. Then they simply stopped talking about it. We did not speak out. After all, for some, inflation is just a number

Then they came for the telecom sector. They got greedy and milked it. They got arbitrary and retrospectively taxed it. But we did not speak out. After all, new communication can be a threat to government. Besides, we can always revert to fixed lines. More digging is good.

Then they came for financial stability. They produced a large deficit. They brought the current account deficit close to an unsustainable point. They nearly wrecked the banking sector. They created every macro-economic instability you can imagine, which makes investment difficult. But we did not speak out. After all, what would you rather have: macro economic stability or a free lunch?

Then they came for regulation. It was back to the 1970s. More arbitrary regulation is good. More rules are good. Uncertainty makes business more adept. The answer to every administrative problem is enacting a new law. Multiple regulators are good because they represent the diversity of India. We did not speak out. After all, just like the religious confuse piety with mere ritual, the virtuous confuse regulation with outcomes.

Then they came after freedom. They promulgated more restrictive rules for everything: freedom of expression, right to assembly and protest, foreign scholars. They used sedition laws. They kept the architecture of colonial laws intact. They said they stood against communal forces. But then they let Digvijaya Singh keep the communal pot boiling. They matched BJP’s communal politicisation of terrorism at every step and then some. We did not speak out. After all, if they are not Hindutva forces, they cannot be a threat to peace and liberty.

Then they came for virtue itself. They preached, from the very summit of power: avoid responsibility. It will always be someone else’s fault. They legitimised being corrupt: you are entitled to it if you are the party of the poor. They encouraged subterfuge to the point that members of the cabinet were subverting each other. They pretended that integrity is a word that does not mean anything. To independent thinkers, they said: why think when there is 10 Janpath? We did not speak out. After all, virtue and thinking can both be outsourced.

Then they came for the poor. They visited their houses and slept in their homes. They liked the experience so much they decided to become growth sceptics. Enact policies that keep India in poverty a little longer. But we did not speak out. After all, once the poor have been used as an argument, all else is immobilised.

Then they came for the citizens. They used the secularism blackmail to reduce our choices. If you are not with us you are evil they said. Then they infantilised us. You are not capable of exercising choices so we will make them for you. They acted as if we were so stupid that the three topmost leaders felt no need to justify themselves to us. But we did not speak out. After all we do have the vote.

http://m.indianexpress.com/news/while-w ... t/1140199/

[disha]

^^^ A very hard hitting article.

A falling economy hurts everybody. And there is no major eye-opener than a falling economy. Sometimes under stress people do see clearly.

[disha]

So we will have a situation where 80 to 85% of the political parties vie for 15 to 20% of the popular vote. Now if the remaining 80 to 85% of the popular vote would consolidate, then the 15% of the political parties on the other side would reap rich rewards. Hopefully things are moving that way.

This would be such an unstable equilibrium, with 85% of the political mass standing on 15% of the political base, that a toppling would be bound to occur. While the 15% of the political mass would enjoy 85% of the political base. Talk about game changer.

Let's wait, hope, pray, and see.

Edit: I'd love to see Nitish be the first one to topple off his flimsy base. He could be a shining example for generations to come.

I would say 70%-30%., currently it is the "leftist-fringe" (very difficult to come up with a one word for the Indian kind of leftist, socialist, appeasement and entitlement based fringe) is running as "mainstream". Any movement to slight left of center looks like a movement to right.

But yes, the 70% once consolidated will form a new large "middle-ground" and this means the current leftist-fringe will face attrition among themselves and a race to niche since there will be some (actually many) that will gravitate to the new middle-ground.

If you take the above as a theory and apply to Gujarat, you have 75% (in terms of seat share) consolidated into a new large "middle-ground" currently dominated by Modi/BJP. And as the town of salala showed, there has been a break from the "leftist-fringe" rank and movement towards the new middle-ground.

And if this is replicated on the ground, in Hindi heartland you have the fight for niche among Laloo-Nitish, Mulayam-Maya. In Bengal it will be leftist-mamta and in Kerala it will be leftist-congress. In TN, you will have DMK-and_assorted_parties_like_DDMK. In Mah & AP it is a reverse scenario where there is the "rightist-fringe". In Punj. it is already consolidated into an alliance (somewhat uneasy, but workable). And since the leftist-fringe pie is smaller than the newer larger middle-ground., any alliances will be very uneasy within it and any movement towards a middle-middle-ground will break the leftist-fringe resulting in a no-mans' land.

I am seeing NaMo's neo-middle-class in this new light - they are aspirational - they were the previous poor and lower-MIG now moved into low-MIG and want to see themselves into the MIG/Upper-MIG and know that they have the capacity to do hardwark, have talent & skills and all they need is opportunities! They want to be empowered. Entitlement helps, but being aspirational - empowerment helps more.

[devesh]

if kashmir is to be "resolved" in the above way, the days will be truly dark.

i don't expect any outcry from the Indian public though. all will be carefully sedated.

it would be like talking to some of my relatives. "congress knows best. they have been in charge for 70 years now. 'yesterday's chokras' like you should heed the word of elders."

[ramana]

Sushupti, The Hindujas were prominent in the NDA period. All the media cats would whine about their access to the ABV haveli. After UPA came to power and the Ambanis rose and rose we don't hear about the Hindujas anymore. Last nine years it was silence about them.

So where did they suddenly get power while the two Ambanis are making money handover fist?

Lst visit to Hyd heard this:


YSR got accidented by one of the As.

Sathyam's asathyam came out from rivalry with another.

[RoyG]

PB Mehta redeems himself.

While we were silent
Pratap Bhanu Mehta : Thu Jul 11 2013, 04:26 hrs


A story of destructive governance and citizens who did not speak out

First, the UPA came for the roads sector. They destroyed contracting. They slowed down road construction. They left highways half built. We did not speak out. After all, the only reason the NDA could have started the golden quadrilateral is because they wanted to spread Hindutva.

Next, they came for the airline sector. They let Air India suck more money from taxpayers. They let bad regulation destroy the private sector. They let crony banking sustain bad bets. They ensured India would never be an aviation hub. We did not speak out. After all, flying is what birds do, not humans. Besides, aviation is bad for climate change.

Then they came for the power sector. They confused creation of mega capacities with actual generation. They had no rational pricing plans. They were arbitrary in the awarding of licences. They could not make up their mind whether they wanted to protect the environment or destroy it. We did not speak out. After all, the only power that matters is political. Electricity be damned.

Then they came for education. They promulgated the RTE after 100 per cent enrolment. They expanded capacity, but cut-offs still rose. They regulated in such a way that there was a glut in some subjects and a shortage in others. They confused university buildings with building universities. We did not speak out. After all our, our low quality education left us incapable of speaking out.

Then they came for industry. They turned the clock back in every way and waged open war. Ensure that regulations become more complex and uncertain. Ensure that input costs rise. Ensure crummy infrastructure. Promulgate a land scam policy known as SEZ and sell it as industrial policy. They encouraged FDI. But they forgot which one they wanted: outbound or inbound. But we did not speak out. After all, India is a rural country.

Then they came for employment. There was some growth. But they decided that the only good employment is that which has the hand of the state. So the NREGA’s expansion was seen as a sign of success, not failure. By its own logic, if more people need the NREGA, the economy has failed. But we did not speak out. After all, the more people we have dependent on government, the more we think it is a good government.

Then they came for agriculture. First, they create artificial shortages through irrigation scams. Then they have a myopic policy for technology adoption. Then they decide India shall remain largely a wheat and rice economy; we will have shortages for everything else. Then they price everything to produce perverse incentives. But we did not speak out. After all, why worry about food production when the government is giving you a legal right? Is there anything more reassuring than social policy designed by and for lawyers?

Then they came for institutions. They always had. This has been Congress DNA for four decades. They drew up a list of institutions that remained unscathed: Parliament, the IB, bureaucracy and you name it. They then went after those. They used institutions as instruments of their political design. They demoralised every single branch of government. But we did not speak out. After all, this was reform by stealth. Destroy government from within.

Then they came for inflation. They confused a GDP target of 10 per cent with an inflation target. Inflation will come down next quarter, we were told. Then they tried to buy us out. Inflation: no problem. Simply get the government to spend even more. Then they pretended inflation is a problem for the rich. Then they simply stopped talking about it. We did not speak out. After all, for some, inflation is just a number

Then they came for the telecom sector. They got greedy and milked it. They got arbitrary and retrospectively taxed it. But we did not speak out. After all, new communication can be a threat to government. Besides, we can always revert to fixed lines. More digging is good.

Then they came for financial stability. They produced a large deficit. They brought the current account deficit close to an unsustainable point. They nearly wrecked the banking sector. They created every macro-economic instability you can imagine, which makes investment difficult. But we did not speak out. After all, what would you rather have: macro economic stability or a free lunch?

Then they came for regulation. It was back to the 1970s. More arbitrary regulation is good. More rules are good. Uncertainty makes business more adept. The answer to every administrative problem is enacting a new law. Multiple regulators are good because they represent the diversity of India. We did not speak out. After all, just like the religious confuse piety with mere ritual, the virtuous confuse regulation with outcomes.

Then they came after freedom. They promulgated more restrictive rules for everything: freedom of expression, right to assembly and protest, foreign scholars. They used sedition laws. They kept the architecture of colonial laws intact. They said they stood against communal forces. But then they let Digvijaya Singh keep the communal pot boiling. They matched BJP’s communal politicisation of terrorism at every step and then some. We did not speak out. After all, if they are not Hindutva forces, they cannot be a threat to peace and liberty.

Then they came for virtue itself. They preached, from the very summit of power: avoid responsibility. It will always be someone else’s fault. They legitimised being corrupt: you are entitled to it if you are the party of the poor. They encouraged subterfuge to the point that members of the cabinet were subverting each other. They pretended that integrity is a word that does not mean anything. To independent thinkers, they said: why think when there is 10 Janpath? We did not speak out. After all, virtue and thinking can both be outsourced.

Then they came for the poor. They visited their houses and slept in their homes. They liked the experience so much they decided to become growth sceptics. Enact policies that keep India in poverty a little longer. But we did not speak out. After all, once the poor have been used as an argument, all else is immobilised.

Then they came for the citizens. They used the secularism blackmail to reduce our choices. If you are not with us you are evil they said. Then they infantilised us. You are not capable of exercising choices so we will make them for you. They acted as if we were so stupid that the three topmost leaders felt no need to justify themselves to us. But we did not speak out. After all we do have the vote.

http://m.indianexpress.com/news/while-w ... t/1140199/

He'll go where the wind blows. All these people just like the sound of their own voice.

[James B]

Why BJP is silent on gas price heist?. BJP also Mota Bhai's Dukaan?.

[R_Kumar]

Why BJP is silent on gas price heist?. BJP also Mota Bhai's Dukaan?.

To get cheaper/free grains we can use tax payer money and subsidies them to the extent of destroying the economy and farmers.
Who is going to subsidies oil? In the last couple of years Rs has depreciated by more than 30%. Bottom-line is fix the economy.
One more thing, everything gets affected by inflation. If price for food, service e.t.c is getting doubled every two years why not oil?
Even in a small town a rosgula used to cost Rs 5 3-4 years ago, now its 16-20 Rs. Going by this oil is still cheaper.

[abhishek_sharma]

Ishrat case: Digvijaya links IB officer with BJP leaders

[abhishek_sharma]

Delhi Confidential

Slide Chronology

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad came up with an interesting take on the weakening rupee against dollar. He said that rupee stood at Rahul's age (43) when BJP-led NDA demitted office, but it has attained parity with Sonia Gandhi's age (64) these days . Prasad then expressed apprehension that it might slip to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's age (80) in days to come if the slide continued at the current pace. Sensing, that his choice of metaphors may attract Congress ire, the BJP leader added that his remarks should be taken as "satire" and not personally by the Congress.

REHAB TRAUMA

UNION Shipping Minister G K Vasan's attempt to rehabilitate his protege M Yuvaraj by putting him into the board of Tuticorin Port Trust is said to have boomeranged. Yuvaraj, who had been elected as Tamil Nadu Youth Congress, was "suspended" early this year purportedly on disciplinary grounds. He had then denied allegation about his suspension being in anyway linked with the controversy surrounding the death of a girl. Subsequently, he was rehabilitated in the port trust last month only to be forced to put in his papers barely a week after his appointment. While his sympathisers claimed that he had resigned because he wanted to focus on party work, sources said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was enraged by the way the controversial Youth Congress leader had been "rewarded" with a place in the port trust and that forced Vasan to secure his protege's resignation.

TALENT HUNT

TAKING a cue from Rahul Gandhi's model to identify Youth Congress leaders through elaborate interviews, Ajay Maken — in charge of the Congress's publicity and communication department — is on talent hunt. He is set to organise a two-day workshop involving five leaders, including spokespersons, from each state later this month. They will be briefed about the achievements of the UPA government and trained to access and use the relevant data and materials prepared by the research cell. Those showing some "spark" during the training session may be brought to the centre or suitably "rewarded" with important assignments.

GLOBE TROTTING

HRD Minister Pallam Raju is turning quite the globe trotter. While he began the new year with a visit to the UK, he has recently returned from the USA where a university also awarded him an honorary doctorate. The minister has now flown to Australia with a power packed delegation. Accompanying the minister are Secretary School Education R Bhattacharya, Joint Secretary Amit Khare, PS Anil Singhal and chairpersons of both UGC and CBSE — Prof Ved Prakash and Vineet Joshi, respectively. Additional Secretary Amita Sharma was also supposed to be in the team but her name was dropped at the last minute.

TIME TO SPARE

RELIEVED of party responsibility, Ghulam Nabi Azad seems to have done a rethink about his role and functions in his capacity as Union Health Minister. Known to be disinclined to attend non-official functions, the minister has given his consent to be the chief guest at a convocation this week of a beauty clinic that has set up a beauty and nutrition centre.

[disha]

if kashmir is to be "resolved" in the above way, the days will be truly dark.

i don't expect any outcry from the Indian public though. all will be carefully sedated.

it would be like talking to some of my relatives. "congress knows best. they have been in charge for 70 years now. 'yesterday's chokras' like you should heed the word of elders."

Deveshji' sometimes a simple reminding of history helps. If they say "congress knows best"., ask back "was emergency best for India"? They will then go into contortions of how the train rides on time and it does become an interesting conversation.

And yes the "heeding word of elders" without a logical explanation is very annoying. It is nothing but a diplomatic way to say - "you pls. keep quiet with your inconvenient questions, let me be insomnubulent in my cosy pink tinted world". They may still say that, but rocking them and waking up from their kumbhakarna sleep is one of the challenges for the younger generation.

[devesh]

Deveshji' sometimes a simple reminding of history helps. If they say "congress knows best"., ask back "was emergency best for India"? They will then go into contortions of how the train rides on time and it does become an interesting conversation.

And yes the "heeding word of elders" without a logical explanation is very annoying. It is nothing but a diplomatic way to say - "you pls. keep quiet with your inconvenient questions, let me be insomnubulent in my cosy pink tinted world". They may still say that, but rocking them and waking up from their kumbhakarna sleep is one of the challenges for the younger generation.

bold part doesn't work in South. Emergency's worst was never felt there.
in Andhra, except for some minor repercussions on some people, vast majority carried on oblivious because there was no effect on them.
most of South, including Maha, and Gujarat happily voted INC back post-Emergency, even if they suffered setback in North.

younger generation doesn't need the burden of awakening their grandparents. it's impossible now.
and a totally wasted effort. better to focus on greener pastures. I know. I've tried in my more enthusiastic days. had to eat grass.

[Prasad]

Folks I have a simple question. During the last assembly polls in Gujarat, the rss was supposed to not be entirely in favoir of modi and wasn't working towards the reelection and in some places even working against him. Was this just msm nonsense trying to split the camp or have the two now kissed and made up looking at things pragmatically.

[member_22539]

^ Err, perhaps you forget the concentration camps and custodial deaths in Kerala (I only talk of Kerala because thats the only one I know about from my elders, wasn't alive then to pay attention).

[Sushupti]

^^^ A very hard hitting article.

A falling economy hurts everybody. And there is no major eye-opener than a falling economy. Sometimes under stress people do see clearly.

Earlier PB Mehta wrote "whatever the faults of the congress it stands for unity and secularism" and his vote is for them. I would say it's a major shift as Dilli-Billi intellectuals have started repositioning themselves.

[disha]

^^ Looks like "unity and secularism" is given a short shrift in pursuit of "governance incl. education & economics incl. infrastructure". Yes, they have started repositioning themselves., is it an indication of ship is burning? Is it just a wisp of air or beginning wave?

[disha]

Deveshji, as Arunji has pointed out there were the concentration camps and torture chambers in kerala. Rajan case was famous. So some parts of South did suffer badly.

Regarding Gujarat - in 17 years Congress was completely booted out from Gujarat and by 2018 an entire generation would have been born, raised, graduated, married and looking at raising another generation without any memory of Congress.

In AP itself, locally Congress was booted out within 6-7 years, but one has to give credit to YSR to rise back and make AP a Cong bastion again (though now it is in sticky wicket). K'tka was a bastion (Chikmaglur) (and Medak in AP too) and it is not necessarily a Cong bastion anymore.

And Mah is a curious case which everybody is trying to understand given previous posts.

Anyway ...

[sudarshan]

^^ Looks like "unity and secularism" is given a short shrift in pursuit of "governance incl. education & economics incl. infrastructure". Yes, they have started repositioning themselves., is it an indication of ship is burning? Is it just a wisp of air or beginning wave?

If it's the latter (hopefully), then we could well be witnessing a modern-day equivalent of the Narayanastra unfolding before our eyes. This is an invincible weapon, and the only way to survive this astra, once it is released, is to surrender to its power.

If enough people start believing this and spreading this view around, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Sachin]

^ Err, perhaps you forget the concentration camps and custodial deaths in Kerala

In Kerala it was a CPI led government (with C. Achutha Menon as the CM) who was running the state at the time of emergency. K. Karunakaran was the Home Minister. Kerala was one of those states which implemented the emergency measures to the full extent (even when having a commie ministry). The popular story is that K. Karunakaran during those days was more powerful than the CM himself and the police machinery worked with ruthless efficiency during this time. The only positive impact I see is that Naxalites (a potential menace) was completely wiped out in Kerala. Today you see these crazy folks only in a few colleges, and in some old timers meet.

[Vayutuvan]

Disha ji you are forgetting Ramtek.

[Inder Sharma]

In Maharashtra, NCP-Conress are deeply entrenched in the economy of the rural areas. They purchase the agri-produces of the farmer through coop-manufacturing; their co-op banks provide credit allocation, they control water allocation through political dominance. Ergo, there is front-end, back-end and process-end control over the rural economy of Maharashtra, and if anybody thinks of dropping out, then he is risking a lot.
Munde & Gakdari tried breaking this grip by starting their own cooperatives. Thus the Purti group ronaa-dhonaa.
Waise, the entire economic policy and regulatory interference seems to be aiming for this model on a larger scale in India.

[Sushupti]

Rahul Gandhi

"He likes the company of women, he certainly prefers the stylish, fresh-faced, long-legged beauties"

http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/43848/

[Sushupti]

And this guy was in BJP. Speaks the language of covert Islamists like Javed Akhtar

[Sushupti]

Ishrat case: Ex-MHA official claims he was coerced into giving statement

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 012576.cms

[disha]

Disha ji you are forgetting Ramtek.

Nope. It was Rae Barreily., now the constituency of Sonia G.

Ramtek was the constituency of PVNR. IMO a real stalwart.

[Sushupti]

Not averse to return to BJP, says Yeddyurappa

http://www.samachar.com/Not-averse-to-r ... ggcig.html

[Sushupti]

Bharat ke iss Nirman pe shaq hai mera

[Sushupti]

This too low even from Congress standards.

RTI on PM's relief fund reveals a murky system

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/in ... ystem.html

[Vayutuvan]

Disha ji you are forgetting Ramtek.

Nope. It was Rae Barreily., now the constituency of Sonia G.

Ramtek was the constituency of PVNR. IMO a real stalwart.

I know.

[krisna]

More than just polarisation-- realignement of forces-- more churning to come with time.

[SwamyG]

A good article by Pratap Bhanu Mehta Congress: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/while ... /1140199/0

Here is what I did, I broke down his paragraphs into points and omitted some lines - which is easily 'emailable' and when the points are listed as bulleted/numbered items - it will hit the mark. I did not change any words.....so email onlee to please. I just gave the caption "16-point Congress Accomplishments"

Again all credit to P.B.Mehta onlee.

"16-Point Congress Accomplishments"

-------------
1. First, the UPA came for the roads sector. They destroyed contracting. They slowed down road construction. They left highways half built.

2. Next, they came for the airline sector. They let Air India suck more money from taxpayers. They let bad regulation destroy the private sector. They let crony banking sustain bad bets. They ensured India would never be an aviation hub.

3. Then they came for the power sector. They confused creation of mega capacities with actual generation. They had no rational pricing plans. They were arbitrary in the awarding of licences. They could not make up their mind whether they wanted to protect the environment or destroy it

4. Then they came for education. They promulgated the RTE after 100 per cent enrolment. They expanded capacity, but cut-offs still rose. They regulated in such a way that there was a glut in some subjects and a shortage in others. They confused university buildings with building universities.

5.Then they came for industry. They turned the clock back in every way and waged open war. Ensure that regulations become more complex and uncertain. Ensure that input costs rise. Ensure crummy infrastructure. Promulgate a land scam policy known as SEZ and sell it as industrial policy. They encouraged FDI. But they forgot which one they wanted: outbound or inbound.

6. Then they came for employment. There was some growth. But they decided that the only good employment is that which has the hand of the state. So the NREGA's expansion was seen as a sign of success, not failure. By its own logic, if more people need the NREGA, the economy has failed.

7. Then they came for agriculture. First, they create artificial shortages through irrigation scams. Then they have a myopic policy for technology adoption. Then they decide India shall remain largely a wheat and rice economy; we will have shortages for everything else. Then they price everything to produce perverse incentives.

8. Then they came for institutions. They always had. This has been Congress DNA for four decades. They drew up a list of institutions that remained unscathed: Parliament, the IB, bureaucracy and you name it. They then went after those. They used institutions as instruments of their political design. They demoralised every single branch of government.

9. Then they came for inflation. They confused a GDP target of 10 per cent with an inflation target. Inflation will come down next quarter, we were told. Then they tried to buy us out. Inflation: no problem. Simply get the government to spend even more. Then they pretended inflation is a problem for the rich. Then they simply stopped talking about it

10. Then they came for the telecom sector. They got greedy and milked it. They got arbitrary and retrospectively taxed it.

11. Then they came for financial stability. They produced a large deficit. They brought the current account deficit close to an unsustainable point. They nearly wrecked the banking sector. They created every macro-economic instability you can imagine, which makes investment difficult.

12. Then they came for regulation. It was back to the 1970s. More arbitrary regulation is good. More rules are good. Uncertainty makes business more adept. The answer to every administrative problem is enacting a new law. Multiple regulators are good because they represent the diversity of India.

13. Then they came after freedom. They promulgated more restrictive rules for everything: freedom of expression, right to assembly and protest, foreign scholars. They used sedition laws. They kept the architecture of colonial laws intact. They said they stood against communal forces. But then they let Digvijaya Singh keep the communal pot boiling. They matched BJP's communal politicisation of terrorism at every step and then some.

14. Then they came for virtue itself. They preached, from the very summit of power: avoid responsibility. It will always be someone else's fault. They legitimised being corrupt: you are entitled to it if you are the party of the poor. They encouraged subterfuge to the point that members of the cabinet were subverting each other. They pretended that integrity is a word that does not mean anything.

15. Then they came for the poor. They visited their houses and slept in their homes. They liked the experience so much they decided to become growth sceptics. Enact policies that keep India in poverty a little longer.

16. Then they came for the citizens. They used the secularism blackmail to reduce our choices. If you are not with us you are evil they said. Then they infantilised us. You are not capable of exercising choices so we will make them for you. They acted as if we were so stupid that the three topmost leaders felt no need to justify themselves to us.
----------------

[krisna]

language gives the state of TN.

Nice fotos with the merchant of commerce.

[Yagnasri]

Undavvalli Arun Kumar is going to organize a meeting with allegations on Modi.

[RoyG]

Sunil Rajguru ‏@sunilrajguru 8h
Liberalization Economy Trinity…
Narasimha Rao the Creator.
Vajpayee the Preserver.
Manmohan the Destroyer.
Retweeted by MRV

https://twitter.com/MRVChennai

[Yayavar]

A good article by Pratap Bhanu Mehta Congress: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/while ... /1140199/0

Here is what I did, I broke down his paragraphs into points and omitted some lines - which is easily 'emailable' and when the points are listed as bulleted/numbered items - it will hit the mark. I did not change any words.....so email onlee to please. I just gave the caption "16-point Congress Accomplishments"

Again all credit to P.B.Mehta onlee.

"16-Point Congress Accomplishments"

-------------
1. First, the UPA came for the roads sector. They destroyed contracting. They slowed down road construction. They left highways half built.

2. Next, they came for the airline sector. They let Air India suck more money from taxpayers. They let bad regulation destroy the private sector. They let crony banking sustain bad bets. They ensured India would never be an aviation hub.

3. Then they came for the power sector. They confused creation of mega capacities with actual generation. They had no rational pricing plans. They were arbitrary in the awarding of licences. They could not make up their mind whether they wanted to protect the environment or destroy it

4. Then they came for education. They promulgated the RTE after 100 per cent enrolment. They expanded capacity, but cut-offs still rose. They regulated in such a way that there was a glut in some subjects and a shortage in others. They confused university buildings with building universities.

5.Then they came for industry. They turned the clock back in every way and waged open war. Ensure that regulations become more complex and uncertain. Ensure that input costs rise. Ensure crummy infrastructure. Promulgate a land scam policy known as SEZ and sell it as industrial policy. They encouraged FDI. But they forgot which one they wanted: outbound or inbound.

6. Then they came for employment. There was some growth. But they decided that the only good employment is that which has the hand of the state. So the NREGA's expansion was seen as a sign of success, not failure. By its own logic, if more people need the NREGA, the economy has failed.

7. Then they came for agriculture. First, they create artificial shortages through irrigation scams. Then they have a myopic policy for technology adoption. Then they decide India shall remain largely a wheat and rice economy; we will have shortages for everything else. Then they price everything to produce perverse incentives.

8. Then they came for institutions. They always had. This has been Congress DNA for four decades. They drew up a list of institutions that remained unscathed: Parliament, the IB, bureaucracy and you name it. They then went after those. They used institutions as instruments of their political design. They demoralised every single branch of government.

9. Then they came for inflation. They confused a GDP target of 10 per cent with an inflation target. Inflation will come down next quarter, we were told. Then they tried to buy us out. Inflation: no problem. Simply get the government to spend even more. Then they pretended inflation is a problem for the rich. Then they simply stopped talking about it

10. Then they came for the telecom sector. They got greedy and milked it. They got arbitrary and retrospectively taxed it.

11. Then they came for financial stability. They produced a large deficit. They brought the current account deficit close to an unsustainable point. They nearly wrecked the banking sector. They created every macro-economic instability you can imagine, which makes investment difficult.

12. Then they came for regulation. It was back to the 1970s. More arbitrary regulation is good. More rules are good. Uncertainty makes business more adept. The answer to every administrative problem is enacting a new law. Multiple regulators are good because they represent the diversity of India.

13. Then they came after freedom. They promulgated more restrictive rules for everything: freedom of expression, right to assembly and protest, foreign scholars. They used sedition laws. They kept the architecture of colonial laws intact. They said they stood against communal forces. But then they let Digvijaya Singh keep the communal pot boiling. They matched BJP's communal politicisation of terrorism at every step and then some.

14. Then they came for virtue itself. They preached, from the very summit of power: avoid responsibility. It will always be someone else's fault. They legitimised being corrupt: you are entitled to it if you are the party of the poor. They encouraged subterfuge to the point that members of the cabinet were subverting each other. They pretended that integrity is a word that does not mean anything.

15. Then they came for the poor. They visited their houses and slept in their homes. They liked the experience so much they decided to become growth sceptics. Enact policies that keep India in poverty a little longer.

16. Then they came for the citizens. They used the secularism blackmail to reduce our choices. If you are not with us you are evil they said. Then they infantilised us. You are not capable of exercising choices so we will make them for you. They acted as if we were so stupid that the three topmost leaders felt no need to justify themselves to us.
----------------

And hidden in there is the attack on women - every day you hear of new atrocities while the perpetrators are moving around unaffected.

[ramana]

Undavvalli Arun Kumar is going to organize a meeting with allegations on Modi.

Fellow used to be BJP or ABVP during the Emergency. Isnt he from Rajamundry?