Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

[krishnan]

A diplomatic passport is a passport which is issued to someone who must travel internationally on official state business. Diplomatic passports are classically given to diplomats and consuls when they are posted overseas, and they may be issued to other people within the government as well, depending on the circumstances. Diplomatic passports are usually a different color from other types of passports, making them very easy to identify; black is a classic color for diplomatic passports. Carrying a diplomatic passport does not entitle someone to diplomatic immunity.

[KJo]

US should be sanctioned for "religious invasion and promoting separatist tendencies" in other countries like India thus violating "freedom of faith"!

Hahahahahah we need balls of steel to do that.
Ask for something reasonable man!

[kapilrdave]

Just wondering how the balls made of steel would be of any use!!

[harbans]

Rahul ji:

Govt to MPs: Don't misuse your Diplomatic Passports

Taking note of Members of Parliament allegedly misusing their diplomatic passports for work and business, the External Affairs Ministry has issued a circular seeking to put an end to the malpractice.

Diplomatic passports are issued to lawmakers going abroad on diplomatic assignments as also to their spouses accompanying them.

In a letter to Parliament, the ministry has made it clear that these can be used for personal visits as well

While diplomatic passports can be used for private visits like tourism or visiting friends and relatives, they are not meant to be used when travelling abroad for work and business," the letter said.

[Hari Seldon]

Pradeep Sharma of snoopgate fame has had his case thrown out by the court. Another ploy to 'fix' namo bites the dust. Another day, another ploy. yawn.

[chetak]

Pradeep Sharma of snoopgate fame has had his case thrown out by the court. Another ploy to 'fix' namo bites the dust. Another day, another ploy. yawn.

For devotion to duty, above and beyond call, this guy should be immediately posted to our consulate in the US.

Arrested and strip searched on arrival as per latest US diplomatic norms.

[Victor]

what "work and business" do MPs have abroad?

[harbans]

what "work and business" do MPs have abroad?

Some MPs do play cricket abroad..

[chetak]

what "work and business" do MPs have abroad?

Think vijay mallya, for example

[vivek.rao]

Gehlot interview in Rediff starts off very well...

During his tenure as chief minister, the state assembly decreed that former chief ministers be entitled to a government bungalow, personal staff, a car and two security personnel. Gehlot has become the first beneficiary of this scheme. He will soon move to a bungalow which is about 400 metres from the chief minister's bungalow.

Meanwhile Gehlot discovers the secret ingredient in Namo magic...

Ashok Gehlot: The BJP ran a sinister, poisonous campaign

Q:How do you personally evaluate the massive failure of the Congress?

Gehlot: It was a poisonous campaign carried out by Narendra Modi that swept away some communities and youth in the BJPs favour. It was a sinister campaign where the contributions of the Nehru-Gandhi family were ridiculed. I think the first-time voters and the youth are very important elements in electoral politics. We have to get them to our side as they are the lot that create euphoria during the elections. We shall have to build special strategies for all this.

Must be true, after all Gehlot is saying so.

Excerpts from the interview follow... do read to get an inside view of the massive H&D blow the BJP managed to deliver this time...

But how did things go wrong so badly?

Yes, local issues particularly the good job done by the government -- free medicine, subsidised food, women empowerment, free diagnostic tests -- was totally hijacked by the Bharatiya Janata Party. They went on talking about national issues and the BJP's campaign against our government was so intense that the United Progressive Alliance government's failures became major issues and overshadowed the achievements of the state government.

The results showed that the Congress has lost its vote-banks particularly the SC, ST and minorities. How are you going to cover up these losses?

It’s a very serious issue that the Congress did not get a single SC seat out of 34 and out of the 24 ST seats, we could get only four. These seats were won mostly by the BJP. This has never happened before and it’s difficult to comprehend how it happened.

What about the minorities?

This was also a landmark. For the first time the Congress failed to get even a single Muslim candidate elected. This has baffled me as last time there were as many as 10 Muslim victors from the Congress and there were two Muslim winners from the BJP. But while we did not get a single Muslim winner, the BJP's two Muslim candidates won. The candidates have been telling me that even in the case of minority voters there has been an erosion. I did not believe my ears when I first heard it. But the truth has to be accepted.

What happened in your home turf of Marwar?

Leave Marwar. We were rejected across the state and those 21 winners are real good winners who defied the so-called Modi wave and emerged winners on their own strength. I am told in the border districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer, which has a sizable Muslim population, the BJP managed to make a dent and that caused the rout.

How is this that the SCs and STs also did not vote for you? They have been traditionally backing the Congress.

This needs proper study and we need to focus specially on these 59 (reserved) seats.

It was a sinister campaign where the contributions of the Nehru-Gandhi family were ridiculed

[SaiK]

aap sending 25lakh letters... are they going to run the gov like this? how are they going to consolidate 25L responses? how long is going to take to review these letters, and how are they going to come up with one resonse with 25L inputs?

aap is not only juvenile, but senile as well now.

[RoyG]

aap sending 25lakh letters... are they going to run the gov like this? how are they going to consolidate 25L responses? how long is going to take to review these letters, and how are they going to come up with one resonse with 25L inputs?

aap is not only juvenile, but senile as well now.

You communal idiot! This is direct democracy.

[chetak]

aap sending 25lakh letters... are they going to run the gov like this? how are they going to consolidate 25L responses? how long is going to take to review these letters, and how are they going to come up with one resonse with 25L inputs?

aap is not only juvenile, but senile as well now.

You communal idiot! This is direct democracy.

And, the results can be what ever they want it to be. No one would be dumb enough or interested enough to wade through 25 lakh replies to verify anything.

[RoyG]

Chetakji,

These guys are even more dangerous than the Congress. They are purists b/c they have hardcore naxal ngo types running the show.

[SaiK]

matter of fact, i like their intentions to ask 25L people.. i'd rather modi-fy this approach to policy based voting and governance. it simplifies the headache for any gov. ask people registered online or on device to punch in their secured votes. if they get 2/3rd policy voting, they can go ahead with enabling a rule or passing a judgement or a law. but not necessarily for those decision that requires a commission, security or national defence stories etc.. onlee those that affect the aam onlee.

something like BRF voting is fine too... as long as it is federated and authenticated, and transactions logged and traceable.

[Rahul Mehta]

aap sending 25lakh letters... are they going to run the gov like this? how are they going to consolidate 25L responses? how long is going to take to review these letters, and how are they going to come up with one resonse with 25L inputs?

matter of fact, i like their intentions to ask 25L people.. i'd rather modi-fy this approach to policy based voting and governance. it simplifies the headache for any gov. ask people registered online or on device to punch in their secured votes. if they get 2/3rd policy voting, they can go ahead with enabling a rule or passing a judgement or a law. but not necessarily for those decision that requires a commission, security or national defence stories etc.. onlee those that affect the aam onlee. something like BRF voting is fine too... as long as it is federated and authenticated, and transactions logged and traceable.

It is TRIVILLAY easy via SMS (pls see details in my SMS thread) . But AAP = AK wants to only create a show, and not do any REAL universal opinion gathering , in a way which can be consolidated with ease.

And pls see the cheating ---- in real democracy, the citizens decide the issue, the citizens decide the vote and govt executes. Here, AK decides issues, voters opinions are taken in hapazard way and not properly consolidated , and then AK decides what people said.

Why dont they take referendum on Bangladeshi issue ? or Ram Janam Bhoomi issue? or Krishna Janam Bhoomi issue? Because their sponsors have told them not to.

All in all, AAP is only brining discredit to direct democracy by creating mess.

[SaiK]

^say anyone can disrupt aam mindsets... he he he.. afterall they are aam! naat aapil.

now, you all go back few pages on the 3D vision of Modi. contemplate and think hard.

[darshhan]

aap sending 25lakh letters... are they going to run the gov like this? how are they going to consolidate 25L responses? how long is going to take to review these letters, and how are they going to come up with one resonse with 25L inputs?

matter of fact, i like their intentions to ask 25L people.. i'd rather modi-fy this approach to policy based voting and governance. it simplifies the headache for any gov. ask people registered online or on device to punch in their secured votes. if they get 2/3rd policy voting, they can go ahead with enabling a rule or passing a judgement or a law. but not necessarily for those decision that requires a commission, security or national defence stories etc.. onlee those that affect the aam onlee. something like BRF voting is fine too... as long as it is federated and authenticated, and transactions logged and traceable.

It is TRIVILLAY easy via SMS (pls see details in my SMS thread) . But AAP = AK wants to only create a show, and not do any REAL universal opinion gathering , in a way which can be consolidated with ease.

And pls see the cheating ---- in real democracy, the citizens decide the issue, the citizens decide the vote and govt executes. Here, AK decides issues, voters opinions are taken in hapazard way and not properly consolidated , and then AK decides what people said.

Why dont they take referendum on Bangladeshi issue ? or Ram Janam Bhoomi issue? or Krishna Janam Bhoomi issue? Because their sponsors have told them not to.

All in all, AAP is only brining discredit to direct democracy by creating mess.

Rahul Mehta ji, On a lighter note if your ideas ever reach fruition, telecom companies might just stop offering messaging services.

[krishnan]

matter of fact, i like their intentions to ask 25L people.. i'd rather modi-fy this approach to policy based voting and governance. it simplifies the headache for any gov. ask people registered online or on device to punch in their secured votes. if they get 2/3rd policy voting, they can go ahead with enabling a rule or passing a judgement or a law. but not necessarily for those decision that requires a commission, security or national defence stories etc.. onlee those that affect the aam onlee.

something like BRF voting is fine too... as long as it is federated and authenticated, and transactions logged and traceable.

then why have elections , form govt? SC can just ask people to that. and why have this guy as the CM, when he cant take decision

[SaiK]

elections are needed to run the gov. but when you have stupids elected, it is better to be governed by a group of specialized task force who create policies and rules.. and these scums only make sure that is happened. at least a separation of concern in the gov architecture and setup can be driven.

btw, we have to be careful in separating what is aam and what is not.

[krishnan]

, i really love the wordings they use for RaGa

[vera_k]

do MP's get diplomatic passports (the red ones) ? I think they get the official passports (white ones).

Diplomatic passports are handed out to everyone with means. Main benefit appears to be more opportunity for visa free travel and perceived benefits in passenger screening.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-06/india/40406255_1_kirti-azad-security-agencies-heathrow-airport

Sources close to Azad said that despite having a diplomatic passport

[Shanmukh]

Diplomatic passports are handed out to everyone with means. Main benefit appears to be more opportunity for visa free travel and perceived benefits in passenger screening.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-06/india/40406255_1_kirti-azad-security-agencies-heathrow-airport

Sources close to Azad said that despite having a diplomatic passport

Was Kirti Azad not an MLA or MP or something like that?

[SaiK]

sometime back, there was a huge kala-angrez strategy to play around with an imaginary source point with massan vija management and controls divisions (to enage modi and keep him subdued).. and these kala scums now realize after this diplomatic redux (modi mus be laughing his heart out), and the recent exchanges shall expose many things kala that kongrez does.

nail this kongrez game, and their inner vija controls, and expose what is going on? team modi should actually send his amit shah snoop probe to nail this kongrez and diplomat issue. this will bring an end to their inner evil aspects to some surface level for aam.

[Karan M]

^^ Raja Bose please translate.

[Rahul M]

do MP's get diplomatic passports (the red ones) ? I think they get the official passports (white ones).

Diplomatic passports are handed out to everyone with means. Main benefit appears to be more opportunity for visa free travel and perceived benefits in passenger screening.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-07-06/india/40406255_1_kirti-azad-security-agencies-heathrow-airport

Sources close to Azad said that despite having a diplomatic passport

kirti azad is a bjp MP, not anybody. still, I am having the feeling that media does not discriminate between official passports and diplomatic passports.

[anmol]

www.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/opinion/cohen-indias-aspirational-volcano.html

India’s Aspirational Volcano
by ROGER COHEN, nytimes.com
December 16th 2013

[..]

Multiple Indias have always existed in Gandhi’s land of 700,000 villages, but never perhaps in such proximity or with such access to one another, a rising class of conspicuous consumers hoisted through a decade of now faltering growth hard by villages where unemployed men dim boredom with alcohol. Images of a hyper-materialistic and hyper-sexualized world are transmitted to the cell phone of a street vendor. People see but learn not to see how surfeit and suffering coexist. A bon mot doing the rounds in Delhi is that the only successful secession movement in India’s history is that of the burgeoning middle class, with its gated communities, private security, private hospitals and private education for pampered kids.

There is truth in that but only up to a point. In fact the contradictions and tensions of this country, where the average Indian is in his or her mid-20s and per-capita income has almost tripled over the past decade, have reached a tipping-point. The old politics are over. The governing Indian National Congress, the centrist reference point of the nation’s democracy, seems out of touch, and with it the Gandhi dynasty. Passivity is giving way to a ferocious engagement. It is driven by anger over corruption, incompetence, inequality and inertia. The skewed development that skewers the commonweal, or public space, seems unsustainable. New forces and parties are emerging with unpredictable, perhaps even dangerous, consequences. If China is a top-down nation and India bottom-up, then the world’s largest democracy is about to witness what happens when social media connects the long voiceless bottom.

“Aspirations have been unleashed and a child in a slum wants to be a doctor or an astronaut,” Nandan Nilekani, a billionaire software mogul now in a cabinet-level position overseeing the building of a huge identity database, tells me. “We are sitting on an aspirational volcano. But the political system is clogged. People want change in real time.”

That frustration was evident in state elections this month that saw the Congress Party hammered by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on its right flank and the year-old Aam Aadmi, or Common Man, on its left. The aggressive, take-no-prisoners B.J.P. leader, Narendra Modi, has parlayed his brand of Hindu nationalism, his red-tape slashing economic success in Gujarat (where he is chief minister), and his much-vaunted decisiveness into Modi mania, a fever fed by Indians intent on climbing the economic ladder who are tired of the muddling-through politics of handouts and believe Modi (with his 2.9 million Twitter followers) can at once give business a boost (a view shared by Goldman Sachs) and assert the new India’s place on the world stage.

Modi, of course, was governing Gujarat in 2002 when more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed in communal rioting. The Supreme Court cleared him in a belated inquiry (official India specializes in the belated) but allegations of complicity in a pogrom persist, and a recent remark to Reuters equating his remorse with that of a driver who inadvertently kills a puppy sparked renewed controversy. His hardline fans were unfazed; they know the subtext of his ascendancy. Still — such is India — Modi would not become prime minister in elections next May without significant coalition-building compromise, a bulwark, but not a wholly secure one, against the sharp tensions his rise provokes.

The other man lifted by the volcanic turbulence of Indian development is Arvind Kejriwal whose Aam Aadmi has learned lessons from Obama’s campaigns — including fund-raising through small contributions from millions of people — to develop a new political force at record speed. It is new not only in its techniques. The party has shunned habitual emotional platforms of caste, religion, language and region in favor of channeling the anger of an undifferentiated citizenry. That anger over rampant corruption and indifferent service is boiling. Kejriwal’s Twitter account proclaims, “Political revolution in India has begun.”

[..]

[rajsunder]

do MP's get diplomatic passports (the red ones) ? I think they get the official passports (white ones).
in any case an MP, a political creature is not same as a diplomat.
kindly do not tweet these misleading things.

They get diplomatic (the red ones). AFAIR , there was this case in late 1990's where in one MP who took people who paid him 10-20 lakh to UK and US and left them there on his wife's and children's passports.

[VinodTK]

Behind an Indian Politician's Rise, a Young Online Army

A 2:55 minute video

India. The world's largest democracy. With elections in 2014, the race is on to reach some 150 million first-time voters. As the opposition mobilises, a new breed of political activists are emerging.

[ramana]

SaiK, Please settle down to lower state so us mere mortals don't need interpreters.
Who knows we may end up with the interpreter from Mandela's funeral!

And why this non standard English which even benis regulars cant decipher?

[Prem]

sometime back, there was a huge kala-angrez strategy to play around with an imaginary source point with massan vija management and controls divisions (to enage modi and keep him subdued).. and these kala scums now realize after this diplomatic redux (modi mus be laughing his heart out), and the recent exchanges shall expose many things kala that kongrez does. nail this kongrez game, and their inner vija controls, and expose what is going on? team modi should actually send his amit shah snoop probe to nail this kongrez and diplomat issue. this will bring an end to their inner evil aspects to some surface level for aam.

Those who have followed the Desi Kaalla Angrez for the last 10 years will know right away. Massa must have realized that these dickbreethers have been Dinostic with them.

[Vayutuvan]

Whatever he is now, he was a heck of a batsman.

[SaiK]

okayye... the long story format then: {in my own words onlee}

1. devyani is alleged to be filing to state dept having paid $4500 to nanny while going rates were $573 a month. This will definitely raise an eyebrow with anyone. This is like 7.8 times the normal rate for nannies.

2. Two offence count is one, the visa paper lies and most importantly the claimed $4500 for 573. [please remember these are exactly what kala-angrez does to Indin AAM setup]. Here there is no unkill sam to monitor nor AAP has benis sense to attack. I am just saying it is not Devyani's fault, but kala-angrez modus operandi. [... finally, it would be like - you ain't seen anything or unkill will never see 2G scam nor common wealth scams kind]

3. Devyani's father goes wild! he finds no fault on her daughter (very likely), but there is a truth in his eyes (check video) when he says, it is all a setup. A setup by kala-angrez gov.. the inner workings where this bribery chain of command structure is the basis path pattern of the organization.

4. Kala-angrez suddenly did not realize how this phuck up happened, and now want to preempt the problem. They began lifting barricades to US embasy, and want to deviate from the main story line, i.e., how the heck they paid $4500 to nanny alone - they do know how much the diplomat is paid- no?

5. To protect kala-angrez deep setup from international disgrace, and face saving at home.. they have done all these... and thus the visa redux begins, but with a twist. Remember, earlier the inner working groups, bribery gangs used some X-men/wimmen to do all these blackarts, now might get a candid exposure once FBI gets in.

6. So, now Modi must engage kala-angrez on this issue (imho, rather support kala-angrezy gov).. why? Because, this is a double edged sword for him to take the strike.. on one edge, kala-angrez natak and chasing modi's visa issues, and heckling him on the 2002 incident and repeatedly bringing the modi-visa issue will diminish or vaporise... and on the other edge, we get kala-angrez by their b@lls. I suspect, there is a larger gang in these money laundering of kala-angrez governance.

7. Why I am thinking our babooze may be wrong is ( and not US gov crapping here on the nanny payments) that 4Lakhs is her salary, and nanny is paid 2.8L. so, question: (I assume diplomats gets nanny services by Indian gov practices).. so, who is paying the nanny? can we get the payment checks, money transfer documents, transactions, etc. public on RTI?

8. My suspciion is this.. there are fake per dieum claims (if that is allowed by some route).. and Devyani may not even be involved perhaps, or been taken for a ride. whatever, there is a inner-kala-angrez klan setup to work on these type of hawalas.

9. US state dept is not stupid to claim and allege that she paid 8 times more the standard rates.

10. Why should her dad feel (my reading) that it is kala-angrez setup? that was my lead point on this story.

[vera_k]

I think 2014 will see the Democrats also thrown out in the Senate.

And they will lose some states as well. Have become a nuisance.

[apoorv]

deleted..

[krishnan]

okayye... the long story format then: {in my own words onlee}

was the nanny allowance paid by GoI ??

[chetak]

okayye... the long story format then: {in my own words onlee}

was the nanny allowance paid by GoI ??

Maybe not fully paid but at least a fixed allowance would be paid with the rest(?) coming out of the diplomat's pocket.

Otherwise no Indian babu will pay INR 30,000/=, plus room and board and other sundry expenses for the domestic help.

[VikramS]

Boss. paying maids Indian salary is the norm.

The diplomats get paid a stipend (a few thousand dollars a month) apart from the lodging. They are in no position to pay full US salaries.

In cities like NYC the consulars have a LOT of after hours events to take care of. So needing a maid to run the house is the norm. Many of them actually stay in one apartment complex so that they can help each other out (the consular staff). The diplomats like to live in better housing (I am talking 2-3BR apartments) where they can occasionally entertain.

The problem is that the MEA does not hire the maids as a part of the consular package. They have to be hired independently by each employee. And that is where the problem starts. Since there visa is under US laws they have to pay the required salary on paper while there is no way they can.

OTOH if you count the benefits, boarding & lodging in Manhattan, 1 RT to India, free zero deductible health insurance the actual cash value of the benefit to the maid is well *above* what the minimum wage would be.

The problem with this maid started when she wanted to moonlight in her free time and the officer told her that the visa did not permit her. Then the usual rounds of church orgs and mediators who "swooped in to rescue the bonded labor from the evil Yindoo who treated her like a slave", only to find out that the alleged tormentor is a dalit herself.

[Comer]

Good post VikramS. So far in this saga how exactly is GoI overreacting? There is no harassment or arrests of US personnel(yet). Only they are brought it down couple of notches by removing the gratuitous perks they are used to. How exactly is this over reaction?

[SaiK]

why should it even react without knowing details? this gov is protecting its faults and not devyani's.