Indian Interests

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 23 Dec 2010 04:01

BSir ji,
Bet British Boosted Bappu and "baaki' Congressi PSers as national leaders thus undermining any chance of nationalistic forces running the show. Bhagat Singh, Bose , Bihari, lala, Rai, Tilak etc are now all just side notes in the Nehru ascendancy in which Indics must remain as secondary, sacrificing elements to serve the Non Indic, Non Indian interests so dear to Chachaism.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 23 Dec 2010 04:08

RamaY wrote:^
I typed but did not post this comment this morning!
Perhaps nationalists should join INC and act line mirror-DGs.

RamaYa
Joining "Firm or Family" can be "Risky Business". In past Brit took care of the compititors and in this era ask Scindia or others like him. Searching for real "GPM" ( "G Point" Module) in Congressi universe is waste of time.

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 23 Dec 2010 05:07

Prem ji,
one of the problem with SDRE's is that they believe in returning again and again if their task remains unfulfilled. So Rai, Tilak et al (all the others you mention in the sequence) may either be already around or planning to be around soon! They might also have learnt from the mistakes - especially on issues of trust, not planning for the future, not selecting the right person, etc., not being ruthless enough, etc. The battle rages on!

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 23 Dec 2010 10:03

X Posting form 2g scam thread

Is UPA in a self-destructive mode?

It seems that the Kangress is doing all it can in order to sabotage the government. In order to facilitate the coronation if the Yuvraj.

But they don't realise that if they continue on this way the only thing they will end up achieving would be ruin for themselves.

It would not be of any consequence if their actions were not hurting the nation and its struggal for development.

anchal · Post by **anchal** » 23 Dec 2010 10:16

Rai-Tilak-Pal trio is sometimes referred as Lal-Bal-Pal

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 23 Dec 2010 22:00

RamaY wrote:^

I typed but did not post this comment this morning!

Perhaps nationalists should join INC and act line mirror-DGs.

Its already there and shows how low it profile and image is that people are unaware.

Its called Congress Secular Hindu Forum (CSHF). Try to google it and see it has been making low profile statements.

http://congresssecularhinduforum.blogspot.com/

History:

.....
Congress Secular Hindu Forum (CSHF) has been functioning since more than three and half years, with in the Congress party, with the active support of several Hindu-minded leaders and cadres from all over the country. Our party high command is well aware of this organization. We have been frequently conveying our point of view on almost all important issues to the party high command.
......
Congress Secular Hindu Forum is not a `paper tiger’ organization, as some senior journalists trying to makes others to believe. We have the support of crores of Hindus all over the country. Lakhs of people are ready to rally behind us in any programme, if we give a call. We can even organize dharna or rasta roko at the AICC head quarter or even at the residence of Smt. Sonia Gandhi, in support of our demands.

However, we do not want to create problems to the party. We are strong believers in Gandhian principles and want to follow peaceful means and democratic methods. If Congress high command is adamant and not prepared to respect the wishes of the party cadre, Congress Secular Hindu Forum may be forced to intensify its agitational programme, as per need of the hour......

Seems to be a Hyderabad run organization. lets see how it shapes up.

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 23 Dec 2010 23:51

I would be rather careful about it. This is an org beginning to rot from deep inside. The forum could be a trap, to keep an eye out on who within are "deviating" from the total-submission to dynasty line. The "Holy Council" should not be trusted at all. It is against its interests and commitments to support anything even remotely resembling or touching on the Hindu.

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 24 Dec 2010 08:37

What’s the big idea?

Finally, there is the space of ideas. What are the big ideas on corruption that the BJP wants to champion? Does it want to take the lead in political finance? Does it want to take the lead in police reform? If it does not occupy this space quickly, mere negativism will not take it too far. It still needs to show that it can be more than an opposition party.

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 24 Dec 2010 12:55

From politicsparty.com

http://politicsparty.com/congress_plenary.php

I cannot copy & paste but read about how this government has destroyed India's manufacturing and is now destorying agriculture. Sonia/MMS slimeballs

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 24 Dec 2010 20:41

ShauryaT wrote:What’s the big idea?
Finally, there is the space of ideas. What are the big ideas on corruption that the BJP wants to champion? Does it want to take the lead in political finance? Does it want to take the lead in police reform? If it does not occupy this space quickly, mere negativism will not take it too far. It still needs to show that it can be more than an opposition party.

Why should this onus be on the BJP? In the Indian setup, the opposition has no say in governance, apart from shouting a bit in the Parliament. Why should we not ask the party in government to be more than a party merely in government! Especially when it has the power to effect changes.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 26 Dec 2010 08:33

Two blogs concerning law matters in India:
http://lawandotherthings.blogspot.com/ (with contributors who are some of the legal luminaries nonetheless)
http://advocatekamalkumarpandey.wordpress.com/

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 27 Dec 2010 04:25

2010 is quite landmark year.

On the political side we had the numerous scams across the spectrum.

- CWG scam
- 2G spectrum scam
- Adarsh Housing society scam

On the technology side we had failures:
- Agni II+
- GSLV
- Failure to identify the Varanasi bomb blast composition

On the plus side we had the
-100 medals in CWG
- Beijing Games

I think the politicans and technologists need to stand down and think why we are in the mess.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 27 Dec 2010 08:37

brihaspati wrote:
Why should this onus be on the BJP? In the Indian setup, the opposition has no say in governance, apart from shouting a bit in the Parliament. Why should we not ask the party in government to be more than a party merely in government! Especially when it has the power to effect changes.

BJP has to be a party with difference which used to attract youth and people sick and tired of appeasement and corruption. BJP has to gain moral ground to attract that sections.

I feel they should come up with real ideas on how to fix this corruption. If they just feel that they will win by default, they will pay a price. Unfortunately, that is their thinking now. BJP under Vajpayee was always creative whether it is debate about Presidential form or GQ or River linking.

I really feel that they have to come up with all ideas to stabilize this nation and create a framework to free India from corruption. Otherwise, for every 2G scam, the national press will throw Yeddy to muddy the waters.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 27 Dec 2010 08:42

vijayk wrote: I feel they should come up with real ideas on how to fix this corruption. If they just feel that they will win by default, they will pay a price. Unfortunately, that is their thinking now. BJP under Vajpayee was always creative whether it is debate about Presidential form or GQ or River linking.

Advani and Vajpayee never uttered a single word against rampant corruption by Pramod Mahajan. Nor did these worthies do anything about demographic invasion of Assam and West Bengal, or bring to a conclusion old corruption cases. Even now you will never see Advani organizing a rally against EVMs, although he is happy to organize protests on other issues. So there are red lines which the present BJP leadership will never cross.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 27 Dec 2010 09:27

What was the extent of curruption by Mahajan? Was it as brazen and Shameless as the UPA?

Saurabh_M · Post by **Saurabh_M** » 28 Dec 2010 12:45

Please do not forget that it was NDA government
(a) Tried to sell off a lot of PSU's at dirt cheap rates
(b) Coffin scam

I think everyone in Maharashtra is still feeling effect of Enron disaster.

Money minded morons on both sides of the parliament.
IAS lobby is equally bad.
Election commission should introduce a "Disqualify" option while voting. That will teach these buggers a few things

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 30 Dec 2010 18:55

Blackmail Justice

So, finally, this community — that, ironically, at the turn of the century had campaigned for Kshatriya status — is given a one per cent quota; the one per cent being all the space left under the 50 per cent ceiling.....

This should be a wake-up call to those who had naïvely assumed that state jobs no longer matter for our politics. Even the momentum behind the Telangana movement comes, in part, from a desire to a greater share of state jobs. ...

In Rajasthan, both the Congress and the BJP wilfully decimated the politics of aspiration. There is no greater proof of that than their systematic destruction of higher education in the state. They turned a potential knowledge hub into an exemplar of what happens when your public universities are in ruin. ....

But the net result is simply that the Gurjjars have proved how easy it is to bring transport to a standstill. Their technique of causing disruption makes the Naxal strategy look convoluted and silly. It is frighteningly easy to disrupt the state. The second lesson they have learnt is that you have to have nuisance value to wrest concessions from the state. Last time round they managed to extract some concessions in the form of scholarships and largesse for Bainsla’s extended kin. The community recognises that their leadership is as compromised as the state against which they are protesting. But it is the tragedy of modern Indian politics that the grammar of justice is now irrevocably tied to the grammar of anarchy and blackmail.

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 30 Dec 2010 21:31

brihaspati wrote: Why should this onus be on the BJP? In the Indian setup, the opposition has no say in governance, apart from shouting a bit in the Parliament. Why should we not ask the party in government to be more than a party merely in government! Especially when it has the power to effect changes.

B ji, Bhanu Pratap Mehta, recognizes that the INC is part of the problem and hence does not expect them to lead to be part of the solution. He wishes for the BJP to be part of the solution. However, is critical of the BJP's leadership, insular and confused tendencies and a largely negatively led agenda, which does not adequately capture the imagination of the Indian populace, to result in meaningful electoral results. That to me is his perspective.

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 30 Dec 2010 21:48

A glass half empty perspective.
Will India Ever be a Nation with Rule of Law , Unlikely!

India is becoming a land of banana plantations .

National needs and policies are drowned in local politics, emotional or outdated ideological illusions, playing to the galleries or simple ignorance .Former Indian Ambassador KS Bajpai gives some examples ,“Tamil Nadu’s parties competed to embarrass Delhi’s handling of Sri Lanka, states around Bangladesh connive at illegal immigration, UP has no thought for its responsibilities vis-à-vis Nepal. With visions so narrow, who cares about the security of the Persian Gulf or the stability of Central Asia? Or the question of our permanent UNSC membership.” Indians will remain frogs in a well or like the scabs in an opened tin ,pulling each other down.

India is unlikely to become a modern nation with rule of law which defines a nation, any time soon .It is becoming worse with an uncertain future .

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 30 Dec 2010 22:19

ShauryaT wrote:A glass half empty perspective.
Will India Ever be a Nation with Rule of Law , Unlikely!

India is becoming a land of banana plantations .

National needs and policies are drowned in local politics, emotional or outdated ideological illusions, playing to the galleries or simple ignorance .Former Indian Ambassador KS Bajpai gives some examples ,“Tamil Nadu’s parties competed to embarrass Delhi’s handling of Sri Lanka, states around Bangladesh connive at illegal immigration, UP has no thought for its responsibilities vis-à-vis Nepal. With visions so narrow, who cares about the security of the Persian Gulf or the stability of Central Asia? Or the question of our permanent UNSC membership.” Indians will remain frogs in a well or like the scabs in an opened tin ,pulling each other down.

India is unlikely to become a modern nation with rule of law which defines a nation, any time soon .It is becoming worse with an uncertain future .

What he is talking about in the examples is not about the rule of law - it is about something completely different : identification with the nation, national interests, and a commitment to enhancing national interests. This has nothing tod o with the rule of law. The cliche expression of "rule of law" comes from the Brit legalese - and their judicial system was notoriously corrupt, laws were made and flouted at the will of the powerful and the royalty, and economic or commercial cut-throatness decided on which side the law will rule.

Most of the "rule of law" stuff came after and not before economic prosperity and wealth concentration in the hand sof the elite of Britain - after a distinct lag from the onset of colonial exploitation. That too the first targets of cleanup were things like prevention of "fraud", "theft" - things that damaged the wealthy. Britian continued to horribly maul and devour its own disempowered as well as that of colonies it conquered by hook or crook. There was no rule of law considerations then. Rule of law did not prevent serious miscarriages of justice continuously and never stood in the way of British ruling class interests.

If India is a "rule of law" less country now, the Brits have as much role in it as the Islamic rulers before - who destroyed the pre-existing value based justice system which was largely self-regulatory [even the kings were subject to such systems because they were subject to the same value systems].

Convenient corruption of "rule of law" can never be guaranteed - unless laws become independent of formulation by the "rulers".

JwalaMukhi · Post by **JwalaMukhi** » 31 Dec 2010 00:50

More than Banana Republic, it is turning out to be a scam nation.
Maybe enterprising jingo could calculate Net Present Value of all these scams and accurately portray how much the nation has lost to the looters.
http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-sh ... 101230.htm

Here is the list extracted from the above link.
2G spectrum scam: Rs 176,000 crore
Ramalinga Raju: Rs 8,000 crore
Harshad Mehta: Rs 5,000 crore
Hassan Ali Khan: Rs 39,120 crore
Teak plantation swindle Rs 8,000 crore
Dinesh Singhania: Rs 120 crore
Ketan Parekh: Rs 1,000 crore
Fertiliser import scam Rs 1,300 crore
Sugar import scam of 1994: Rs 650 crore
Meghalaya Forest scam of 1995: Rs 300 crore
Urea scam of 1996: Rs 133 crore
Bihar fodder scam of 1996: Rs 950 crore
Scorpene submarine scam Rs 18,978 crore
Army ration pilferage scam of 2008 Rs 5,000 crore
Bihar land scandal in 1997: Rs 400 crore
Bihar flood relief scam of 2005: Rs 17 crore
Sukh Ram telecom scam in 1997: Rs 1,500 crore
SNC Lavalin power project scam in 1997: Rs 374 crore
C R Bhansali: Rs 1,200 crore
IPO scam: Rs 1,000 crore estimated
Abdul Karim Telgi: Rs 500 crore
The Jharkhand medical equipment scam Rs 130 crore
Punjab's City Centre project scam in 2006: Rs 1,500 crore
Taj Corridor scam of 2006: Rs 175 crore
State Bank of Saurashtra scam in 2008: Rs 95 crore
Rice export scam of 2009: Rs 2,500 crore
Orissa mine scam in 2009: Rs 7,000 crore
Madhu Koda mining scam of 2009: Rs 4,000 crore
Preferential allotment scam of 1995: Rs 5,000 crore
Yugoslav Dinar scam of 1995: Rs 400 crore
Cobbler scam: Rs 1,000 crore
Dinesh Dalmia: Rs 595 crore
Virendra Rastogi: Rs 43 crore
The UTI scam: Rs 32 crore
Uday Goyal: Rs 210 crore
Sanjay Agarwal: Rs 600 crore

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 31 Dec 2010 05:07

This is old, but i believe not posted.
We Hide History To Hide Shortcomings

What’s the practice in other countries such as US, UK, China?
In the West, documents are de-classified after 30 years. China, on the other hand, is a closed, authoritarian country. You could be living next to a disaster all your life without knowing it because the government will never tell you. That’s no comparison with us. We are a popular democracy. Yet, the fact that we hide secrets shows that we are not a particularly confident democracy. We are a diffident democracy. If we were confident, we would say, “OK, we messed it up. We will learn from it”.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 01 Jan 2011 00:50

What’s Big for India
http://the-diplomat.com/indian-decade/2 ... for-india/
Chatham House Acting Head and Senior Research Fellow Gareth Price was in India earlier this month. The Diplomat caught up with him to get his take on some of the key issues facing the country in 2010.

Barack Obama’s trip to India last month, including his call for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for India, was seen by many as marking a further important step in ties. How would you describe relations between the two?
India enjoys the attention that the United States is giving it at the moment; the support for its permanent UNSC seat played well in Delhi, on top of the recognition that the US is the only country to push through ‘game-changing’ policies, such as the US-India civil nuclear deal. While there’s no wish to become a major US ally, within India there’s also recognition that the United States is becoming the partner of choice, ahead of the UK, in fields such as education and for employment. So relations are strong and deepening.
Do you get any sense that India feels the relationship is one of convenience for the US as it seeks to balance China?
On both sides there’s a recognition that the United States wants India as a balance to China; and in India there’s no wish to become some kind of US poodle. But when relations with China are poor, increased support from the US isn’t unwelcome to Delhi. That said, Pakistan continuously comes into the equation.
Relations between China and India have been relatively cool the past year or so. What did you make of Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit, and how optimistic are you ties will improve?
Economically, ties are good; China is now India's largest trading partner. But India's exports are primarily raw materials. China has proved unwilling to open up its markets to India's strengths. And China is now the country most averse to India becoming a permanent UNSC member.
Domestically, what are some of thebiggest challenges likely to face Manmohan Singh’s government in the coming year?
Corruption is number one, ever since the Commonwealth Games, and a number of other scandals. The government appears unwilling to take liberalising measures while the economy is growing strongly. But a large part of India's political elite now appears most intent on rent-seeking than on serving the common good. This is not playing well in India.
There’s frequent talk of Rahul Gandhi being the heir apparent. What do we know about him that could give an indication of his leadership style, and can you see any circumstances under which he won’t eventually lead the Congress Party?
Rahul Gandhi is clearly the heir apparent to the Congress Party. But it's not at all clear what, apart from being a Gandhi, he will bring to ruling the world's largest democracy. His efforts to galvanise the vote for Congress thus far have not been impressive.
What kind of state is the main opposition BJP in at the moment?
Not good, but the party has been galvanised by the corruption issues within Congress. It isn't hugely clear what the BJP stands for, but the party knows what it’s against, and the greater the problems within Congress, the greater the opportunity, by default, for Congress.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 01 Jan 2011 00:50

What’s Big for India
http://the-diplomat.com/indian-decade/2 ... for-india/
Chatham House Acting Head and Senior Research Fellow Gareth Price was in India earlier this month. The Diplomat caught up with him to get his take on some of the key issues facing the country in 2010.

Barack Obama’s trip to India last month, including his call for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council for India, was seen by many as marking a further important step in ties. How would you describe relations between the two?
India enjoys the attention that the United States is giving it at the moment; the support for its permanent UNSC seat played well in Delhi, on top of the recognition that the US is the only country to push through ‘game-changing’ policies, such as the US-India civil nuclear deal. While there’s no wish to become a major US ally, within India there’s also recognition that the United States is becoming the partner of choice, ahead of the UK, in fields such as education and for employment. So relations are strong and deepening.
Do you get any sense that India feels the relationship is one of convenience for the US as it seeks to balance China?
On both sides there’s a recognition that the United States wants India as a balance to China; and in India there’s no wish to become some kind of US poodle. But when relations with China are poor, increased support from the US isn’t unwelcome to Delhi. That said, Pakistan continuously comes into the equation.
Relations between China and India have been relatively cool the past year or so. What did you make of Premier Wen Jiabao’s visit, and how optimistic are you ties will improve?
Economically, ties are good; China is now India's largest trading partner. But India's exports are primarily raw materials. China has proved unwilling to open up its markets to India's strengths. And China is now the country most averse to India becoming a permanent UNSC member.
Domestically, what are some of thebiggest challenges likely to face Manmohan Singh’s government in the coming year?
Corruption is number one, ever since the Commonwealth Games, and a number of other scandals. The government appears unwilling to take liberalising measures while the economy is growing strongly. But a large part of India's political elite now appears most intent on rent-seeking than on serving the common good. This is not playing well in India.
There’s frequent talk of Rahul Gandhi being the heir apparent. What do we know about him that could give an indication of his leadership style, and can you see any circumstances under which he won’t eventually lead the Congress Party?
Rahul Gandhi is clearly the heir apparent to the Congress Party. But it's not at all clear what, apart from being a Gandhi, he will bring to ruling the world's largest democracy. His efforts to galvanise the vote for Congress thus far have not been impressive.
What kind of state is the main opposition BJP in at the moment?
Not good, but the party has been galvanised by the corruption issues within Congress. It isn't hugely clear what the BJP stands for, but the party knows what it’s against, and the greater the problems within Congress, the greater the opportunity, by default, for Congress.

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 01 Jan 2011 01:25

What the hell

IAF's top secret file found on road

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/vide ... 197927.cms

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 01 Jan 2011 11:35

India's Strategic Pieces of Eight

India's strategic pieces of eight
Pramit Pal Chaudhuri, Hindustan Times
December 30, 2010

Over the next decade, India may become a $5 trillion economy. Its economic growth rate may overtake that of China. It may become the preeminent military power in the Indian Ocean. It could become one of only 10 countries in the world with a full technology cycle. Most importantly, India could see its poverty index drop to the single digits.

All this and more is possible if this one-sixth of mankind can get its act together. But the rise of a great power is never an accident. It takes hard work, foresight and, granted, a bit of luck.

Great Britain was a small foggy country on the margins of Europe through most of its existence. Then it began to get things right - parliamentary democracy, the limited liability company, the steam engine, the Royal Navy - and, as a result, eventually established the world's largest empire.

The preeminence of the United States, it is half-seriously said, arose ultimately from the invention of the world's best higher education system. Understand how fast it grew: In 1900, half of Americans regularly wore secondhand clothes; 50 years later, the rest of mankind was berating them for gross wastefulness.

With China, it has been the other way around. For the past 300 years, the country that traditionally commanded half of mankind's wealth has been kept down by its own nobility, an invasion-cum-civil war and the aftermath of Mad Mao. It has been the same for India: A natural Goliath punching at the level of a dwarf because of a feudal elite, societal divisions, colonialism and, more recently, socialism.

Both countries' domestic failings have kept them out of the world system for the past two centuries. In recent times, China has scripted its own resurrection. If India doesn't make it this coming decade, it will have no one to blame but itself. The British East India Company isn't here to kick us around any more - and its brand is now owned by a person of Indian origin anyway.

TWO SIDES TO POWER

So what does India have to do in the coming decade to become a country of note? There are two sides to the answer: Build capacity and build coherence. Capacity - in the form of aircraft carriers, nuclear reactors, globe-spanning corporations, all types of guns and butter - are the tangible evidence of power, the stuff that commands the front pages and stirs patriotic breasts.

Coherence is the largely invisible business of evolving political and bureaucratic cultures that allow a country to convert capacity into policies and policies into actual action. This is the really difficult part of being a great power.

The physical part is easy. The political part separates the pygmies from the powers.

When foreign analysts and governments express doubts about India's great power prospects, this is the source of the skepticism. India can build a shiny navy, get a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and pile up lots of money. But its politicians and bureaucrats still struggle to actually do anything proactive.

In the annals of foreign policy, New Delhi has gone down as a master at blocking and obstructing initiatives. This, foreign diplomats like to say, is the country that can't say "Yes". Take one real-life test: Is India's strategic culture strong enough to make repeated longterm security decisions that are, in the short-term, domestically unpopular? The jury is still out.

India has to show it has both the Will and the Way before it can expect to be treated as a great power. Here are eight things India needs to do to make it big in the coming decade.

1. UNTANGLE THE MILITARY LABYRINTH

As the current defence ministry's workings testify, India takes about a generation to choose and buy a weapon. Arms procurement moves at a snail's pace and is shot through with whimsy. Until this is sorted out, India will continue to buy obsolete equipment and struggle to avoid corruption and its indigenous defence industry will remain a vestigial organ.

India also needs to let its service chiefs have more say in strategic decision-making. If New Delhi still fears a coup d'état, it shouldn't be talking about a global role.

Chances of this happening: 75%

2. BECOME A UN WORTHY

Over the next two years, India will strut its stuff at the UN Security Council as a holder of a non-permanent seat. Then it will try to stitch together a coalition and a means to ensure it never gives up that seat.

Some argue India isn't ready for a permanent place at this table. But the best way to rid the country of a juvenile desire to be liked by everyone is to be in a position where it can't escape tough decisions. Ultimately, it's not how you vote, it's how good you are in solving diplomatic tangles that makes you a UN worthy.

Chances of this happening: 60%

3. LEARN TO BURN RIGHT

Energy is one big barrier to India's rise that has a big overseas component. The simpleton solution is to keep buying lots of reactors, oil and gas fields. The strategic solution is for India to become a nuclear technology hub, help preserve the free flow of the fossil fuel trade, and establish a foothold in every renewable. It also means having market-based domestic pricing for fuel, to ensure efficiency and investment.

The game is to preserve all possible energy options - especially if a climate change squeeze begins to close the door on India's main energy source: Coal.

Chances of this happening: 70%

4. THINK BIG

India's foreign service of about 900 people is approximately the same size as Hungary's. Our thinktanks and universities contribute next to nothing to the country's strategic debate. Welcome to a global aspirant without a strategic community.

New Delhi likes to say it's all about "national interest" but barely has the institutional ability to define what that means. And it doesn't have the strategic policymaking process to convert these conclusions into actual policy. We need to ensure we don't end up like Winnie the Pooh, a Bear of Very Little Brain.

Chances of this happening: 90%

5. LEVERAGE INDIA INC'S LINKS

New India's most dynamic component is its private sector companies, the largest of which have already begun to shape their own foreign policies. Many have brilliant networks of contacts, huge dollops of intel on overseas developments, and an ability to do stuff that leaves governmental departments eating dust.

India Inc is the country's only real response to China's bigger moneybags. Many of the governments that visit to woo India are really after the country's entrepreneurs. India needs a public-private partnership - in strategic policy.

Chances of this happening: 90%

6. TACKLE THE BAD NEIGHBOUR

A country doesn't have permanent enemies, just permanent interests. But we have to make a special case when it comes to Pakistan. No other political entity so dominates India's strategic horizon - or so successfully limits that horizon to the subcontinent. Pakistan is a headache whether it does well or poorly.

Finding a way to live with a neighbour who alternates between shooting out your windows and threatening to shoot himself would test anyone. And New Delhi is being sorely tested.

Chances of this happening: 50%

7. EXPAND THE EXPORT BASE

India's economy is the basis of India's rise. But the domestic consumption engine that has driven the economy for so long will begin to sputter in the next few decades. To maintain and increase its GDP growth figures, India needs to develop a manufacturing base that can sell goods to global markets. This is why such unsexy things as completing the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, learning from Germany's small and medium manufacturers and tying up with Israel's early venture capital industries are all crucial to India's future. As are settling land acquisition, labour exit policy and infrastructure issues at home.

Chances of this happening: 60%

8. COMPLETE THE TECH CIRCLE

Only two Asian countries currently have a full technology cycle - the term for the ability to create ideas, convert them into real things, and make them commercially viable. India is not one of them. Neither is China.

Even today, this is the heart of US power. Its technology-innovation cycle is more sophisticated than any other country's. India needs to put this cycle in place if it wants to be an economic frontrunner. This will mean a whole slew of reforms in everything from universities to patent regimes.

Chances of this happening: 60%

(Pramit Pal Chaudhuri is the Foreign Editor, Hindustan Times)

The views expressed by the author are personal

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 02 Jan 2011 04:21

After the year of scams, no more dirty politics
http://www.hindustantimes.com/After-the ... 45407.aspx#

2010 was an eye-opener. We discovered that most of our politicians are not petty chai-paani thieves after all. If India ever does a remake of The Godfather, I will enthusiastically push for DMK chief M Karunanidhi getting Marlon Brando’s role. Also because he mumbles incoherently. And with those dark glasses, he can play a convincing Stevie Wonder as well — so much unexploited talent, gosh! But I digress — for me the highlights of 2010 were the scams, filthy CWG toilets and, equally important, brain-damaging coconuts being removed from trees in US President Obama’s Mumbai tour path — he was the only visiting foreign dignitary who received this treatment. I’m shocked that the Left parties didn’t organise a bandh to protest favouritism shown to the imperialist US — slackers! I do hope 2011 will be a more inspiring year and here are a few things that really mustn’t happen to make it bearable for us. No more holding the Prime Minister back: After a series of scams, nothing short of a miracle will make the Congress party vaguely acceptable again. The only Gandhi who can save them this time goes by the name of Mohandas Karamchand — but sadly most people don’t believe in ghosts. If the Congress is lucky, the world really will end in 2012.
But if they’re smart, they’ll ditch the dirty politics and let Manmohan Singh have the last word. He was electrifying over the nuclear deal — now that’s classic bio-data fire-in-the-belly passion. Most Indians have great respect for Singh — we’re absolutely certain he earned his degrees, he didn’t buy them!
This is what frightens the BJP most, which is why they constantly clamour for his resignation — in this respect they’re more discerning than the Congress. Let Singh do the talking, and when the next general elections come around, the Congress may have reason to sing. Face it, he’s the only person alive who can make the lame party walk again. Or perhaps, as the old tasteless joke goes, make the lame party blind? Let’s see. No more mild antacids: India needs super-strong ones to keep arrested politicians from sneaking into premium heart hospitals. I’m really looking forward to an antacid commercial starring Kalmadi, Raja and Yeddyurappa smiling charmingly while breaking rocks. Can’t wait! No more snide remarks about Sonia Gandhi’s foreign blood: Advertising is a pretty reliable indicator of social aspirations. A few decades ago, women in Indian ads looked a bit like, well the BJP’s Sushma Swaraj scrubbing a greasy frying pan (only lots more glamorous, admittedly — and their bindis were about 90 per cent smaller). After finally throwing off our shabby third-world status, we’ve warmly embraced the age of the new international Indian. To my growing amazement, these days many commercials have leggy brunettes passing off as young Indians. Hello there BJP, the message is clear: We’re evidently happy to believe that Sonia Gandhi is our birth mother, okay?

No more fuss over a kiss: I absolutely insist that the moral police stop getting hysterical about Indian women being politely kissed on the cheek foreigners in public places. Or else, if ever Bill Gates attempts to peck my cheek at, say, an HIV/AIDS event, I’ll have to push him away and hiss, “Later — meet me in my hotel room.” You tell me, which is worse?

(Rupa Gulab is the author of the novel The Great Depression of the 40s, that came out last year)
( Did some say India looking like Spanish now, or say more Mexican than Mehicans themslevs in cheap make up and skimpy dresses )

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 02 Jan 2011 09:43

Full article should go here. Posting in full as there are way too many points here. It is a critique of MMS.

Politics of inertia

‘Tis the season to be generous, spread cheer and goodwill! India has played Santa Claus to the hilt, filling the stocking of every passing head of government with multi-billion dollar giveaways. The predictable routine had the visitor praise India for its democratic traditions, liberal policies, etc., hail Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a wise leader, decry terrorism, wag a finger at Pakistan for encouraging it, support India’s aspirations for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, and return home happy with a bagful of deals, courtesy a grateful Indian government.

British Prime Minister David Cameron garnered contracts worth $8 billion, US President Barack Obama’s take was $10 billion worth of business and, by his own reckoning, 54,000 new jobs, French President Nicolas Sarkozy obtained Delhi’s commitment to buy nuclear reactors and stuff to the tune of $16 billion, and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao managed to uphold the Beijing line, avert bad Press, and still take a $20 billion chunk of Indian largesse. And, a few days before Christmas, Russian President Dmitry Medyedev arrived, seeking gifts, and duly received an Indian promise of $35 billion for the flagging Russian defence industry as subsidy for the development of a “fifth generation fighter aircraft”.
The questions that come to mind are these: Can India buy friends and successes in the foreign policy field? Or, beef up its national security and strategic partnerships by slapdash purchase of armaments? There are good reasons for scepticism on these counts, even though Western experts have praised Dr Singh’s policies of capital imports to kickstart Western economies rather than using the funds for internal growth and infrastructure investments as most countries with a bulge in foreign exchange reserves would do.

In the event, the suspicion lingers that India’s efforts to firm up friendships in this manner is the lazy man’s alternative to the more difficult task of combining strategic visioning with creative and agile diplomacy backed by carefully sculpted military might — something apparently beyond the Indian government’s ken — and is perceived by the profit minded big powers as a means of separating a cash-rich fool from his money. That the Congress Party-led coalition prefers this foreign-military policy is evidence enough that having shot his bolt, as it were, with the civilian- nuclear cooperation deal with the United States in his first term, Dr Singh has for a long time now been bereft of fresh ideas.

Can there be any other reading of Dr Singh’s foreign policy record? His initiatives on peace with Pakistan died at Sharm el-Sheikh, and India’s Pakistan policy, instead of stressing targeted intelligence operations, has slid back into the familiar whining about Hafeez Saeed, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Inter-services Intelligence (ISI), and Pakistan- orchestrated terrorism. His coddling of China has fetched a heaping of Chinese scorn and a surge in the needling of India (by such things as maps showing the Line of Actual Control minus the length of the common border in the “disputed” Jammu and Kashmir province) that Beijing fears may become a standard for Asian countries to rally around but correctly intuits is a role India doesn’t have the guts or the guile to fill. And the G8 economic powers have ensured Delhi’s compliance by the simple expedient of massaging Dr Singh’s ego: inviting him to their conclaves where, truth be told, he talks but no one listens.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister’s inattention has cost the country plenty. Internal security woes have rocketed with the central government unable to enforce the obvious correctives post-26/11. It has left the Indian state and society more vulnerable to terrorist actions than at any time in the past. The National Counter-Terrorism Centre mooted by the home minister P. Chidambaram two years ago, for instance, is still only at the discussion paper-stage, in the main, because not one of the large number of central and state government agencies involved is willing to surrender its part of the turf for the greater good. The National Intelligence Council for similar reasons is stymied. The schemes for specialised anti-terrorist and anti-guerilla warfare training and modernisation of weapons and support systems for the state police and the para-military are stuck for want of rigorous implementation. The Naxal guerrilla menace, as a result, has grown, their control of territory, featuring a parallel administration and “people’s courts”, remaining uncontested.

The secret behind the “do little” Indian attitude and approach of the past several years is a disinterested, near non-functional, Prime Minister. In theory, Dr Singh’s passivity and inaction can be attributed to his being overwhelmed, and his government being rendered virtually “lame duck”, by proliferating charges of corruption and revelations of entrenched systems of mis-governance. Except, Dr Singh’s regime has acted ruddlerless since 2008 when the nuclear deal squeaked through. This even though, as a nominated member of Parliament and appointed Prime Minister by party chief, he is insulated from political buffeting. He could have devoted his time in office to realise the promises he had made. His failure even in his limited area of expertise is, therefore, mystifying. He has not substantively extended and enlarged the ambit of economic and labour reforms beyond what existed in 2005, leave alone transformed the Indian economy into an international liberal capitalist powerhouse. The 8 per cent growth rate owes more to the entrepreneurial genius of the country than anything Dr Singh has done. Moreover, “inclusive growth” has been reduced to another slogan (complementing aam admi and garibi hatao).

Long victimised by the licence control raj, India and the Indian people are now under the jackboot of crony capitalism (2G spectrum and every day scams of this ilk) presided over by a Prime Minister who lacks the will to do the right thing. The irony is that while he was ready to relinquish office in case the Congress Party shied away from supporting the nuclear deal, Dr Singh has not used his accumulated personal capital (Congress President, Sonia Gandhi’s words) as “the embodiment of sobriety, dignity and integrity” to secure any lasting good for the country.

* Bharat Karnad is professor at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 03 Jan 2011 05:08

Three wishes for the new year

Three wishes for the new year.
Assuming that I was being granted the choice of having only three wishes fulfilled for the coming year, here is my modest wish-list for 2011.
A Blue Ribbon Commission on India’s national security. Read more about the idea here.

Police Reforms in all the states as mandated by the Supreme Court. Read a bit more here and here.

Fulfilment of the targets set for the Takshashila Institution for the year. Read Nitin’s views here.

It is easy to turn despondent and cynical at the turn of events in this country but here is why we should resist the feelings of gloom and despair.
To the last moment of his breath
On hope the wretch relies;
And e’en the pang preceding death
Bids expectation rise.
Hope, like the gleaming taper’s light,
Adorns and cheers our way;
And still, as darker grows the night,
Emits a brighter ray. [Oliver Goldsmith, The Captivity]
Happy New Year!

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 06 Jan 2011 01:15

http://news.oneindia.in/2011/01/05/indi ... dwide.html
Indian to stop 9/11 type terror attacks

Washington, Jan 5: Citing the destructive result of US's 9/11 kind of terror attacks, Hardeep Singh Puri, the Indian ambassador to the United Nations (UN) has been elected as the Chairman of the all important Security Council Committee on counter-terrorism.Buzz up!Puri, who has been elected for a two-year term, replaced the ambassador and the permanent representative of Turkey, Ertugrul Apakan.Earlier Puri stated, "One of our major pre-occupation is the issue of terrorism. I expect that in the coming months we would have to address that issue through the work of the Council."

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 06 Jan 2011 01:26

Wasnt he the diplomat who refused to be frisked in Huston?

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 06 Jan 2011 03:24

ramana wrote:Wasnt he the diplomat who refused to be frisked in Huston?

They asked him to remove his Turban and i think he refused and returned by ground travel to Nyc.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 06 Jan 2011 03:55

Karnad's summation of money to the P-5 reminds me of what a poster remarked

"Inke be khatir karne hain!" Need to take care of them also!

So it went per the plan. The P-5 came to India and got their baksheesh based on what they did for India. The amount is based on what they did or will do.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 06 Jan 2011 04:00

Giani Jail Singh said best ,
"oye Buddhe baila nu wi Ghaa(ss) paoni painde hai"
Old Oxen also must be fed ... so goes Brit, French, Russians and Khannate.

Vasu · Post by **Vasu** » 07 Jan 2011 17:21

Congress losing public support: poll

oh crap. Knowing the type of party it is, I am fearing shenanigans of the worst kind for it to gain back public sympathy.

I have a feeling saffron terror will be a big Congress issue in the polls. Yesterday I was shocked to see Vinod Dua, one of the last few respectable Hindi television journalists (or so I thought), talking heartily about how Digvijay Singh had been vindicated and how there was a real threat of saffron terrorism.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 07 Jan 2011 17:28

^^Basically INC will romp home with an even bigger majority now.

Added later:
Seems sri jairam ramesh has declared that Dilli's akshardham temple has no green clearance....aha. I see the contours of plan C (after plan A - CBI/NIA and plan B - doggy raja) in bringing down 'em evil communal forces only.

sri jairam now only need declare that the RS HQ in Nagpur and all BJP offices nationwide have no green clearance and are hence ordered demolished forthwith. yay!

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 07 Jan 2011 21:45

^ More power to Kapil Sibals, Jairam Rameshs, Diggy Rajas, and Rahul Gandhis...

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 08 Jan 2011 09:27

A thought based on some recent posts on TSP thread....

BR has pioneered the understanding of sociological trends in the subcontinent through introduction of terms such as RAPE, DIE, FHL & pseudo-secular. While these are useful to our understanding, they still need a fair bit of explaining to non-subcontinentals.

I wonder if we need to evolve on the terms in order to be (a) more specific as to the definition of who would be included in the group and (b) so as to make the term turn on an immediate light-bulb with subcontinentals and non-subcontinentals alike.

One suggestion that I think fits the bill is 'people of the book' liberal. We need a more succinct phrase for this ('POB-liberal' ?) but it would refer to all those who call themselves 'liberal' but in reality are only liberal towards people of the book. Surprisingly, while one would expect a certain (maybe small) section of Abrahamics to be POB-liberals, based on too literal an interpretation of their scriptures- many Hindus who call themselves liberal seem to suffer from the same POB-liberalist mentality, in an effort to ingratiate themselves with the Abrahamic liberals.

The advantage of this term is (a) definition as to who is included and who is not IS very clear. Does the liberality of the person extend only to people of the book or also to pagan /kaffir cultures? and (b) it is very easily explained to westerners who have had a history of debates on what constitutes liberalism.

Thoughts, anyone? Mods, if this is not the right thread please move to the right thread, but it is important that it not go under burqa....

brihaspati · Post by **brihaspati** » 08 Jan 2011 20:45

Not really. Not all Muslims agree on who are people of the book. Even with the starting definitions in the Quran, there are problems. Then also not all Abrahamics, including the Jews, agree that the others are people of the Book. They could be conditionally "liberal" depending who among the Jews, Christians and Muslims they actually consider to be people of the Book. Moreover, Christians and Jews in general do not have a concept of the Muslim "people of the book".

I think we should not mix up Indian concepts of liberalism with Western Liberalism. Western or almost every other non-SD based liberalism is based firmly on the principle of "being liberal" to only those "who share in the belief system". Tolerance in non-SD is conditional on submission to shared belief.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 09 Jan 2011 02:00

Three related posts.....

Hari Seldon wrote:GoI is hell-bent on 'talking' to TSP, whatever that means. Now if GoI is being chankian and allowing the enemy to commit hara-kiri without a life-saving 'Yindoo conspiracy' slogan to rescue the poaks, then its one thing. I don;t buy that line however.

Once again, we're left to Pak's stoopidity to save GoI policy. Sigh.

Pressure from US on GOI to give facing concessions to TSP is very high. The reason is GOI wants something in the international arena UNSC etc.
Talks are a way to show good faith. Then TSP tactical brilliance kicks in as they think GOI is weak and set off a terrorist attack. GOI calls of the talks and cycle resumes.

* In international diplomacy you have to give something if you want something. Principle of reciprocity Talleyrand said this first.

The INC led GOI has problem of "tryst with destiny" as defined by their leadership: Nukes, UNSC seat, etc. Unfortunately NDA set off the bums and stole their thunder. In Indian political space they have to achieve something of equal magnitude. And US knows that wants its Shylock share to suit its interests.

No hard feelings just the facts.

Vivek K wrote:
The INC led GOI has problem of "tryst with destiny" as defined by their leadership: Nukes, UNSC seat, etc. Unfortunately NDA set off the bums and stole their thunder. In Indian political space they have to achieve something of equal magnitude. And US knows that wants its Shylock share to suit its interests.

No hard feelings just the facts.
ramana - check your facts about the nuke explosions. ABV credited PVN. The facts are that INC led by Mrs Gandhi broke Pakistan into two! Something that ABV had the opportunity though not the political will to repeat. No hard feelings, just the facts.

No Indian government will backtrack on Kashmir - UPA or NDA.

....

ramana wrote:
Vivek K wrote:
ramana - check your facts about the nuke explosions. ABV credited PVN. The facts are that INC led by Mrs Gandhi broke Pakistan into two! Something that ABV had the opportunity though not the political will to repeat. No hard feelings, just the facts.

No Indian government will backtrack on Kashmir - UPA or NDA.
True he could not but not because of that. Its like a Schottkey diode i.e. one shot deal.

Its the INC perception in their upper circles that they need to achieve something. Any way if you want to we can explore this in Indian interests or Strategic Leadership thread.