Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

[member_20317]

^

That sure is a great brainwave. Just pick the kongi agenda, take out the useless stuff, put in something better and rob them of their agenda. Namo NaMo. At least that can be researched.

[panduranghari]

The bjp's dilli billis will probably now hope to make NM the PM candidate but with one arm and leg tiod up. WOn't work. They'll want to harvest his hard earned credibility and mass appeal for their own ends. Sadly for them, NM is too much of a realist to fall for this BS.

Even when namo was a nobody and catapulted top CMship in GJ as its nth bjp CM in n years, he went to the RSS and bargained hard. Basioc argument was - if you want me to fix the mess, empower me to do so, don't just send me there restrained. The RSS agreed and the rest is history.

I'm hoping something similar may happen yet again. What is clear to mke is that namo won't become the PM face until he is assured he is empowered enough to bring about meaningful if bitter change in the organizational superstructure. He'll prefer to sit out the polls as GJ CM if D4 play too clever by half. Too early to tell which way things will go, but we'll see.

Agreed. Ram Madhav's interview on newslaundry was very good if you have not had a chance to see it. RSS has a very good poker face. Some how the RSS will undertake some marvelous prestidigitation. The D4 may well be booted out.

[Muppalla]

Here are some facts (TWIW) that happened inside BJP:
* Few months before BJP's Nitin Gadkari resigned there was an opinion collection from all the heads, vice heads of states regarding who should be PM candidate. All states except one state came out with NaMo. In terms number of Yes votes it is 95+%.
* That was also the same time when some stalwarts made anti-Namo statements
* RSS/VHP leaders are anti-Advani but not very interested in NaMo
* As NG is RSS representative, they were indecisive to declare him and started theories such as after BJP President's election, after Guj election, we will go like we did in UP, and it even continues into Rajnath era with next month, after KA and so on
* As NaMo is not in the interest of Advani and few around him, the RSS prescription of delay tactics is blessing in disguise
* Rajanth did cut ice with NaMo about certain time bound actions and hence Rajnath (RSS nominee) swiftly became President
* Then came the exodus of fence sitters such as Jaitley, Anant Kumar towards Modi. The fear of Chankya taking porus help hangs on the neck

As things progressed, the forceful acceptability of Modi has dawned on RSS. Hence Modi meeting MB in Nagpur, Ashok Singhal's endorsement and later Sant/Sadhu endorsement did occur. For RSS they consider Advani/his friends as non-entity but they don't like the style of Modi because he is non-compromising and non-accommodative. Modi's teams are very invisible and they are scared about an Armageddon.

However, everyone wants to see power and they all see it coming only via Modi. Hence someone floated to make him election committee head that has powers to accept or reject candidates for LS/VS seats. Apparently Modi even accepted that with a condition of full authority to an extent of going without PM candidate. Folks got cold feet at the "full authority" mode.

With KA loss and especially due to Yeddi cutting their mean in about 50 seats the mood of everyone is baying for the central BJP's blood. It is at a breaking point. Making Amit Shah as UP incharge is something like a message that we are still hearing you and we remember your deadlines .

[RamaY]

From Indian economy thread...

The "socialist" rubbish was pure opportunism and can be traced to Indira Gandhi's lurch to the left to win power in the Congress and check mate the internal opposition. As part of that , she made a bargain with the devil and allowed the CPI ding dongs to get into positions of influence in academia and arts and social sciences .

Vinaji

I think the communists/leftist IEDeology was given space in academia, arts, social sciences, policy and planning commission by none other than JLN. His daughter just added the "socialist and secular" words to the preamble.

One way IG made the subversion started by her father, constitutional.

It was only after the signing of "Indo–Soviet Treaty of Peace" in 1971 academia was allowed to be dominated by Lefties. Probably it was quid pro quo for Soviet military support. Nehru was leftist but leftist didn't have guts to hound out any non leftist.As people say Indira destroyed most of institutions of country. In the case of academia she outsourced this job to leftist.

Thanks Sushuptiji. Will do some more research and come back.

[member_23629]

The "socialist" rubbish was pure opportunism and can be traced to Indira Gandhi's lurch to the left to win power in the Congress and check mate the internal opposition. As part of that , she made a bargain with the devil and allowed the CPI ding dongs to get into positions of influence in academia and arts and social sciences.

Indira Gandhi needed support of commies to form the Government. They laid down many conditions: i) Add the words socialist and secular to the preamble; take away right to own property as a fundamental right iii) give them a university where they can brainwash students with their ideology (JNU).

This "taking support" business is a flaw in the Indian democracy and these problems will continue as long as we have the concept of multiple parties. No other country in the world has a multi-party democracy. They have either a presidential system or a two party system -- multi-party system is stupid and doesn't result in strong governments.

[Sanku]

It was only after the signing of "Indo–Soviet Treaty of Peace" in 1971 academia was allowed to be dominated by Lefties. Probably it was quid pro quo for Soviet military support. Nehru was leftist but leftist didn't have guts to hound out any non leftist.As people say Indira destroyed most of institutions of country. In the case of academia she outsourced this job to leftist.

Thanks Sushuptiji. Will do some more research and come back.

Actually no; "what do you want history to be" was very much hall mark of JLN himself. He did hound out others, its just that he had few on his side then, and therefore the hounding waited till he had more.

[muraliravi]

With KA loss and especially due to Yeddi cutting their mean in about 50 seats the mood of everyone is baying for the central BJP's blood. It is at a breaking point. Making Amit Shah as UP incharge is something like a message that we are still hearing you and we remember your deadlines .

Muppalla ji, all agreed. But they made Ananth kumar and Naqvi as maharashtra incharge

[kittoo]

I think when Nehru declared this-

By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim, and I am a Hindu only by accident of birth.

It was decided which way winds will blow in the new 'free' India. Even in this single quote he clearly says that while all others he has become himself, his Hinduism is not something he cares about. There is a sense of contempt here.

[Muppalla]

With KA loss and especially due to Yeddi cutting their mean in about 50 seats the mood of everyone is baying for the central BJP's blood. It is at a breaking point. Making Amit Shah as UP incharge is something like a message that we are still hearing you and we remember your deadlines .

Muppalla ji, all agreed. But they made Ananth kumar and Naqvi as maharashtra incharge

I wrote there that fence sitter started moving and he is one too

[disha]

Perceptions matter more than facts for the Chatterati/Gossipers and hence for non-entities like us who are weekend internet warriors. If it really mattered, how come Modi won 3 times in a row in Guj? First one was Godhra, Second was Akshardham - what about 3rd one where BJP's own ex-cm went against him and still drew a blank (yeah him not getting 2/3rd was considered victory!!).

Another thing, with MSM doing its dereliction of duty, others have stepped in and doing their job. SM (blogs/twitter/forums) is changing things differently. At least, people who blindly follow MSM are getting exposed. Infact, MSM itself is getting exposed and has lost its credibility.

Coming back to Modi/BJP., two ministers have resigned and BJP rightly pointed out - if they had resigned earlier - parl. session could have been saved. It was not, and now MSM is standing in tatters again (everybody knows that they are in it for TRP and money).

On the ground, it is a cold calculation of identity and entitlement based politics and getting the numbers swayed one way or other. At the end of the day it is as Clinton famously said "It is the economy, stupid!". In a good economy, voters are less likely to change the government. 2009 was a good economy for India and less likely to change. It all depends upon how economy does in 2014.

And in India, economy is not defined as whether a IT-Vity guy feels the pinch or not. It is defined as if the lower-middle and the lower-class is able to get its potatoes and onions and water. So much gloom is because of the rampant inflation.

I think FSB should be allowed to pass by BJP with some amendments that allows states some maneover. That way, even if the grain price goes down, the price of vegetables goes up! Oil, dhal, moong, potato, onions, kothmir, mint, tomato, ginger becomes dearer and the voter will not be satisfied with entitlements and boot the government out.

FSB can then be amended (or curtailed) to tame the inflation again. It is a game of cat and mouse and definitely politics is not for the faint-hearted!

[Hari Seldon]

Even as we speak, am sure power tussle is going on bigtime behind the scenes. can only hope and pray namo prevails over the have-beens in the party's dilli HQs.

[member_20317]

I think when Nehru declared this-

By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim, and I am a Hindu only by accident of birth.

It was decided which way winds will blow in the new 'free' India. Even in this single quote he clearly says that while all others he has become himself, his Hinduism is not something he cares about. There is a sense of contempt here.

Its ok I guess, nobody becomes a Hindu by design. Somethings after all are in Bhagwaan ji's hands. Only thing this shows is that JLN was a split personality.

In much the same manner nobody becomes an Indian by design. Though people may take it too much to their heart if they do end up getting born in India remaining pis_ed off for years. Beware of these guys. Indian by accident and wishing for foreign shores.

But our man will not leave them even there

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-new ... 57918.aspx

via satellite from Gujarat's capital, Gandhinagar on Sunday.

<sniped>

The events to hear Modi will be held in New York, Edison, New Jersey, Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, Riverside, Los Angeles-Norwalk, Placentia and Fremont (Silicon Valley), California, Chicago, Rolling Meadows and Bloomington, Illinois, Minneapolis-Edina, Minnesota, Indianapolis and Merrillville, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Baltimore, Maryland.

Ensoi. Narender Modi aap ke nazdeek, akaash marg is padhaar rahen hein.

[Pranav]

The Shiv Sena says Modi will sink NDA’s boat

Narendra Modi may have more problems emerging from the fact that his name and influence had little effect in the Karnataka assembly polls. Besides enemies within the BJP and the consistent opposition of NDA constituent the JD(U), Modi has trouble waiting even from an ideological ally like the Shiv Sena. This is what Bharatkumar Raut, a Shiv Sena MP in the Rajya Sabha, told Outlook the day the Karnataka results came out: “There is no evidence at all that Narendra Modi is a vote-catcher. On the contrary, we believe he is a liability for the NDA and would lead to problems, which is why our leaders have recommended in the past that someone like Sushma Swaraj should be projected.” Raut had no qualms about being quoted and added that “we believe the elections will take place in December this year”.

His belief that Modi’s candidature will lead to “more loss than gain” is not different from the Congress argument that “Modi would actually work in our favour, because of the counter-mobilisation aro­und us of minorities who now support regional and other for­mations.”

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?285353

High time NaMo broke away from the BJP ... he will not get anywhere with poisonous jokers like Advani & Co. Sheer waste of time. RSS tall leaders have also become jokers like Gadkari. The day NaMo walks out, 90% of the cadres will walk out with him.

[Atri]

High time NaMo broke away from the BJP ... he will not get anywhere with poisonous jokers like Advani & Co. Sheer waste of time. RSS tall leaders have also become jokers like Gadkari. The day NaMo walks out, 90% of the cadres will walk out with him.

Kader Khan ka dialogue suniye..

Bharatkumar Raut is resident commie (and perhaps the only intellectual with polished language skills, who does not resort to fists and sticks as first line of defense in an argument ) of SS. He was editor of Maharashtra-times (Marathi paper of Times Group). He is Sena's very own Sudheendra Kulkarni.. They send him to tackle the likes of Kumar Ketkar who are overt commies and Gandhi dynasty minions. When he cannot do the needful, then SS walas send him back home and deal with it in their own style. Ketkar, Wagle etc have tasted the prasaad of SS on numerous occasions.

[prahaar]

Pranavji,
Raut has become the spokesperson for Joker RSS leaders and Joker BJP, the party which NM not only belongs to, but also advocates people to vote for? A Shiv Sena MP is no more a nuisance value than a JD(U) MP passing out comments that are in the best interest of his party/leader. Get a sense of proportion in the argument before making claims like NM should walk out of BJP, 90% workers will join him. If NM with all this following and clout within the party cannot engineer a change in his own party, he is not capable of taking India to walk with him.

I am all for NM for PM, but this occasional chorus about NM should leave BJP is tiring to say the least, not because I am more interested in securing BJP's interest, but because it will be the end of a dream of NM leading the country. Inspite of Advaniji's incorrect behaviour (IMO), why is he tolerated if he is not a vote puller, is not ideologically acceptable to RSS, etc? It suggests, he may have the capacity to cause damage.

So all those who are shouting dump LKA to get Yeddi in, it is quite possible that, NM/Rajnath/et al have to weigh the consequences of gaining Yeddi but creating All-India-Yeddi. IMHO, the main point of debate should be whether LKA+ (LKA and cabal) can cause significant damage to BJP? Parties splitting is neither unprecedented nor always harmful, we have the example of Cong(I) as a prime example. Congress/JD have splitted so many times, so we need not be shy about BJP splitting as well, but NM walking out alone sounds quite filmy.

[Pranav]

IMHO, the main point of debate should be whether LKA+ (LKA and cabal) can cause significant damage to BJP?

Certainly they can, by blocking NaMo.

Raut has become the spokesperson for Joker RSS leaders and Joker BJP, the party which NM not only belongs to, but also advocates people to vote for?

This is not something that has come out of the blue, SS has been making such noises officially for quite a while now, with zero push-back from either LKA gang or Bhagwat gang. If LKA and Bhagwat openly & forcefully contradict the Shiv Sena spokesperson within 24 hours, I would be willing to give them the benefit of doubt, for another couple of weeks max. But this Nautanki has gone on for too long already.

Anyway, in case NaMo stays on, I hope he at least ensures that the terms on which the Chairmanship of National Election Committee is offered, make it impossible for Advani & gang to remove him later, through machinations in the parliamentary board.

[Muppalla]

Pranav sir, you are only day dreaming in case if you are still thinking that NaMo by coming out can have any effect on the outcome of the elections. Eventhough cadre supports NaMo there will rank and file confusion across the constituencies. The EC will give heartaches by providing separate symbols to separate folks across the nation. The thought itself is a disaster in the making.

It is just he needs to fight it out inside and be a winner. Otherwise wait it out in UPA-3. Coming out and creating another UPA-3 will make him lesser and lesser relevant. Party is equivalent to infrastructure.

There is only one instance I remember where a party is created in less than six months and also won the election landslide. TDP during NTR fame. All others are slow creations.

[Pranav]

There is only one instance I remember where a party is created in less than six months and also won the election landslide. TDP during NTR fame. All others are slow creations.

Yes, it is already quite late, one was hoping that there would be some clarity immediately after the Guj elections in Dec 2012.

If the BJP wants to block NaMo then one has to consider whether national interest would be better served by replacing it with another party. In any case, without NaMo, 2014 is a lost cause.

[Kakkaji]

IMHO the next test for NaMo is if he can force the following individuals to resign from all their posts in the BJP:

1. L K Advani
2. Ananth Kumar
3. M M Joshi
4. Jaswant Singh
5. Yashwant Sinha
6. Shanta Kumar
7. Shatrughan Sinha


If they agree to resign gracefully, then thank them publicly for their long service to the party and country, garland them at a public function, and then show them the door. If they resist, them kick them out of the party, with the door hitting them on their a$$e$ as they go out.

I can bet that the net loss of votes by the above individuals being kicked out will not be more than 100,000. With the new NaMo team in charge, the net gain for BJP will be in crores of votes.

As for the allies whose loss Sankuji so seems to fear, the BJP IMHO will not cross the number of seats in Lok Sabha, with the above individuals in charge, the number of seats it got in the Karnataka assembly (40). At that time, no ally will want to seen with the BJP, far less support it.

And BTW, Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharti also need to be disciplined, and told that they can keep their party posts only if the toe the NaMo line.

Why should NaMo leave the BJP? It is the above 'senior leaders' that need to leave the BJP and retire into the sunset.

If these people leave the BJP and join the Congress, that will be the greatest achievement of NaMo till date.

[ashashi]

^^^^

Silencing the dissenters -- Dictator
Winning over the dissenters - Leader

[sum]

Meanwhile Shri.Tiwari uvacha:
A history lesson on India Inc for Manish Tewari

Information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari has sent out a word of advice for Corporate India through the media. Be careful of whom you support, he is supposed to have said while addressing journalists in Mumbai, according to this report in the Economic Times.

He also gave our industrialists a lesson in history. Remember Europe in the 1930s, he warned. The leader European businessmen supported wholeheartedly then “caused a lot of harm and destruction all over the world.” He left the leader unnamed but the Economic Times rightly identifies him as Hitler. And we all know who the ‘Indian One Who Tewari Did Not Name’ is. The Economic Times identifies him as well.

And the comment for the article just nailed it:

There is a famous logical fallacy called "Reductio Ad hitlerum". When someone loses an argument, then in a desperate attempt to score some brownie points, the loser tries to make an ad hominem comparison of the contender with Hitler, even though such a comparison can be made against anyone. Say, if someone who you are arguing against over some topic is a vegetarian and you want to criticize him, you can say "Hitler was a vegetarian too. So, you are just as bad. And so your arguments are invalid". Dumb as it may sound, there are many idiots who still resort to this idiocy.

[Hari Seldon]

Modi on the need for self-reliance in Defence

Good read.

[Vayutuvan]

Guys found this speech by Balraj Sahni at JNU.
From 1972
http://www.jnu.ac.in/jnuta/balraj_sahni.htm

Sadly nothing has changed!

But echoes a lot what Modi says

Wow.

VikramS ji, Thanks for posting this gem of a speech. My respect for Sahni(my dad's favorite actor) which is already high, went up several notches after reading that piece. I will be circulating it among my family and friends.

Thanks

[Kakkaji]

^^^^

Silencing the dissenters -- Dictator.
Winning over the dissenters - Leader

A good leader also needs to recognize and fire the non-performers/ disrupters so that the organization can achieve its goals.

[Sushupti]

[RoyG]

Showdown? Advaniji will sure put up a fight. To the garbage he goes.

[ashashi]

^^^^

Silencing the dissenters -- Dictator.
Winning over the dissenters - Leader

A good leader also needs to recognize and fire the non-performers/ disrupters so that the organization can achieve its goals.

Right.
Modi did not fire the non-performers aks govt. employees. He turned them into performers. Sure, Advani needs to go. Other will fall in line.

[Mahendra]

Actually, Love purush doesnt need to go, all he has to do is to tell Sushmaji to openly support NM's candidature or join the congress.
This tamaasha has gone on for long enough. Modiji must be declared as the PM candidate as early as possible. We cannot afford to have another congress government

[SaiK]

http://www.frontline.in/cover-story/mod ... epage=true
Modi Myth

“A month ago, Modi vs Rahul, a week ago Modi vs Nitish, today Modi vs Advani, tomorrow Modi vs Obama, a month hence Modi vs Gandalf.” @Scarysouthpaw’s tweet..


The bon mot on this is: the leadership question in coalition politics is finally decided not only on the parameter of the highest acceptability among the masses and the support base, but also on the parameter of least unacceptability among the coalition partners. Addressing a question on this theme, a senior RSS leader, who could well play a role in the selection process in the BJP, quipped that Modi did indeed score well in the former quotient, but his unacceptability was certainly not the least in the given political firmament. This despite the magical, superhuman powers that his supporters and followers accord to Narendra Damodardas Modi.

[Muppalla]

BJP is in denial over Karnataka Sunday, 12 May 2013 | Swapan Dasgupta | in Usual Suspects

It didn't require rocket science to realise that the resounding verdict in Karnataka against the BJP had everything to do with the quality of administration, the venality of those associated with the party and the vengeful conduct of those who felt that they had been unjustly treated by a cabal that drew its power from Delhi. In short, it was a protest against bad governance and worse politics.

What I found strange throughout last Wednesday — or, at least until the afternoon when the Supreme Court judges prevented the Congress from celebrating its re-conquest of Karnataka — was that the BJP leadership seemed completely dismissive of the larger political message from its erstwhile southern bastion. Thus, a great deal of importance was attached to the fact that at least one-third of the vote share of the BJP was taken away by BS Yeddyurappa's KJP — something which gave the Congress a natural advantage.

Equally, many of the party's spokesmen (both official and self-appointed) made great play of the party's resolute commitment to principles. Projecting themselves as martyrs, they painted themselves as hapless victims of the battle to cleanse the party from within.

Both arguments need to be rubbished. First, even assuming that every vote for both the KJP and the BSR Congress (the outfit floated by the bent and beautiful of Bellary district) had gone in favour of a united BJP, the Congress would still have squeaked through, albeit not so conclusively. The fact, after all, remains that the Congress outpolled the combined votes of the BJP, KJP and BSR Congress by a whopping six per cent.

Stressing the clear advantage the Congress enjoyed in popular votes is important, if only to demolish the myth that the BJP's defeat was mainly on account of arithmetic. Unfortunately, arithmetic is preceded by politics and the fact that the BJP suffered a double-digit truncation in its vote share suggests that the party had lost the match even before the first ball had been bowled. It approached the election fully mindful that victory was out of the question and that the task before it was to salvage an iota of self-respect.

I doubt if even that modest objective was sanctioned by the results. From being the majority party, the BJP had to be satisfied with being joint runners-up with HD Deve Gowda's Janata Dal (S). And, while Yeddyurappa failed to win more than six seats, he successfully ensured the BJP's defeat in some 36 seats. The needless feud that resulted in Yeddyurappa walking out of the party he had helped build, resulted in the Mutually Assured Destruction of both the BJP and the KJP.

The BJP has often boasted that those who have left the party have never prospered. They point to Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharati, Keshubhai Patel and sundry other odd-balls. (Predictably, they don't mention Babulal Marandi whose party may well emerge as the single-largest party in Jharkhand in the not-too-distant future.) It is entirely possible that Yeddyurappa will be added to the list. But the point isn't so much whether or not the KJP has a long-term future or not. The larger question the BJP has to confront is why mass leaders of the stature of Kalyan Singh and Yeddyurappa were forced to seek their fortune outside the so-called ‘parivar'.

The thoughtless explanation is that local rivalries are to blame. Therefore, Kalyan Singh's departure after the party's poor showing in the 1999 Lok Sabha polls and his removal as Chief Minister is attributed to the combined assault of the RSS and the Brahmin-Thakur lobby led by Rajnath Singh. Likewise, Yeddyurappa's exit is attributed to the unrelenting hostility of the Bellary brothers who entered into an unlikely alliance with Ananth Kumar. A section of the RSS also encouraged this rift.

On the face of it, both theories are correct. Yet there is a significant omission: Neither Kalyan Singh nor Yeddyurappa would have felt it necessary to actually jump ship had they not felt totally scorned. Their sense of desperation stemmed from the realisation that their local opponents had the unqualified backing of tall central leaders against whom they could not win.

The hostility to Kalyan Singh enjoyed the complete patronage of Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was then Prime Minister and who never concealed his Brahmanical disdain for the outspoken Lodh from Aligarh. Yeddyurappa was not merely contesting Ananth Kumar and the Bellary moneybags, he was ranged against the powerful might of LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj. Would the Reddy brothers have stood a chance had they not received enthusiastic backing from Delhi?

It was the same in Jharkhand. Babulal Marandi was fully capable of coping with Arjun Munda and even having an uneasy co- existence, but he made up his decision to leave the BJP the day Rajnath Singh was appointed the national president in 2006. He just knew — just as Kalyan and Yeddyurappa knew — that he couldn't fight the High Command culture of the BJP.

At one time, it even seemed that the very same set of circumstances would drive Vasundhara Raje into forming a regional party. And, if Narendra Modi's ability to use the system to his advantage had been even marginally less pronounced, he too would have been heading a regional party by now.{pranav would be chuckling}

That, in a nutshell, is what the story of the BJP's Karnataka debacle was all about. Advani wasn't fighting a battle of principles in wanting to edge Yeddyurappa out: He was a co-participant in a factional battle. The BJP's decimation in Karnataka is a triumph of his brand of vanity, just as the party's relegation to number three in Uttar Pradesh was a victory of Vajpayee's upper caste conceit.

What the Karnataka results suggest is not merely that people expect decency and integrity in public life. Far more important are the lessons to the High Command brand of politics. Unless political parties move fast, the cliques in Delhi will prevent the emergence of authentic, responsible grassroots democracy. Must the BJP emulate the Congress so blindly and so slavishly?

This is the bluntest ever statement from SwapanDa. He just finally thought that there is no need to respect anyone.

[Hari Seldon]

^^Am sure sanku ji will prove swapanda wrong.

He would know the inner workings of the sangh so much better than casual commentators like swapan da after all.

This is do or die time for the bjp for LS2014. namo must not commit to fighting the polls before the interna;l fight's dust settles in his favor, period. I would understand if namo chooses to sit out LS2014.

[fanne]

advani should leave, if his supporters leave with him so much better or kick him out!!!

[Hari Seldon]

^^^And who's going to bell that cat? IMO, the RSS alone can *kick* LKA out and that too, in a roundabout way. Don't count on rajnah or the parliamentary board doing anything.

[Pranav]

^^^And who's going to bell that cat? IMO, the RSS alone can *kick* LKA out and that too, in a roundabout way. Don't count on rajnah or the parliamentary board doing anything.

RSS does not like Modi's independence, they are on the same page as Advani on this issue.

[Hari Seldon]

IMO< the hope is the RSS is patriotic enough to put the nation above its likes and dislikes. Its either that or UPA-3 for the country and irrelevance for the sangh.

[Kakkaji]

^^^And who's going to bell that cat? IMO, the RSS alone can *kick* LKA out and that too, in a roundabout way. Don't count on rajnah or the parliamentary board doing anything.

I think what is needed is open revolt by the party workers. Gherao the party office until these worthies resign.

[Pranav]

Tavleen Singh has a similar article in the Indian Express -

A Karnataka warning

The only BJP leader who has articulated an alternative dream for India is Narendra Modi, and this is why he is now the tallest leader on the BJP stage. This is not popular with those who have controlled BJP headquarters in the past decade. There are whispers of how they would prefer to lose the next general election and retain their positions rather than win and give Modi the chance to throw them out. The manner in which the campaign in Karnataka was mishandled indicates that there may be more than a little truth to these rumours. Will last week's defeat force better sense to prevail? Not if it is true that those with the keys to BJP headquarters do not want Modi to come to Delhi.

Is it any wonder that in Congress headquarters these days there is growing confidence that the next general election will see the coming of UPA-III. They can see, more clearly than almost anyone, that without Modi the BJP is no threat at all. It is just a collection of mediocre politicians who have not had a new idea in decades. Most of them would find it hard to win a single seat, leave alone enough to allow the BJP to call the shots in 2014. If Karnataka does not sound a warning, the BJP could find itself relegated to the opposition benches for another five years.

- See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-kar ... xXLCp.dpuf

[Sushupti]

BJP bill breather

New Delhi, May 11: Rajnath Singh today said the BJP would allow the food security and land acquisition bills “to be passed” in Parliament’s monsoon session, hinting at a dilution of the party’s stand, but left the demand for the Prime Minister’s resignation to his conscience.

Sources said yesterday’s twin resignations — of law minister Ashwani Kumar and railway minister Pawan Bansal — appeared to have blunted the party’s graft campaign against the Congress.

“Had the UPA sacked the two tainted ministers, the budget session could have been saved and the bills passed,” the BJP chief said.

Asked if the BJP would allow the bills to be passed in the monsoon session, Rajnath said “yes” before adding a rider — “provided no other corruption scandal comes up”.

Rajnath, however, insisted there had been no dilution of his party’s demand for the Prime Minister’s resignation, saying Manmohan Singh would be left with no option but to step down if he “honestly” introspected. “If the Prime Minister does an honest introspection, then resignation is the only option left for him,” he said.

But Rajnath conceded that the land and the food bills were “crucial” for a major chunk of the population and needed to be passed in the monsoon session, likely to start in late July. “The food security bill concerns two-thirds of the population while the land acquisition bill is associated with farmers. We want the bills to be passed but with some amendments,” he said.

Rajnath’s assertion marks a significant shift from the BJP’s unrelenting demand for the Prime Minister’s resignation that had washed out the second leg of the budget session and blocked the food and the land bills.

Sources said the party had, at a recent meeting of some two dozen leaders and office bearers, assessed that a negative campaign on corruption did not appear to be swaying voters, as the Karnataka results had shown.

Party insiders said the leadership was taken by surprise by yesterday’s resignations and felt the twin moves had taken the steam out of their attack. The party has also assessed that blocking the two bills could send a wrong signal to voters.

Rajnath today announced a nationwide “jail bharo” from May 27 to June 2. Sources said the protest was aimed at gearing up cadres for elections

http://telegraphindia.com/1130512/jsp/n ... Y78LOjD9jo

[kmkraoind]

Karnataka elections: Narendra Modi is brave, Rahul, Sonia cowards -Aakar Patel on Firstpost

Whatever else one may think of Modi and his managing of Gujarat, it is true that he is brave and commits himself. He would surely have known that his speeches would not sway an election in South India, but he came and he attacked the Congress. It was a selfless act for his party and a statement on his unchanging beliefs.

This cannot be said of the Gandhis on the evidence of these two elections. They displayed opportunism and a fear of defeat that is bordering, I would add, on cowardice. (wow, what a tectonic shift)

Let me illustrate this with another example.

In the 2002 elections in Gujarat, as pointed out by The Hindu newspaper, the Congress had two manifestos. It had one in English, about secularism and “the soul of India.” It had another in Gujarati, where this was not referred to.

The paper explained why this was the case:

“The Gujarati version of the manifesto has no space for secularism, the ideas of nationhood or even for denunciations of the Congress’ chief opponent that the English one has. This seems to suggest that Congress have accepted the BJP’s formulation that concern for India’s secular Constitution is restricted to a rump of English speakers, some, no doubt, among its party members. What is terrifying about this hamhanded piece of political cynicism is the assumption that the English speaking/English reading class can be silenced with words.

The fact is that the Congressmen of the state convinced Sonia that there was no gain in pushing a secular line in Gujarat. Most Gujaratis are communal and will reject the message, is the logic, so let’s move on from that.

This was bought as pragmatism by the Gandhis and they accepted it. They should have chucked the idea of winning in Gujarat and stood on a matter of principle. They have lost three elections in Gujarat anyway, so why sacrifice principle and ideology on such a poor gamble? (Want to be sickular than secular congis.)

[Sushupti]

Old man gone completely senile.

KARNATAKA HAS A LESSON FOR BJP AS WELL AS CONGRESS

by "Loh Purush"

I feel sorry that we have lost in Karnataka. But I am not surprised. The surprise would have been if we had won.

As it is, I think the Karnataka results have a profound lesson for the BJP. In a way it has a lesson also for the Congress. The common lesson for both of us is : let’s not take the common man for granted. He himself may occasionally deviate from the norms of ethical conduct, but he does feel extremely angry when he sees those at the helm of national affairs behaving immorally. This is the principal reason why there is such intense allergy towards politicians generally nowadays.

If corruption provokes indignation in Bangalore, why would it not cause the same feeling in New Delhi?

Actually, I hold that it is the Karnataka results that have contributed to clinching action being taken even in the matter of Coalgate and Railgate! Before Karnataka results, the Congress Party seemed determined not to do anything about the two scams even if it meant a total washout of the second half of the Budget Session.

There have been press reports that we lost Karnataka because we threw out Yeddyurappa. I have seen comments by eminent pressmen taunting the BJP: See how Soniaji overlooked the shortcomings of Virbhadra Singh, and earned an advantage for the Congress. BJP prides itself on taking a principled stand in Karnataka. The consequence is that BJP has lost even “the toehold it had acquired in the south.”

Let me first point out that BJP did not throw out Yeddi; it is he who broke away from the BJP and decided to form a factional party of his own, the KJP. In fact, when it became apparent that he was unabashedly indulging in corruption, if the party had immediately taken firm action, the course of events would have been quite different.{Looks like Sanku does have access to Loh Purush's sanctum sanctorum}

But for several months, frantic efforts went on somehow to keep placating him by condoning his peccadilloes. The justification given was that if the party did not adopt such a ‘pragmatic’ approach we would lose the only government that we had in the south.

During these months I often cited to colleagues the crisis the party had faced in its early years in Rajasthan. Jana Sangh, the forerunner of the BJP, was launched in 1951 by Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerji just before the First General Elections of 1952. Dr. Mookerji was elected President of the Party.

As an office-bearer of the Rajasthan Jana Sangh during the first decade of independence (1947 -57), I was witness first to the remarkable success of the party in the 1952 polls, and then to the crisis it had to confront.

In 1952, the Jana Sangh won three seats in the Lok Sabha and 35 seats in all the State Assemblies. Of the 3 seats in the Lok Sabha, two were from West Bengal (Dr. S.P. Mookerji and Shri Durga Charan Banerjee) and one from Rajasthan (Barrister Uma Shankar Trivedi).

Of the total 35 seats Jana Sangh secured in the State Assemblies, 9 came from West Bengal and 8 from Rajasthan. The crisis faced in Rajasthan owed to the fact that the party, in its election manifesto, had committed itself to abolition of the Jagirdari system; but all the 8 MLAs elected in Rajasthan were themselves Jagirdars!

When the State Assembly met, the Congress Party elected its own Speaker and offered Deputy Speakership to the Jana Sangh. Shri Lal Singh Shaktawat was elected Deputy Speaker of the House.

One of the Bills the Congress Party introduced in this very first session was the Bill to abolish Jagirdari system. When we drew the attention of our party MLAs to our party manifesto and asked them to support this particular legislation, most of them flatly refused.

We rang up Dr. Mookerji in New Delhi, and apprised him of the problem. He said he would come to Jaipur personally and speak to the MLAs.

I can never forget those days and the kind of tension we all were under at the time. The tension only increased when Dr. Mookerji arrived. Six of our eight MLAs quietly went away to their respective constituencies. These included the newly elected Deputy Speaker also. The two MLAs who stayed on met Dr. Mookerji, and conveyed to him that while they would abide by the party’s decision the rest had made up their mind to oppose the proposed Bill.

Dr. Mookerji advised the party’s office bearers to make a last effort to persuade the dissidents, but if they persisted, not to hesitate taking disciplinary action against them.

It wasn’t an easy decision to take. We were constantly in touch with Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya also, who had been named General Secretary. I can never forget that out of the eight MLAs the party decided to expel six. And one of the two who remained was Late Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, who became Chief Minister of Rajasthan three times, and later on rose to become Vice President of the Indian Union. How many parties in the country would have the guts to take this kind of decision? And the Jana Sangh demonstrated such courage even in its infancy!

No wonder, while instances can be cited when other parties do get away with gross misdemeanours, we must realize that the yardstick by which the people judge the BJP is not the same as that by which they judge other parties! Because of the high expectations we have aroused in the people by our excellent track record in all these years, even minor indiscretions can prove costly for us. And our response to the Karnataka crisis was not at all a minor indiscretion. I have consistently maintained that our handling of Karnataka has been absolutely opportunistic.



TAILPIECE
Today’s PIONEER carries on its front page a highlighted box item captioned : SNUB TO PM? It goes on to say that Smt. Sonia Gandhi will be meeting senior party leaders soon to discuss the Cabinet reshuffle.

Has the Prime Minister abdicated his right even to decide about his own cabinet? Today’s news reports about the removal of two Union Ministers generally emphasise that it is Soniaji who has sacked ‘two PM’s men.’
Sheer self-respect demands that the PM calls it a day, and orders an early general election.


http://blog.lkadvani.in/blog-in-english ... s-congress