Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

negi · Post by **negi** » 12 Jun 2013 03:14

Karan M wrote:
devesh wrote:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/b ... 803816.ece

BJP should address questions raised by Advani: Jaswant
Another WKK speaks up. Thanks but no thanks.

Seriously; JS was incoherent and inaudible even when in ABV's cabinet , I shudder to think about his current state.

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 12 Jun 2013 03:14

Actually, the BJP circular firing squad is back on stage

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 12 Jun 2013 03:19

Cosmo_R wrote:Actually, the BJP circular firing squad is back on stage

This is simultaneously the funniest and most depressing thing I have read all day and night..

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Jun 2013 03:21

disha, also aam junta should be aware about how strong is the core MDF if veneer of secularism falls off. This is what I was reflecting when saying, unless a big majority win happens, the veneer would keep getting buffed up with NDA rose-wood stain, and high profile poly-polished executives for providing secularism sheen.

I said MDF cause, I don't either see rose wood nor teak heads except in few BJP states. Is it wrong to seek for growth? When you have big leaders like Modi, why just think about alliance? how many here think Modi >= IG? If there are sizable numbers, then I think we have something for game changer. If not, they better get back to the inner core, and look for real change.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 12 Jun 2013 03:43

devesh that news report is before LKA came back.

Funny it says this

Mr. Singh, who is a close associate of Mr. Advani,

He is so close that LKA disassociated himself with anything to do the hostage negotiations in IC-814 Kandahar hijack.
The negotiations were led by Jaswant Singh.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 12 Jun 2013 04:04

Published on Jun 12, 2013
By Radhika Ramaseshan
Rajnath grasps what Advani would not - More mature in fresh innings: The Tribune

New Delhi, June 11: Rajnath Singh began his second innings as the BJP president with head on his shoulders and feet firmly on ground, without fumbling.

He lost little time in grasping that something big was happening in the party, something that veteran L.K. Advani refused to. That was the cadre frenzy for Narendra Modi, which was building into a chorus for declaring him the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in 2014.

Rajnath, 62, was installed in a rush when his predecessor Nitin Gadkari was booted out literally hours before he was to get a second term.

Rajnath was in near oblivion without a specific mandate to go by either in Delhi or in his home state, Uttar Pradesh. Not the happiest of circumstances for a leg-up but Rajnath accepted the job in January.

By then Modi was back as the Gujarat chief minister for a third term.

Rajnath’s equation with Modi was bad in his first tenure. He suddenly dropped Modi from the central parliamentary board, citing an unwritten norm of chief ministers not having a place in the BJP’s highest policy and decision-making body.

But everyone in the party knew the RSS wanted to clip Modi’s soaring wings.

Rajnath was also not on the best of terms with another powerful leader, Arun Jaitley.

Although the 2009 elections were fought under Advani’s leadership, the BJP’s debacle in Uttar Pradesh and the Congress’s remarkable recovery painted Rajnath into a corner. Nobody forgot the fact that under his stewardship the BJP had lost in Uttar Pradesh.

After getting his second term, the first thing Rajnath did was befriending Modi. Sources said Modi, who by then had unveiled his national ambitions, too needed an ally in Delhi, and one from Uttar Pradesh suited his countrywide game-plan appropriately.

Rajnath and Modi used every opportunity to declare their mutual admiration. The strategic partnership is developing into a replay of the “Atal-Advani” sort of political bonhomie that was, of course, challenged by open manifestations of friction, especially when the NDA was in power.

Also, this time Rajnath ensured that he did not rub Jaitley the wrong way.

In Goa, he was under duress by Advani loyalists to defer announcing Modi as the BJP’s national campaign panel chief. Stung by the backroom moves to scuttle the anointment, sources said at one stage a frazzled Modi urged Rajnath to abandon the decision. But Rajnath asked him to stay calm.

Having heard the Advani acolytes out, he kept his counsel to himself and refused to interact with them any more, said sources. Rajnath sussed out how the power scales were tilting and before he bit the bullet, sources said, barring Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar he was “more or less” convinced that Advani had no firm backers in his face-off with Modi.

That he was armed with the RSS’s go-ahead, notwithstanding the Sangh’s reservations about Modi, apparently strengthened his resolve.

Unlike his previous innings when he communicated with the Sangh apparatchiks through office-bearers, this time Rajnath dialled the hotline to Mohanrao Bhagwat and company to ensure that nothing was lost in translation.

When Advani created a fresh crisis with his resignations, sources claimed, Rajnath was unruffled. The cadre, Modi and the RSS were with him and he was confident he could bring the patriarch around, which he did.

Uttar Pradesh’s caste lore makes a distinction between Rajputs who are manor born and those who are raised in the heat and dust of hovels. Rajnath, a Rajput, was born into an ordinary peasant family. Post Goa, the buzz in the BJP is that he proved he was a true-blue Rajput.

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 12 Jun 2013 04:08

http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/01 ... 200253.htm

Vajpayee equates Islam with terrorism

Less than a fortnight ago Vajpayee had condemned the killings and the continued riots in Gujarat as a kalank (blot) on India’s face. But now he says: ‘Gujarat mein kya hua? Agar Sabarmati na hota to jo hua who nahi hota (What happened in Gujarat? If the attack on Sabarmati [train] had not taken place, then what followed [anti-Muslim violence] would not have happened). Mr Vajpayee did condemn the aftermath of the train attack at Godhra but hastened to add: Lekin aag lagai kisne? (But who started the fire?).

A statement by the Indian prime minister equating Islam with terrorism continues to cause an unprecedented uproar in the Indian political life, especially among Muslims and secular circles. Vajpayee has been accused of having finally cast off his 'moderate' mask which he has carefully donned all these years to present an acceptable face of the Hindu extremists whose political party, the BJP, he leads.

The whole world heard Vajpayee say it live on TV on April 12 in Goa: ‘Jahan Jahan Musalman hain ghul milkar nahi rahte hain (wherever there are Muslims they don’t want to live in peace)’.

And this was just the beginning. Vajpayee went ahead with Muslim-bashing and added, ‘Auron se ghulna milna nahi chahte. Shantipurna tarike se parchar karne ke bajaye atankwad se dara dhamka kar apne mat ka parchar karna chahte hain (They don’t want to mix with others. Instead, they want to preach and propagate their religion by creating fear and terror in the minds of others).

Vajpayee dwelt at length on 'Islamic fundamentalism' in the countries he visited recently. He said: 'one version of Islam taught love, peace and compassion' while 'Islam today was being used for militancy and Jihad and trying to bring the world under its influence. ‘Har jagah jahan Muslims bahut sankhya mein rahte hain, unki chinta hai ki kahin Islam ugra rup na le le (wherever Muslims live in large numbers, the rulers apprehend that Islam can take an aggressive turn)’ Vajpayee went on to say.

As if even this was not enough, the prime minister of a country, which has 131.5 million Muslim population, tried to squarely blame Muslims for the on-going riots in Gujarat. Less than a fortnight ago Vajpayee himself had condemned the killings and the continued riots in Gujarat as a kalank (blot) on India’s face. But now he says: ‘Gujarat mein kya hua? Agar Sabarmati na hota to jo hua who nahi hota (What happened in Gujarat? If the attack on Sabarmati [train] had not taken place, then what followed [anti-Muslim violence] would not have happened). Mr Vajpayee did condemn the aftermath of the train attack at Godhra but hastened to add: Lekin aag lagai kisne? (But who started the fire?). It is the same theory what the Gujarat chief minister Narendr Modi who is directly and indirectly involved in the massacres in the state has been advocating. Modi has all along been maintaining that the riots are a direct 'reaction' of what happened in Godhra.

After the outcry at all levels inside and outside Parliament, Vajpayee took recourse to the time-tested trick of claiming that the media has quoted him 'out of context'.

Vajpayee and his spin-doctors now claim that his remarks were being misrepresented: ‘It is projected as anti-Islam and anti-Muslim. A motivated propaganda, both within the country and internationally, is sought to be launched on the basis of such misrepresentation. My remarks taken in totality contained nothing that is either against Islam or Muslims’ Vajpayee said in a press statement.

Stating that in his speech in Goa he had drawn attention to two contradictory streams in Islam, Vajpayee added in his press statement, ‘I had said Islam has two forms. One is that which tolerates others, which teaches its adherents to follow the path of truth, which preaches compassion and sensitivity.’ ‘But these days militancy in the name of Islam leaves no room for tolerance. It has raised the slogan of Jihad. It is dreaming of recasting the entire world in its mould’ he added.

Prime Minister’s anti-Muslim and anti-Christian tirade has attracted widespread condemnation. Asked about the controversial statement in a press conference, Congress Party president, Sonia Gandhi, said that Vajpayee has lost his 'mental balance.' Ghulam Nabi Azad, president of the Congress party in Jammu & Kashmir demanded that Vajpayee should be arrested under the anti-terrorism law (POTA) for trying to divide various communities of the country. Shahid Siddiqui, general secretary of the Samajwadi Party, said that Vajpayee's statement is tantamount to declaring war against Muslims.

GM Banatwala, member of Parliament and president of the Indian Union Muslim League, condemned PM’s remark and called them most deplorable. ‘His proactive Goa speech and the fascist attitude already endorsed by the BJP in Goa session are grave threats to democracy,' Banatwala said. All-India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat president, Syed Shahabuddin said that the extremist Hindu face of Vajpayee has been unmasked.

The All-India Christian Council (AICC) has also deplored Vajpayee's remarks. ‘In one swoop, he has defamed Islam and Christianity, condoned state terrorism, forgiven the Gujarat chief minister Narender Modi and sought to convert the bigotry and hate campaigns of the RSS and the VHP into votes for the BJP’ the AICC said. The council also said ‘to now rationalize and thereby encourage retaliatory violence in its wake is to savagely criminalise civilizational discourse in India.’

This was not the first time when the Prime Minister made cynical remarks. Vajpayee who has been called a 'moderate' in an extremist Hindu nationalist party, has a history of making such remarks. And he has always tried to explain away criticism by claiming that the media misquoted him.

It was just last year when Vajpayee tried to justify the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya by his own partymen. Appearing in an Iftar Party hosted on December 6, 2000 by the lone Muslim member in his government, Syed Shahnawaz Husain, Vajpayee said: ‘Ayodhya mein Ram mandir ka nirman rashtriya bhavana ke prakatikaran ka kam tha, jo abhi tak pura nahi hua hai (construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya is an expression of national sentiment which is yet to be realized).’

Vajpayee also rejected the demand for the resignation of the three ministers in his government including LK Advani, the home minister, who have been charge-sheeted for their role in the demolition of the Babri Mosque. Vajpayee later claimed that he was misquoted.

During the Uttar Pradesh state legislative assembly elections last February Vajpayee had said that his party, the BJP, does not need Muslim votes. Earlier during Bill Clinton’s presidency when Vajpayee visited the US, he said that he is 'a sawayamsevak first and then Prime Minister' and that 'whether he remains Prime Minister or not he will remain a swayamsevak.’ Cadres of the extremist Hindu outfit Rashtriya Sawyamsevak Sangh (RSS), the parent party of the BJP, are called 'swayamsevaks'. Later Vajpayee claimed that he intended to say that he was a servant of the nation!

Daily Hindustan Times has editorially advised Vajpayee: 'This can't go on. India cannot afford a prime minister who shoots his mouth off on sensitive issues and then issues tedious clarifications two days later.' An editorial in another important newspaper, The Times of India, said that 'A leopard, they say, cannot change its spots. But in India we have long been prepared to believe otherwise. A case in point is that of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee…Mr Vajpayee's unwarranted diatribe against a section of his own people will be difficult to reconcile with his image of being a moderate. It will come as a grave shock to a nation still coming to terms with the trauma of the past month and a half,' it said. q

disha · Post by **disha** » 12 Jun 2013 04:18

SaiK wrote:disha, also aam junta should be aware about how strong is the core MDF if veneer of secularism falls off. This is what I was reflecting when saying, unless a big majority win happens, the veneer would keep getting buffed up with NDA rose-wood stain, and high profile poly-polished executives for providing secularism sheen.

I said MDF cause, I don't either see rose wood nor teak heads except in few BJP states. Is it wrong to seek for growth? When you have big leaders like Modi, why just think about alliance? how many here think Modi >= IG? If there are sizable numbers, then I think we have something for game changer. If not, they better get back to the inner core, and look for real change.

That is not the responsibility of the party., but responsibility of the citizens to see through the veneers. Parties can only "educate". How can you know that Modi > IG if Modi is never given a chance? Do we ruminate "what if" only after blindly denying somebody a chance just because we do not want to change our own thinking? Why should you trust one parties "education" over another party? Such skepticism is good but should not come in the way of change.

Yatha praja tatha raja. We have EJ trolls already shutting of their senses and going partisan. Nothing wrong in that., but when the entire populations do that., we have what we currently have - a kleptocracy.

This has been a singular failure of Nehru. He had George Washington, Orwell, Lincoln, FDR etc as historical references and ended up propagating single party dynastic rule.

PS: Not orwell. I was thinking of the "benefactor" of england (and not montforte either)

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 12 Jun 2013 04:24

disha, Advice. Dont call other members trolls.

disha · Post by **disha** » 12 Jun 2013 04:39

ramana wrote:disha, Advice. Dont call other members trolls.

I will refrain myself.

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 12 Jun 2013 05:02

ramana wrote:muraliravi, By any measure LKA is the one who lost face. The lowest blow was him listening to RSS chief whome he was bad mouthing.
So he is spent force. But better to have him inside than outside right?

LKA tantrum exposed the many hidden players and also made BJP realise the brink or chasm insided and outside.

Valid Point Sir, The best part of this whole drama was modi and his team (i believe rajnath to be at least partially on his team now) could see who was on which side of the fence.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 12 Jun 2013 05:06

But you saw in the Telegraph report, D4 is now D2: Sushma Swaraj and Ananth Kumar.

Looks like radia gate has not fazed the latter.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 12 Jun 2013 05:15

Now business papers are spouting political wisdom

Business Standard:

Beyond Buzzwords

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 12 Jun 2013 05:26

I view this as the victory of wise advice from Indic forces over personal ambition (quite possibly encouraged by the C-system and foreign ambassadors).

For all his mistakes Advani has done well to step back from the brink. Hopefully, in his remaining years, he will remain within the Indic fold. He is welcome to work for the national cause, but he should henceforth not be given any position of responsibility.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 12 Jun 2013 05:31

Disha, You mean Cromwell? The Lord Protector of England After Charles I.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 12 Jun 2013 05:38

ramana wrote:Now business papers are spouting political wisdom

Business Standard:

Beyond Buzzwords

The HMV in 10JP has ordered a sustained and multi-pronged hit on NM's governance and reformist image, seems like. Expect more such farticles to bubble up in the biz press and elsewhere.

Hard to forget how suddenly anti-salwa judum farticles surfaced in a portfolio of outlets after Sri Mahendra karma's foul murder. The only genuine coincidences left in the professional media sphere are the deliberate ones. Only.

***

There has been an outbreak of high-horsed moralists of the old spit-and-scoot variety on this dhaga who've shown up to berate how the BJP has lost track of an agenda and attacking the INC ahead of the polls. These messrs never showed up in the 100 pages prior to the past 10 when the governance and service delivery ideas of NM and c-system were debated here daily.

And when they did show up, again diversionary tactics were in full play - "show me NM's ideas on women's empowerment...or bust!" Some naive nanha mujahids on the dhaga actually took such pious statements at face value and actually tried engaging with such people. Sad. Dhaga regulars wisely avoided these divert and hijack attempts.

And now it seems said high-horsed folks don't find funny attempts to call out their BS. Well, I can live with their not being amused. Too much deference to opposing voices is no good, IMO. Anyway, just saying.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 12 Jun 2013 05:54

Muppalla wrote:
Arjun wrote:There is only one solution - Advani needs to be sacked by the BJP using some bahana at the appropriate time, unless he publicly mends ways with Modi.
I am again saying. There is no need for intra-party chanikyanness to fight with enemies. The entire spin of chankyaness is a mirage.

I repeat "throw him out, throw him out, throw him out. Om shanti!!! shanti!!! shanti!!!"

Is there any merit to the saying "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".

If Advani can be politically castrated then its OK. He should be given no position of responsibility.

As long as the triumvirate of -
(1) Modi, with his mass base
(2) Rajnath, with his position as party president and
(3) RSS with its cadres and moral authority
are all together, then all obstacles can be overcome.

There are anti-Modi elements in the RSS, but it seems Bhagwat himself is not among them. Good sense seems to have prevailed.

devesh · Post by **devesh** » 12 Jun 2013 05:54

Hari Seldon wrote: Too much deference to opposing voices is no good,

+1.

the thing that BJP and Indics need to understand. "diversity" does not mean giving every centrifugal voice a say in matters of national importance.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 12 Jun 2013 06:05

Theo_Fidel wrote:Absolute insanity.

This is the time the opposition should be consolidating and putting the government on the mat instead we have this. All eyes are on this spectacle. What does this say about ability to govern or the lack of it. Can anyone show if BJP has added a single vote through all these shenanigans. For better or worse LKA kept all these arsonists quiet.

India needs a credible opposition esp. at the national level. Esp. right now.

As long as Modi comes out on top, this "Saas-Bahu" saga can even increase his mind-share nationally.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 12 Jun 2013 06:14

RSS brokers Lal Krishna Advani-Rajnath Singh truce

disha · Post by **disha** » 12 Jun 2013 06:16

ramana wrote:Now business papers are spouting political wisdom

Business Standard:

Beyond Buzzwords

Dissecting it here:

There has been a certain inevitability to Narendra Modi's rise to leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Over the past two to three years, the noise his supporters - old and new - have created in the media; the sophistication of his public-relations machinery; and the decrepitude of his party's establishment in Delhi have all combined to ensure that, for many BJP workers, there seemed to be no alternative to Mr Modi. In choosing Mr Modi over the clear wishes of some other senior leaders, the BJP has therefore done well - after all, a crucial part of the difference between it and the post-Indira Congress is that it has been more committed to internal democracy.

So far excellent - at least conceded that there is internal democracy in BJP via dynastic monarchy in CONgraze.

Let us, for a moment, take one crucial claim made by Mr Modi's many defenders, both fanatical and supposedly neutral, at face value: that we should not consider the riots he unapologetically presided over in 2002 as relevant to his candidacy for prime minister. There are various reasons given for this, all self-serving, blind or hypocritical to one degree or another; but Mr Modi himself has made few of them. He instead carefully sidestepped his record in 2002 when speaking outside Gujarat, and tried to reinvent himself as a messiah of "governance", a word as irritatingly meaningless as "terror". So let's look at exactly what that means.

When did "governance" became meaningless? Governments are elected to govern., that is execute policies and draft new policies to keep up with time and have a judiciary in place to ensure that the polices are adhered to. There is "governance" once an individual becomes part of a family (marries, has kids etc)., so when did it become meaningless?

So governance is an important aspect., currently India is in a miasma because of "lack of governance".

Here the #paidmedia is trying to shoot down "governance" by first associating it with a negative "terror" and calling terror meaningless and hence governance is meaningless and thus the messiah of good governance is meaningless.

And, in doing so, let us not be sidetracked with questions of how much he is responsible for Gujarat's undoubtedly excellent performance on many, but not all, major parameters of economic growth and development. What we need to investigate is not just what has been done in Gujarat, but what he has said about more national economic issues.

The next refrain from #paidmedia - Blow to Modi. Modi is successful in many but not all parameters of growth and development. Wait - what is the record of MMS/SG/Pappu? And what is their view on national economic issues - did they say anything meaningful other than #theekhai and #bheekhai?

Mr Modi is generally believed to be business-friendly; to be in favour of a government less intrusive in the economy; to focus on outcomes rather than outlays; to accept the need to invest in renewable energy. These are all good things, and are part of the reason why some people initially shocked by 2002 are now hoping he succeeds.

Are 6-8 crore Gujjus "some people"? Anyway., by reducing it to "some people" - the farticle writer wants to take away credit from Modi.

However, as a prime ministerial candidate, Mr Modi will have to be much more concrete about his plans and prescriptions than he has been so far. And that's where we begin to run into trouble. So far, his public speeches - all available on his flashy and Flash-ridden website - have been full of excellent one-liners and statements of "his" achievements in Gujarat. But what about the reforms central to India's further development, and on which the Congress-led government has been shaky at best? Beyond buzzwords, he has had little to offer hitherto. And as for the vision that shines through his suggestions - well, judge for yourself how reformist it is.

Elections are a year away and Modi should expound his economic policy now? Should not be that a question foremost for CONgis and then in election time Modi can criticize the policies (he does not have to expound anything new actually). The fact is that Modi is PM designate and not PM.

Even on those steps that the central government has taken, for example on foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail, the Gujarat chief minister has been the strongest voice of his party's anti-reforms line. FDI is meant to benefit "Italian businessmen", he has claimed. The rationalisation of diesel prices, perhaps the most important step the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has taken in the past year, will "create more pain for those already suffering" and cause India's "ship to sink".

Maybe the chaiwallah has grasped what this #paidmedia pappu has not. when diesel prices are raised., there is an inflationary aspect and will cause "ship to sink" for India already reeling in massive inflation. Does the GOI have a comprehensive energy policy? Can bio-diesel in India be sold for example at retail prices in open market? FDI in retail may put thousands of SMEs out of business. What is GOIs cohesive industrial policy? Labour reforms?

Gas companies were "cheating the people" by asking for limits on the number of subsidised cooking gas cylinders.

Aren't they? By limiting the cyls. where is the urge to improve? Where is competition? What about the proposal by Guj to enable piped gas grid that actually saves diesel.

And his website adds, "on the same day the UPA announced these regressive decisions, Shri Modi announced 100 per cent relief on loans and 50 per cent relief on electricity bills for farmers." This is India's great reformist hope? How deluded, desperate or cynical do you have to be to claim that?

Yes., this is the reformist hope since Modi also mentioned privatization of rlwys. What is this pappus take on it?

Then there's the goods and services tax. There's little doubt that this is something that's both needed and possible; it could give the Indian economy a boost of two percentage points. Most states are agreeable, including almost all BJP-run states. The only real holdout, as even the BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi will sadly tell you: Narendra Modi's Gujarat.

Is there any other market-oriented reform the government has proposed that Mr Modi has been on board with? Forward trading in commodities? No, it's "detrimental to the national economy". Is there anything that market-oriented reformers disapprove of that Mr Modi has attacked - say the food security Bill? Nope, his silence during the current debate has been deafening. On keeping the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from "distorting" rural wage bills and draining the exchequer? Narendra Modi personally intervened with the Centre to raise Gujarat's daily wage amount under the scheme to Rs 147 from Rs 134. On accountability for government servants? "Sometimes when there is talk of a minimum government, one of the topics brought up is the size of the government. I don't want people to be sacked from their jobs." Again, this is who you're selling as a reformer? How foolish are we, precisely?

OK, what about those issues that the Congress has conspicuously avoided, such as labour law reform? Yashwant Sinha, as a BJP finance minister in 2001, tried to raise the number of people employed in an enterprise before stringent requirements kicked in, an Indira-era regulation that has held Indian production and employment back ever since. But that attempt at reform was rolled back; Atal Bihari Vajpayee said, "labour must be consulted". Very well, is Mr Modi willing to take this great step at the central level? Not quite. He has instead suggested, with Chandrababu Naidu, that labour law be moved from the Concurrent to the State list. A constitutional amendment? Why cannot he call for a change in central regulations? Is it because he is timid? Or is it because he knows, cynically, that an amendment has no chance of going through?

The answer to all these questions is that Mr Modi is not as different from other Indian "reformers" as his fans like to make out. His own speeches explain that - if you ignore the painful buzzwords and the occasional ridiculous idea like solar panels at the India-Pakistan border. "True reform," he has said, "is improving infrastructure", not correcting past policy. Actually, no, it's the latter. But even on improving infrastructure, what's his plan? Will he raise taxes to pay for public provision? He has admired China's approach to infrastructure; will he pay for it through financial repression, as that country does? Or will he persist with the UPA government's public-private partnership (PPP) method, at the root of most of the scandals and scams of the past few years? So it seems: "Good governance is defined by public-private partnership." OK, but perhaps with increased regulation? Not quite: "We must look to P4 - people private public partnership. People should be kept in the loop by the government. People should get a chance to speak before a government decision is taken."

So jan sunwais, or public hearings, for every PPP? Perhaps not a terrible idea, but one I'd expect from those dreadful Naxalites Sonia Gandhi keeps around her, and not India's Margaret Thatcher. Going by his stated opinions, Mr Modi should stop criticising the National Advisory Council and join it instead.

Rest of the rants will be addressed later.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 12 Jun 2013 06:17

Last stand against change: Swapan Dasgupta

disha · Post by **disha** » 12 Jun 2013 06:24

ramana wrote:Disha, You mean Cromwell? The Lord Protector of England After Charles I.

Yes. The point was., he did not become the "monarch" when he could have done so. JLN could have set a precedence that having ruled till 1962 (16 years in saddle)., could have allowed a new generation to come in. Imagine LBS in 1963 rather than in 1965. Would we had IG? Anyway., I consider JLN as a failure when it came to constitutional norms.

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 12 Jun 2013 06:48

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 548408.cms
Modi uses iron man as farmer magnet

Coining a new slogan, "EkBharatShresthaBharat", chief minister NarendraModi has called on farmers of India to donate a small piece of iron from farming tools to build the world's tallest "Statue of Unity" at SardarSarovar dam in memory of the original iron man of India, Sardar Patel.

The appeal was made by Modi while inaugurating an all-India conference on livestock and dairy development in Gandhinagar on Tuesday. The event was attended by farmers and cattle owners from 20 states and 200 districts of the country. Modi said that the iron pieces brought from rural India would be melted and utilized for building the statue. He said the statue would be built from iron to justify Sardar Patel's stature as Iron Man. Modi said the statue would be taller than the Statue of Liberty in the US.

Sources said that Modi plans to launch a massive campaign in the name of Sardar Patel on his birth anniversary on October 31. BJP workers will travel across five lakh villages across India to collect iron pieces.

In his inaugural address at the conference Modi announced that Gujarat would host the biggest agro tech fair in India to boost the agriculture sector.

Criticizing centre's "pink revolution" policy, he said, "While we are encouraging white revolution and green revolution, the centre is keen boosting pink revolution. The Union government has decided to give relief to slaughter houses in income tax."

The man is full of ideas. THis is what CON and MAINO worshippers are afraid of.

Check rediff news section. 5/10 articles on bashing Modi. The fear is real in the hearts of India paid dogs, looters

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 12 Jun 2013 06:57

The political crisis in the Uttarakhand Congress has deepened with over 10 legislators who had revolted against the government to protest against its inability to meet their constituency-related demands turning down chief minister Vijay Bahuguna's offer for talks at his residence to resolve the issue.

A Congress leader said more Congress, BSP and independent MLAs might join the banner of revolt against the Bahuguna government in a couple of days.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 12 Jun 2013 07:01

vijayk is not back yet?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 12 Jun 2013 07:06

have to give credit to the congis though for identifying way back 12+ yrs ago who the main threat to their dynasty was going to be.

some soothsayer/horse whisperer evil warlock must be hiding in their ranks and making these prophesies of threats to the kansa dynasty from some poor guy born in a hut near dwaraka kingdom

give some credit to the termite queen, she knows the prime threats to her hive and acts ruthlessly.

abhishek_sharma · Post by **abhishek_sharma** » 12 Jun 2013 07:08

The Advani-Modi relationship over the years

15-16 photos of ABV/LKA/NM

fanne · Post by **fanne** » 12 Jun 2013 07:16

GD, I hope that is the correct metaphor, Krishna ultimately trounces all these evils, may Narendra do the same!!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 12 Jun 2013 07:22

^ from the series of pics above
July 8, 2012: In his blog post, Advani says: “I have often felt that in Indian political history, no political leader has been as systematically and viciously maligned as Narendra Modi.”

--
termite queen has not one shred of indic decency in the blood. a true scorched earth conquistador with the take/burn/pillage/convert mould.
there is truly NO precedent ruler in living memory with that degree of ruthlessness and lack of grace.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 12 Jun 2013 07:25

Sushupti wrote:QQouwAdbtEc
Why, recently, he has started emphasizing on "Akhandbharat"?

Jan, Man, Brahmand Adhinayak Jay Ho
Bharat, Bhagya Vidhata
Punjab ( Danda of India: Bhay Bin Hot Na Preeti wala) Sindh Gujarat Maratha
Dravid Utkal Vangaa
Kabul, Rangoon, Lanka, Dhaka,Himalay Ooncha Lhasa
Hum Shubh Ashish Maange ,Tubb Shubh Ashish Maange
Lehraye Bhagwa Pancham Dhwaza

Jayo Hey, Jayo Hey
Yugo Yugo Jayo Hey !

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 12 Jun 2013 07:32

read todays politics party, should clear all the confusion:

http://www.politicsparty.com/shownews.php?newsid=194

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 12 Jun 2013 08:11

Yeddyurappa rules out returning to BJP, hints at aligning with Modi

An NCP-Congress alignment model is on the cards in Karnataka.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 542759.cms

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 12 Jun 2013 08:25

Sanku wrote:Kindly do not attribute your lack of analysis to others. If your one line statement is "BJP lost therefore I am free to say anything" -- please have the courage to face up to it. Its pretty silly, and right up there with some of the worst invective filled and completely bereft of analysis statements which adorn this thread.

By the way the first time BJP held a state govt for five years in south has been in this decade only. So much so for that one attempt to provide justification.

I pray you keep your analysis about me to yourself, before calling others silly kindly look at the mirror. You are the laughing stock of this thread, baring a few support here and there. Dude, either wise up or stop trolling. KA is not the only state in South. What has the Buddhu party done in KL, AP and TN. Done nothing. Zilch. It could not advance in TN, a state known for very less Muslim population. The general populace is casteist and Hindu.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 12 Jun 2013 08:33

^^

Unlike the Congress, which lays great store on calculation, the BJP is a party that is inordinately influenced by emotionalism.

calculation > emotionalism so far it appears from this author. I agree.

Vikas · Post by **Vikas** » 12 Jun 2013 08:59

I had my first moment of "Oh My God I am one of them" When instinctively I jumped into a uber sekular debate defending NaMo and his record while others were bent upon proving that the train at Godhra was lighted by him and so were 25000000000 muslims killed in Guj.
There is some kind of visceral fear among some people in NaMo becoming PM and I guess Kang-ress would feed on this fear when the rubber will meet the road.
The drawback Kan-grass has that they have nothing to show for last 10 years so it might be back to UPA-1 with hotch-potch of Parties who haven't made money in last 5 years while all these scams were going on and country was/is being looted like never before.

BJP needs to pick its allies carefully or else we will be back to ABV govt which hampered BJP from implementing its agenda.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 12 Jun 2013 09:10

TV9 - How will BJP counter TRS in Telangana?

munna · Post by **munna** » 12 Jun 2013 09:12

Theo_Fidel wrote:OK munna,

I'll bite. Other than a bland statement on better governance what is the position of the folks you mention on the issues common folks encounter every day. Please locate specific proposals.

Again Theoji the position of BJP-walas (not me) is that just because the INC-wala are not paying attention does not mean we have no proposals or working schemes for the common man. Following links will give you a better understanding of what the Saffron Cowboys are going deliver over and beyond the Saffron Rathyatris.

Narendra Modi on Governance

“Good Governance is the ability to differentiate between right & wrong, just & unjust,
fair & foul and moral & immoral. Kautilya in his Arthashastra says that in order to ensure
this the person who governs should understand that his happiness lies in the happiness of his
subjects, his welfare in their welfare. But this in itself does not make it democratic governance. But in the context of democratic good governance, people are no longer subjects but are participants.” – Shri Narendra Modi.
Click on links below to find out how Shri Narendra Modi has led the path of good governance in Gujarat with the mantra of “Sauna Saath, Sauna Vikas (All together, growth for all)”

Panchamrut Philosophy
India’s Growth Engine
Public Service Delivery
Proactive Governance
Development Initiatives

Please click on the above mentioned 5 links to understand the implemented policies of NaMo and how these are changing lives of common man for better! He has a stated position on issues ranging from women to tribals and that too not now but from 2007 onwards on a lot of counts!

I am just posting a link and the summary of all what was done for tribals and how it has helped them.

5 Reasons our Tribal Citizens are smiling

Slide 1-- Education: 639 government schools built, 145 middles schools and 65 scientific courses

Slide 2-- Potable Water: 16000 villages and settlements provided with potable water eliminating water borne diseases

Slide 3-- Safeguarding Rights: 16000 hectares land ownership allotted to 36000 tribals

Slide 4-- Medical Services: Safe transportation for successful and safe delivery of 4 lakh pregnant tribal mothers

Slide 5-- Budget: Rs 40,000 crores allocated for tribal welfare for next 5 years

Beyond this initiatives like educating the girl child under Kanya Kelavani programmer are all great ideas and have already been implemented. The details of which are as follows

Kanya Kelavani Scheme

To ensure that the fruits of education spread throughout the state, the Gujarat Government, under Shri Modi’s visionary leadership has undertaken a number of initiatives like Kanya Kelavani, Shala Praveshotsav, Gunotsav and Vidya Laxmi Yojana
Low school-enrolment rates are the beginning of a viscous cycle as lack of education can further decline a person’s standing in society.
During the three-day 10th state-wide ‘Shala Praveshotsav’ and ‘Kanya Kelavani Abhhiyan’ in 2012 almost 4.8 lakh children, including approximately 2.3 lakh girls and 2.5 lakh boys, were admitted to schools in rural areas.
The initiatives have borne fruit as Gujarat has achieved 100% enrolment in every locality, for every child in every family – and the dropout ratio has fallen from 20.5% in 2001-02 to 2.09% in 2010-11.

All this is merely a trailer of what was done by an allegedly pro-business and right winger CM of the new Saffron Cowboy generation. I have illustrated not merely his position but his deliverables to two most disempowered classes of citizens in India viz the girl child and tribals. There are equally good policy stands, if not better ones that I cannot enunciate for want of space and time. Please feel free to explore the site and other resources therein. I rest my case.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 12 Jun 2013 09:14

Dynasty's FDI efforts bear frootis and light up India's image as business-friendly all over the world. No, really. Sample this...

Tytler cheated us, said Sonia and Rahul backed project: US firm to FBI (IE)

A US telecom firm has complained to the FBI that it has been defrauded of $1.1 million by Congress leader Jagdish Tytler after he allegedly got the company to invest in a joint venture in India he assured had the “blessings” of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul.

In the complaint filed on Monday, TCM Mobile LLC said its subsidiary Corewip entered into a joint venture promoted by Tytler’s son Siddharth and arms agent Abhishek Verma to set up a cellular service for rural India after Tytler assured it that top politicians were on board.

Tytler, who was investigated for links with Verma, has strongly denied the allegations. There was no question of him having given any assurance on behalf of any Congress leader, he said.
[...]
“Before we invested in the company, we met Mr J Tytler several times and were assured in writing in his presence by Verma that this VoIP project for the poor has the blessings of Mr Rahul Gandhi and Mrs Sonia Gandhi,” the complaint says.

It adds that the $1.1 million that it put into the project was fraudulently withdrawn by Verma and his associates using forged documents.

Jai ho and all that.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 12 Jun 2013 09:15

"Advaniji responded mainly in monosyllables, and his body language and state of tension was terrible," [Uma] Bharti is said to have confided in her aides. The emotional tone of the meetings, it is said, paved the way for a solution. "Most of the issues raised by Advaniji were anyway of an emotional nature, that his views were not respected ..."

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 547576.cms