Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

[harbans]

The Amartya Sen 2006 article calling for scrapping minority schools and running only Xtian ones must get more prominence. Thanks for putting that up!

[RamaY]

Advani's little nautanki was to force NiKu to move now than later.

+1.

I wonder if we ever know who the true Krishna is.

[rkirankr]

Please read this article and especially the statement by KPS Gill on the death of Brave Police officer AS Sandhu
KPS Gill's Statement on death of SSP AS Sandhu

Mods, Please move this post to Non Burkha forum if you feel it is not inappropriate

[Atri]

Moropant Pingley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moropant_Pingley

Yes.. the think tank of RSS remains nebulous. Those who appear as "think tank" are more often than not the nebulous deep-hearts which come up with ideas and these ideas are then propagated and executed via their executive arm, which is the face of parivar. NM, MB etc are faces and executive arms of the parivar.

Moropant was one such leader. He had a guru in an Matha in central India on Narmada bank. The guru is now no more, but what an enlightened soul, he was. People say one of the go aheads about appropriateness of the timing of starting the movement was given to Moropanta by this siddha in 1982. The earlier Ekatmata yatra and the Ram-Janki Yatra year later were linked in the mind of Moropanta by this siddha.

[Sushupti]

Advani's little nautanki was to force NiKu to move now than later.

+1.

I wonder if we ever know who the true Krishna is.

[Manish_Sharma]

Accurate, expect the bit about why Modi's foes are wasting their weapons. The reason is not Rajnath Singh (he is merely the face) -- it is LKA. LKA is to canny a politician to waste his powers so easily. He would have patiently bid his time post elections, and just not have BJP name a explicit contender.

He chose to do his little sooside so that NiKu could be drawn out, and if he had to muddy the waters, he would be forced to do early rather than late.

Advani's little nautanki was to force NiKu to move now than later.

Interesting observation in the comments section:

http://www.leftbrainwave.com/2013/07/us ... isely.html

I don't agree all these arrows directed against modi as 'Indra Shakti'. No they may be Agni Baans or Amogh Baans (Agni & Amogh arrows) but certainly not the 'shakti'.

If it was Indra Shakti then it'd have done its work by now.

No! Warhead has been mated, the shakti is being prepared to launch but not launched yet.

You see the shakti being prepared in implicating the 'Intelligence Bureau officer' in ishrat case, the whole of IB, RAW etc. have been warned that alerting about terrorist attack from pakistan can land them in trouble. So when LeT, JeM terrorist cross the border to kill modi and amit shah there path should not be hindered. That my friends will the 'Indra Shakti' that modi cannot escape.

[ramana]

Use Your Ghatotkachas And Indra Shaktis Wisely

Huh?

Mind posting the article as its blcoked behind agni-dwar*.

*just using same lingo as the article!

Someone is getting ideas from Atri's thoughts and posting elsewhere.


Also note numerous schemes underway to somehow render Modi hors d'combat.

There is the Lok Ayukta scheme
- Publically the RAW and IB are saying not passing any terrorism leads to even MHA?

Wonder what they do otherwise? Must be using working traffic cameras to watch women in traffic.

[krisna]

^^^^ here it is

Ruminations on Politics, Music, Movies, Literature, and All the News that's Fit to Screen
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Use Your Ghatotkachas And Indra Shaktis Wisely
Use Your Ghatotkachas And Indra Shaktis Wisely

Written by Dr. Seshadri Kumar, 20 July, 2013

Copyright © Dr. Seshadri Kumar. All Rights Reserved.

For other articles by Dr. Seshadri Kumar, please visit http://www.leftbrainwave.com

Disclaimer: All the opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of Dr. Seshadri Kumar alone and should not be construed to mean the opinions of any other person or organization, unless explicitly stated otherwise in the article.

*********************************

The past few months have seen frenetic activity in India’s political landscape, much of it involving the rise of Narendra Modi, the Gujarat chief minister, to the forefront of national politics in India, and the reaction of the UPA and other political parties to this continuing development.

The rise of Mr. Modi has been neither smooth nor easy. In fact, the rocky ride to the top of the BJP of Mr. Modi has given much cause for cheer to the Congress party, the JD (U) led by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, the Samajwadi Party (SP) of Mulayam Singh Yadav, and other detractors of Mr. Modi, even prompting some of their members, such as Manish Tewari, Digvijay Singh, Nitish Kumar, Renuka Chowdhury and Shashi Tharoor, to gloat publicly with unrestrained glee at what they perceive as Modi’s discomfiture.

I argue that the UPA, the JD (U), the SP, and other parties opposed to Modi do not really have any cause for cheer in the developments that have happened in the last couple of months. On the contrary, they may have a lot more to worry about than they did before June 2013. Either they are ignorant of this, or their cheer and gloating is much like the nervous laugh that some of us exhibit when we are embarrassed – in an obvious attempt to cover up our discomfort at a joke that may have been made at our expense or when an uncomfortable personal detail that we wanted kept secret is revealed without warning in public by one of our friends.

Why this conclusion is warranted, viz., that the UPA, the JD (U), the SP, and other adversaries of Mr. Modi should all be very worried about Mr. Modi’s actions, and not celebrate right now, is the focus of this article.

The Perceived Troubles of Mr. Modi

To say that there has been turmoil in the BJP in the last few months is to state the staggeringly obvious. Let us remind ourselves of some of the factors responsible for the turmoil:

1. Supporters of Narendra Modi step up pressure for him to be named BJP’s PM candidate.
2. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar makes some not-so-veiled comments expressing concern about Modi.
3. BJP conducts its national meeting crowning Modi as chairman of its election campaign committee.
4. Advani resigns from the party due to his opposition to the party elevating Modi.
5. BJP convinces Advani to return to the party – without giving him anything in return.
6. Nitish Kumar decides to leave the NDA (National Democratic Alliance), his party’s 17-year old alliance with the BJP.
7. Other NDA allies, such as the Shiv Sena, also make noises that Mr. Modi may not be the “perfect face” for the alliance.
8. Mr. Modi gives an interview to Reuters, in which he talks about the 2002 riots and likens the death of the Muslims under his rule to a puppy coming under the wheel of a car which he was not himself driving.
9. The vice-president of the Delhi unit of the BJP, Aamir Raza Hussain, resigns after criticizing Modi’s attitude to Muslims and taking exception to his “puppy” remark in his Reuters interview.
10. Amit Shah goes to Ayodhya, makes a statement about building a grand temple to the baby Ram there. The next day, Rajnath Singh, BJP president, clarifies that Amit Shah’s statement should not be taken in a political vein but as a personal statement from a devout Hindu.
11. More recently, in the same Reuters interview, Modi claims that he is a Hindu nationalist and that there is nothing wrong with being one. Posters of Modi saying “I am Hindu nationalist” come up all over Mumbai, on orders of the BJP.
12. The CBI files a charge sheet against the Gujarat police and the Intelligence Bureau, accusing them of engineering a fake encounter against Ishrat Jahan, a suspected terrorist, in 2004. There is widespread TV coverage of the event, and lengthy debates on the integrity of the Gujarat police, and whether they were wrong in engineering a fake encounter.

The Congress and its allies have, understandably, felt very satisfied at the turn of events surrounding Modi and the BJP. To the UPA, these events indicate to them that, under Mr. Modi’s leadership, the BJP will lose all its allies; it will lose all support from minorities and liberal Hindus; there will be dissension within the BJP, pitting supporters of Mr. Modi against those of Mr. Advani or Ms. Swaraj; and the talk of Hindu nationalism will turn off voters who are charmed by Modi’s development agenda.

All these are valid conclusions, but they ignore one fundamental truth about politics – that the three most important things (after money) in political campaigns are timing, timing, and timing!

Lessons from Sun Tzu

The importance of timing in war (and a political campaign is really a war) has been recognized since ancient times. For example, the tremendously destructive second World War would never had happened had France sent its troops across the German border the day the Germans invaded Poland. France had the numerical superiority to defeat Germany, which would have been caught unawares, and the entire war would have been over in 2 weeks. It was France’s failure to do so at the right time that led to 6 more years of fighting to defeat Hitler.

But this is simply a modern example. A commentator as ancient as Sun Tzu (ca. 500 BC) has talked extensively (inasmuch as the word “extensively” can be applied to Sun Tzu’s writings) about the importance of timing, the importance of surprise, and the need to catch your opponent in his weak moments.

I quote from Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” Chapter 1, Verses 18-25:

18. All warfare is based on deception.

19. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.

20. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.

21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.

22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.

23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.

24. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.

25. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.

What do all these have to do with Narendra Modi? The principles enshrined in the Art of War have clearly been understood by Modi, whether or not he has read Sun Tzu (although listening to his speeches, one is tempted to think that he surely must have – he is a fairly well-read man and often makes references to China and Korea, indicating an interest in the Far East). His moves have perplexed friend and foe alike – hence the emphasis on deception.

Further, careful observers will notice that Modi did not respond himself to the various provocations by Nitish Kumar, Advani, and many other people from his own party, hence, following the maxim, “when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive.” Modi, instead of shying away from his record as a proponent of Hindutva, is actually asking the BJP to put up giant hoardings of his claiming he is a Hindu nationalist – hence, “Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder...” with the intention to later “...crush him.” The interview with Reuters is also an example of following the maxim, “If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him.”

The Modi campaign is full of surprises. Who would have imagined that Amit Shah would be put in charge of UP and, shortly thereafter, make a statement about building a Ram temple there? Again, “appear where you are not expected.” In fact, given that the biggest monkey on Modi’s back is the 2002 riots, one would have expected him to make a lot of secular-sounding statements, play down the Hindutva card, forbid any talk of a Ram temple, and talk only about Gujarat’s development.

Yet Modi continues to surprise, and no one should make the mistake of thinking these are slips of the tongue or ill-thought-out moves. He clearly has aces up his sleeve, but he will not talk about them now, following the maxim that these aces “must not be divulged beforehand.” If one can characterize one thing about Narendra Modi with crystal clarity, it is that he is a political animal and his instincts are very sure. His three election victories in Gujarat are no accident. Modi understands very clearly what he is doing and why. But before we get to that, let us examine lessons from another ancient classic, this time closer to home – The Mahabharata.

The Curious Case of Karna and the Indra Shakti

The BJP has always been known to have a favourable stance towards Hindu mythology and Sanskrit. While it may be debatable whether India would have been better off with Sanskrit instead of English, as Rajnath Singh recently suggested, in today’s knowledge economy, there is no doubt in my mind that the Congress, the JD (U), and other self-styled “secular” parties would do well to understand the lessons from our ancient epics such as the Mahabharata. It might actually help them defeat their arch-enemy, the BJP. In fact, I hold that not understanding the lessons from these epics has led to them making important tactical mistakes in the recent past.

One of the most interesting characters from the Mahabharata is Karna, the half-brother of the Pandavas whose real identity is known to very few in the epic. Karna, being the son of the Sun God Surya, is said to have been born with a natural coat of armour and divine ear-rings, the possession of which rendered him invincible in battle owing to the fact that the armour could not be pierced by any weapon.

Arjuna’s father, the God Indra, realizing that a final battle one day between Karna and his son Arjuna was inevitable, intervenes on the side of his son by resorting to deceit. The noble Karna had a habit of giving freely to Brahmins whatever they asked of him after his morning prayers. Indra appeared before him as a Brahmin one day and asked as alms Karna’s natural armour and ear-rings. Without a thought Karna cut off the skin from his own body and handed it over to Indra, knowing full well who the Brahmin really was.

In return for this unprecedented act of generosity, Indra offered a boon to Karna. Karna asked for Indra’s infallible weapon, the Indra Shakti (also known as the Naikartana). Indra understood who Karna meant to use it against and gave him the weapon, albeit with a rider – that Karna could use it only once in his life. The person whom Karna chose to use it against would definitely lose his life, but after one use it would return to Indra.

In the final, climactic battle of the Mahabharata, at Kurukshetra, on the 14th day of the battle, the battle is extended beyond sunset. Now, the second Pandava, Bhima, had a son, Ghatotkacha, by his Rakshasa wife, Hidimba. The strength and power of Rakshasas were said to multiply manifold at night and they had in their possession powers of illusion which increased their menace.

Consequently, on the night of the 14th day, Krishna advises Ghatotkacha to attack the Kauravas and specifically Karna, even though Arjuna volunteers to fight Karna. Krishna tells Arjuna that the time for Arjuna to fight Karna has not yet arrived, for Karna still possesses the deadly weapon of Indra.

In the long and deadly fight between Karna and Ghatotkacha, while Ghatotkacha is unable to faze Karna, he still kills tens of thousands of Kauravas, and as long as he is alive the Kauravas will continue to lose lives. In desperation, they call on Karna to use the Indra Shakti against Ghatotkacha and save them, which he eventually does. As expected, Ghatotkacha dies, and the Indra Shakti, having accomplished its task, goes straight to heaven and to its master, Indra.

There is great grief in the Pandava camp at the loss of Bhima’s son, who was a great warrior in addition to being a close relative. Everyone is sad – except Krishna. Krishna actually dances a dance of joy and, when Arjuna is puzzled about this and questions him on his behaviour, explains that as long as Karna had the Shakti, Arjuna could never defeat him and would probably have been slain by him – but now that Karna has used the Shakti on Ghatotkacha, he can be slain and Arjuna is safe. And this is what eventually happens. The death of Ghatotkacha did not cripple the Pandavas - the death of Arjuna would almost certainly have done so.

The Indra Shaktis of the UPA, Nitish, and Advani

In light of this, consider what has happened with Narendra Modi. In recent months, several developments have happened that would have rocked the BJP to its roots had they happened at the right time. The revolt by Advani, for instance, is the equivalent of an Indra Shakti being hurled at Modi. For a while, it did shake Modi and the BJP. But Modi the chairman of the election committee, one year before the election, is a Ghatotkacha, a different person from Modi the challenger, the Arjuna, 3 months before the election. Had Advani performed his stunt 3 months before the election, the effect on the party would have been chaotic and the action would have probably thrown the party into disarray, from which they probably would not have recovered in time for the elections.

Similar things can be said about Nitish leaving the NDA. Had he done so 3 months before the election, the resulting perception could have been catastrophic for the BJP. But what has happened instead? Modi and the BJP have taken these blows on the chin and stood their ground. Nitish has already quit the NDA; he cannot cause more damage by quitting a second time.

Advani’s revolt is now a forgotten matter and, more to the point, he cannot do it again, just as Karna could not use the Indra Shakti again! Advani has already tested the BJP’s response to his stunt – and seen that while he could get people worried, he could not shake them. Knowing this, and having taken back his resignation, Mr. Advani only stands to lose whatever esteem he still has left if he tries another stunt.

Similarly, Nitish Kumar struck, and struck as hard as he could, but the BJP has survived, and it is not really a matter of concern any longer to the BJP. A desperate UPA then unleashed the CBI to cause more damage to Modi’s image. The CBI charge sheet, indicting the Gujarat police for engineering a fake encounter to eliminate Ishrat Jahan, a suspected terrorist, was the focus of much debate. The CBI may, indeed, even have proof that Ishrat Jahan was eliminated in a fake encounter. But as a weapon against Modi, the attempt was quite lame.

The reason is that fake encounters have been used extensively by Congress governments to finish off terrorists, Maoists, and political opponents. The best example of this is the Punjab, where the Congress government, under the able guidance of KPS Gill, is alleged to have committed more than 41000 murders in the form of fake encounters, according to the US State Department and Amnesty International.

While the TV channels were abuzz with outrage against the Gujarat government for a couple of days, on the third or fourth day I saw a debate on NDTV (yes, even NDTV) talking not about the Gujarat government in particular, but about whether or not fake encounters are good or bad. The discussion freely mentioned the many killings in the Punjab and the anchor even intervened at times to try to take the partisan angle out of the debate. So this Indra Shakti, too, had failed – and, as with the others, it cannot be used again.

Of course, there have been other Indra Shaktis aimed at Modi, all of which have damaged other Ghatotkacha avatars of Mr. Modi – such as the 2002 riots probes against Chief Minister Modi, which certainly did sufficient damage to Mr. Modi’s reputation that he still cannot get a visa to the USA. But, having wreaked its destruction on Chief Minister Modi, it cannot be used again against Prime Ministerial candidate Modi, because its energy has been spent and various committees, such as the SIT investigation committee, have not found any evidence linking Mr. Modi to the riots.

Another case which was the equivalent of an Indra Shakti launched by the UPA against Modi was the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, in which the UPA shed tears for a known underworld criminal who had 60 pending cases against him at the time of his fake encounter, including cases for extortion and murder, not to mention proven links with international terrorists like Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted criminal. The UPA couldn’t have chosen a worse person to portray as a hero who was cruelly struck down by a fake encounter at the behest of Modi – but that Indra Shakti has also returned to its master, and no link of the entire episode to Modi could be proven, although his right-hand man Amit Shah was implicated.

The Indra Shakti of Communalism

The latest surprise from Mr. Modi’s campaign is his portrayal of himself as a Hindu nationalist. Much like Krishna asked Ghatotkacha to challenge Karna to battle on the night of the 14th day of the battle of Kurukshetra, in order to entice Karna to throw his Indra Shakti at him, this is another ploy by Campaign Committee Chairman Modi, the current Ghatotkacha, to get the Congress to throw (probably) its last remaining Indra Shakti, that of the communalism charge, at him so that PM candidate Modi (Arjuna) will not have to face it. These moral arguments, be it fake encounters or communalism, simply do not have the same force or appeal when used a second time.

Modi is a very canny political calculator, and has understood the effect that his speeches at SRCC in Delhi, Fergusson College in Pune, and other places are having on the educated middle class of the country. He knows that the middle class understands his economic policies and his vision for the country so well that he will not have to worry about losing their support.

But this message might not resonate everywhere in the country, especially in the rural hinterland. To some of them, and to reassure many of the BJP’s traditional supporters, the people who think building a temple for Ram at Ayodhya is important, Modi is mixing and matching his messages to appeal to a broader base. I personally know of people in Tamil Nadu, where they don’t even speak Hindi, who have been captivated by Mr. Modi’s vision. This confidence of so many people in Mr. Modi gives him the luxury of broadening his base without losing anything.

Part of this Hindutva message is also for internal consumption. Modi needs to reassure his backers, the RSS, without whose help he could never have overcome as formidable an opponent as LK Advani, that they have chosen the right man for the job, and these are sops to the hardline right in the BJP and RSS, whose support Modi certainly needs in the upcoming elections. Make no mistake: if Modi leads the BJP to victory in 2014 and is made the PM, he certainly will have to do something in return for the hardline rightwingers of his party, although development will likely still be the centerpiece of his administration. You have to pay your political dues. But as long as Hindutva is only a sidelight and not the highlight of his rule, those who support Modi in the belief that he will bring in a new era of development in India need not worry.

Mr. Modi knows that publicly announcing his support for a temple at Ayodhya and calling himself a Hindu nationalist will cause a backlash from the “secular” media and the “secular” parties, but his plan is very clear - to take the blows on the chin at this stage so that he is never forced to act apologetic about being called a Hindu nationalist in the future. The advantage for Mr. Modi with this strategy is that once the flurry of accusations stops, he will not have to defend himself again on that count. Another Indra Shakti rendered useless, wasted on another Ghatotkacha, another avatar of Modi. Only this time Mr. Modi has asked for it himself.

Why is he doing all this? As I said at the very outset: timing, timing, timing. With the UPA and its secular friends having emptied their quiver of all their Shaktis, it will be very hard for them to counter Mr. Modi later. There is still a year to go (or maybe 6 months if early elections are called) before the elections and if your opponents’ arsenal is already empty, it will be tough going for them.

Sure, there are still smaller weapons being hurled at Modi, such as Uddhav Thackeray saying he’s not thrilled about Modi, but clearly the potency of the weapons has gone down a notch. Uddhav is no Advani or Nitish, and his own leverage is unclear with the death of his father and the rise of his cousin, Raj Thackeray, whom many expect will eclipse Uddhav in the next election, and who has a good rapport with Modi to boot. And the resignation of the vice-president of the Delhi unit of the BJP doesn’t compare even to Uddhav.

The one demographic that Mr. Modi will probably not be able to win over, whatever he says or does, is the Muslims (except probably in Gujarat, where they seem to have voted for him very strongly in the recent elections held there). He is widely seen as the villain of 2002 by Muslims and, as a practical politician, he has calculated that nothing from him will win that vote in the upcoming elections, and so he doesn’t bother to apologize for 2002, despite innumerable demands to that effect.

His refusal to apologize gives him an aura of being a Hindu “strongman” among the RSS faithful, whereas apologizing for 2002 will likely not win him any more Muslim votes anyway. This is similar to his strategy for Gujarat in 2002 where, immediately following the riots, he prevailed in the elections despite not having any support from the Muslim voters, because he could count on the Hindu votes.

Why are They Wasting Their Shaktis?

The obvious question, of course, is why the Congress, Mr. Advani, and others are wasting their Indra Shaktis at Ghatotkacha instead of Arjuna. For this, the credit must go to Rajnath Singh, Modi, and the other top organizers of the BJP, who had the wisdom to declare Modi the frontrunner with one year to spare, even taking in their stride a revolt from one of the founding members of the BJP.

The foresight of the BJP top brass in making the leadership of the elections of 2014 clear at this early stage has forced their adversaries to use up their Shaktis prematurely. It might not make sense for Nitish Kumar, for example, to accept Mr. Modi’s elevation without protest now and then complain 6 months later – it would be difficult, but it could have been done, and I regard Nitish Kumar’s not having done this and acting precipitately as a tactical mistake by the JD (U).

The Congress probably jumped the gun by asking its stooge, the CBI, to press charges against the Gujarat police so soon – they could have caused much more damage by delaying this – but now the weapon has been discharged, and has lost its potency. The Congress was probably feeling desperate, though, and their premature release was probably a result of their performance anxiety. You have to feel their misery, though. If they press the CBI charges now, they run the risk that the momentum will dissipate well before the elections (as it seems to have); if they wait too long to file the charge sheet, Modi might get so ahead in the polls that people may not care. In addition, more scams might hit the UPA, which would make their own case much weaker. That could explain why they were so hair-triggered about this.

Advani’s reason was probably slightly different. If he wanted to be the face of the BJP for 2014, it was indeed a now-or-never moment for him. He had to protest now – had Modi been accepted as the party face for 2014, it would have been very difficult for Advani to make the demand in 6 months time that he be named the PM candidate. So his hand was forced, too. As a side observation, since it did not happen now, it will never happen for Advani.

Concluding Thoughts

In light of the events of the last few months, it is now clear that Rajnath Singh achieved a master stroke by installing Narendra Modi as the chief of the electoral campaign of the BJP in 2014. The pecking order in the BJP is clear now, and the troublemakers have been silenced. The magnitude of this achievement cannot be underestimated. Six months ago, the BJP seemed to be in chaos with so many contenders for the party leadership, and today the party is unified under Modi. The BJP faces an uphill task in order to win 2014 convincingly. Preliminary surveys like the ABP-Nielsen survey show that the BJP would win 206 seats if the elections were held today, but that is not sufficient for the BJP to hold power on its own terms.

For the BJP to do better, it must sweep the Hindi heartland, and try to do as well as it possibly can in the remaining parts of the country. An alliance with Jayalalitha, who looks set to sweep Tamil Nadu, is the obvious strategy of advantage to both parties. But the achievement of winning the Hindi belt is far from easy and far from having been achieved. To achieve this, Modi requires a dedicated and united team behind him, and having the dissensions out in the open and resolved (at least Advani cannot try his stunt again) at this early stage will contribute tremendously to enable to BJP to achieve this objective.

Losing allies is not desirable, but this is a truism only if the allies add to the union, not when they detract from it. A large machine with parts that don’t fit will not work as well as a smaller, well-oiled machine that is put together well and runs efficiently. So I would say that the events of the past couple months have been extraordinarily positive for the BJP.

Rajnath and Modi realized that you cannot achieve a historic victory with constant bickering in the party and with allies, and so decided to clarify things very early. The same cannot be said for the UPA, as it still struggles to define whether Manmohan Singh (who is sure he is ready for a third term), Rahul Gandhi (who is not sure about anything, except that he likes Girish the painter – or the carpenter), or someone else will lead it in 2014.

I should have concluded with that, but I had second thoughts. You see, I suddenly realized I may have been wrong about the Congress. It, too, may have read the Mahabharata and understood the lesson about using the Indra Shakti only once, but not enough to use that knowledge against its adversaries – similar to how someone can understand a language but not speak it. For, it is clear that the Congress has used this concept, not to attack the BJP, but to protect itself.

Manmohan Singh has clearly been playing the role of Ghatotkacha to the hilt, taking the brunt of every Indra Shakti from the opposition – the 2G astra, the CWG astra, the CoalGate astra, the RailGate astra, and so on, and will surely be destroyed by the cumulative effect of these astras, as Ghatotkacha was by the Indra Shakti – and being destroyed in this way, he can save the Congress’ Arjuna – Rahul Gandhi. That would explain why the Congress is not in any hurry to declare who their PM candidate is – let Ghatotkacha absorb all the scam-astras before he dies, and at the last minute bring in Rahul baba as the PM candidate. So, expect a coronation announcement for Pappu not earlier than 3 months before the elections.

[SwamyG]

Interesting observation in the comments section:

http://www.leftbrainwave.com/2013/07/us ... isely.html

I don't agree all these arrows directed against modi as 'Indra Shakti'. No they may be Agni Baans or Amogh Baans (Agni & Amogh arrows) but certainly not the 'shakti'.

If it was Indra Shakti then it'd have done its work by now.

No! Warhead has been mated, the shakti is being prepared to launch but not launched yet.

You see the shakti being prepared in implicating the 'Intelligence Bureau officer' in ishrat case, the whole of IB, RAW etc. have been warned that alerting about terrorist attack from pakistan can land them in trouble. So when LeT, JeM terrorist cross the border to kill modi and amit shah there path should not be hindered. That my friends will the 'Indra Shakti' that modi cannot escape.

INC, and their handlers are not fools - so any implementation of 'accidenting' will result in BJP coming to power. Depending on how BJP wins and forms the government, it might be a small price to pay - if the powers to be do not want Modi to either influence Indian Political thinking or come to being the PM. 'Accidenting' will happen only for a long term gain, because in the short-term BJP will come to power - it will not be impulsive and with smaller time thinking (or based on one election).

The calculations hence are what is the long term impact of Modi on India and the region - thereby the World. One reason why it is important that BJP and Modi to court the International leaders and politicians. If they see a benefit in Modi, they will let him/BJP know if they get a whiff of something nasty being brewed.

[Gus]

Sorry saars me not buying this LOL purush is chanakian theory

tis like AIT. the conclusion is already made. and all evidence will be twisted to fit the conclusion. damn the logic, reasoning, credibility etc...

tomorrow lka joins inc. that will be a master plan to bring inc to its knees.

[SwamyG]

Sorry saars me not buying this LOL purush is chanakian theory

That is because the theory is so chanakian, that nobody should know the truth. That is how things work. For if people buy into the theory, then koi no koi media ko information de dega. Phir satyanaash ho jayega. Neither Modi or Advani will become the PM.

Why touch the nose directly, when one can always touch the nose by making your hand circumambulate the face.

[nachiket]

Regarding the "LKA is being chankian" theory, I guess if you try being so chankian as to outdo Chanakya himself, you'll only end up looking like a fool. Unless of course LKA is not being chankian and is only angry at NaMo for stealing his thunder.

[Sushupti]

Does Amartya Sen have Indian citizenship? He speaks in London, works and lives in Harvard and preaches in New Delhi.

The Long List of Sins of the Ignobel Laureate

http://www.sandeepweb.com/2012/06/29/th ... -laureate/

[ramana]

Meanwhile from the Coomi Kapoor column linked by abhishek_sharma

Return of prodigals?

Apart from overtures to B S Yeddyurappa, Narendra Modi also wants Babulal Marandi of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) back in the BJP. The Gujarat Chief Minister spoke to Marandi over the phone when he was in Delhi recently to attend a BJP parliamentary party meeting. Marandi, who has a clean image, had left the BJP a bitter man after it had installed Arjun Munda as chief minister. After leaving the BJP, Marandi aligned with the Congress. But with the Congress now backing a JMM government in the state, Modi feels that Marandi might be persuaded to return home. Marandi has 11 MLAs and two MPs in the Lok Sabha. However, while Marandi's return would be a feather in Modi's cap, his re-induction would be stoutly opposed by Munda.

Despite Munda losing the CM ship he would be opposing Marandi!

[muraliravi]

CNN-IBN running fake survey on Bihar. Faking Nitish vote share for lok sabha elections as 25%. Every other damn survey right from timesnow to aajtak to lensonews gives him 14-15% vote share and BJP 24%. These geniusses with their yogendra yadav headed csds had to just manipulate it so much.

[muraliravi]

Meanwhile from the Coomi Kapoor column linked by abhishek_sharma

Return of prodigals?

Apart from overtures to B S Yeddyurappa, Narendra Modi also wants Babulal Marandi of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) back in the BJP. The Gujarat Chief Minister spoke to Marandi over the phone when he was in Delhi recently to attend a BJP parliamentary party meeting. Marandi, who has a clean image, had left the BJP a bitter man after it had installed Arjun Munda as chief minister. After leaving the BJP, Marandi aligned with the Congress. But with the Congress now backing a JMM government in the state, Modi feels that Marandi might be persuaded to return home. Marandi has 11 MLAs and two MPs in the Lok Sabha. However, while Marandi's return would be a feather in Modi's cap, his re-induction would be stoutly opposed by Munda.

Despite Munda losing the CM ship he would be opposing Marandi!

Just like Ananth Nira Radia and Loh Purush opposed any dealing with yeddy even after KA loss. But they were overruled, and similarly munda will also be over-ruled.

[SwamyG]

INC can and will bring about at least one more case by Sep end, against NaMo.
The PM candidate will be desh ki beti... Baba is also a Ghatotkach. The biggest game being played by NaMo and Rajnath is splintering of the secular vote. Multiple parties will vie for the same base in the heartland. It won't apply south of the Vindhyas though. I still don't see NaaMo coming to power unless a large regional party swings the other way.

But...but...but...but....desh ka jamai is not really clean. So if desh ki beti comes up suddenly, won't desh ka jamai hamper her? I see IG and Feroz written all over it. INC and CT are never far away.

[Kamal_raj]

BJP in trouble in Bihar, party leaders meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 223950.cms

[Supratik]

Marandi is a clean, capable guy. He should be back. Munda has been given a lot of chances. One of the reasons for Marandi's departure was the part of his family is Christian.

[SwamyG]

Well wishers and opponents being Indian citizen or not is a meaningless small-time distraction. It wins only the twitter wars. Even BRF is not prone to waging that war. SaiK was wrongly questioned about his voting. We have seen Modi and BJP addressing US based NRI and POIs. Rajnath was invited and visited America - to show case BJP's views on several issues including Afghanistan. Modi has had teleconferences with NRIs and POIs.

If BRFites who are not Indian citizens can speak for or against Modi, then why cannot Amartya Sen speak against Modi. And for crying out aloud we even have Overseas Friends of BJP: http://www.ofbjp.org/

[ramana]

OK read the Dr Seshadri column. I think he needs to get a broader knowldege of mythology.

What the UPA, LKA, Nithish Kumar etc were hurling at Modi are "brutus fulmen" useless thunderbolts.

And MMS is no Ghatotkacha but a Teflon coated PM. Nothing sticks to him nor will he be damaged.

Recall he said once "the task he started out as PM is unfinshed." We dont know what it is. ********He gave INC a long rope to hang themsleves on the corruption issue and they have done so splendidly even without LKA making nay bones about it.

SwamyG INC is so Chankian that Sukra would be learn from them. They might accident one of the family to get sympathy vote just as they did to Rajiv Gandhi in 1990.

LKA was miffed that Modi would get the chance to become the PM and thus thwart him. He thought it was his right having rebuilt the party long ago.
There is an English saying "Why did you make me stand on tip toe if you were not going to kiss me!"

So essentially Rajnath Singh told him all such hopes were his own imagination and no one wants him to be the leader of the party.

I think one more peep out of him he will be defeated in the LS elections due to lack of party discipline.

[Edited to avoid misperception. ramana]

[Vikas]

^ Why think that ****************

Observation no longer required

[SaiK]

what that rahul g video answer did not trigger was asking not what the country can do for you, and what you can do for the country. i think he thinks he is the country, and rest are slaves, who has to do.

there are aspects called roles and responsibilities.. if one can't execute that, why even qualify one? my question is this.. if we can't filter out incapable people taking helm, why can't we at least vote them out part of this planned vision that only driven sound economics.

education is the core factor, in addition to many social core behaviors that our politicans lack. our people/leaders are not insitutionalized to what we want.

[fanne]

Boss why dont you cut down on your posting, please post half or one fourth, but take the time to make it comprehensible.

[sudarshan]

Maybe we're focusing on the wrong "accidenting" possibility. Instead of Jihadis targeting Modi, which could have a counterproductive effect for INC, what if they get uber-chankian and get a "Hindu terrorist" to target somebody in the INC? Wonder how much of a sympathy vote they would gather through such a charade?

Fanne saab, I have given up trying to comprehend SaiK's posts.

[Vikas]

How about this being regular Indian politics with excess of mirch - masala by Media and there is no super Conspiracy in play.
Just that this time social media (Including BRF) and traditional media has exploded this whole charade beyond recognition.

[rajsunder]

looks like nitish has lost his bearings

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-new ... 96635.aspx

BJP conspiracy behind Bodh Gaya blasts, mid-day meal tragedy: Nitish

The opposition BJP is the chief conspirator behind the recent Bodhgaya blasts and the mid-day meal tragedy at Saran, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Monday. The motive, he added, was to whip up frenzy, since the BJP has failed to sell its hardline agenda in the state.


....................

[vishvak]

Why this sudden justifying of terror by con race and now Nitish Kumar blaming BJP for bomb blasts at Bodhagayaa. Does Nitish Kumar know something that others don't or that before releasing details of investigation on barbaric bomb blasts it is customary to blame some.

[ramana]

SaiK, Please throttle the 'stream of concsiousness' type of posts and write it in a clear way for sake of everyone's sanity.

Thanks,

ramana

[SaiK]

OK Sir. Please correct me if I drift.

[Cosmo_R]

No other thread for this. Pinning it to the dynasty who play by a different set of rules:

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/ ... new-delhi/

"In Delhi, every year busloads of tourists visit the memorials established by the Indian government for the late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, and her son Rajiv Gandhi. These “memorials” are “forgetorials”; they do not inform the visitors of the chillingly sinister justification provided by Mr. Gandhi for the Sikh pogrom:

“The ground does shake when a big tree falls.”

[KJo]

what that rahul g video answer did not trigger was asking not what the country can do for you, and what you can do for the country. i think he thinks he is the country, and rest are slaves, who has to do.

there are aspects called roles and responsibilities.. if one can't execute that, why even qualify one? my question is this.. if we can't filter out incapable people taking helm, why can't we at least vote them out part of this planned vision that only driven sound economics.

education is the core factor, in addition to many social core behaviors that our politicans lack. our people/leaders are not insitutionalized to what we want.

[Sushupti]

What is the conclusion, on this forum, about poster controversy in MP?. Was it deliberate on the part of SSC or just an inadvertent error?

[Vikas]

No other thread for this. Pinning it to the dynasty who play by a different set of rules:

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/ ... new-delhi/

"In Delhi, every year busloads of tourists visit the memorials established by the Indian government for the late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi, and her son Rajiv Gandhi. These “memorials” are “forgetorials”; they do not inform the visitors of the chillingly sinister justification provided by Mr. Gandhi for the Sikh pogrom:

“The ground does shake when a big tree falls.”

Why single out only RG Saar ? Aren't most of the rulers from Delhi guilty of massacres and pogrom including the Great Mughals and Later day white mughals.

[niran]

What is the conclusion, on this forum, about poster controversy in MP?. Was it deliberate on the part of SSC or just an inadvertent error?

just a ploy to get free publicity saar,
see if CM Chauchan did the expected what amount of airwaves would he have attracted? most proily not even posters here would have known
kangi have the media in their pakits BJP is using them free of cost equal, equal,no?

[Sushupti]

What is the conclusion, on this forum, about poster controversy in MP?. Was it deliberate on the part of SSC or just an inadvertent error?

just a ploy to get free publicity saar,
see if CM Chauchan did the expected what amount of airwaves would he have attracted? most proily not even posters here would have known
kangi have the media in their pakits BJP is using them free of cost equal, equal,no?

I hope it is so and SSC didn't buy snake oil of getting minority votes sold by Loh Purush and charlatan Kulkarni.In Bihar too Niku started this anti-Namo tune at very low volume (It was sold to BJP cadres as great tactical act to fool M votes) and we all know how it ended. This Sulemani urge to become "inclusive" is very tempting.

[Sushupti]

JD(U) admits negative feedback on snapping ties with BJP

The survey suggested plummeting popularity of the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) government. While the vote share of the JD(U) is expected to increase by a percentage point, there will be a corresponding increase of eight percentage points for its friend-turned-foe, the BJP. A large section of voters, including his core supporters, does not agree with Mr. Kumar’s decision to break ties with the BJP over Narendra Modi’s elevation as the BJP’s campaign committee chief.

JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari candidly told The Hindu that the party was receiving similar feedback, but it was working to recover lost ground.

“There is a general perception that in Bihar, the government was stable, and perhaps there was no need to take the recent decision.”

He added that the media’s projection of Mr. Modi as a ‘development man’ had also created ‘confusion.’

“The issue of secularism and communalism is often not perceived in the same way by people as by those understand these issues.”

But K.C. Tyagi, JD(U) spokesperson, said that the poll was ‘incomplete and flawed.’

“It underestimates the consolidation of the secular vote — which will include both Muslims and a large section of Hindus — behind Nitish Kumar.”

He added that while ‘upper-caste, urban dwellers and middle classes,’ may be temporarily upset for they feared a return of the RJD, this would not hold. “As soon as Modi enters Bihar, his focus of attack will be Nitish. And that will give us the entire anti-Modi constituency.”

A more introspective Mr. Tiwari, however, said that the party had made a mistake in not initiating ‘political education’ on the issue earlier. But this, he argued, did not take away from the merit of the decision. “It was driven by our political and ideological commitment. We have now begun a campaign to explain the rationale to the people.”

The BJP, however, welcomed the findings. It's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad, told The Hindu that the ‘enormous rise’ in the BJP vote-share was a clear indication that the people of Bihar disapproved of Mr. Kumar’s ‘unilateral termination of relationship’ with the party.

“It also reflects an overwhelming yearning to see BJP in power and Narendra Modi as Prime Minister in Delhi.”

Mr. Prasad said that the findings proved that his party had been a ‘pillar of stability, rationality and good governance in Bihar.’

From the other end of the spectrum, the RJD too said that of all surveys, this was the ‘closest to depiction of reality.’

Explaining the dip in Mr. Kumar’s popularity, RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha said that the Chief Minister had become ‘complacent’ and ‘arrogant’ since his re-election.

“He got cut off from people’s representatives and began to depend on chosen bureaucrats completely.”

Laughing off the JD(U)’s decision to break ties with the BJP, Mr. Jha said, “The findings show Bihar has seen through Nitish’s secularism façade. He legitimised the BJP’s right-wing politics and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has witnessed the most expansion in Bihar after Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.” The RJD leader, however, admitted that his party had to do more to translate the resentment against the incumbent into political advantage.

A senior Congress leader, who insisted on anonymity, said that the survey was not ‘off target.’

“It is clear there will be an alliance before the polls. The Muslim vote will consolidate behind whichever party the Congress allies with. The survey, by taking into account individual parties, misses this element.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/o ... 942106.ece

[Muppalla]

What is the conclusion, on this forum, about poster controversy in MP?. Was it deliberate on the part of SSC or just an inadvertent error?

just a ploy to get free publicity saar,
see if CM Chauchan did the expected what amount of airwaves would he have attracted? most proily not even posters here would have known
kangi have the media in their pakits BJP is using them free of cost equal, equal,no?

I hope it is so and SSC didn't buy snake oil of getting minority votes sold by Loh Purush and charlatan Kulkarni.In Bihar too Niku started this anti-Namo tune at very low volume (It was sold to BJP cadres as great tactical act to fool M votes) and we all know how it ended. This Sulemani urge to become "inclusive" is very tempting.

What else we can infer? SSC publicly told he is number#3 after Modi and Raman. NDTV and CNN-IBN leaves collectable gaseous substances and there are several collectors.

Regarding Bihar's dissidence, give some time as it will be two way traffic based on the constituencies they represent and caste polarization.

[muraliravi]

Sushupti,

The CSDS survey is the most bakwaas survey. So in essence they are saying that JDU gained 1 point and BJP 9 points. So in essence after split they have 25+22 = 47% of bihar vote. Piece of junk survey. Trust me, there have been at least 6 other surveys in bihar (times now, aaj tak, HT, Lensonnews etc..). Conclusion of all surveys, bihar vote share before split, BJP 14%, Nitish 24%. Vote share after split BJP 24% and JDU 14%. The reason for the switch is simple, BJP was stupid to allow JDU to contest more seats, and bjp voters were voting jdu out of majboori. CSDS is trying to jdu a flip up. Truth is they are scrwed and wont get even 8 seats in lok sabha election.

[abhik]

^^^ The point to note here is that the JDU gets only a +1% vote share while contesting all the 40 seats, including the ones that the BJP contested in 2009. So there is definitely a drop in vote share per-seat.