Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

Lilo · Post by **Lilo** » 17 Aug 2013 13:35

Hari Seldon wrote:A muslim wishing fellow muslims in Bihar a happy Eid through a banner in Hindi that has Namo's picture on it...? Hain ji? how communal and polarising... Where're nitish and laloo, not 2 mention Diggy, Kurshid, omar and ahmed patel on this???

[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BR2uX8LCcAA ... :large[img]

Shi**ing in their pants , too petrified to utter anything ?

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 17 Aug 2013 14:44

http://planningcommission.nic.in/plans/ ... t_1213.pdf

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 17 Aug 2013 15:35

archan wrote: I'm sorry guys you are distracting this thread too much now. Does anyone else find it hard to read Hindi written in English? As a native Hindi speaker I find it difficult to follow. What to think of the others. I've requested the same to Raja and Mort in the gadget thread. Please don't post more than a couple occasional sentences in hindi.
Secondly, avoid focusing that much on one member. Please keep the broader objective of the thread in mind. Else we close this.

Apologies Archan ji, won't happen again.

Reddy · Post by **Reddy** » 17 Aug 2013 15:40

krisna wrote:

see how kommunla he is-- using orange klub on green grass with white pants.

Is Modi a lefty? wow

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 17 Aug 2013 16:36

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/decla ... hip-406983

So it started and soon decision will be made with or without sulking old man.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 17 Aug 2013 17:14

Pic is a few days old, from 12 aug, so apols if its a repost...

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 17 Aug 2013 17:30

The centeright article, I suppose written by a BJP wellwisher, touches the main points correctly but needlessly disparages the online enthusiasm. Especially when it recommends one leader instead of million online warriors. The digital effort is not pitted against the traditional methods. The main loggerheads are between the ideological purity, collective decision making and individual charisma. If the force multipliers are in shape but if you are engine is not misfiring then whose fault is that.
I am not aspiring anything against this specific person but there is a smug disdain from the older psephologist, analysts towards this "modern" methods of campaigning. The comparison is a stretch, Nate Silver faced the same disdain from traditional media blowhards before his methods were found accurate.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 17 Aug 2013 17:37

Gus wrote:Saw a bit news in thanthi Tamil paper saying some "top US official" said there are still questions about riots and modi should not be given visa. No details.

Later today, at a friends house, spotted the hundi, and in centre page snippets section - more details. Said top US official is some whatshername as vice something at some internations religious freedom committee.

Oh how despo these people are. Maybe they should agitate in fromt of chennai consulate next.

already posted this just a few posts ahead- http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 4#p1497324

the committee of uscrif is regious based with no one from Hindu side. sometimes it is 1 hindu with 4 or 5 abrahamics generally rabid to more rabid in their defence of their own relgions.
it is non binding on the govt, but still it makes waves due to the assorted congis and presstitutes make it big in India.

currently the vp or one of its members is the daughter of a rabid India baiter in the us congress also a christo fascist.

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 17 Aug 2013 18:07

My understanding is this-
having online campaigns is good but there is a huge groundswell in rural areas which needs to tappped away from the SM and fb stuff.
<10% of India is under SM more so in urban areas.
It will be a force multiplier but needs local ground support.

NaMo has already identified that he needs more local support along with online campaigns.

------------------------------------------------
congis were a bit slack in Gujarat thinking their famous KHAM in the aftermath of 2002 and 2007 with bulk of muslim votes will vote them. Howver that spectacularly backfired as he ' a true son of the soil" kept a sharp eye on the local ground situation, instituted several reforms at local ground level- which helped people see a new development oriented ministry never seen in post indepedent India--
he has personally taken many a call/email etc and redressed many a grievenances on his own-- you can call it an opportunity- but he has done it consistently which transcends the raol babay photo- ops and side shows.
people at ground level are his eyes and ears-- unlike CBN who got scr&w&d due to his overreliance on media and other non issues.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His online campaigns effectively blunts the prestitutes of congis--has a free patriotic volunteers to campaign for him based on truth and development. he is availble for scrutiny unprecedented in the history of political India--
What the online campaign with all his videos meetings and what not on youtube and other SM is -- all SM campaign is in english majority
1) has deflated the congi media reach on urban indians
2) reduced the foreign journalists over reliance on congis media as many do not know local vernacular press.
3) many foreign govts are now responding to this as they know that SM has no poilitcal bias unlike the media.
4) the congis are losing the ground support
5) Hence the overtures to NaMo for visits--

foreign powers are hedging their bets and dont want to look stupid with NaMo. I suspect that they will also give some info of the congi supproters who took his case with them for lobbying to establish a new working relationships.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The congis are truly petrified as he has defied conventional political wisdom and taken headlong attacking the termite queen. he is also exhorting the supporters to take on the termite queen's congis in the hinterland.
the core supporters of congis do not know about the termite queen and her congis band.
There are some stirrings in this core constituency which has made the congis very sick and mortally afraid.

His team is already fanning out into hinterlands to tap the anti congis into a effective voting campaign against it.
Though odds are against him as an ousider with the might of establishment going fullspeed against this very idea.

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 17 Aug 2013 18:28

Anyone who criticises Modi will be suspended for 6 years: RSS leader to party members

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/anyone-who-c ... 3-242.html

final warning to LK Advani

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 17 Aug 2013 18:29

Do I look like a cockroach: Khurshid on BJP's barb

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/do-i- ... 130817.htm

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 17 Aug 2013 19:11

well..if he had to ask..

AL:

i don't get it. why is it ok to call somebody a 'proverbial frog' but get all upset when getting called back 'a roach that can survive even nukes' (presumably that's a sarcastic dig on ones ability to survive in politics???)

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 17 Aug 2013 19:33

Mulayam to raise Ram temple construction issue before Muslim leaders: VHP

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 880767.cms

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 17 Aug 2013 19:47

Sushupti wrote:Mulayam to raise Ram temple construction issue before Muslim leaders: VHP

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 880767.cms

This clown is a slave of the Muslims. Shame on you, Mullah Mulayam.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 17 Aug 2013 20:27

It maybe to counter NM who is about to launch in UP.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 17 Aug 2013 20:35

Yogendra Yadav: India is a State-Nation, Not a Nation-State

The arrival of Narendra Modi at the centrestage of national politics has renewed an old debate about the idea of India. Underlying the various issues and controversies associated with Modi is a fundamental question: What kind of a nation are we?

http://forbesindia.com/article/independ ... te/35883/1

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 17 Aug 2013 21:58

brilliant piece, notwithstanding the inane title...

If Modi wants to be PM, he has to win UP hands down

good read, IMO. Changes perspective on what NM is tasked with by RSS.

This is precisely what must have been in the RSS’s mind when it threw its weight behind Modi’s elevation. The task of Narendra Modi is straight forward and simple. It is to bring the BJP’s vote share to its 1998 levels by going alone. Please remember that in 1998 the BJP had polled almost 20 percent votes even in states like Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. It had polled almost 10 percent in states like West Bengal, Assam and Kerala, where the party was, and still is, considered “non-existent”. It was this vote share that added up to critical mass, and forced the allies to drop the “secularism” rag and join the NDA in the larger cause of being “anti-Congress”. So the 1999 alliance was created from a point of strength, not weakness.

The logical question is: can Modi take BJP to the same point of strength in terms of vote share in 2014? The answer is a resounding “yes”.

oh, read it all only.

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 17 Aug 2013 22:23

Modi's Independence day speech:

http://news.oneindia.in/2013/08/15/nare ... 83942.html

Narendra Modi takes on PM in his I-Day speech Posted by: Shubham Ghosh
Updated: Thursday, August 15, 2013, 11:38 [IST]

9:05 am Modi salutes martyrs of the independece struggle.Refers to Gujarat's role in the freedom struggle. He cites the examples of Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabh Bhai Patel and many others.

9.07 am On President's concern about disruption in Parliament "Are we psychologically free?" Modi asks. He said the nation is realising after so many days of getting independence on how to get rid of the psychological barrier. "Could understand the pain of President Pranab Mukherjee during his I-Day address yesterday. Don't know whether the rulers of the country can address his issues." "The ruling party itself is not allowing the Parliament to function and it is a big concern. We must understand the concern of the President."

9.10 am On Pakistan and foreign policy "I expected the prime minister to address the President's concern over Pakistan's behaviour in his speech today." "The PM should have encouraged the Indian Army's morale from the Red Fort." "The President said that there should be a limit to patience, but who defines that limit?" "What China is doing in our territory, what Pakistani Army and Italian mariners are doing to us make us about that patience."

9.14 am On corruption "I agree with the President's concern over the growing corruption." "The PM has the foremost responsibility to take care of the President's concerns." "The country is getting devastated by corruption and no steps are taken till the apex court steps in."

9.16 am On PM's speech "Was hearing PM's speech to gain some inspiration to serve the country." "But I was left disappointed. the entire country was left disappointed. The PM only spoke about a single family and none else." "The PM didn't mention about prime ministers like Lal Bahadur Shastri." "I understand why the PM didn't remember Atal Bihari Vajpayee but he should have mentioned about leaders like Shashtri and Patel."

9.20 am "The PM took a partisan attitude while speaking about the Uttarakhand tragedy. Other governments and people also served the distressed in Uttarakhand but he did not mention about them." "The PM spoke about the problems that Jawaharlal Nehru had spoken on the first I-Day. Then, what have you done in the last 60 years." "I am speaking from the borders of Pakistan. So they hear me first and not Delhi."

9.23 am On falling rupee and food security bill "The rupee has become weaker. Please tell us how will you strengthen the rupee." "I wrote to the PM on the food security bill, asking him to discuss on its shortcomings." "The govt is playing with the sentiments of the poor. People are seriously talking on meals for Rs 5 and Rs 12."

9.27 am "In Gujarat, BPL families get 35 kilos of food grain, after the Centre's food bill comes into effect, it will be reduced to 25 kilos." "The Centre said the states should look for their own foodgrain. How will it be possible for the smaller states to gather food for their people. The government of India should take care of this." "Price rises have left people in a sorry state." "Media channels have been saying that this is PM Singh's final speech from the Red Fort. But the PM is saying that they are getting ready for more work. How will you do that?" "We will liberate India from old thoughts and distrust. People have lost trust. The country needs to be freed from dynastic politics, illiteracy, corruption, price rise and other evils."

9.33 am On Gujarat's success " Gujarat has succeeded today not because of the Modi government but because of the people of the state and the previous governments." "We have worked hard on our aims and that is why, the unemployment rate is the lowest in Gujarat." "Why do most awards go to those governments which are run by the Congress party?" "The states run by the BJP and its allies were more successful in implementing Indira Gandhi's poverty eradication programme." "The Centre feels afraid that acknowledging the non-Congress govts' accomplishments will expose them." "The PM could have acknowledged us at least for today. But the Congress brigade is more interested in bashing Modi."

9.40 am "Not saying Gujarat has done everything. But there should not be any shortcoming in thoughts, it may be in the system." "People used to believe that the country was progressing when the NDA was in power. Today, the country is desperate to get freed from shackles."

9.42 am "We have formed seven new districts so that those areas can also make progress. I congratulate those new administrative units and believe that they will make fast development." "We must stress employment, health and other issues. We have worked on agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors and aimed for inclusive growth." "I am disappointed with the state of Education in the country. In Gujarat, there were 11 universities before 2001. Today, there are 42 universities in Gujarat."

9.47 am On social sectors "Gujarat has worked on a scientific process to ensure employment for the youth." "The state govt is working on skill development. By speaking on skill development today, the PM acknowledged our contribution." "We will organise agriculture fair in December. I invite farmers from across the country to come to my state and see latest technologies being used in agriculture." "We have made great progress in milk production." "Our farmers can contribute to economic progress in a big way and help the nation overcome its economic woes."

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 17 Aug 2013 22:43

Sushma threatens to resign

Narendra Modi will be declared BJP candidate for the post of Prime Minister only after the Assembly elections later this year. This is because the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj has threatened to resign from her post if Modi's name is announced now. Her contention is that she loses her primacy as the "shadow Prime Minister" once Modi's name is announced. She is ready to resign because there cannot be two shadow prime ministers. Her threat seems to be working as the BJP leadership is thinking of delaying the announcement.

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/buzzword

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 17 Aug 2013 22:56

^Bah... this primacy line is crock. classic misdirection. mark my words, namo's formal anointmt will happen sooner rather than later. only.

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 17 Aug 2013 23:15

Hari Seldon wrote:^Bah... this primacy line is crock. classic misdirection. mark my words, namo's formal anointmt will happen sooner rather than later. only.

100% right. It will happen. Namo has 2 things going for him. Micromanagement and foresight. Take the case of bihar. BJP has a decent vote share of 20-25% (basically nitish was using bjp's base). Now lalu will go to jail. mullah vote will go to cong-jdu, yadavs to modi/bjp hence the sadhu yadav reach out

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 17 Aug 2013 23:29

Bihar BJP has passed a resolution? No one is talking about it?

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 17 Aug 2013 23:36

Sanku wrote:Bihar BJP has passed a resolution? No one is talking about it?

Realpolitik saar, deal inside, play quiet outside

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 17 Aug 2013 23:45

to the guys here who understand bihar politics in depth, are the bihar forward castes (bhumihars etc..) and Yadavs rival groups?? Can they be co-opted under one power structure?? Kahin aise tho na hojaye ki bjp ko yadav vote bhi na mile aur sadhu yadav ke saath rishte badane ke chakkar mein fc vote gaya??

Anindya · Post by **Anindya** » 17 Aug 2013 23:46

Maybe it is time to Sushma Swaraj to resign - from whatever I've heard, it is she who is finding it most difficult to accept the rise of Modi.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 18 Aug 2013 00:01

She had her chance, the entire Dili billi gang had their chance...they just ran BJP into the ground. Exchanging sher o shayri with the INC gang in parliament doesn't count as leadership. If she truly cares about India, she should swallow her ego and support modi or whosoever can revitalise the BJP and take the fight to the Congress.

Supratik · Post by **Supratik** » 18 Aug 2013 00:04

Sanku wrote:Bihar BJP has passed a resolution? No one is talking about it?

What resolution?

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 18 Aug 2013 00:54

Sushma had really begun to belive she has the best chances for PMship for some time now. LKA even exhorted that in some clipped statements. Some like Sushma know that with NMs ascent they stand no chance in the future to be a PM and that they will have to live in his shadow. NMs rise is really a big bad dream for them. Till now they thought there was no chance for this gauche, simple, rustic, SDRE OBC type tea shop to minister sadak chaap kinds to make it into the corridors of power in Delhi where the sauve, well oiled have their says. This has been a scary experience for them to see what they considered gauche is not, what they though is simpleton is not, what they thought is SDRE shivering dhoti types is not, what they thought they can continue belittling someone who started modest is rising in stature above them..it's not digestable to lots of folks in South Delhi..INC or BJP.

Kamal_raj · Post by **Kamal_raj** » 18 Aug 2013 01:08

muraliravi wrote:to the guys here who understand bihar politics in depth, are the bihar forward castes (bhumihars etc..) and Yadavs rival groups?? Can they be co-opted under one power structure?? Kahin aise tho na hojaye ki bjp ko yadav vote bhi na mile aur sadhu yadav ke saath rishte badane ke chakkar mein fc vote gaya??

This is what Yashwant Deshmukh said.

@cvoter: @mdravikanth highly unlikely. Won't gel with their core voters. Both will lose big time in such a scenario.

https://twitter.com/cvoter/status/365116177887928321

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 18 Aug 2013 01:19

This:-
Name Narendra Modi as PM nominee, demands Bihar BJP

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 18 Aug 2013 01:30

Sonia Gandhi's son in law Robert Vadra is Hafta Collector says Ashok Khemka

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 18 Aug 2013 02:31

The sight of all this rebellion shows the change that DBs fear of change in status quo if NaMo were to come to power. More power to him hope when(/if) he becomes PM he doesnt turn into a DB in six months

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 18 Aug 2013 03:25

Supratik wrote:
Sanku wrote:Bihar BJP has passed a resolution? No one is talking about it?

What resolution?

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bjp-b ... e/1156533/

BJP Bihar Unit passes resolution, demands Narendra Modi named as BJP's PM nomineePTI : Gaya (Bihar), Sat Aug 17 2013, 20:19 hrs

BJP's Bihar unit on Saturday became the first state body to ask its central leaders to formally name Narendra Modi as party's prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Related: NCP claims RSS foisting Modi as PM nominee on BJP

The state unit, which had to opt out of the coalition government after JD(U) snapped ties with the BJP over the elevation of Modi as BJP's election campaign committee chief, adopted a resolution urging the BJP central parliamentary board to make the announcement on Modi.

Related: JD-U, BJP to part ways over Modi's selection as BJP election campaign chief

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) ended its 17-year-old alliance with the BJP in June over the Modi issue, resulting in the JD(U)-BJP coalition government in Bihar breaking up.

Though Modi has been firmly pitching himself as the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate, the party has been non-committal on the issue, saying its parliamentary board will take a decision at the appropriate time.

Related: Survey touts Modi to be next PM

On Independence Day, Modi had triggered a war of words between BJP and the Congress after he launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on issues of national security and accused him of being soft on Pakistan.

BJP patriarch L K Advani had appeared to disapprove Modi's tirade against the Prime Minister on Independence Day.

At the end of two-day state executive committee meeting of BJP at Gaya, former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi introduced the resolution demanding that Modi be named as its PM nominee without any loss of time, which was seconded by Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Nand Kishore Yadav.

The resolution was adopted amid slogans praising Modi. The Bihar unit of the party has become the first to make a formal demand on this................

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 18 Aug 2013 04:48

Sushma Swaraj is a big zero in terms of electoral politics. She cannot win her own Lok Sabha seat unless helped by Shivraj Singh Chauhan in MP, or by the local parties in Haryana. She was the CM of Delhi and lost the election. Today she cannot win even an assembly seat in Delhi.

Let her resign if she wants to. Let her go back to the Janata Dal where she originally came from.

What would she do as PM? Spout 'shayari' with Pakis as MMS does?

The time has come for BJP to kick out all these 'sulkers'. Let them start a new party or join Congress where they really belong.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 18 Aug 2013 05:49

Bihar BJP for ‘PM’ Modi

New Delhi, Aug. 17: The Bihar BJP today resolved that the central parliamentary board should officially declare Narendra Modi as the putative Prime Minister candidate to cap the confusion arising from conflicting statements in the party on the leadership conundrum.

The immediate provocation for the Patna move — insiders said it was “orchestrated” by the Delhi brass — was L.K. Advani’s put-down of Modi for his August 15 address, in which the Gujarat chief minister went hammer-and-tongs at the UPA, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.

Sources said Advani was “advised” by his political aide, Sudheendra Kulkarni. Kulkarni tweeted that Modi’s dare to the Prime Minister for a public debate on Independence Day was, “simply put IMMATURE”.

The BJP’s rank and file was on a high because it was convinced that in the battle to grandstand, Modi had a “walkover” against Manmohan who spoke to the nation from the Red Fort.

As the BJP was revelling in Modi’s diatribe, Advani remarked that it was not kosher to confront the Prime Minister on a solemn occasion like Independence Day. “Advani punctured our sentiments,” a Bihar MP said.

The Opposition and television instantly kicked off a debate on Modi’s acceptability quotient within the BJP while its spokespersons initially stumbled for a cogent reply. Later, they rose to Modi’s defence.

In a parallel move, a senior RSS office-bearer, Suresh Soni, warned that leaders who dared to criticise Modi could be suspended from the BJP for six years. Soni, a joint general secretary and a conduit between the Sangh and the BJP, addressed a meeting of the Uttar Pradesh party’s core group in Lucknow on Friday.

Sources said Soni — he was mainly responsible for Modi’s elevation as central campaign committee chief last June against the wishes of Advani and Sushma Swaraj — stressed the RSS was fully behind Modi and the BJP should not “go soft” on leaders and workers who criticised him publicly.

Sources said Soni’s message was aimed at “dissenters” like Advani, Yashwant Sinha and Shatrughan Sinha. Although the Sinhas have backed off after firing a fusillade of barbs against Modi, Advani has displayed no sign of relenting. Picking up Soni’s cue, Rajya Sabha Opposition leader and Modi confidant, Arun Jaitley, counselled the BJP’s spokespersons and TV panelists not to feel coy about answering the Congress in kind when “insults” were hurled at Modi.{That's why Ms Lekhi called English Laloo Cockroach }

Jaitley, who spoke in a BJP media workshop today, observed that the party’s talking heads ought to have been “far more aggressive” when the Congress launched a multi-pronged offensive against Modi over his I-Day speech, dubbing him “power hungry”, “a khalnayak” (villain) and a “frog in the well”.

Jaitley, sources said, charged senior minister Ghulam Nabi Azad with making a casteist comment when he said that comparing the Prime Minister’s address with Modi’s was like equating “Raja Bhoj” (a royal) with “Gangu…” (a plebian).

Azad left the phrase incomplete because the original adage says “Kahan Raja Bhoj, kahan Gangu telli” (how can you compare a king with a commonplace oil-presser?). Modi is from the backward Telli caste, who are known as Ganchis in Gujarat.

The BJP was waiting for an opportune time to flag Modi’s caste antecedent but was caught in its usual dilemma of whether a casteist projection would conflict with his “popular” image as a “development and good governance votary”.

“We have found that moment. We are going to flog the theme that an elitist Congress wants to deny power to the son hailing from a most backward caste. That was the point Azad was making. The Congress royalty, exemplified by the Gandhis, versus a Telli. This line should go down well in the Hindi heartland,” a source said.

The three-in-one show of solidarity with Modi — that began yesterday with Soni’s message — got heft when this afternoon, the BJP leaders of Patna unanimously adopted a resolution demanding he be named the Prime Minister candidate.

Sushil Modi, who was Nitish Kumar’s deputy chief minister, moved the resolution that was seconded by his colleagues, Nand Kishore Yadav and Mangal Pandey. “The national mood is positively tilted in Modi’s favour, the BJP must build on the sentiment. Our leaders should stop confusing people because the Opposition and the media revel in this sort of thing,” Sushil Modi told The Telegraph.

He implored other state units to adopt similar avowals of support.

Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, the Odisha BJP president, said: “There is all likelihood that we will follow Bihar soon.”

Lakshmi Kant Vajpayee, the Uttar Pradesh unit’s chief, said: “An environment for Modi’s projection has been created by the people of India. Our state executive is meeting in Vrindavan in September and we could pass a resolution in that meeting.”

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130818/j ... hAXMKyVuYQ

krisna · Post by **krisna** » 18 Aug 2013 06:06

^^^^
good show by Bihar,
now more state BJP folks will pass resolutions on NaMo.
great show. thanks to low purush and his stooges.

expect more fun at presstitutes studios also with all out attacks including sonia name dragged in mud deservingly. has been shielded for too long.

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 18 Aug 2013 06:15

Kakkaji wrote: The time has come for BJP to kick out all these 'sulkers'. Let them start a new party or join Congress where they really belong.

Absolutely, and hopefully that's the plan. BJP simply cannot afford last-minute backstabs from these prominent but useless people during the elections.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 18 Aug 2013 06:22

Tavleen singh reiterates an old theory on why the opposition to NM is more about class and caste than about sekularism. Old point, but worth repeating, perhaps.

An outsider in a private club

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 18 Aug 2013 06:27

An outsider in a private club

Had Rahul Gandhi made the speech Narendra Modi did last week, he would have been hailed as India's shining white hope. Had Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made this speech from the Red Fort, instead of the dreary one he did, it may have swept away the sense of gloom and doom that permeates the economy. Had any other chief minister made the speech, us political pundit types would have sat up and taken notice. But, since it was Modi, he had to be reviled. What he said was unexceptionable. So he had to be attacked on other grounds. Why did he need to steal the Prime Minister's show by making this speech on Independence Day? The truth is that August 15 lost its magic long ago and has been reduced to ceremonial tokenism of the worst kind. We need political leaders to make meaningful speeches on this day, but that this idea should have occurred to Modi is intolerable.

So much so that even his former mentor, the tireless Shri Lal Krishna Advani, made an immediate veiled attack on him by saying that Independence Day should be an occasion when political leaders should refrain from criticising each other. Why? Shri Advani then trotted off to Rashtrapati Bhavan and was seen cozying up to Sonia Gandhi at the President's Independence Day tea party. I found this particular detail interesting because of my conviction that the reason why us denizens of Lutyens's Delhi hate Modi so much is because he is a rank outsider. He comes from the wrong class and caste. He speaks little English. He dares to criticise the Dynasty we revere. And he exhibits a marked disdain for socialism and secularism. These two ideas are sacrosanct for those who have privileged access to that most exclusive of Indian private clubs: Lutyens's Delhi.

Not everyone who reaches Parliament or high levels of political power has automatic access to the club. You have to come from an important political family and you have to have attended the right kind of English-medium school. The heirs of important political leaders have easy access for these reasons. Not every bureaucrat has access but those of the right class are life members. High-flying hacks are always welcome and quickly learn the rules. You have to express political opinions that are 'secular' and 'liberal' and you have to make sure that you do not say bad things about the Dynasty. This is considered especially bad form. This is why, despite the obviously deleterious effects of dynastic democracy, you see few stories on the subject in the media.

Once you become a member of the club you find yourself invited on almost a daily basis to exclusive dinner parties in grand houses and fine hotels. At these events you will see politicians of different parties greet each other like old school friends, despite what they may have said to each other publicly that day in Parliament. And it is at these events that you will see famous media personalities included in conversations that are always 'off the record'. If you break the rules, as I love to, then you risk being abused on national television by Gandhi family devotees like the unpleasantly loudmouthed Mani Shankar Aiyar. But, that is another story and I am digressing.

In a column of this size, it is really possible to make only one point and the one I want to make this week is that it is not what Modi says that gets him into trouble. It is not what he did in 2002 that evokes such shivers of revulsion in Lutyens's Delhi. Rajiv Gandhi remained totally acceptable after 1984. It is who Narendra Modi is that is the problem.

He represents an India that has so far been carefully kept outside the closed doors of the Lutyens's Delhi club. A rough, angry, passionate new India that does not recognise private clubs or their rules and that threatens to tear down the walls that conceal the colonised elite, bred by the British Raj, that continues to control all the levers of political power in India.

Incredible though this may sound, the entire machinery of the Congress party is currently geared to finding ways of keeping Modi out of national politics. This endeavour has the complicit support of senior BJP leaders and this is why you now so often hear the Congress party's spokesmen publicly praise Mr Advani as a 'moderate' when till just the other day he was considered the man responsible for demolishing the Babri Masjid. The truth is that everyone, perhaps even Mr Advani himself, knows that a BJP campaign led yet again by him will almost certainly keep this party in opposition for another five years. But, at least this would prevent Narendra Modi from smashing down the gates of Lutyens's Delhi.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/an-ou ... /1156563/0

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 18 Aug 2013 06:34

Hari Seldon wrote:brilliant piece, notwithstanding the inane title...

If Modi wants to be PM, he has to win UP hands down

This is precisely what must have been in the RSS’s mind when it threw its weight behind Modi’s elevation. The task of Narendra Modi is straight forward and simple. It is to bring the BJP’s vote share to its 1998 levels by going alone. Please ...........................
The logical question is: can Modi take BJP to the same point of strength in terms of vote share in 2014? The answer is a resounding “yes”.

The water is under the bridge now; before RSS/BJP stuck their neck to support Modi....I had said if Modi had to step out of BJP - so be it. It is time for the country to see a good administrator who has vision and can pull people behind him. Modi first attracted the people, then he attracted RSS/BJP, now he has to attract other alliances. And like what BRFites and scholars outside BRF have said....now he has to get enough seats for BJP so that the regional parties flock towards him.

Rahul was right, India is like beehive....only that Modi is the Queen bee.