Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 00:05

gandharva wrote:can you take it video

I couldn't take it to 2 min itself.. sorry, i am going thru helluva conflicts with home grown cat fights.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 01:03

reposting to up the ante!

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/12/11/w ... 67614.html
Modi’s 3D vision – develop, decentralise and decontrol

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 14 Apr 2014 01:07

RT these ASAP

Minhaz Merchant ‏@minhazmerchant 2m
Baru & Parakh's books show how Sonia's Congress acts like a family-run firm, paying scant attention to national interest

Naina Balmiki ‏@NainaBalmiki 1h
AK raises slogans "Bharat Mata Ki Jai"/"Vande Matram" everywhere in Punjab, except in the Muslim-majority Malerkotla http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140413/n ... wal-punjab …

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 14 Apr 2014 01:33

Who is the 800 pound gorilla in the room?

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 14 Apr 2014 01:38

SaiK wrote:reposting to up the ante!

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/12/11/w ... 67614.html
Modi’s 3D vision – develop, decentralise and decontrol

It must start with another D=Demolition.

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 14 Apr 2014 01:47

Sonia's 'blind love' for Rahul left country in 'ruins': Modi

In a full-scale offensive, Narendra Modi on Sunday charged that Sonia Gandhi's "blind love" towards her son Rahul Gandhi had left the country in "ruins" and the United Progressive Alliance government was "remote-controlled" by her.

"A mother's blind love towards her son has left the country in ruins, to a son for whom all this has been done...will anything come out of him? Is there anything? Will anything happen? Will you be able to believe him? Can the country live believing him?" he said at Haveri in north Karnataka, without naming the Gandhis.

The BJP prime ministerial candidate also latched on the contents of a book written by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's former Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru, to accuse the UPA government of being "remote controlled" by Sonia.

In his book, "The Accidental Prime Minister--The Making and Unmaking Of Manmohan Singh," Baru has said Singh seemed to "surrender" to Gandhi, playing the second fiddle.

"Two days ago a book has come out, an official who used to work in the Manmohan Singh government and his confidant has written this book. He has said this government is not being run by Manmohan Singhji. All the files are being checked by Sonia," Modi said.

Noting that Singh has been described as "accidental prime minister" in the book, he spoke about the casualties that accidents -- involving scooters, trains or aircraft – would cause.

“...but with accidental Prime Minister 125 crore people will die and future of our youth will get immersed in darkness. This is a book by the prime minister's personal man," said Modi, who also addressed rallies at Chikkamagalur and Chikkaballapur.

In his rallies, Modi asked, "I ask you all what type of government do you want in India? Do you want a government in Delhi, a lame government? Do you want a dumb government? Do you want remote-controlled government.Do you want a government which is lying dead in a hospital?"

Referring to Baru's book, Modi said, "Brothers if two scooters meet with an accident maximum two or three people will die, if two buses meet with an accident 40 to 50 people will die, if two aircraft meet with accident 700 to 800 people will die, if two trains meet with accident 200 to 300 people will die."

"From accident, the loss will not be more than this. But with accidental prime minister, 125 crore people will die and future of our youth will get immersed in darkness. This is a book by prime minister's personal man," he said.

Drawing Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who was in the Prime Minister’s Office also into the issue, Modi said, "....he has said something else....he has said when he was given chance to head the government for second term, Manmohan Singh refused it with folded hands."

"He did not want to become PM but madam made him forcefully, why? Because, until son gets ready give the charge to someone...at the cost of country's well-being," Modi said. Saying that "a mother's blind love towards her son has left the country in ruins," he said, "Brothers and sisters we cannot leave the country to ruin, we will not allow this country to be looted, we will not allow this country to be divided....we don't have the time, the country needs strong determination and a strong government."

Addressing a rally at Chikkaballapur where Union Minister M Veerappa Moily is contesting, Modi said the need of the hour was a "strong government" in Delhi.

"...if we have a strong government at the Centre we will have a strong determination. If there is a strong government, then we will take strong steps. If we take strong steps, then the country also will become strong," Modi said.

In a sharp riposte to Janata Dal-United chief H D Deve Gowda at his rallies, Modi invited him to live in Gujarat and promised to take care of him more than his son, a day after the former PM said he would take "political sanyas" and leave Karnataka if Modi-led government came to power.

"Deve Gowdaji, you are an elderly person. You are the former PM of India. I am like your son...," he said. "I publicly promise you that if staying here has become a problem, then I pray -- you don't worry. I will make all arrangements for you in Gujarat. If you want to live in an old-age home, live in a house, farm-house or if you want to live in my house. I would render service more than your son."

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 01:50

Jhujar wrote:
SaiK wrote:reposting to up the ante!

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/12/11/w ... 67614.html
Modi’s 3D vision – develop, decentralise and decontrol
It must start with another D=Demolition.

it is inclusive in the decontrol abstraction.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 14 Apr 2014 01:54

BTW, there "S.TN" like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_D'Cruz who got into trouble for supporting Modi.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 01:58

^hooligan named face masked terrorists from DMK, ADMK and most likely the TN MMK (SIMI).

VikramS · Post by **VikramS** » 14 Apr 2014 01:59

SwamyG wrote:BTW, there "S.TN" like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_D'Cruz who got into trouble for supporting Modi.

Notice the wiki section

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 02:13

wasn't dhritarashtra was also accidental king... fed by baru-istic sanjaya? [btw, what a conincidence of first name 'sanjaya' on both characters!!!]

or asking the question the other way around: did the history repeat itself in the karma bhoomi?
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VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 14 Apr 2014 02:36

Priyanka Gandhi was very keen to fight Narendra Modi in Varanasi, but Cong leadership said no

NEW DELHI: Imagine a Narendra Modi vs Priyanka Gandhi contest for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. It would have been the mother of all election battles, and would have put everything and everyone else in the shade. It would have electrified the nation and riveted the attention of the world.

Priyanka Gandhi is reliably learned to have been very keen to be the Congress candidate in the holy city. But the party leadership finally decided against fielding her.

Priyanka, who has so far limited her political responsibilities to managing her brother and mother's Lok Sabha campaigns in Rae Bareli and Amethi, is believed to have made a strong pitch to contest because she felt Modi was "bad for the country" and needed to be "stopped".

Apart from perhaps tying up Modi in Varanasi and forcing him to curtail his national campaign, Priyanka's entry would have charged up the rank and file of the Congress at a time when a number of ministers and leaders were reluctant to fight elections of fear of losing (one senior Cabinet member is reported to have feared a rout). The fact that she was willing to place 'a higher principle' above a real risk of defeat would have sent out a strong and defiant message to the demoralized troops, and hopefully, the entire electorate, Congress insiders said.

"Even if she'd lost, the results would have been only known after the elections. But it would have come as a huge booster before. It was very courageous of her. That's something senior Congressmen who've run away from contesting didn't understand," said a party manager.

nior partymen said the decision to not field Priyanka was driven by the logic of preferring a 'local' to take on Modi the 'outsider'. But there may have been other reasons too:

* The estimate that Priyanka's presence in Varanasi would have accorded Modi "too much importance";

* The fear that defeat of one of the three Gandhis might have dimmed the 'halo' around them;

* It would almost certainly have exposed Priyanka to attacks from Modi and the BJP on account of her husband Robert Vadra's alleged ties with real estate giant DLF and brought some of his other reported land deals under the microscope;

* Most of all, it would have diverted attention from Rahul and his campaign, and raised questions as to whether Priyanka's entry was an implicit acknowledgement of her brother's lacklustre leadership. There might have been some apprehension that Priyanka, by the force of her personality, would have greater gravitational pull than Rahul. She has been variously described by those who know her as "charming, charismatic and connected"; her political instincts are also said to be sharp, and she can work a crowd. The 41-year-old Priyanka's entry could have undermined Rahul's authority not long after he'd been officially anointed future leader.

For Priyanka, who is said to be very close to her one-year-older brother, the reason for wanting to contest in Varanasi was never to position herself as an alternative to Rahul, but to "fight the good fight", according to an insider. "She has no larger ambition to lead the Congress," he added.

Still, her desire to take the field against Modi is significant because it's in stark contrast to the continuing perception of Rahul being a reluctant politician, and because it shows that the younger sibling may not be averse to broadening her political interests behind the family boroughs of Rae Bareli and Amethi. For a long time now, there has been a subterranean demand, 'Priyanka lao, Congress bachao', which periodically finds public voice.

One of the reasons the Congress delayed naming a candidate for Varanasi was because it was weighing the possibility of naming Priyanka. But the actual decision against fielding her was taken some days before Tuesday's announcement of local MLA Ajay Rai as candidate for the Congress; the last few days were spent seeking a tacit understanding with SP and BSP for complicating Modi's job in Varanasi.

Significantly, early this month, in perhaps the strongest push yet for bringing Priyanka to the forefront of the Congress, party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said that Rajiv Gandhi spoke to him about his daughter's political aptitude way back in 1990. The question is: Was Dwivedi aware of the secret confabulations and was he trying to test the waters?

While promising to reveal details in due course, Dwivedi said, "As far as I know, her (Priyanka) interest in politics started at an early age. She was keen to understand political developments and the language of politics from the very start. I even have proof of this but I don't want to discuss it now. All I'll say is that Rajiv Gandhi told me something about this in 1990. That's all for the moment."

The comment immediately led a group of Congress leaders to claim, off the record, that there were plans afoot to bring Priyanka into active politics.

That plan has been shelved, at least for the moment. As for Rai's chances in Varanasi, even the boldest gambler is likely to think twice before placing a bet on him.

But Priyanka is clearly still interested in Varanasi, even if she's not in the fight herself. At a meeting at the Tughlaq Lane residence of Rahul last Monday, Priyanka gave Rai a pep talk soon after the party decided to field him.

"Priyankaji ne kaha ki aap jam kar ladiye. Unhone apna personal mobile number bhi diya aur kaha ki aapko jo bhi zaroorat hogi woh aap turant bolen. Woh aapko muhaiyya karayi jaayegi. (Priyankaji told me to fight wholeheartedly. She gave me her personal mobile number and told me not to hesitate to ask for anything that I may need and said I will be given every help)," Rai quoted her as telling him.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 14 Apr 2014 02:45

^^^PG didn't run in Varanasi because she would have lost. As said before even if JLN was brought back from hell, even he would have lost against Modi.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 14 Apr 2014 02:48

Just watched some video of Modi's rally in Chennai. He started speaking in English with a Tamil interpreter, then soon switched to Hindi, although it was a good speech. This worries me as people in TN have a hatred of Hindi. He should have spoken in Gujarati and then have it translated to Tamil. Does anyone have pics of the rally?

[youtube]wHxTVlv7j60&feature[/youtube]

panduranghari · Post by **panduranghari** » 14 Apr 2014 03:11

svenkat wrote:Rahul Mehtaji,
I made a long post on the topic in the X-ianity thread and deleted it.
a)Rajni is a film icon.He respects the sentiments of all people.
b)He is narrating a parable about "Creation".
c)Essentially,what he means is Life cannot be reduced to dry logic,formulas or law drafts.
d)The real miracle here is a marathi speaker from KA touched a chord in the hearts of tamil people.The following sentence is not directed at you.Thalaivar exaggerations are fine as humour,but we need to realise the limitations of Rajni in the multi-hued/splendoured tamizh literary/artistic firmament and the limitations are pretty severe.It would have been better if NaMo had not met Rajni.That reduces the stature of Modibhai.Its about time NaMo transcends even the North Indian regional party called BJP while being faithful to the welfare of the people of North India along with people of other regions.
e)Its indeed a minor miracle(as you claimed) that a Rahul Mehta from Ahmedabad is able to understand the tamizh clips.

Balasaheb often used the example of Rajnikanth to show how one can become the ''local inte' even if he was not born there and did not speak the language. This was why Sanjay Nirupam rose among the ranks within Shiv Sena. Raj T has obviously taken the thing to the extreme but his point if view has some merits. Let's leave it at that.

Vamsee · Post by **Vamsee** » 14 Apr 2014 03:16

I wonder what drives people like Priyamvada Gopal to write such garbage. (If you are interested in letting your "feelings" known to her, this is her twitter id

==> @PriyamvadaGopal )

If Modi wins the election, India will have crossed a moral Rubicon

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 03:16

mort.. there are more hindi likers in TN than haters... but i agree modi should have stuck to Englicks or Gujarati.. the impact++driver!

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 14 Apr 2014 03:59

People do not hate Hindi. In the 60s people were against the IMPOSITION of Hindi on tamilians. Rightly or wrongly, there was a perception among some tamilians that the "North" was imposing Hindi on them. With a rich history of language, culture, tradition and religion; no society would like to see some imposition - especially in a democracy. During the Rajah/Maharaja days, the Kings had used bilingual and in some case tri-lingual inscriptions. So people began to dislike Hindi by association with politicians who were willing to dilute the regional/local traditions. Sure, one can always find fringe elements who have visceral hatred towards Hindi or anything connected to North. Things have changed from the 60s.

Having said that, he would have got more people to understand if he had spoken in English, but unfortunately though he is in TN, his words are being telecast and watched through out India - hence the Hindi.

gandharva · Post by **gandharva** » 14 Apr 2014 04:23

Read Bottom up.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 14 Apr 2014 04:41

I dont think today's Tamilian hates Hindi. They realize the need to integrate rather than segregate. My tam buddies during Madrassa would actually try to speak Hindi.

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 14 Apr 2014 05:03

Vamsee wrote:I wonder what drives people like Priyamvada Gopal to write such garbage. (If you are interested in letting your "feelings" known to her, this is her twitter id ==> @PriyamvadaGopal )

If Modi wins the election, India will have crossed a moral Rubicon

Very difficult to keep straight face and give a rational reply to this kind of trash. But I did.

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 14 Apr 2014 05:06

~~Rahul will stop him~~
~~Kejriwal will stop him~~
Ladies will stop him.

Coalition-Building Season in India
by ELLEN BARRY, nytimes.com
April 8th 2014

COIMBATORE, India — As a potential political partner, the chief minister of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has some drawbacks.

Known by the cozy nickname “Amma,” or “Mother,” Jayalalithaa Jayaram has a reputation as mercurial, ruthless and domineering. During her first years in power, her ministers sometimes prostrated themselves on the floor when they reported to her. A former accountant once accused her of beating him black and blue with a high-heeled shoe, though she denied it, saying she was “too cultured to indulge in such an uncivilized act.”

She can be fickle. Once, feeling neglected in her year-old pact with the ruling party at the time, the Bharatiya Janata Party, she brought the national government crashing down by abruptly withdrawing her support. She signaled this devastating act by inviting Sonia Gandhi, leader of the Indian National Congress Party, for a cup of tea.

Amid India’s national elections, most attention is trained on the front-runner, Narendra Modi of the B.J.P. Mr. Modi — the leader of one of India’s most prosperous states, Gujarat — has cast himself as a technocratic reformer brimming with fresh ideas, headed to New Delhi to shake up the political status quo.

But his path to the prime minister’s office will depend on a familiar group of secondary politicians: regional satraps whose leverage derives from their ability to form or break a coalition government. Unless the B.J.P. wins the 272 seats necessary to govern alone, Mr. Modi will probably need the support of at least one of the “three ladies,” a formidable group of horse-traders that includes Ms. Jayaram; Mamata Banerjee, the leader of West Bengal; and Mayawati, a former leader of Uttar Pradesh.

Each can offer Mr. Modi something he needs: a mandate strong enough to endorse sweeping change. Each has flirted with the idea of forming a “third front” that excluded the B.J.P. And each, if left unsatisfied, has the ability to extract her pound of flesh.

“In the case of Jayalalithaa, there is a give and take,” said A. S. Panneerselvan, a journalist based in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. “That is, she will be very, very clear on what she wants to take.”

During the 10 days after an Indian election, a flurry of secret negotiating takes place as regional heavyweights barter parliamentary seats in exchange for a package of concessions — benefits for their state or themselves, or senior positions for their allies. Under any circumstances, it is a bare-knuckled game replete with double-dealing and deceit.

Mr. Modi’s party has had particular difficulty in building coalitions. Its first taste of national power in 1996 ended after just 13 days when it failed to attract enough allies. Some in the B.J.P. fear a similar fate this time around because major regional players have been hesitant to partner with Mr. Modi. He is loathed by many Muslims, who view him as complicit in bloody religious riots in his state in 2002, though no court has found him responsible. Each of the “three ladies” needs Muslim votes to some extent.

The women will also be cautious about making deals with Mr. Modi because of his reputation as an authoritarian leader, said N. Ram, the publisher of The Hindu, a daily newspaper in Chennai.

“They will be wary; they will try to keep him anxious,” Mr. Ram said. “They don’t want to be taken for granted.”

For now, political prognosticators are left to search for hints that an alliance is in the works.

Sometimes the best clues are things that do not happen. At a rally this month, Ms. Jayaram delivered a speech that consisted largely of attacks on other politicians, among them Ms. Gandhi, the head of the Congress party. (“Give the opposition a whipping. They are demons!” she exclaimed at one point.)

But, notably, she said not a word about Mr. Modi, telling the crowd, “There will be a new coalition, and I will have a role in that.”

Indeed, Ms. Jayaram and Mr. Modi — solitary autocrats from different corners of the country — have formed a tentative friendship, attending each other’s swearing-in ceremonies and exchanging birthday greetings. Cho Ramaswamy, a playwright and magazine publisher who has advised Ms. Jayaram in the past, said the pair was drawn together by a shared sense of grievance toward the ruling class.

“Both understand the difficulties of each other,” Mr. Ramaswamy said. “Both are against Congress.”

But neither has a history of forming lasting alliances. In his 12-year rule of Gujarat, Mr. Modi has split bitterly with former aides and mentors.

Now, though, there is little doubt that he needs powerful partners who are, like him, outsiders to New Delhi’s traditional power structures, said Milan Vaishnav, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based research center.

“This is where we don’t really know, because he’s never had to have any friends, he’s never had to build a coalition,” Mr. Vaishnav said. “In Gujarat, he’s been able to dominate and saturate the political space so entirely that he’s been able to lead from the top. You can’t do that so well at the center.”

Ms. Jayaram’s clout derives from her worshipful following in Tamil Nadu, something that was on full display at her rally.

Her face stared down from posters the height of five-story buildings, from shimmering porticoes made of bamboo fronds, from giant balloons that bobbed in the sky. Some 1,000 banana trees, heavy with fruit, had been cut and lined up to create an alley for her motorcade, interspersed with columns fashioned out of pineapples, watermelons and sweet limes.

The rally site was mobbed with women — lean, work-worn women in bright saris, spitting red betel juice or dancing in the aisles. They surged forward with joy on their faces when she appeared on stage, and the crowd, estimated at 50,000, made a sound like a forest full of birds. Papamal, 70, a cleaner, could not jam herself into the venue and was forced to listen from the roadside, but afterward she was glowing anyway, ecstatic to have been so close to Ms. Jayaram.

“She is more than an ordinary person,” Papamal said. A bony man walked up to strangers with a drunken smile, poking them in the chest and exclaiming, “Chief Minister Amma!”

Ms. Jayaram could not have ascended to the height of this male-dominated political system if she did not have a ferocious will.

As a young actress, she was romantically partnered with a more established star, M. G. Ramachandran, who went on to found a party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. When he died, Ms. Jayaram laid claim to his mantle, sitting on the gun carriage carrying his body to the cremation until one of his nephews rushed at her and pushed her off, the journalist Kalyani Shankar wrote in “Pandora’s Daughters,” a book about India’s powerful female politicians.

Ms. Jayaram spent three years wrestling Mr. Ramachandran’s widow for control of the party, and after that, there was no question of her dominance. An American diplomatic cable, written in 2009 and released by WikiLeaks, said Ms. Jayaram’s “ruthlessness, including her willingness to sanction violence in pursuit of her goals, eventually reversed the traditional view of gender roles, leading the public to see Jayalalithaa as the toughest person in Tamil Nadu politics.”

Mr. Ramaswamy, who has known Ms. Jayaram for many years, said she had mellowed greatly. He also said she had learned the lesson of her withdrawal from the B.J.P. coalition in 1999, noting that after that impulsive decision, she was unable to form an alliance with a ruling coalition in Delhi for a decade.

“She has matured politically,” he said. “She thinks before making decisions. So I don’t think there would be a repetition of what happened then.” He said a coalition was likely, and predicted that if Mr. Modi performed strongly, securing 230 or 240 seats, it would prove to be a stable alliance.

A weaker performance would mean the opposite, said Mr. Ram, of The Hindu. “If it will be close,” he said, “you will see a lot of unsavory things happening in the first year.”

Ms. Shankar said that if Mr. Modi wins more than 200 seats, “all of these people will find some excuse” to enter into an alliance.

“Everything is possible, because power is the one cementing factor,” she said. “Arithmetic is what matters. Not chemistry.”
© 2014 The New York Times Company.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 14 Apr 2014 05:09

KJoishy wrote:I dont think today's Tamilian hates Hindi. They realize the need to integrate rather than segregate. My tam buddies during Madrassa would actually try to speak Hindi.

There is no segregation to even think about integration. Sub-cultures just flourish & evolve if left to themselves.

Cosmo_R · Post by **Cosmo_R** » 14 Apr 2014 05:11

SwamyG wrote:
KJoishy wrote:I dont think today's Tamilian hates Hindi. They realize the need to integrate rather than segregate. My tam buddies during Madrassa would actually try to speak Hindi.
There is no segregation to even think about integration. Sub-cultures just flourish & evolve if left to themselves.

The realistic potential for a good life well lived is the best guarantor of social integration.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 05:12

if that is the case, their evolution has to be scoped to the larger culture where they are sub-jected themselves to be in. [not considering loop-holes though]

SagarAg · Post by **SagarAg** » 14 Apr 2014 05:26

Mort Walker wrote: Does anyone have pics of the rally?

Today's rally
Chennai, TN

Haveri, KA

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 14 Apr 2014 05:28

vivek.rao wrote:
Vamsee wrote:I wonder what drives people like Priyamvada Gopal to write such garbage. (If you are interested in letting your "feelings" known to her, this is her twitter id ==> @PriyamvadaGopal )

If Modi wins the election, India will have crossed a moral Rubicon
Very difficult to keep straight face and give a rational reply to this kind of trash. But I did.

Simple only! Ask if that Rubicon is the western Rubicon that destroyed native civilizations, cultures; conducted organized slavery for centuries, cause of two world wars and recently an organized pedophile in the name of religion.

Then proudly claim that India is a pagan civilization that doesn't accept or follow such a western rubicon.

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 14 Apr 2014 05:33

PMO to seek Modi's views on releasing his letters with Atal post-Godhra riots
indiatoday.intoday.in | Apr 13th 2014

India, China set to hold strategic dialogue tomorrow in Beijing
ndtv.com | Apr 13th 2014 11:50 AM
Beijing: Top diplomats from India and China will hold the sixth Strategic Dialogue in Beijing tomorrow to take stock of the status of bilateral relations and explore new initiatives to improve ties.
[..]
The dialogue is being held amid the general elections in India and Chinese official media highlighted the pre-poll surveys projecting a new government with the likelihood of the opposition BJP taking over power under the leadership of Narendra Modi.

Chinese officials say BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Mr Modi is a known face in Beijing as he had visited China twice scouting for investments for Gujarat, which has bagged big Chinese investments.

Daniel Twining: India's watershed moment will have global ripples
asia.nikkei.com | Apr 7th 2014 5:00 AM

Indian voters have lived through a decade of lackluster Congress party rule, blighted by corruption and eight straight quarters of comparatively weak economic growth. After near double-digit expansion in the early 2000s, the recent pace of less than 5% annually seems indefensible for a country with such potential -- albeit one in which every other child suffers from malnutrition. Restoring economic vigor through good governance and decisive reform will be the clear mandate of the electoral victor on May 16.

For the region and the world, India's revitalization under a new leader would be felt far beyond its borders. The government of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is investing heavily in India as a counterweight to China -- and an alternative investment destination for Japanese companies rattled by China's authoritarian nationalism.

Southeast Asian states, meanwhile, want a strong India as a player in regional security alongside the U.S., China and Japan. Beijing knows it cannot claim to speak for Asia when a neighbor of 1.3 billion people contests its leadership. And any true U.S. "pivot" to Asia must be anchored by robust partnerships with the predominant powers of the Indo-Pacific littoral -- India and Japan. Beyond security, the world economy would unquestionably benefit from the return of India, and its billion-plus consumers, as an engine of global growth. In short, there is more at stake for Indian voters than their own domestic politics.

Polling by the independent Pew Research Center shows voters prefer Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party over the ruling Congress by more than three to one. According to Pew, Modi enjoys majority support from upper- and lower-caste Indians, rural and urban voters, and Indians in both the populous north and wealthier south. By more than two to one, voters rate the BJP highly for its ability to manage the key challenges confronting the country, from inflation and corruption to terrorism.

Yet nothing is straightforward in such a populous society. If previous elections are any guide, nearly half the voters will support the regional parties that govern India's largest states -- parties that will play kingmaker in any coalition government. Given their particularistic agendas, such parties could put the BJP in a policy straitjacket in the event of an alliance, dashing hopes for bold change. One in 10 Indians supports the protest-movement-turned Common Man Party of Arvind Kejriwal, which wants to end politics-as-usual, with their associated nepotism and corruption.

At the same time, Congress enjoys a formidable grass-roots network, as well as the lingering power of the dynastic politics it has perversely embedded at the center of the world's largest democracy.

Modi's baggage

As the son of a tea seller who pulled himself up by his bootstraps, Modi appeals because he is no princeling. He also boasts an impressive governing record. His state of Gujarat produces about one-quarter of India's exports. Its base of industry and infrastructure more closely resembles China than the rest of India. Gujarat's economic growth has outpaced India's for the last six years. Modi promises to bring this record of decisive, technocratic governance -- and its economic fruits -- to all of India.

He makes a convincing case. But he also has baggage -- the killing of hundreds of Muslims in Gujarat that occurred on his watch in 2002. Modi has abandoned fiery Hindu nationalist rhetoric in favor of a development agenda he argues has benefited Muslims as much as Hindus in Gujarat. He understands that open sectarianism does not win national elections. Unfortunately, other BJP leaders seem enamored of the "clash-of-civilizations" approach to voter mobilization.

Meanwhile, Congress remains an unnatural home to many who do not support its socialism but fear the specter of communalism. Even so, anxious voters seem ready to accept Modi's past in return for his promise to deliver the economic goods.

Policy hat trick

Regardless of India's external orientation, a return to dynamic growth through infrastructure investment and deregulation will have international implications. Still, the nation's foreign policy will be shaped by the ambitions of the man at the top, and hints about those ambitions are intriguing.

The last BJP prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, declared India and the U.S. "natural allies" after decades of alienation. His government conducted nuclear tests to balance China's military power and opened the door to U.S.-India defense cooperation. Vajpayee also sought detente with Pakistan, bulletproofed by his hawkishness against charges of appeasement. This policy trifecta -- a strategic partnership with America, strengthened deterrence against China and an opening to Pakistan -- would be a neat hat trick for Modi to recreate, if he wins the election. He should also build on the deeper strategic cooperation India's current government has developed with Japan, a partnership that could be a game-changer for Asia. These policies would enjoy popular support: Most Indians view the U.S. and Japan favorably, see danger in China's growing power and fear instability in Pakistan.

Modi lauds Vajpayee's foreign policy as the right blend of shanti and shakti -- peace and power. He promises to vigorously resist China's "mindset of expansion," including its claims to Arunachal Pradesh. His vision for U.S.-India relations remains opaque, tinged by a visa ban Washington imposed following the Gujarat violence. But he will certainly seek greater American trade and investment to catalyze Indian growth. This may be enough: the best way to restore momentum to U.S.-India relations is to get India growing again, making it a more attractive partner to the world's superpower.

This election may prove to be a turning point in India's political history. A new "politics of aspiration," to use the journalist Shekhar Gupta's phrase, may replace the old "politics of grievance," which was about redistributing the economic pie rather than growing it. The emergent urban, youthful, middle class India -- the India of 900 million mobile connections -- will displace the old rural peasantry as the decisive demographic.

The revolution of expectations among India's aspiring masses means the hardest task confronting India's politicians will not be winning power. It will be meeting the surging demand for change.

Daniel Twining is senior fellow for Asia at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He previously served as a member of the U.S. secretary of state's Policy Planning Staff and as the foreign policy adviser to U.S. Senator John McCain.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 14 Apr 2014 05:40

^ its interesting to see all these two-bit nations talk of India as a 2nd rung player.
All this will change just in 10-15 years if India gets a strong leadership.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 05:44

i think that pic looked like last taken at trichy
--

another massive rally in chennai /near by rally should let him promise pottable tap water for all! that would seal it.

now it is entirely different question how he might do it.. it could be water desalination plants to bringing ganges to tN.

member_22733 · Post by **member_22733** » 14 Apr 2014 06:05

An idiot on my FB wall just compared Modi with Hitler. I am surprised such clowns are still around in the ITvity population. Hard to gauge the nations mood from Montana.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 14 Apr 2014 06:10

lokeshc, on one thought i was thinking they are idiots.. but then, when i see such idiocy within friends circle, i think it is more of bandwagon orientation to what they hear and listen to. we have to be very careful in treading and weaning them away from that huge delusion.

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 14 Apr 2014 06:46

'Secular' retardedness shows itself in all its glory... Narendra Modi endorsement spells trouble

When these fools take measures to silence writers and intellectuals - its all in the name of 'liberalism'. When the right does exactly the same - why, that would be 'fascism' of course

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 14 Apr 2014 06:51

Where is baba ramdev ji nowadays

Anantha · Post by **Anantha** » 14 Apr 2014 07:09

10 years ago around this time, post 2004 elections, the the TOIlet editor, Dilip fartgaonkar, wrote an editorial as to why Sonia Gandi's non Indian birth should have no relevance and she should be allowed to become PM. Tangential reasons were offered to convince gullible Indians on the virtues of Sonia gandhi. Her lack of any qualifications was deliberately overlooked and the (lack of) Indian birth was made into the main issue. We are seeing the results now on how this defacto PM ran the show. This was still the time when TOIlet had some credibility and used to call itself world's 2nd best newspaper.
I hope let us all collectively spit on this guy... aak thoo
On 2nd thoughts I think simple transfer of cash to this guy might explain his 2004 position (I never thought of this back then).

Sumeet · Post by **Sumeet** » 14 Apr 2014 07:12

Modi on Aap Ki Adalat 2014

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RRIQvViQw0

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 14 Apr 2014 07:14

suryag wrote:Where is baba ramdev ji nowadays

Going door to door. Pretty active in news too...

Rahul Mehta · Post by **Rahul Mehta** » 14 Apr 2014 07:36

Take it for whatever it is worth

The original Jansagh flag was 100% orange (bhagwa) and was triangular and not square. Because all Hindu kings , sages etc had triangular flags, and square flag was generally used by westerners. Come 1980, when BJP was formed, the flag was not only square, but 33% green !! And green color came before orang i.e. on the left side. Also, in many official pictures, the lotus has orange color, but the sepals below the petals now have green color !!! And one of the principle reasons why many old time Jansanghies like Balraj Madhok refused to join BJP was this green color. All in all, BJP way back in 1980s diluted its saffron. And the recent manifesto shows complete break away. There is no timeline for even modern issues like stopping child marriages in all religions, stopping tripple talaq and stopping polygamy etc. Furthermore, starting 2012, BJP took new logo in which top part of orange, bottom part was green, but lotus color was all 100% white !!! And the white stands for Christianity !!

The coming few years can be rude rude shock for Hinduvaadies. Forget three temples, even issues like banning child marriages across religions, banning polygamy, banning tripple talaq, allowing courts to decide alimony, population control etc will be thrown out of window.

The solution I propose is that Hinduvaadies (and also Swadeshies, Nationalists) should give up their sanstha-bhakti such as RSS-bhakti, VHP-bhakti, BJP-bhakti etc for good. They should instead focus on law-drafts that can fix the issue. And the MOST important law-draft I have proposed is to fix management of temples is on my facebook wall. I wont put link here, as I dont want to use BR to advertise my agenda. But if activists confine to sanstha bhakti, then doom will prevail.

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Raresh Raval was the lead character in OMG. IN OMG, he broke murti. The movie OMG was made by missionaries to insult and mock the Hindu tradition of murti puja and weaken the mental strength of Hindus so that conversion becomes easy. The movie also insulted and mocked Hindi seers like Sir Sri Ravi Shanker Maharaj via role played by Mithun Chakravarti. If NaMo and RSS were in charge, then Paresh raval would have NEVER got BP ticket. His getting BJP tix shows how powerful missionaries are in BJP now. And not even one VHP leader could oppose Paresh Raval's nomination or even cite his murti-breaking. Sad and proud to say, that I was the ONLY one "senior" activist in Ahmedabad who publicized this "murti breaker gets BJP ticket" episode.

I request all worthies on BR to comment on Paresh Raval getting Ahmedabad East ticket.

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NaMo's growth model is "no tax on foreign investors" . And IMO it is far far inferior than the model I propose in which

1. everyone is taxed uniformly
2. repeal vat/gst/excise/service-tax ; introduce wealth tax ; increase custom duty to 100% to 300% except 0% on imported minerals
3. improve local courts, admin using JurySys , RTR so that factory owners can work efficiently

The FDI led growth is TRIVIAL. There is no hard work. Even Dubai has phenomenal growth because they allow foreigners to setup and run everything. The REAL hard thing is where locals are manufacturing and running from everything from chip to robots without any gora. Such REAL growth has no place in NaMo's plan. Why? Because FDI = MNC-owners will NOT be taxed. Whereas locals will have to pay tens of taxes. Hence locals cant survive against MNC-owners.

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FDI in defense will ensure total Indian defeat when USA invades. Those who live in dream world that USA will never invade India or never use threat of direct invasion via invasion via Pakistan are welcome to let American or Japanese companies put weapon manufacturing companies. All their weapons will be loaded with trojans and critical spare parts which are imported. Come war, and trojans and scarcity of spare parts will bring us down. In fact, situation will be so bad, that USA = MNC-owners will simply use threat of invasion to do whatever it wants.

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Added later : many expressed a hope that NaMo will cancel FDI in paid-media. Well, pls focus on the question ---- what is YOUR plan-B if NaMo refuses to remove FDI in paid-media in 1 yeare, 2 year, 3 years .... IOW, what is YOUR time limit for time out? and whats your plan-B? Because not only NaMo wont be able to remove FDI in media, he wont even be able to impose taxes on FDI in media that local media owners have to pay. So please keep a plan-B ready. Otherwise, you may end up like JP-fans and ABV-fans who after 1980 and after 2004 refuse to even talk about politics.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 14 Apr 2014 07:37

Mee dhoti shivering if EVM magic is being started.