Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

fanne · Post by **fanne** » 19 Apr 2014 04:07

Make no mistakes, these interviews are to influence the voters of Mimbia (mainly) and UP/Bihar before 4/24 election. With Raj Thakre declaring support for Modi, the North Indian crowd is being asked to turn against BJP (and SS if they have any NI vote). Slimy bast...

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 19 Apr 2014 04:08

My left eye is shivering.. So self delete...

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 19 Apr 2014 04:58

NaMo shaant ho jaaiye please dont become overconfident 2009 yaad hai hume abhi bhi

VinodTK · Post by **VinodTK** » 19 Apr 2014 05:25

Cong admits it should have tamed Modi sooner

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However, as the Modi juggernaut assumed enormous proportions, a significant section of the Congress is now of the opinion that the party should have launched early and sustained attacks on the Gujarat chief minister. “Modi is a commodity and not a human being. He is being marketed like a product and you see him staring down from every billboard, television station and hear him on radio,” said an exasperated Congress leader.
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member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 19 Apr 2014 05:36

^Congis now sound like pakis. Its all marketing onlee, nothing that bad about us onlee. Other guy (India/Modi) is just better at selling himself onlee

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 19 Apr 2014 05:52

Even that isn't new

Rahul Mehta · Post by **Rahul Mehta** » 19 Apr 2014 06:39

Sidhant wrote:Rahul Mehta ji, so how will India break the shackles. What can we do about it?

My suggestions : pls read EVERY page, word and letter of http://rahulmehta.com/301.htm . And focus on law-drafts that you think will help India, and oppose the proposal that activists should tattoo leaders faces on their chest, and confine to slogan shouting. There are NO shortcuts. Those who say that tattooing leaders' faces and behinds are sufficient to fix India are offering an easy , but FALSE step.

:jamwa: Maybe because the Lotus symbol on EVMs is white, not saffron/orange. Makes it easier for voters to associate with BJP when pressing the button in booth. Earlier, I used to wonder why RM is so famous. Now I know.

Arun Menon : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/a-makeover-f ... 48-37.html

This is why he is wearing a white lotus. Who better to advertise the election symbol on the voting machine than Modi himself? If you haven't noticed yet, they are still using the same flags with the same saffron lotus. In fact, Modi's clothes were even color coordinated with the flag (saffron and green) during his last interview. You really need to come up with better stuff than this.

When parents are told that his ladalaa beta or beti is on cocaine, the first reaction is denial. And denial goes on and on and on, till the kid overdoses.

The paper in booth had always been black and white since 1920s when elections first started in India. That didnt stop ANY party from putting colors on their symbols in pamphlets. It is proven that people while recognizing objects look as shape and boundaries and ignore colors !! In fact, all image matching algorithms also give low weight to colors and focus on shapes and boundaries. Forget simple handbills and posters, BJP-leaders now insist on white lotus even on BJP website !!! I am sure that people who come to websites are smart enough to see that orange lotus is same as white lotus. So why change color of lotus on website? Also, BJP is national party, and so its candidate will be in first band, and so almost always in one of the top 5 slots. Please see Modifesto if dec-2012. NaMo is wearing saffron dress and lotus is saffron. Come jan-2014, the color of lotus changes to white on all official sources including Modifesto of apr-2014 !!!

The MNC-owners and Missionaries now run charities , self-help groups, women credit unions and NGOs which span over 7% to 10% population DIRECTLY. While RSS-apex asked RSS-workers to confine to slogan shouting and morning walks , and oppose all law-drafts needed to improve education, the missionarty schools are now only schools only large tribals areas of India including Gujarat !!! In Gujarat, the Municipals schools have rotted to an extent that no municipal passout passes 12th class exam !! And so now poor increasingly send kids to missionary run schools, even in Ahmedabad. And so church has huge vote base, thanks ONLY to RSS-apex decision to oppose law-drafts needed to improve education. And BJP-leaders now heavily depend on MNC-owners media. In dec-2012, NaMo never wore a green kurta on major events. Please picture of NaMo releasing dec-2012 manifesto. The kurta was orange and the jacket on top of kurta would be dark brown. In recent interview, NaMo had to wear green kurta. tsk tsk tsk tsk .

The BJP-leaders have been notorious for color changes. The Jansangh flag was 100% orange. In 1980, BJP flag became 33% green. And in year 2002, the outer lower petals of the lotus also became green. And now lotus has become white. And reason is not ballot paper.

And consider other decisions. NaMo refuses to demand census-2011 religion/language breakup in public. NaMo opposes taxing gora at same rate as we desi are taxed in India, and wants to continue "gora shall pay no taxes, desi shall pay full taxes" regime unleashed by PVNR\MMS in 1990s. And then legendary Sb4D remark, and removal of Kash Vishvanath Devalaya and Krishna Janambhoomi Devalaya issue from Modifesto, and putting Ram Janambhoomi Devalaya issue on the LAST page of Modifesto !!! All these decisions and now change of lotus color seen in one context imply that BJP is now owned by MNC-owners and Missionaries.

Lilo · Post by **Lilo** » 19 Apr 2014 06:59

^
Well with regard to above concern , replug of my old post.

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 7#p1617757

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 19 Apr 2014 07:04

Puthiya Thalamurai is owned by pachamuthu,the owner of SRM university,candidate from Perambulur,owner of IJK(India Jananayaka katchi) an ally of BJP.The grapevine is Kanimozhi tried to force him to sell SRM to her.Pachamuthu started a TV channel,magazine and a political party to protect his interests.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 19 Apr 2014 07:11

Lilo wrote:^
Well with regard to above concern , replug of my old post.

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 7#p1617757

Sad how people create CTs from the most pathetic excuses these days. Reminds me of those dimwit illiterate CTs usually doing their rounds in the Islamic world, where everyone is a traitor and everything is a conspiracy. I hope we do not end up calling the polio vaccine a impotency agent here as well.

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 19 Apr 2014 07:15

'We Need a Dictator With a Gun and a Hoover'
by James Traub, foreignpolicy.com
April 18th 2014

KANPUR, India — S. P. Singh is a professor of history at Christ Church College in Kanpur, a grimy and charmless industrial city in India's biggest state, Uttar Pradesh (UP). He has, he says, "politics in the blood": his father was a state assemblyman from a rural area outside of Kanpur, a member of the anti-Congress Janata Party whose career came to an end in 1980 when Indira Gandhi made a secret, last-minute deal with a Janata ally, whose poll workers abandoned their posts on election day. Singh recalls the skullduggery with professional delight; he remembers the exact margin of his father's loss, as he does the outcome of dozens of state and local races in UP.

Indians love politics, and they make sure to have a great deal of it. The country holds fiercely contested elections at the village, district, state, and national levels, and they all feature tumultuous spectacle and cynical hugger-mugger. During two days I spent in Kanpur earlier this week, I tried to get someone to show me around the city. But everyone wanted to talk instead about the upcoming parliamentary contest in the city, the state, and the country. Above all, they wanted to talk about what it would mean for India if Narendra Modi, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the modern outgrowth of Janata, becomes prime minister.

It is very far from certain that that will happen. While very strong in the "Hindi heartland" of India's north and west, BJP has little following in the east, northeast, and south. But the "Modi wave" is gathering force even in places where the party has historically been weak. Modi's own favorability ratings dwarf those of Congress's leaders -- including Rahul Gandhi, the party's diffident champion -- and some polls have shown a BJP-led alliance gaining a majority of seats. Modi is strong, and the Congress and Rahul are weak, though regional parties may wind up holding the balance of power.

And it is Modi, not his party, that is surging among voters. In the past two national elections, "the BJP focused on the party," says S. P. Singh. "Then they realized that the brand BJP is not selling. As a result the super-brand Modi took over the party." The campaign is a non-stop glorification of his record as chief minister of Gujarat state and his humble beginnings as a chai-wallah selling tea from a stall in a railway station. As Satya Dev Pachauri, a grizzled BJP state assemblyman from Kanpur, explained to me, the local candidates have become immaterial: "All over India, in every constituency, it is Modi who is fighting the election."

This has made for some piquant drama in Kanpur, where one of the founders and chief ideologues of the BJP, the 80-year-old Murli Manohar Joshi, is contesting the seat for the parliament, known as the Lok Sabha. Joshi had previously represented Varanasi, but when Modi decided that he wanted to stand for election in the city that is the incarnation of India's Vedantic -- and pre-Islamic -- past, Joshi had to settle for Kanpur, where he has no roots. Joshi has publicly grumbled that the party should come first. As you drive around town, you can see the billboards that say, "This Time, Modi Government," as well as the ones Joshi has put up: "This time, BJP Government." When Pachauri said that the candidate is "immaterial," he was referring to the candidate in Kanpur.

Joshi is the chief author of the BJP manifesto, which came out weeks late, allegedly because of internal disputes. Joshi has strong ties to the RSS, the party's grassroots organization, which has provided the shock troops for sectarian demonstrations and riots across India. The body of the manifesto promises good governance and a moderate foreign policy, but Joshi was apparently given free rein with the preface, which declares, "Historical records establish the level of progress and prosperity attained in India before the advent of the Europeans. Indian advancements in mathematics, astronomy, physics and chemistry along with the biological sciences has been well recognized. India was a land of abundance, prosperity, affluence, a land of sharing and caring...."

Modi himself has steered clear of almost any talk of the Hindu nationalist ideology, "Hindutva," or any reference to the party's hot-button issues. Sharat Pradhan, a veteran journalist in Lucknow, UP's capital, told me that when Modi learned that he was to be joined on a dais by two party activists accused of involvement in Hindu-Muslim riots last year, he stalled at the airport while the men were garlanded by minor party officials and then swept off the stage.

Modi is single-mindedly focused on development. The party manifesto, however, calls for the rebuilding of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, halted by court order in 1992 after RSS activists tore down a mosque on the site brick by brick, an episode which gave birth to the modern, deeply ideological, BJP. The manifesto also calls for the elimination of Article 370 of the Constitution, which provides a special status for Muslim-dominated Kashmir.

BJP leaders are now well-drilled on the new party line. In Kanpur, I went to see Manoj Mishra, a physics professor and the state party spokesman, and asked about the manifesto. Mishra, who joined the RSS when he was 18 years old, told me that the destruction of the Babri Masjid (mosque) had been a spontaneous event which senior figures like Joshi and L. K. Advani had sought to stop. (In fact, the dismantlement was a highly professional job, and Joshi and Advani egged on the rank and file with fierce rhetoric.) In any case, he said, the Babri mosque was no longer in use, and had no reason for being. As for Article 370, he asked, "How can it be that people elsewhere in India cannot buy land in Jammu and Kashmir?" Abolition of the article, he told me, was in no way targeted at Muslims.

Modi was formed by the RSS, just as Mishra and Joshi were. He shares the Hindutva outlook, which every once in a while sneaks through on the stump, as when he accused India's defense minister, A. K. Antony, of being one of the "agents of Pakistan and enemies of India" because of a single incident in which Pakistani soldiers attacked Indian troops, beheading one of them. He has refused to apologize for his failure to stop the anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002, soon after he took over as chief minister, an act which has lead the State Department to deny him a visa to come to the United States.

Modi rarely speaks to the press, and has never seriously addressed his own views of the Hindu-nationalist agenda. Indians can only speculate -- endlessly -- about how he would deal with Pakistan, with Kashmir, or with India's family code, which allows Muslims and others to administer their own law on matters involving inheritance, marriage, and the like. Congress stalwarts profess to have no doubt on the subject: The central, and wholly negative, theme of the Congress campaign is "secularism versus communalism." Many people told me that, as prime minister, Modi will be taking orders from the RSS. And yet in Gujarat he has by all accounts brought the organization to heel. It was Modi, not RSS leaders, who determined the distribution of tickets for the campaign.

S. P. Singh argues that, "If Modi wins a strong victory, the RSS will be finished. The BJP itself will be finished." In 1970, Indira Gandhi used a strong electoral mandate to banish senior Congress Party officials who opposed her rise. They formed the Congress (S) and the Congress (O) and so on, all of which eventually disappeared, leaving her in sole control of the party. Singh believes that Modi will adopt the same model: his friends in the RSS tell him that they are deeply worried about Modi's domineering ways. Singh took me to an RSS meeting where a local leader had agreed to talk to me off the record. However, the man turned out to be in his shop, and instead I talked to a very genial codger who said that, as Muslims had once been Hindus who had converted centuries ago, they, too, belonged to Mother India. He only slipped when he referred to the Babri Masjid as a "so-called mosque."

Modi seems to have in mind a fusion of religious nationalism and free-market capitalism -- a peculiar, and quite possibly untenable, combination of past and future. Whatever that is, however, it does not appear to be democratic. Like Mrs. Gandhi, Modi appears to believe above all in himself, and to have little patience for critics or for party rivals. In an article I wrote about Rahul last year, In Gujarat, Modi has long been feared and admired in equal measure. The question he poses thus may not be, "Can India be governed by a Hindu nationalist?" but rather, "Can India be governed by an autocrat?"

The millions of young Indians who seem likely to vote for Modi may care less about India's ancient heritage, or even about threats from Muslims or from Pakistan, than they do about knocking over the obstacles to a good life that they feel lie in their path. I have been coming to India for almost 40 years, and I have never stopped hearing envious comments about China, which of course have only grown as China has boomed. Many Indians believe that only a Chinese-style autocrat can force the country's wild energies into productive channels.

Rakesh Suri, a shoe exporter in Kanpur who despairs of the city's shattered roads and spotty electricity, told me only half-jokingly that, "We need a dictator with a gun and a Hoover." He didn't mean Modi, but a lot of other people do.

A Modi who has the mandate to shuck off his own party, and to rule with few if any coalition partners, could operate as a populist autocrat, in the mold of Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, if not as Vladimir Putin. I'm not convinced that India would accept such a figure; I hope it wouldn't. Democracy is no fragile flower in India; it's more like a banyan, whose branches sink back down into the earth to form new roots. Indians practice their freedoms with abandon, as they do their elections. Indira Gandhi's attempt to rule by force majeure during the Emergency of 1977-1980 came to an abrupt end when she was voted out of office. S. P. Singh may be amused, all these years later, by Mrs. Gandhi's high-handed tricks; but he does not want to see Narendra Modi duplicate her assault on Indian democracy.

Watching Modi, the Maestro, at Work
by James Traub, foreignpolicy.com
April 16th 2014

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 19 Apr 2014 07:31

wah wah .. PM-<CM team! this is the pudding on the cake!

Lilo · Post by **Lilo** » 19 Apr 2014 07:34

Arun Menon wrote:
Lilo wrote:^
Well with regard to above concern , replug of my old post.

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 7#p1617757

Sad how people create CTs from the most pathetic excuses these days. Reminds me of those dimwit illiterate CTs usually doing their rounds in the Islamic world, where everyone is a traitor and everything is a conspiracy. I hope we do not end up calling the polio vaccine a impotency agent here as well.

Please to not gun the jump.
BRF or more especifically GDF dandha is CT bijiness. Take it or Ignore it or counter it.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 19 Apr 2014 07:37

Raja Bose wrote:
muraliravi wrote:...
it will be an understatement to say that I am very very scared that this WKK has joined BJP. We need to watch him with utmost scrutiny.
Based on what he says in this interview, MJ Akbar comes across as someone very grounded rather than WKK. Perhaps he was WKK before and now has undergone a change...I don't know. But if people with views like what he espoused in the interview, are supporting Modi it is definitely a big victory for Modi and a big defeat for clowns like Kejri, Sonia and Rahul who want to indulge in fear-mongering rather than solving the hard tangible economic challenges that India faces.

MJ Akbar was never a card carrying WKK, rather he had his own mind and didn't bow down to party diktats. remember, he was forced to step down as editor asian age because he refused to toe sonia gandhi's line.

anmol · Post by **anmol** » 19 Apr 2014 07:38

Misreading Modi
by Amana Fontanella-Khan, foreignpolicy.com
April 14th 2014

On a balmy December day on the outskirts of New Delhi, thousands of people poured into a dusty field to hear Narendra Modi speak. The combative 63-year-old politician, sporting a neatly trimmed silver beard, frameless glasses, and light beige tunic, took the stage one year after a brutal December 2012 gang rape in India's capital sparked nationwide protests. Tens of thousands of rapes are reported in India each year, yet few are brought to trial and even fewer are successfully prosecuted. Of the 706 rape cases filed in 2012, only one has resulted in a conviction. "Remember Nirbhaya!" Modi bellowed to the crowd. The politician invoked the name -- meaning "fearless one," which the public gave to the gang-rape victim -- to push a message for the parliamentary election, taking place in April and May, which Modi's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to win by a wide margin, earning him the prime minister's seat. Delhi, he said at the rally, has "earned a bad name as the rape capital. When you vote, do not forget this."

For Modi, it is advantageous to couch rape in the context of governance, where his strength as a candidate lies. The chief minister of the state of Gujarat since 2001, Modi has staked his candidacy on his home state's strong economic performance and has positioned himself as the pragmatic pro-business alternative to his leading challenger, Rahul Gandhi of the incumbent Congress party. Many women seem to view India's current election as a referendum on governmental incompetence and corruption, which has stymied efforts to crack down on sexual assaults. (There are no reliable polls measuring Modi's popularity with women voters.) It is here that Modi, with his strong law-and-order credentials, has been successful. But there are other parts of Modi's record that he would prefer women -- who make up 49 percent of India's 814 million eligible voters -- to forget: A social conservative aligned with the Hindutva movement, a radical brand of political Hinduism, Modi is hardly an advocate for women's rights.

In February 2002, just five months after Modi assumed office, clashes between Hindus and Muslims broke out in Gujarat after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims returning from the holy city of Ayodhya was set on fire. The resulting three days of rioting left an estimated 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus dead. Scores of women, many of whom were Muslim, were raped during the pogroms, according to Amnesty International.

While a 2012 report by a Supreme Court–appointed investigative team exonerated Modi from any wrongdoing, India's National Human Rights Commission, a government agency, found that Modi's administration failed "to control the persistent violation of the rights to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the people of the State." Modi's perceived unwillingness to aggressively prosecute the rapists in the years after the violence unsettled many Gujaratis.

Even for those who believe Modi was innocent in 2002, his politics come with baggage: The BJP is the standard-bearer for Hindutva -- literally, Hindu-ness -- a conservative ideology that enshrines problematic gender identities in its vision of Hindu culture. The leaders of the Hindu right, including Modi, "fashioned an image of Indian masculinity as aggressive and warlike," wrote Martha Nussbaum, a philosopher and academic at the University of Chicago, in her 2007 book, The Clash Within: Democracy, Religious Violence, and India's Future. Mohan Bhagwat, the head of the right-wing Hindutva organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which Modi campaigned with in his 20s and 30s, reportedly said in January 2013 that when "women living in cities follow a Western lifestyle," rape happens.

Domination over Hindu women "lie[s] deep in the Hindu right's political consciousness," wrote Nussbaum, a comment echoed by others. Urvashi Butalia, who co-founded Kali for Women, India's first feminist publishing house, told AFP, "The BJP has never been particularly known for its progressive attitudes toward women, and there's no reason to believe a Modi government would be good news for women." (By contrast, Modi's leading challenger, Gandhi of the Congress party, a secularist who hails from a family of imposing matriarchs like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is viewed as being sympathetic to women's issues but lacking the leadership skills to bring about change.)

Still, Modi is unapologetic about his Hindutva links. Last summer, the BJP plastered Mumbai with posters depicting Modi above a slogan that read "I am Hindu Nationalist." He tries to balance the Hindutva message with pro-development statements like "My identity is of a Hindutvawadi [Hindutva-ist], but I say build toilets before you build temples." Yet amid his message of economic growth, his edgier religious rhetoric remains: In July he accused Congress of hiding behind the "burqa of secularism."

The only scandal associated with Modi and women broke in November 2013, when the investigative news sites Gulail.com and Cobrapost.com alleged that Modi had used state intelligence agencies and anti-terrorism squad officers in 2009 to stalk a young woman for at least two months. In what the Indian media is dubbing "Stalkgate" or "Snoopgate," the sites claimed to have obtained audiotapes on which Amit Shah, then Gujarat's home minister, is heard ordering a high-ranking police officer to snoop on the woman at the behest of "saheb" -- an honorific often used for Modi. The BJP does not deny that the woman was monitored: The party circulated a letter to the press allegedly written by the father of the woman stating that the police were only looking out for "her own interest, safety and security." (When reached for comment, BJP spokesperson M.J. Akbar said that the stalking claims are "a lie that has been planted by the government.") That a person accused of surveilling a woman is running for prime minister "is really quite shocking," says Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association, a left-wing women's association.

In terms of general competence, however, voters credit Modi with keeping crime and corruption down in his home state of Gujarat. "He has maintained very good law and order in Gujarat," says Brahma Chellaney, one of India's leading strategic thinkers. In the state's urban centers "you see women walking by themselves late at the night, which you don't see in other big Indian cities. His success in enforcing law and order and his record in combating corruption definitely appeal to women voters."

Asifa Khan, a national executive committee member of the BJP's minority wing, a group dedicated to addressing the concerns of minorities, and one of Modi's most prominent Muslim women backers, said in February 2013 that "his popularity among women is phenomenal. Women in Gujarat are grateful that they can roam about freely even late at night." Modi hopes that his perceived track record of bureaucratic competence will be enough to attract women's support. Given that governance, along with the economy, is a top priority for all constituencies in this election, voters might overlook his problematic history.

But a Modi win would likely embolden Hindutva organizations nationally, which have been kept in check by the ruling secular Congress party. This would not bode well for women's rights, which has to do with more than just safe streets. "He has not made a single statement which really represents a progressive agenda for women," says Krishnan, who played a key role in organizing the 2012 Delhi gang-rape protest; she added that for women, "his victory would represent a nightmare."

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 19 Apr 2014 07:41

While I understand that many BRFites are based in US,I protest at this barrage of news farticles/propogaandu from christian racists.Why should Indians in India browsing BRF be subjected to their staple anti-hindui venom?

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 19 Apr 2014 07:50

svenkat wrote:While I understand that many BRFites are based in US,I protest at this barrage of news farticles/propogaandu from christian racists.Why should Indians in India browsing BRF be subjected to their staple anti-hindui venom?

+101

As far as the general public in the US is concerned, there is zero interest in Indian elections or Narendra Modi. We are unnecessarily quoting all these articles from a few motivated 'pundits' in the media and academia. If and when NaMo becomes PM, GOTUS will recalibrate its policy in its own self-interest. These so-called 'scholars' will have nil influence then.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 19 Apr 2014 07:56

The Congress made the cardinal mistake of targeting Mr.Modi in a shameless,snide way ,using the lowest of low dirty tricks ,dipping their ink into the sewer when attacking him.The result? The people of India are no fools and swiftly compared Mr.M's hat-trick victory in Gujarat ,despite the Godhra legacy,and the scam-saturated slimeballs of the Congress and its UPA allies like the DMK.The more they attacked Mr.Modi,the greater his stature became.They gave him the "oxygen of publicity".He became the object of intense curiosity of people all across the country wanting to know why he was being attacked and what were his achievements.even a dullard would swiftly realise who was the genuine article.

For a time there was some flirtation with the "common man",the Ford Foundation and Change.org (US address) candidate,before he too was exposed as being nothing more than an agitator with no idea of governance.One thing though,the manner in which he is scooping up money from his campaign from poor unsuspecting voters will make him a very rich man indeed after the elections.It is also the perfect way to money-launder funds being slyly slipped into the country by the CIA and its agents.The huge amounts collected by Kejriwal beggar the imagination,as even recognised parties scarcely get such amounts from the street.

Mr.Modi's campaign across the length and breadth of the country and his message of development and jobs for the youth,"less government,more governance",is a proven fact,as I illustrated in an earlier post.There are many similar stories which illustrate his speed at decision making and focus on development.In contrast,after having been exposed...which really was the country's worst kept secret,the impotence of our dear PM,his PMO "springs to his defence" today,handing out hilarious stats of how many speeches he gave (which the bad media never reported),and other assertions that he was anything but a deaf and dumb mute! But where was he when issues that gripped the nation like the 2-G scam,Antrix-Devas,coal scam,etc.,whose trail led right upto the doorstep of the PMO?! Conspicuous by his absence,hiding under his desk like a guilty coward.In fact,a popular joke in Delhi is that if he needed to answer the call of nature,he first had to call 10 Janpath!

Mr.Modi at the massive rally that I attended,said that the opposition had only a one-point programme,"stop Modi".The desperation in the drawing rooms of the DyNasty is such that they have resorted to the cheapest shots ,pathetic and disgusting personal attacks ever fired in an Indian election,that too from Rahul Gandhi who should know better, "that people who live in glass houses ,shouldn't throw stones!"

Not to worry about any "fading of colour".There's plenty of it around the meetings,stage,saffron garlands,etc.White is an excellent colour for focussing attention on the individual,his face,bearing,sincerity ,instead of being sidetracked by his clothes.

johneeG · Post by **johneeG** » 19 Apr 2014 07:56

In one of the Modi interviews(I think, it was cnbc), interviewer asked,"there is a chance that to avoid the charges of vindictiveness, you will not let the law take its course on allegations against Gandhis and Robert Vadra."

To that Modi replied,"I have two options: waste my time by going after previous corruption or utilize my time in avoiding future corruption."

I think Modi seems to be saying that there won't be any action on corruption in last 10 yrs.

If this is true, then thats a huge disappointment. I hope Modi follows through Subbu Swamy's idea of a commission.

----
In general, Modi's recent interviews don't seem to impress me(I am not watching many of them). He is still impressive when he is at his most candid. When he tries to be polite/statesman-like, he comes across as insincere to me. In recent interviews, on most issues, he seems to be trying to be polite/statesman-like. I don't know why people are going ga ga over these interviews. Maybe I should watch more interviews(I just watched some excerpts from one interview only), before I make up my mind. Or maybe I already heard many speeches of Modi, so it maybe fatigue while others are just getting on the bandwagon.

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The problem with Mehta saar's theories is that he has one good point but from there he jumps to huge theories or conclusions. For example, its a good point(and I too observed uncomfortably) that there is no saffron in lotus anymore. But, merely on this simple observation, one cannot just say that vatican or mncs have bought lotus. That is absurd jump of logic.

But, yes, the lack of saffron is perplexing. There should have been saffron somewhere on the logo...atleast a little bit. Completely removing it, is a bit hard to digest. Without going for huge theories at this stage, I think its an attempt to secularize the lotus. If thats the case, then its totally unnecessary because lotus is winning on the back of Hindhu consolidation. Lotus has always done well when Hindhus consolidated and has done badly when Hindhus were divided.
----
Bose saar,
at the level that these hi-fi people operate, they can easily jump from one side to the other and defend that as well. Very few have ideology other than self-survival. Even those who have ideology can do compromises for the sake of survival. Thats the nature of the game.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 19 Apr 2014 08:04

Denying to be tied to the Left and Right has been a known point of BRFites for ages now. I like to add RamaY and me to that group as well. I have advocated renewing the Purushartha Economic Model for India departing from the European Economic system.

Santosh · Post by **Santosh** » 19 Apr 2014 08:20

^^^ JohneeG, He has also said that corrupt MLA's and MP's will be punished within 1 year. IIRC he said that in a rally. What gives?

Rahul Mehta · Post by **Rahul Mehta** » 19 Apr 2014 08:27

An old post, but needs attention

Rahul Mehta: RSS-apex was the only political group in Indian in 1970s which opposed Devi Indira Amma's decision to end King's Privy Purse because RSS-organizations get huge donations from ex-kings. RSS-apex has always been opposed to land reforms because RSS-organizations got huge donations from landlords. RSS-apex has also supported Rajasthan High Court decision to say that "it is legal for temple murti to own land" !! And RSS-apex has opposed the proposed laws to make temples community property of Hindus (Hindus, not govt) and run it like Sikh Gurudwara are run. And thats because donations RSS-organizations get from temple-owners. IOW, RSS-apex has been biggest roadblock in making Hindu sects as strong as Sikhism. NaMo comes from that stream. And so it should be presumed that NaMo supports all nefarious thoughts of RSS-apex unless he openly denounces it. (note : RSS-workers are committed folks. I have only abused RSS-apex, and NOT workers).

kapilrdave: Let me get this straight. There is very little or no money involved in RSS programs. Whatever fund is required is raised by swayamsevaks. The little fund needed to run the RSS offices across India is also raised by swayamsevaks as gurudakshina. Unless you assume RSS = BJP (which is also not true) What you are saying is blatant lie having no proof.

Every activity needs money. Sometimes, money is needed to keep activists busy !! RSS-pracharacks live a simple life. But even then basic expenses will run into at least Rs 10000 per month plus work expenses. . There is always a cost of printing and distributing pamphlets. And so forth. In addition, media has to be paid to give some coverage. Now RSS-apex never paid mediamen. But someone had to pay mediamen to give even some positive or negative coverage. Even negative coverage requires some cash !! And the 100+ organizations needed huge money for activities , staff, offices etc. And only in 1990s, BJP became profitable. Jansangh and BJP from 1925 to 1990 were a huge loss-maker and investment. Pracharaks dont earn a penny. They are forbidden from taking any work etc. So all this money has to come from supporters. Some came from small time members. But bulk of the money from 1925 to 1990 came from temple owners, kings and then ex-kings, huge landlords etc. Later, BJP became profit-making and dependence on former three reduced.

Due to dependence on temple owners, RSS-apex opposed the law-drafts that would have strengthened temples and Hindu sects by creating SGPC type structure over temples. Please note --- the proposed law does NOT FORCE temple owners to create such a structure. It only gives them an OPTION. But option is one way street. And if they dont take that option, then law gives option to bhakts to create a parallel sect with same belief, different temples but an SGPC like democratic structure. The existing temples will remain with existing owners unless they willingly turn over to new structure. For details, please see http://tinyurl.com/RahulMehta58 for English and http://tinyurl.com/RahulMehta58h for Hindi

The dependence of RSS-apex on ex-kings and landlords made RSS-apex oppose land reforms and that made them royally unpopular in poor, rural landless peasants, small farmers, progressive middle class, pro-poor youth etc. Even regulat shakha-goers were disappointed with pro-landlord stand. The reason why middle class youth went to naxals and not to RSS till 1990s was because of RSS-apex's pro-landlord stand only.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 19 Apr 2014 08:38

Modi's interview on CNBC-Awaz was Awesome. "Lab to Land" is a catchy but profound & practical approach. His ideas have clarity, and gives hope to the people who see politicians without ideas or vision. In his speeches and interviews related to economy and governance, there is fervor and child-like energy in him that is contagious.
His ideas & approaches are simple and practical to achieve large and astonishing results. For example he talks about the willingness to be "committed" that help address several of the problems.
He uses words and ideas of the 21st century progressive man, yet has his traditions strongly in place. He defended RSS strongly and gave a very positive opinion of the organization.
His words are measured and calm. He understands displaying anger is not going to get him votes, he knows being vindictive is not going to help anybody. He handled the 100 days achievement question very well on CNBC.
He has presented himself as a leader who will work for the country without much fanfare.

Hope he gets a chance. Even if he does 10% of what he says, he will leave the country in a better shape.

johneeG · Post by **johneeG** » 19 Apr 2014 08:45

Santosh wrote:^^^ JohneeG, He has also said that corrupt MLA's and MP's will be punished within 1 year. IIRC he said that in a rally. What gives?

Don't know, saar. I was under the same impression. But, that reply by Modi in that interview confused me. I really hope that there is no change in stance on this front.

suryag · Post by **suryag** » 19 Apr 2014 08:49

Niranji Onree one humble request to NaMoji and NDA workers, please please dont get overconfident and let your guard down, attempting Singhaji's language reaching the city square of Stalingrad is not victory in itself it is only when the last resistance is taken out

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 19 Apr 2014 08:58

suryag wrote:Niranji Onree one humble request to NaMoji and NDA workers, please please dont get overconfident and let your guard down, attempting Singhaji's language reaching the city square of Stalingrad is not victory in itself it is only when the last resistance is taken out

+100

There will be many nasty ideas for the dynasty. Got to really watch out. Raj T interviews are aces. It is not about success or failure but a try. Rajdeep is deep in dynasty and he is the part of the strategy. Easter UP and rest of Bihar are heading from land slides. Any salami slicing is what they are desperately looking for.

The 5/6 of seven Mumbai seats are kind of lost for INC. Raj is only contesting in two.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 19 Apr 2014 09:02

johneeG wrote:
Santosh wrote:^^^ JohneeG, He has also said that corrupt MLA's and MP's will be punished within 1 year. IIRC he said that in a rally. What gives?
Don't know, saar. I was under the same impression. But, that reply by Modi in that interview confused me. I really hope that there is no change in stance on this front.

hat legal sanctity does some interview statement have? Maybe its to throw some UPA hounds off the scent, eh? What'll cong do when he does set the law on them? apart from whine etc, that is? point to this interview??

With lok pal appointments coming and amendments needed to certain other right-to-xyz bills passed like gas by UPA2 in its last months, IMO there's plenty of chance for NM to do the right thing. So far he's more appoined than disappointed on that score, IMO.

Frederic · Post by **Frederic** » 19 Apr 2014 09:03

johneeG wrote:
Santosh wrote:^^^ JohneeG, He has also said that corrupt MLA's and MP's will be punished within 1 year. IIRC he said that in a rally. What gives?
Don't know, saar. I was under the same impression. But, that reply by Modi in that interview confused me. I really hope that there is no change in stance on this front.

JohneeG, I will give you one name for you: "Sanjay Joshi".

NaMo is the type that never forgets.

Haathi ke daanth....vagaira vagaira

niran · Post by **niran** » 19 Apr 2014 09:08

johneeG wrote:
Santosh wrote:^^^ JohneeG, He has also said that corrupt MLA's and MP's will be punished within 1 year. IIRC he said that in a rally. What gives?
Don't know, saar. I was under the same impression. But, that reply by Modi in that interview confused me. I really hope that there is no change in stance on this front.

Saar it means the law will follow its own course, but in place of charge sheet filed after 2+ decades of the crime and first judgment after the defendants are dead all will be wound up in a year. this includes all cases past/present/future with any neta/family involved.

rest assured saar, this way none of the criminals will escape e.g. Vasundhra Raje in Rajashthan going after vadra, each and every step is by the book right down to last full stop or comma.

Arjun · Post by **Arjun** » 19 Apr 2014 09:13

johneeG wrote:
Santosh wrote:^^^ JohneeG, He has also said that corrupt MLA's and MP's will be punished within 1 year. IIRC he said that in a rally. What gives?
Don't know, saar. I was under the same impression. But, that reply by Modi in that interview confused me. I really hope that there is no change in stance on this front.

Its mainly expectation management. He WILL move on Vadra - but he cannot afford to provide a commitment when the judiciary will not be in his hands.

gandharva · Post by **gandharva** » 19 Apr 2014 09:13

We knew it all along this game of Ahmad Patel. But just for records.

1) AAP has full time workers paid 25000 per month funded by Jindal foundation.
2) Kavita Ramdas is head of Ford Foundation Asia.
3) Soni Sori was a conduit to pass money from Jindal to Naxals.
4) Main goal was to divert anti-corruption from BJP.
5) AAP is first party to receive Hawala money (during Delhi Assembly elections) from Arab Countries.(ISI money)
6) Sonia Gandhi was sceptical and scared of AK's eccentric behavior.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 19 Apr 2014 09:14

svenkat wrote:While I understand that many BRFites are based in US,I protest at this barrage of news farticles/propogaandu from christian racists.Why should Indians in India browsing BRF be subjected to their staple anti-hindui venom?

+108.
please don't post Wastern drivel here.

niran · Post by **niran** » 19 Apr 2014 09:20

suryag wrote:Niranji Onree one humble request to NaMoji and NDA workers, please please dont get overconfident and let your guard down, attempting Singhaji's language reaching the city square of Stalingrad is not victory in itself it is only when the last resistance is taken out

one active NaMo volunteer visits his Grand Mother in Law(GML) this 91 years old lady had walked from pakistan with her two kids during partition after all her family members killed (including her hubby)

GML- where have you been? you are coming here now! don't you know Modiji has to win, they are wooing them @#$##@ <yeall know whom>
SIL- but but Modiji will win, yes?
GML- aaah! you and your generation are such a fool(the adjectives will get moi banned) if people do not get out to vote how will Modiji win?? go get your act together i wanna see you people campaigning at least twice a day and no rest till Modiji has won it all.

get the idea folks? no slacking, no celebrations till results are out.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 19 Apr 2014 09:26

niran ji, do you have any data on Karnataka? Conflicting reports all over. Some say 19 and some say 13. Is Nilenkeni winning or the race is tight to wire?

johneeG · Post by **johneeG** » 19 Apr 2014 09:33

Ok, saars, good.

I haven't watched many recent interviews, just watched some snippets. I do hope Modi goes after the corrupt and punishes them quickly. I hope he dismantles the cozy cabal in dilli around the throne that leeches on the dhesh.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 19 Apr 2014 09:38

(((that would be something!)))

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 19 Apr 2014 09:49

johneeG wrote:In one of the Modi interviews(I think, it was cnbc), interviewer asked,"there is a chance that to avoid the charges of vindictiveness, you will not let the law take its course on allegations against Gandhis and Robert Vadra."

To that Modi replied,"I have two options: waste my time by going after previous corruption or utilize my time in avoiding future corruption."

I think Modi seems to be saying that there won't be any action on corruption in last 10 yrs. If this is true, then thats a huge disappointment. I hope Modi follows through Subbu Swamy's idea of a commission.

You didn't hear him correct JohneeG garu!

Modi is going to setup fast track courts to clear all MP level & MLA level corruption cases within 1st year to determine which cases are true and which are fake. True cases will receive punishment and disqualification.

This process will continue to next layer of politics (Districts, Mandal/Taluk and Panchayat) in first five years of his term.

Vadra being member of 1st family will be prosecuted in first year itself. Being the squeaky clean politician he is, he will remain out of politics for rest of his life.

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 19 Apr 2014 09:54

Hari Seldon wrote: What'll cong do when he does set the law on them?

IIRC he said in the India TV interview that it is not his job to do anything but of course the law will have to take its own course. This is about as clear as he can get to saying their goose is cooked.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 19 Apr 2014 10:02

Cartoon from Tamil newspaper Dinamani

The top row: Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jehangir, Shahjahan, Aurangazeb.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 19 Apr 2014 10:04

NN says modi asked his help to resolve kashmir issue