Statewide and National runup to 2014 General elections

Saral · Post by **Saral** » 08 May 2014 19:49

The Election process works in India; seen no evidence to the contrary for last few decades. No surprises on May 16. NDA 272+ and more. So I am puzzled by people having last minute irrational fears. Sampath and MMS may not be quality leaders but they are intelligent (easily in the top 0.1 %), let's not kid ourselves here. No one can question quality of MMS resume for a position as a bureaucrat and tendency to not rock the boat. Of course leading a nation is a different ball game, entirely; can't be measured by academic benchmarks.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 08 May 2014 19:55

Saral ji, not questioning MMS's resume. But such people have awesome resume's because of reasons primarily kowtowing, no critical questioning, not putting one's head above the table, never taking clear sides etc. He may be 0.1% academically, but there are people 0.01% acadeically with a mind of their own who don't have such an awesome resume.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 08 May 2014 20:05

fanne wrote:That is Lanka for uninitiated, BHU gate!!

Madhur manohar ateev Sundar yeh sarva Vidya ki rajdhani

Saral · Post by **Saral** » 08 May 2014 20:11

harbans wrote:Saral ji, not questioning MMS's resume. But such people have awesome resume's because of reasons primarily kowtowing, no critical questioning, not putting one's head above the table, never taking clear sides etc. He may be 0.1% academically, but there are people 0.01% acadeically with a mind of their own who don't have such an awesome resume.

harbans-ji: Yours is a more general critique. Look at the rot in the science establishments, for example, which ought to be a bigger story. Similar story. It is unrealistic to expect CEC to be perfection here. Sampath has till 2015 and it seems that the bottom was already reached by Naveen Chawla earlier. I will be surprised if Sampath does not complete his term.

The basic problem is that Indian science has for too long been hamstrung by a bureaucratic mentality that values administrative power over scientific achievement. And, to preserve local control, research is still done mostly by small teams working in isolation rather than through collaboration — a key generator of impact.

http://www.nature.com/news/policy-free- ... ce-1.14956

member_28173 · Post by **member_28173** » 08 May 2014 20:15

How many Congressmen do u need to light a bulb ?

Answer : Well you can easily get 1000+ Congressmen on job in amethi , but wait there is no electricity :p

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 08 May 2014 20:20

you just need one

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 08 May 2014 20:51

harbans wrote:Murali ji, i wouldn't be that definitive. The institutions from which people like Sampath came up have been promoting up the ladder those that tend not to question the ruling establishment, not to ask questions and quietly do the bidding of the powers that be. A lot of brilliant doers in such a system are unable to make it to the top. That is the Institutional legacy of the Nehruvian left pseudo liberal setup. So this knee jerk attitude to a challenger albeit a Narendra Modi is to be expected of such mandarins. Look at MMS, he's not a bright dude, not a doer, not an achiever but he's made it far for his talents and abilities.

More than "not to ask questions and quietly do the bidding of the powers that be" compromised people make for the best candidates. Even if the person wants to switch sides he/she won't be able to because of the leverage that the appointor has. You do my bidding and I'll give you protection. This is standard operating procedure. Mr. Sampath being YSR's "chosen one", we can only imagine in what ways he is compromised.

muraliravi · Post by **muraliravi** » 08 May 2014 20:53

Saral wrote:The Election process works in India; seen no evidence to the contrary for last few decades. No surprises on May 16. NDA 272+ and more. So I am puzzled by people having last minute irrational fears. Sampath and MMS may not be quality leaders but they are intelligent (easily in the top 0.1 %), let's not kid ourselves here. No one can question quality of MMS resume for a position as a bureaucrat and tendency to not rock the boat. Of course leading a nation is a different ball game, entirely; can't be measured by academic benchmarks.

Sampath and MMS maybe smart, but both are equally capable of getting sold to enemies of India.

fanne · Post by **fanne** » 08 May 2014 20:58

This is what Maculay education has done to us!! We can't identify the evil but support it by praising their resume, or their education or their meekness/silence. Ravana was a great learned scholar, Hitler was very talented and so is Musharaff (he can do 6 digit multiplication in his head), but all were/are villian and on the wrong side of history. Who ever cut them slack had to regret it and they were put down after lots of innocent blood was spilled. Least we can do is not propagate these confusions, a evil is a evil, it has no other feature.

SanjayC · Post by **SanjayC** » 08 May 2014 20:59

^^ Well said, Fanne jee. Evil is evil. Anyone not on the side of Dharma has to be vanquished, no matter what their degrees or accents or hairstyle or other "talents" are.

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 08 May 2014 21:50

Murali ji if termite queen has such a control over EVM etc. then how come chidu and other big congi leaders didn't fight LokSabha elections this time? After all mms is retiring so many aspirants would've been there to get a chance of getting shot a PM post.

Especially chidu; even if not PM still FM. See his support is not only from termite queen but also evangelist networks too with his wife nalini having converted 6 million Hindus to christianity.

fanne · Post by **fanne** » 08 May 2014 21:51

because this evm magic if exist is one of the closest guarded secret.

ShyamSP · Post by **ShyamSP** » 08 May 2014 22:34

fanne wrote:because this evm magic if exist is one of the closest guarded secret.

Until there is no vote verification system or paper trail in place, EVMs are always suspects and are subject to manipulations*. Only honest and uncorrupted politicians/parties can't think manipulating as they value each citizen voting.

* I made that comment knowing embedded systems.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 08 May 2014 22:35

>>Dr. Praveen Patil @5Forty3 · 2h
Wow! Modi tells Arnab, "we will have the biggest majority after that of Rajiv Gandhi in 1984" http://5forty3.in/2014/04/is-narendra-b ... ate-of-84/ … Yes! We said it first!!

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 08 May 2014 22:40

I hope Dr. Patil is right. I donated money for him, subscribed but it is all pittance.

If he has figured a way to beat the corrupt psephologists and created a reliable system to verify, more power to him.

He is the one who is calming my nerves. I hope he is right. He was on the dot during assembly.

I wish him success.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 08 May 2014 22:41

Suhel Seth wrote:Sanjay Jha and JAIRAM Ramesh to have a tribal wedding on the evening of May 16 in a forest near Chattisgarh...

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 08 May 2014 22:42

shahid siddiqui ‏@shahid_siddiqui 10h

First Pappu then AK then Priyanka then Nitish then Mulayam then Laloo then Mamta then EC then who ....is d last hope to stop @narendramodi

M Joshi · Post by **M Joshi** » 08 May 2014 22:44

chandturakhia wrote:
Supratik wrote:The father-son duo in HP needs to be removed.
Who is Father-son do of HP ?

Who are leaders of HP ? Can anyone enlighten me

Chand

Prem Kumar Dhumal & his son Anurag Thakur also the head of BJP National Youth wing. Don't have good reputation as far as corruption goes. The son allegedly "grabbed" many benaami prime properties throughout the state when they were in power. I personally know of some of his money laundering schemes here in HP.

member_28173 · Post by **member_28173** » 08 May 2014 22:48

Rahul M wrote:
Suhel Seth wrote:Sanjay Jha and JAIRAM Ramesh to have a tribal wedding on the evening of May 16 in a forest near Chattisgarh...

Thiz is not fair. You are insulting me too

My marriage is on May 17 and sangeet on May 16.... BUT in ahmedabad
People are coming to my wedding to see GROUND ZERO of Modi Land more :p

@Kapildave and @Rahul Mehta : Would be able to pass you email id. I need to send my wedding invite to you

Chand

Vriksh · Post by **Vriksh** » 08 May 2014 22:53

I believe that the statement staking claim to Prime-Ministership is Modi and the BJP's shot across the establishment machine that they better not mess around trying to manipulate the results. If the results are not as per opinion poll prediction a massive India wide Satyagarha against the entire process/system is on the cards.

All of Modi's roadshows is showing that he commands the streetpower required to challenge the power of the brown sahibs.

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 08 May 2014 23:04

chandturakhia wrote:
Rahul M wrote:
Thiz is not fair. You are insulting me too

My marriage is on May 17 and sangeet on May 16.... BUT in ahmedabad
People are coming to my wedding to see GROUND ZERO of Modi Land more :p

@Kapildave and @Rahul Mehta : Would be able to pass you email id. I need to send my wedding invite to you

Chand

WOW! Congratulations buddy!

Starting a brand new married life when a new era for India starts.

Your first kid should be named narendra

BijuShet · Post by **BijuShet** » 08 May 2014 23:10

Vriksh wrote:I believe that the statement staking claim to Prime-Ministership is Modi and the BJP's shot across the establishment machine that they better not mess around trying to manipulate the results. If the results are not as per opinion poll prediction a massive India wide Satyagarha against the entire process/system is on the cards.

All of Modi's roadshows is showing that he commands the streetpower required to challenge the power of the brown sahibs.

In that case, all Bharatiya nagrik need to tyag the Satyagraha route and do not need to be told what needs to be done.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 08 May 2014 23:22

kapilrdave · Post by **kapilrdave** » 08 May 2014 23:34

chandturakhia wrote: Thiz is not fair. You are insulting me too

My marriage is on May 17 and sangeet on May 16.... BUT in ahmedabad
People are coming to my wedding to see GROUND ZERO of Modi Land more :p

@Kapildave and @Rahul Mehta : Would be able to pass you email id. I need to send my wedding invite to you

Chand

OHO!! Var-Raja ne Khub Khub Abhinandan ane shubhkamnao mara tarafthi... tatha te shubh divas na lakshmi-narayan ne mara pranam.

Kai kam kaj hoy to kejo.
<my brf handle> at chachamail.

Vriksh · Post by **Vriksh** » 09 May 2014 00:08

Let me explain... My own interactions with people all around India in the last few months (mostly professionals in Industry) suggests that nearly all people have voted Modi. His rallies are bigger than anything since 1947, there is no real opposition or leadership to be seen from any of his rivals. The only way to prevent Modi is therefore by unethical and immoral means. If these unethical and immoral things happen I am willing to bet that Modi/BJP/RSS can choose one of following options

1) Sit in opposition and let the Govt fall due to its own internal inconsistencies and go for re-election

2) Trigger Hartals all around India to force the issue by showing street power in select locations by forcing re-polls in areas such as Mumbai and Pune.

Whether option 2 is good for India/Democracy or not I cannot tell. However it may be not be an unthinkable option. As of now it appears that Modi's TV interviews are designed to make the cost of such skullduggery very high.

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 09 May 2014 00:59

^^^The crooks know that and that is why we may see a repeat of 1996 where Congress supports from the outside and the PM or key cabinet ministers are beholden to the dynasty.

Frederic · Post by **Frederic** » 09 May 2014 01:10

Vriksh wrote:I believe that the statement staking claim to Prime-Ministership is Modi and the BJP's shot across the establishment machine that they better not mess around trying to manipulate the results. If the results are not as per opinion poll prediction a massive India wide Satyagarha against the entire process/system is on the cards.

All of Modi's roadshows is showing that he commands the streetpower required to challenge the power of the brown sahibs.

I was just about to say that.

*BJP has fielded thousands of field and booth agents all across the nation. The staggered polls have really given the opportunity for General Amit Shah to shift the reinforcements along interior lines.

*The election core group knows with a fair degree of confidence as to how many seats it expects at the minimum. Recall Niran's updates. They have a solid, rigorous stat machinery in place with confidence intervals and the whole nine yards.

*Though the statements of Modi et al about Rajiv like mandate could in some part be attributed to morale building and rallying the troops for the final assault, careful watching would reveal that their body language has undergone a sea change after May first week. The feedback data must have been solid.

*The message for the Orc horde is "No hanky panky at the last moment, or else..".

*Any doubt about Modi's street cred would have evaporated after his cavalcade through Varnasi.

*The "secular" shenanigans of the horde would work up to a certain extent, under normal circumstances. What we are seeing here is a TsuNamo, a Black Swan event. The congoons have not factored that in the wildest of their models.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 09 May 2014 05:12

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2 ... -election/
Religion and the Indian election

India is choosing a new government. Many pundits predict that the country’s 814 million voters will make Narendra Modi, head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the next prime minister of the world’s largest democracy.Religion is a big factor in the six-week election, which ends on May 12 (the winner will be announced May 16). The (U.K.) Telegraph writes that Modi has exploited religious tensions to grab power, promising to build a Hindu temple on the site of a historic mosque. The New York Times reports that “the ascent of Modi and his Hindu nationalist party has raised concerns that members of minority religious groups would face discrimination if the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power.” The Financial Express cites the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s concerns about “BJP’s and Narendra Modi’s close association with Hindu nationalist organisations” and with the “ideology of Hindutva, which holds non-Hindus as foreign to India.”HDS turned to Kalpana Jain, a master of theological studies degree candidate and a former editor at the Times of India, for her perspective on the elections and the role of religion in Indian politics.
HDS: What role has religion played in the BJP’s rise to power?

JAIN: It’s an example of how political parties can exploit religious sentiments and create divisions for political gains. Look at how BJP acquired a base after it launched a campaign for constructing a Ram temple at the Babri masjid [mosque] site, which was destroyed in religious violence in 1992. In the Lok Sabha [India’s lower house of parliament] elections of 1984, the BJP got only two seats. By 1989, following the campaign, the BJP won 85 seats.It then continued to increase its political base. In 1991, it got 119 seats and in 1998, 182 seats. It retained 182 seats in 1999. Following the Gujarat pogrom of 2002, though, the BJP lost seats. This was an indication that secular Hindus had rejected the BJP for what had happened in Gujarat.
HDS: What’s the significance — both to Hindus and Muslims — of the BJP’s pledge to build a temple to the god Lord Ram on the site of the Babri mosque?

JAIN: There are strong sentiments on both sides. There is a section of Hindus for whom the construction of a temple is part of their Hindu identity, and so is keeping the Babri masjid site intact for Muslims. While the BJP may make election promises for a section of the electorate, it is not likely to carry it out, as it would result in large-scale communal violence.They will also be rejected by large parts of the electorate. Hindus and Muslims in India have lived together for centuries. Often times, religious sentiments are exploited, either as a way of diverting attention from more pressing issues or as a way of finding a “vote bank.”
HDS: What would the BJP’s election say about the role of religion in Indian politics and society?

JAIN: It would be inaccurate to ascribe BJP’s election to religion. While there are indications that BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, is enjoying majority support, there are two main reasons for it.First, there is an anti-incumbency factor. The Congress Party has been in power for the past 10 years. The last five years in particular were riddled with corruption and the electorate saw the prime minister to be largely ineffective. So, in that sense, it will be a vote against congress.Second, people feel an absence of strong leadership, and Modi has managed to convince people about Gujarat’s growth, the state where he has been chief minister for four consecutive terms. At this point, people are desperately looking for effective governance, and Modi’s campaign is speaking to that. So, I don’t think this will be a vote for Hindu nationalism. But, yes, caste-based politics dominates Indian elections — and not just in BJP, as inferred in the Western media. All political parties, despite claiming to be secular, play the caste card in the selection of candidates.
HDS: What impact would the election of the BJP would have? Should Muslims be as concerned as the media seems to indicate?
JAIN: At the national level of governance, political parties have to accommodate diverse groups and cater to the plurality of India. Political parties in India cannot depend entirely on the “Hindu” vote, which cannot be seen, in any case, as one cohesive religious group due to different belief systems. India has the second-largest Muslim population of the world, after Indonesia. In some parts of India, the Muslim population is close to 50 percent.In none of his speeches has Modi played up the religion issue. His emphasis has been on development, women’s safety, and providing strong leadership — issues that are prominent in the minds of people. The BJP has also worked hard at strengthening its grassroots workers’ base, which has also enabled it to mobilize a large voter turnout. None of this is based on their appeal as a Hindu nationalist party. While caste and religion play a role at the local level and in the selection of candidates, it would not work at the national level, purely because of India’s diversity.The Western media often focuses on a narrow view around New Delhi, whereas there is a wide diversity across India. For instance, the states of Kerala in the south and West Bengal in the east have been traditionally ruled by leftist parties. I do not think that the BJP will do anything that may fan communal tensions, as that would be devastating for India, as well as for their political future. I would be more concerned about more subtle, yet more insidious changes, such as the rewriting of school history text books, which starts to impact minds at a very young age.
HDS: Does Hindutva actually have roots in Hindu teaching and tradition?
JAIN: Hindutva is a political ideology. It is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindu nationalist group. Over the years, with the gradual rise of the BJP in Indian politics, this ideology has gained momentum through the BJP, which is the political offshoot of the RSS. The word itself was coined in 1924 by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who fought for India’s freedom from the British but also advocated Hindu nationalism.In my opinion, Hindutva does not reflect the larger Hindu philosophy, which emphasizes that all paths eventually lead one to the ultimate truth. It also does not reflect the wider diversity within what has come to be known as Hinduism.There are various schools of thought and multiple beliefs within Hinduism. In my experience of religion in India, I experienced an openness in the practice of religion, which HDS Professor Diana Eck describes so poignantly in her book “Encountering God,” as finding her understanding of faith in God’s manyness, while during her work in India. And that is what Hinduism means to me, and I believe, to a majority of Hindus as well

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 09 May 2014 05:59

^^ relax. that interview was just so yawn-able.

I'm happy to see such outpouring of sophisticated BS. It only helps immunize the core Hindu against this meme.

There are precious few if any fence-sitters left among the Yindus where this election is concerned. So this kinda BS only serves to reframe the debate on their terms. Sadly for them, NM has refused to take the bait and continues to fox them by framing the debate, time and again, on his terms and not theirs.

Coming to power is all important. Narrative - the story a people tell about themselves - follows power. The nehruvians (and the brits and mughals before them) subverted our narrative for way too long. That is about to change. Feel the terror among the nehruvian project and breaking-India ecosystem.

For the first time in a long time, an unapologetic yindu is at the threshold of taking power and thereby reshaping narrative in modern India. Such BS as in that 'interview' can only go so far before it exposes itself. All good, I say.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 09 May 2014 06:25

Its really about being truly free of conquest. Building Masjid over ancient temples is a conquest agenda. No one is asking Jami Masjid in Delhi to be razed. Only previous Hindu temples that were razed and masjids built over them.

member_28108 · Post by **member_28108** » 09 May 2014 07:42

mahadevbhu wrote:
fanne wrote:That is Lanka for uninitiated, BHU gate!!

Madhur manohar ateev Sundar yeh sarva Vidya ki rajdhani

Lanka (of Varanasi) was so called because initially it was a no go area till Madana Mohana Malaviya started BHU. It used to a problem for BHU hospital because people did not want to get admitted there in case they die and not within the area delimited by Varuna and Assi rivers- the "Varanasi" where people who die would receive the Taraka Mantra form Eeshwara !

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 09 May 2014 09:18

NaMo will lose onlee.

Hari Seldon · Post by **Hari Seldon** » 09 May 2014 09:40

Well, apart from the 8 in AP, the rest seems reasonable... only.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 09 May 2014 09:50

nukavarapu wrote:
Dilbu wrote:NaMo will lose onlee.
Dilbu Garu, don't raise my BP please, my body is not ready for another oil spill and ensuing ecological disaster !!!

Dilbu is designated anti jinx poster. If you are aregular to this thread you would know.
we are SDRE and believe in jinx / vinx.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 09 May 2014 10:02

Sorry to hear that. Hope things get better.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 09 May 2014 10:42

chandturakhia wrote:How many Congressmen do u need to light a bulb ?

Answer : Well you can easily get 1000+ Congressmen on job in amethi , but wait there is no electricity :p

WRONG,

Seven,

Six to form a committee with one more as chairman to prepare a report on How To Cope With Darkness!

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 09 May 2014 10:59

My BP is increasing particularly on the security of NM. Of results I have little worry. I am getting all kinds of bad drames of Hemu etc. May be I should stop reading to all evil BRF fellows.

gandharva · Post by **gandharva** » 09 May 2014 11:12

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 09 May 2014 11:35

nukavarapu wrote:
Dilbu wrote:NaMo will lose onlee.
Dilbu Garu, don't raise my BP please, my body is not ready for another oil spill and ensuing ecological disaster !!!

Saar don't reverse the anti jinx and raise my blood pressure. Zor se bolo: NaMo will lose onlee.

brat · Post by **brat** » 09 May 2014 11:43

Lisa wrote:
chandturakhia wrote:How many Congressmen do u need to light a bulb ?

Answer : Well you can easily get 1000+ Congressmen on job in amethi , but wait there is no electricity :p
WRONG,

Seven,

Six to form a committee with one more as chairman to prepare a report on How To Cope With Darkness!

As many as possible, one to change it and the others to deny it.