Narendra Modi vs the Dynasty: Contrasting Ideas of India

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 23 Apr 2014 09:34

RM ji,

You are much knowledgeable than me. But I think you are suffering from Gandhi syndrome.

Gandhi too thought he is bigger than many things and left many things half-way. He literally gave away leadership of the nation to Nehru leading to much national disaster. He couldn't even do the simple thing like dissolving congress post independence.

On the other hand look at JK. He took control of TSI, publicly mocked his gora handlers and then dissolved TSI.

Gandhi could have learned from JK and saved the nation, before going into obscurity.

Modi will do what he can when he can. Let's not make another Gandhi out of him.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Apr 2014 09:42

>> On the other hand look at JK. He took control of TSI, publicly mocked his gora handlers and then dissolved TSI.

???

Vikas · Post by **Vikas** » 23 Apr 2014 09:44

JK == Jiddu Krishnamurthy ????

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 23 Apr 2014 09:47

Yes, Jiddu Krishnamurthy & Theosophical Society of India.

member_20317 · Post by **member_20317** » 23 Apr 2014 09:53

Arun Menon wrote:^Put on weight or lost weight?

Put on. Actually NaMo displays this to a lesser extent.

BR displays this a lot more. BR used to be a fit and thin man who could so some really hard asanas on stage in a jiffy. Now his upper body shows distinct signs of a fat layer. BR even begins to lose breath faster now.

They are eating wrong and sleeping wrong and not exercising.

To different extent this is there with others leaders too. Spokies are slowing down. Lekhi who were more feisty than everybody else began to get irritated very fast. A job rotation would be required post elections.

Vadivel · Post by **Vadivel** » 23 Apr 2014 10:13

Narendra Modi is the undisputed focal point of the current political discourse. He is hailed as a Hero by many and tagged as Hitler by others. The real question is who would outnumber whom in 2014.

But the situation was very different in 2002, after the post-Godhra riots, a significant electoral majority across the country was upset that he wasn't made to resign for having the riots escalate under his watch. When political pundits dissect the shocking loss of the NDA whom every exit poll predicted to sweep the 2003 parliamentary elections, they also point the blame on the Modi’s handling of Gujarat riots for disillusioning the ‘secular’ voter about BJP’s ability/willingness to protect the minority community.

While Modi scored an emphatic win in the subsequent polls, most political analysts rejected it as a victory of communal polarization and even went to the extent of branding the whole of Gujarat as a ‘communal state’. But today, after a decade has gone past, Narendra Modi commands a much higher degree of popularity across the nation than he ever did, which is remarkable considering that we live in an age where disdain for politicians is very much part of our popular culture. This change took a combination of factors at play along with a sustained effort and there are some key lessons to be learnt from what is perhaps the biggest Image Makeover in recent times. Here’re a few of them:

Good product + great pitch = SALE

The foremost reason for Modi’s rise is that his claims aren't completely hollow and are backed with substantial matter on the ground. Even the harshest critics of Modi acknowledge that he has been able to provide good governance; he exercised his political authority, micromanaged when required, worked harder, removed obstacles and minimized corruption at every level.

But beyond this, Modi also ensured that each of his accomplishments are spoken about. A number of his projects are prefixed with India’s first, world’s biggest, asia’s largest etc. Clearly there has been an attempt to not just have great ambitions but also have ambitions that are newsworthy and gain attention from all corners.

Interestingly, in recent times, Gujarat hasn't been the fastest growing state, it was Bihar in the previous quarter and this time it was Madhya Pradesh, yet Gujarat has acclaimed a status of being some kind of a wonderland in the Indian mind.

It is not about PR Vs Advertising, it is about playing smart

Modi’s critics repeatedly claim that he has spent crores on his PR machinery, anyone who has even an iota of exposure to Public Relations, knows that irrespective of how aggressive your PR campaign is, it doesn't cost crores.

Ironically, Modi’s political opponents who make such allegations are the same people who splurge hundreds of crores every year in advertising on birth anniversaries, death anniversaries, inauguration of projects - ribbon cutting, foundation stone, you just name an occasion and you would find king size print ads in any newspaper worth its salt with a shameless display of sycophancy at its nadir.

Modi stayed away from conventional ‘Sarkari’ advertising. On the other hand, he decided to take the ‘Surrogate’ route by promoting Gujarat as a tourist destination and we saw some of the most well made tourism TVCs with professional print and innovative OOH adaptations featuring arguably India’s most effective brand ambassador - Amitabh Bacchan. Gujarat remained top of the mind for most Indians but not in a way that would give Modi’s critics a chance to assault him.

In the 2012 assembly elections, Congress splurged crores on National TV advertising, while Modi advertised at the regional level and chose to create national news with his 3D avatar.

Modi’s PR strategy largely focused on winning international acclaim rather than trying to engage with the Lutyen’s Delhi media (reasons in the next point). TIME, Economist, NYT, WSJ, almost every leading American publication covered him and lauded his governance in Gujarat. (Although each of the stories carried on Modi till date also has a mention to 2002 without fail). This automatically forced national publications and media groups to put the spotlight on Modi, afterall Indians deeply suffer from the colonial mindset and any acknowledgement at a global stage makes every Indian swell with pride.

Choose your Media wisely…

Till 2001, before taking the oath of Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Modi spent most of his life as a ‘Pracharak’ – effectively handling the PR & Communication role of the RSS and BJP. In his early days, Modi used to individually respond to all the media and public queries that used to come to the Gujarat wing of RSS. Till 2002, Modi was also known to share very close relations with media-persons and even when the first time he got a call from Vajpayee to take upon the responsibility of CMship, he was attending the funeral ceremony of a Media photographer who had lost his life in a deadly plane crash along with Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia. But post-2002 riots, Modi was at the receiving end of almost every newspaper and TV channel which led him to distance himself from the media completely. It was only after his second electoral win in 2007, that he decided to selectively engage with Mainstream Media through his 5 member PR team. However, he used to make it clear that he would not appreciate any drilling on the Riots issue citing that the matter is sub-judice in the courts. On Oct 2007, because of the same reason, he walked out of an interview with Karan Thapar in ‘Devil’s advocate’.

In 2012, after getting a clean chit from Supreme Court on his alleged role in 2002 riots, Modi made an interesting choice. He decided to give an open interview to Shahid Siddiqui’s ‘Nayi Duniya’ – One of the most popular Urdu weekly. This time around Modi decided to answer all hard questions regarding 2002, the intention being clear – to reach out to the community which is perhaps the only roadblock in his journey from Gandhinagar to Race Course road.

….better still, CREATE IT!

Modi’s media strategy is significantly dependent upon Social Media & Youtube. Every minor/major development of his government or himself is broadcasted on FB/Twitter and realizing the popularity of these messages, the Lutyen’s Delhi media which snubbed him for years also began to pick up these pegs however regional they may be. Youtube is full of videos of his impromptu speeches on various platforms ranging from Political rallies, Industry events, Management Workshops, University Sessions, Inauguration ceremonies and many other political/non political platforms. Modi is a fiery orator and his knack of citing statistics on-demand is extremely rare if not super-natural. For the last few months, we have seen the mainstream media covering each of his speeches made at a national forum LIVE. He is also the first Indian politician to make an address on Google Hangout hereby setting a trend which is now being followed by his adversaries at the center.

His Social Media following tremendously helped in amplifying the coverage achieved by his PR team and hence the impact was unprecedented. No other State Chief Minister has gained so much popularity in the last few decades of Indian Democracy.

Right Brand Values at the right time

VICTOR HUGO once remarked: “You can resist an invading army; you cannot resist an idea whose time has come.” Today Modi appears to be such an idea.

Some would say that India wouldn't have ever considered Modi if it had a leader like Atal Behari Vajpayee or Indira Gandhi today. But does India really need a Vajpayee today? Modi repeatedly keeps citing a stat that 60% of the population of India comprises of youth and he makes sure that he is reaching out to this constituency. Look around you and see what qualities do the young look for in their leader?

Decisive, Progressive, Headstrong, Tech savvy, Aggressive, Humorous, strong Communication skills.

Compare this with what their previous generation looked for:

Acceptable, Honest, Patient, Judicious, team builder, someone who could deliver stability in an unstable environment.

The current generation is one that has seen the character of the Indian Cricket team transition from being a punching bag in the 90s to raw aggression in 2013.

Remember the word ‘Sledging’? Today there is no team in the world that could afford to use sledging as a strategy against India for even an inning, let alone a series. Indians all over have discovered a newfound confidence and assertiveness and it reflects in the choices they make, be it MTV Roadies or Arnab Goswami’s Newshour, subtle intellectual innuendos don’t cut it anymore with Gen Y!

The India of today doesn’t want a magnanimous leader or a leader who would keep a diplomatic face around the year , India today aspires for a strong leader who will talk to them and make some tough choices on burning issues like Corruption, Terrorism, Women Safety, Crime, International politics and the Economy. Many of his detractors also criticize Modi for his self praise and somewhat shamelessness in claiming credit – a characteristic that has been traditionally detested in the Indian value system.

But present day India is a different one which sees through such hypocritical masks, Indians today are more upfront, more blunt and more forthright than any of their previous generations have been. They don’t mind a leader who wants power, as long as they get good governance in return.

Considering these assumptions are true, the values of Brand Modi as well in sync with the expectations of his market.

And a competition is nowhere to be seen, not at least at this point of time.

http://therodinhoods.com/profiles/blogs ... rom-modi-1

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 23 Apr 2014 10:15

vnmshyam wrote:The list is not 'secular'. Doesn't have enough muslim representation. Disgusting.

Brilliant - tweet using shazia ilmi as one if the recipients.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 23 Apr 2014 10:18

Wait! didn't they just became communal?

Prem Kumar · Post by **Prem Kumar** » 23 Apr 2014 10:40

I called some more numbers in Sivaganga (TN swing constituency where BJP is contesting) tonight. Here is the feedback:

a) More people supported Modi than ADMK, but ADMK is strong. Its a close fight
b) Many people are lifelong ADMK supporters & wont change
c) 1 husband & wife I spoke to wanted BJP to focus on development and not get into religion - like Ayodhya, Uniform Civil Code etc. They were also not too happy that the BJP candidate Raja didnt come to their area to canvass
d) Raja was an MLA before & he doesnt seem to have a black mark against his record, which is a good thing
e) No one I spoke to expressed any hostility towards Modi or BJP. However the feeling that its not a Regional party & is North/Hindi-based is strong. But they are willing to give it a chance & even those who support ADMK now, if they find BJP delivering in 5 years, there is a good chance, they will vote for BJP
f) Small business owners are more pro-BJP
g) Muslims, as expected arent going to vote for BJP. It may get split between Congress (Karti Chidambaram) & DMK
h) Ground level foot soldiers & organizational power of ADMK & DMK is not matched by BJP. This backbone needs to be built
i) I asked a couple of people about Hindu-Muslim relations in Sivaganga. They said it was cordial & no untoward incidents. Depending on who you talk to, they are either neutral or cautious about the relationship

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 23 Apr 2014 10:43

NaMo will lose onlee.

disha · Post by **disha** » 23 Apr 2014 11:17

Abhijit wrote:Found on the net:

I have an open offer to all those neo-historians, who are making up an alternate history as they go along. I am prepared to pay a sum of USD 1 million for every gas chamber that they can find in Gujarat. Since these neo-historians are going to the town, claiming that Modi == Hitler, they should take advantage of this generous offer.

Well there are lot of such gas chambers in #mediapimps spouting gober gas. Do they count?

amol · Post by **amol** » 23 Apr 2014 11:26

Not 2002, 2001 shapes my view on Modi

I was an intern back then. Having done my diploma in journalism and mass communication, i was working with a senior journalist to learn the tricks of on-ground reporting and developing contacts.My mentor was a veteran journalist, aged about 52 years. Everyone used to call him Haji sahab. He had gone on Haj with family twice and on both occasions used his contacts in Haj committee to get Haj subsidy. He was a smart fellow. Always getting what he wanted just by approaching one of his numerous contacts. Haji sahab was living in Gaziabad with his parents and two sons, both married and had kids. His only daughter Zuveria, whom he loved very much was married into a Bhuj based family, however she along with her husband was living in Dubai. I was living in a hostel in Noida. Life was tough for me. Brutal heat and cold of Delhi region, food in hostel mess, round the clock readiness to run for the story and above all, rudeness of Delhites. Guess its a cultural thing, it takes getting used to and in time i did get used to it.

26th Jan 2001, was a lazy day. Haji sahab had told me he was going with family to see the Republic day parade and i had decided to sleep as long as i can. I had come back from Bulandshaher the previous day and wanted to use the rare day of peace, sleeping. It had been 6 months in the city and I still had very few friends in city, Infact my neighbors in the hostel who were mostly students and the cook in hostel mess, Pradeep were my only friends. They were all Hindus. At around 4 PM, I was woken up by Pradeep for lunch. Watching TV in the mess, i first came to know of the Bhuj earthquake. Channels were saying hundreds might have died. The next day i encountered an extremely worried Haji sahab. He had been trying to reach his daughter’s in laws in Bhuj without success. Too worried to work, he sent me home for the day. By now media estimate of victims had swelled into thousands. Back at the hostel few of my neighbors were talking about doing something. We spent the day surfing channels and it seemed with each passing hour the tragedy was growing. By evening we had started a drive to collect money for the victims. By next day we had about Rs 9700 collected that we intended to donate to PM’s relief fund. I even approached Haji sahab for donation who was worried sick. He wanted to go to Bhuj but being a diabetic, idea of him going into a disaster zone was firmly struck down by his family. He said he was willing to donate Rs 10000 if anyone was going to Bhuj. That’s when the idea struck me. I proposed i can go there and cover the disaster as a reporter and check on well being of his relatives. I had his approval and the donation. Back at the hostel my friends agreed to join me as well. Surprisingly, Pradeep, the cook also wanted to join us. Said he earned enough paap by embezzling funds from hostel mess and wanted to earn some punya. We were getting ready to embark on this journey. TV reported a special train was announced by government to ferry people from Delhi to Ahmadabad free of charge. Things were getting into place. We had collected about Rs 21000 after pooling in our money as well. Pradeep had arranged another cook for the time he will be away. He had prepared 100 food packets which we intended to distribute among the needy. We were a group of five and we all pledged we would not spend a single paisa from the donations we had received on ourselves, no matter what.

Despite all the urgency we could only start on 30th night. We reached New Delhi railway station hoping to catch the special train to Ahmadabad which was to leave at 10PM. Unfortunately despite our frantic efforts we could not find that train. No one seemed to have heard of this train. How typical of Indian government efforts, mired in ineffective bureaucratic logjams. We asked a TT standing next to a Ahmadabad bound train. His response was “I know people like you hoping for a free ride, don’t you dare enter my compartment or i will throw you all off the running train.” We could not spend money on tickets, every single penny was for victims. And so despite, the TT’s warning we boarded that train. It was a sleeper bogey. We spread some newspaper on the floor and settled near door. In about couple of hours the angry TT was staring at us. He was hurling choicest of abuses,insulting us. I was upset at the humiliation but the students somehow were unaffected and just kept arguing with TT till he left us alone. Most passengers in the bogey didn’t believe we were going to Ahmadabad to help. To them we were a nuisance but no one dared to confront a group of 5 men.

The journey was excruciatingly long. We reached Ahmadabad by 8:30 PM next day. My first reaction was that of surprise. Going by media reports, I was expecting to see some damage in Ahmadabad as well but the city was unscathed. We were confused about what to do next. I called Haji sahab who gave contact and address of few NGOs engaged in relief work. We visited their offices. Some seemed as if they’ve been closed for last few years while others sounded extremely casual about relief work. We had not traveled this far to give the relief money to someone who wasn’t serious about utilizing it in a fair way. Finally someone suggested going to RSS office as they were heavily engaged in relief works. I had my apprehensions. I had heard enough about RSS VHP Bajrang Dal etc during Ayodhya movement. But i did not oppose. The RSS office was abuzz with activity. A lot of people were preparing big packets of relief material. A person said we’ve enough volunteers in the field, you can donate your stuff here if you want. Right ! give money to RSS ? never. I thought. Gladly, everyone agreed the money will be better utilized if we managed it ourselves. The RSS guy told us the epicenter of devastation was Bhuj and maximum assistance was needed there. We took an overnight bus to Bhuj. Food packets from Pradeep kept us going. I woke up at about 3 AM. Absolute darkness all around us, the bus was bouncing over cracked roads. Someone said, there used to be a village here.

About 6:30 AM, our bus rolled into Bhuj bus station. Wasn’t much left of it. There was devastation all around. Broken almirahs, computers, documents strewn around. The main road originating from bus stand towards town was deserted. Not a single building stood intact. There was debris all around. In balcony of few buildings one could see clothes hanging as they were hung out to dry on 26th morning. It looked like a scene lifted straight from a Hollywood movie. First thing my friends did was relieve themselves. They managed to get plastic bottles and there was plenty of space for attending to nature’s call. I couldn’t. It’s a personal thing. Some of you can relate i hope. Well we inquired about relief camps and headed to one setup in a college ground nearby. It turned out to be VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) camp. I could see a big crowd waiting for food there. Muslim women in their dirt covered torn burqas along with their children queued up in a line. We thought it was a good place to distribute our food packets, however the vegetable had turned stale. Poori and pickle were still eatable. We checked with VHP guys and they were only too happy to allow us to distribute food we had. People didn’t mind our poori and pickle packets and within 15 minutes we were done distributing our packets. I wanted to go to the locality where Haji sahab said his relatives lived but the VHP guy said that area is completely devastated. He suggested we should go to Bhuj Military base where most of the rescued people have been camped. The Bhuj Military camp was full of injured and homeless people rescued in past few days. I was able to locate Haji sahab’s relatives who were rescued 2 days back. A lot of people in camp were Muslims and each had a tragic tale to tell. Most of them had lost loved one’s. We started distributing some money among people. We came across RSS volunteers who were bringing quake affected people to camps. I also saw the little girl who was rescued alive after being 6 days under rubble. She had become a celebrity and i could see media flocking her.

It was getting late. We wanted to cover more camps. Someone suggested a place called Mandvi had suffered more devastation. We caught the overnight bus. First place we went to was Haji Hasan hospital. It was chaotic, the hospital was full of injured people. We distributed some money when an angry doctor stopped us. He said we’ll end up creating stampede as there are large number of desperate penniless people. We still had some money which we wanted to ensure reaches the needy. The auto driver told us about a medical camp in his village. We reached that hospital which was nothing but a school converted into a makeshift hospital. When doctors learnt we were from Delhi, everyone stood up in attention pose, They had mistaken us for bureaucrats. We explained our position and said we wanted to help. Upon inquiring, the people there said they’d prefer food instead of money. One shop that we managed to find was selling a Rs 5 biscuit for Rs 50. Ghafoor the shopkeeper was as ruthless about profits as nature was when earthquake hit the region. Sparing some money for travel back home we spent the entire amount buying eatables for the people in that hospital. There are so many stories from this trip that i wanted to tell but i do not want it to turn into a memoir. There is a beautiful message that i got from this trip, one that serves me to this day. Oh, and by the way on our our ride back to Delhi a bunch of TTs argued among themselves, each wanted us to sit in his bogey. We were still ticket less. This time they had believed us when we told we were volunteers who came to help.

Today I hear a lot about 2002. From Mullahs, Intellectuals, Media both Indian and Foreign, Liberals, Seculars and God knows who else. Almost everyone singularly blames RSS, VHP etc.I haven’t heard most of them talk about 2001 which was a far bigger tragedy where Hindus-Muslims in tens of thousands died. I did not see any of those champions of humanity serving there. Muslims, similar to those who today outrage and hate Modi for loss of Muslim lives in 2002, were out there looting other Muslims like vultures. Unfortunately none of the liberal secular narrative unfolded there. What i saw there was much maligned RSS and VHP folks serving humanity without any bias or hatred. They didn’t show any hesitation in helping, be the person a bearded Muslim or a burqa clad women. How many liberals or Muslims can maintain such neutrality when they see a man in Khakhi shorts or sporting a tilak. 2002 riots were unfortunate. One that was provoked because of a cold blooded planned burning of Hindus. In a state where riots started on incidents like bicycle collisions and cricket matches, this was a grave provocation. In a moment of madness, hundreds of innocents lost their lives. Anyone who sits on judgement about 2002 riots should ponder and think. Imagine how it would feel to be burnt alive, Imagine if it happened to your parents or your child, Imagine if they were blamed to have foolishly burnt themselves. In the land of mahatma not everyone is Gandhi. Our history is replete with Hindu Muslim riots across the length and breadth of this country and yet for some reason Media sees Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb everywhere else except Gujarat. We will move on only when we let the pain of past go. It’s time to let 2002 go. Courts have already done so. In 2008 i visited Bhuj and Mandvi again, and i was surprised at the transformation that had taken place. It was here that Haji sahab’s in-law told me of a weird incident. While being rescued by Army, the local Maulvi was upset that the Army men, all Hindus, had to touch his wife in order to rescue her. Think what would these kind of people say about 2002 riots.

On Modi and RSS i’m not asking you to change your opinion. I’ve formed my opinion based on my experiences and i’d request you to do the same. Don’t let some random guy on TV shape your opinion. I’ve seen many preachers of high morality turn into spineless cowards when the time comes to practice what they preach. This country is too precious to be held hostage by a narrow skewed version of what happened in 2002. A lot of blood was spilled by freedom fighters in the hope of seeing the glorious India of yesteryear revived again. I have every hope that despite all odds India will prevail.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 23 Apr 2014 11:58

^A must read for everyone. Cannot make a better case than this. From the muslim shopkeeper selling Rs. 5 biscuits for Rs. 50 to other muslims (so much for charity to members of the ummah) and the disgusting maulavi upset over Hindu soldiers rescuing his wife (should have left the both of them), and of course the revoltingly predictable extinction of Liberals, Seculars, Intellectuals, Mullahs, etc. in times of need. Above all, the simple fact that RSS, VHP and other Hindu orgs were there from day #1 and also the painfully obvious fact that this fact was censored from all media, lest they be accorded some much deserved gratitude, admiration and respect.

Atri · Post by **Atri** » 23 Apr 2014 12:21

The story of uttarakhand flood relief should similarly surface.

may mahadev bless hedgewar and guruji for sangh..

Anindya · Post by **Anindya** » 23 Apr 2014 13:52

From a few years ago in Kolkata...
Kolkata firefighter incident

prompted by the death of a Muslim woman in a recent blaze at Kolutala in the city. Locals in the crowded locality refused to allow male firefighters to enter a blazing house to rescue her. Earlier too, such incidents have occurred.

merlin · Post by **merlin** » 23 Apr 2014 13:54

Kati wrote:Ok, BRF-gurus, what's the latest news from the satta bazaar about the possible outcomes?

Odds are that NN is winning South Bangalore. So much money spent will have some effect surely.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 23 Apr 2014 13:55

reminds me of Superstar movie "endhiran"

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 23 Apr 2014 14:27

https://in.news.yahoo.com/blogs/boxpopu ... 27288.html

These stats by Jaya are startling and beg you to rethink whatever Narendra Modi has been harping about all this while:

Higher GSDP (TN third, Gujarat fifth)
Software export (TN third, Gujarat eleventh)
FDI inflow (TN Rs 15,252 crore, Gujarat Rs 2,676 crore in 2012-13)
Lower poverty (TN 11.30 per cent, Gujarat 16.60 per cent)
Infant mortality rate (TN second, Gujarat eleventh)
Maternal mortality rate (TN 90/lakh, Gujarat 122/lakh)
Industrial units (TN 36,996, Gujarat 22,220)
Graduates employed (TN 14.30 per cent, Gujarat 10 per cent)
Foodgrain production (TN 101.51 lakh metric tonnes, Gujarat 88.74 lakh metric tonnes in 2011-12).

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 23 Apr 2014 14:30

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/modi- ... 92347.html
Modi wave catches up in Azamgarh, no cakewalk for Mulayam

When the Samajwadi Party announced Mulayam Singh Yadav’s candidature from Azamgarh, it was considered a masterstoke – that he would stem the rising Narendra Modi tide in Poorvanchal. And as this is considered the epitome of Muslim politics ever since the Batla House encounter, his candidature from here, it was expected, would give a thrust to secular politics in the whole of Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party Supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. AFP Three weeks down the line, even his hardcore supporters recognise that it’s no cakewalk for him. It could come as a big surprise to those who pinned great hopes on the Samajwadi chief just on basis of simple arithmetic. The arithmetic is still loaded in Mulayam’s favour: Nine out of 10 assembly segments in this parliamentary constituency were won by the Samajwadi Party in the Assembly elections and one went to the Bahujan Samaj Party. Five of these MLAs are ministers in the current Akhilesh Yadav government. Out of the grants that the state government has given to various districts, Azamgarh stands second only to Mainpuri, the Samajwadi party chief’s native place. But a developing chemistry could trouble him. Mulayam may perhaps now realise it the hard way that ignoring Modi, at least initially, as a crucial factor in these elections was a mistake. The SP will have to slog it out to cover lost ground. Though there is no confirmation, the word among Samjwadi workers in the constituency is that Netaji will be camp here for about a week, starting end of this month or from the first week of May. "Preparations are accordingly being made by the administration and by the party,” one worker said.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 23 Apr 2014 14:35

AbkiBarModiSarkar ‏@mamtan14 1m

LOL MTChouhanShivraj:Difference between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi.Modi ji has something to say and Rahul Gandhi has to say something.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 23 Apr 2014 14:41

krishnan wrote:https://in.news.yahoo.com/blogs/boxpopu ... 27288.html
These stats by Jaya are startling and beg you to rethink whatever Narendra Modi has been harping about all this while:

Higher GSDP (TN third, Gujarat fifth)
Software export (TN third, Gujarat eleventh)
FDI inflow (TN Rs 15,252 crore, Gujarat Rs 2,676 crore in 2012-13)
Lower poverty (TN 11.30 per cent, Gujarat 16.60 per cent)
Infant mortality rate (TN second, Gujarat eleventh)
Maternal mortality rate (TN 90/lakh, Gujarat 122/lakh)
Industrial units (TN 36,996, Gujarat 22,220)
Graduates employed (TN 14.30 per cent, Gujarat 10 per cent)
Foodgrain production (TN 101.51 lakh metric tonnes, Gujarat 88.74 lakh metric tonnes in 2011-12).

The only difference is that Modi is claiming the change he brought about in Gujarat's numbers from early 2000s. Can Jaya claim such a change during her rule? I doubt.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 23 Apr 2014 14:42

point is why is an international website , showing these data.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 23 Apr 2014 14:53

^If we are allowed to pick and choose the statistics we compare, we are bound to come up with the kind of results we want. Maybe she should compare:

1. Power supply in Gujarat, which is surplus vs in TN, which is pathetic.
2. Total unemployment rather than just graduates (the graduates only thing is a total giveaway).
3. Total industrial investment (which indicates future industrial strength).
4. Average agricultural growth of above 10%, with an arid, desert-like and high-salinity soil in Gujarat versus the way better conditions in TN.
5. Her well-known corruption vs NaMo's immaculate record.
6. The potholed roads in TN vs the way better roads in Gujarat.
7. The UN awarded water supply system in Gujarat vs the water supply system in TN which saw its heights during the Chola era and later with the British.
8. The fact that Tata Nano went to Gujarat instead of the so called Detroit of India i.e. TN.

These are things that I can just pull out off the top of my head.

If I compare HDI of TN with Kerala, it would be totally hilarious (kind of her like her suspiciously black hair), so lets not even go there. In spite of that gorgeous first world like HDI in Kerala, people still have to migrate for jobs.

Pathetic. If people fall for this crap, they deserve to get a congi govt or for that matter a jaya one.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 23 Apr 2014 15:14

Well said Arun ji. Moreover shouldn't forget TN population more than Guj. The effort required to bring water and power to Guj villages was an immensely tough task. The entire haul up of Guj was done by initiatives, ideas launched by NM in the wake of some of the most major disasters like the Bhuj quake and the 02 riots and the badgering. TN also benefits tremendously from shipping infra of Chenna that Guj compared poorly to. Any state with a major port will see a major jump in economic activity. Modi understands that and has been addressing that part of the infrastructure very well. Supplying power, water jump starting agriculture to 11% decadal growth are no mean feats. In the next 5 years GDSP growth in Gujarat should go well beyond 15% as the basics are so well set up. JJ moreover has not done all that singlehandedly.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 23 Apr 2014 15:27

St Xavier’s principal slams Gujarat model of development (AKA pimping for congis)

http://post.jagran.com/st-xaviers-princ ... 1398227296

If you want to know why there are so many WKK's in Mumbai/India, this is one of the answers.

Here he "defends" his subversive activities (one wonders how much "funds" he got from his foreign/Italian masters for this).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home ... 112760.cms

Its time to make a list of these peoples, their funders and their activities. They must be made to pay for their crimes of subversion.

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 23 Apr 2014 15:33

Aiyo!
same ol same ol stats !
Arvind panagariya has gone to great lengths to explain Gujarat's economic and social indicators. No one is bringing nothing new to the table.
You simply cannot repeat the same ad nauseum and expect people to fall for it.

Adding to Arun's post, one thing that we must not forget is that Gujarat is a large state, with large tribal & SC/ST populations scattered all over and with less rainfall and ground water.
That makes reaching poepl, agriculture,delivering services more difficult. The govt there seems to be doing great despite all the handicaps.
And getting elected 3 times in a row on the development plank speaks more than statistics.

A long time ago, I mentioned that Modi will eat into Jaya;s voteshore if BJP blooms in TN. Jaya is feeling the heat. And those who are anyway against Modi are using Jaya's shoulder to shoot at him.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 23 Apr 2014 15:36

An AAPtard showing her true color:

'Muslims should be communal for their own good', Shazia Ilmi says

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home ... 077928.cms

Wonder if she will arrange a "slapping episode" to get some sympathy. Hmm, that would be something

Heck, she cannot even say its a slip of the tongue anymore:

AAP leader Shazia Ilmi refuses to apologise for her hate speech

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/aap-leader-s ... 37-64.html

Lets see what happens to her. Meanwhile do not hesitate to shove this down the throat of any AAPtard you can find.

Vikas · Post by **Vikas** » 23 Apr 2014 15:45

Everyone who had a stake in the gravy train and now fears its derailment is crawling out of the wood to denounce NaMo and Gujarat and all the hard work that has gone in. I shudder to think how many such people have been put on high pedestal and are in a position to poison young minds.
I mean there is a whole army of such so called 'Desh premis' out there to stop NaMo from coming to power even if it means installing Pappu/Mrs.Vadra as PM.

amritk · Post by **amritk** » 23 Apr 2014 15:55

ravi_g wrote:They are eating wrong and sleeping wrong and not exercising.

Yes, they are tired due to the gruelling schedules. In fact I thought Modi was showing signs of burnout/PTSD in that otherwise excellent interview with the Hindi channel. I hope I am wrong.

member_22539 · Post by **member_22539** » 23 Apr 2014 16:01

^PTSD? Really? Can you please explain?

vivek.rao · Post by **vivek.rao** » 23 Apr 2014 17:54

The dynasty scums of mother,son,daughter and jijaji can keep on howling and screaming.

http://www.rediff.com/news/column/ls-el ... 140423.htm

On Tuesday I visited a village in Uttar Pradesh to find out what the villagers thought about Modi.

We drove some 35 km from Lucknow and took the car off the highway. The village was Tendua Hiran Kuddi, its official name is different.

The sarpanch is a Congressman, but his brother R K Singh said, "Since the last three days we have no power. Modi ko laana padega (we have to bring Modi). Let him come and fix our power problem."

If Dr Singh's Cabinet had traveled to the villages they would have known where their assessment of Modi was going wrong. The support for Modi is also because of the sub-human suffering India's poor are compelled to endure.

I met Prachi, Ruchi Singh, Kamla Kashyap and her sister. All smart teenagers. All of them are commerce students. Their exercise books written in Hindi were neat and clean. They go to college in nearby towns or in Lucknow (35 km away) just twice a week. Why? They can't afford the bus fare to attend college every day.

"Modi ka hawa hai (there is a Modi wave)," Kamla said. Prachi felt Modi has caught the attention in their college, but she will vote for the Congress's Annu Tandon (her village is in Unnao, Tandon's constituency) because her uncle is part of the MP's team.

Since Tandon is considered close to Mukesh Ambani, many people feel she will spend money for poor people's weddings, Prachi's father said.

Except Prachi's family, the entire village is shifting its support from the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party to the BJP, R K Singh said. Only because of the hopeless power situation, he added.

Just as the Congress perfected its response to all arguments against the dynasty, similarly Modi and his clan have perfected the hypocrisy of taking the development agenda to people with Hindutva in their hearts.

Supporting a dynasty is the highest level of hypocrisy in a democracy. Likewise, to say that Hindutva and development are not contradictory is a jugglery of words.

Modi, in interview after interview, says, 'I will work under the Constitution.' This is the safest pitch any Hindutva leader can forward to duck the sharp quizzing in the middle of the election. Modi has perfected the art of answering difficult questions without getting trapped where he can give headlines to 'news traders'. Even to differentiate between 'news traders' and the 'media' is a Modi ploy to criticise the media.

Nothing is going right for the Congress, also because the party does not show off enough confidence, which is a paramount need in an election campaign, which is actually all about the 'performance' enacted before voters by leaders.

The fundamental political belief on which the Congress edifice stands is not in question. The biggest evidence to justify this argument is how Modi presents a mild picture of himself in interviews. Modi is exploiting the spread out 10-phase election to the fullest.

The Modi of the 2014 Lok Sabha election and the Modi of the 2002 and 2007 assembly elections in Gujarat seem to be different personalities. Can't we see how quickly the BJP and even Modi are distancing themselves from Giriraj Singh, from Pravin Togadia?

Just see how quietly Amit Shah went about saying sorry to the Election Commission. This is REAL good news. It is a victory of the secular ethos the Constitution wants everyone to abide by, and is forcing Modi to stick to rules.

The legacy of UPA rule is a huge problem. Due to a series of charges against the UPA, the Congress has lost the psychological war before losing the real one. Those floating voters supporting Modi are not anti-Muslim nor are they saying that the 2002 riots were justified. It means the Congress is losing out in election mind games.

By already narrating, and by stringing the media along in this endeavour, what he is going to do as prime minister is actually a fine case of adding to the hawa (wind) with panache.

When Modi displays confidence like this on television, he attracts floating voters in the remaining phases of the election.

As a consummate politician, he knows there are always ifs and buts in an election where 1.4 billion opinions are judging him and more than 800 million voters are actively dissecting him. But by showing confidence in his eyes, correct body language and very precise expressions on sensitive issues, he is brilliantly helping his campaign.

In the interview to ABP News, group editor Shazi Zaman asked brilliant questions which unsettled Modi a bit, but he carried the moment with him because of the clarity in his replies. <<Sickular lady is crying .... >>

Of the 10 phases, six phases of polling have ended. The polling on April 24 and on April 30 is crucial. Modi's more than dozen interviews are helping him fine-tune the rough edges of his campaign. He is trying to influence floating voters, undecided voters, non-committal and caste-neutral voters into deciding whether to go for the Lotus or not.

These could have been Congress voters, but its divided house, torn between the old guard and Rahul Gandhi, seems to have got completely confused.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 23 Apr 2014 18:02

dil par bu! you nailed jaya!

KLP Dubey · Post by **KLP Dubey** » 23 Apr 2014 18:11

Arun Menon wrote: 'Muslims should be communal for their own good', Shazia Ilmi says

I thought she was excommunicated by some mullah a few weeks ago for going to a temple? Seems like the 'fartwa' has evaporated into thin air and it is business as usual.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 23 Apr 2014 18:15

never heard of muslims switching a role to secularism. now they have defined within communal lines, they to accept other forms of AoAs.

KJo · Post by **KJo** » 23 Apr 2014 18:36

RamaY wrote:Yes, Jiddu Krishnamurthy & Theosophical Society of India.

Talking about JK, I met a Muslim Pakistani gentleman, about my dad's age, working at a Walmart in the photo dept. He would talk to me every time and tell me how much he admired JK. He hated Islam and blamed it for all problems.

I had to tell him to tone it down, Osama may be listening in.

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 23 Apr 2014 18:50

KJo garu..

OT

Go read JK's page on Wiki.

He trashed the "VIPRA Bahudha Vadanti" nonsense in his dissolution of TS speech. He explains the real Vedic meaning of Ekam Sat!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Apr 2014 19:04

I saw footage of Namo in varanasi today. he is definitely looking very tired and jaded, having to travel every single day, meetings, stand up in open vehicles to greet crowds....somehow he has to find a few rest days between now and april 7 (2 weeks) and hold the rest of the working days together. maybe take a 9 days of full break from may7 to may 16 to detox and plan ahead.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 23 Apr 2014 19:12

Singha wrote:I saw footage of Namo in varanasi today. he is definitely looking very tired and jaded, having to travel every single day, meetings, stand up in open vehicles to greet crowds....somehow he has to find a few rest days between now and april 7 (2 weeks) and hold the rest of the working days together. maybe take a 9 days of full break from may7 to may 16 to detox and plan ahead.

May 12 important date - UP (18), Bihar (6).

For rest, retweet pleeej

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Apr 2014 19:13

so maybe take a break this week from tomorrow to sunday. he needs it.

kvjayan · Post by **kvjayan** » 23 Apr 2014 19:18

The sudden anti-Modi outburst of the TN CM is likely due to the fear of losing the minority votes, particularly the green variety. The clout and blackmailing power of the church and the mosque is substantial in TN politics (at least till now). Perhaps, she thinks that she can always makeup after the elections. One hopes that the BJP would not have to repeat its pathetic submission to her dictates, as happened in the late 1990s.

Arun Menon wrote:^If we are allowed to pick and choose the statistics we compare, we are bound to come up with the kind of results we want. Maybe she should compare:

1. Power supply in Gujarat, which is surplus vs in TN, which is pathetic.
2. Total unemployment rather than just graduates (the graduates only thing is a total giveaway).
3. Total industrial investment (which indicates future industrial strength).
4. Average agricultural growth of above 10%, with an arid, desert-like and high-salinity soil in Gujarat versus the way better conditions in TN.
5. Her well-known corruption vs NaMo's immaculate record.
6. The potholed roads in TN vs the way better roads in Gujarat.
7. The UN awarded water supply system in Gujarat vs the water supply system in TN which saw its heights during the Chola era and later with the British.
8. The fact that Tata Nano went to Gujarat instead of the so called Detroit of India i.e. TN.

These are things that I can just pull out off the top of my head.

If I compare HDI of TN with Kerala, it would be totally hilarious (kind of her like her suspiciously black hair), so lets not even go there. In spite of that gorgeous first world like HDI in Kerala, people still have to migrate for jobs.

Pathetic. If people fall for this crap, they deserve to get a congi govt or for that matter a jaya one.