2021 Strategic and Political Analysis-1

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 24 May 2021 21:06

Sushil Pehlwan was not just running away from cops but from Dubai based gangster Kala Jathedi as well...

via@rajshekharTOI

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 24 May 2021 21:08

Santosh wrote: If corruption was the only yardstick, DMK and Mumtaz wouldn't have comeback. Kejri wouldn't be reelected in Delhi and Khangress wouldn't have won RJ and MP in 2018. Clearly, aam junta is OK with corruption if he makes visible progress on 'Hindu' issues.
1. Everyone from Nadda to Shah got attacked during WB chunav prachar. What did MAD do? Nothing. If BJP neta is not safe, how do they ask common man to risk their lives and vote?
2. Hindus are getting butchered. Someone sent a WA video of WB governor crying because Hindus are getting mercilessly killed or converted.
3. They cannot control the shameless name calling even in BJP ruled states forget other. Compare with how Mumtaz, Thackrey, DMK, Samuel Reddy respond to name calling.
4. Less said about twitter and paid media the better. Why have they not banned twitter yet? Or dropped them for a few weeks. That will be a signal not to mess with ruling govt and fall in line. Look at the guy from Phillipines. Everyone has forgotten the past and suddenly he is everyone's best friend. Modi comes across as weak, helpless crier.
5. UP elections was forced on UP by high court. Very few people know that. A friend from western UP was telling about how lives were lost in almost very family - some had multiple losses. Over 100-150 teachers died from election duty and how people were critical of Yogi due to panchayat elections. Has BJP clearly communicated that it is High court decision and high court should be held responsible for deaths? No. They are clueless about war of perception. They continue to hold a hostile judiciary in very high regard. Did they highlight how many lives were lost in Delhi, RJ, MH because of mismanagement of Oxygen distribution? No.
6. Day in and day out you have seasoned opposition like Kejri, Mafia, pappu writing letters, tweeting and give media bytes. Here you have Javdekar who comes across as a completely ineffective.
7. State history books, someoen already mentioned. No movement. Buy sweets from Abdul because Gopal's sweet shop is unhygenic. Wow!

Nobody wants Kejri or Mumtaz or Pappu. Hindus understand that BJP is their only bet. But it looks like their only bet is not going to save them from rest of Bharat turning into Bengal.

TN, RJ and KL have a history of binary governments, and as witnessed in the recently concluded WB elections, the assembly elections have different dynamics all together. Corruption plays a role in the voter decision here too but what do you do when both sides are equally corrupt ? In case of MP and CG, the outcome was purely based on anti-incumbency after nearly 2 decades of a single party rule.

For pt 1,2 and 3 - what is it that Modi should have done ? Amit Shah deployed more central forces in WB for state elections than any other election in history (71 companies, 80,000 CAPF) , tightened Indo-Bangla border and did their best to ensure a fair election but lost at the booth level. WB's history is soaked in blood and brutality, it is impossible to remove a democratically elected CM because if you do then the opposition when in power can do the same to NDA ruled states in future.

Pt 4 - We armchair generals here with all the time in the world to selectively concentrate on minor issues like Twitter/FB cannot come to a decision if Twitter should be fined, dragged to the courts or outright banned or should be left alone. Lets assume that I&B ministry decides to ban Twitter, what guarantee our esteemed courts wont call it unconstitutional attack on freedom of press and freedom of expression and reverse it ? Remember many of the supreme court and high court judges have their kids and grandkids who live in US/Canada/UK, it is not too difficult for these big tech organizations to put pressure on our courts. The best alternative is for the government , BJP and its followers to use a new local platform , let Twitter become a leftist echo chamber as it has become now in the west post US elections.

Pt 5,6 - Those who know about the UP election deaths also are aware of the HC's decision. The general pattern in the last 7 yrs in Indian mainstream media has been to first float "news" with an agenda, make a lot of noise, and by the time truth slowly surfaces they move on to the next agenda item and repeat the same. Basically the govt and BJP are left to just play catch up and be on the defensive. Swarajya/OpIndia probably have < 1% of the readership that left leaning media houses have and Republic/Time Now despite their TRP dont have the state level penetration of local vernacular news channels. To develop nationalist media at every state level will take time, in KAR atleast we now have channels that call a spade a spade, when there are riots there is no longer "one community's procession was attacked by another community" sugarcoating anymore, this has to grow organically.

Pt 7 - There is no measure of my disappointment about Modi's cabinet, this is one area where he could have done better. He has able ministers like Amit Shah, Piyush Goyal, Gadkari and Rajnath but the rest are complete duds. Rumor has it that there wont be a reshuffle until covid is over, so we are stuck with idiots like Javedkar/RS Prasad for few more months.

Despite all that we've seen in the last 7 yrs if some people still believe Modi can magically solve all issues, bring in sweeping rapid reforms , make Hindus great again unopposed then they are smoking something potent. Something as mundane and routine as CAA invites country wide riots, just weeks after Modi taking oath, the award waapsi drama begins, powerful labor unions cripple states with frequent strikes, judiciary puts obstacles to every step the govt takes and despite all this he is still building infrastructure, setting up SEZs, launching funded welfare schemes (not the same as doles), rearming our military and strengthening of defense forces, improving public health, sanitization and access to water. To wish he was similar to that nutjob Duterte is preposterous .

Remember, we are not battling a post-2000s UPA ecosystem, but battling a 100+ yr old Congress ecosystem. Every babu and every nyayadeesh in the country feels like they owe something to that ecosystem because their fathers and their fathers fathers found cushy jobs, made money, properties etc because of that ecosystem, you cannot dismantle it in just 7 yrs , atleast not within the confines of a democracy.

Sicanta · Post by **Sicanta** » 24 May 2021 21:11

Pratyush wrote:Why bother with searching twitter office. Not like any documents would exist in physical form.

They have also issued notice to twitter that since they have categorized toolkit tweets as manipulated media, they must have some proof or data regarding the same on which basis they made the decision. They have been asked to present the said proof in front of investigating agency.

So its a good way to show the manipulating agenda of twitter itself. But lets see if this is taken to its logical conclusion.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 24 May 2021 21:12

Pratyush wrote:Why bother with searching twitter office. Not like any documents would exist in physical form.

it is a mule kick to the nethers for jack on crack ans also a warning for pappu and the mafia famiglia

even trump did not/could not do this.

they don't need to find any documents but still they will cart off a laptop/desktop or two or three......

It's India's rules in India.

If jackee no likee, jackee can go home

IIRC, didn't a similar thing happen to the almighty and untouchable amnesty and when they refused to play by Indian rules, they got shut down

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 24 May 2021 21:16

Ah that nostalgic feeling of govt forms in paper that is half-bleached .
Twitter India head summoned and to bring all relevant documents.
My wish though is for a live feed in front of a panel.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 24 May 2021 21:18

Then we have to stop thinking in terms of democracy. Use the mamta tactic in other states.

Eliminate the opposition using all resources that a party has.

Peace full transition be damned.

Because based on what we are seeing and as PBM said. It can no longer be taken for granted that India will continue to see a peaceful transition of government.

Given his derranged state of mind PBM is not speaking about BJP contesting transition. He is preparing the grounds for the opposition to disregard and disrupt electoral democracy. While preparing the camp followers to provide intellectual cover for such an action.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 24 May 2021 21:21

Interesting cause of action against twitter. Amazing.

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 24 May 2021 21:22

darshhan wrote:
kvraghav wrote:According to me, Indian public vote based on three different levels:
Level 1 is based on basic infra like roads, power and things like corruption. Level 2 is purely caste and groups like farmers based and level 3 is freebies. To provide level 1, any govt has to spend money on infra and be the least corrupt. For level 2, the govt has to be corrupt and feed a entire ecosystem comprising of journalists, farmer leaders, caste leaders and fake intellectuals. For level 3, the govt has to spend a lot on subsidies. When there is a congress govt, it caters to 2 and 3. The people start missing the basic amenities and bring back BJP govt which caters to only 1. Once people have enough infra and their tummy is full, they think about 2 and 3, vote back the congress. This cycle continues. No govt can provide all 3 because our tax base is only 4% .
Very simplistic analysis. Ignores the fact that BJP has spent more on gibs and doles than any other govt before. This includes funds spent on demographic groups least likely to vote for them. This is the difference between BJP and the other parties. Other parties spend on groups who are their supporters while BJP spends on those who are antagonistic to it.

And tax base is 4% if you account for direct taxes only. But what about indirect taxes including GST, Excise etc. But hey no amount of money is going to be enough since most of that money will be spent towards salary of govt employees apart from gibs. When your govt's only vision is to serve the cause of "Secularism and Social Justice" instead of meritocracy, then only a fool will pay his tax honestly.

Here is an example of your tax money at work.

Indian paramilitary to induct transgender officers

The Indian government has decided to induct members of transgender community in the country's elite paramilitary forces ending discrimination against the marginalised section.

Working upon the modalities in that direction, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sought suggestions and comments from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) on the matter. The ministry is working on the proposal to commission the "third gender" as officers in the paramilitary forces.

It has sought opinion of all CAPFs on the modalities on implementation of commissioning third gender officers as Assistant Commandants.

The ministry in a letter to CAPF on July 1, under the subject "Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination 2020 -Comments on draft rules regarding" sought suggestions from the forces over the issue
Instead of fighting actual enemies our leaders are more interested in forming Kinnar regiment. I could probably give hundreds of such examples. But that's about it.

So please continue to file your returns on time.

Do you really think there is no difference between doles and welfare schemes like PM Kisan yojna or PM Ujwala yojna ? One incentivizes people to be depend on govt support forever in return for votes, the other is to uplift the quality of life, provide a sense of security and cut bureaucracy .

Why shouldn't transgenders be allowed to serve in the forces if they meet the same requirements as other applicants ? A sense of purpose, dedication to serve the nation and ability to meet the standards for the job should be the qualifying factors and not one's gender. Going by your logic we should perhaps exclude women from applying to armed forces as well.

Neela · Post by **Neela** » 24 May 2021 21:30

chetak wrote:
Pratyush wrote:Why bother with searching twitter office. Not like any documents would exist in physical form.

IIRC, didn't a similar thing happen to the almighty and untouchable amnesty and when they refused to play by Indian rules, they got shut down

Exactly. They do still whine about it once in a while.

Twitter is a different game altogether. Let us see.

https://twitter.com/MJ_007Club/status/1 ... 9047352322

@MJ_007Club
**** BIG BREAKING ****

TWITTER INDIA MD, MANISH MAHESHWARI, RESPONDS TO 21 MAY POLICE NOTICE. HE SAYS THAT THE TOOLKIT #MANIPULATEDMEDIA ISSUE SHOULD BE DIVERTED TO THE US AS HE IS NOT EMPLOYED BY #TWITTER INDIA, BUT IS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE US FIRM. HE HAS NO ROLE IN IT.

This guy needs to spend some time in urine soaked Delhi prison cell to get his thoughts together.
If US offices decide what is manipulated media in India, then isnt it infringement on India's internal affairs ..enough grounds to shut twitter down here.

I wish the PM joins the fun by saying "Owing to investigations against Twitter by Delhi agencies, I will not be posting until the process is complete.".

Sicanta · Post by **Sicanta** » 24 May 2021 21:40

Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021

https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-info ... rules-2021

Apparently, also for not completing with the rules laid down by this law

vera_k · Post by **vera_k** » 24 May 2021 21:43

Indian media have gone easy on Modi. That's changing because of the pandemic

In Modi's home state of Gujarat, three of the top local language newspapers — Sandesh, Divya Bhaskar and Gujarat Samachar — have consistently questioned the official statistics on the second wave through their coverage.
Divya Bhaskar reported in mid-May that nearly 124,000 death certificates had been issued in the prior 71 days in Gujarat, about 66,000 more than during the same period last year. The state government reported that only 4,218 were related to Covid. Most recent deaths have been attributed to underlying conditions or co-morbidities, Divya Bhaskar said, citing doctors and families of victims.

Sicanta · Post by **Sicanta** » 24 May 2021 21:45

Raj Shekhar Jha ToI - Delhi Police says its teams went to Twitter offices to serve a notice to Twitter, as a part of routine process. This was necessitated as cops wanted to ascertain who is the right person to serve a notice, as replies by Twitter India MD have been very ambiguous.

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 24 May 2021 21:50

WTF, is wrong with this Manish Maheshwari chap.

Is he the MD of twitter India or not. If he not the MD of twitter India then it's ok.

But, if he is the MD of twitter India. Then irrespective of his employer he has to co-operate with Indian authorities.

Or he is on crack like his boss. Then a judicial custody followed by a fully paid trip to an Indian drug de addiction facility is warranted.

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 24 May 2021 21:50

Ambar wrote:
darshhan wrote:
Very simplistic analysis. Ignores the fact that BJP has spent more on gibs and doles than any other govt before. This includes funds spent on demographic groups least likely to vote for them. This is the difference between BJP and the other parties. Other parties spend on groups who are their supporters while BJP spends on those who are antagonistic to it.

And tax base is 4% if you account for direct taxes only. But what about indirect taxes including GST, Excise etc. But hey no amount of money is going to be enough since most of that money will be spent towards salary of govt employees apart from gibs. When your govt's only vision is to serve the cause of "Secularism and Social Justice" instead of meritocracy, then only a fool will pay his tax honestly.

Here is an example of your tax money at work.

Indian paramilitary to induct transgender officers

Instead of fighting actual enemies our leaders are more interested in forming Kinnar regiment. I could probably give hundreds of such examples. But that's about it.

So please continue to file your returns on time.
Do you really think there is no difference between doles and welfare schemes like PM Kisan yojna or PM Ujwala yojna ? One incentivizes people to be depend on govt support forever in return for votes, the other is to uplift the quality of life, provide a sense of security and cut bureaucracy .

Why shouldn't transgenders be allowed to serve in the forces if they meet the same requirements as other applicants ? A sense of purpose, dedication to serve the nation and ability to meet the standards for the job should be the qualifying factors and not one's gender. Going by your logic we should perhaps exclude women from applying to armed forces as well.

I was not talking about PM ujwala yojna or any similar positive welfare scheme. Although ideally there should be a fixed timeline till when such doles should be continued. However since this is a dolocracy probably such doles will never be cancelled. But there are other schemes too which are highly objectionable. For example Just check the budget for minority affairs.

And no I am not in favour of transgenders entering military. As far as women are concerned they should be inducted only for certain profiles for which they are suited. Also the standards for induction for men and women are not same. Infact they were never the same. Any one who has seen SSB process or CAPF recruitment will tell you the same. Women have always been inducted in Armed forces against a dedicated quota set up for them.

According to you it should be "sense of purpose, dedication to serve the nation and ability to meet the standards for the job" should be the criteria. The reality especially the actual battlefield conditions are not that simple.

But if you want to continue to give up your hard earned money in form of taxes for such endeavours who am I complain.

Ambar · Post by **Ambar** » 24 May 2021 22:12

Why should welfare programs expire ? As the population continues to rise, as new labour /consumers expand and contribute directly or indirectly towards the welfare programs they are also entitled to its benefits.

Women and transgenders have fought in wars since the days of Mahabharata, every developed nation in this world allows women to serve in almost all combat roles from submarines to fighter jets to infantry. It is silly to think they are any less capable or less effective in CAPF roles when BSF,CISF and CRPF has been using them for years now.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 24 May 2021 22:21

I hope they take this to the logical conclusion on Twitter and Instagram.

Force localization of data, transparency in algorithms.
Pass relevant laws.
Fix local responsibility of the law.
Apply local financial and criminal laws

greatde · Post by **greatde** » 24 May 2021 22:26

Can BJP alone to resolve our civilization problems, the centuries old Hindu issues?
Can Hindu causes alone lead to election victories?

The answer is NO. We cannot expect a political party to do it all. Where is the support system? Even with a favorable government, how many new pro-Hindu narratives in mainstream over last 7 years? I can think of OpIndia, Republic, and that's it. It is nothing compared to the other side. So put the money where the mouth is. Then, how many associations, influencers, celebs actively raise support for BJP or actively target the Congress alliances? They prefer to be silent and afraid to stand up.

Even with one of the most Hinduphobic state government, MB still won. Similarly, even with RJB & 370, BJP didn't do well enough in MH/HY 2019 elections. Instead of, can we reply on BJP, it should be the other way around. BJP cannot rely on its traditional H voters especially given their low turnouts and entitlement behavior.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 24 May 2021 22:33

Neela wrote:
@MJ_007Club
**** BIG BREAKING ****

TWITTER INDIA MD, MANISH MAHESHWARI, RESPONDS TO 21 MAY POLICE NOTICE. HE SAYS THAT THE TOOLKIT #MANIPULATEDMEDIA ISSUE SHOULD BE DIVERTED TO THE US AS HE IS NOT EMPLOYED BY #TWITTER INDIA, BUT IS AN EMPLOYEE OF THE US FIRM. HE HAS NO ROLE IN IT.

Is he then being paid in US Dollars, has he registered for FCRA?

darshhan · Post by **darshhan** » 24 May 2021 22:35

Ambar wrote:Why should welfare programs expire ? As the population continues to rise, as new labour /consumers expand and contribute directly or indirectly towards the welfare programs they are also entitled to its benefits.

Women and transgenders have fought in wars since the days of Mahabharata, every developed nation in this world allows women to serve in almost all combat roles from submarines to fighter jets to infantry. It is silly to think they are any less capable or less effective in CAPF roles when BSF,CISF and CRPF has been using them for years now.

I doubt there is anything more left to discuss between us. You believe in Social Justice and welfare. I believe in strict meritocracy along with investing heavily in advanced technology and a lean govt. Contrary to what idealists think there is no meeting point between the two approaches until unless you deploy your own money printer. Feel free to disagree

Pratyush · Post by **Pratyush** » 24 May 2021 22:48

Darshan, in an ideal world you would be correct. But we don't live in an ideal world. The fact that even after 70 years of independence. We have such a massive dependent population is a matter of shame.

They are dependent because employment opportunities were systematically destroyed by successive central and state governments. So that they can have a solid and dependable vote bank.

The fact that we are in the second term of Modi is a testament to the desire of a significant numbers of this population to aspire to have more than what welfare will provide.

But the fact remains that a significant section of this population is still dependent and will remain dependent until they develop the courage to take risks and build a new business.

We can encourage an entrepreneurial culture with time. But it cannot be willed into existence.

In the meantime we are compelled by our circumstances to support a welfare state.

shravanp · Post by **shravanp** » 24 May 2021 23:10

greatde wrote:Can BJP alone to resolve our civilization problems, the centuries old Hindu issues?
Can Hindu causes alone lead to election victories?
....
Even with one of the most Hinduphobic state government, MB still won. Similarly, even with RJB & 370, BJP didn't do well enough in MH/HY 2019 elections. Instead of, can we reply on BJP, it should be the other way around. BJP cannot rely on its traditional H voters especially given their low turnouts and entitlement behavior.

I think thats pretty accurate observation. Not intending to self flagellate, but Hindus have notoriously short memory of atrocities. There is also total. lack of financially strong organization that would propagate the atrocity literature. Can't count on RSS for that as they are doing yeoman's service at community level. It took a massive loads of atrocity to make one single Shivaji Maharaj. And that too his journey was not without traitors trying to undermine him. So fragile and not-so-perseverant Hindu resistance is, his son was taken out by one of traitors (Sangameshwar incident). However there's one thing that sets Hindus apart. Their ability to donate. Look at RJB temple. Donation went way past the targeted amount. Checkout BAPS Swaminarayan temples donations. If getting temples out of gov control may seem impossible, then the best course of action would be to crowd source Hindu agencies (prop em up) that would work for the benefit of Hindu wellfare, and possible evangelize non Hindus into the fold.

AshishA · Post by **AshishA** » 25 May 2021 00:58

I think we need to build a case against Twitter. A case which will detail all the choicest bad content on their website and the violation of their guidelines. List out all the vile things that would normally disgust a aam admi from their platform and then amplify using Republic, opindia and Twitter itself. And personally target their executives on various charges which one will surely find if one looks deeply into it. Then wait for a riot or something similar to Delhi riots happen or when people are angry. Then immediately ban it.

Another thing is, if their India executives are harassed and the dirt on them uncovered it will be a big blow to their reputation here.

Like for example, when one of the admins of reddit was accused of sexual abuse and child abuse it brought a lot of trouble for reddit.

The best time to ban Twitter was during the Delhi riots which could have been justified as Twitter was used to spread violence etc. Here's the official reason for banning Facebook in China. Need to follow the same template.

Judges will also keep quite if they see public sentiments against them.

In China, Facebook was blocked following the July 2009 Ürümqi riots because Xinjiang independence activists were using Facebook as part of their communications network, and Facebook denied giving the information of the activists.[11] Some Chinese users also believed that Facebook would not succeed in China after Google China's problems.[12] Renren (formerly Xiaonei) has many features similar to Facebook, and complies with PRC Government regulations regarding content filtering

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 25 May 2021 01:26

except for Koo which is fully compliant with current Indian laws

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 25 May 2021 02:32

If Twitter can mark a post media manipulation perhaps it can be mandated to also add a preface “post manipulation by an American for profit corporation”.

That would be strictly correct.

V_Raman · Post by **V_Raman** » 25 May 2021 02:37

Hindu causes will only get addressed in spikes. BJP winning second term is only due to once in a 100 yr person like NaMo. If below are addressed - by 2024 - I am happy

UCC
complete ram temple
implement CAA and get citizenship all refugees
implement agri law changes

the political landscape is fundamentally changed after that

NJAC/RTE - may not be possible by then

personally - i am not expecting NDA to win again in 2024

madhu · Post by **madhu** » 25 May 2021 06:35

why modi cannot use this opportunity of covid vaccination to collect ID for implementation of NRC? Everyone who told "kagaz nahi dikayange" is standing in queue with papers for vaccination. Left is only -18 which u can always demand from parents

banrjeer · Post by **banrjeer** » 25 May 2021 07:20

Of course Social media has biases about what counts as appropriate and what is offensive. But a big problem is that these biases are outsourced to bots.
It will become ever harder to press charges of hate and racism when the culprit is a bot whose views are legitimized by crowdsourced learning.

Over time the bots have got trained on biases from the more vociferous "Woke", South Asia, Paki crowd and its breeding a newer generation of human trainees like the Swati Chaturvedi types of NDTV. Ever anxious to signal refinement to firang proxies by showing distain and distance from the brown coolie.

She revels in gaumutra jibes, but such taunts were fashionable in paki circles once.

Kaivalya · Post by **Kaivalya** » 25 May 2021 07:31

madhu wrote:why modi cannot use this opportunity of covid vaccination to collect ID for implementation of NRC? Everyone who told "kagaz nahi dikayange" is standing in queue with papers for vaccination. Left is only -18 which u can always demand from parents

I am guessing it is falling in the gap of state & centre. I dont think there are like minded state partners who want to test the waters. I have been following a pattern:

PDS centralization was piloted in a few states nationwide implementation
Vaccine distribution /reporting was piloted in few states before nationwide implementation
I have to go back and check about led bulbs to jail jeevan mission.

What state can this be piloted first? Or a few states?

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 25 May 2021 08:47

darshhan wrote:Here is an example of your tax money at work.

Indian paramilitary to induct transgender officers

The Indian government has decided to induct members of transgender community in the country's elite paramilitary forces ending discrimination against the marginalised section.
Instead of fighting actual enemies our leaders are more interested in forming Kinnar regiment. I could probably give hundreds of such examples. But that's about it.

So please continue to file your returns on time.

Sorry, but what is it that you find wrong here?

Jarita · Post by **Jarita** » 25 May 2021 09:54

First world wokism in a developing country is a horrendously costly endeavor. The cost is not just the actual cost of these wild gestures but the cost is the consequences.
Stop this wokism and defend our borders. These are huge distractions that the developed world can afford. Who is trying to score brownie points with this wasteful ridiculousness. Do this when our borders are secure and we have some global clout. Then you can show off.

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 25 May 2021 10:16

darshhan wrote:
Ambar wrote:Why should welfare programs expire ? As the population continues to rise, as new labour /consumers expand and contribute directly or indirectly towards the welfare programs they are also entitled to its benefits.

Women and transgenders have fought in wars since the days of Mahabharata, every developed nation in this world allows women to serve in almost all combat roles from submarines to fighter jets to infantry. It is silly to think they are any less capable or less effective in CAPF roles when BSF,CISF and CRPF has been using them for years now.
I doubt there is anything more left to discuss between us. You believe in Social Justice and welfare. I believe in strict meritocracy along with investing heavily in advanced technology and a lean govt. Contrary to what idealists think there is no meeting point between the two approaches until unless you deploy your own money printer. Feel free to disagree

From the point of view of Indian electoral politics, it doesn't matter what you believe in. You don't vote in India and people who share your opinions don't vote in India. If they did, Vajpayee wouldn't have lost in 2004.

The Republican "meritocracy and small government" argument no longer holds water even in the US. Even in the reddest of states, GOP leaders have had to supplement it with all kinds of other outrage-mongering rubbish in order to bring out the vote: "Gays, Guns & God" in the 2000s and "Build The Wall" etc in the Trump era.

That's why, for all the hype, Ron & Rand Paul have fared miserably in every Presidential Primary... and even the high-priest of '90s fiscal conservatism, Newt Gingrich, has pivoted 180 degrees to fully embrace Trump's populist protectionism. The future of the Republican Party is Trump for exactly this reason... he brought back jobs & imposed tariffs in total defiance of the Wall Street/"small government" lobby, and handed out money directly to the people in stimulus cheques. Nothing lean or meritocratic about it.

I can't think of a perspective that could be less relevant to India... let alone to this alleged "Core Hindu voter" one hears so much about.

madhu · Post by **madhu** » 25 May 2021 10:26

Kaivalya wrote:
madhu wrote:why modi cannot use this opportunity of covid vaccination to collect ID for implementation of NRC? Everyone who told "kagaz nahi dikayange" is standing in queue with papers for vaccination. Left is only -18 which u can always demand from parents
I am guessing it is falling in the gap of state & centre. I dont think there are like minded state partners who want to test the waters. I have been following a pattern:

PDS centralization was piloted in a few states nationwide implementation
Vaccine distribution /reporting was piloted in few states before nationwide implementation
I have to go back and check about led bulbs to jail jeevan mission.

What state can this be piloted first? Or a few states?

How does that matter. According to the 2004 amendments of the Citizenship Act, people of the country, except those in Assam, whose one parent is an Indian and neither is an illegal immigrant are also considered Indian citizens.
Now 2004 are 18yrs which coincidentally cutoff date for vaccine.
So the more than important question is what is the basis for 18? Is it scientific or add hoc like 3 mtr or 15 mins rule of covid?

sudarshan · Post by **sudarshan** » 25 May 2021 10:30

Jarita wrote:First world wokism in a developing country is a horrendously costly endeavor. The cost is not just the actual cost of these wild gestures but the cost is the consequences.
Stop this wokism and defend our borders. These are huge distractions that the developed world can afford. Who is trying to score brownie points with this wasteful ridiculousness. Do this when our borders are secure and we have some global clout. Then you can show off.

First of all, the headlines about "ending discrimination against a marginalized community" come from the media. Did the paramilitary actually say that? Or is it press spin? Even if that language actually comes from the paramilitary, simply by giving all sections equal rights to serve, that does not become wokism. If they are physically and mentally capable of defending the borders, there should be no discrimination against them on other grounds.

Wokism is when they try to compete in girls' sports claiming to be women, and thus deprive girls of the opportunity to compete on equal terms. Or other things like that, which are so far a unique feature of certain advanced countries. Or when they start demanding (and getting) unequal rights. If they're putting in their best to defend the country against external enemies, that's fine, good for them, no sense in denying them the opportunity to do so. If they instead put in efforts in out-competing their colleagues and demanding special privileges over and above their colleagues, simply because of the community they belong to, that would be wokism.

Rudradev · Post by **Rudradev** » 25 May 2021 10:36

Some people would call Ekal Vidyalaya "woke" for having worked to educate underprivileged Adivasis. Next, they would call the people who run gaushalas "woke" because of too much surface commonality with animal-rights activists and vegans. This is what happens with the lazy application of Western political paradigms to situations where they have no more relevance than a bicycle in a fish pond.

AshishA · Post by **AshishA** » 25 May 2021 10:46

https://m.timesofindia.com/india/twitte ... 1620031255

NEW DELHI: There is outrage at the India office and the global headquarters of American micro-blogging giant Twitter following the raid by Delhi Police, and the company’s worldwide deputy general counsel and VP (legal), Jim Baker – who is also a former FBI official -- has been roped in to take stock of the situation.

Sources say that the US government may also be approached by the company as the escalations in India over the ‘manipulated media’ tag to the BJP’s tool-kit tweets has spiraled over after the action by the police in Delhi.
“The only good part is that the local offices in India had been shut due to the Covid situation. The global HQs has stepped into the matter and is closely coordinating with the India team,” top sources told TOI.

While the company is yet to give out any official statement on the issue, sources say that there was a situation of “near panic” after the Delhi Police's Special Cell served a notice to Twitter India, with two teams descending on its offices in Delhi and Gurgaon.
The company’s global team was informed of the development, even though it was near pre-dawn in the US at the time of Delhi Police’s action.

There is a large amount of distrust that has built up within Twitter’s global officials regarding the Indian government following the series of regulatory challenges over demands to take down content which is seemingly critical of the official machinery.

In February earlier this year, government sources had even objected to Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s decision to ‘like’ some of the tweets that had been made in support of the farmers protests, saying it “raised questions over the neutrality of the platform.”

Baker, it is believed, will lead the next steps on the matter as he was also instrumental in dealing with the previous escalation of Twitter in India when the government had threatened to arrest officials of the company and impose a financial penalty over its reluctance to take down over a 1,400 accounts that were accused of carrying “inflammatory content” regarding the farm laws.

After efforts by Twitter’s India team did not reap much results, the company had deputed Baker to carry out the discussions with the Indian government. The matter was finally sorted out after his coming into the picture, and Twitter ended up in disabling nearly 97% of the users flagged off by the Indian government.

Is this for real? Outrage at India office and Global HQ? Amount of distrust? Is this a company or a foreign power that we have open channels of diplomatic communication? Unbelievable levels of entitlement is being observed here. I would prefer nothing else that a complete ban on this anti India company.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 25 May 2021 11:13

Lakshadweep: Modi & Co have got this right.
At this time when anti-Modi sentiments are high, this is one area where he and BJP have got things right. Lakshadweep was slowly becoming an Islamic state, and it was time that Jehad tendencies were nipped in the bud.

Zynda · Post by **Zynda** » 25 May 2021 11:36

To start with, expect a lot of outrage in international press about India raiding Twitter offices over criticism of Right Wing government and consequently GoI's efforts to silence the platform by using state law & order machinery. Could also except a couple of statements from White House about US's concerns on FoE restrictions etc. This will start eating in to GoI and hopefully I am wrong but very best is a few days shut down of Twitter. Except flurry of activity on Kooapp by primarily non-liberal folks for a few weeks and once Twitter is back in action, Kooapp is gonna go back to the obscurity it is now. Hopefully, this will lead to amendment in Internet rules including localization of data along with other changes which would make it a little bit more challenging for these online platforms to do business without impunity or taking responsibility.

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 25 May 2021 12:08

Just ban it for a couple of days... As a warning shot. I can only imagine how many users Twitter will lose out on. It had better comply or face the possiblity of losing this massive market.

If Google can acquiesce to the great Chinese firewall/golden shield, I don't see why Twitter can't be a good boy with India. Leverage the size of the Indian market and keep bif in check.

AshishA · Post by **AshishA** » 25 May 2021 12:11

Zynda wrote:To start with, expect a lot of outrage in international press about India raiding Twitter offices over criticism of Right Wing government and consequently GoI's efforts to silence the platform by using state law & order machinery. Could also except a couple of statements from White House about US's concerns on FoE restrictions etc. This will start eating in to GoI and hopefully I am wrong but very best is a few days shut down of Twitter. Except flurry of activity on Kooapp by primarily non-liberal folks for a few weeks and once Twitter is back in action, Kooapp is gonna go back to the obscurity it is now. Hopefully, this will lead to amendment in Internet rules including localization of data along with other changes which would make it a little bit more challenging for these online platforms to do business without impunity or taking responsibility.

I believe a Toolkit is being prepared to be distributed among all the BIF forces in case Twitter is banned. Similar to the lines of what happened in farmer's protest. A coordinated smear campaign will be launched on the predicted lines. We must be ready for it with our version of the Toolkit.

Lisa · Post by **Lisa** » 25 May 2021 13:24

IMHO, How to deploy toolkit if Twitter is banned? More to the point, other social media channels will concern themselves more with compliance and less with toolkits in fear. if example/precedence is established.