Indian Interests

[Varoon Shekhar]

"But the threat to India will increase since other countries will look at India as hegemonistic."

And these countries, particularly specific groups within, will see India as hegemonistic because 1) they are mirroring their own intentions, and 2) because that dichotomy( of dominating-dominated) is all they understand. They cannot appreciate qualities like interdependence, multi-polarity, pluralism, syncretism, eclecticism and universalism. India certainly advocates and supports such values, while maintaining its sovereignty.

[svinayak]

Indian demographic expansion will change the demand pattern of food, goods and services and smaller countries have to adapt to that larger demand.
Indian demand for importing energy, food and other raw materials due to industrialization will create economic influence and currency dominance.
Indian military foot print and political influence will increase which will effect the smaller nations independent political options.

Larger nations will also have less influence in their tradition area of smaller countries due to overlap with expanding Indian influence. Larger nations using proxy countries will have it harder to use them against India.

[Varoon Shekhar]

True, but that increasing influence will be virtually all for the good, since India is not a colonial or domineering country. India itself has no history of 'using smaller countries' against some larger power. Nor will India, unlike the US, UK, Russia, France and China, prop up dictatorships or obnoxious oligarchies( comparable to North Korea, Pakistan) as a hedge, counter or bargaining tactic against another country. India will seek consensus and mutuality. China doesn't understand or appreciate this philosophy, while the US and UK almost certainly understand it, but are against it, simply because the ideology reduces their own power, including the power to create mischief.

Indian spokesmen, like Shashi Tharoor, should put this idea across articulately and forcefully in international forums. It's certain that the majority of the world's countries will support India.

[svinayak]

China doesn't understand or appreciate this philosophy, while the US and UK almost certainly understand it, but are against it, simply because the ideology reduces their own power, including the power to create mischief.
.

But China is also an experiment of the colonial powers and is a propped up power.

[RajeshA]

But China is also an experiment of the colonial powers and is a propped up power.

That would be post-1971 right?

[svinayak]

From 1949

[ramana]

Acharya, True Quigley doesn't talk about demographics explicitly. Its implicit in the Universal Empire expansion phase. If you note India's population exploded in that expansion phase once the Colonial period famines and diseases were tackled. Take a look at the demographics data.

However what about the rest of the discourse?

[Atri]

We need more ladies in dharmik fold, especially in north and center.. RajeshA ji's model of bringing wives from TSP into Hindu families should be pursued by any nationalistic government. Aman ki asha can be used in this way, if steered properly.. the 2011 census data is not very encouraging..

[RajeshA]

We need more ladies in dharmik fold, especially in north and center.. RajeshA ji's model of bringing wives from TSP into Hindu families should be pursued by any nationalistic government. Aman ki asha can be used in this way, if steered properly.. the 2011 census data is not very encouraging..

Instead of Samjhota Express, we should try a Pakeezah Express!

Actually it would not be bad if there are considerations of Jāti in any match-making! It keeps the connection strong and the Pakeezah would be much more willing to fit in.

[Philip]

Here is an excellent piece from Lt.Gen.Sinha (retd),who always writes with great intellect.He makes a fine disticntion between the "Old Congress"-which put national interests first,and the "New Congress" -which puts party interests frist!

http://www.asianage.com/columnists/sele ... larism-482

Selective secularism
May 08, 2013

Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the Haj subsidy. He did this to give Muslims confidence in India’s secular ideals and not for any votebank considerations.

Today, we have a larger English-speaking population in the US followed by India than in Britain. American English has features different from Queen’s English. Not only are its spellings and intonation different, it lays less emphasis on grammar and has injected new words and idioms. India has followed suit but not in spellings.

We have changed the meaning and connotation of certain English words, like secularism.
“Secularism” stands for complete separation in the powers of the Church (religion) and the state. A secular state is not supposed to have any religion or show any bias for any religion. Today, heads of state and government in secular countries, except the sovereign in Britain, are not administered the oath of office by a religious functionary. In India, our heads of state are administered the oath of office by the Chief Justice of India. Heads of state administer the oath of office to the Prime Minister, chief ministers and ministers. The individual has the choice of taking the oath by his/her religious book or without it, and without any reference to God, as per his/her choice.
Jawaharlal Nehru, basically an agnostic, used secular policy to heal the wounds of Partition holocaust. The resentment of Hindu fanatics had to be kept in check and Muslim fears of being treated as second-class citizens in truncated India had to be laid to rest irrespective of what was happening to minorities in east and west Pakistan. At that time, celebrated Muslim actors like Dilip Kumar and Meena Kumari had adopted Hindu names to become more acceptable in India.
Nehru introduced the Haj subsidy, which is not given even in any Islamic country. He did this to give Muslims confidence in India’s secular ideals and not for any votebank considerations. At present, Muslims and people from other minority communities have reached top positions on the basis of their merit in various industries, films, politics, judiciary, military and government departments. This is a legacy of the secular policy promoted by Nehru.
In July last year, we witnessed a Hindu President of India being administered the oath of office by a Parsi Chief Justice in the presence of a Muslim vice-president, a Christian leader of the ruling party, a Sikh Prime Minister, a Sikh Army Chief and a Christian Air Chief. This is unique, the like of which has not been seen anywhere else in the world. Six of our states have had chief ministers from the Muslim community when the population of Muslims in all these states is only about 10 per cent. In five states where non-Hindus are in majority, we have never had a Hindu chief minister. All this underscores our secular credentials.
The Congress and some other political parties pursue the policy of appeasement for votebank politics behind a façade of what they call secularism. Nehru’s secularism did not include holding iftar parties at public expense. This is now standard practise. State functions for other religions are not held. Little concern is shown for four lakh Kashmiri Pandits who were subjected to ethnic cleansing and have been living like refugees for over two decades in their own country. They are officially called migrants and as such are not eligible for aid from UN refugee funds. Thirty thousand non-Muslim refugees who came to Jammu from West Pakistan in 1947 are now over one lakh. They are denied citizenship rights, while hundreds of Tibetan Muslims (now in their thousands), who came to Srinagar in 1950 on China occupying their country, were given full citizenship rights. The non-Muslim refugees who came from elsewhere in India were immediately given full citizenship rights. Two of them became Prime Ministers and one deputy prime minister. Information regarding vandalisation of a hundred Hindu temples in Kashmir during ethnic cleansing in 1989-90 was virtually kept under wraps, while the condemnable demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 continues to be exploited for political gains to this day.
During the late 1960s, B.K. Nehru, a cousin of Indira Gandhi, was the governor of Assam and B.P. Chaliha, a veteran Congressman, was the chief minister of the state. They recommended action to stop illegal migration from East Pakistan into Assam. This was changing the demography of the state, affecting state politics and posing a threat to national security. They were not allowed to take action. In his autobiography, B.K. Nehru laments that whereas the old Congress gave priority to national interest, for the new Congress party interest was supreme.
The UPA government has been going a step further by not only continuing with its appeasement policy for votes but also virtually adopting an anti-majority policy. Forming of coalition governments at the Centre and in states with an avowedly communal party like the Muslim League, which has exclusive Muslim membership, is acceptable to it. At the state level, the Congress has had communal parties like All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) of the Owaisi brothers and All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) of Maulana Badruddin Ajmal as coalition partners. These two parties openly preach hatred against the majority community.
The BJP is condemned as communal and treated as untouchable, even though it has some Muslim members with few holding key positions in the party. Whereas a `22 crore Haj House was constructed at Dwarka in Delhi in 2008, a lease of 1,000 square yards of barren land at Baltal, on payment of `2.2 crore for providing temporary shelters for Amarnath pilgrims, was rescinded. Narendra Modi, newly appointed chief minister of Gujarat in 2002, was faced with the gruesome carnage in the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, which led to ghastly killings of Muslims by Hindu mobs.
The state administration failed to prevent the massive outburst and ghastly massacre of Muslims for two days. The Army was called on the third day. The Army and the police opened fire at mobs, killing both Hindus and Muslims before peace was restored. Legal action is still taking place against the guilty. Some Hindus and Muslims have been convicted and punished. So far, despite prolonged inquiries, Mr Modi has not been found personally guilty. Yet he continues to be demonised.
After Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Rajiv Gandhi addressed a public meeting and said that when a big tree falls, the earth shakes. This encouraged Congress goons to go on the rampage for four days. They massacred double the number of Sikhs in Delhi than the casualties in Gujarat. The police remained a silent spectator. Neither Rajiv Gandhi nor his much experienced home minister P.V. Narasimha Rao called for Army assistance for four days. Once the Army was summoned, the situation was brought under control without any firing. Nearly 20 years have passed and hardly any action has been taken against anyone for the carnage in Delhi.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has declared that Muslims will be given priority on the resources of the state over all other communities and is vigorously pursuing this agenda. He should, instead, in keeping with the Preamble of the Constitution, ensure that all economically deprived people, irrespective of religion, are treated alike. The nation needs genuine secularism.

The writer, a retired lieutenant-general, was Vice-Chief of Army Staff and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir
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[member_19686]

So JLN started haj subsidy to give Muslims confidence, why begrudge his descendants their iftar parties then. They too argue that these parties boost Muslim confidence.

And of course the obligatory BS about "Hindu fanatics" , yes the great threat were the non existent Hindu fanatics not the Muslims who voted for the Muslim League in overwhelming majority, murdered lakhs of Hindus with the help of British scum and got their Pakistan but refuse to move there.

MMS is a true manasaputra of Nehru in his hatred for Hindus & elevation of "minorities" to the first claim on the nation's resources. If JLN was alive he would wholeheartedly approve of it as he did the same things in his lifetime.

[RamaY]

Six of our states have had chief ministers from the Muslim community when the population of Muslims in all these states is only about 10 per cent. In five states where non-Hindus are in majority, we have never had a Hindu chief minister. All this underscores our secular credentials.

Whose secular credentials?

[ramana]

Again for clarification. For me every issue is how does it impact India:politically, econmically, socially and culturally? That is how I determine Indian interests?

It really simplifies things.

[svinayak]

Acharya, True Quigley doesn't talk about demographics explicitly. Its implicit in the Universal Empire expansion phase. If you note India's population exploded in that expansion phase once the Colonial period famines and diseases were tackled. Take a look at the demographics data.

However what about the rest of the discourse?

http://www.carrollquigley.net/pdf/Carro ... itions.pdf

[Sanku]

O boy, o boy o boy (capital is not mine please mods -- that is the text of telegram)

http://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1 ... 453_b.html

UNI WIRELESS SERVICE REPORTED AUGUST 21 FROM NEW DELHI THAT
EX-RULER OF GWALIOR MADHAV RAO SCINDIA RESIGNED FROM JANA SANGH
AND HAS OFFERED SUPPORT TO MRS GANDHI'S NEW ECONOMIC PROGRAM
WHICH HE REPORTEDLY CONVEYED IN A LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER.
SCINDIA, ACCORDING TO OUR INFORMATION, WENT INTO HIDING SOON
AFTER THE EMERGENCY. HIS MOTHER, MRS VIJAYA RAJE SCINDIA,
VICE PRESIDENT OF JANA SANGH, IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN
ARRESTED IN NEW DELHI ON JUNE 29 AFTER OFFERING SATYAGRAHA.
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE

AS REPORTED EARLIER, THE SCINDIA FAMILY AND THE BUSINESSES
OWNED BY IT ATTRACTED THE ATTENTION OF INCOME TAX
AUTHORITIES AND WAS SUBJECTED TO SEARCHES INCLUDING SEIZURE OF
IMPORTANT BUSINESS DOCUMENTS. IN OUR VIEW, SCINDIA BUCKLED UNDER
STRONG GOVERNMENT PRESSURES WHICH, IF CONTINUED, COULD
HAVE BEEN RUINOUS FINANCIALLY FOR HIM.

THE RSS-BASED CADRE OF JANA SANGH IS WORST
AFFECTED IN MADHYA PRADESH. WE LEARN THAT ONE OF ITS
IMPORTANT FUNCTIONARIES DR SHEJWALKAR OF GWALIOR WHO WAS
ESCAPING MISA ARREST TILL NOW WAS RECENTLY ROUNDED UP. LITTLE
IS KNOWN ABOUT OTHERS SUCH AS KHUSHABHAU THAKRE,
PYARE LAL KHANDELWAL AND DR PATANKAR.

[abhishek_sharma]

Views from the Right

DO-NOTHING UPA

The Sangh Parivar journal continue to target the Union government over Sarabjit Singh's death and the Chinese incursion in eastern Ladakh. The latest edition of the Organiser has both issues on its cover. The death of Singh, it argues, was because of the UPA's diplomatic failure: "The spineless character of Congress-led UPA government... has cost dear to the nation. The recent three incidents — Chinese incursion in Ladakh, barbaric killing of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in Lahore jail and beheading of our soldier Hem Raj — have proved big blot on our diplomacy," the editorial says. It goes on to argue that Delhi failed to exert "diplomatic or international pressure" on Pakistan to at least respect the Geneva Conventions. It claims these incidents also put a question mark on India's potential as an emerging global power. As far as the Chinese incursion is concerned, the editorial claims that Chinese troops have intruded into the Indian territory 228 times in 2010, 213 times in 2011, 234 times in 2012 and 31 times from January to February this year and accuses the UPA of doing nothing.

DIGNITY & SAFETY

In an article, noted educationist J.S. Rajput talks about incidents of crime against women. He notes that the system of governance couldn't create any impact even after the Verma committee's report and the follow-up legislation, as practically every day the media reports several instances of cruelty and humiliation inflicted on girls and women. He says gender justice will remain elusive till the system of governance is fully and totally committed to values and sincerely performs the assigned tasks: "The problem is to create a functional system that is equipped in skills and attitudes to serve the people. There is no way out than to ensure serious efforts to teach fundamental duties to citizens and official functionaries without delay..." Rajput attacks the UPA without naming it: "Those in power claim vociferously to be sole inheritors of Gandhian legacy. In reality, they have negated every human and democratic value in public life. When corruption is rampant at the top, it is futile to expect adherence to values and honest performance of duties from others..."

MODI'S SAINTS

The Sangh weeklies prominently feature Narendra Modi's recent visit to Baba Ramdev's ashram in Haridwar. The Organiser report talks about the standing ovation Modi received from the saints, many defining him as a "sadhu without saffron" and comparing him with Vivekananda: "Every saint tried to underline that Modi was elevated to the post of Chief Minister from a son of a tea seller. Everybody eulogised his simplicity. A saint said around 150 years ago, Ramakrishna Paramhansa called 'Narendra' and directed him to work for the cause of the nation. Incidentally, today the saints are again looking at 'Narendra' who has dedicated his life for the nation," the report states.

While the Organiser is silent on the chants for declaring Modi prime ministerial candidate, the report recalls a saint saying that the "country needs leaders like Narendra Modi who can make every hurdle a stepping stone in the progress of the country." It quotes Ramdev himself saying that Modi alone can give the country the kind of leadership it is looking for.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.

[kish]

Chidambaram ⃰ and Sibal ⃰are making fun of BJP (reg: Karnataka elections), while they don't realize they are the objects of Joke in Scams.

*Chiddu making fun of Jaswant singh.
*Sibal's innings defeat comment.
⃰⃰⃰

[kish]

Looks like Sheila Dikshit is preparing for Delhi elections.

20 fabricated cases , either something is seriously wrong with intelligence agencies or politicians are bloody liars.

Delhi CM meets Md. Amir Khan who spent 14 years in jail

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today met Md. Amir Khan, who spent 14 years in jail in 20 fabricated cases of bomb blasts, at her residence. CPIM leader Brinda Karat and women rights activist and columnist Sehba Farooqui were also present.

Aamir thanked Sheila Dikshit for giving him time and for her ‘comforting words.’ He told TCN that the Delhi CM was sympathetic towards him and expressed her concerns the way Muslim youths are arbitrarily detained. Aamir spoke about the compensation package he had urged a year ago in his meeting with the Principal Secretary of Delhi. According to Aamir, Dikshit has assured him of all possible support.

Speaking to TCN, Aamir also thanked all the civil society members, who helped him in different ways. He was particularly thankful to Sehba Farooqui and Brinda Karat for their efforts. Aamir also had words of praise for Shabnam Hashmi, with whom he now works, at ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy).

TwoCircles.net was the first news portal to break the sad story of Aamir. In August, 2010 Md. Ali of TCN (currently working with The Hindu) detailed the plight of Aamir and his family in an article 12 yrs in jail and counting: Story of Amir – a victim of war on terror , after he by chance briefly met Aamir in a Teeshazari Court in Delhi.

[kish]

Secularism is how other religionist should bend over and accommodate religious feelings of muslims. How about banning 'cow slaughter' shafucq-ur-rehman? traitor!

BSP MP who walked out of Vande Mataram sees no reason to apologise

When Speaker Meira Kumar lost her temper over an MP walking out of Parliament during the playing of the national song Vande Mataram, everyone wondered who it was. Now BSP MP Shafiq-ur-Rehman Burq has admitted he was the guilty MP, but says he sees no reason to apologise or explain why he showed disrespect to the song.

“I will not write any letter. Why should I write?” Burq told CNN-IBN when asked if he would write a letter to the Speaker explaining why he walked out while the song was playing.

And no, the legislator also sees nothing wrong with what he did.

“Of course I did the right thing. I have not acted against the constitution. The status of the national song under the constitution is not the same as that accorded to the national anthem. I completely respect the national anthem. I honour the national anthem,” Burq said.

“India is a democracy, there is secularism here. Under secularism when there are 30 crore Muslims living in the country you have to be considerate towards their emotions as well,” Burq said.

“I request that Muslims not be compelled to sing this song since it is against the Sharia.. the song tells people to bow before Bharat Mata,” he said.

[RamaY]

BSP MP who walked out of Vande Mataram sees no reason to apologise“I request that Muslims not be compelled to sing this song since it is against the Sharia.. the song tells people to bow before Bharat Mata,” he said.

There always exist these elements who demand that their anti-national behavior is entertained else India would not be secular.That is why NM said "India First" is his definition of secularism. I remember some Modi supporters felt it is not Hindutva enough.

So now we know that if If India have to fight a war against Islamic elements , then this Secular and his type will not act on behalf of Indian security because its against Sharia. Sharia over Indian spirit of Motherland .
Shariat Pey hai Secular Dill Naasaz
Indian Security Intersts Ka Nahi Andaaz
Gaddari Issi Kaa Naam Hai.

Pyarullah,

There still can be a fine line. This individual did not say he wouldnt fight for or protect Bharat from external aggression. He simply not consider it as worthy of reverence, per his religious convictions. IMHO, he would fight for her more viciously than others for he occupies/owns/enjoys.

This is how Mughals ruled Bharat. They protected their kingdoms, coincidentally it was Bharat, from external aggressors same as a Hindu king would. Same goes with British who perhaps did more to Bharat (I read this comment in some thread today/yesterday) by protecting its frontiers and even extending its territory, even if they did so as colonizers.

When you take a good dose of Secularism, an individual is considered the protector of a girl, irrespective of whether he considers her as his Devata/mother or sister/daughter/friend or wife/concubines or sex-slave/prostitute. When people say secularism is an unifier, this is how they do it.

[svinayak]

India First should be promoted.

[JE Menon]

Things are not quite so easily compartmentalised. Yesterday, I had a four hour discussion with a businessman of Indian origin, hardcore supporter of Narendra Modi, very conservative Hindu. Here is a verbatim quote: "Thank god for the British. If it was not for them, India would not be where we are, and would still be ruled by Muslims"... and then went on into a paean for the Brits...

[member_20292]

^^ may be true

[RamaY]

Things are not quite so easily compartmentalised. Yesterday, I had a four hour discussion with a businessman of Indian origin, hardcore supporter of Narendra Modi, very conservative Hindu. Here is a verbatim quote: "Thank god for the British. If it was not for them, India would not be where we are, and would still be ruled by Muslims"... and then went on into a paean for the Brits...

Is it true, given the historical data posted on BR about Maratha empire?

[Anand K]

Guess not.
Half-a-Bismarck and another century of violence to retire the walking dead nawabs and assorted riff-raff of the North and to slice off the Deccan ulcer (Nizam kingdom) and it would have been a Desi Padpadshahi. However, they would have serious issues with the Sikhs and the Rajputs and Jats.... and the Maratha Confederacy Economy had a Rastafarian Rate of Growth too. If they were serious about pan-Indian consolidation there were the Polygars, Sultanates, Travancore Kingdom (with the menacing mundu-clad, oiled hair Nairs and Maravans ) and Kerala Swaroopams in the south too. Wonder what would have emerged from this mash-up.

But pliss to note every white skinned pirate in Oirope and the New Land was scrambling for Empire..... maybe the Americans would have come and distributed some sterilized blankets.... or the Germans goose-stepped a Drang Nach Osten over here.... maybe the Cossacks would have rode south and Sankuov would have been Grand Duke of Delhovy now . Somebody would have come to try and cage the Golden Bird.... that's a given. The Brits succeeded simply because the Company and their finances were strong at that critical point.... and synchronicity.

PS: I don't even want to imagine the Dutch instead of the Brits in India.

[RamaY]

Completely agree. There was simply not enough strength to fight off the forces of colonization. What happened might have happened anyway.

But that was not the gist of my post. All of them Mughals, Marathas, British and now the GoI is protecting and governing Bharat. Would that make all of them same? Would the "intention/world-view" behind this protection and governance matters at all?

If Yes how much, to the extent that it defines the nation or only to the extent that they do not become trouble makers? If the answer is later, then what is the difference between British Rule and post-independence? What was the objective of freedom struggle?

[Varoon Shekhar]

It's curious that when it comes to countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria, we don't see the high profile denunciations of colonialism, depictions of colonialism or discussions of it. India was not the only country that experienced and suffered from colonial exploitation. It's hard to believe that Nigerians and Kenyans don't have those complex memories and feelings toward their erstwhile rulers, as do Indians. Or is this also another clever British ploy, to throw the spotlight on their most powerful ex-colony, India, and completely ignore their other acts of paternalism and perfidy? The "Raj" in India has generated discussion and much entertainment. What about those other "Raj's" and what about the French, Dutch, Portuguese and Belgian ex-colonies, and their feelings and memories?

[Prem]

http://news.yahoo.com/caged-parrot-indi ... 27085.html
A "caged parrot" - Indian judge describes top police agency

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A packed New Delhi courtroom sat in rapt silence this week as an irate Supreme Court judge denounced the elite Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's version of the American FBI, as a "caged parrot" and "its master's voice".Justice R.M. Lodha loudly berated the attorney-general, the government's top lawyer, for what he said was clear evidence of interference in a CBI inquiry into alleged irregularities in the allocation of coalfield licenses to private companies, a case dubbed "Coalgate" by the Indian media.
The Supreme Court judge's statement gave, for the first time, an authoritative voice to opposition complaints that for years India's Congress party-led government had been using the investigating agency to cover up wrongdoing, keep fickle coalition allies in line and political opponents at bay.Government ministers and the CBI have repeatedly denied such accusations.
"The CBI conducts all investigations in a free, fair and impartial manner as per the law," said CBI spokeswoman Dharini Mishra.The judge's unusually harsh criticism has shone a spotlight on the role of the CBI - which has a mandate to investigate corruption and all major crimes - and its relationship with governments of the day in the world's largest democracy, in particular the nine-year-old Congress government, which has been battered by a series of corruption scandals.It has given ammunition to anti-corruption campaigners who say political interference in the CBI reinforces the need for an independent anti-graft body that can investigate corruption involving government officials. Legislation to set up such an agency is stalled in parliament.
Two former CBI directors told Reuters that the agency was subject to political influence, irrespective of which party happened to be in power at the time.
"The political class will never give independence to the CBI," said former director Joginder Singh, who says he was forced out after refusing to back off from an investigation into a chief minister of the eastern state of Bihar in the 1990s.
Vijay Shanker, who was CBI director between 2005 and 2008, said there was "no question" that political pressure was brought to bear on the agency, although he declined to say whether he had personally experienced such interference.
The CBI, which proudly proclaims its motto to be "Industry, Impartiality and Integrity", has denied the latest allegations and said the government made only minor changes to a confidential progress report on its Coalgate investigation. Not so, said Judge Lodha. The "heart of the report" had been altered, he thundered at a hearing on Wednesday.
KEY ALLY RUNNING SCAREDOpposition parties accuse Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress - which rules as part of a minority coalition - of dirty tricks to bully powerful but capricious regional parties to help keep it in power and support it on key parliamentary votes.Nominally the CBI is independent. But administrative control is with the Department of Personnel and Training, which falls under the prime minister's office.On operational matters, the agency has a number of masters, including the courts and the anti-graft Central Vigilance Commission."We have never, never misused our authority or position for the purpose of arm-twisting any of our alliances. The CBI has been functioning independently," Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy told Indian media recently.
A key ally of the government, Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose Samajwadi Party provides crucial support to the coalition in parliament, said in April he was at the mercy of the CBI, which is investigating him for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to his income.
"It's not easy to fight with the government. It has a thousand hands and can use the CBI and put one in jail," complained Yadav, whose party rules the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of 200 million.
The CBI investigation into the source of Yadav's wealth, launched in 2007, is still ongoing.Yadav is not alone. The CBI is investigating similar allegations involving Mayawati, the leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party, another Uttar Pradesh party on whom the government relies heavily for support in parliament.
India's main opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has alleged that the government used the threat of the CBI investigation to force Mayawati to back a controversial proposal to open up the country's retail sector to foreign investors even though she is on record as being opposed to it.Two days after another key regional ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party, pulled out of the government in March, CBI agents raided the home of a party leader, ostensibly in connection with a tax evasion case.The prime minister swiftly distanced himself from the action, but the damage was already done. Political opponents and local media interpreted the raid as an act of revenge for the DMK pullout, which whittled down the government's dwindling number of seats in parliament."Considering the enormous amount of misuse of political clout, the CBI has lost its credibility," Arun Jaitley, the BJP leader of the opposition in the upper house of parliament, said after the latest Coalgate revelations.When the BJP was in power from 1998-2004, however, it was also accused of using the CBI for its own ends."Every political party wants to accuse the political rival in power of misusing the CBI," former CBI director Shanker said. "And, the cycle continues."

[Atri]

AnandK ji,

Loved your post. Sarcasm and wit was fantastic. Especially Cossacks establishing Sankuv of Delhovy cracked me up. Im sure Sanku ji would take it sportingly and will have a clever retort ready to throw back at you at opportune moment.

ur scenario is quite plausible. However, there is one more variable to his. Indians would not be playing "goti" when all that you mention would be happening. Indians were gaming and learning things not so bad until the famine of 1790 and 1802 screwed them.

"What If there were no british", is not the right scenario, IMO. Correct counterfactual would be what if Indians did not lose in 1805? Or any war since against british, limiting brits to stature of french. Indians played europeans against each other for quite many decades before they lost control.

[abhishek_sharma]

>> "Thank god for the British. If it was not for them, India would not be where we are, and would still be ruled by Muslims"...

That is not surprising. Many people (from the northern region) were willing to overlook British crimes because they were relatively better than the Muslim rulers. This can be seen in the Hindi literature from that period.

>> and then went on into a paean for the Brits...

Of course, I don't think we should take it too far and start praising the British.

[Sanku]

. Especially Cossacks establishing Sankuv of Delhovy cracked me up. Im sure Sanku ji would take it sportingly and will have a clever retort ready to throw back at you at opportune moment.
.

Just in case any one was wondering why I have not been around to comment on it yet, I would just say, Atri-ji is most perceptive.

[JE Menon]

My point here is that shite is complicated, can't pin down stuff easily in our super-complex, super stratified, super skeptical society... Similarly someone like Tavleen Singh, now casually derided n another thread, can turn out to be the most acerbic critic of SoniaG...

Meanwhile, this aforementioned chaps business partner to be turns out to be a Mallu Christian, equally hardcore patriotic, Indian. And a Freemason. Like I said, shite is complicated.

[brihaspati]

>> "Thank god for the British. If it was not for them, India would not be where we are, and would still be ruled by Muslims"...

That is not surprising. Many people (from the northern region) were willing to overlook British crimes because they were relatively better than the Muslim rulers. This can be seen in the Hindi literature from that period.

>> and then went on into a paean for the Brits...

Of course, I don't think we should take it too far and start praising the British.

On the other hand they might have been praising the Brits because they happened to be the then ruling party, just as people go for unapologetic whitewashing of current regimes. They could now freely criticize the Muslims, because the Muslim coercive power had been broken. Praising a currently ruling or dominant regime, or lack of criticism of such a regime is not an automatic proof of absence of atrocities from that ruling side. The same logic could be applied to explain the relative paucity of contemporary Hindu narratives of trauma under Muslim rule.

A relatively sincere attempt at researching the 19th century, and even the latter parts of the 18th century, should reveal straightaway - that the Brits were in no way less atrocious than the much "admired" Dutch. For those who are keen on rescuing and protecting the image of the British empire and its record in India, there is a vast resource available in the now digitized access to collections held in the UK library/resources networks. I am sure they will enjoy the almost completely unknown pointers to the twisted evil that was the empire.

As for businessmen's profound assessments about the past and historical processes for a nation, I am sure they reflect a depth and prescience that the nation must be shaking in her saree about. The businessmen presided over the protection and welcoming of Gulf Islamists on the west coast for the one or two centuries before fall to Islamic rule. It must have been the profound insight into national destiny and fate and the correct assessment of the role of foreign forces - that led businessmen to help Clive and EIC, both in the Bengal delta as well as deep south.

It was "bad" "very very bad" under Muslim rule for Gujarati businessmen - because of their ancestors' profound national wisdom about the national importance of appeasing foreign merchant' religious interests had led to overthrow of the non-Muslim kingdom in Gujarat, and the numbers of ships typically reported going out to trade to the west reduced drastically from 1000's to 100's and the names of the owners of the fleets also changed from non-Muslim to Muslim. Under British rule the scenario began to change for the non-Muslim business clans - to an extent, hence Brit rule was so much more better "for the nation" than under Muslim rule.

[RamaY]

JEM garu,

Agreed and in majority of individual, social scenarios and even governance one must take a 10,000ft view so the ground looks flat. But when it comes to policy making these things make hasti-masakantara (elephant-Mosquito) difference.

Please note I am separating policy making and governance. Make a policy based on the purpose of the nation. Govern all citizens equally, well and without favoritism.

[brihaspati]

On other threads there is not only bashing of Tavleen Singh, but also a grudging admiration and appreciation of the "crude" but effective unified, apparently slam-bang one mind, one purpose, approach of the Han compared to the self-loathing, self-humiliating, fellow Indian crushing in order to please critics of Indian culture [I do not consider imperialist ideologies passing off as religions which deliberately and consciously hold their cultural centres and all memes in the ME, as denoting Indian ] grovelling at the feet of foreign "masters" approach.

Why do our loudmouths praise the Brits, the Islamics, or any sect which tried to distinguish and separate themselves in identity terms from the "Hindu", how can people get away with flimsy or unresearched opinions on these forces and elements? Because we are ashamed of our own identity - or reconstruct that identity in a way that would not offend the precious masters of our minds created as masters by the "servants" among us, those who deem that the onlee good non-Abrahamic following Indian is the one who meekly accepts and tolerates each and every insult or definition created for him/her by the master's side.

We bash any other Indian if we feel his/her comments would infuriate the British, the Islamic, the Paki, and all else who are one way or the other linked in interests with the three. This is where the Han scores. Colonization of the mind, and the resulting intellectual masochism, can last in its grip over a society for generations after the formal colonial control has gone.

Do not feel ashamed to hate, and disdain, and nurture the anger that one day will clear off the final vestiges of colonialism and imperialism on the subcontinent. Maybe express that feeling in a way that does not allow the current alliance of domestic supporters of the appeasers of the former "masters", with the international ones, to remove your voice from circulation. But do not be ashamed to feel that way - at the least.

[RamaY]

^ that sir the "Idea of India"

[member_20036]

Congress or a corruption-free India: The choice is ours

http://www.niticentral.com/2013/05/12/c ... 76912.html

It is hard to fight corruption, right? Then, why not put up with it and get on with the business of life? After all, the great unwashed masses of this ancient land blame it on their karma in their past lives for whatever is happening to them in their present avatar. Such fatalism has in fact been the greatest source of strength for our criminal and corrupt political class. The ruler-ruled (Raja-Praja) syndrome is so deeply etched in the collective psyche of Indians that despite incontrovertible evidence of wrongdoing the aam admi keeps on repeating the same set of thuggish netas to preside over his destiny election after election. It is a sham democracy, isn’t it?

That would explain the return of the Congress in Karnataka after a gap of more than a decade. As if their experience with successive governments in Bangalore was not dreadful, the voter with the proverbial short memory has brought back the same set of crooks whom he had cast aside with utter disdain only five years ago. Give him a couple of months, and he will begin to grumble that the new lot is worse than the one he had so comprehensively rejected in the recent poll. For, it is futile to expect the Congress DNA to change. It cannot.

However, this is not to suggest that the Karnataka outcome was not on expected lines. It was. The BJP did not leave the voter with any option. It did everything in its power to court unpopularity. Its drubbing was well-deserved. Early evidence of factionalism in the State unit was accentuated further by groupism at the central level. If Sushma Swaraj patronised the infamous Reddy brothers, LK Advani played godfather to his constant sidekick, Ananthkumar. The two together never allowed a moment of peace to BS Yeddyurappa. And now the Advani-Sushma duo is engaged in denying the BJP the only credible chance it has of dislodging the corrupt and non-performing UPA Government by blocking the graduation of Modi from Gandhinagar to Delhi.

The absence of a strong BJP leader in New Delhi gave a free rein to various factional players in Bangalore to pull one another down. All things considered, Yeddyurappa was more wronged against than wronging. By the prevailing standards of morality, his was a minor act of corruption – taking donations for a family-controlled education trust, as per a Lokayukta indictment, from a company which had bagged the mining rights from his government.

Come to think of it, if that yardstick were to be applied universally to eject people out of power, we have no hesitation in asserting that Manmohan Singh could be in great trouble. For, as his own Coal Minister for nearly three years, he allocated 140-odd coal mining leases without due diligence. He ignored the written advice of the Coal Secretary at the time that these coal blocks were being auctioned to the highest bidders. It does not in any way mitigate Singh’s misdeed, which cost the exchequer heavily, that he himself did not make a khota paisa from such allocations. He merely allocated those coal blocks on the basis of chits sent by the ruling party bosses, notably treasurer Motilal Vora and all-powerful Ahmed Patel. While coffers of the Congress and its netas swelled, the nation’s natural resources got depleted without any benefit flowing to the aam admi.

Now, in his anxiety to avoid any blemish on his character, Singh is desperate that to ensure that there is no adverse mention against him, even edgeways in the on-going CBI probe into the Coalgate. Facts already in the public domain establish that he cannot evade responsibility for having made wrongful allocations en bloc for the benefit of his masters in the Congress. The Prime Minister’s desperation to escape an adverse finding alone would put in perspective the intervention of a joint secretary each from the PMO and the Coal Ministry and the gross intercession of the Law Minister, since sacked, and the Attorney General in the investigative work of the CBI.

Not unlike the Harshad Mehta scam when he was the Finance Minister, Singh is loath to accept even his constructive responsibility for the wholesale trade in the grant of leasing rights for coal mining to all manner of people, some of them who had had nothing to do with the industry and were engaged in running regional rags or were out to make a quick buck using their proximity to the ruling party bosses. It was plunder as plunder can since no objective criterion was followed in handing out 140-odd leases to well-connected people. That painful truth should become stark clear if a very chastised CBI probes the scam sincerely and reports back to the apex court on July 10 when it reopens after the summer recess.

Frankly, even the outcome of the Karnataka poll should give the Congress Party a strong reason to worry about. For, if its analysis is correct that the Karnataka voter has punished the BJP Government for corruption and non-performance, it cannot be unmindful of its own champion status in that regard. The unending series of scams in the last four years is reason enough to throw it out at the first available opportunity, going by the Karnataka logic. Nor can the party be unaware of the policy-paralysis, the stalemate in Parliament, the rising crime graph in the national capital, the Ministerial malfeasance, the ever-rising consumer prices, et al. As compared to the failures of the BJP Government in Bangalore, the Congress-led Government in New Delhi has attained Himalayan highs in corruption, non-performance and abdication of national duty. Conversely, Karnataka has given the BJP-led NDA a new hope, and the Congress-led UPA a dire warning of the impending doom.

[Prem]

Khurshid calls China 'beautiful', BJP lashes out
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/vide ... 019156.cms

Watch the Video and Cry.

[saumitra_j]

Folks,

Francois Gautier has created a museum of Indian History in Pune. I have not visited the place myself but plan to in my next visit to Pune. I found out on FB that they are in need for some money.

You can find more details on FB here-

Requesting you folks to donate something for the good cause.

PS: I am in NO way connected to Francois Gautier....I am like most of the folks here, a jingo who does not like what the JNU walas have done to this nation!

BTW, have any of you visited Ratnagiri? If you do go in those parts, please make it a point to visit the "Patit Pavan Mandir"... they have a small exhibition of all the Indian revolutionaries murdered by the British (aka hanged) as well as some of Savarkar's personal belongings. They also show a documentary on the social work done by Savarkar and it was quite an eye opener for me as a man labelled for Hindutva by all sides was one of the greatest social reformers of the Konkan area!

Many thanks,

Saumitra

[Klaus]

PS: I don't even want to imagine the Dutch instead of the Brits in India.

The differences between the Dutch & the Brit rule is most evident in Suriname and Guyana, neighbors in South America. Historical accounts of East Indian Hindu diaspora in the two countries recount the degree of conversion and persecution was much higher in the British colony than in the Dutch. There is an article which chronicles this in great detail on the forum, I will post a link to it as soon as I find it, Should be available in the South America thread.

Anyway, the point is the Brits had a pathological hatred for the indigenous/native culture and tried all methods of extermination whereas the Dutch were comfortable with a wary co-existence. While the Dutch were no saints, I still stick to my stand that India got the short end of the stick with Brit rule, social engineering and cultural decimation.

Edit: Link to post- http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 9#p1071799