Congress con Gracia: Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
(Comment)
In the Congress's centenary year in 1985, Rajiv Gandhi delivered his
famous "brokers of power" speech in Mumbai, castigating the party for
converting a "mass movement into a feudal oligarchy".
The self-criticism underlined a realisation that the party was riding
on past glory and had done little in recent years to commend itself to
the public. Although the admonitory tone was surprising in the
aftermath of a massive electoral victory, it suggested both an element
of nervousness about the future and a hope that the admission of its
own flaws would ensure rectification.
In the event, the many imperfections which were increasingly in
evidence in the following years led to the party's electoral defeat in
1989. Although the Congress did recover its balance to rule for
another five years from 1991, the aura of invincibility born of a
moral dominance dating back to the days of Mahatma Gandhi was gone.
As it bowed out of power in 1996 after the disgraceful episode of
buying support in parliament in 1993 from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha,
few would have predicted its return with nearly the same
invulnerability of its earlier years.
Yet, as the party celebrates its 125th anniversary, it can be said to
have again attained the commanding heights of politics. True, its
dominance is nowhere near what it was in the first two decades after
independence when it had virtually no worthwhile challengers. The
party also has little presence in vast swathes of territory in both
the north and the south, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu.
However, the Congress's two successive general election victories in
2004 and 2009 have demonstrated that age has not withered it. The
party may have become old, but it is clearly not a spent force. In
fact, it is still up and running. What is more, the disarray in the
opposition ranks, mainly among its two main contenders, the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) and the Left, suggests that the future is brighter
for the Congress than for its adversaries.
It is almost as if the party's defects, as noted by Rajiv Gandhi,
persuaded the voters to give the others a chance. But the electorate
returned to the Congress after discovering the inability of the other
parties to govern. The reason for their failure probably even
highlighted the Congress's worthiness and indispensability.
Since the Hindu-oriented and proletarian ideologies respectively of
the BJP and the Left blinded them to the multi-hued diversity of the
Indian scene, the value of the Congress's benign, accommodative, broad-
church approach was appreciated yet again by the electorate. The party
stood for all sections of society and not parts of it identified by
religion or caste or class. Significantly, the BJP's defeat in 2004
was ascribed by its own former prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
to the Gujarat riots, and its 2009 defeat followed the anti-Christian
riots in Orissa where it was in power.
Apart from the Congress's known adherence to multicultural tenets,
what may have helped its rise was the presence at the helm of the
Nehru-Gandhis, who have long been regarded as unremitting votaries of
secularism. Right from the time of Motilal Nehru through Jawaharlal,
Indira, Rajiv, Sonia and now Rahul, the family has been seen by the
aam admi, or the common man, as the standard-bearers of the ideals of
communal harmony championed by Mahatma Gandhi.
Although the urban middle class may scoff at the dynastic principle,
such criticism seems to have had no adverse effect on the attitude of
trust and loyalty towards the family by the ordinary people. As a
result, even the BJP has had to give up its campaign of denigration
against Sonia Gandhi for being a "foreigner". To the aam admi, the
label is of little consequence. Having married into an Indian family,
she is regarded as an Indian by most Indians.
It is undoubtedly the basic secular commitments of the Nehru-Gandhis
along with the undeniable charisma of this remarkably good-looking
family which has kept the Congress in the forefront of national life
from the pre-independence period down to the present day.
Not surprisingly, its setbacks have been due to deviations from its
own ideals. The most devastating of them was in 1977 when it could not
win a single seat from Uttar Pradesh, the home of the dynasty, because
of Indira's tryst with authoritarianism.
The dictatorial instincts which she exhibited during the Emergency of
1975-77 deepened the sense of mistrust which large sections of the
intelligentsia have always had about the party and the family.
The other setback in 1989 may not have been as comprehensive as the
one of 1977, but it followed the Bofors howitzer scandal which
tarnished Rajiv Gandhi's name and substantiated the almost constant
allegations of corruption levelled against the party at the time and
which Indira sought to dismiss by describing it as a worldwide
phenomenon.
If authoritarianism and corruption made the party and the family (the
two have become almost synonymous) stumble in the years after it had
lost its hallowed reputation of the freedom struggle, the demolition
of the Babri Masjid cast a shadow on their secular credentials as
well.
Even if the party's subsequent recovery has been the result of the
failures of the opposition, the fact remains that in Sonia Gandhi, the
electorate seems to have found someone who deserves greater support
than, say, the BJP which is seen to be in the grip of the Hindu
supremacist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Her presence at the
helm of the party has also sent a reassuring message to the
minorities, who deserted the party after the Babri Masjid demolition.
It was Sonia Gandhi's refusal, however, to accept the prime minister's
post in 2004 which underlined her political acuity since it robbed the
BJP of an explosive campaign point based on projecting her as an anti-
national. Her choice of Manmohan Singh, who is known for his personal
integrity, as prime minister also helped to erase the party's taint of
corruption.
There have been many doomsayers about the Congress. The most notable
among them was Lord Curzon who prophesied in 1900 that the party was
"tottering to its fall". Eight years later, Rashbehari Ghose told the
23rd Congress session in Madras (now Chennai): "The fears which for
months haunted the minds of some of us have proved groundless. The
predictions of our enemies ... have been falsified. For the Indian
National Congress is not dead ... It has been more than once doomed to
death but, rely upon it, it bears a charmed life and is fated not to
die".
(02.01.2010-Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. He can be reached
at agan...@mail.com)
Last updated on Jan 2nd, 2010 at 11:33 am IST--IA
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a104449.html
.. .y estoy Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
Hour of the agenda
Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr
Friday, January 1, 2010 23:07 IST
When the Congress-led UPA returned to power in May, 2009, with the
impressive Congress tally of 206, it seemed that the pressures and
uncertainties of coalition politics were things of the past. And that
prime minister Manmohan Singh is almost his own man with the Congress
— read party president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi
— supporting him to the hilt so that he can take India forward on the
reforms road.
And like the Indian cricket team which looks quite formidable on
paper, so too Singh’s cabinet is a pool of conspicuous talent. But as
the Indian team has the knack of crumbling on a clear day, Singh’s
team has been showing an erratic tendency. Minister of state for
external affairs Shashi Tharoor’s twitter is not really the issue
though it is symptomatic of what seems to plague the government of the
day.
First, there was the faux pas at Sharm el Sheikh in July, with its
reference to Balochistan and the many inconsistent rationalisations
that were doled out in the days following that. It was not as bad as
it was made out to be by the oversensitive chorus of critics, but it
did show that Singh and his aides were not keeping their eyes on the
ball as it were.
A few months later there was the flutter over alleged Chinese
incursions, which the government would neither deny nor confirm,
allowing the media and commentators to create a belligerent mood. Then
there was Tibetan leader Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh and
the government fumbled when it did not allow the international media
to cover the event and when it seemed to have secretly urged the
exiled leader not to rock the boat.
The third major foreign policy issue where the government dithered was
with the regard to Copenhagen climate summit. Minister of state for
environment and forests Jairam Ramesh and prime minister’s special
envoy on Shyam Saran were pulling different directions, though in
retrospect it seemed that Ramesh had a clear inkling of the way things
were going to be Copenhagen and how India would play along with the
US. It turned out just that way, with India almost falling in line
behind US and China. No great harm was done at Copenhagen but it was
clear that India did not seem to know where it stood and where it
ought to stand.
Move to the domestic front. The less-than-normal monsoon frightened
the government, and it seemed helpless in the face of rising food
prices. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and food and agriculture
minister Sharad Pawar looked like troubled batsmen unable to tackle
the vagaries of weather. And when the second and quarter growth
figures turned out to be encouraging and positive, Mukherjee just
managed to smile sheepishly.
The bigger fumble was the announcement on formation of Telangana. Home
minister P Chidambaram was indeed truthful when he said that responses
over the fortnight were due to the changing ground reality. What he
forgot to mention was that the government has not thought through the
issue that goes back to the 2004 national common minimum programme
(NCMP).
Drift? That is what it is. It is characteristic of the Congress
culture where expediency is turned into a virtue. That is not a good
thing for India which has been catapulted into a prominent position in
the world councils in the wake of the financial market meltdown of
late 2008. It is a fact not sufficiently recognised in the Congress,
in the government and in the country that prime minister Singh is
looked up with respect if not awe among his global peers, from US
president Obama to British prime minister Brown to French president
Sarkozy.
This has not been so since Nehru’s days. But self-effacing Singh is
fighting shy of the leadership role thrust on him and he is content to
push India’s unimaginative growth agenda — economic reforms are not
radical any more — and he would not want to tell the world what needs
to be done, and which it wants to be told.
India would not have to wait till it overtakes the Chinese and
American economies in 2050 to stand and have its say. The world needs
India’s sane input now. This is the first real chance for India to set
the agenda, an opportunity it did not have in Nehru’s time. What is
needed is pluck and imagination. Singh is the man of the hour only if
he knew it. India needs to dare.
http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/column_hour-of-the-agenda_1329894
...and I am Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
Vir Sanghvi
First Published : 03 Jan 2010 01:08:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 03 Jan 2010 04:57:46 AM IST
Have you noticed how there is a determined effort to praise PV
Narasimha Rao? Within the Congress, Rao’s name is mud — for good
reason, as we shall see — but his praises are now being sung on the
Internet, in editorial commentaries, on Twitter and even in the pages
of the joke report that Justice Liberhan took 17 years to produce.
Rao followed an unusual career trajectory. He was an unsuccessful
chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, who could not complete his full
term. He would never have made
it beyond Andhra if it had not been for Indira Gandhi’s victory in
1980. When Mrs Gandhi returned to power in Delhi, largely on the basis
of solid support from the South, she demonstrated her mistrust of
North Indian politicians by appointing two South Indians to key posts.
The first of these was the then little-known R Venkataraman and the
second was the previously written-off Narasimha Rao. Both men were
bright but that was not why they were chosen. Mrs Gandhi appreciated
their loyalty and liked the fact that neither had a political base of
his own.
For the four years he served in Mrs Gandhi’s office, PV was an
unobjectionable enough sort of chap. His moment of great shame came
during the ’84 Sikh riots when as home minister he failed to protect
the Sikhs. Rajiv Gandhi included him in his Cabinet nevertheless.
As one of Rajiv’s ministers, PV continued to function unobtrusively,
only raising eyebrows because of his close relationship with Chandra
Swami, who had already been exposed as a major international
racketeer. When it was time for the ’89 election, PV announced he
would retire to Andhra because of his failing health.
And that would have been that but for Rajiv’s assassination. When
Rajiv died, the party offered the leadership to Sonia Gandhi. She
turned it down and largely to forestall Sharad Pawar, chose PV to be
the next Congress president and, therefore, the next prime minister.
His old health problems were now forgotten as was all talk of
retirement. PV found a new vigour and a taste for power.
It is no exaggeration to say that Narasimha Rao’s reputation rests on
the events of a few months early in his prime ministership. India was
bankrupt. We needed the IMF’s money. The IMF would only give us money
if
we agreed to liberalise the economy. Rao
accepted the IMF’s term because he had
no choice. But in his single-best decision while in office, he chose a
non-politician, Manmohan Singh, to be finance minister. Singh reformed
the economy and put India on the path to glory.
When people praise PV’s prime ministership, it is economic
liberalisation that gets the most credit. What we forget, however, is
that there were few other successes. The insurgency in Kashmir that
had begun in 1989 raged out of control. PV misunderstood the magnitude
of the changes taking place in the Soviet Union and even delivered a
little lecture warning of the dangers of liberalisation when Mikhail
Gorbachev was briefly ousted in a short-lived coup.
On the domestic front, his policies were disastrous. He failed to
protect the Babri Masjid (though Liberhan has mysteriously let him off
on that one) and could not prevent the rise of the BJP. At the same
time, he alienated India’s Muslims, most of whom have never forgiven
him.
The stock market saw the biggest-ever scam and matters were not helped
when the architect of the scam, Harshad Mehta, revealed that he had
actually visited Race Course Road and handed over a suitcase
containing a crore in cash to the Prime Minister. But by then,
corruption was endemic. Chandra Swami would come to Race Course Road
to perform tantric havans for the Prime Minister. PV’s sons would sit
at 5 Race Course Road and meet dodgy businessmen.
In those days, the BJP regarded PV as the worst-ever Prime Minister of
India because of his decision to frame L K. Advani and several others
in the havala scam. There was nothing in the case and it was thrown
out by the courts. But PV wanted to seem like a crusader against
corruption (which was ironic, given his own record) while
simultaneously polishing off his opponents.
Given this record, why is there a move to restore Narasimha Rao’s
reputation? There is no logical explanation. In 1996, when the
Congress lost the election, PV was regarded as a political
untouchable, a discredited crook, who was forced to step down from his
organisational posts by his own party men. The only things people
talked about were corruption, Chandra Swami and PV’s willingness to
misuse the system to frame such political opponents as L K Advani.
So, why the sudden revisionist urge? And why now? Why not during the
years when the BJP was in office?
My theory is that this pathetic attempt to launch a cult of PV is
inspired by no more than a desire to oppose the Gandhi family. If PV
is regarded as a charlatan then it follows that the Congress can only
function under the Gandhis — or so, empirical evidence would suggest.
This conclusion is deeply offensive to anybody who opposes dynasty.
Therefore, the desire to claim that PV was actually a very good prime
minister.
There is also a BJP element to the praise of Narasimha Rao. The
argument runs as follows: praise Rao and you will, in effect, run down
Sonia Gandhi.
Make much of Sonia’s refusal to bolster Rao’s reputation at Congress
gatherings (not really surprising given how the Congress hates him)
and you can portray her as a petty dynast who cannot bring herself to
praise anyone apart from members of the Gandhi family. (Never mind
that she praised Lal Bahadur Shastri, who was hardly a member of her
family.)
And so, you will find all kinds of extravagant praise of Narasimha Rao
on the Internet. A whole generation that is too young to remember how
bad things really were during his time will be told that he was a
great prime minister who liberalised the Indian economy but who is
being robbed of all credit only because of the petty Gandhi family who
can’t bear the thought of a non-Gandhi being regarded highly.
And perhaps it’s working. I find, among visitors to my site that there
is an excessive reverence for Narasimha Rao and very little
understanding of how bad things were during his reign.
One of our problems as a nation is that we have no sense of history.
And in the age of the Internet, where information is disseminated
faster than ever before, this allows those with an agenda to re-write
facts with ease and effectiveness.
The article is written exclusively for TNSE. More on his website.
Follow him at twitter.com/virsanghvi
Comments
On the Liberan Report, ArunJaitley openly pointed out that one of the
witnesses , ananti BJP man, had recently written a book whereinhe had
said that during the cross examination, the Commission took note of
his observations as to the list ofBJP leaders present at the site. His
further comments were not allowed to be recorded. Whcih said that the
BJP leaders Advani did not instigate the crowd but were
controllingthem andhecould see some other faces among the crowd . He
has asked to shut up while disclosing thenames. Who were they? Do they
belong to the secular camps? This is how commission repots are
prepared under UPA favouringthe minorities? Yet, the secular authors
continue to fool the people about the psudo integrity of the Nehru
family and imported Gandhis.Why no one disputed or approved Jaitley's
charges.
By subramanian
1/3/2010 3:54:00 PM
Sanghvi's article is nothing but pure bullshit. It is obvious that he
is a sycophant of Nehru/Gandhi family. Who was responsible for Punjab
terrorism? Indira Gandhi or Rao? It is strange that Rao is painted as
villain during Sikh riots in Delhi following Indira's Gandhi's
assasination. What about the irresponsible behaviour of several
Congress leaders during and after the riots. I think nobody can forget
or forgive Rajiv Gandhi's famous statement justifying the maasacre.It
is shocking that self-proclaming person Vir Sanghvi is projected as a
great writer with this sort of total rubbish writing. Further can
Sanghvi name one single politician in India who can be described as
unselfish and not subservient to his/her party leader?
By s.s. rangan
1/3/2010 3:51:00 PM
Vienna,03-01-2010 I must suggest an amendment to Vir Sanghvi.Both
P.V.Narasimha Rao and Venkataraman were men without integrity, some
how got in union government during Indira Gandhi days.She kept them
under check with the help of cabinet ranked G.Parthasarathy and
Sharadaprasad,her two competent advisers. I had a brief opportunity to
interact and tickle P.V.Narasimha Rao when he was foreign
minister.Venkataraman was of course a self server, who hit Rajiv
Gandhi below the belt.PVN and Venkataraman together played their worst
roles in setting back the progress of India as a nation.-Kulamarv
Balakrishna
By Kulamarva Balakrishna
1/3/2010 3:20:00 PM
After reading the article, I very much agree with your last sentence -
"And in the age of the Internet, where information is disseminated
faster than ever before, this allows those with an agenda to re-write
facts with ease and effectiveness." and ask you "What kind of agenda
do you have, Mr Sanghvi"?
By Kumar
1/3/2010 2:50:00 PM
How Convenient Mr. Sanghvi!!!!, How Convenient. In one stroke you are
saying PV Narshimha Rao was the worst prime-minister ever. If so, why
your little darling couldn't remove him during that time. Read your
own article again and see how ridiculously foolish you sound. One can
see, what type of game you are playing here. Why don't you put up a
banner next to your article, highlighting your true affiliations.
By priyanshu
1/3/2010 12:02:00 PM
Having met and interacted with PVN, I state that he was the greatest
Prime Minister India has had so far. Sage like and scholarly, his
wisdom, and deep commitment to do what is good for India, and his
courage to take decisions that were not popular, make him a stsatesman
who towered over others. Vir Sanghvi, in his distorted perception,
accuses PVN of not saving the Babri Masjid, when he ought to remember
that even a couple of days before it happened, Kalyan Singh, the then
UP Chief Minister had given an undertaking in the Supreme Court that
the Babri Masjid would be protected. a repetition of the assurance he
had given to the GOI Mr.Sanghvi seems to be blissfully unaware that in
a federal set up which India is, the minimum condition to be met for
the Centre to march press ahead with its security forces in a stat4e,
is that the Governor of that state should report break down of law and
order. No such report was made by the then UP Governor. The BBC
coverage of the event on the 6
By N. NARASIMHAN
1/3/2010 11:57:00 AM
PV is condemned becuase he is prime minister from south. Vir Sanghvi
resorts to character assassination many a times, just to prove his
point. He is probably paid by his masters.
By zeroSangh
1/3/2010 11:05:00 AM
Who brought to end to the punjab terrorism ?. How Indra Gandhi & Rajiv
gandhi treated Manmohan singh ?. These are Journolist writes only for
money only.
By rajan
1/3/2010 9:08:00 AM
Mr. Sanghvi or Should I call you Mr. Nehru Family Jalra...you are
right we as a nation have no sense of history otherwise we would have
remembered all the misdeeds of Mr. Nehru, scams and de-Indianisation
under the rules of his successor family members including the present
day Italian Sonia. And you are right about the point of re-writing
facts to suit one's purpose lest the mainstream media would have shown
Sonia in her true color which is hell bent on converting the whole
India and subjugating it to the vatican city.
By kannan
1/3/2010 8:04:00 AM
Sid Harth
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
POLITICS
What makes for political stability?
N. RAM
Political stability is a fragile thing. There is no evidence at this
point that the electoral stock of the Congress or the United
Progressive Alliance has been eroded but this could happen soon enough
if the present policy and performance trends continue.
P. ANIL KUMAR/AP
AN ELECTION RALLY in Hyderabad in 2004. The unity of India, the
integrity of its democratic institutions and its Central and State
governments' commitment and capability to do well by the country's
billion-plus people have come under intense pressure from
secessionism, communalism, economic and social deprivation, disregard
for federal rules, and foreign policy deviations.
POLITICAL India stands at a crossroads, where something different from
the patterns that have dominated national politics over the past two
decades can perhaps be sensed without anyone being clear about what
lies beyond the intersections. The heightened desire for political
assurance and stability in the midst of a global economic slowdown and
rising concerns over internal security and holding the country
together explains the fact that the results of the 15th Lok Sabha
election were widely construed to be a ‘clear and decisive mandate’
for the Congress party as the leader of the United Progressive
Alliance (UPA) arrangement that had, quite unexpectedly, displaced the
Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance regime in
2004. Can this possibly mean that the way is being cleared for a
return to the conventional or conservative definition of ‘political
stability,’ which in the contemporary Indian context can only mean the
unchallenged pre-eminence of a single party at the centre rather than
single-party rule?
There is nothing wrong with the desire for political stability, and
indeed for an escape from the disintegrative trends of recent years.
But political stability is not worth having unless it can be built on
the foundations of just, secular, efficient and clean governance, and
policies that address the internal and external challenges of rising
India in a progressive way. It is not worth having unless it
prioritises the basic needs and interests of the overwhelming majority
of the population, the hundreds of millions of working people who
suffer multiple deprivations in terms of income, livelihood,
nutrition, education, health, shelter, environment, gender, and so
on.
The six general elections between 1989 and 2004 underlined the fact
that the polity was divided three ways, ruling out even the thought of
a majority government (with the outcome of the abnormal 1991 general
election standing out as something of an exception) and dictating for
the foreseeable future coalition arrangements involving some common
positions and approaches but much discord and expediency. Against this
background, the 2009 general election has been widely interpreted in
political and business circles and in the national and international
media to be some kind of game-changer. Is this wishful thinking? Or is
it at least partly grounded in realities?
ROUF BHAT/AFP
SECESSIONISM. A confrontation between the police and protesters in
Srinagar in December 2009.
Recent developments offer early indications that the political outcome
of the electoral contests of 2009, or rather the trend suggesting
Congress-centred political stability, has been over-interpreted, even
grossly so. South India’s largest State, Andhra Pradesh, which has
plunged into a deep existential crisis on the Telangana issue barely
six months after an overpowering victory for the ruling Congress,
provides the most dramatic case in point.
In fact, the opening half-year performance of the second UPA
government has been anything but reassuring for those who yearn for
political stability predicated on long-term Congress hegemony. A
government that appeared to face a weak opposition in Parliament has
given every impression of being politically weak and unsure of itself.
There may be official euphoria over the above-par growth and
performance of the Indian economy (which is presented as being second
only to China’s stunning stimulus-aided performance) in the midst of
the unprecedented global economic slowdown but the impact of the
slowdown on employment and livelihood across the country has been
quite severe. The renewed push for neoliberal economic policies along
several fronts, the failure to contain the sharp rise in the prices of
essential commodities, especially food items, the delayed and mostly
ineffective handling of the drought crisis in extensive parts of the
country, the continuing insensitivity towards the agrarian crisis, the
early signs of a post-election deterioration in the implementation of
the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and a declining
interest in provisioning and administering relief and social welfare
schemes indicate what is in store. There is no evidence at this point
that the electoral stock of the Congress or the UPA has been eroded
but this could happen soon enough if the present policy and
performance trends continue.
PTI
COMMUNALISM. BJP activists in Ahmedabad after the party's victory in
the 2007 elections in Gujarat.
But it is on the political stage, internal as well as external, that
the real weakness of the Central government and the ruling party has
been on prominent display. The developments of December 2009 in Andhra
Pradesh provide an instructive case study of the volatility of Indian
politics, of how the mass mood can swing wildly in a matter of months,
of how a powerful electoral mandate can be squandered by reckless
policymaking, of how political legitimacy can be lost akratically. The
sudden loss, in a helicopter crash, of a strong and controversial
leader, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, transformed the
political scene in the State that sent the largest Congress
contingent, 33 MPs, to the Lok Sabha. A fast by Telangana Rashtra
Samithi leader K. Chandrasekhara Rao, who had fared poorly in his own
region in the 2009 Lok Sabha and Assembly contests, and a hasty and
miscalculated Central government announcement that the formation of a
separate State of Telangana would be initiated by introducing a
resolution in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly plunged the
State into a deep political crisis. To be fair, responsibility for
this decision cannot be fixed on any individual and indeed must be
shared by most significant political players in Andhra Pradesh. But
there can be little doubt today that by announcing, without wider
political consultations at the national level and without assessing
the public mood across the State, that “the process of forming the
State of Telangana will be initiated” and “an appropriate resolution
will be moved in the State Assembly,” the Central government made the
kind of blunder whose consequences will be felt for a long time to
come.
On the foreign and strategic policy front, it is clear that while the
Manmohan Singh government is capable of differentiating itself from
developed country stances on issues like climate change and policy
towards neighbouring countries, the unmistakeable tilt towards the
United States and the Western bloc persists. The ideological belief
that reigns at the top levels of the ruling party and government seems
to be that such a strategy enhances national strength. This deliberate
move away from non-alignment and external independence is profoundly
inimical to the people’s interests and damaging to national strengths.
It is certainly unworthy of a country that is widely seen as a rising
power on the international stage.
S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
DEPRIVATION. The mass of economic and social deprivations blights the
lives of millions of Indians.
But let us not rush to big conclusions by underestimating the
advantages and strengths of the ruling party and its most resourceful
allies such as Tamil Nadu’s Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Let us try and
restore the balance by looking at the overall national political
situation in the wake of the 2009 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
The improved Congress performance, in terms of Lok Sabha seats (206
out of 543) and share of the popular vote (28.6 per cent, a 2.1
percentage point positive swing from the 2004 performance), has been
quite modest. But it does mean more room for policy manoeuvre and
political muscle flexing. For one thing, the parliamentary opposition
is much weaker than it was in the 14th Lok Sabha. There has also been
less dependence on coalition partners, not to mention outside support,
in running the Central government. But the recent threats of
resignation and other acts of defiance of party discipline by Congress
legislators in Andhra Pradesh, and the alienation of significant
regional players on the national stage such as the Samajwadi Party and
the Bahujan Samaj Party, remind us of the possibility of this
situation changing under the impact of major events.
After all, the real significance of the 2009 ‘mandate’ was the ruling
out of any viable alternative political arrangements in New Delhi. The
main political opposition, the BJP, the party of the Hindu Right,
found itself weakened [its 18.8 per cent of the vote meant a negative
3.6 percentage point swing from 2004] and in unprecedented disarray.
The main ideological opposition, the Left, suffered big political
setbacks in its two main strongholds, West Bengal and Kerala, and
found its Lok Sabha strength truncated to just over a third of what it
was in 2004. While the significant regional parties pulled their
weight in States such as Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Orissa, and Uttar Pradesh,
they found their overall political weight and leverage reduced in the
Lok Sabha. Equally important in a federal set-up, the balance of power
in some large States, notably Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal,
Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and a handful of smaller States tilted the
Congress way, while voting trends in India’s most populous State,
Uttar Pradesh, where the party had suffered long-term marginalisation,
hinted at a revival in its fortunes.
For close to two decades, political punditry has identified
‘leadership’ as a weak point for the Congress compared with the BJP
and even some major regional parties. But as a detailed study, “How
India Voted,” by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
(published in The Hindu of May 26, 2009) points out, drawing from data
yielded by a post-poll survey, far too much has been made of this
issue and “the truth is that leadership was not as much a handicap for
the Congress as it was made out to be.” In fact, it can be argued that
in a context where the departure of the charismatic leader Atal Bihari
Vajpayee from active politics had created “a leadership vacuum that
could not be filled by any BJP leader,” projecting “a troika of Ms
Gandhi, Dr Singh and Rahul Gandhi,” which was initially seen as “an
attempt to make the most of a weakness,” proved to be smart political
strategy (even if only one of every six voters surveyed by the CSDS
said party leadership was the consideration that dominated his or her
vote).
But if such findings help us avoid exaggerated perceptions of the role
of the individual or the personality factor in political success or
failure, does this imply that Indian elections have come to be
dominated by issues? No simple or straight answer can be provided to
this question. But what is clear from the CSDS 2009 national election
study is that the overwhelming majority of voters have serious
concerns and an underlying sense of dissatisfaction with the political
system: “Nearly 70 per cent of voters feel that elected
representatives care little for their concerns and problems. Half the
respondents feel that in terms of policies and issues, there is little
or no difference between parties. This means that while the electorate
is full of hope and expectation, there is an undercurrent of unease
about the available choices and scepticism about those who run the
government.” This vital finding goes to the heart of the conundrum of
political stability in India.
FIVE SOCIO-POLITICAL PHENOMENA
NAGARA GOPAL
CHALLENGE TO FEDERALISM. A demonstration in support of statehood for
Telangana.
Independent of what figures or does not figure in particular
elections, the key issues, the issues that matter if the people of
India are to do well over the long term, can be readily identified.
The unity of India, the integrity of its democratic, secular
institutions, and the commitment and capability of its Central and
State governments to do well by the country’s billion-plus people,
have come under intense pressure from at least five types of socio-
political phenomena.
The first is the phenomenon of separatism or secessionism, which is
allied with religious fundamentalism or ethnic chauvinism or other
extremist ideological and social tendencies. Typically, it combines
ideological hardness with a distinctive repertoire of violence and
terrorism. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, in a recent lecture to
the Intelligence Bureau, certainly did not underestimate the gravity
of this challenge while offering his own ideological interpretation:
“By a quirk of fate, India in the twenty-first century has turned out
to be the confluence of every kind of violence: insurrection or
insurgency in order to carve out sovereign states; armed liberation
struggle motivated by a rejected ideology; and terrorism driven by
religious fanaticism. Never before has the Indian state faced such a
formidable challenge.” This assessment, which may sound hyperbolic,
needs to be taken seriously.
The second challenge comes from politically organised, militant
communalism. It has certainly taken a high toll of life, liberty, and
people’s welfare. It mocks the secular Constitution and threatens and
compromises the integrity and basic character of the polity. This
phenomenon is expressed in a variety of religious fundamentalist
responses, but most menacingly on the national stage by the building
up of the ‘Hindutva’ or ‘Hindu Rashtra’ platform by the saffron
brigade commanded by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh and spearheaded
at the mass political level by the BJP. The recent electoral and other
political setbacks for the premier party of the Hindu Right and its
ally, the Shiv Sena, must not lead to any sense of complacency
suggesting that the danger from communalism as a political
mobilisation strategy is past.
PTI
FOREIGN POLICY DEVIATION. In the neoliberal era India has shown a
marked tilt to the Western bloc. Manmohan Singh and Barack Obama at
the state banquet the latter hosted in his honour in the White House
in November 2009.
The third challenge, possibly the most important one, comes from
intensified exploitation and the mass of economic and social
deprivations that blight the lives and future of hundreds of millions
of Indians. Despite attempts by successive governments to underplay
the scale and nature of the deprivations, and make light of the
failure to remove them through a set of policies that often make them
worse, it is indisputable that India has the greatest mass of
deprivations among any country in the world. Related to this is a
vital set of issues that figure in the demand for ‘social justice.’ It
is important to recognise that the already widespread and expanding
demand for social justice, and the social divisions and strife that
sometimes overwhelm the democratic polity, arise from a deeply
entrenched situation of caste and other forms of oppression,
inequality, and deprivation.
The fourth key issue relates to the working of ‘cooperative
federalism,’ more specifically Centre-State relations. At a time when
it is abundantly clear that India cannot be ruled from New Delhi
alone, it is easy to see how national unity and political stability
depend crucially on observing the federal rules of the game
scrupulously and on the Centre being even-handed in its dealings with
States ruled by various political parties or combinations of parties.
The fifth key priority is restoring the independence of foreign and
strategic policy, which has been badly compromised – in some sort of
progression – by BJP-led and Congress-led governments over the past
decade. There can be little doubt that the process of globalisation
increases the weight of external policy in a country’s affairs. A low
level of awareness of foreign policy issues does not at all mean they
are not of much consequence to the lives of ordinary people.
If India is to do well now and in future, these challenges have to be
responded to in a much more imaginative way than we have witnessed
over the past quarter century during which Frontline has been in
existence.
http://www.flonnet.com/stories/20100115270100500.htm
Sid Harth
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
POLITICS
A positive triumph
Interview with Jyoti Basu
P.V. SIVAKUMAR
Jyoti Basu, a 2004 photograph.
Seventy-six-year-old Jyoti Basu, veteran Communist Party of India
(Marxist) leader, began his fourth unbeaten innings as Chief Minister
on June 25, 1991 – setting something of a world record for a Communist
party-led government contesting elections in a pluralistic political
system. Within six months, he will be independent India’s longest-
serving (without a break) Chief Minister belonging to any party.
In any objective assessment, Jyoti Basu symbolises solid political and
ideological work over an extended period, fortitude and staying power
and also a sharp, contemporary focus on issues that matter. He is
clearly a unique kind of leader who commands enormous mass appeal and
wide-ranging respect among politicians; he is equally clearly a
product of his movement.
The West Bengal Chief Minister, who met the Frontline team – the two
economists, Dr. K. Nagaraj and Dr. Venkatesh Athreya, N. Ram and
photographer K. Gajendran – in his Writers’ Building office on June
26, was an agile politician, who anticipated several of the questions.
He was frank and forthright: frank in his assessment of his political
opponents and forthright about the issues which matter. While
referring to the Left Front’s solid accomplishments, he made it a
point to speak about its shortcomings. Jyoti Basu is a man with a
sense of accomplishment about him – and a man who has his future tasks
clearly visualised and spelt out. Further, the Jyoti Basu we met was a
relaxed, friendly, accessible Chief Minister with a sense of humour
and a ready chuckle (who has read virtually every one of the published
novels of P.G. Wodehouse, for example). “Photo sessions are for film
stars, not for politicians,” he joked while consenting to be
photographed from various angles for Frontline.
Excerpts from the interview.
The outcome of the tenth general election fought on issues of
secularism, stability and just change has been somewhat mixed.
However, here in West Bengal, there has been an unambiguous and
resounding verdict in favour of the Left Front which has, in the
process, made history by winning a fourth consecutive term. How has
this come about?
This question is being asked for quite some time. My view is we have
been getting in all these elections positive votes. It is not just
negative; we have been getting positive votes. That is because people
have understood from their experience that we are implementing
seriously the programme we set out before them in our election
manifesto; and that with the limited powers we have – of which also we
make them conscious – we have been able to advance in a significant
manner.
People compare our rule with the Congress rule which was there for 28
years in West Bengal and where they had also the Central Government
with them. People also compare this period in which we are in the
government to Congress governments which exist elsewhere in India –
where riots take place, where there is communal disharmony, where in
the economic, social and political fields, there is instability, and
here there has been stability. So all that, they see.
As for the negative features – our disabilities are there and we are
unable to implement some of the programmes – they know it is not
because of us, or the efforts which we have been making. It is because
of the Central government’s wrong policies towards the Left Front
government here – they know that. For instance, in the field of
industries. It all depends on the Central government. Small-scale
industries, cottage industries, we have the largest number (of these)
in India. But the middle kind of industries and bigger industries,
modern industries which need licences from Delhi, there we have not
been able to advance very much – except during the last one-and-a-half
years, after this petrochemical complex, the permission for which we
received from the Central government. Now things have opened up as far
as the industrial field is concerned.
The Left Front seems to have entrenched itself exceedingly well in the
rural areas of West Bengal. Could you elaborate on how this has been
possible and what are the policies which have made it possible?
That is exactly what I am saying. When we talk about the ‘limited
powers’... you see, under the Constitution, we have more powers in the
field of agriculture and that we have utilised fully. Land reform, the
kind of land reforms we have had here, was never there in West Bengal
before; it was there nowhere else in India.
Similarly, the panchayat system, Panchayati Raj (as it is being
called), which has decentralised powers in this period – it is seen
nowhere else in India. We have elections for local government in the
same way as we have for the Assembly and the Lok Sabha. We have a law
under which we have to have elections at particular periods. There is
no such law anywhere else in India. So this democracy, this aspect of
democracy, also people have understood.
And people means not only the people in the villages; in the towns
too, they have understood it. They see we have municipal elections.
Whether we lose or win – we have been winning most of the seats, most
of the municipalities – we don’t bother about that; we have to have
elections. This is a very big thing which you don’t see anywhere else
in India. They go on postponing these elections! And by getting the
people’s support... you see, what we say is that we don’t rule just
from here, from Writer’s Building, our headquarters, but we take the
support of the people, through their mass organisations, of the
workers, peasants, the middle classes, the students, the youth, women
and so on.... then chambers of commerce which are there, we also talk
to them. We are in contact with them. This is the way.
There is a feeling here... some people, the bigger industrialists and
some others were a little suspicious of us, naturally (laughs). But
now, they have seen through their experience that – of course, we are
with the workers; of course, we believe in class struggle; we believe
that workers, if they have no alternative, they have to go on strike.
That is quite legal and under the Constitution.
But they also know that we are for the advance of our economy; and in
that we recognise that the private sector has a big role to play, a
significant role to play; and they have seen through their experience
that nowhere else does such peace exist in India as here in West
Bengal. So now they are somewhat reconciled to the fact that they can
carry on their operations here, together with us. We have the joint
sector – even with the largest companies. That they have seen.
The panchayat system, its impact on both the formulation and
implementation of poverty alleviation programmes in rural areas, like
the Food for Work Programme and the IRDP. What has been the experience
of the Left Front government with regard to this?
Our experience, I can tell you, has been very good. Because poverty
alleviation programmes are there; the Central government has some
programmes... and we implement some of them. But actually in the
field, we have been able to do something. That anybody who goes to the
countryside will see... that we have distributed land, we have given
them quality seeds, we have linked them up with the banks. Then, in
the formulation of our Plan, we go right down, you see.
In the districts also we tell them, “You go right down and get the
people’s opinion as to what exactly has to be done in various fields,
various sectors, our departments and so on.” All these together then
come to us. We place it before the Planning Board and it goes through
that. So in the formulation of the Plan, it is there; and in
implementation, 50 per cent of the budget of the government is spent
through the panchayats and the other local bodies, the municipalities.
This has never been there before.
And in our legislation, we say – I don’t say it is being done in that
way 100 per cent – but the legislation is that whatever you do in the
panchayats, you must put up in the office – you see, outside – for
people to come and see. You see if they have any complaints to make;
where there has been discrimination and things like that. They may
have some complaint. So we should listen to them and every month have
a meeting with the people of the village, and so on.
Would it be correct to say that the employment situation for the rural
poor, through land reforms and panchayats, has improved considerably
during Left Front rule?
You are right. In the panchayats, this has happened. We have created
mandays, millions of mandays through this. Outside the agricultural
operations, throughout the year almost, they get some work or other –
that we have been able to do. But that, unfortunately, we have not
been able to do in the towns and the cities. Only a year-and-a-half
back, we took a decision: we pay some unemployment assistance – that
is nothing, only Rs.50 a month – to those whose names are in the
employment register. But that doesn’t really solve the problem. So to
alleviate the sufferings of these people – the unemployed boys and
girls – the self-employment scheme was evolved. There we have an
agreement with the banks where they give loans to the extent of 75 per
cent; and we make up the 25 per cent. Ours is not a loan, but a
subsidy.
This has worked very well. I wish we had taken this up earlier;
because only last year, the year we started this, we gave jobs to
about half a million boys and girls; and now our target is to give
about 8 lakh jobs every year in the self-employment schemes. This is
for alleviating the unemployment problem; it is a major step we have
taken. But through our experience, this has to be extended.
You made the point that industrialists who were initially suspicious
realised that even as you are for workers’ rights and the class
struggle, you are also for the advance of the economy. Now, in that
context, how do you see the role of the organised working class
movement in a State like West Bengal where the Left Front government
is in office?
Well, the working class is divided, but the vast majority supports us.
The CITU is the organisation of the working class which supports us.
But we make it a point – when there are disputes with the management
and so on – to call everybody, whether recognised or not recognised.
If they can’t settle among themselves – that is, the workers and the
management – then they come to the Labour Department. There is a lot
of work to do in that respect; and they have done it quite
successfully. Without strikes, we have had very good agreements with
various industries – like tea, like engineering and so on. This has
happened. But, of course, it doesn’t mean that strikes have stopped.
In individual cases, strikes are there. And we have told the
managements and the owners that if no settlement is arrived at and we
think that the workers’ cause is just, and they go on strike, we
support them. Very clearly, we tell them!
In fact, you have earlier referred to the attitude of industrialists
which is now changing, and you see an opening up in the last year-and-
a-half or so. How do you see the industrial situation now? And where
do you go from here?
I think that has opened up. You see, last year… I told you (in an
earlier interview) how we got this sanction – for which I had been
waiting 12 years – on this petrochemical complex in Haldia; that has
now come. We are tying up the finances and so on; a little bit is left
over, that we’ll do just now. And then this polyester fibre plant,
another Rs.500 crore project. These are big projects with big
companies – one is with the Tatas; the other is with the Ambani group.
So like that, some others from outside West Bengal are also coming.
Food processing is a new thing that is happening in West Bengal; and
we have got some people from outside who are taking an interest in
this. The Tatas are also interested in agro-industries and things like
that, which they will take up (they said) after this election was
over. Just before the election we had a discussion like that. That
will open up huge possibilities in West Bengal in agriculture, in
biotechnology and all that in which they have an interest.
The Salt Lake Electronic complex. . .
That is electronics; we have done it ourselves. The Central government
has not helped us a bit. Big companies are there – like Philips – and
other smaller companies are there; one or two small Japanese companies
are there; we have also done it ourselves a bit. But even now, we want
investment by the Central government in one sector or other of the
electronics industry. So there we have joint sector; also the private
sector; and our own.
The thing that has not come out very much, but stands out from what we
have learnt in the last couple of days, is the achievement of West
Bengal in small industries. You referred to the fact that in cottage
and small industries, West Bengal is No. 1 in the country. What has
been the specific policy on this?
Yes, we have the largest number in the country. Because for that, we
don’t need licences from the Centre and things like that! Of course,
for raw materials, bank assistance and all that, we need that help;
but anyway, we are carrying on. And that is labour-oriented, so it is
very useful to us. Particularly our cottage industry, that was
absolutely down and out. You know, Tamil Nadu had done very well in
cottage industry earlier – I don’t know what is happening there now –
it had done very well. We were nowhere near that, you see. But now for
the last few years, there has been tremendous advance in this area in
West Bengal. Now we have got shops in various States of India, where
we sell these things which are produced by our people in the cottage
industry.
So both rural and urban small industry has developed quite a bit…
Urban also… I was talking about cottage industries in the villages…
and in urban areas also it is there. But they need a little
modernisation: that we have to do this time. And we need to link up
these small-scale industries with the modernisation programme of the
government of India, for instance in steel – they are going to spend
ultimately about Rs.5,000 crore to Rs.6,000 crore. This is a big
opportunity for small-scale industries to be established in those
areas where this is being done.
Rajiv Gandhi earlier talked about Rs.1,001 crore for West Bengal –
after a detailed discussion in Calcutta. You told us about it in an
earlier interview.
That is an old thing, you see... we didn’t get more than Rs.200
crore!
Will you be talking to the new Congress(I) minority government about
it?
Those things, you see, they were so vague (laughs), many of them
didn’t mean anything anyway! Now we have to take up anew our economic
programme... Today Pranab Mukherjee rang me up; he is now in the
Planning Commission, he has taken over. So he is coming here to meet
me. Already, I had met the Prime Minister. I had told him: “Please
don’t take us for granted. You are a minority government, but we just
don’t want to take advantage of that. It all depends on you. Now, what
is the policy you are going to pursue? For that, discussions are
necessary.”
Of course, he agreed; but I don’t see that anything has happened yet.
Except that Pranab rang me up today... and I said, “You come, come
along... we have our ideas, we will discuss...” So this is necessary –
and particularly, proper Centre-State relations. This has been very,
very bad: it is all centralisation, we have no decentralisation. The
Sarkaria Commission Report has not been given effect to. Even about
the little things in the financial field which should have been given
effect to, nothing done!
Could you give us an idea of your philosophy of, your outlook on,
Centre-State relations? We know you have spoken about this subject in
Madras and elsewhere, but could you sum it up for us?
I have said already that in a vast country like India, this won’t do.
We put out a paper in 1978 – we came into the government in 1977, and
in 1978 we prepared a paper. It was discussed all over India. Indira
Gandhi was alive then. After the 1980 election which returned her to
power, she set up this Sarkaria Commission. That was a good thing. It
took a long time, because the Congress was not interested! They didn’t
give any memorandum on anything. All States, I think, gave some
memorandum or other. And I think everybody was agreed that such
centralisation cannot unite India. Their idea is exactly the opposite:
they think by police powers, by all kinds of black laws and all that
and centralisation of powers, they can keep India strong and united!
And that you will get a strong Central government! We think, on the
contrary, that it will be a weak government.Because you need the
cooperation of the people and that you can get by placing your trust
in the people – not by insulting the people and creating all kinds of
confusion among them in regard to the Centre. This has been our idea.
So you need strong States in order to have a strong Centre. That is
our view.
By our count, the Centre has used this knife of President’s rule –
Article 356, or its counterpart for Union Territories – 96 times to
date.
In the Madras seminar (on Democracy, Federalism and Article 356, held
on March 31, 1991), we heard that it was over 90 times from (S.)
Guhan, who produced that very good paper. And we were the first
victims – that is, Kerala, our Communist government there.
What is the agenda of the Left Front government now? You have
indicated already some directions with respect to industry... where do
you go further in the rural areas, for example, now?
In rural areas, we still have to complete that process. We have about
1.5 lakh acres of land, you see, which we have not been able to
distribute – because the court cases are there. Now we have to pay
some attention to that; get them released from court. With us also, we
have got about 70,000 acres still left. That is not very good land, we
are told. So we have to see what exactly is to be done there with that
land: give it to the panchayats, or have cooperatives, or what? That
we have to see. Or have them for fodder production... or raw materials
for paper mills and so on. People are approaching us, you see... and
that can be done. We are still to do that, but we have to continue the
work there – what we have been doing in regard to the panchayats.
I told you about the planning and the expenditure: how we do it
through the panchayats. Some weaknesses are still there, which one has
to get rid of; this is what we have learnt. That work remains to be
done in rural development. New cropping patterns and all that, we have
to discuss; we’ll do it. These are just examples I am giving you...
about what remains to be done.
In health and education... you have taken up literacy in a big way
now.
Yes, literacy in a big way. After we came in, after five or six years,
we made education free up to Class 12, that is, up to the higher
secondary stage... and then, we are giving books free up to Class 5.
All those things have been there. But in the meanwhile we fell back a
bit on that literacy campaign. Now for the last one year we have taken
it up in right earnest – through the various districts. And they are
coming up very well. We have never had any such thing anywhere else in
India. In Kerala, it is different. Kerala already was quite high as
far as literacy was concerned...
And there is the advantage there of a single language...
But here, for instance in one district, Midnapore – which is our
biggest district – they found out about a year back that...
Asim Dasgupta: ... 19 lakhs were illiterate.
Jyoti Basu: So they had a timetable: that within that period, they
must complete the process of educating them, making them literate. I
believe they have not reached the target: but at least 80 per cent of
the target they have reached. Similarly, just now I find a
representative of the Government of India came to Burdwan – another
big district of West Bengal – and said, Burdwan has done quite well;
it is comparable...
Asim Dasgupta: It is fully literate now.
Jyoti Basu: So, like that we are trying... Other districts also have
taken up this programme. This will be one of our big priorities –
particularly because we started rather late, and we don’t want to lose
more time.
How about compulsory primary education? Up to Class 5? We have spoken
about this to you earlier, Mr Chief Minister...
That is there; that has been our idea since Independence. But to make
it compulsory is very, very difficult in the economic situation which
we are facing – in the economic and social situation we are facing.
But I think we have to discuss it. Because we have set up a commission
now – with our former Finance Minister, Dr Ashok Mitra, and others –
to go into this question of education, the quality of education, and
what exactly must be done to improve the situation there.
And work out the financial implications?
No, no. The quality of education means: Are the teachers really
teaching in the proper way? On the question of the syllabus, do we
need any change? Some people are saying there is too much load on the
children and that kind of thing. So the terms of reference are
there... they will go into that kind of problem. The Commission has
been set up; it will start its work. Similarly, for university
education and all that, this quality is very important. We have to
look into it.
In the context of the outstanding performance of the Left Front, we
also have this question of what has been the role of the Congress and
the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] in West Bengal? Could we have your
assessment of how they have fared this time and also of the
process...
The BJP was practically not there in West Bengal so much. Earlier,
they did not put up very many candidates... they have no
representation. They have a representation of two out of 140 in the
Calcutta Corporation; twice there were elections – they retained those
two seats. But in most of the municipalities, they have not had any
representation earlier. But in these Lok Sabha and Assembly elections,
they made a tremendous effort. And I think they have got, as far as I
know, from the figures I have got up to now, about 11 per cent – just
over 11 per cent – of the votes (in the Lok Sabha contest). They put
up candidates almost everywhere. And huge amounts they spent. This is
rather dangerous for us; so we have to analyse all this. We are
reviewing the entire situation.
Our calculations are, up to now, that they have cut into both the
Congress votes and the Left Front votes. We are studying this in
detail in the districts. From some of the booths for which we have got
figures, we see how this has happened: maybe last time they got one
vote; this time they have got 130 votes; we may have got 800 votes,
that is a different matter, but they got 130 votes. Yesterday,
somebody was telling me this. We are trying, as soon as possible, to
review all this. We have told our district committees (of the CPI-M)
to send us their reports, their evaluations. Then centrally, we shall
see what exactly has to be done. Many people have been misled... and
some communal feeling is always there. They have spread communal
poison, a great deal of it.
The Congress, unfortunately, never talks against the BJP – never! You
see, during the whole of this election, they cannot show that even one
leader ever talked against the BJP! Except when Rajiv came here, he
spoke one or two lines against the BJP. But these Congress leaders
here in West Bengal, they never did. This is the big danger. Because
to stop communalism and this kind of division in the country on the
basis of religion, according to our view, all should unite, whoever is
in the government or not in the government; the Opposition also you
have to take into confidence...
All secular forces have to unite...
But this is a danger here... because I don’t see these Congressmen
really conscious of all this!
Siddhartha Shankar Ray, who had a rather notorious role in the early
1970s – it was widely written upon in the press – then during the
Emergency, and subsequently as Governor in Punjab, was brought in with
the specific assignment of making the Congress(I) do very well. What
happened?
To unite the party and to repeat what they did in 1972 (the rigging of
the State Assembly elections)? But in 1972, they were in the
government! Now we are in the government. And elections… they have
always been free and fair in West Bengal, since 1977. You see, there
have been no complaints. In fact, we got a certificate from the
previous Chief Election Commissioner (Peri Sastry)… not from this
Commissioner (T.N. Seshan). But this Chief Election Commissioner has
also said… he has done very wrong things… but he has also said that
here peaceful elections were held.
And Siddhartha Ray, right from the time he came here – he was sent
from Delhi after 14 years’ absence – started saying that there would
be violence and all kinds of things… the rigging of elections, that
kind of thing, he went on saying. And he was helped also,
unfortunately, by the Chief Election Commissioner! But nothing of the
kind happened here.
As for his party… of course that formal unity was there. That has
always been there; even without him it was there. But I don’t think
that all of them were that happy that he came… you see, after so many
years. His role has never been good, you see… and we are a little
apprehensive of what it is going to be now. Yesterday, they began by
boycotting the swearing-in ceremony of the Ministers.
Judging by the events of the last few days, it seems that the
Opposition in this State has not changed its attitude to the Left
Front government at all. Even today we saw in the press its statements
alleging that the CPI(M) has…
Such statements go on… there has been some violence from our side
also, but they have done the most violence – that is irrefutable. I
said this in the public meeting yesterday. We can give figures on how
many of our people have been killed.
From there standpoint, you would appear unsinkable… your Left Front
government.
They are trying to do something about it but nothing has happened. But
this time, of course, they said – publicly they said they would get a
majority and form a government – but in the discussion among
themselves they said, it seems, they would get about 111 seats or
something – I don’t know how! But anyhow… we thought that they would
get about the same number they got last time, but they got three more
(in the Assembly).
Could we ask you some questions on the national scene? The Prime
Minister has stated, in cricketing parlance, that the Congress(I) is
like a famous batsman who fell just one short of a century but that
didn’t mean that he did not score well. How do you view the
performance of the Congress(I) in the tenth general election?
The Congress(I) ultimately did a little better than at least some of
us thought. But that is because it is very clear that Rajiv’s
assassination helped the party in the second stage… wherever elections
were being held. Except in U.P. and Bihar, I think they were helped.
The figures are clear… In Andhra Pradesh and in some other places. But
here, fortunately, our election was over by then. So that helped them.
Otherwise, I don’t they would have got these figures which are there
with them now.
They have 223 and with allies they are some 15 short of a majority in
the Lok Sabha.
I don’t think they would have come up so much.
One estimate is that they might have got 50 to 55 seats less than what
they actually got if Rajiv Gandhi had not been assassinated and there
had been no sympathy effect.
So this is the position. As far as we are concerned, we have made our
position clear. We are in the Opposition. A minority party can form a
government, but they have to take the Opposition into confidence, and
listen to us, talk to us. They cannot take us for granted…
This is the attitude of the CPI(M) to the new government in New
Delhi…
We said that if a confidence vote comes, we won’t vote for them, but
we may abstain. But also, we cannot abstain all the time! If, for
instance… the Budget session is there; on economic policy, so on and
so forth; on other policies… if they behave in the same way, then they
will not be in a position to carry on for five years – we are very
sure!
We were going to ask you this question: how long would you give the
Congress(I) government? Any decent length of time?
It all depends on them.
What do you see as the agenda before the nation now? In terms of the
polity and also the economy?
The agenda, you see… people have been talking about stability. Where
is the stability? Stability – even now it is not there. Then the
agenda is – we are a bankrupt nation; there are these economic
policies…. Now they have promised so many things… one crore jobs a
year.... Then in 100 days they would bring down the prices (of
essential commodities)! It is all absurd; you see they knew they were
absurd. This is the trouble with the Congress. They try to mislead the
people – by saying things which they can never do. We never do that.
What we can do, we tell the people we shall do. But they you see… this
has been going on for 40 years!
The new Finance Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, is quoted in the press as
saying that those who wrote the manifestos were not aware of the
Finance Minister’s situation.
They were very much aware! Their culture is to mislead the people.
They are not serious at all about the people.
The Union Finance Minister has also said that we have no alternative
but to go for the IMF loan… and he has said why should economists
scare people about the multinationals… they give us technology, they
are good and so on.
That we do not know… we have some other views. But as far as this
(IMF) loan is concerned, I have said already when I was in Delhi –
television was asking me for my view – I said, “My view is that we
have been opposing these conditionalities of the loan.” But now they
should tell us – for this last thing which we want from the IMF – what
are the conditionalities? How will it affect the Indian people? In
which sectors do they want us to do what? It is not only a question of
subsidy…. Today I find somebody has said, “They may ask you to cut
down military expenditure”… some other way, I don’t know. But if the
entire burden falls on the people, how can we accept this? So let
there be a debate. Let them tell us what exactly are the
conditionalities.
On the question of communalism, which is a grave danger, what should
be the priority of the Central government? What would you expect it to
do?
Well, for that we are waiting…
In U.P., the BJP has formed the government…
The BJP has captured U.P. – a very, very dangerous situation. And on
that slogan they have captured power there. Now they say they are
going to build the temple. So the Government of India has role to play
there.
There has been a democratic demand that there must be a law freezing
the status quo, as of August 15, 1947, for all religious monuments and
places of worship. This is in the party manifestos excepting for the
BJP.
I think we are agreeable to this except this…. As far as this Ayodhya
thing is concerned, we say – either you settle it amongst yourselves,
or leave it to the court.
http://www.flonnet.com/stories/19910719012.htm
Sid Harth
India's National Magazine
from the publishers of THE HINDU
Big business and elections
A decade and more of economic liberalisation has unshackled Indian
business from the compulsions of the licence-quota regime, but big
business still courts political patronage with election-time funding
in order to influence the economic agenda and the pace of its
implementation and to bend the regulatory mechanism to optimal
advantage.
SUKUMAR MURALIDHARAN
SUDHA MAHALINGAM
in New Delhi
WHILE the conflict in Kargil raged, it seemed that any form of
dialogue, leave alone one that approached a pretence of civility,
would be impossible between India and Pakistan. The two countries' top
diplomats met, only to part on a note of glacial hosti lity. Shortly
afterwards, a parallel track of dialogue was opened up, featuring not
the professional diplomatic corps, but a man who in India was better
known as a lobbyist for the Reliance industrial group. His
interlocutor from the Pakistan side was a former diplomat, once a
popular High Commissioner in Delhi.
Official Delhi maintained an attitude of indifference towards the
parallel dialogue. But it was obvious that powerful interests on both
sides were driving it. Contacts continued even after the identity of
the negotiators was leaked out from quarters that were less than keen
on the success of the secret negotiations.
S. SUBRAMANIUM
Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha at a pre-Budget meeting with captains
of Indian industry in January 1999. In the approaching Lok Sabha
elections, big business seeks a government that is durable and stable
and confines itself to the minimalist role of facilitating the
energies of private enterprise.
As the guns began to fall silent in Kargil, Reliance Petroleum, the
crown jewel in Dhirubhai Ambani's industrial empire, announced the
start-up of its refinery in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Built at a cost of Rs.
14,250 crores, the refinery will process a crude o il throughput of
540,000 barrels a day, putting it in the league of the world's
largest. Dependent for the most part on imports of crude oil, the
Reliance refinery will engender a rapid rise in freight traffic
towards the Gujarat coast, originating in We st Asia and traversing
the Pakistan coastline. Corporate planners for Reliance cannot be
unaware that land-based pipelines running through Pakistan could, at
some stage, provide a better and more efficient way of feeding the
group's refinery in Jamnagar.
Clearly, the Reliance group has more than the usual stake in peace in
the subcontinent, an interest so strong that one of its personnel - a
man skilled in the arts of political persuasion - took off, or was
persuaded by somebody to go, on a negotiating m ission to Pakistan.
Even for an industrial group that pioneered many of the policy
innovations of the 1980s - an illustrative listing would include anti-
dumping duties, automatic re-endorsement of capacities and conversion
of interest-bearing debt into e quity at a high premium - the foray
into neighbourhood diplomacy is a bold, even audacious, move. It is a
measure, in fact, of the widening horizons and global ambitions of the
Reliance group.
Reliance Petroleum's refinery, the world's largest, in Jamnagar.
IN the Indian business landscape, Reliance stands alone. Dhirubhai
Ambani embraced the cult of equity ownership when other industrial
barons were preoccupied with more conservative strategies of
perpetuating their control. This ensured the recruitment of a
substantial body of shareholders to his cause - an agglomeration of
corporate and civic voters with substantial political clout. The
Reliance patriarch also made the kind of strategic investments in the
political domain that provided the hospitable en vironment for him to
redeem his more extravagant pledges to shareholders.
Ambani's style of working the delicate nexus between business and
politics was visionary for its times. When other industrial groups
were searching for alibis for non-performance in the pervasive
apparatus of governmental controls, Reliance was showing h ow the
regulatory mechanism could be bent to optimal advantage. Today, in an
environment of liberalisation and deregulation, it remains a powerful
force for tutored change, its awesome presence in the capital markets
and the industrial landscape ensuring that all talk of a level playing
field will remain just that.
PAUL NORONHO
Dhirubhai Ambani, the head of the Reliance industrial empire, with his
sons Mukesh (right) and Anil. When other industrial groups were
searching for alibis for non-performance owing to governmental
controls, Reliance showed how the regulatory mechanis m could be bent
to optimal advantage.
Having come off second-best in an encounter with an upstart, the older
industrial groups are today beginning to set great store by
transparency. The Tatas and the Aditya Birla group have set the lead
by establishing Trusts to fund elections in a transpar ent and
accountable manner. Yet, the expectation that the rest of business and
industry will do so seems unduly optimistic. This must seem curious,
since Indian business has today been largely unshackled from the
compulsions of the licence-quota regime a nd hence is relatively free
of the need to court political patronage.
In ascriptive terms, the role of government in the economy has
traversed an entire continuum over just the last decade. Once looked
upon as the benevolent provider of all necessities of life, government
today finds itself in considerably reduced circumst ances. Indeed,
today that government is considered best that confines itself to the
minimalist role of facilitating the energies of private enterprise.
But in the perception of big business, this does not yet approach the
vanishing point of the governmen t. In the approaching elections, big
business is not quite investing in no government. Rather, it seeks a
government that is durable and stable in its resolve that it will
stick to the bare essentials.
IT is a paradox of this whole situation that the decade of growing
political instability has run coterminously with a fairly settled
course of economic policy. The resolve to retrench and retreat from
the economic domain has, in other words, been common to all
governments over the last decade, irrespective of its political
stripe. By all the indices that could be used to judge the stability
of the economic policy environment, the decade of the 1990s shows a
fairly consistent record. There have been no b ack-and-forth
adjustments of tax rates, whether direct or indirect - these have
generally drifted downwards and moved towards a framework of greater
simplicity. International currency parities again have moved against
the rupee, the decade having witness ed a complete decimation of its
value against the U.S. dollar. In the new liberal orthodoxy, however,
this is an unmitigated blessing. And, finally, the regulatory
framework for trade and industry has tended towards a dismantling of
controls and greater leniency of rules.
V. SUDERSHAN / SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY / S. SUBRAMANIUM
Finance Ministers of three regimes - Manmohan Singh of the Congress
(I), P. Chidambaram of the United Front and Yashwant Sinha of the BJP-
led coalition - on Budget Day. Despite growing political instability,
the decade of the 1990s has witnessed a fair ly settled course of
economic policy.
Business lobbies have quibbled about the pace of economic reform,
without quite being able to achieve any sort of unanimity. But
clearly, the evidence of the last decade seems to indicate that
political instability has not really dampened economic activi ty. If
the sentiment of the business community were to be assessed in terms
of the indefinable animal spirits that drive the markets, the months
since the fall of the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government have witnessed a
virtual effusion, with the stock marke ts scaling new peaks.
The public have cause to be wary of unnatural forces in the markets -
recent conjunctures of massive speculative price rises have normally
been associated with feverish political fund-raising. Illustrative
examples would be the sugar scandal of 1989 and the stock market
bubble of 1992. Sugar was revisited by the politically induced
speculative fever in 1994, and the most recent outbreak of the disease
was in the onions and vegetables market in 1998. Irrational exuberance
in the stock markets was again a n attendant phenomenon of the
preludes to the last two parliamentary general elections. There is
reason for the concerned public to study the boom in the stock markets
today for the agents that are driving it and the forces that are
immediately benefitin g from it.
TWO extreme situations may be distinguished in terms of the nexus
between business and politics. Business lobbies could make collective
decisions and channel their contributions on an agreed basis towards
political parties in the interest of ensuring a c ertain framework of
policies of common benefit. There could, at the other extreme, be
unaccounted and surreptitious funding, sourced for the most part from
tax evasion or speculative activity conducted under political
patronage.
BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Tarun Das, Director-General of the CII: "When a businessman donates in
cash to politicians, he expects some quid pro quo."
The former option is impractical simply because the power to mobilise
funds and the willingness to contribute to a political cause are
unequally shared among business houses. Reliance clearly stands at the
apex in these matters, although there is a conti nuum of capabilities
stretching downwards from this peak.
Despite their collective interest in the perpetuation of the process
of liberalisation, the recession of the last two years has engendered
clear distinctions within Indian big business. It may have seemed at
one time that business and industry - being co mmon, though not
uniform, beneficiaries of liberalisation - could have funded the
political process collectively through registered associations and
trusts, in return for a collective quid pro quo. This would have
represented a salutary departure from the older practice of
businessmen funding political parties in their individual capacities
in order to extract personalised benefits for their enterprises.
Yet the era of liberalisation is reminder that the more things change,
the more they remain the same. Chambers of commerce and industry look
the other way as their members pass on unaccounted contributions to
their political favourites. The Associated Ch ambers of Commerce
(Assocham) - an influential grouping of older foreign-controlled firms
that have since gone largely native - has formally disavowed any
intention of instructing its membership on how to fund the political
process. Says Assocham preside nt K.P. Singh: "That is not our
business. We cannot tell our members how to do these things. It is for
individual members to decide for themselves. As far as transparency
goes, the Companies Act is there to take care of it." These remarks,
ironically eno ugh, were offered at a presentation made by Assocham to
the media on the economic agenda that it wants political parties to
incorporate into their election manifestoes - among which transparency
in government functioning features prominently.
Despite the provisions of the Companies Act, concedes K.P. Singh,
corporate entities may not wish to make their contributions to
political parties transparent primarily out of fear. The Act requires
a donor company to make the identity of its recipients public. But if
the chosen political party fails to make it to the corridors of power,
there is every risk of the company that chose to patronise it being
victimised. Few are likely to have the confidence of Rahul Bajaj -
third in a line of succession of politically active and influential
businessmen - to declare which party he channelled his donations to in
the 1998 elections.
VIVEK BENDRE
Currency traders at work in Mumbai. The era of economic liberalisation
has witnessed a severe erosion of the rupee's value against the U.S.
dollar.
Tarun Das, Director-General of the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII), unburdens himself of sentiments that are broadly congruent:
"When an individual businessman donates in cash to politicians, he
expects some quid pro quo for his enterprise. Nobody makes political
contributions in the interest of policies that will benefit the entire
nation." CII, says Das, does not conceive of a situation where it
would try and persuade its membership to pay political donations by
cheque. Although the BJP has written to all industrialists insisting
that payments be made by cheque, few are likely to comply.
Das believes that there will be a greater chance of fostering
transparency if the Income Tax Act is amended to make political
contributions exempt from tax. Asks he: "When all other expenses,
including advertising, marketing and even entertainment, can b e shown
as tax-deductible business expenses, why not election funding?" The
sub-text of this question, of course, is a notion of political
donations as a facilitator of business efficiency, through selective
application of governmental powers.
Deepak Moula, Managing Director of Modi-Xerox Corporation and a key
member of the Assocham team that drafted its recent document on the
economic agenda for the political parties, says that transparency will
come about only when market forces, rather than the quirks of
political decision-making, decide the fortunes and performance of a
company. After a decade of liberalisation, this must seem like a
rather chastening retrospective judgment on its benefits. Das believes
that industry cannot take upon itse lf the task of auditing political
funds or disciplining the perceived profligacy of political parties.
Many politicians who approach industrialists for donations, he says,
will simply not countenance the imposition of any conditions. And
since each elect ion brings with it new forces and new faces, such
efforts become infeasible after a while.
Meanwhile, CII has appointed a Deputy Director-General specifically to
brief politicians on economic issues in which its members have an
interest, even as it holds seminars and meetings with prominent
parties on what it would like to see in their electio n manifestoes.
It is also in the process of extracting a commitment from political
parties on time-bound implementation of undertakings given in election
manifestoes.
VIVEK BENDRE
Homeless in Mumbai. The resolve to retreat from the economic domain
and to make cutbacks in welfare allocations that affect the poorest
have been a common feature of all governments over the past decade.
This influence obviously originates in the money that will change
hands between now and the day of polling - funds that it is reasonable
to suppose will originate in tax evasion or officially sanctioned
speculation in the market. This is a presumption th at industry does
not care to dispel. And neither does it seek to contest the view that
all political donations made are finally recovered from the mass of
the citizenry, whether as a penal price or as unpaid taxes. Finally,
the issue of transparency on p olitical donations, it appears, touches
upon the very core of representative politics. And the push towards
this objective is likely to be one among many new initiatives that
will be called for if politics is to be salvaged from the morass into
which it has descended.
Money has often proved the most effective solvent for ideology. Big
business in India today has set itself the goal of stability and this
is an end that it sees as best served by the BJP or the Congress(I).
The ultimate ideal would of course be of a coa lition that combines
the two forces, an Indian version of the "historic compromise" that
seemingly enshrines national interest above partisan political
dissonances.
Obviously, for reasons derived from the character of the
constituencies that these two parties serve, this manner of a compact
appears a remote prospect. Both parties have a fringe that is
attentive exclusively to the demands of big business, which could
conceivably propel such a compact, although the larger needs of the
party would dictate otherwise.
For reasons connected with the historic role of the Congress(I) and
its relative autonomy of big business, the BJP today appears to be the
favoured party of India's industrial interests. Although it has
managed to an extent to purge itself of these eleme nts in recent
years, the Congress(I) is still seen as a legatee to the public sector
conceits of the 1950s, when private enterprise was regarded with
barely concealed disdain. In a later, ideologically less pristine
time, the Congress showed a greater in clination to engage with the
concerns of big business, although always from a position of strength.
Business was forced to defer to the arrogance that came to the Congress
(I) from holding all the strings in the licence-permit-quota raj.
As far as the BJP is concerned, there is no such legacy of mistrust.
The party's core constituencies of small traders and urban
professionals have never been seen by big business as a threatening
presence. And a basic harmony of interests between these s ections and
industry has never been an elusive prospect. It is another matter,
however, that parties that enjoy the conspicuous favour of big
business have traditionally been easy targets for electioneering that
draws on themes of economic populism. But a decade of liberalisation
seems to have exhausted the fund of populist rhetoric and drained the
credibility of the few parties that still espouse it. That may yet
prove the BJP's greatest asset in the general elections to come.
http://www.flonnet.com/fl1616/16160040.htm
Sid Harth
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
POLITICS
Beyond the euphoria
M.S. PRABHAKARA
THE HINDU PHOTO LIBRARY
August 15, 1985: Representatives of the Assam government and the
Central government on one side and those of the agitationists on the
other sign the memorandum of settlement in the presence of Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Home Minister S.B. Chavan in New Delhi.
UNLIKE a satire which, with its intent to disturb, becomes “a sort of
glass wherein beholders generally discover everybody’s face but their
own”, the memorandum of settlement on Assam is intended to be a
soothing and reassuring document wherein everyone can see what he
wants to see. Indeed, the memorandum of settlement is rather like the
Bhagavad Gita – a text for all, capable of a variety of
interpretations. It is not surprising, therefore, that there is much
euphoria over it among supporters and opponents of the agitation,
though in the case of the more informed among both sections there
appears to be an air of contrivance about the euphoria.
Just as a measure of scepticism was always justified about the
prospect of a settlement in Assam satisfactory to all, similarly
scepticism would be in order about the “solution” which, in a matter
of hours, has apparently reconciled the irreconcilables and has been
welcomed both by the agitation leaders and by their implacable foe,
the State’s Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia. Looking at the settlement
another way, a stage had been reached in Assam when every side wanted
a solution and was ready to make concessions; and the Prime Minister
simply exploited this weariness and with the help of skilful drafters
in the Union Home Ministry hammered out a formula to be all things to
all men, making the patchwork deal appear like a reasoned settlement.
CONTRADICTIONS
Some of the contradictions are indeed transparent. Leaving aside the
economic concessions which are clearly included to give body and
substance to the package and the historically accomplished fact of
demographic changes in Assam and their inescapable long-term political
consequences, the major concession obtained by the AASU [All Assam
Students Union] and the AAGSP [All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad]
relating to the disenfranchisement for a period of 10 years from the
date of detection of those foreigners who came to Assam illegally
between January 1, 1966, and March 24, 1971, is going to create a lot
of problems in its implementation. It is not even certain whether this
part of the accord, while exacerbating the anxieties and fears of
linguistic and religious minorities, can at all still the long-term
fears and anxieties of the Assamese people, given that the
disenfranchisement is going to be only for a period of 10 years. Its
implementation is certainly going to be tricky.
The overwhelming majority in this segment is believed to be Bengali
Hindus, about one lakh according to official estimates, in contrast to
the less than 30,000 illegal Muslim immigrants in this same period. If
the elections are going to be held this winter on the basis of the
revised 1971 electoral rolls, it is theoretically possible for a
“foreigner” who might be disenfranchised at some future date to be
elected to the Assam Assembly.
THE UNSTATED PART
The most important feature of the memorandum of settlement is, of
course, the unstated part, especially that relating to the dissolution
of the present Assam Assembly and the nature of the electoral rolls to
be used in the next election. The only reference to electoral rolls is
in the addendum outside the formal 14-point memorandum of settlement.
The political part of the deal is simply presupposed and its
implementation – the dissolution of the Assembly and the continuance
of Saikia as caretaker Chief Minister heading a small Council of
Ministers – has been done in a manner calculated to raise the hackles
of the agitation leaders.
Further, if elections are to be held as expected, in winter, the
electoral rolls are bound to be those currently being prepared, on the
basis of the 1971 rolls. The agitation leaders’ tacit acceptance of
these rolls, at least for the immediate purpose of the coming
elections, has already provoked some controversy among the ranks of
agitation supporters. The draft rolls published have roused near-
universal criticism. Leaders have apparently secured the Election
Commission’s promise to rectify various errors and anomalies. But
there is a strong lobby within the agitation ranks which would insist
that the elections should be held only after disenfranchisement of the
1966-1971 segment of foreigners; which would mean another thorough
revision of the electoral rolls, taking into account the most
important feature of the accord.
This is bound to be a lively issue between the movement leaders and
the government, which, as in the case of Punjab, is anxious to rush
the elections in Assam, hoping to make the maximum gains before the
people can read and understand the small print. Equally, the agitation
leaders who are yet to form a political party would like the elections
to be put off for a while.
DILEMMA
The agitation leaders’ dilemma regarding the future course of action,
especially on the political front, is going to be acute. If elections
were to be put off to provide some time for the agitation leadership
to attend to the onerous task of creating a political organisation
able to contest elections Statewide, they will have to bear with the
intolerable prospect of Saikia as Chief Minister with a caretaker
Council of Ministers whose strength is well over 11 per cent of the
strength of the State Assembly – the limit that was once sought to be
imposed on the size of a regular Council of Ministers. Of course, some
agitation supporters argue that a thorough revision of the now-revised
electoral rolls with the names of the 1966-1971 segment of foreigners
also removed is possible in a matter of months. But even if it were
feasible and “satisfactorily” revised electoral rolls made ready, say
in three months, creating the political and organisational
infrastructure geared to fight elections throughout the State is a far
more difficult task than conducting an agitation.
It is here that once again the tactical ingenuity of Saikia has become
apparent. After his dramatic return to Guwahati in the small hours of
August 15 just in time to hoist the national flag ceremonially, Saikia
said in his Independence Day speech – delivered barely minutes after
the Prime Minister’s speech in Delhi – that he would be “going to the
people” very soon to seek their mandate on the accord.
VOLTE FACE
For one who fought to the last against any concessions on the question
of a cut-off date earlier than March 24, 1971, the Chief Minister has
been remarkably deft in his turnabout and now maintains the settlement
is the best news for the people of the State. That in the event it has
also meant the dissolution of the Assembly and the transformation of
his 37-member Council of Ministers into a 17-member caretaker one
(though still much too large according to agitation leaders who are
trying to make an issue of its size) is actually being presented as
the greatest political victory of Saikia.
Indeed, the Government of Assam has published the memorandum of
settlement as an official document of the State government with a
preface by the Chief Minister which concluded with these memorable
words: “We present in the following pages the full text of the
historic memorandum of settlement with the hope that the people in
general will fully comprehend the spirit of the historic settlement
and will extend full cooperation to the government in implementing
it.”
In other words, the settlement was his own achievement, being after
all the handiwork of the president of his party, and he was going to
implement the terms of the accord.
Indeed, talking to reporters after the flag-hoisting ceremony on the
morning of August 15, Saikia blandly denied he would soon become a
mere caretaker Chief Minister, arguing that the Constitution did not
provide for such an office; that on the contrary, with the dissolution
of the Assembly, he would be more powerful than before with a duly
constituted Assembly to which he would have been accountable.
BRAGGADOCIO
Much of this may be political braggadocio facilitated further by the
tactical error of the agitation leaders in not immediately returning
to Guwahati even if only for a day and clarifying the terms of the
settlement. But not all of the self-assurance is unwarranted. For, the
supporters of the agitation too have tended to view the settlement as
solely the achievement of the Prime Minister, almost an Independence
Day gift from him to the people of Assam. Indeed, processions taken
out in the wake of the accord were marked by the slogan “Rajiv Gandhi
zindabad” followed by another slogan “Hiteswar Saikia murdabad”.
The failure to see the inherent unity in the perception of the Assam
problem by such an established bourgeois political formation like the
Congress party, whatever the valid differences among the party’s
leadership, perhaps only reflects the political naivete of the slogan-
shouters. But in fact it also reflects a deeper dichotomy. For, the
Congress as an organisation has deep roots in Assam and the perception
that only some “bad people” (among whom Saikia would rank high) have
brought odium on the party is strong. Such a view also suits the
Central Congress leadership, enabling it as it does to tackle its own
recurrent organisational problems by ditching one and promoting
another and, in the process, acquire more goodwill from its
supporters. The Prime Minister is now having such a run of goodwill in
Assam.
And though Hiteswar Saikia is feeling that his serviceability has not
been entirely unappreciated, it is quite possible that a new Congress
with a more acceptable new face may yet emerge and the apparent
incongruity of slogans simultaneously extolling Rajiv Gandhi and
condemning Saikia may be resolved to the satisfaction of all the
parties concerned – except of course Saikia.
The developments within the Congress party (already dissident leaders
in Delhi are urging a change in leadership) as well as within the
agitation leadership in the next few weeks are going to be crucial.
The calculations about the extent to which the Congress party can go
to recapture the support of that section of the people of Assam who
have historically been part of the Congress constituency and, at the
same time, retain the loyalty and support of its more recently
acquired constituency, the coalition of minorities, tribals and other
backward classes, an alliance which has come of political age in Assam
in the last decade and a half and now appears well entrenched, have to
be fine.
Whatever patchwork deals may be worked out behind the scenes amidst
the contrived euphoria over the settlement, in the long run the
contradictions in Assam are too real and involve very high stakes for
the future political arrangements in the State to be simply those of a
big happy family. On the contrary.
http://www.flonnet.com/stories/19850906019.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Agencies
Posted: Sunday , Jan 03, 2010 at 1836 hrs
Updated:Sunday , Jan 03, 2010 at 1849 hrs
Vijayawada:
Rao had no knowledge of the plan to demolish Babri Masjid, Rao's
former media adviser said.
Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao had no knowledge of the plan
to demolish Babri Masjid and he believed in the assurance given by top
BJP leaders concerning the march to Ayodhya in 1992 by VHP and
security at the disputed site, Rao's former media adviser PVRK Prasad
said.
Prasad, then additional secretary at the Centre, was speaking during a
book release function on Rao's biography, which was compiled by
himself (PVRK).
Prasad said "Rao believed in the promises made by senior BJP leaders
Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani on the march which was undertaken
by the Sangh parivar to Ayodhya".
Rao also believed the promise made by the then UP Chief Minister
Kalyan Singh on the Law and order situation as well as the protection
of Babri Masjid, the former IAS officer said.
"Unfortunately, Rao was blamed for the entire issue and he as
criticised by all groups," Prasad said, adding, the former Prime
Minister acted as per the constitutional provision, that law and order
is a state subject and the Centre does not interfere in it.
"Though some senior Congress leaders advised him to impose President's
rule in UP, Rao did not act against the provisions of Constitution,"
he said.
"At that time, Governor did not send any report on the deterioration
of Law and order. How could Rao take such a measure to impose
President's rule," Rao's former adviser said.
Prasad also claimed that Vajpayee and Advani had no knowledge of the
conspiracy behind the demolition of the centuries old mosque.
23 Comments |
Babri Masjid
By: a r nujum | Monday , 4 Jan '10 9:56:12 AM
The babri Masjid icident, a shameful act of some fanatics should be
punished as per the law of country otherwise the so called terrorism
will not end. and also there is no more discussion about it instead
concentrate on country's development. if somebody play with babri card
political gain then our nation's future will jeopardise
All knew that the Babri's demolishing was forthcoming.
By: NP Singh | Monday , 4 Jan '10 8:40:04 AM
Plain Rubbish.Nobody will take that filth.
Ram, Myth
By: Ram, Myth | Monday , 4 Jan '10 5:20:55 AM
Ram is surely a myth, as much as Jesus .
Secular india!!!! is it really????
By: Faisal Khan | Monday , 4 Jan '10 3:38:54 AM
Narsimha Rao is a member of a terrorist group called RSS which had
gunned down Mahatma Gandhi. Justice has not be done since the Babari
masjid was demolished not for just the mosque but for the 2000 muslims
lives that were lost after the demolition due to the rath yatra taken
out by hindu extermist and terrorist. Babri masjid was never built on
any so called birth place of ram. The main priest of Ayodha temple had
confirmed it in the documentary made by doordashan named "Ram ke Naam"
and he was murdered for saying the truth again by the hindu terrorist
organization the RSS. Historically ram does not exist. Its just a
myth.
Demolition of Babri Masjid was a crime and culprits must be punished
without delay
By: Dilip/Paris | Monday , 4 Jan '10 3:09:50 AM
Whosoever, Atal, Advani, Kalyan, late Narsinha Rao, etc, are directly
or indirectly responsible and they should be punished without further
delay. By delaying the court process another such act might be done by
fanatic politicians.
down with biased IE coverage
By: ram | Monday , 4 Jan '10 2:36:49 AM
Why is the Indian Express supporting the splitting of Andhra Pradesh?
As a news media, its supposed to be bneutral but it has vioated the
mst basic right of its readers to unbiased news. The owners of India
express have neither any real understanding of Andhra Pradesh as their
rag tag coverage of AP news shows. But that hasn't stopped them from
taking a stand based on their profit and their greed. Show up this
dirty rag for what it is!!!! Down with Indian express opportunism and
jourlanlistic goondaism! Yes to a united Andhra Pradesh!
PVNR
By: chander | Monday , 4 Jan '10 1:52:42 AM
When Islam does not apologize for the destruction of the Bamian
Bhuddha monuments and when the West Bengal communist government does
not apologize for the destruction of British monuments when they came
to power, there is no need to be apologize for the babri Masjid. Also
babar did not bother to build a reciprocal Hindu temple in his birth
place in Fargana.
Indias Muslim rulers were namkevaste Muslim, basically they were
pucca politicians like our modern day dishonest
politicians
By: bashirulqadir | Monday , 4 Jan '10 9:46:53 AM
You are wrong Chander the entire Islamic world objected to the
destruction of Bamian Buddha Statue and every Muslim scholar of the
world objected, but some lunatic fringe of the Afghan tribes did the
most despicable act due to politics, due to Americans starving them by
withdrawing the aid and due to total desperation, still wrong, and
after the act, the cultured and peaceloving Islamic world sincerely
apologised to the Buddhists. Indian history shows huge track of lands
given by the muslim rulers for the construction of temples, the Muslim
rulers were bearing only Muslim names, they were not Muslim fanatics,
they were not interested in Islamic or any other religion, they were
more interested in ruling the masses and becoming more popular they
were more secular than BJP and RSS. Compare the invaders in
philippines in 19th century, the Spanish forcefully converted the
entire filipinoes to catholic Christianity, now numbering 90 million
except the filipinoe Moro people who stuck to their Islamic faith, but
the Mogul rulers never tried that, Islam spread in india even before
Moguls invaded by traders in Gujarat and Kerala and later on by SUFIS
or the Muslim saints. Look at Akhbar who started his own religion that
is not approved by islamic scholars, he did it to appease his Hindu
subjects, Indian history calls him the Great. In the town where I live
a Muslim has built a new Hindu temple, islam recognises all religions,
that does not mean that islam approves polytheism as equal to
monotheism.
P V Rao
By: peshori ahuja | Monday , 4 Jan '10 1:28:48 AM
17 years have passed and we are still discussing Babri Masjid. It is
so because it suits Congress and its policy of divide and rule. Dr.
Manmohan Singh was a senior minister in PV Rao's cabinet. We request
that Dr. Singh should come out and let the nation know the truth. If
there was failure on the part of PV Rao, Dr. Manmohan Singh also gets
a share.
Musings of a confused atheist?
By: Jas | Monday , 4 Jan '10 1:09:13 AM
The destruction of a useless structure at some unholy site, by some
ignorant fools should be a law and order matter, decided in some court
of justice, that does not exit in the land of "tolerant people" who
cannot stand the "religion of peace".
CONGRESS MIS LEADING PEOPLE
By: ASHOK PATEL | Monday , 4 Jan '10 0:25:53 AM
SO MANY COMITEE, PUNCH, OR INQUIRY, INCLUDING BOFORCE, BABRI , AND
GODHRA. THINK, What the people got who suffered from. I think only the
government and the politics have cook their bread on these topics.
Congress politics have no worry for those innocents who died on
sabarmati express train. beside to help who suffer, from last 7 years
congress have wasted crore of rupees to find opposition on trial, like
in Babri Masjid, People on both group on their side living peacefully,
But congress don't want keep it silent. and reminding minority of that
day and trying to yield their vote support for next election. They
have wasted 17 years on papers and keep them self away from solution.
Recently Pranavda describe sonia is only strongest in the country. Not
the PM Manmohan. I should say where is her strength ? Why she can not
find solution on these topics. She is strong amoung the obedient
congressmen. I must say country needs a leader like Sardar Patel, Who
have interest in solve proble
Biased reporting
By: Chandra SG | Monday , 4 Jan '10 0:22:42 AM
why is the headlines.. says only about PV and not Advani and
Vajpayee..! That shows.. the evil intentions of IE to dilute the
statement of PVRK Prasad absolving Vajpayee and Advani..! Rao was
never been accused of knowing abt the demolition than Vajpayee or
Advani.. It is only fringe parties which kept proclaiming about Rao's
role..! The bigger indictment is of Advani and Vajpayee and this
statement of Mr.PVRK Prasad absolves Vajpayee and Advani more than
anyone else... then why is IE concentrating on PV? IE has once again
shown it true colors.. It is anti-BJP and a Congress mouthpiece..
Shame on u guys!!
Professor Emeritus
By: D. Prithipaul | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 23:41:36 PM
The Babri imbroglio has been blown into undue proportions. In a
secular India, with a constitution which gives so many privileges to
the minorities, the AIMPLB ought to have volunteered to remove the
Mosque, as a symbol of iconoclastic intolerance, if the Muslims
sincerely wish to live in a spirit of amity with the Hindus. Why do
Muslims consider it as their birthright in a free India to maintain
the symbols which recall their treatment of Hindus as dhimmis? That
the AIMPLB sticks to its right to prevent Hindus to build their temple
is the height of an arrogance built on the foundation of their 14
century old exclusiveness. This is a theological-moral and
consequently a political matter. It is lamentable that the courts
allowed themselves to get entangled with it. The root question is: do
even the so-called moderate Muslims really believe that it enhances
their imaan by preventing the rise of a Ram mandir? Can they agree
that Hindus also deserve to be free even if they be a majority?
Morons accuse the dead!
By: M V Chilukuri | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 21:36:36 PM
Well, it's time to realize that Shri P V Narasimha Rao was the best
congress PM since Pandit Nehru. Construction and demolition of Babri
Masjid is time dependent and Mr Rao is not responsible for either!
Psuedo seculars should realize that illegal construction cannot last
long and will perish with time! Stop pointing finger at Mr Rao and
better look at yourself whoever you may be! Look what ahppened to
three idiots (Arjun Singh, N D Tiwari and Pawar) who were against Mr
Rao and they became crippled but not PM!
PVRKS STATEMENT ON PVNR AND VIRSANGHI DEFENDING CONGRESS NOT
MENTIONING PVNRS
CONTRIBUTION -125 YRS CELEBRATION
By: RAJAGOPALAN SUBRAMANIAN | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 21:15:45 PM
FIRSTLY CONGRESS ELSE WHERE READ AN ARTICLE BY VIRSANGHVI MISLEADING
THE INDIAN CITIZENS. IT IS ONLY 60 YRAS AS THIS IS A SPLINTER GROUP
FORMED BY INDRA 1969.RAJIV GANDHI IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY FAULTS LIKE
INTERFERED AGAINST JUDGEMENT -SABHANUS CASE, SIMULTANEOUSLY OPENED UP
SHYLNYAS IN BABRI MASJID,SENDING IPKRF TO SRILANKA,INDIRECTLY
ASSISTING,TRAINING LTTE CADRES,INDRA WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING
DEMOCRACY BY IMPOSOTION OF EMERGENCY AGAINST VERDICT OF HC ALLHABAD.
KASHMIR IS MISMANAGEMENT FROM NEHRUS TIME CONTINUED BY ALL NEHRU
CLAN.IF PVR WAS RESPONSIBLE WHY HE WAS ADMIRED BY INDIRA GANDHI AND
LATER ON BY RAJIV GANDHI AND TOOK HIM AS SENIOR CABINET MINISTER
Rao revealed
By: Dr. Ram Chander Sharama | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 21:15:10 PM
The biggest lie of new year. PV was sleeping on the fateful day and IB
as well.
The masjid demolition
By: Padmanabhan | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 20:58:19 PM
Sir, While the Babri Masjid demolition is surely a criminal act and
treated as such, it is not correct to give it undue importance and
whip up communal passions. It was not a mosque in use when it was
demolished, and for many years it had been locked up as a derelict
building. How I truly wish the local and Indian muslim community at
large had donated the land to other party and they in turn had a
similar gesture in return. It would have been the one single act to
cement communal harmony in India. Sadly, lack of genuine leadership
was found lacking, and India missed a golden opportunity to hand over
a better nation to the future generations. I think it is still
possible for community and religious leaders to sit together and
thrash out a compromise solution, keeping all active politicians out
of it. Jai Hind.
Babri masjid demolition- Shri P.V Narisimarao P.M
By: P N SUKHEJA | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 20:54:36 PM
17 years are passed still we are discussing Babri masjid demolition
and the people involved.It seems our politicians have no intrest to
discuss and solve the more sever problems nation is facing i.e light,
water inflation,non availabilty essential commodities,rising prices
law and order etc. Let us forget the past and work for
future.Considering the prevailing conditions at that time Mr.Rao has
done his duty nicely. let us forget the demolitiion of masjid and face
the present problems unitedly.It has no use to remember the past acuse
Narismarao,considering prevailing circumstances he has done his duty
nicely.
Check the truth with Bhuvaneshji
By: Nitin Mathur | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 20:22:20 PM
The news report makes interesting reading...The most interesting part
is the zeal with which such snippets get disclosed at book launches
with a clear aim to help the sales of the new books. Shekhar Gupta and
Barkha Dutt minced no words in accusing PV Narsimha Rao. Barkha of
NDTV also used Prasad's name while cornering Rao . Perhaps these
seasoned media persons may like to get clarifications from forgotten
Minister of State in PMO Mr Bhuvanesh Chaturvediji. He may be in Kota
Rajasthan if he has vacated the MP flats opposite Ram Manohar Lohia
Hospital, New Delhi. Thjat is if the IE is really serious about
checking Congress Inaction or procastrinated action..Knowing
Bhuvaneshji he may choose 'No comments' and avoid an interview for all
he cares in the manner in which Congress party has treated him after
retirement from Rajya sabha
Ignorance is No Excuse
By: Veer Sain | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 19:53:57 PM
Ignorance is no excuse. Rao had all the security apparatus at his
disposal. What was intelligence doing. Even though law and order is
state subject, center is constitutionally responsible for excerciing
due deligence. That is why they have a governor in every state.
Blissful ignorance of PVN as claimed by Prasad
By: shanthanu | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 19:37:05 PM
An army of invaders surrounds you and the disturbance is heard far and
vide, the information of the disturbance is within your knowledge as
the Central Forces were ready to act and were waiting for the orders
and you say Mr.Rao was unaware of demolition plan. It is further joke
that both PVN and Vajpayee and Advani are shown on the same page that
all were taken by surprise after the event. And who is speaking - the
media adviser who is supposed to have briefed the then PM on the
developments. And Libherhan did not mention Prasad's name anywhere in
his report is surprising.
Was it a crime?
By: A | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 20:37:58 PM Reply | Forward
Was it a crime to demolish the site? Agreed, it was in bad taste, but
if this demolition is that bad, why is the demolition done since
centuries of our legacy, not condemned? Can you please come out of
this 'fake' secularism, please!
PVRK Prasad's statement on Narasimha Rao
By: V.Senthikumar | Sunday , 3 Jan '10 19:28:59 PM
This is an interesting revelation absolving Narasimha Rao as well as
Atalji and L.K.Advani of the Babri masjid demolition. Let us await
what congress party and the very wise PC have to say.
chhotemianinshallah
Kautilya Singh
Posted: Friday, Dec 25, 2009 at 0336 hrs IST
Updated: Friday, Dec 25, 2009 at 1051 hrs IST
Kanpur: Reaching out to foes in the 125th year of the party, Congress
leaders in Kanpur have decided to clean and decorate statues of
prominent leaders who were its known critics and inspired party
rivals.
Of the 125 statues selected for the December 28 exercise, only 18 are
of Congress leaders and the rest of rival icons such as Syama Prasad
Mookerjee, Deendayal Upadhyaya, Ram Manohar Lohia, B R Ambedkar and
Chaudhary Charan Singh.
While Mookerjee and Upadhyaya are worshipped by the BJP, the Samajwadi
Party swears by Lohia, the BSP claims it it the true follower of
Ambedkar and Charan Singh is the inspiration for Rashtriya Lok Dal —
all active parties in Uttar Pradesh.
The district Congress has written to Mayor Ravindra Patni, requesting
him to get damaged platforms and pedestals of the selected statues
repaired before December 28. In his letter, district Congress
president Mahesh Dixit has given details of 125 statues.
“This is not a political issue, we are doing this work to pay tributes
to prominent personalities,” Dixit said. He said these statues had
been ignored for many years. “It is not about following their
principles, it is about sending a right message in society to respect
them,” he said.
But other parties say it is not so simple. BSP leader Salim Ahmed said
the inclusion of Ambedkar statues in the exercise was “a futile
attempt to woo the Dalits”.
“Having failed to win the confidence of Dalits, the Congress is now
trying this because statues of Ambedkar are located in almost every
important locality of the city,” Ahmed said.
SP city president Jitendra Bahadur Singh said “the Congressmen are
trying to make a dent in the votebank of other parties but this won’t
have any effect.”
Mayor Ravindra Patni, who belongs to the BJP, confirmed he had
received the Congress letter. “We do not have any objection. But it is
surprising that Congress leaders are coming forward to pay tributes to
personalities in whom they have no faith,” he said.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/congs-125th-year-pledge-lets-respect-rivals/559061/
chhotemianinshallah
December 28, 2009 17:55 IST
As the Indian National Congress steps into its 125th year, Amulya
Ganguli says that Sonia Gandhi [ Images ] has played a remarkable role
first in the party's comeback and then in its rise to power, her
corporate pattern of governance just what the party needed at this
stage in its life.
Even the Congress's detractors would admit that the party has a
remarkable capacity for rejuvenation. From the time it disproved Lord
George Curzon's prediction in 1900 that the Congress was 'tottering to
its fall', the party has surprised those who had expected it to fade
away.
While the socialists have splintered into the various regional Janata
outfits after the demise of the Praja Socialist Party and the
Socialist Party of India [ Images ], and the Communists are following
them into oblivion, the Congress has not only managed to survive, but
has attained power at the Centre at a time when it does not seem to
have too many credible opponents. Not even the Bharatiya Janata Party
[ Images ], which is running out of steam after the failure to keep
its promise to build a Ram temple at Ayodhya.
It will be futile to deny that a major factor behind the Congress's
longevity is the Nehru-Gandhi family even if sizeable sections of the
urban middle class are uneasy with the dynastic principle. Yet from
Jawaharlal Nehru [ Images ] to his great grandson Rahul Gandhi
[ Images ], it is the party's first family which has not only held the
organisation together but has acted as a magnet for voters,
particularly in the rural and mofussil areas and now also increasingly
in the metropolises as well.
Rahul, of course, is still some years away from becoming prime
minister, but at the moment it is his mother, Sonia, who is the
driving force behind the party's electoral success. Nothing underlines
the value of the dynasty more effectively than the story of her
ascendancy. As a person who was derided as a housewife by Jyoti Basu
and who was reluctant to let her husband Rajiv enter politics, her
role in the Congress's revival is worthy of a bestseller.
It was the period when the family took a back seat after Rajiv's
assassination which convinced the party and its supporters about the
dynasty's indispensability. The follies and failures of the two men
who ran the party during the interregnum -- Prime Minister P V
Narasimha Rao and party chief Sitaram Kesri -- ensured that the family
would return to the centrestage after virtually elbowing out Kesri. As
for Rao, although there is a school of thought which argues that he is
a much misunderstood person because of the Babri Masjid [ Images ]
demolition and actually deserves a better press because of his
initiation of economic reforms to end Indira Gandhi's [ Images ] faux
socialism, it is difficult to believe that the Congress would have had
a bright future under someone so devoid of charisma.
Even if the value of good looks is unlikely to be emphasised in a
serious analysis of the dynasty's success, there is little doubt about
the utility of a handsome face if combined with other positive
factors. In the latter's absence, the electorate treats the party with
scant respect as when Indira botched the Congress's prospects by her
recourse to dictatorial methods during the Emergency or when Rajiv
squandered its vast majority by arousing suspicion about his
complicity in the Bofors scam.
But the party becomes unbeatable when its good-looking, patrician
leaders pursue policies with wide public acceptance, as during the
Bangladesh war or when Rajiv was seen as Mr Clean.
After Rao alienated the minorities and Kesri drove the party into a
cul de sac by withdrawing support from the H D Deve Gowda [ Images ]
government for reasons which few could understand, it was only the
dynasty which could rescue the Congress. Sonia Gandhi's subsequent
successes will appear all the more extraordinary in view of the fact
that she took charge of the organisation at one of its darkest
moments.
Not only had the party lost power at the Centre, but the BJP appeared
to be on the verge of replacing the Congress as the No. 1 party on the
Indian scene with its manipulation of Hindu sentiments.
The fact that Sonia Gandhi had to read out her speeches in halting
Hindi, and claimed to have majority support in Parliament in 1999 when
she didn't, seemingly confirmed Jyoti Basu's derisive assessment.
While her speeches lacked both fire and substance, she appeared to be
returning to her mother-in-law's fake socialism, an inclination which
made the party promise reservations in the private sector a few months
before the 2004 election.
Not surprisingly, few expected the Congress to return to power. Yet,
if it did so despite Sonia Gandhi's stilted speeches and the absence
of the kind of inspirational messages which created electoral waves in
the party's favour in 1971, 1980 and 1984, the reason was the belief
among the voters that it was time for the dynasty again. It didn't
seem to matter that Sonia lacked Indira's and Rajiv's popular appeal.
What mattered was the restoration of the kind of politics which a
Statesman editorial described as the 'return of the rose' when Indira
defeated Morarji Desai in the prime ministerial contest in 1966.
The reference was to the rose which Jawaharlal wore in his button
hole. But, in political terms, it meant a return to a time of grace,
sobriety and accommodation and a rejection of communal animosity and
caste tension which was the National Democratic Alliance's hallmark.
If anyone understood the reason why the NDA was defeated, it was Atal
Bihari Vajpayee [ Images ], who blamed the Gujarat riots of 2002 for
the loss. Similarly, the anti-Christian outbreak in Orissa played a
substantial part in the NDA's 2009 defeat.
Sonia Gandhi, therefore, could be said to have benefited from the
faults of her opponents more than any special achievement of her own.
All that she had to do was to be at the head of the Congress to
provide the assurance to the voters that her party would provide the
much-needed healing touch to a society which had seen the BJP adopt
the tactic of breaking mosques and attacking churches as a political
ploy.
But leading the Congress to an unexpected victory was not Sonia's only
moment of glory. She would receive even more accolades when she
refused to become prime minister. The announcement to a stunned party
and nation was the first sign of her political acuity. At one stroke,
she defused the BJP's longstanding campaign against her foreign
origin, compelling Sushma Swaraj [ Images ] to forsake her promise to
shave her head if she did so and leave the rest of the Hindutva
brigade in a state of bewilderment.
Evidently, Sonia realised that assuming the prime minister's position
would create more problems than it would solve. But considering that
she was still feeling her way in the turbulent waters of Indian
politics after the "we have 272" blunder only five years earlier, her
act of renunciation showed both the courage of conviction and an inner
belief that she wouldn't lose ground if she conceded the top position
to someone else.
True, in selecting Manmohan Singh [ Images ] for the post, she had
chosen a man known for his integrity who wouldn't play foul. Even
then, it was a risk not many would have taken. Before her, no one had
turned down the prime minister's post anywhere in the world. She had
set a precedent, therefore, which will not have too many imitators.
That was not her only act of statesmanship. Another masterstroke was
the manner in which she moulded Congress politics to introduce a
healthy corporate pattern of operation where there is a clear division
of responsibility between the proprietor and the CEO. It was an
innovation which must have been difficult to implement in a party
where the propensity to grab the highest post is a major motivating
factor followed by crafty manoeuvres to undercut potential rivals. No
one was more adept at these tactics than Sonia's formidable mother-in-
law.
Although the Congress had tried to circumvent this problem of personal
clashes by dividing the responsibility between the prime minister and
the party president via the 'one man, one post' principle, it had
rarely worked because the head of the government ensured that the head
of the party would be a nonentity. For instance, when Indira split the
party to get rid of the party bosses in the 'syndicate' such as K
Kamaraj, S Nijalingappa, Atulya Ghosh, Sanjeeva Reddy and S K Patil,
she chose the subservient Dev Kanta Barooah of the 'India is Indira'
fame to be the Congress president.
Under Sonia, however, the division between the party and the
government has worked remarkably well. It will not be out of place to
say that she has set an example which should act as a template for all
parties and governments although it will be difficult to find another
party chief like her and another prime minister like Manmohan Singh.
What is important to note is the latter is not a pushover. As much was
evident from the passage of the nuclear deal, which did not initially
have Sonia's approval.
Her reluctance to go along with the prime minister on this issue was
evident when she endorsed the opposition of the Communists to the deal
by saying that they had a point. This comment was apparently a
reflection of her socialistic preferences, which had made her insist
on the implementation of the rural employment scheme although the view
of most economists was that it would amount to pouring money into a
black hole. But if Manmohan Singh approved of the scheme despite his
reservations as an economist about a populist measure which was
unlikely to create any real assets and enrich only the middle men,
Sonia similarly gave her assent to the nuclear deal even if she was
not fully in agreement with the prime minister's views.
Even if Rahul had played a behind-the-scene role to bring her around
on the deal, its passage was a clear sign that the proprietor-CEO
arrangement was working satisfactorily with neither stepping on the
toes on the other, as most people had earlier expected. Their
disillusionment must have since been accentuated by growing evidence
of Manmohan Singh's assertiveness on economic reforms in the welcome
absence of the Left. Yet, Sonia has lost none of her authority.
Whatever initiative the prime minister may take, there is little doubt
that it is Sonia who is in charge.
What is more, the process of sharing of responsibility has not ended
with the division between the prime minister and the party chief. It
has been extended to the cabinet as well with ministers like Pranab
Mukherjee [ Images ] and P Chidambaram [ Images ] exuding authority
and confidence unlike other ministers before them. Although this kind
of decentralisation may have led to Sonia making her first major
mistake over the Telangana [ Images ] issue, it is still a worthwhile
style of functioning. If she had held a more intensive series of
consultation before the announcement, the false step could have
avoided.
Despite this unexpected lapse, there is little doubt that the Congress
has been fortunate enough to find a leader who has breathed new life
into a party which had never been its true self after Nehru's death.
While it lurched under Indira from the glory of 1971 to the shame of
1975, and under Rajiv from the hope of 1984 to the despair of 1987,
the party has been able to lift itself up by its bootstraps under
Sonia's guidance. Given the dysfunctional state of the opposition, it
can look forward to a better future in the 21st century than what
seemed possible in the closing years of the last century.
Amulya Ganguli
Discussion Board
Amulya, you're embarassing
by Argumentative Indian on Dec 29, 2009 05:31 PM
Granted there are sychophants everywhere, and probably more than their
fair share in Asia. However, you are downright embarassing in your
open flattery. Puhleez.
Congress owes its present electoral victory, and BJP its present
dilema, largely to PVN.
I'll explain my hypothesis.
Just imagine, if PVN had NOT allowed LKA & team to dismantle Ba&b&ri
Masj)(id. This team would have been milking the issue even today,
going on Rath Yatras and happily winning elections, year after year.
In one masterstroke, the God of Strategy, failed to protect the
disputed structure and suddenly the BJP was issueless.
Ba()bri Mas()jid falling was the same disaster for the BJP as the
elimination of poverty and illeteracy from India would be for the
Congress. Hence, within their powers these parties would never allow
these events to happen.
Long live PVN.
Re: Amulya, you're embarassing
by Zaki on Dec 30, 2009 06:08 PM
India was fractured communally as a result of that demolition, and
every riot and bomb blast since then has been associated directly or
indirectly to that day, when India stood close to a civil war and you
say that PVN long live. Well so should Nero - Long live Nero!
Re: Amulya, you're embarassing
by Argumentative Indian on Dec 29, 2009 05:37 PM
The second nail was hammered into the BJP's coffin, when Ms. Sonia
Gandhi refused to become PM in 2004. It caught the BJP completely
unawares.
The BJP needs to learn from its follies, it attacked Sonia Gandhi
personally and came up a cropper in 2004. However, again in 2009, it
attacked Manmohan Singh personally, instead of being focussed on
issues. Indians dislike personal attacks, they prefer sobriety.
Congress......
by Stud on Dec 29, 2009 10:50 AM
These people fail to realize one thing more then 4000 people lost
their lives ever since Congress took over in 2004.
To call this vote bank politics related deaths as an achievement is
shameful.
Not surprised
by donkeybreadth on Dec 29, 2009 10:19 AM
Ganguli, not surprised with your comments, after all you are a
signatory to a letter that claimed - " the false notion that Hinduism
is or ever was tolerant. The event has only vindicated the great
Secular Eminent Historian (E. H.) Romila Thapar's thesis that the
notion of 'tolerant Hinduism' is only a myth."
No wonder you are all for Sonia.
World Record
by donkeybreadth on Dec 29, 2009 10:11 AM
The congress party is responsible for creating the largest mass of
poverty in the history of the world. 500 million. Yah Ganguli even a
weasel like you can't squirm out of that fact. Yup the parties begun.
Jai
by Rahul on Dec 29, 2009 09:32 AM
Mahatma was a big liar.Mahatma had served in the South African Army as
a Soldier during the war with the ZULUS.Mahatma Gandhi was a Deserter
who had failed his practise as a Barrister in India and Run of to
South Africa.However after facing difficulties in South Africa he
returned to India.He was brought back to India to slow down the
process of Independence as British did not want a Bloody
Rebellion.Good Save India.Why the Non Volient Mahatma Support WORLD
WAR I.Later Gandhi served the Interest of the Baniya Industrialist
providing them Shield of License RAJ
It is 25th yr. of congress, not congress party of now(sonia&c
by vijaya kumar on Dec 29, 2009 09:00 AM
Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi asked to dismantle congress after
Independence because the sole aim of the congress was Independence of
India from British and Congress was not created for ruling India after
Britishers left India. But Nehru & Co. did not agree and captured it
and convert it into a party of the feudals and landlords. The Nehru
family also changed their surname to Gandhi even though Nehru family
did not have any connection with Gandhi family. Now the so called
congress party is taking the advantage of congress and Gandhi name
even though almost nobody is now in the congress who fought for
Independence and Gandhi name is being misused to fool people. There is
no connection between the congress which faught for independence and
now the so called congressi party of sonia & Co.
by Grover Omprakash on Dec 29, 2009 03:39 AM
It is the women of India who have made her what she is. It is solely
due to her marriage that she got an opportunity to share governance of
this country.
The sole pattern of her governance seems to be provocation of Indian
women in the name of 'feminism', break their families luring them with
hypothetical dreams of women's liberty and rule.
Can anyone tell me one single subject which she specializes in?
Besides using her daughter and creating wealth for her maternal family
what has she done for the Gandhi family itself?
Message deleted by moderator.
Re: Inheritance
by malai kofta on Dec 28, 2009 11:52 PM
To conceal ignorance is to increase it.
congress is the best party in India
by Sachin Agarkar on Dec 28, 2009 11:42 PM
but fools in rediff blogs will keep criticising...keep living in a
fool's paradise..."India shiners"...lol
Re: congress is the best party in India
by Madan Waghmare on Dec 29, 2009 01:09 AM
Narayan Tiwari's congress is the best party in India.
Poor party ensuring some section always remain poor.
Re: congress is the best party in India
by donkeybreadth on Dec 29, 2009 10:12 AM
The congress party is responsible for creating the largest mass of
poverty in the history of the world. 500 million. Yah Ganguli even a
weasel like taht can't squirm out of that fact. Who is in the fools
paradise
Re: congress is the best party in India
by Goodda Kapoora on Dec 29, 2009 12:09 AM
Another illegal Bonglowdeshi singing praises of the party that lets
him and his extended family free-load on Indian taxpayer's hard-earned
money for their illegal votes!!
Re: Re: congress is the best party in India
by Maihoon Don on Dec 29, 2009 12:36 AM
u fools lost elections were shown the door by indian public and still
live in fool's paradise thinking all hind*os support you and anyone
opposing you must be illegal...you are beyond redemption...
Re: Re: Re: congress is the best party in India
by Madan Waghmare on Dec 29, 2009 01:26 AM
dons support congress
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: Re: congress is the best party in India
by Goodda Kapoora on Dec 29, 2009 12:53 AM
I did not contest in any election. So I did not lose anything!
Cutlet bonglowdeshi illegal immigrant go back to your water-logged
country!!
Congress-I @ dynasty politics
by Roger on Dec 28, 2009 10:44 PM
The Original Congress (INC) is DEAD. The Election commission of India
froze the cow and half symbol. SO, it is illegal to call this one the
INC. It is immoral to associate Bofors Gandhi with MK Gandhi.
rural employment scheme = Black Hole?
by Sharat on Dec 28, 2009 10:39 PM
"which had made her insist on the implementation of the rural
employment scheme although the view of most economists was that it
would amount to pouring money into a black hole. But if Manmohan Singh
approved of the scheme despite his reservations as an economist about
a populist measure which was unlikely to create any real assets and
enrich only the middle men,...."
I remember watching a video on Rediff yesterday that basically said
that NREGA was stemming rural-migration to some/great extent.
Better come out with solid facts on this issue, before commenting on
NREGA's true utility.
Congress is only hope
by Sharma on Dec 28, 2009 09:55 PM
Listen to me guys...India is today respected and powerful nation(on
the way)Because of congress.Yes there were historical bluders
committed by them,but it was growing process,like a child learning to
walk.We have marched a fair distance with success bcos of Gandhi
family.Lets be greatful to these ppl.
Imagine BJP was in power for more than 5 years !!!BJP chaddi walla
loves wars,fight.Hatred comes so naturally to them.How can they
butcher 3500 muslims (fellow Indians) butched to death in Gujarat by
Modi\'s men ? It was not long ago.Congress countered them.BJP \'s fake
India shining was single handedly demolished by Sonia Gandhi.She is in
full control.Rest assured India is safe and march forwatrd under
Sonia...and may be rahul in future....where is BJP now?it is
disintegrating becos its main weapon communal hatred is countered by
Sonai\'s congress.
Re: Congress is only hope
by Patanjali Dhar on Dec 28, 2009 10:28 PM
Congress supported Centre had said that total persons who died in
Gujarat vilence was not more than 1100. This is the figure given to
Supreme Court. Perhaps Sharmaji is one of those who want to defame
Gujarat. How many Sikhs were killed by Congress? Communal voilence of
all types should be condemned but not selectively. After sixty years
of Congress rule we still hear Garibi hatao. Why? India is one of the
most corrupt country in the World. Why? Nothing moves without greasing
palms of the Babus. Now the rates of Babus have gone over the roof.
Almost Every politician is corrupt and criminal. Why? We have lost to
China and we are comparing our selves with Pakistan which is smaller
than UP. Why? Every where people are fighting. There is regionalism
and strifes all over. The situation of law is the worst. All the
terrorists all over the world are thinking of starting their
operations from India, because they know that our judiciary, police
and politicians will never harm them. Who is responsible for it? India
has become a banana republic where terrorists can not be punished. See
what a tiny country like Sri Lanka did to LTTE, even though I feel the
basic cause of LLTE was genuine and justified. Who should be blamed
for all these problems of this country, Mr Sharma. I dare say people
like you because after 26/11 Mumbai attack, the people who were
responsible for dereliction of the duty are back in the same position.
This is India under Congress.
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: Congress is only hope
by arihantak on Dec 28, 2009 11:17 PM
Price rise - and these buffoons still say india shining.
More than 3000 sikhs dead - still BJP is responsible for gujarat.
26/11 - Videshi haath. Deshi haath was slapping the aam admi.
Double Speak on Telangana - Consultation required ?(Who stopped them
from consulting before the anouncement).
Re: Re: Congress is only hope
by Madan Waghmare on Dec 29, 2009 01:12 AM
Cool down its Narayan tiwaris party
Biggest mistake by Congress in 2009
by vijaya on Dec 28, 2009 09:51 PM
Biggest mistake by Congress in 2009 is, Congress did support Jagan as
CM of AP.
They are going to pay for it in next elections that is for sure.
Re: Biggest mistake by Congress in 2009
by Raja Raju on Dec 29, 2009 10:02 AM
NO, Biggest mistake by Congress in 2009 is supporting Telangana. They
are going to pay for it in next elections that is for sure.
Jagan only can control this issue.
Congress weed and Congress party are similar
by Patanjali Dhar on Dec 28, 2009 09:40 PM
Congress weed destroys crops and expands without any control. Our
great Congress also has destroyed all the virtues in our nation
particularly during last 50 years. We suffered defeat at the hands of
China, are locked in disputes with a tiny Pakistan, because of wrong
policies of the Congress. There are maximum scandals in Congress party
right from 1947. There was scandal connected with Nehru. He was
connected with many ladies in the party as well as Lady Mountbatten.
There was tandoor case and now Ujwala Sharma scandal. Great
Congressman Narayan Dutt Tiwari has broken all the records. He was the
closest leader to Gandhi family. Every women joining Congress is
suspected to have bad character. So much for this grand old party. God
save the country which such dominant political parties.
Re: Congress weed and Congress party are similar
by Sharat on Dec 29, 2009 03:42 AM
Sir Did you Vote in the last election?
Rediff is a good example of paid journlism
by venkat on Dec 28, 2009 09:33 PM
the owners of rediff can sell anything for money.
Re: Rediff is a good example of paid journlism
by guy giggling on Dec 28, 2009 10:27 PM
They are owned by congress
Re: Re: Rediff is a good example of paid journlism
by Sharat on Dec 28, 2009 10:45 PM
Rediff is one of the few mainstream news portals that are center right
to a certain extent.No other news portals are.Many are extreme left
(the Hindu,Mathrubhumi) others are blatantly left-corporate-Pseudos
(NDTV,IBNlive) and remaining are congress/UPA mouthpieces(Deccan
Chronicle,SUN family etc).India genuinely lacks a true Right winged
news portal.If you find one plese name it.
Re: Re: Re: Rediff is a good example of paid journlism
by neelam on Jan 01, 2010 04:39 PM
for unbiased reports,
The daily pioneer.
Re: Re: Re: Rediff is a good example of paid journlism
by Madan Waghmare on Dec 29, 2009 01:16 AM
Very true
Congress@125
by Gajanan bhat on Dec 28, 2009 09:02 PM
Congress@125 which congress? Mahatma Gandhi congress, nehru congress,
indira congress, rajiv congress, sonia congress, and many more left
from these started other congress or the real indian national congress
Message deleted by moderator.
Re: Congress is the best political party of india
by Maihoon Don on Dec 28, 2009 09:01 PM
It is the best party to rule India. We have given chances to all other
parties and they have failed. The combination of Sonia and Manmohan
gives clean and stable governance to India. Many middle class Indians
like in this forum after achieving prosperity can talk badly about
this party as they don't need it any more. But no one can rule out the
facts that be it Indian independence, computerization, economic
liberalization, path breaking nuclear deal and rural employment
guarantee have all been possible under the leadership of Congress. The
party is thousand times better than alternatives like two faced Bjpee,
Mayawati and the commies....
Re: Re: Congress is the best political party of india
by Maihoon Don on Dec 28, 2009 09:01 PM
why are u abusing this message...can't accept the facts eh?
Congress is the best political party of india
by Maihoon Don on Dec 28, 2009 08:56 PM
It is the best party to rule India. We have given chances to all other
parties and they have failed. The combination of Sonia and Manmohan
gives clean and stable governance to India. Many middle class Indians
like in this forum after achieving prosperity can talk badly about
this party as they don't need it any more. But no one can rule out the
facts that be it Indian independence, computerization, economic
liberalization, path breaking nuclear deal and rural employment
guarantee have all been possible under the leadership of Congress. The
party is thousand times better than alternatives like two faced Bjpee,
Mayawati and the commies....
Message deleted by moderator.
Re: INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AND MADAM SONIA JI,
by ANAND TEERTHA on Dec 28, 2009 08:53 PM
INC is no more.It is now
Congress -I, "I" stands for Indira or Italian .....is the question!!
Dynasty is nasty
by JGN on Dec 28, 2009 08:09 PM
Dynasty is nasty though it may be tasty for some people.
Re: Dynasty is nasty
by ANAND TEERTHA on Dec 28, 2009 08:24 PM
supported and popularised by the media ?
Message deleted by moderator.
Re: disgusting dynasty
by Vijayasimha Reddy on Dec 28, 2009 08:00 PM
secularism combat and vote bank politics
Enter all the above six words in g0000000gle and search.
Then read an article called Nehru Dynasty Politics.
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: disgusting dynasty
by ANAND TEERTHA on Dec 28, 2009 08:16 PM
dynasty has replaced DEMOCRACY with DYNASTOCRACY !!
This is the single most achievement under long Cong-I rule apart from
ramphant Corruption and anti-natinal elements dictating terms to
us !!!
Not original Congress
by ANAND TEERTHA on Dec 28, 2009 07:52 PM
Congress@125: With Sonia the party's just begun, is just
nonsense.Mahatma asked leaders to disband the freedom movement called
Congress.But Nehru family members turned it into a private /
proprietorship concern with hand as a symbol not the original
one......and it is being lead by a foreign born lady....
Message deleted by moderator
Message deleted by moderator
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Sonia Gandhi
by rahul on Dec 28, 2009 08:23 PM
you idiot shetty....first be clear about your facts..........she never
went ahead for prime ministership....instead she declined
it.........
Re: Re: Sonia Gandhi
by ANAND TEERTHA on Dec 28, 2009 08:52 PM
rahul, get your facts correct. First time she claimed to form the
government becasue Mulayam declined his support to her and second time
with 144 MPs,she declined.
Re: Sonia Gandhi
by ANAND TEERTHA on Dec 28, 2009 07:48 PM
good one shetty.Who cares in India.The opposition parties are not
interested in governance.They are interested in keeping or getting
"positions" in their own parties !!
re:-NDA rule would be judged as the GOLDEN ERA of modern India
by E darwin on Dec 28, 2009 07:32 PM
there is no brainchild of vajpayeee the piig headed,
IT IS ALL THE BRAINCHILD ( even Kargil victory )of people who were
frustraated with Congress. Not of Vajpayee. The guy vajpayee was there
at right time.
It is like Anti-Christ, those who rejected congress would have
supported ANYTHING and even Advani or Joshi or Basu if they were the
PM. Nothing special about Vajpayee.
Whoever has given vote to congress must be feeling cheated
by Sachidanand Shetty on Dec 28, 2009 07:32 PM
Whoever has given vote to congress must be feeling cheated
We have done a blunder by re-electing those congressi cowards and
traitors.They are the biggest shame of our country...
Should ever forget what an Indian Prime Minister did in Sharm El
Sheikh.
He prooved his Paki genes and surrendered to terr0r1sts. He destroyed
India's foreign policy and insulted the innocent victims ( more 4000)
who died in varioys B0mb blasts under his watch by signing the Joint
declaration.
The very fact that Congress is coming to power again & again shows
indians dont love their country but are more interested in small doses
of lollipops reservation / minority appeasement/ govt employees
licking for personal gains etc...
Seriously, during election time everybody was so enthusiastic about
MMS and Sonia. Now reap what you sow. All the so called secular f00ls
may have gone into hibernation for now, but just wait for a few years,
by the time of next election they again will wake up in full swing.
Indians will never see larger picture affecting their country as they
did not see before independence...
India will be a developed country only if we can get rid of Kangress.
I can see that crores of our brethren have the same thoughts, all we
have to do is to vote a Indic government LED BY AN INDIAN.
This is Kangress for you.
Re: Whoever has given vote to congress must be feeling cheated
by E darwin on Dec 28, 2009 07:34 PM
there is no brainchild of vajpayeee the piig headed,
IT IS ALL THE BRAINCHILD ( even Kargil victory )of people who were
frustraated with Congress. Not of Vajpayee. The guy vajpayee was there
at right time.
It is like Anti-Christ, those who rejected congress would have
supported ANYTHING and that includes Advani or Joshi or Basu(leftist)
if they were the PM. So much was the frustration against congress as
it is today.
Nothing special about Vajpayee.
Re: Re: Whoever has given vote to congress must be feeling cheate
by guy giggling on Dec 28, 2009 10:28 PM
Yeah! I can understand, with your username, who else would you
support. Blatant communalism ala congress
The
by Vishal Malkan on Dec 28, 2009 07:29 PM
biggest blackSPOT on Indian societyIS COn...party y... y ...even after
50 yrs of their rule thier main agenda is "HUM GARIBI
HATAYENGE"..........:-)
NDA rule would be judged as the GOLDEN ERA of modern India.
by Sachidanand Shetty on Dec 28, 2009 07:27 PM
NDA rule would be judged as the GOLDEN ERA of modern India.
Keeping in mind that when NDA was formed, all the cards were stacked
against it. NDA's successes r galore:
1) it is the 1st successful coalition govt that completed it's 5
glorious years without major hiccup. For the 1st time everybody was
forced to believe that in india coalition govt could complete it's
full period. All the kudos goes to the tallest man of incumbent indian
politics Atal Vihari Vajpayee.
2) Sea change in india's infrastructure with the initiation of Golden
Quadrilateral/East-West Corridor- vajpayee's brain child.
3) Epoch making change in the telecommunication sector where arun's
shourie's judicious decision to privatize the telecom sector a bit has
paid rich dividend for the tom, dick and hari of this country. Now
even a zamander can afford to buy a mobile tells everything.
3) Visionary steps towards water harvesting realizing it's importance
as many think if there is 4th world war it would be fought on water.
4) Testing hydrogen bomb in the face of stiff opposition from left,
right and centre thereby annunciating that india has come of age and
can no more be bogged down.
5) Ist govt that clipped Chinese wings unlike nitwit jawarlal's weak-
kneed policies which later on followed by the successive cangi govt.
6) Winning over the neighbors unlike this filthy incumbent govt which
due to it's louche policies has turned even Nepal antagonistic.
Congress contribution unemployment, slums, pr
Re: NDA rule would be judged as the GOLDEN ERA of modern India.
by Maihoon Don on Dec 28, 2009 08:57 PM
hahahaha thats why the public has rejected it for ever...wake up and
smell the coffee u fool.
States in which BJP and Congress were in a direct Fight
by Sachidanand Shetty on Dec 28, 2009 07:25 PM
States in which BJP and Congress were in a direct Fight
The BJP and Congress were in direct fight in 10 States in 3 Union
Territories which counted for a total of 154 seats. Out of this, BJP
has managed to win 79 seats whereas Congress could get 65. Other got
10.
Sr No States Total seats BJP Congress <
BR>1. Gujarat 26 15& nbsp; 11
2. Madhya Pradesh 29 16 12&nbs p;
3. Rajasthan 25&nbs p; 4 20
4. Himachal Pradesh 4 3 1 & nbsp;
5. Karnataka 28 & nbsp; 19 6
6. &nb sp; Uttarakhand 5 0 & nbsp; 5
7. Chattisgarh 11 10 1
8. Jharkhand 14 8 1
9. Goa 2 2 1 &n bsp;
10. Delhi 7 0 7
; Union Territories
1. Dadra-Nagar Haveli 1 1 0 &n bsp;
2. Daman Diu 1 1 0 ;
3. Andaman 1 &n bsp; 1 0
& nbsp; Total 154 79 &n bsp;65
BRITISH takeover raaaped INDIAN SOCIAL ORDER FULLY
by E darwin on Dec 28, 2009 07:24 PM
> Creation of Congress
> Wrongful combining of Western and Eastern UP and clubbing with insane Bihari lot.
> Wrongful Creation of Indian states allowed THE worst and the MOST ROTTEEEN OF the Biharis(Lallos, Jhas) AND Eastern UP (Bachaans, tiwaris, mishra, etc) to intrude, mingle with much BETTER AND RICHER SOCIAL ORDER OF Punjab, Rajasthan, Western UP, Haryana. Making the most rotten of them all identify with the best of the Northies i.e Uttarkhand/UPites/ Rajputs/North Indians. The roott leeched all the good of Noorth. All because British indo-clerks.
3. Tarnising the best blood of North due to WRONGFUL CREATION OF
STATES.
4. Delhi, Western UP becoming dumping ground for the most rotten, even
the Bengalis dump their old women, Bangladesh refugees and widows in
Mathura. Toooo much overload on North due to these rooooten states.
5. Hell has let loose in India. Otherwise, how could a third rated
bench writer, Harivansh Rai Baaanchan marry a partition refugees if
the partition never happen.
6. If the British did not invade and control and make clerks with
English all over India, this is how the Bihari and Eastern UP labour
intruded the homes and families of rich Delhi, rich Western-UP, richer
Haryana and Rajasthan, etc. Raaaped them on all basis.
7. British takeover was a biiger raape on Noorth because Nehru Idiot
divided the staates in wrong manner. How can you alloooow Engliish
babus to own prooperty just because they learnt Engliish and British
posted them??
Re: BRITISH takeover raaaped INDIAN SOCIAL ORDER FULLY
by E darwin on Dec 28, 2009 07:25 PM
the Britiish even posted India English teachers, newspaper editors all
over india who were a inferior breed and inferior lot. MOOOST HORRIBLY
HIT WAS WESTERN UP, HARYANA, DELHI ...
the richer valued people of Western UP is still being hit because
Harit pradesh comprising Moghul axis/connection of Delhi-Agra-Mathura
is not happening.
Good people are being slammmed today while the rooot is intuuuding
deeper.
My India
by Sachidanand Shetty on Dec 28, 2009 07:23 PM
My India
Aam admi is struggling to even eat one time due to the high price
rise. Nobody is now interested in Aam Admi. Politicians and their
family & friends are looting India and enjoying life.
My India is
No.1 in poverty
No. 1 in stravation death
No.1 in children dying everday due to malnutration.
No.1 in corruption
No.1 in corrupt political leaders.
No. 1 in Swiss bank account with balck money
No.1 in crorepathis and poor
No. 1 in farmers suicide
No. 1 in lack of electricity and drinking water
No.1 unemployment and job loss
No.1 in sold & paid media
No.1 in inept political leaders
No.1 is politicians fighting to loot maximum share of public money
No.1 in minority appeasement
No.1 in politicians promoting dynasty rule
and many many more No.1.
please add more
Re: My India
by sunil Kapur on Dec 29, 2009 06:59 AM
All credit to Nehru Parivar Pvt ltd Congress Party
Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Suhas on Dec 28, 2009 07:19 PM
There is no other party fit to rule India. Long live the Indian
National Congress!
Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:49 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:22 PM
And keep doing NDTiwari kind of governance when whole nation is
burning.
Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:31 PM
praveen pandey, so change ur name as PROS PANDEY !!!
Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:49 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:34 PM
Don't crib and cry....keep finding your identity and stop behaving
like humped person like Conggys and hypocrites.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:47 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:35 PM
Moreover huble advice change your name as BhosadKumar.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:47 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by v saravanan on Dec 28, 2009 07:37 PM
who knows he may choose praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:42 PM
U can go with that kind of nomenclature along with arulkumar sorry
bhosadkumar.
or may be saravanan bhosadkumar.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Vishal Malkan on Dec 28, 2009 07:39 PM
so u also justify that he has done good thing...:-)
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:50 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:40 PM
well said saravanan. nice name praveen ND TIWARI pandey
Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:46 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Vishal Malkan on Dec 28, 2009 07:33 PM
don't worry ur surnameWILL changeTO khanAFTER 20yrs...:-)
Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:47 PM
sarvanan and bhosadkumar don't know their identity and sending their
family from past 63 yrs...
And picked their name as V. BHOSADKUMAR SARVANAN.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:48 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:35 PM
not at all vishal malkan, praveen pandey doesnt worry about the
surname. he will choose & keep whichever suits him....
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:45 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:42 PM
v bhosadkumar sarvanan goes well as hypocrites congress..
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Vijay A on Dec 28, 2009 07:50 PM
most probably these people Arulkumar and saravanan are converts but
forgot to change their names.. there is no dearth of such people in
AP, TM and Kerala.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by Vishal Malkan on Dec 28, 2009 07:37 PM
O.K wat will be ur SURNAME K.KHAN or K.ARULKUMAAR KHAN....:-)
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by v saravanan on Dec 28, 2009 07:38 PM
arul dont worry, who knows he may choose praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!!
Re: Re: Long Live the Indian National Congress!
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:47 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
A Leader-whom majority must accept
by Prakash on Dec 28, 2009 07:16 PM
For any party to succeed they need a Leader whom everybody must accept
and follow.Congress is lucky to have that culture and that is the
reason why not so educated/intelligent/foriegner like Sonia Gandhi is
successfully able to manage the party.Every congress person knows if
this system is not in place the party would disintegrate.
For a corrupt/inefficient country like us this is the only system that
works!!!
Re: A Leader-whom majority must accept
by Marathi Indian on Dec 28, 2009 07:20 PM
Yes. Accept them as leader otherwise leave the Party. ex. Sharad
Pawar, Sangma,..
Re: Re: A Leader-whom majority must accept
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:31 PM
U forgot just few days back your expr, seasoned leaders, so called
freedom fighter found in which position instead of governance...thats
the reason of all evils in our country.When people are struggling
their leaders instead of solving their problem and misery found
humping them.
Re: Re: Re: A Leader-whom majority must accept
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:51 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
RG V/s NG
by Sachidanand Shetty on Dec 28, 2009 07:16 PM
RGhsc V/s NGm.comllbmba
Message deleted by moderator
In 2014
by Firovel on Dec 28, 2009 07:14 PM
Rahul Vs ? Game over
Re: In 2014
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:17 PM
i seems u r 100% right. ex, selecting mr. gadkari !!! hah ha ha ....
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: In 2014
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:23 PM
Rahul baba is samlaingik
Re: Re: Re: In 2014
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 08:02 PM
so u have more choice praveen RAHUL BABA pandey !!!!! hooooooo.....
Re: Re: In 2014
by Firovel on Dec 28, 2009 07:20 PM
Thanks. Even in Mah Gadkari is a nonentity. Pls dont talk about him
and insult Rahul baba
Message deleted by moderator
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: In 2014
by Sachidanand Shetty on Dec 28, 2009 07:20 PM
N.Gm.comllbmba
So
by taxi on Dec 28, 2009 07:10 PM
You guys also missed critcising even Lal Bahadur Shastry even he was
an outsider to the family.The mentality here is clear uphold the evil
deeds of whatever the kings do but blame the parttime care takers as
incapable and incompetant.
Re: So
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:29 PM
Shastri was gem and the best thing for nation.
Re: Re: So
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:54 PM
hence you can be called as praveen SHASTRI pandey. hoooooo
Hail Rahul baba
by Firovel on Dec 28, 2009 07:07 PM
Hail Rahul Baba - the future of Indian politics and the star on the
horizon
Re: Hail Rahul baba
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:09 PM
HAIL RAHULJI, JAI RAHULJI, JAI HIND.....LONG LIVE RAHULJI
Re: Re: Hail Rahul baba
by Firovel on Dec 28, 2009 07:10 PM
Good. The chorus must be louder. 2014 is nearing.
hail soniaji
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:05 PM | Hide replies
HAIL SOINAJI, JAI SONIAJI, JAI HIND.....LONG LIVE SONIAJI .....
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: hail soniaji
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:11 PM
ok but send your family
Re: Re: Re: hail soniaji
by Firovel on Dec 28, 2009 07:13 PM
Well said
Re: Re: Re: Re: hail soniaji
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:17 PM
you have got this habit of sending and its going on from past 63 yrs,
every member of your family to these party of hypocrites and freedom
fighters.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: hail soniaji
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:22 PM
yes. but we have intials to our name whereas you & members of your
family dont have....
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: hail soniaji
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:39 PM
U stop behaving like cribbing and hypocrites....
As far as change in your name go with : BHOSADKUMAR.
Message deleted by moderator
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: hail soniaji
by Firovel on Dec 28, 2009 07:21 PM
Yes U are right. Congress is a party of freedom fighters. Can you name
one freedom fighter from BJP or RSS
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: hail soniaji
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:30 PM
praveen pandey, so change ur name as PROS PANDEY
Message deleted by moderator
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: hail soniaji
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:27 PM
Your initials are nothing to do with your identity, every second and
third person is having same name it doesn't mean that every second and
third person is responsible for your identity....Don't be like
Conggys ...... shear hypocrites.
Message deleted by moderator
Re: hail soniaji
by sunil Kapur on Dec 29, 2009 07:00 AM
Long live and totally ruin India and enjoy in Italy
Congress@125: With Sonia the party's just begun
by JGN on Dec 28, 2009 07:02 PM
The present Congress party is the Pvt Ltd Company started by the late
Mrs. Indira Gandhi. So claiming 125 years of existence itself is a
farce.
Greatness was thrust upon Ms. Sonia Gandhi by the spineless Congiiis
who could not find just one Indian worth leading them. Probably they
all know that if one member of the Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty is not at the
helm of affairs, the party would disintegrate in no time.
It was the late Mr. P.V.N. Rao who liberated our country from the
Licence-Permit-Quota Raj (albeit under pressure from the World Bank).
So denying him a place in the history of our Country is also a grave
injustice.
Re: Congress@125: With Sonia the party's just begun
by Virtual Insider on Dec 28, 2009 07:07 PM
Yes JGN is right and its being proved in AP politics now...
Re: Congress@125: With Sonia the party's just begun
by Firovel on Dec 28, 2009 07:11 PM
U people easily forget the psyochopancy created when Vajpayee was
ruling
Re: Re: Congress@125: With Sonia the party's just begun
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:20 PM
U forgot just few days back your expr, seasoned leaders, so called
freedom fighter found in which position instead of governance...thats
the reason of all evils in our country.When people are struggling
their leaders instead of solving their position found humping them.
Re: Re: Re: Congress@125: With Sonia the party's just begun
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:57 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Incopetant writer - Amulya Ganguli..
by Ujjal on Dec 28, 2009 07:01 PM
He speaks of Congress strength with Gandhi Family. What one can expect
from an Incompetent, lack of knowledge, corrupt, beggars and spineless
and short memory citizen of this country who does not even know their
own grand father name and some also their own father's name.
He is talking about Congress strength and its growth in North India..
My foot.
And criticizing BJP attitude and its for its religious concept. Its
mis interpretation its policy and characteristic.
Ask this idiot, where he was and his Congress party men and its sp
called leaders(son of traitors), when our country was divided, when
Kashmir was taken away, millions were killed by the British and
millions were killed after 1947 to till date, due to hunger, poverty,
disease, last of health and medical facilities, poor infer structure,
and road, where lacs gets killed every years, kept millions
underprivileged and dependant state so that they can fool them and get
votes from them, its the faith and mindless Indian, who are worse then
reptiles.I believe even if Ex. president Bush's Dog seek votes in our
country, will get votes from the Indians and will able to sit on the
highest position...
With this, you can understand our mind set and thought perception...
That is why once a British Economist said, Indian Fields are more
fertile than the Indian fields, and it is completely true, In
majority, we are senseless and mindless, thoughtless people of this
earth.We live with inferiority complex. Shame on Amulya
multiple strands in this strong rope to hold the government
by Ramesh on Dec 28, 2009 06:57 PM
Sonia Gandhi with the help of two stalwarts Arjun Singh and ND Tiwari
was able to wrest control over INC largely because Arjun Singh had
cultivated a strong network of Sanjay acolytes like Ahmed Patel,
Kamalnath, Ambika Soni, Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and many lesser
others.
MMS who even called his political mentor PVN as his political father,
thereafter has wisely chosen to be above board in these political
machinations, and maintained an understated political profile to
provide stability with a seasoned set of Cabinet ministers like Pranab
Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar, P Chidambaram, AK Antony amongst others.
This delicate and disciplined balance provided by the senior Ministers
needs greater appreciation and these persons surely deserve superior
respect for being the real reason for success in government policy
formulation and implementation. The various UPA constituents like DMK
and TC have also played their role with responsibility to provide
strand to strengthen the State apparatus.
Re: multiple strands in this strong rope to hold the government
by Ramesh on Dec 28, 2009 07:21 PM
The role of Sonia Gandhi after UPA-1 installation was initially bit
controversial. History has recorded that the first five Chief
Ministers appointed under her Presidency of INC were all Christians.
The matter of religious conversion surfaced in a big way during those
days.
However, she deserves full credit for championing the most imprtant
achievement of UPA-1 the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
which would have never seen the light of the day without here
unstinted support.
In UPA-II, the decisive change in hustings came from West Bengal,
thanks to TC, and this development may have broaden the base for
decentralised leadership within Congress.
On the whole, her splendid performance at the crucial juncture of
Indian history and creating an ambience for greater cooperation with
Western democracies and political N-deal with US deserves tremendous
appreciation and shall surely accord her a distinctive and very
respectful position in modern Indian history.
what congress gave to country????
by Amchi Mumbai on Dec 28, 2009 06:57 PM
1)Corruption
2)Democracy for name sake(in realty its Congress's Salvery)
3)rise in terrorism
4)unemployment
5)farmer suicide
6)increase in terrorism
Re: what congress gave to country????
by Saffron Lotus on Dec 28, 2009 07:00 PM
7)Price Rise
8)Wearing the mask of Secularism
9)Minority Appeasement
10)Divisive Politics
11)Bunch of oppurtunists
12) etc. U cant even count
Re: Re: what congress gave to country????
by Dkumar Banerjee on Dec 28, 2009 07:31 PM
13)bribe is the birthright of govt.officials,india holds no.2 position
in the world.
Re: Re: what congress gave to country????
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:02 PM
NDTiwari kind of governance..when whole Andhra was burning.
Re: Re: Re: what congress gave to country????
by Saffron Lotus on Dec 28, 2009 07:04 PM
He was enjoying his time because no decision was made till that time
at 10 janpath
Re: Re: Re: what congress gave to country????
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:54 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
India sleeping dont distrub
by Indian First on Dec 28, 2009 06:56 PM
Congrats china... We indians r busy fighting for smaller states... we
dont have time to compete with you.... its ok u can go ahead and not
worry of us... We still have lot of sort out between us... we have
caste, religion and reginal issues we need to sort before we can think
of developement.... we are our worst enemy... dont bother about us...
have fun
Re: India sleeping dont distrub
by Virtual Insider on Dec 28, 2009 07:09 PM
Yes they can make a superfast train or build the highest dam, we are
doing much better things breeding population like P_GS...
Re: India sleeping dont distrub
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:10 PM
Indian leaders having given them sedatives in the form of
regionalism...
Re: Re: India sleeping dont distrub
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:58 PM
so you can be called as praveen INDIAN LEADERS pandey... hoooooo
Sonia now a world class leader
by Sharma on Dec 28, 2009 06:56 PM
Though i dont agree everything ,I have my admiration to sonia about
her dignity in public life.She does not criticise too personal level
like what Advani and Lalu's do.Her social niceties and the way she has
brought up children in such a nice way is indeed praiseworthy (just
compare with Maneka's son Varun who disgraced the country by his
utterances during last elctions).
Just imagine she has even forgiven Nalini,who plotted to kill
Rajiv.Sonia is the one who appealed to the court to not to hang her
because she has a child then.Now Rajiv Gandhi foundation takes care of
her education.Even Priyanka met Nalin at Vellore Jail.What Iam saying
is Sonia has started a new way of politics,let alone her famous
listening to inner voice to renounce PM post.We dont see this gentle
and noble behaviour among any of our politician.Thats why she stands
apart,and take notice.
Re: Sonia now a world class leader
by haarihuibjp on Dec 28, 2009 07:02 PM
some thing these BJP wallas should learn that what is INDIAN CULTURE
FROM Mrs.Sonia Gandhi.
Re: Re: Sonia now a world class leader
by Saffron Lotus on Dec 28, 2009 07:07 PM
That is Italian culture.
Re: Re: Re: Sonia now a world class leader
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:13 PM
Sonia ji leaders of hypocrites..
Re: Re: Re: Re: Sonia now a world class leader
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:58 PM
praveen ND TIWARI pandey !!!! THATS MEGA HIT or praveen ARUL
pandey !!! hows it !!!!
Re: Sonia now a world class leader
by jayesh on Dec 28, 2009 09:04 PM
sonia had in fact gone to president kalam with the list of mps
supporting her forpm post. kalam had adviced her to go through the
provisions of section 5 of the constitution. inner voice is a fake
story.she was eager to become pm. kalam had stopped her. kalam could
not get second opportunity because of his straight advice.
Only Two Parties......?
by cool on Dec 28, 2009 06:55 PM
It is really bad that,apart from Congress, only BJP able to become a
national party...And indians are not having any other options or
parties who can think national wide........
Shame to indian netas.........running their vote business on regional
basis..
Re: Only Two Parties......?
by Praveen Pandey on Dec 28, 2009 07:03 PM
Other party are run in feudal lord style, as their personal
fiefdom....
Re: Re: Only Two Parties......?
by K Arulkumaar on Dec 28, 2009 07:59 PM
so praveen PARTY BORN pandey!!!! hooooooo
Re: Only Two Parties......?
by Saffron Lotus on Dec 28, 2009 07:02 PM
Its basically a blessing in disguise. If there will be more regional
parties. U ll be seeing elections every year.
http://news.rediff.com/column/2009/dec/28/congress125-with-sonia-the-party-has-just-begun.htm
chhotemianinshallah
Rahul Karmakar, Hindustan Times
Guwahati, December 28, 2009
First Published: 19:28 IST(28/12/2009)
Last Updated: 19:29 IST(28/12/2009)
The all-pervading year-end holiday mood - face-offs with students'
bodies too - dampened an "upbeat" Congress' celebration of its 125th
foundation day across the Northeast.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and his Arunachal Pradesh counterpart
Dorjee Khandu waxed eloquent on the party's commitment to rural uplift
and boost for cottage industries. They presided over minimalist public
functions at the Rajib Bhavans in Guwahati and Itanagar respectively.
"Austerity drive was also a reason for keeping it (celebration) a low-
key affair," Assam Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary
Bichitra Choudhury told Hindustan Times.
The Christmas-New Year season had a similar impact on the party's
celebration in Mizoram, where Lal Thanhawla led it to a landslide
victory in December last year. The party has 43 of 40 seats in the
Mizoram House.
In Meghalaya and Manipur, the party function was even more low-key. If
under-pressure Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had the four-
month closure of schools by irate students' organizations at the back
of his mind, Meghalaya's DD Lapang was wary of facing protests from
tribal organizations opposing the go-ahead for a controversial
hydropower project.
These organizations had for most part of 2009 troubled Lapang for
green-signaling the uranium mining project in Meghalaya's West Khasi
Hills district.
Despite these "aberrations", the Congress exuded confidence gained by
a series of victories across the Northeast. The party's comfortable
victory - it won 42 of 60 Assembly seats - in Arunachal Pradesh
followed by-election wins in Meghalaya and Assam and preceded another
by-poll victory in Manipur.
Except for Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress leads a
coalition government in three of the remaining six states in the
Northeast. With 56 legislators in the 126-member Assam Assembly, it
shares power with the regional Bodoland Peoples' Front.
In Meghalaya, the Congress has 27 MLAs in the 60-member House. It
shares power with the United Democratic Party and other regional
allies. The party has the CPI as its allies in Manipur, although it
sits pretty with 31 legislators in the 60-member House.
chhotemianinshallah
SANJAY K. JHA
Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi, Nov. 13: A high-powered panel Sonia Gandhi has formed to
plan and organise year-long celebrations of the Congress’s completion
of 125 years has surprised some in the party by its composition.
While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s absence is noticeable in the
Sonia-headed panel, for some the more puzzling feature has been the
appointment of A.K. Antony as vice-chairman ahead of Pranab Mukherjee.
Rahul Gandhi is on the 19-member committee too, making it the first
party panel apart from the highest policy-making body, the Congress
Working Committee, to include both Sonia and her son.
Nobody denies that Pranab would have been the most qualified person in
the party to guide the committee since the theme of the celebrations
will centre on Congress history and its relevance. The Congress,
formed in 1885, intends to remind the new generation about the party’s
legacies in the contexts of the freedom struggle and nation-building.
Pranab has headed key party committees, including the panel for one of
the most important events in the party: the Shimla brainstorming
session. The only possible reason that a handful of senior leaders
could cite for Pranab’s inclusion as an ordinary member is his pre-
occupation with matters of governance.
Pranab, apart from looking after the finance ministry, has the job of
handling a host of groups of ministers (GoMs) on a wide range of
subjects. Even the Prime Minister’s absence was explained in terms of
his busy schedule.
The other senior leader suited for the job would have been Arjun
Singh, but he has been left out altogether. Some said Arjun was
omitted because he was unwell while others said only All India
Congress Committee office-bearers had been included.
The “office-bearer only” theory is mistaken, for many of the panel’s
members are not AICC officials.
The committee includes most general secretaries, such as Rahul,
Digvijay Singh, Mohsina Kidwai, Janardan Dwivedi, Mukul Wasnik, Ghulam
Nabi Azad and B.K. Hariprasad, but leaves out Prithviraj Chavan and V.
Narayansamy.
Antony is not even a general secretary. While Ahmed Patel has been
picked because he is crucial to the decision-making process,
information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni is in to ensure good
publicity for the nationwide programmes, which begin on December 28
and end on the same date next year.
Party leaders aren’t willing to comment on the unexpected inclusion of
petroleum minister Murli Deora, not known for intellectual prowess, an
attribute that brought Mani Shankar Aiyar and Jairam Ramesh in.
Sheila Dikshit is there too since most of the major programmes will
take place in Delhi. The inclusion of Anand Sharma and Jayanti
Natrajan has left many baffled — if communication is the job they have
been picked for, Abhishek Singhvi’s absence is difficult to explain.
Motilal Vora is in too.
The committee’s job is to invoke the party’s legacy and convince the
new generation that, unlike other parties, the Congress is not merely
a vote-catching machine.
“The whole year will be dedicated to… rekindling the glorious years of
the past and connecting the legacy with our present leadership,” a
senior AICC functionary said.
What he left unsaid was that the party would make a huge projection of
Rahul’s leadership against the shining historical backdrop.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091114/jsp/nation/story_11739939.jsp
chhotemianinshallah
Vir Sanghvi
First Published : 03 Jan 2010 01:08:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 04 Jan 2010 01:10:13 PM IST
Comments
It takes great courage to appoint a non-politician to the finance
minister`s post and withstand the fierce opposition to economic
liberalisation.The BJP adopted liberalisation once in power but when
in opposition it vigorously opposed it saying that India was losing
it`s sovereignty.Rao was stoic in the face of such opposition allowing
Manmohan Singh to carry out his reforms.If India is seen as
progressive now,it is due to these reforms.Otherwise we would still be
stuck with the licence Raj and there would be food riots in the
country.I would go so far as to say,PV made the most important
decision in the post-indepence history of this country
By sridhar s
1/5/2010 12:43:00 AM
Check this critique of the article by Vir Sanghvi
retributions.nationalinterest.in/the-importance-of-rao
By Sudhir
1/4/2010 10:23:00 PM
A systematic campaign has been unleashed by our great 24X7 news
channels to promote the Dynasty, engage in false propoganda and
ridicule non-Dynasty members. The Congress led by Madame Sonia is not
the Congress founded in the 19th century. Sonia should know that the
original Congress was broken by her arrogant Mother-in-Law in 1960s
(threw out Morarji, Kamaraj etc). Her party retained Cow and Calf
symbol. Again in 1978, the party was broken and Indira's party was
called Congress(I) and was allocated the 'Stealing' Hand symbol
(typical to the role played by Rajiv in Bofors). The Dynasty took
India in the wrong path called Socialism (difficult to make every one
rich, so make every one poor). PVN, to whom every Indian is indebted,
not only stopped this rot, but took the country to new economic
heights. Sonia should know that due to dirty politics, the Dynasty
lost three members in unnatural deaths. They can never live in peace.
Dharma will prevail.
By Kannan
1/4/2010 8:55:00 PM
A systematic campaign has been unleashed by our great 24X7 news
channels to promote the Dynasty, engage in false propoganda and
ridicule non-Dynasty members. The Congress led by Madame Sonia is not
the Congress founded in the 19th century. Sonia should know that the
original Congress was broked by her arrogant Mother-in-Law in 1960s
(threw out Morarji, Kamaraj etc). Her party retained Cow and Calf
symbol. Again in 1978, the party was broken and Indira's party was
called Congress(I) and was allocated the 'Stealing' Hand symbol
(typical to the role played by Rajiv in Bofors). The Dynasty took
India in the wrong path called Socialism (difficult to make every one
rich, so make every one poor). PVN, to whom every Indian is indebted,
not only stopped this rot, but took the country to new heights. The
scoundrels in Congress insulted PVN and did not let his body burn
totally when he died. What a shame? Sonia should know that due to
dirty politics, the Dynasty lost three members in unnatural de
By Kannan
1/4/2010 8:52:00 PM
So does Vir Sanghvi have any sense of History ? Not one Bit. True, PV
as HM failed to protect Sikhs as every other Indian failed. But who
orderd the Carnage? Vir won't look at that. True, PV opened up a
bankrupt Indian economy owing to pressure from IMF. But who made it
Bankrupt? Vir won't look at that. True, PV failed to protect the Babri
Masjid. But who opened the gates of the Masjid in the first place? Vir
won't look at that. So much for your sense of History Vir. You Suck!
Go join the Congress. Be honest and join the congress. Sorry Honest
and Journalism are oxymorons. So just go and join the Congress.
By Indian
1/4/2010 8:35:00 PM
Vir Sanghi is in a race with another alleged journalist Vinod Mehta of
Outlook to be the first to touch Sonia's sandals. Both of them know as
much about journalism as a whore would know about virginity. Just
three points to add to the discussions here: (1) Vir Sanghi is Editor
of Hindustan Times whose late proprietor K.K. Birla was a Congress MP;
its current boss, Shobhana Bhartiya, is at present a Congress MP; (2)
Vir Sanghvi sat like a hippo on a programme of Barkha "the Bitch" Dutt
on NDTV at the end of the last Lok Sabha elections and said about
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, "He wants us to believe that he is the only
virgin in a brothel". HIS EXACT WORDS; and (3) Doctors in Bombay say
that Vir has no real backbone; what he has is a poor substitute which
is filled with jello.
By Anmol Purohit
1/4/2010 8:01:00 PM
To All Readers. Since I am from Congress Party that too from Telangana
region I know there is considerable effort to eclipse whatsoever
achievements PV Narasimha Rao has done notwithstanding whatever
blunders commited. While our own congress party spinmasters will twist
the issue and elaborate all the blunders, they never speak of the
achievements. Particularly as all telanganites are bound to be
offended by this behaviour as this PV downplaying strategy is played
in Delhi with active participation of congress personalities from
Andhra. Whats their grudge? It is their feeling of being dwarfed when
a leader from Telangana whose achievements are appreciated. Also
Gandhi family can never appreciate PVN's guts to retrieve economy
through liberalisation, for then questions will arise whether Gandhi
family has bankrupted the nation as they were ruling before PVN.
By k.v.narayan rao
1/4/2010 4:58:00 PM
I have never seen such a biased news article in recent times. It is
very evident that the author is Gandhi-dynasty fanboy.
By whitedoves
1/4/2010 4:33:00 PM
I have never seen such a biased news article in recent times. It is
very evident that the author is Gandhi-dynasty fanboy.
By whitedoves
1/4/2010 4:27:00 PM
Biased, pathetic and pitiful journalism at his best. One point is
right - downplay 'PVN' to praise 'Madam'. Relative theory always
works.
By Mohan
1/4/2010 4:26:00 PM
PVN is one of the only three competent PMs of India . The incompetent
and the worst PMs are the dynasty. History will surely categorise them
so
By RSR
1/4/2010 4:16:00 PM
Mr Sangvi, it shows that you know little about indian political
history. Pl ready Indian political history before writing such bull
shit. patnaik
By patnaik
1/4/2010 4:08:00 PM
In my view, Mr.Sanghvi is foolish and idiotic in his assertions and
information. Politics is an ART. PV learned a lesson of dirty politics
during his failure as Andhra CM ( PV is actually UPRIGHT as Andhra CM
as he was implementing a POWERFUL LAND DISTRIBUTION scheme in Andhra
Pradesh. The bloody CORRUPT Indira supported the dissident Chenna
Reddy, who is a great land acquisition scam-ster.) and PV learned the
lesson "to-cut-a diamond, you need a diamond only" . People think
today (after nearly 20 years later), PV's only correct decision was,
hiring Manmohan Singh for Finance minister role, but Manmohan Singh
resigned 3 times during those 5 years(it is Manmohan's failure as
Finance minister for the Hawala Scam and Harshad Mehta stock scam).
The greatest achievement of PV is delivering a stable Govt and full
5yr term( when the Punjab and J&K are burning down with maximum
terrorism, he single handedly solved the Punjab issue with conducting
elections and securing a peaceful state, and pa
By Sriram
1/4/2010 3:04:00 PM
The cuckold-one will stoop to any level in order to curry favour with
the memsahib. At long last, have you no sense of shame?
By Charu Latha
1/4/2010 2:18:00 PM
This Vir Sanghvi is a coolie of Sonia and in Tamil 'adi varudi' of
the dynasty. You can talk and shit any thing. Nevertheless, PVN was a
great man and certainly the best of the PMs we have seen so far. His
only mistake was that he joined hands with Jaya the crook and went
down. Had he become the PM for the second time, he would have made
India more formidable. A truly great man! As long as brain dead people
like you live in India, the country will never progress.
By Kannan
1/4/2010 1:44:00 PM
Vir Sanghvi, How low can u stoop to show ur loyalty to the gandhi
family. Try to stand for urself.
By pr pr
1/4/2010 1:43:00 PM
Vir Sanghavi, great article to show u that ur a sombu for Italian
Sonia. Do u have the guts to expose the daredevil stunts done by
Mr.nehru, when China occupied 17000 sqkm in India, where Nehru did
nothing but to sit Idle.
By Easwar
1/4/2010 11:33:00 AM
Completely biased character assassination .. journalism is going down
the drains.. Vir should probably join active politics now ..
By Jaskirat Singh
1/4/2010 11:24:00 AM
So true article, PV is responsible for (1) Sikh riots as he was home
minister, later terrorism in punjab was a reaction to this (2) failed
to control Kashmir insurgency (3) failed to protect Babri masjid and
muslim riots as well (4) Was involved in muti billion dollar scams
across the board (5) Framed senior BJP leaders like LK Advani in false
scams Any patriotic Indian
By R. Singh
1/4/2010 9:28:00 AM
No Sanghvi, it is "Damning PV in order to praise Sonia"
By Ramesh
1/4/2010 8:21:00 AM
Vir Sanghvi says "One of our problems as a nation is that we have no
sense of history. And in the age of the Internet, where information is
disseminated faster than ever before, this allows those with an agenda
to re-write facts with ease and effectiveness." This is exactly what
he has done. The article is wonderfully coloured only by his biases.
By Sarathy Amudhan
1/3/2010 11:34:00 PM
It is with utter disappointment and amazement, I state that my
favourite daily has off late started giving a precious and respected
column space to the unofficial spokesperson of Congress party in
official capacity of a so called Senior Journalist.
By pranav
1/3/2010 11:14:00 PM
Mr. Sanghvi is a shame! He does not do journalism. He is similar to
Rush Limbaugh and fox news in USA. Mr. Saghvi should not be trusted
what he says. He is well-paid, well-connected Individual and never
tell you the truth. Some facts: It was Sonia Gandhi who weakened Mr.
Rao's government by encouraging dissent. She encouraged people such as
Arjun Singh to revolt against Rao. Rao saved from 40 years of
incompetence of Sangavi's good friends. ne to all good wFinally Sonia
Gandhi with the help of her friends even denied Rao not to be cremated
in new delhi. So much work! Now this man writes some non-sense
thinking people do not know anything.
By kumar
1/3/2010 11:03:00 PM
Rao was reduced to a minor minion by Rajiv Gandhi and the home
ministry was essentially being handled by Arun Nehru during Indira
Gandhi's murder.. The entire operational planning and mass murder of
Sikhs was being conducted by Arun Nehru sitting in Prime Minister's
house. This criminal has totally escaped any prosecution and lives a
comfortable life instead of being publically hanged. Almost 6000 Sikh
police Officers of Delhi police were disarmed and sent home and the
orders were transmitted to all over wireless. This was done so that no
Sikh policeman will be there to protect any Sikh victims. Rao was a
collaborator and acted as minion and servant of the Gandhi family
instead of a home minister sworn to protect the citizens. Similarly
during Babri Masjid episode, he played politics rather than enforced
the laws of the land. I agree that appointing Manmohan Singh was
perhaps his best decision of his entire leadership.
By Tsingh
1/3/2010 9:56:00 PM
"My theory is that this pathetic attempt to launch a cult of PV is
inspired by no more than a desire to oppose the Gandhi family. If PV
is regarded as a charlatan then it follows that the Congress can only
function under the Gandhis — or so, empirical evidence would suggest.
This conclusion is deeply offensive to anybody who opposes dynasty.
Therefore, the desire to claim that PV was actually a very good prime
minister." Mr. Sanghvi, I am surprised by your open shameless bias,
following empirical analysis by you is laughable. "Never mind that she
praised Lal Bahadur Shastri, who was hardly a member of her family"
Mr. sanghvi, please define 'sonia'a family', 'gandhi's family' with
your empirical analysis and considering historical facts (which you
emphasize most and do not follow) revisit your statement.
By bhamathi
1/3/2010 9:22:00 PM
This is the biggest piece of rubbish which I have read in a long time.
More then rubbish, it is pure garbage. It is because of these self
styled pseduo secularists that India is in such a shape. Some
examples. 1. M F Hussain can insult Hindu Gods & Goddess - we are
supposed to accept them in the name of freedom of speech & expression
of art. However, since Muslim sentiments are hurt if they sing Vande
Mataram, we should not force it on them. 2. Priyaranjan Dash Munshi
said before he fell ill that Tasleeema ( the author from Bangladesh )
shold seek pardon from the muslim community for huting thier
sentiments. 3. While PV is blamed for Anti Sikh riots, not one word
abount Rajiv Gandhi's statement - "If a big tree falls the earth
shakes " or something like that. Dear Express, Please do us a favour.
Please do not publish such garbage anymore.
By G Vishwanathan
1/3/2010 7:33:00 PM
chhotemianinshallah
Pankaj Vohra, Hindustan Times
January 03, 2010
First Published: 21:39 IST(3/1/2010)
Last Updated: 21:46 IST(3/1/2010)
The Congress turned 125 years old last week. But the low-key
celebration of the historic occasion demonstrated that all is not well
in the Grand Old Party of India. Contrary to the erroneous impression
that the Congress was firmly in control and the Opposition parties,
particularly the BJP, were in a poor shape, a fierce power struggle
seems afoot among several senior leaders. While Sonia Gandhi’s
authority is unchallenged as she has steered the party with
distinction through its most difficult phase to come to power at the
Centre and 15 states in her 11 years in active politics, major
differences have cropped up among top leaders.
The first indication of this tussle may emerge when the organisation
is revamped. However, the time frame for this exercise is still not
clear. There has been huge resentment in the rank and file over the
distribution of responsibilities among a few select leaders. The same
leaders are ministers and also hold charge of several states. This has
left many Congressmen wondering whether there was such a dearth of
talent in their party that it had to go against the principle of one
man-one post.
When the party began its second term in the central government in May
2009, many party office-bearers were inducted into the Council of
Ministers but continued to also look after states. In process, their
performance in both places has been questionable and a powerful lobby
within the party is making an attempt to impress upon the Congress
president that this anomaly needs to be undone. The events that will
unfold will also indicate the changing power equations within the
organisation and perhaps throw up some new faces before Rahul Gandhi
finally decides to take on greater responsibility.
Many senior leaders privately feel that the Congress should not think
it will get its way just because the BJP is riddled with internal
problems. The manner in which major issues have been handled,
including the Telangana affair and the price rise of essential
commodities, shows that the party lacks focus. It cannot hope to
remain in power just because the opposition was doing badly. It needs
to consolidate its position by extraordinary work. The common
perception is that ever since the party came to power last May, its
government does not have the same kind of authority it had during its
first tenure.
The Congress has been through many difficult times even after
Independence when it has seen at least three clear splits. The first
was in 1969 when a powerful syndicate within the party challenged
Indira Gandhi’s supremacy. The party, which was elected on the symbol
of two bullocks, had to give up its original electoral emblem after
Indira Gandhi retained her government with the help of the Left. The
1971 elections where she won on the garibi hatao slogan were contested
on the cow and calf symbol.
The second split took place in February 1977 when Jagjivan Ram and
H.N. Bahuguna along with a large number of supporters walked out of
the party to form the Congress for Democracy thereby paving the way
for the Janata Party’s historic victory a month later. The third split
was in January, 1978, when Indira Gandhi broke away from the party led
by senior leaders such as Y.B. Chavan and formed the Congress(I) with
Kamlapati Tripathi as its working president and the hand as its new
symbol.
There was another split in the nineties when the Congress (Tiwari) was
temporarily formed against P.V. Narasimha Rao’s manner of functioning.
This faction re-merged into the party again.
The party has gained strength under Sonia Gandhi and can consolidate
itself in its 125th year if it focuses on sensitive issues more
effectively. The Congress president has to realise that the power play
is not without reason and matters should be salvaged before it is too
late. Between us.
chhotemianinshallah
Dharmendra Jore, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, December 31, 2009
First Published: 00:55 IST(31/12/2009)
Last Updated: 00:56 IST(31/12/2009)
The year 2009 firmly established some leaders and parties — from the
125-year-old Congress to the three-year-old Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
(MNS).
Winning combination
Anti-incumbency and the flak the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) government received after the terror attacks, did not affect the
combine much because it benefitted by a division of saffron votes.
The Congress bagged 17 seats in the Lok Sabha and 82 in the Assembly.
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who faced two elections in six months,
successfully fought rivals within the party and outside. The party
rewarded him with another term as CM.
The NCP, however, did not have a great year. Party chief lost his
chance to be Prime Minister because of infighting and rebellion. The
NCP also lagged behind Congress in the Assembly polls. The party
almost split following a cold war between Ajit Pawar and Chhagan
Bhujbal over the deputy chief minister’s post.
A weak opposition, however, helped the Congress-NCP sail comfortably
on the floor of the legislature. It managed to delay the tabling of
the Ram Pradhan report that dealt with the handling of the 26/11
terror attacks.
The Great Spoiler
The MNS’s potential to play spoiler showed in the Assembly polls when
it won 13 crucial seats in the Mumbai-Pune belt. Raj Thackeray became
a new power centre much to the chagrin of his estranged cousin Sena
Executive President Uddhav Thackeray.
The MNS, however, took state politics to a new low when its
legislators assaulted Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Asim Azmi for
taking the oath in Hindi.
Spiralling downwards
Uddhav proved to be the year’s biggest loser. The party, under his
leadership, won 11 Lok Sabha seats, one short of its 2004 tally. He
touched a new low of 44 seats in the 288-member state Assembly and
blamed the defeat on MNS. The Sena also lost the post of leader of
opposition in the Assembly to BJP.
BJP leaders on a high
The BJP may not have succeeded in forming the government in
Maharashtra but senior leaders from the state were elevated to new
heights.
State BJP President Nitin Gadkari was appointed national president
while National General Secretary Gopinath Munde was appointed deputy
opposition leader in the Lok Sabha.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/mumbai/The-year-that-was/Article1-492263.aspx
chhotemianinshallah
Last updated on: December 28, 2009 23:50 IST
Sheela Bhatt says the Congress cannot have a celebratory party until
it addresses the national issues demanding attention.
The Congress turned 125 on Monday. Every Indian is in one way or
another been touched by the Congress or is linked to it -- directly or
indirectly.
There are by moderate estimates, some 200 million active or passive
but loyal Congress supporters and voters. It is equally true that an
overwhelming number of Indians, in real numbers, are dead against it
while millions of Indians remain passive or neutral about it, also.
But, Congress is here to stay, in the form of past, present or future,
in our lives.
The Congress, cricket, the India [ Images ]n Railways and people's
faith in God are omnipresent in every nook and corner of India. It
seems certain that the place of Congress in the Indian landscape will
not change dramatically in the near future.
The only party in the sub-continent that has touched three centuries
has been also compared to banyan tree under which nothing can grow but
it surely shelters and imbibes all hues and shades of political
opinions of the Indian society. Pundits to tribals and slum dwellers
to former maharajas have found their political identity with Congress.
Election after election has shown that its 124-year-old cosmopolitan
character is still the Unique Selling Point of the party.
Since it has ruled this country for more than 48 years of independent
India, it has to take, largely, credit for progress under its rule and
absolute blame for lots of miseries that Indians are living with.
As Sonia Gandhi [ Images ], president of the Congress, kick-started
the one-year long celebration of Congress party, the first question
that arises in the mind is: Has the Congress enough reasons to be
happy on its birthday?
The answer is clearly in the negative.
Here are some important reasons why Congress can not have a
celebratory party until it addresses the national issues demanding
attention.
One: Around 82 percent members of the Constituent Assembly consisted
of Congressmen. The great Constitution of India, which has so far
survived the test of time bears a clear Congress imprint. But, at the
end of just three decades Congress Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
[ Images ] circumvented it, muzzled its ethos and plunged the country
into darkness by imposing Emergency.
Not enough has been said and regretted by Congress leaders who matter
in the party. Indira did acknowledge that few excesses might have
happened but, we saw recently that the party has no qualms in
accommodating people who were responsible for the excesses committed
against people during the Emergency. Democracy in India is a gift of
the Congress. The Congress has to speak loudly for it, all the time.
Two: There is a fascinating book Nehru's Shadow by Jawaharlal Nehru's
[ Images ] Chief Security officer K F Rustamji. It's edited by P V
Rajgopal. It has some amazing minute observations on Nehru by
Rustamji. The chapter called Nehrumania describes the mass-meeting
methods of Nehru. It shows how poor women and girls would grab his
garlands and how Nehru revelled in the adulation. In the same way,
memories are fresh about Indira amma's visit to the countryside of
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra [ Images ] and Orissa. Father and daughter
both promised jobs, water, health and education.
I covered Rajiv Gandhi's [ Images ] visit to the poor people in
Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh [ Images ] in the 1980s. What we saw was the
heart-wrenching poverty. Rather, Rajiv himself had narrated his
"discovery of India' vividly in his historic speech on December 28,
1985. He said, 'When I started my political work, it was only with the
motive of being by the side of my mother. She bore with stoic
fortitude the irreparable loss of a son who had been a tower of
strength. She gave me no directions, no formulate, no prescriptions.
She just said, 'Understand the real India, its people, its problems.'
'So I have plunged into that work. Millions of faces in varying moods
of joy and sorrow, of eager expectation, of triumph and defeat filled
my being, till they merged into the face of mother India, proud,
defiant, confident but also full of sad perplexity. Always, the
unspoken question haunting her face: Whither India?
'After two years of incessant travelling, meeting people, reading and
reflection, I felt I could go to her with my perceptions. Listening to
me, she thought I had gained some understanding of the complexities of
our society. And then she began to unburden herself. She spoke of
India's enduring strength and of her hopes for India, but also of her
apprehensions and anxieties. She analysed with clinical precision how
the entire system had been weakened from within, how the party had
once again been infiltrated by vested interests who would not allow us
to move, how patronage and graft had affected the national
institutional framework, how nationalism and patriotism had ebbed, how
the pettiness and selfishness of persons in political positions had
ruptured social fabric. She was clear that if India had to keep her
'tryst with destiny,' so much had to change.'
And, now, his son Rahul Gandhi [ Images ] is repeating the father's
actions. He is sharing meals in Dalits homes (he insists on
identifying them only as 'the poor') in Uttar Pradesh where he wants
to revive the Congress. One need not call it 'drama', as Mayawati
[ Images ] does, but the last 60 years of Congress history and Nehru
to Rahul's innumerable visits to peep into the homes of the poor
speaks volumes about the failure of the Nehru-Gandhi family in
tackling poverty, the biggest issue in India.
We can forget that during Nehru's time Indira Gandhi became president
of Congress in 1959 and dynasty was launched. But, someone has to
answer how many generations of Nehru-Gandhis would visit poor people's
homes?
Rahul's visit itself is a painful reminder of the failure of
Congress's socio-economic vision, so far.
Three: We are told since the last four generations that the Congress
is born to rule. Ramchandra Guha in his book India After Gandhi writes
that, 'The 1980 elections, notes the editor Prabhash Joshi, marked the
'end of ideology' in Indian politics. Previous polls were fought and
won on the planks of democracy, socialism, secularism and non-
alignment. However, Mrs Gandhi spoke not of the abolition of poverty
but of her ability to rule.'
The failure of the Janata Party government led by Morarji desai – and
the failure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee [ Images ] to do something visibly
to at least control the riots of 2002 in Gujarat – has made
Congressmen sell this idea again to the people that they are destined
to rule India. Union minister Kapil Sibal [ Images ] has said that
Congress will rule for the coming 20 years.
We agree that the non-Congress leaderships in the country and the
opposition parties have failed us, but that is a limited issue for the
poor people who want governance, delivery of promises and secure
future, no matter who can provide them.
This propagated myth that Congress knows how to govern India has
harmed Congress as much as the people.
The Telangana [ Images ] fiasco is the latest example. If an alert
government had taken note that the vacuum left by the death of YSR
Reddy will be certainly filled by opportunists then, political
leadership in Centre would have taken note of Telanagana Rashtriya
Samiti leader K Chandrashekar Rao's fast on the very second day before
it became a 'law and order' issue. Home Minister P Chidambaram
[ Images ] should have advised CM K Rosaiah to insulate the Osmania
University right at the outset. These ideas can only come where
political sharpness is there to govern the country, says a Congressman
who had warned the 'core group' of Congress on December 8, 2009.
Congress which claims to know governance better than others initiated
the process of a new state without any preparation at all. It is
amazing to see how, actually, history repeated itself.
Guha's book narrates how on December 12, 1952, Potti Sriramalu, the
Telugu leader who died during his fast to press for the demand of
carving out a separate Andhra state from Madras Presidency, caught
Nehru unawares. After 58 days of fast he died. Guha writes, 'Now, all
hell broke lose.' The damage to government property ran into millions
of rupees when Andhra got engulfed in chaos. 'Nehru had once claimed
that 'facts not fast' would decide the issue. Now, faced with
possibility of widespread and possibly uncontrollable protest, the
prime minister gave in. Two days after Sriramulu's death he made a
statement saying that a state of Andhra would come into being.'
Congress leaders claim that Sonia Gandhi is furious for the manner in
which the decision was taken by Chidambaram, who was backed by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh [ Images ]. But there are scores of such
decisions.
Four: The Congress's history is so stupendous that it cannot fade away
with the troubled times it faces now and then. Here is a national
institution that was touched, nurtured, pampered and educated by
Mahatma Gandhi [ Images ], which has the resilience to rise when faced
with crisis. There are any number of examples when during a crisis the
Congress had gone 'inward'. It takes unbearably long to churn the
issue, change the parameters thrust upon itself by the crisis till the
crisis takes a new form. The Congress party's mantra has been slow
grinding.
But, now, this internalisation of issues and slow-motion politics do
not work. There are more than 40 burning issues in present-day India
but, Congress doesn't think it needs to take a stand. Just before the
2004 election Sonia Gandhi had promised reservation in the private
sector but after the surprise win she never spoke about it.
Congress's rhetoric on the issue of Hindutva, minority, security,
reservations, US-centric policies, model of development of villages
and towns are hindering the country from moving forward. In the
absence of any real political competition Sonia Gandhi should shed her
safe politics of 'status quo' and take decisions. Pranab Mukherjee
[ Images ] who chairs two dozen committees has an entire list of
issues that cry out for her urgent attention.
The Teleangana issue was one such issue that Congress refused to take
up with guts and commitment. It is difficult to adopt the technique of
'delays' and 'fudging' for the sake of gaining political advantage
when the media and people are becoming so visibly impatient.
Five: There is no doubt that secularism and the centrist approach in
politics and economy is working well for the Congress and the country.
Sonia appears before us deserving kudos but the ground reality is
shockingly different. There is no matching action to Sonia's centrist
politics. The Sacchar Committee report has shown that Muslims have
suffered tremendous loss under the Congress rule in most states. Few
months after independence Nehru wrote to the chief ministers saying,
'we have got to deal with this minority in a civilised manner. We must
give them security and rights of citizens in a democratic state. If we
fail to do so, we shall have a festering sore which will eventually
poison the whole body politics and probably destroy it.'
Nehru was aiming at communalists but, it holds good for the Congress
also. Muslims are returning to the Congress but, this time they would
ask for more share in the Congress pie. The Congress has not found the
language and action plan under which without appeasing minorities for
narrow gains of votes it can bring them into the mainstream. This is
the Congress's prime duty because BJP, the next party, is not even
giving nominal representation to Muslims within the party or in the
power structure where they are in power.
Six: Right now, 19-year-old Ruchika's molestation case is haunting
us. It is a national shame and painful to see how at every step
corruption, nepotism and blackmail had worked within the system and
the establishment. Some of the major culprits who supported guilty
police officer Rathore are all Congressmen.
Ruchika was molested by a police officer and her parents could not
file even an FIR. This is the manifestation of what in the 1980s we
called 'Congress culture'. Salute to Rajiv Gandhi when he spoke in his
1985 speech that, 'Turn to the great institutions of our country and
you will see that too often, behind, their imposing facades, the
spirit and substance lack vitality. The work they do sometimes seem
strangely irrelevant to the primary concerns of the masses. Attempts
are made to taint the electoral process at its very source.
'Issues of crucial national importance are frequently subordinated to
individual sectional and regional interests. Our legislatures do not
set standards for other groups to follow; they magnify manifold the
conspicuous lack of a social ethic. A convenient conscience compels
individuals to meander from ideology, to ideology seeking power,
influence and riches. Political parties twist their tenets, enticed by
opportunism.
'And what of the iron frame of the system, the administrative and the
technical services, the police and the myriad functionaries of the
State? They have done so much and can do so much more, but as the
proverb says there can be no protection if the fence starts eating the
crop. We have government servants who do not serve but oppress the
poor and the helpless, police who do not uphold the law but shield the
guilty, tax collectors who do not collect taxes but connive with those
who cheat the State and whole legions Whose only concern is their
private welfare at the cost of society. They have no work, ethic, no
feeling for the public cause, no involvement in the future of the
nation, no comprehension of national goals, no commitment to the
values of modern India. They have only a grasping, mercenary outlook,
devoid of competence, integrity and commitment.'
He had angrily said: 'The best lack all conviction and the worst are
full of passionate intensity."
It is not difficult to explain why the Congress is going strong in the
electoral battlefield and the Congress government is enjoying power
without any real opposition even as the national institutions are
getting weaker and weaker. This is so because Congress doesn't have
moral fibre to throw out of the system weak and corrupt leaders when
they flout rules.
Congress has forsaken its role as the freedom fighter. Gandhiji had
said Congress was a fighting machine. Now, for the young and the
upwardly mobile, the Congress machinery is the passport to make money.
One look at the first time elected young MPs background will tell you
more.
It is a matter of national regret that every word that Rajiv Gandhi
spoke in his greatest moment when Congress was 100 years old, is much
more true and relevant today when the Congress is 125.
Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi
bademiyansubhanallah
Congress is dynasty, dynasty is Congress
MJ Akbar
Does it matter that there was no tribal or Muslim on the dais when the
Congress celebrated its 125th anniversary? Or that the history of the
party has now been co-opted into the history of the Nehru-Gandhi
family, with token homage to Mahatma Gandhi and throwaway references
to titans of the first two decades of our nation-building process?
The second has become, in truth, an irritation to commentators rather
than voters. Those who support the Congress have already conflated the
party with the family, a process that began during Mrs Indira Gandhi’s
time and has matured during Ms Sonia Gandhi’s leadership. So has the
party structure. The Congress voter believes that the two Mrs Gandhis
do the best that they can for the poor, which is at least better than
the rest. And the party identifies the family with something other
leaders have not been able to provide: electoral success. Lal Bahadur
Shastri did not live long enough to translate his sturdy promise into
Lok Sabha seats. And while Narasimha Rao may have, in his own
estimation, saved the nation from economic ruin he could not save the
Congress from political ruin. The family is safe anchor for those
Congressmen who want to be in power for 20 years or the end of their
lives, whichever comes quicker.
But the first has to be a problem. There is of course always an
element of tokenism in any high-table seating arrangement, but those
tokens have value, which is why they are preserved. Ms Sonia Gandhi,
Mr Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Ms Sheila Dikshit and Mr Motilal
Vora were natural claimants, although it did not go without notice
that there are three Brahmins in the group. The presence of Mr AK
Antony had nothing to do with either Kerala or his Christian faith; it
was proof that Ms Gandhi holds him in high esteem. Mr JP Aggarwal sat
there as host, but Mr Mukul Wasnik was given space because of his
community, marking this pleasant and decent person as the Dalit face
of the future. Mr Rahul Gandhi did not sit on the dais, presumably
because he was away on holiday. It was a politically sensible holiday,
for he still has a slightly nebulous status, party-wise: He is
certainly not a member of the audience, but not quite the equal of
Manmohan-Pranab-Dikshit-Antony group. Absence can have its uses.
But not every time. The absence of a tribal or a Muslim was not out of
choice. The ranking Muslim Cabinet Minister is Ghulam Nabi Azad, a
Kashmiri. Muslims of the Gangetic belt, from Hardwar and Saharanpur to
Kolkata via Patna do not identify with him; and this is where the bulk
of the faithful live. The absence of tribals is an even bigger
problem, for one of the main reasons for the growth of Maoists in the
tribal belt is their conviction that they have been marginalised by
the larger political formations. Unable to offer a face of its own,
the Congress was forced to co-opt Mr Babulal Marandi in the Jharkhand
elections. It did well, but would have done better if it had built its
indigenous tribal leadership.
While the Home Ministry might launch its armed offensive against
Maoists, sensible politics demands a parallel dialogue with the
communities that constitute the strength of this opposition. There are
no Congress leaders who can play this role. Muslims are quiet now, but
if passions do rise over job quotas Congress will face the same
difficulty with its strongest vote base.
Complacency is never a good idea, and the BJP has sent a signal that
it just might be getting its act together. Its new leader Nitin
Gadkari has sent two interesting signals. He invoked Deen Dayal
Upadhyay’s concern for the last man in the queue, a reversal of the
impression that the party could not look beyond the first man in the
queue. The second is a collage: He served chicken at a reception at
party headquarters; he used a line from a Hindi film song at a Press
conference; and, in his individual capacity, he is a bit overweight.
While weight and temperament are not necessarily correlated, it is
generally true that men who eat more than they should are also
tolerant of human indulgence. Think the laughing Buddha. Think
Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, who wanted men about him who were fat and
was wary of yon Cassius with his lean and hungry look. A chap who can
chow down with the best, and listens to film music is unlikely to be
rigid, although the jury must remain out on this question till the end
of this year.
There will be many battles in the decade ahead, some fierce, others
lukewarm. But while we are engrossed in the high drama of the Maoist
revolt, economic upturn-downturn, minority-poverty definitions, watch
out for the subliminal conflict between Mr Rahul Gandhi’s fashionable
stubble and Mr Gadkari’s film song quotations. Chorhon kal ki baatein
(forget yesterday), said Mr Gadkari at the Press conference, which was
fine: But does he have a nai kahani (new story) for the naya daur (new
age)?
-- MJ Akbar is Director of Publications of Covert.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/226566/Congress-is-dynasty-dynasty-is-Congress.html
bademiyansubhanallah
Subterfuge as UPA policy
Swapan Dasgupta
By common consensus of the English-language media, Minister of State
for Environment Jairam Ramesh is one of the best Ministers in Manmohan
Singh’s Government. Erudite, articulate and witty, Ramesh corresponds
to the mental image of ‘modern’ India and represents a departure from
the insular, fuddy-duddy Ministers that have hitherto epitomised
public life. More to the point, unlike many of his predecessors in the
Ministry of Environment, Ramesh has taken a keen interest in his
responsibilities. At least he cannot be said to have misused his
responsibilities to practice what can best be called blackmail
environmentalism. Even his worst detractors will not charge him with
privately auctioning ‘green’ clearances.
Yet, like most clever people who are conscious of their own
cleverness, Ramesh has proceeded on a curious assumption: That he is
clever while rest of us are fools.
It may be a tenable working hypothesis as far as Ramesh is concerned
but his apparent conceit hasn’t gone unnoticed. Beginning from last
October when he wrote his infamous letter to the Prime Minister,
Ramesh has done more flip-flops than Shibu Soren. In his private
letter to the PM, he suggested that India junk the Kyoto Protocol,
delink from G-77 and undertake carbon emission reduction targets
without any expectation of technological and financial assistance.
Predictably, this created a furore and Ramesh was quick to retreat and
assure everyone that he would toe the national consensus and be a good
boy. But even before the Copenhagen Summit got underway, there was a
revolt in the Indian negotiating team. Ramesh was charged with
systematically subverting India’s negotiating strategy: He had
questioned the “per capita” principle which is at the heart of the
Indian position on climate change. The revolt ended when the Cabinet
on December 10 instructed Ramesh to not cross the ‘red lines’ — the
equivalent of the Lakshman Rekha — in Copenhagen. Once again Ramesh
promised to be a good boy and not play truant.
On returning from Copenhagen, Ramesh told the Rajya Sabha that at the
fractious summit “our national interest has not only been protected
but enhanced”. When challenged by the clever lawyers and the socially
adept Communists in the Opposition, Ramesh was forced to concede that
India had indeed breached the “red lines”. On the final day of the
past year, Ramesh went a step further and admitted the Copenhagen
accord has “inbuilt hazards” and there was a real danger to the very
architecture of the Kyoto Protocol. At the same time, he added that
the Kyoto agreement was “economically unsustainable” — a coded way of
saying that a recession-hit West could not be expected to do
prayashcitta for its cumulative assault on Mother Earth.
A casual comparison between the agenda Ramesh spelt out in his private
letter to the PM in October and the situation that prevails today will
show that he has substantially got his way: the Kyoto agreement is
endangered; India has broken from the G-77; it has unilaterally
announced 25 per cut emission cuts which will now be subject to a form
of international scrutiny; and the West has escaped all liabilities
for its dirty growth patterns. In short, Ramesh has cocked a snook at
both Parliament and the Cabinet. He promised to be a good boy but
ended up breaking all rules and yet being awarded the Harry Flashman
Good Conduct Prize.
At one level we can admire Ramesh’s cleverness and his sense of
loyalty to an America where he was educated and a China which
cultivated him when he was just a freelance busybody in Delhi.
However, it would be a mistake to single him out for a place in the
rogue’s gallery. Was the Minister acting unilaterally or was he
following a script prepared by the Prime Minister? This is a question
that I have dreamt of; it is being asked by many officials, Ministers,
politicians and environmental activists.
This is not to suggest that India’s position on Climate Change should
be written on stone and be forever non-negotiable. Dogmatic adherence
to many silly formulations conjured up by Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira
Gandhi in their time did the country incalculable harm. India has
traditionally had a very weak environmental movement and the “green”
business has been needlessly over-bureaucratised. It is also a fact
that politicians have tended to be environmentally illiterate and
State Governments — with the exception of Gujarat — have been
remarkably eco-unfriendly. The pre-Commonwealth Games assault on the
environment of Delhi is an example of what can happen when public
consciousness is insufficient.
Yet, these national shortcomings cannot justify change through
subterfuge. The belief that policy is too complex to be a subject of
democratic debate and transparency is also premised on the assumption
that only a privileged few possess wisdom. Consequently, it is felt
that public discourse should be insulated from meaningful
deliberations and be replete with homilies and slogans. It was this
underlying intellectual dishonesty that was responsible for a
bureaucratised socialism to be replaced by a bureaucratised market
economy — remember the time the Congress packaged liberalisation as
the highest stage of Nehruvian socialism. Such brazen disingenuity may
explain why India's passage away from the licence-permit-quota regime
has been imperfect.
The same distortions now threaten to jeopardise the Climate Change
debate.
Ironically, the same subterfuge now threatens to overwhelm the debate
over autonomy for Jammu & Kashmir. If the Government feels that the
State should revert to its pre-1953 status and Kashmir given a
permanent “special status”, it should offer the proposals for wider
discussion. Pretending that these proposals are the brainchild of some
spurious committee which hasn’t met for years doesn’t enhance public
confidence in the democratic process.
Manmohan Singh is said to be intellectually astute and he won a clear
mandate in the general election. If he wishes to change India, he
should do it explicitly and not by stealth. India is over 60 and quite
capable of deciding what is in its self-interest.
COMMENTS BOARD ::
scoring points
By sohan on 1/3/2010 7:01:03 PM
Nehru died 40+years ago. To score point against the UPA on his name is
unbecoming. The debates are good, but irony is the nation’s laws bind
the representatives to follow the dictate of their party bosses. The
end result is pre-determined.
Disingenuous indeed
By R. Viswam on 1/3/2010 12:12:10 PM
This article itself is disingenuous. What public policy, what public
debate in India where the 'educated, erudite and articulate' only
bother to sell American nostrums to an ignorant and indifferent
nation. So what is the audience Swapan's erudite piece is appealing
to?
Policy Debates in Parliament
By Shubhang Pandya on 1/3/2010 11:41:14 AM
With the quality of the Hon'ble MPs, their learning and concerns for
national issues and policy formulation, and the perpetually clogged
'well' and walk-outs and adjournments, it would be living in a fool's
paradise to expect serious inputs from 'peoples' representatives.
Outside the Parliament are the self-interest groups of various shades,
and shady, so the bureaucracy is the one deciding policy. Though no
doubt intellectually well endowed, the bureaucracy is corrupted by the
fascination
UPA Govt
By Atma Gandhi on 1/3/2010 9:58:52 AM
UPA Govt. is carrying out West's agenda of weakening India and
Manmohan Singh is PM only for this purpose. On 13-05-2004, Hindu
Majority India lost its Freedom.
It behoves media persons to be astute too and not just Manmohan and
Jairam
By Maheswar in Kathmandu on 1/3/2010 9:02:41 AM
It's becoming apparent that India's strategic alliance with the US
extends to matters over climate change too. Is it not time for the
ever stimualting Swapan Dasgupta to also start getting out of his own
box, as it were, and enlighten us on the trajectory of the Singh-
Ramesh thoughts on climate change and Kashmir for example.
Subterfuge as UPA policy
By Parvez Musharraf on 1/3/2010 3:53:17 AM
Swapanda, you very well know that India is incapable of acting in its
own self interest - the jhokawallahs won't allow it. Remember the
nuclear debate and the need to buy off Amar Singh. There the self
interest was quite obvious, but jhollawallahs, and to its eternal
shame the BJP, were working for China in deliberate disregard of
India's self interest. Manmohan Singh seems to have learnt a thing or
two from that debale which in the long term India will come to
recognise.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/226714/Subterfuge-as-UPA-policy.html
bademiyansubhanallah
HT Correspondents , Hindustan Times
Delhi, December 05, 2009
First Published: 19:47 IST(5/12/2009)
Last Updated: 01:48 IST(6/12/2009)
Striking an unusual note on the eve of the anniversary of the Babri
mosque demolition , the Congress found fault with its former Prime
Minister, the late Narasimha Rao, for his failure to intervene in the
December 6, 1992 incident.
“The party feels Rao should not have relied on the VHP affidavit and
the then UP government and should have intervened in time to prevent
the demolition,” Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said.
Coming in the backdrop of the scheduled debate on the Liberhan
Commission report, Singh’s utterances are being considered politically
significant. Opposition parties including the BJP and Samajwadi Party
have expressed serious criticism for the clean chit given to Rao in
the report.
Meanwhile, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said there was no
question of the Sangh regretting the pulling down of the mosque at
Ayodhya.
Without naming anyone, Bhagwat said, “Afsos jinko karna chahiye, woh
karein (Those who ought to regret, should do so).
BALRAMDec 5, 2009
MR Madhwa, I will suggest you to first clear your knowledge. You said
that the two incidents that shamed indians are not babri demolition
and gujarat post-godhra riots.
I would ask you simple question.. WHY THIS HAPPENED? WHO CREATED THIS
SITUATION? WHO WERE WORNG?? The only one answer to all is postings is
"MUSHLIMS".
1) They demolished temple to built masjid.,,which in turn VHP
demolished it to built temple. What wrong in it?
2) They first burnt the train coach and people travelling in it
alive..that resulted in post riots. What wrong in it?
What you want we hindus should wear bangles, and these muslims fellows
should do watever they want. That will not going to happen.
The day is not far when these Muslims will grow in number and will
start slautering hindus and and other caste people in open road. So it
is the duty of Hindus to always keep a check on these Muslims.
TunaDec 5, 2009
I too agree with the opinion of RSS cheif "Bhagwat". That masjid was
built over there by breaking Hindu temple in early days. VHP has
broken masjid to built temple. What's wrong in it?? Nothing wrong in
it. That is the land of bhagwan RAM and Muslims have not business over
there. In fact in history also it is mentioned clearly. These Muslims
should be wiped out from this country and should be send to Pakistan.
They are doing nothing for the progress and prosperity of India. They
leave here but there heart lies in Pakistan. They burn crackers when
Pakistan wins. They support terrorist and jihadis. They are the root
cause of all the problems that were occurring in India and outside.
J.P.BarthwalDec 5, 2009
The demolition ofthe Babri Masjid is an instance for the Congress,
which is engaged in the politics of tushtikaran The party does not
side the Hindus when their temples are destroyed.
It does so inorder to voo Muslims. It is nothing but the poltics of
vote.It is more generous in the Huj pilgrimage, but does not do so for
the Amarnath yatra. This tendency and policy is being followed right
from the time of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru.Therefore the Congress should
regretin accordance to its policy.
Muhammad LuqmanDec 5, 2009
It is very rigid attitude. One should repent over ill-doing
MadhwaDec 5, 2009
abu or abubaquar, the two incidents that shamed indians are not babri
demolition or gujarat post-godhra riots. It is the triggers for them!
Dont be one sided and quote facts selectively to suit your religious
perspective! There are one too many incident before these wherein
Moslems showed their ugly faces enough to shame the entire
humanity.....First learn about what true secularism is before trying
to impose it on the majority religion only!
shyamDec 5, 2009
Why only Gurudwaras, many of the temples in Rawalpindi have been
demolished and in some of the structures they have butchery selling
beef! Nonetheless that still does not give any one a right to demolish
a place of worship. As for reconstruction, well if there are evidences
that there did exist a temple before the Mosque, then a temple has to
be built first and only then a mosque nearby.
gurballyDec 5, 2009
Jatinder, first go to Lahore, see the terribe condition of historical
Sikh gurdwaras there and then post this comment.
gurballyDec 5, 2009
Sabir, stop this BS of Islam teaching respect for other religions. Was
not zaziya tax by Muslim rulers imposed on non-Muslims to force them
to convert? Isn't the Taliban is imposing this tax on Sikhs in NWPF
and Afghanistan? Didn't Afghan invaders demolish the Somnath temple?
Didn't Jahangir and Aurangzeb kill two Sikh gurus (Arjun and Tegh
Bahadur)? Does not the term infidel mean non-Muslims who must be
either converted or killed? Don't the Muslims from Pakistan to Egypt
chant ``Ummah'' - meaning Muslim brotherhood around the world?
Listen, the seventh century Arabia was tribal and barbarian, and these
practices are continuing in Islam. And remember, the forefathers of
most Muslims in the Indian sub-continent were forced to convert under
the sword or they converted as they couldn't pay zaziya.
Arun AryaDec 5, 2009
More people support babri demolition than oppose it, which was an
insult to our national pride. That mosque was built by invaders, so
muslims shouldn’t take it personally. However, hindustantimes will
never publish supportive comments, and we all know why.
abqDec 5, 2009
Two unfortunate incidents happened in India which almost gave the
impression to the outside world that India is a country full of
barbarians with different communities at war with each other. One is
the destruction of Babri masjid and the other is the Gujarat riots
2002. It is beyond doubt that fanatic hindus affiliated to the Sangh
parivar initiated these actions to gain political power. The sad part
is that our present system is unable to tackle such actions . If their
actions had been approved by the people of India at large then these
people would have been ruling India by now. But the people of India
have rejected them and the constituition written by our founding
fathers has emerged stronger than ever before. The idea of India which
is "Unity in diversity" and Secularism prevailed. Einstein once said
"India will show the way". India is a land of peace from time
immemorial . India has a goal to reach, a mission to accomplish, a
message to deliver and a destiny to fulfill. In this
Domukha Rao Dec 5, 2009
We, in Americas have long known and believed that Rao was not a true
Congressi who joined hands with communal forces and turned his face
aside while the Masjid was being demolished. A simple hint whether
anybody was with BJP is to note if that person was criticized by BJP
or not. The forces from BJP had met Rao before demolistion per
documents. The meeting was an unspoken agreement to turning the face
and that's why Tota Chashm kalyan Singh produced an afffidavit to
excuse Rao from the blame. Congress knew Rao's role and thats why he
was deprived of the ticket otherwise no ex PM is denied the party
ticket. His name should be removed from Congress offices and records.
He should be presented "Disloyal number 1" award, posthumously.
Sabir HasanDec 5, 2009
Mr. Krishnamurty,
Your statement that numerous temples are converted into mosques is
completely baseless. It is the propaganda of RSS and other hardline
Hindu groups. If RSS and its offshoots will not propagate such
historical distrotions to the people, how they will carry their
business.
It is impossible that any place of worship can be converted into a
mosque. Islam never allows such acts. A prayer can never be offered
where any illegal possession is taken. On the other hand, Islam
teaches to its followers to show full respect to the faith of other
people.
R.KrishnamurthyDec 5, 2009
Yes ,Babri Mosque should be rebuilt. Likewise numerous temples
converted into Mosques should be investigated and determined by
impartial non-congressmen and should be handed over to Hindus af
Jatinder S HoonDec 5, 2009
Rao is dead and Babri Masjid is demolished, you cannot bring back dead
Rao, but you sure can build the Masjid back and rectify a great
historical blunder.
chhotemianinshallah
Parsa Venkateshwar Rao JrFriday, January 1, 2010 23:07 IST
http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/column_hour-of-the-agenda_1329894
...and I am Sid Harth
bademiyansubhanallah
Friday, 08 Jan, 2010
On its 125th birth anniversary, the Congress put up a hoarding to
focus attention on five leaders: Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi,
Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Party president Sonia
Gandhi’s love for the dynasty is understandable. But the limelight
distorts history.
No doubt, Nehru was of the dynasty. But he loved all and did so much
for the country that his imprint is still fresh on the institutions he
built. A democratic, pluralistic constitution was his gift to the
nation. He wielded all the power but never misused it.
The three others, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have
used the Congress as an instrument not of reform but power. They do
not merit the distinction that Nehru commands.
Indira Gandhi has to her credit the suspension of fundamental rights
and the detention of more than 100,000 people without trial. During
Rajiv Gandhi’s regime the authorities and many Congress leaders
connived at the killing of 3,000 Sikhs in Delhi. Sonia Gandhi presided
over a meeting of top party leaders who exposed the country to the
threat of balkanisation with the decision to create the new state of
Telangana.
True, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi’s son, is making waves. But
putting him alongside Nehru gives us a peep into the thinking of the
powers that be. It is unfair to him as much as to the party. He would
like to earn his position and be judged by his performance, not
because of his dynastic ties. By showing Rahul Gandhi at the head of
five leaders in the hoarding presupposes his qualities of leadership
which he has yet to prove.
Indeed, the Congress has come a long way from the days when it was
founded in 1884. The person who converted the Congress into a people’s
party was Mahatma Gandhi. The organisers could not help giving him
prominence. But he was not in the hoarding which showed only the
dynasty. Even otherwise, he would have been out of place except with
Nehru.
Nowhere on the Congress radar does Maulana Abul Kalam Azad figure. A
prominent leader in the national struggle who made many sacrifices, he
has been practically forgotten by the party. His photo is seldom
displayed at Congress sessions.
Over the years, the values of the Congress have changed. It was
austere in its approach. Today the five-star culture has taken over.
On corruption especially, there was zero tolerance. Lal Bahadur
Shastri, mentioned the least in the present Congress set-up, made the
Punjab chief minister resign because the Justice Das Commission held
him guilty on a trivial charge. But neither Rajiv Gandhi nor Sonia
Gandhi found anyone guilty for the Bofors gun scandal. In fact,
Jharkhand’s Madhu Koda, who has apparently made more than Rs4,000
crore in less than two years, was the Congress nominee to head the
government.
The Congress has also converted public functionaries into instruments
to carry out the party’s orders. And they, the bureaucrats, have
played havoc with the country.
But other political parties that have ruled at the centre and in the
states are no better. They, too, have erased the thin line between
right and wrong, the moral and immoral.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is most to blame. Its Hindu rashtra
policy, dictated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has tried
to sink the minority communities in the sea of communalism in a
country which is pluralistic.
The good news is that the BJP is going downhill rapidly. Its strength
came down from 138 to 116 in the Lok Sabha election held last May. In
contrast, the Congress won 206 seats in the 543-member house. The BJP
and its allies lost in eight states which went to the polls last year.
The defeat is reportedly the reason why the RSS has taken direct
charge of the party. Its leaders do not, however, want to face the
fact that fundamentalism does not sell anymore. One fears lest the
party should try to repeat what it did in Gujarat (state-sponsored
killings) in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where it rules.
The left is still licking its wounds. Its tally of 64 in the Lok Sabha
has come down to a mere 16. A strong opposition has emerged in West
Bengal and Kerala where it rules. The anti-incumbency factor may play
a part in the defeat of leftist governments in both states.
Even otherwise, the youth which once provided the cadre to the
communists, are more attracted by the corporate sector. In fact, the
Maoists have come to be considered leftists. The communists are seen
at best as radical Congressmen.
Regional outfits like Mulayam Singh’s Samajwadi Party and Lalu Yadav’s
Rashtriya Janata Dal are in a shambles. The only regional party that
has won the state election is the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa. The
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu and Janata Dal (United) in
Bihar have yet to pass muster. Mayawati, the Dalit leader who is UP
chief minister, is losing her ground.
Therefore, there is no opposition party which can provide an
alternative to the Congress. Its arrogance and that of its governments
at the centre and in the states has violated the rule of law
irreparably. The party has done very little to check food prices that
have risen by 20 per cent in the last six months. The lower half is
suffering the most. Power has corrupted the Congress. Absolute power
may corrupt the party absolutely.
There has to be an alternative party committed to secularism and
public welfare. A viable opposition is necessary in a democratic state
so as to keep the government on its toes. India’s graph of clean
administration and basic human rights is dipping. The more space the
Congress occupies the less would be the attention paid to values.
Dynastic politics is ominous.
The writer is a senior journalist based in Delhi.
bademiyansubhanallah
Date Submitted: Thu Jan 07, 2010
BY SUNIL GATADE
NEW DELHI - Rise of Congress, further decline of the BJP and
relegation of the Left and some regional parties to the margins marked
the highs and lows of politics in 2009 as price spiral poses an
intense challenge to Indian government in new year along with Naxal
and cross-border terror.
The sudden demise of Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y S Rajasekhara
Reddy in a helicopter crash saw Congress flounder in the state where
he had delivered to the party on a platter in two consecutive
elections. Topping it, the Center tied itself up in knots over the
issue of a separate Telangana state by its flip-flop as the year
wrapped up.
2009 turned out to be a watershed year for Indian Politics with
Congress’ good showing in the Lok Sabha polls (General Elections),
especially displaying revival signs in a state like Uttar Pradesh that
has also raised hopes of its comeback in the Hindi heartland.
Against the backdrop of Mumbai terror attacks and the negative
effects of a global downturn, the Congress campaign in the May
elections was it was no time to experiment with any new combination.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first Congress Prime Minister
outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to get a second consecutive term.
In fact, the Congress tally of over 200 in the 543-member Lok Sabha,
the Lower House of Parliament, 50 seats more than it got in 2004,
surprised even many a Congressman.
No political party had got such numbers after 1991 with election
after election witnessing a fractured verdict.
The year ringing out will be remembered for the failure of the BJP,
the main opposition party, as also the Left parties to get their act
together and virtually living in a different world, came crashing
after the electoral verdict of May 16.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Prakash
Karat led the charge of the Third Front which consisted the Bahujan
Samaj Party (BSP), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S),
AIADMK and the Left parties, which came a cropper.
In fact the elections generally did not turn out to be good for many
regional parties barring the likes of Navin Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal
(BJD) and Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United).
The BJP got nothing right despite projecting L K Advani, its ‘iron
man’ as the ‘strong’ leader in comparison with a ‘weak’ Manmohan
Singh as much water had flown from the Ganga since the issue of the
demolition of the Babri Masjid in the town of Ayodhya took it to the
centrestage.
BJP was in the battle gear too early but the tactics and strategy of
the Congress appeared to have stumped it with the ruling party
projecting the “trinity” of Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh and Rahul
Gandhi to telling effect.
It was a year when Rahul Gandhi came into his own as a leader as he
successfully led the battle in UP giving sleepless nights to the BSP
and the Samajwadi Party.
The Lok Sabha bypoll in Firozabad, in which Mulayam Singh Yadav’s
daughter-in-law Dimple was defeated, was indicative of the changing
winds.
With BJP’s tally in the Lok Sabha reduced from 138 to 116, it was
time for a generational change as 52-year-old Nitin Gadkari took over
the reins from Rajnath Singh while Advani himself made way for Sushma
Swaraj as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
The Left parties got the severest drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections
held in the backdrop of the Nandigram incident and the developments
at Singur in West Bengal which were exploited to the hilt by Trinamool
Congress chief Mamta Banerjee.
In fact, the Left parties are facing a threat to their very existence
as their strongholds of West Bengal and Kerala were shaken to the
roots and the assembly elections there are scheduled for 2011.
A highlight of the Lok Sabha elections was that generally those
parties and leaders among the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and
allies who sided with Congress, survived or thrived, while those who
tried to sideline it, almost fell by the wayside.
For instance, Lalu Prasad’s RJD was down from 27 to just four and Ram
Vilas Paswan met his waterloo with his LJP drawing a blank after they
parted ways with Congress.
Almost similar was the fate of Samajwadi Party, which had helped the
UPA-I survive after the withdrawal of the Left support to the
Government. Its tally dipped from 39 to 22.
(PTI)
http://www.indiajournal.com/pages/event.php?id=9531
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 14:58 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) Amidst reports that he may join NCP, Amar
Singh, who has resigned from all SP posts, today came out in defence
of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, saying the issue of price rise
was the collective responsibility of the Cabinet including Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Life for the aam admi (common man) is becoming increasingly difficult
because of all-round price rise across the country. Now the Congress
is also getting skeptical on the issue and is trying to put the entire
blame on Sharad Pawar," Singh said in his latest blog entry.
He said the entire government has to take joint responsibility for
both good and bad things. "The responsibility of the price rise goes
to the Cabinet along with the Prime Minister".
Blaming the government for its policies, Singh wrote that
"government's policies are horribly going wrong and are totally anti-
farmer.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/458700_Amar-Singh-defends-Sharad-Pawar-on-price-rise-issue
Sid Harth
STAFF WRITER 19:47 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) Congress today dismissed reports that Amar
Singh, who has resigned from all posts of the Samajwadi Party, was
joining the party.
"He (Singh) has not sent any application. It is a hypothetical
question," party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.
Ahmed described the matter as "internal affair" of the SP saying the
party has no comments on it.
Singh had resigned from the posts of General Secretary, national
spokesman and member of the SP Parliamentary Board.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/459466_Cong-denies-reports-of-Amar-Singh-joining-party
chhotemianinshallah
STs
Mahendra Kumar Singh, TNN,
9 January 2010, 02:57am IST
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed Planning
Commission to ensure that funds allocated for socially disadvantaged
groups -- SCs/STs and OBCs -- are spent in a time-bound fashion on the
traditional Congress constituency which had drifted away from the
party in the 90s.
The directive comes at a time when the Congress, under party general
secretary Rahul Gandhi, is trying to regain its lost ground in
politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
At a meeting earlier this week, Singh asked the Plan panel to closely
monitor implementation of schemes specially focused on this segment of
society and ensure that benefits reach the masses.
The PM's directive came at the meeting with Plan panel deputy chief
Montek Singh Ahluwalia and other members. Sources said each member
made a detailed presentation on the various sectors of the economy
assigned to them.
Sources present in the meeting said the PM asked the commission to
look into details of money spent on schemes meant for SCs/STs and
OBCs. "If funds were not utilised in any scheme, he wants us to look
into the reason why the money was not spent," said an official.
In the meeting, Singh, who is chairman of the Planning Commission,
also expressed concern over the spiralling food prices. Opposition BJP
has been attacking the UPA government for failing to control food
inflation and has decided to launch a nation-wide agitation against
price rise.
Sources said the PM asked members to suggest ways to control food
inflation before the Budget is presented.
The PM's concern over food inflation is significant because the
government is facing the dilemma of whether there should be a
tightening of monetary policy that can mar the process of economic
recovery, being supported by easy interest rates to provide liquidity
to industry.
bademiyansubhanallah
PTI Saturday, January 9, 2010 21:39 IST
New Delhi: Congress today expressed surprise at the reported criticism
of the foreign policy of the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal
Nehru by minister of State for external affairs Shashi Tharoor.
"I am very surprised by the style of Tharoor. He is a member of the
Congress and his responsibility is to carry forward the legacy of
Pandit Nehru and not to be critical of it," party spokesman Shakeel
Ahmed told PTI.
Ahmed said Nehru was instrumental in formulating the foreign policy of
the country even before Inedependence under the inspiration and
guidance of Mahatma Gandhi.
"That is why I am surprised. Even after Independence, Nehru carried
forward the policy of national consensus on foreign policy," the
spokesman said.
He said the policy of non-alignment and the non-aligned movement in
association with other great leaders of the world is well recognised
and appreciated in history.
"The entire world appreciates it. It was a new idea," Ahmed said.
Another senior party leader on condition of anonymity said they have
taken cognizance of the matter.
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 16:51 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) Shashi Tharoor's controversial remarks on
Pandit Nehru's foreign policy got support today from BJP which said
the Union Minister spoke the truth.
At the same time, the main Opposition blamed Tharoor for attacking
media and sought an answer from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking
whether Congress was heading to gag the media.
"British MP Bhikhu Parekh made a remark and possibly Tharoor
concluding it said the stand of Nehru was more of a moralistic
commentary. He (Tharoor) has for once spoken a truth even if it was
done by him by mistake," party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told
reporters here.
Rudy maintained that his party was not concerned with what Tharoor
said about Nehru's foreign policy and it was for Congress now to
clarify "because BJP does believe that Nehruvian foreign policy has
not done well to the state".
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 16:46 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) CBI has finalised its chargesheet against
senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and
is likely to submit it to the designated court here "soon".
Sources in the agency said the chargesheet was finalised after
receiving a nod from Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna recently to
prosecute the Congress leader, an accused in the riots that shook the
country 25 years ago after the assasination of former Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards.
"We have finalised the chargesheet and it will be filed soon," a
senior CBI official said requesting anonymity.
The sanction was required in the case of Sajjan Kumar as he was also
charged with section 153-A of IPC (spreading enmity between two
communities).
Sources said the sanction was given by Khanna to allow the CBI to
launch court proceedings against the Congress leader.
http://www.ptinews.com/news/461740_CBI-finalises-chargesheet-against-Sajjan-Kumar
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 13:27 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) An angry Minister of State for External
Affairs Shashi Tharoor today hit out at the media claiming that they
had misreported his remarks on Jawaharlal Nehru and demanded that they
issue a correction.
A day after his reported remarks at an academic seminar on
international relations created a flutter in the Congress, Tharoor
called a press conference in his office and said he was dismayed at
the "inaccurate and tendentious reporting".
He said that as chairman of the seminar organised by the Indian
Council of World Affairs, he had only made an honest summary of London
School of Economics professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh's hour-long speech on
"India's Place in the World".
He also noted that Parkeh had suggested that India export its values
and systems to the world.
Tharoor said that in his intervention, he had "very gently and
politely disagreed with Lord Parekh".
http://www.ptinews.com/news/461463_Tharoor--Media-misreported-his-remarks-on-Nehru
Sid Harth
Congress on top
VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN
in New Delhi
The mandate for the Congress in the recent Assembly round comes with a
stern warning from the electorate.
PTI
Sonia Gandhi at an election rally in Kolhapur, on October 10.
THE October 13 Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and
Arunachal Pradesh have reasserted two major trends in national
politics and also delivered a number of nuanced messages to mainstream
politics.
The first of the two trends is the total rejection of the Hindutva-
oriented politics of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its partners
in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). So much so, the BJP and its
allies found themselves incapable of capitalising on the anti-
incumbency sentiment that was evident to a large measure in
Maharashtra and Haryana. The leaders of the BJP and its allies were
not perceived as credible political alternatives or as potential
leaders of government. Consequently, the electorate reaffirmed that it
saw the Congress and its allies in the United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) as the primary secular political force in the country.
The political messages that have come up are multidimensional. They
have emerged essentially from the calibrated nature of the verdict,
particularly in Maharashtra and Haryana. In Maharashtra, the Congress-
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine just about managed to reach
the halfway mark of 144 in the 288-member Assembly. In Haryana, the
party was reduced to 40 seats from the formidable 67 it had before in
the 90-member Assembly. The party was compelled to seek the support of
independents to secure a bare majority (see separate stories on State
results). Even in Arunachal Pradesh, where the Congress was given a
clear mandate, some of these nuanced messages have found expression,
albeit on a smaller scale.
Broadly, these messages can be categorised as follows: One, an
expression of strong reservations about the functioning of the State
governments in Maharashtra and Haryana, particularly their economic
policy priorities and performance in the rural areas. Two, the
electoral preference shown to regional forces such as the Indian
National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in
many pockets of the two States while giving expression to these
reservations. Three, the overriding goodwill for the UPA government at
the Centre and its leadership, which neutralised much of the
opposition to the State governments and their leaderships.
PTI
Congress supporters at the rally.
Veteran political analyst Hariraj Singh Tyagi points out that the
writing on the wall is clear for all mainstream parties. The most
important message, he says, is for the Congress, in spite of the party
managing to retain power in all three States.
Rural reverses
According to Tyagi, the Congress’ national leadership should take a
serious view of the party’s losses in rural Haryana and see them as a
political development with grave implications for its policy
direction.
He said: “The people have made it amply clear that they are not happy
with the urban-oriented policy direction of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda
government. It is referred to in some quarters as ‘real estate magic’,
on account of the rise of a strong builder lobby in many parts of the
State, including Gurgaon adjoining the national capital of Delhi. The
large number of special economic zones [SEZs] may have raised a small
fortune for the State. But, in spite of all this, the larger electoral
message is that the political edge [the party had] has been wasted.”
In Maharashtra’s rural regions, too, a similar picture emerges when
one takes a look at the seats and vote share of various parties. In
the predominantly agricultural Vidarbha, the Congress-NCP alliance won
28 seats against 30 seats in 2004. The BJP-Shiv Sena got 27 as against
31 last time.
SHASHI ASHIWAL
In Mumbai, celebrating the victory on October 22 are Chief Minister
Ashok Chavan, Congress State unit chief Manikrao Thakre and Union
Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.
Evidently, the BJP-Sena combine’s greater loss in the region
accentuates its lack of credibility as a political alternative.
Significantly, the BJP-Sena could not ascribe its defeat to “spoilers”
as the Raj Thackeray-led MNS failed to make any gains here.
The reverses suffered by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also helped the
Congress-NCP combine in Vidarbha; its nearly 4 per cent vote share in
2004 came down to around 2 per cent this time. Clearly, the party has
not been able to make any progress despite the build-up it was given
at the national level after the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in
2007.
On a larger scale, the Congress-NCP combine secured approximately 37
per cent of the votes polled in the fractured verdict in Maharashtra.
That helped the combine win exactly half the total number of seats. In
other words, the combined strength of all the opposition parties – the
BJP-Sena, the Third Front or the Republican Left Democratic Front
(RLDF), the BSP, the Republican Party of India (RPI)-Prakash Ambedkar
and the independents – amounts to a whopping 63 per cent of the vote
share.
These trends, emphasises Tyagi, make it clear that it is time the
Congress national leadership made its State units understand that the
UPA derived its goodwill from the welfare and development initiatives
it took in the rural sector, such as the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and the waiver of farm loans, during
2004-09.
Said Tyagi: “The Congress leadership needs to build on these
programmes and focus on new initiatives aimed at improving rural and
agricultural infrastructure. No amount of propaganda – growing
economy, the rise to superpower status, the burgeoning assets of the
industrial leaders and business bosses and so on – will detract from
the seriousness of the issues in the rural-agrarian sector. Hence, if
plans for improving rural infrastructure are not formulated carefully
and implemented, the gains of the 2004-09 UPA regime could get
dissipated. The consequences of this would be hazardous for mainstream
parliamentary politics as a whole.”
S. IRFAN
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Tyagi is of the view that opposition parties in mainstream politics,
both on the right, such as the BJP, and on the Left, such as the
Communist Party of India (Marxist), need to take seriously the warning
given in the verdict in the rural constituencies and address the rural
people’s concerns effectively.
It is also imperative that the BSP thinks in terms of concrete
policies and programmes. “If that is not done, parties espousing
narrow interests of various communities and castes will occupy the
opposition space. More seriously, sizeable segments of the population
could even drift away from parliamentary politics and towards
extremism,” said the veteran analyst and one-time political associate
of the Socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
The trend of the electorate turning to regional forces is evident even
in Arunachal Pradesh where the Congress won a clear mandate. Smaller
parties such as the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and the NCP,
which fought independently, also made handsome gains. Though the
number of seats they gained cannot alter the balance of power, the
pointers to the broader trend of regional forces emerging stronger are
obvious.
Coalition concerns
In spite of this, many parties in the UPA and a number of observers
are apprehensive that the Congress leadership may see in the results a
sign of stabilisation and advancement of its political strength. “If
experience is anything to go by, this is bound to lead the Congress
leadership to a blatant violation of coalition dharma and ride
roughshod over alliance partners,” said a senior NCP leader. He added
that the trend was already visible in Maharashtra over the argument
that the Congress had won more seats than the NCP. This, the leader
said, would not be left unopposed.
And oppose they did, if simultaneous developments on October 28, in
New Delhi and Mumbai, are anything to go by. In Delhi, P.A. Sangma,
NCP general secretary and former Lok Sabha Speaker, made it clear that
his party was not ready to give up the important portfolios, such as
Home, Finance and Public Works, it held in the previous government in
Maharashtra. He asserted that the NCP would stick to the formula it
had worked out with the Congress in 1999 when the combine first came
to power. In Mumbai, Sharad Pawar, NCP president and Union Agriculture
Minister, said there was no truth in the rumour that the BJP-Sena
alliance had offered the chief ministership to the NCP’s Ajit Pawar.
Political observers in Maharashtra and New Delhi quickly deduced a
correlation between the two happenings and attributed it to coalition
power politics. According to a senior leader of the UPA, if Sangma’s
was a direct appeal to the Congress to value coalition dharma and
accommodate its partner with dignity, Pawar’s denial was a nuanced
pressure tactic to suggest that options could open up if the Congress
turned authoritarian.
PTI
Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena leader, speaking at a campaign rally in
Thane on October 9, with the image of Bal Thackeray, his father and
Sena supremo, as the backdrop. His plans to woo rural voters failed.
A closer inspection of Sangma’s appeal on portfolios shows that it has
a solid basis. It questions the claims made by sections of the
Congress on the portfolios the NCP held in the previous government.
The Congress argument is on the grounds that the party has won a much
larger number of seats than the NCP (82 Congress, 62 NCP) this time.
By harking back to the 1999 formula, Sangma pointed to the fact that
the NCP had only 58 seats to the Congress’ 75 when the latter conceded
all these portfolios to the NCP. “The fact of the matter is that the
Congress was desperate for our help in 1999 and was ready for any
compromise. Now, they feel the party is on the upswing and hence they
can drive a hard bargain,” said an NCP leader.
Informally, Congress and NCP leaders said the growing demands of the
Congress could be linked to the perception that Sharad Pawar’s clout
is waning as also to the accommodation he has shown towards the
Congress in recent times.
However, the realpolitik message in the so-called rejection of the BJP-
Sena offer made to Ajit Pawar, who is Sharad Pawar’s nephew, is not as
accommodative as the other public statements of the NCP chief. It has
a definitive undertone to it, which says that the party will look for
and activate other options if pushed too much.
Given the Congress leadership’s plan to strive for single-party
governance at the Centre in the next Lok Sabha elections, such
jousting between the Congress and the rest of the UPA is bound to
increase. This can lead to a realignment of political forces on a wide
scale. What its political and ideological direction would be is in the
realm of conjecture for now. The results of the latest round of
Assembly elections offer an opportunity for the now-decimated Left and
Third Front to make an attempt to capitalise politically from this
process of realignment.
If the BJP and its associates in the Sangh Parivar are to take
advantage of this realignment, they may necessarily have to clear
their confusion in terms of political and ideological priorities,
especially in terms of the Hindutva philosophy.
Volume 26 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 07-20, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2623/stories/20091120262300400.htm
Sid Harth
‘Split in opposition vote helped’
VENKITESH RAMAKRISHNAN
Interview with Digvijay Singh of the Congress.
SUBIR ROY
DIGVIJAY SINGH: "PEOPLE have rejected the divisive politics of the BJP-
Shiv Sena."
IN the Congress, Digvijay Singh, a general secretary, has earned a
reputation for being an election specialist. He is deputed to
important States at election time, and has made creditable
achievements in different parts of the country. In the current round
of Assembly elections, he played a major role as the person in charge
of the campaign in Maharashtra. Excerpts from an interview:
Will this round of Assembly elections have a significant impact on
national politics, and if so what will be its qualitative dimensions?
We have done well in all the three States, and it certainly is a
morale-booster for our cadre throughout the country. But State
elections are fought on State-level issues and don’t really affect
national politics.
While the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine just about
managed to reach the majority mark in Maharashtra, the Congress failed
to do so in Haryana.
Our performance in Haryana cannot be rated as bad. Historically,
incumbent governments in Haryana have been systematically wiped out.
Therefore, it is creditable that we emerged as the single largest
party and could form the government.
There is a view that the Assembly victories are just a continuation of
the Lok Sabha victory and that the most important factor in all three
States was the goodwill created by the Union government. Also, the
divided opposition in Maharashtra and Haryana is cited as a major
contributor to the Congress gains.
It is a fact that there is tremendous goodwill for the UPA government
and the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. It is also true
that we gained from the division of the anti-incumbency vote. But one
has to look at the larger picture, and it is that the Congress has
been brought back to power by the people of the respective States.
The Congress’ failure to win a significant number of seats in rural
Haryana is seen to represent a growing alienation of the rural masses
owing to the pro-globalisation policies pursued by the Centre and the
Congress-run State government.
The people of Haryana have reversed the trend of throwing out
incumbent governments and have brought back the Congress as the single
largest party. The Congress has maintained that it will pursue
economic globalisation with a human face. That was what was done under
the Congress government in Haryana. If one were go to into the details
objectively, one can see that the land acquisition and rehabilitation
policies of the Haryana government for industrial development are the
best in the country.
This election has strengthened the secular values propagated by the
Congress, but it has also given regional forces such as the INLD and
chauvinist groups such as the MNS cause to cheer. How do you evaluate
this trend?
There is no doubt the people have rejected the communal and divisive
politics/ideology of the Shiv Sena-BJP. I also feel that people are
moving towards national parties and that the influence of regional
parties will decline in national politics. But in State politics, if
the national party is not strong then a strong regional party will be
there as a viable option. The MNS is a political upstart and will not
be able to sustain itself for long by practising divisive politics.
There are apprehensions that the Congress will now start riding
roughshod over its UPA partners.
Every political party has the right to increase its space, so does the
Congress. Please also remember that we are a mature political party
and have shown that to the country by successfully running the UPA
government.
You commented during the campaign that the reasons for the existence
of the NCP as a separate political party are no longer there. The
comment generated a heated debate. What is your view on the issue
now?
I had raised that point on the premise that it is time for all like-
minded secular parties to come under the banner of one organisation to
prevent the growth of communal and divisive forces. When secular
organisations, especially those like the NCP, whose ideology and
political structure are similar to those of the Congress, stay
separately, it helps communal forces. I am of the view that the
argument holds good even now.
Volume 26 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 07-20, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2623/stories/20091120262300700.htm
Sid Harth
‘We will come back’
PURNIMA S. TRIPATHI
Interview with BJP president Rajnath Singh.
V.V. KRISHNAN
Rajnath Singh: “Weakness was inside us.”
RAJNATH SINGH, who demits office as Bharatiya Janata Party president
on December 31 at the end of his three-year term, leaves with a heavy
heart. He is not known for interacting much with the media and did not
respond strongly to criticism that followed the party’s defeats in the
Lok Sabha elections in May and in the recent Assembly elections in
three States. Even when some of his own party colleagues spoke against
him, he refused to join in a blame game. He admits that he has a few
regrets, but adds that he will never express them in public. He almost
turns philosophical, saying God and time will prove that he acted in
the best interests of the party. In this interview with Frontline,
Rajnath Singh discusses the mess the party finds itself in, and argues
that such ups and downs are normal in the history of any party.
Excerpts:
After its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was expected to
fare better at least in Maharashtra, where anti-incumbency ought to
have worked in its favour. That did not happen. The party seems to
have abdicated the opposition space.
No, that is not the case. We did try hard in Maharashtra and were
confident of getting a good outcome, but, unfortunately, that did not
happen. The Maharashtra results were certainly unexpected, but it
proves only one thing: that we need to work harder and work with more
honesty.
Do you think the problems within the Shiv Sena affected the BJP too?
For example, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) factor could have
hurt the BJP as well, and that was why you lost even in areas that
were considered your strongholds, such as the Marathwada region?
I do not blame anyone for our defeat in Maharashtra, not even the MNS.
Whatever is happening within the Shiv Sena is its internal matter and
I would not like to comment on that. I would only say one thing, that
the weakness was inside us only and we should try and rectify those
weaknesses now.
Your party fared much better than the Shiv Sena. Though you contested
only 119 seats, which was 50 fewer than the Shiv Sena’s, you won two
seats more than the Sena (BJP 46, Shiv Sena 44). Will the alliance be
reviewed, as the BJP seems to be suffering for no fault of its own?
The Shiv Sena is one of our oldest allies. For over 25 years we have
been together and there is no question of reviewing this alliance.
What led to our defeat in Maharashtra is a matter for bigger analysis,
but our alliance with the Sena is not under review.
The MNS is fast emerging as a potent force in the same political zone
as the Shiv Sena. Is any alliance with the MNS likely in the future?
No way. We will have nothing to do with MNS independently. Our
alliance is with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and if the Sena-MNS ties
change in the future that may have an impact on our strategy. But as
of today, we will have nothing to do with the MNS.
In Haryana, was not your decision not to align with Om Prakash
Chautala’s Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), an old ally, a strategic
faux pas? Do you not think if the two parties had contested together,
the results would have been different?
True, in Haryana we made a mistake by not aligning with the INLD.
There were some seat-sharing problems and we decided to give it a try
on our own. Our performance has not been all that bad. We won four
seats [against two last time] and our vote share has increased to 10
per cent. Since we contested all the seats on our own for the first
time, this was not a bad performance at all. But yes, had we fought
together we could have won this election.
Why is it that the BJP is looking as if it has abdicated the
opposition space? In Maharashtra the party could not cash in on the
anti-incumbency factor after two successive terms of Congress-
Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) rule. Why does the BJP seem unsure of
its political strategy?
No, it is not like that. It is true that we lost the Lok Sabha
elections and that we could not dislodge the government in
Maharashtra. But every political party goes through such phases of ups
and downs. Even the Congress was in the wilderness for about 15-20
years. Now it is their time, tomorrow we will come back. I am
confident we will regain the people’s faith.
The Congress seems to have found its future leader in Rahul Gandhi.
Who is there in your party to match the charisma of Rahul?
We have a line-up of young and charismatic leaders and they will come
out at the right time. Many of our Chief Ministers are young and
dynamic, and they are already playing active roles in national
politics. We have no dearth of leaders.
That means your Chief Ministers will now be brought into national
politics to revitalise the party?
That is for the party to decide. We are already in the process of
holding our organisational elections, which actually overhauls the
party from the grass-roots level upwards. So, some young, youthful,
dynamic faces will soon emerge on the national scene.
Your term ends on December 31. When you look back, what gives you the
greatest satisfaction? And anything that you regret?
Despite the fact that we lost the Lok Sabha elections, what gives me
satisfaction is the fact that during the past three years there were
elections in 22 States and we won the majority of them. In States like
Karnataka, we formed our government for the first time. In difficult
States like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, we retained
power beating anti-incumbency, while in Bihar we dislodged the decade-
old government of Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). These are
no mean achievements. But yes, we cannot sit back and exult. Much more
needs to be done, much more needs to be achieved. As for regrets, yes
I have quite a few, but would not like to express them in public.
Do you regret that you could not control dissidence within the party,
that you could not carry the party along as a cohesive unit?
I would not like to talk about these things. But yes, I would
certainly want to say that I never played foul, never acted out of
vengeance, never cheated on anyone and never indulged in any blame
game. If the party has done poorly in some cases, the responsibility
is fully mine and I accept defeat with all humility. I have faith in
God and am sure time and God will prove me right.
The Assembly elections in Jharkhand are round the corner. What is your
strategy going to be?
In Jharkhand we are confident of winning. We will form the government
there with a full majority.
What makes you so confident?
We have been getting a good response from the people. The past few
years of Congress misrule in Jharkhand, which is evident from the
cases of corruption against the Chief Minister who was supported by
the Congress and even the former Governor, will go against them. The
people in Jharkhand are fed up with the administrative stagnation and
the lack of governance.
Who is your Chief Minister-designate in Jharkhand?
We will not project anyone as the Chief Minister candidate.
What about alliances?
Our alliance with the Janata Dal (United) will continue. I have
already had one round of discussions with [JD president] Sharad
Yadavji and soon the seat-sharing formula will be finalised.
Volume 26 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 07-20, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2623/stories/20091120262300800.htm
Sid Harth
Win by default
LYLA BAVADAM
in Mumbai
In Maharashtra, the Congress-NCP combine returns to power, thanks to a
weak and divided Opposition.
PTI
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan with Union Minister and former Chief
Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh (left) in Mumbai, on October 22.
AS Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan begins a new term in
office, one cannot help but contradict his claim that his government
returned to power on account of its achievements in the past year.
That the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine managed a
victory by default is something even staunch party supporters will
find difficult to dispute. The fact is that the victory was thanks to
a weak and divided Opposition.
The Congress-NCP coalition managed a hat-trick despite a strong anti-
incumbency sentiment brought on by a poor economy, staggering rise in
food prices, and absence of emphasis on strengthening security, a
drought-like situation, and various problems in the agricultural
sector including suicide by farmers.
Its main rival, the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was left
far behind; the latter conceded defeat even before the counting of
votes ended. The final results showed the Congress had come first with
82 seats, followed by the NCP with 62 seats. The BJP and the Shiv Sena
could manage only 46 and 44 seats respectively.
Noticeable features of the elections were the low-key campaign
compared with the robust electioneering that preceded earlier
elections, and the sidelining of major issues. It was as if the public
and the politicians were separate elements and the former was just
expected to be onlookers. Unmindful of the people they were to
represent, politicians haggled over seats and fitted the ‘right’
candidate into the ‘right’ constituency.
This time around too, dynastic politics, cronyism and dissidence were
on open display. Some secure seats were lost to parties as a result of
the free-for-all that followed ticket allocation. One significant
example is that of four-time BJP legislator Dr Vinay Natu, who had to
forgo his Guhagar seat in the Konkan region. The BJP had agreed to
part with the seat in order to get two more seats allocated to it as
part of its seat-sharing deal (169-119) with the Shiv Sena. Natu was
forced to give it to Sena man and Leader of the Opposition Ramdas
Kadam, whose Khed seat was amalgamated into Guhagar during
delimitation.
The decision caused an uproar in the region, especially from Rashtriya
Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) supporters. Before Natu, his father Shridhar
Natu of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh had held the seat since 1972. The BJP,
however, extracted the Ghatkopar West seat in north Mumbai from the
Sena for the late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan’s daughter Poonam. Natu
and his supporters refused to support Kadam, and the Guhagar seat
slipped away from the saffron combine to the NCP. In Ghatkopar, Poonam
Mahajan, a political novice, lost to Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena (MNS).
The issue also exposed the old feud between the BJP’s State chief
Nitin Gadkari and national secretary Gopinath Munde. Gadkari wanted
Natu to retain the seat, whereas Munde wanted to make the sacrifice in
exchange for the party ticket for Poonam, his niece. The latter also
ensured that his daughter, Pankaja Palve, won the ticket for Parli in
his home district of Beed. Another relative of his was given a seat in
a neighbouring district.
The most interesting case study, however, in the State elections is
that of Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. He has once again emerged
unscathed and is riding a wave. When he was unceremoniously removed
from chief ministership last year after terrorists attacked Mumbai,
some observers said it was the end of his career. Others, who had seen
him bounce back from sticky situations earlier, predicted he would do
so again. Vilasrao is now ensconced in Delhi as a Rajya Sabha member.
He worked aggressively to destabilise the NCP and quell the influence
of his arch enemy and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. His own ‘nest’ is safe.
His son, Amit, who had managed his campaigns earlier, contested from
Latur City and won.
Dynastic politics
SANTOSH HIRLEKAR/PTI
Congress workers celebrate the party's victory in the Assembly
elections, in Mumbai.
Amit Deshmukh is a symbol of Maharashtra’s new shift towards dynastic
politics. The others are Rajendrasingh Shekhawat, son of President
Pratibha Patil, who won on the Congress ticket from Amravati; Union
Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s daughter Praniti, who won from Solapur
City Central; Pankaja Palve, Munde’s daughter; and the Sena’s Om Raje
Nimbalkar, son of murdered Congress leader Pawan Raje Nimbalkar.
The Maharashtra Assembly will have two father-son duos representing
the NCP – Chhagan Bhujbal and Pankaj Bhujbal, and Ganesh Naik and
Sandeep Naik. Pankaj, who won from Nandgaon, and Sandeep, who won from
Airoli, are both first-time MLAs, and they fought from constituencies
adjacent to their parents’. Interestingly, Chhagan Bhujbal and Ganesh
Naik started their political careers in the Shiv Sena.
All offspring were not so lucky. Ashish Deshmukh, son of former
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Ranjeet Deshmukh; Shekhar
Shende, son of outgoing Deputy Speaker Pramod Shende; and Rahul
Pugalia, son of Naresh Pugalia, the former MP from Chandrapur, all
lost the elections.
PTI
NCP chief Sharad Pawar at an election rally in Thane.
Among the prominent losers were 12 State Ministers. Former Textile
Minister Satish Chaturvedi, Textile Minister in the outgoing
government Anees Ahmad, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Bang,
and former Minister of State Dharamrao Baba Atram were among the big
losers from Vidarbha. Other Ministers and former Ministers who were
among the losers are Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil, Digvijay Khanvilkar, Dr
Sunil Deshmukh, Surupsinh Naik, Siddharam Mhetre, Ranajagjitsinh
Patil, Shobha Bacchav and Dr Nitin Raut. In Ulhasnagar, sitting MLA
Pappu Kalani, a former detenu under the Terrorist and Disruptive
Activities (Prevention) Act, was defeated by the BJP’s Uttamchand
Ailani. The gangster Arun Gawli, who contested from prison, also
lost.
The worst-affected party was Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena. Its seats
dropped from 62 in 2004 to 44 this time. The main reason for this was
the rise of the MNS. Headed by Bal Thackeray’s nephew Raj Thackeray,
the MNS won 13 seats in its maiden attempt to the Assembly. Sena’s
current chief and Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav Thackeray’s lack of touch
with the grass roots also reportedly affected his party’s performance.
A shakha (unit) leader in South Mumbai remarked, “If Uddhavji had
concentrated on grassroots work, we would have retained our lead. It
is good he is trying corporate-style management techniques in the
party, but the fact is that the cadre want their leader to have more
josh [being street-savvy] and mingle with them.”
While Uddhav’s leadership may not be openly questioned, he has
definitely lost ground to his more experienced cousin. The MNS won six
of Mumbai’s 36 seats, and the party helped the Congress-NCP bag 20
seats in the city. The three-year-old MNS now has the largest number
of seats in Mumbai after the Congress and the NCP.
The Election Commission statistics showed that 23 per cent of Mumbai’s
votes went to the MNS. The party spoilt the chances of the Sena in
more than a dozen seats – the most notable being Mahim, a Sena
stronghold, where MNS candidate Nitin Sardesai beat Sena candidate
Adesh Bandekar as well as Sena rebel-turned-Congress candidate Sada
Sarvankar. The Sena’s mistake was in taking this seat away from
Sarvankar, who had held it. Bandekar, a novice in politics, was chosen
because he is a television personality.
The MNS seems to have expanded its support base in the six months
after the Lok Sabha elections. The difference was most visible in Pune
where the party got 1.5 lakh votes more than it polled in the Lok
Sabha elections. This is an indicator that the MNS may no longer be
just a spoiler; it has found its political niche. In Kasba Peth
constituency in Pune, a BJP stronghold, BJP candidate Girish Bapat
faced a stiff fight from the MNS candidate. Bapat, who had held the
seat for three terms, finally won by a margin of just 8,162 votes.
VIVEK BENDRE
Chhagan Bhujbal of the NCP, who became Deputy Chief Minister.
The results are bound to affect the Sena’s partnership with the BJP.
After one term in power, from 1995 to 2000, the alliance has not had a
fruitful political relationship. And now the Sena, with a lower seat
tally than the BJP, has had to relinquish the Leader of the Opposition
post.
The BJP, too, does not seem to have recovered from the loss of Pramod
Mahajan. Neither Munde nor Gadkari seems capable of providing
inspirational leadership. They are known for squabbling over party
policies. The turmoil in the party at the Centre has also left its
mark on the State unit.
The latest election has exposed a new phase in Maharashtra politics,
one in which strategic – but fluid – partnerships, coalition
governments and creation of dynasties are more important than issues.
Volume 26 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 07-20, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2623/stories/20091120262301100.htm
Sid Harth
Tenuous hold
T.K. RAJALAKSHMI
The Congress just manages to form the government in Haryana after the
Assembly elections see the revival of the INLD.
AKHILESH KUMAR
Bhupinder Singh Hooda after securing a vote of confidence in the
Haryana Assembly on October 28.
THIS was one electoral outcome that exit polls, psephologists and
political scientists found difficult to predict. The Congress’
relatively poor performance in the latest round of Assembly elections
in Haryana was not foreseen by anyone, least of all by Chief Minister
Bhupinder Singh Hooda. As one who had led the party to decisive
victories thrice – in the 2004 parliamentary polls, in the Assembly
elections in 2005 and in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections – Hooda was
humbled in the Assembly elections held on October 13. A party that had
only six months ago won nine of the 10 parliamentary seats and led in
59 Assembly segments was now seen struggling to form the government.
On October 25, Hooda was sworn in as Chief Minister for a second
straight term. Four days after he was back in the saddle, he won a
vote of confidence in the 90-member State Assembly, with 47 members
(39 of the Congress, seven independents and the lone Bahujan Samaj
Party member) voting in his favour. Hooda insisted on a head count
following objections from Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om
Prakash Chautala to passing the motion by a voice vote. The effective
strength of the House is 89 as Chautala has been elected from Uchana
Kalan and Ellennabad constituencies. The electorate disagreed with and
in effect rejected Hooda’s formula and vision that aimed at making
Haryana the “No.1 State in the country”.
After winning an impressive 67 Assembly seats in 2005, the Congress
had to be content with only 40 seats this time round, which fell short
of even a simple majority. Hooda was able to stake his claim to form
the government once again with the help of the lone BSP legislator and
seven independents.
These elections in a sense signalled the revival of the INLD, a party
that had been written off following its dismal performance in the last
three rounds of elections held in the State. But whether this can be
seen as a positive vote for the INLD is not certain.
What is clear is that the anti-incumbency factor weighed heavily
against the Congress legislators, and the electorate perhaps voted for
the candidate they felt was best suited to defeat the sitting
legislator. In such a situation, the benefits were reaped majorly by
the INLD, to some extent the Bharatiya Janata Party (it doubled its
tally), the fledgling Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) and a good number
of independents. Had the opposition forged a cogent alliance, the
Congress strength could have perhaps been reduced to a single-digit
number as was the case in 1996 when it won just nine seats, down from
50 seats in the previous Assembly elections, held in 1991. In 1996,
the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) led by Bansi Lal formed the government.
However, in the following elections the HVP’s strength was reduced to
two. In 2000, the INLD won a majority even though it contested only 65
seats, leaving the rest to its alliance partner, the BJP, but five
years later its presence was so nominal that its leader could not even
stake his claim to be the Leader of the Opposition. Therefore,
analysts point out that the Congress ought to be grateful to the
electorate this time.
There was no palpable wave against the Congress. “A negative wave is
seldom felt. It is the positive wave that can be sensed,” said a
political observer, adding that people had voted more out of a sense
of compulsion to defeat the Congress rather than to elect the INLD as
a cogent, coherent and viable alternative. It is largely felt that
despite everything – delimitation, factionalism, anti-incumbency
sentiment and wrong selection of candidates – the Congress still had a
natural advantage as the opposition was seen as hopelessly divided.
The INLD could not take the BJP along with it, despite the fact that
the two parties had an alliance six months ago. The HJC, a breakaway
faction of the Congress headed by Bhajan Lal and his son Kuldeep
Bishnoi, which had emerged as an alternative to the Congress, got only
one seat in the Lok Sabha polls, that too in a tough fight, while the
BSP and other parties failed to win any seats.
Thus, the overall situation appeared to be in favour of Hooda. Nobody
noticed the growing discontent against price rise and unemployment and
the resentment among various sections, particularly the agrarian
community. The slew of protests by several government and quasi-
government departments prior to the elections had come as an
indication of the discontent.
A week before the election results were announced, labour unrest broke
out in Gurgaon, very much on the lines of the protest led by HMSI
(Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India) workers in 2005 after Hooda
assumed office. In addition to this, Hooda was accused of being Rohtak-
centric, neglecting the rest of the State.
The Congress did well in the Deswali belt comprising Rohtak, Jhajjar
and Sonepat districts. It fared badly in the northern parts, the more
agriculturally rich areas. It fared poorly in the rest of the State,
including the southern parts comprising Rewari, Gurgaon, Mahendargarh,
Nuh, Faridabad and Palwal.
Of the 23 Assembly segments falling in these districts, the Congress
won 11, the INLD seven, the BJP and the HJC one each and independents
seven. Three sitting Congress MLAs, including Karan Singh Dalal from
Palwal, lost. In the northern constituencies, the Congress did not win
a single seat in Jind and Sirsa districts. The victory of Power
Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala in Kaithal was the saving grace as
the Congress lost in the remaining three seats in the district.
Among the many heavyweights who lost in the elections are A.C.
Chaudhary, L.D. Arora, Finance Minister Birender Singh, State Pradesh
Congress Committee chief and four-time MLA Phool Chand Mullana, Veena
Mandal, Parsani Devi, Mange Ram Gupta and State Planning Board
Chairman Ranjit Singh. L.D. Arora, former Industries Minister and a
five-time MLA, lost in Sirsa to a political novice, Gopal Kanda, an
independent. Although Kuldeep Bishnoi won from Adampur, his mother
Jasma Devi lost to Sampat Singh in Nalwa in Hisar district.
PTI
Bhajan Lal, leader of the Haryana Janhit Congress, at an election
rally in Gurgaon.
Sampat Singh had severed his more than three-decade-long association
with the Devi Lal-Chautala family and joined the Congress recently.
Sampat Singh was the INLD candidate for Hisar in the May 2009 Lok
Sabha polls. He held Om Prakash Chautala responsible for his defeat in
Hisar, which elected Bhajan Lal. Jasma Devi’s defeat, therefore, is
viewed both as a personal loss for the Bhajan Lal family and as a
political setback for the HJC, which considers Hisar the pocketborough
of the Bhajan Lal family.
Assembly Speaker Raghubir Singh Kadyan retained the Beri seat and
Anand Singh Dangi got re-elected from Meham. Interestingly, unlike
Sampat Singh, Kailasho Saini and Sushil Kumar Indora, two other
prominent INLD leaders who had joined the Congress, were defeated.
Indora blamed his defeat and that of the other Congress candidates on
internal sabotage. The Congress nominee for Loharu, Somvir Singh,
blamed former Tourism Minister Kiran Choudhury for damaging his
prospects by ensuring the victory of an independent candidate, J.P.
Dalal, from this segment.
Vote share
The vote share of parties shows interesting trends. Both the INLD and
the Congress, despite winning 31 and 40 seats respectively, have a
cumulative vote share of around 60 per cent only. The Congress’ vote
share, which was 42.6 per cent in the 2005 elections, came down to
35.07 per cent. In contrast, there was no radical decline in the share
of the INLD’s vote, which came down from 26.77 per cent in 2005 to
25.67 per cent in 2009. But its vote share as compared to the Lok
Sabha polls came down by nearly 10 percentage points. In contrast, the
decline in the vote share of the Congress was comparatively smaller,
by six percentage points.
The HJC, which was formed last year, saw its vote share come down from
10.04 per cent in the Lok Sabha polls to 7.4 per cent in these
elections. The BSP, which fared very poorly, winning just one seat,
saw its vote share double from 3.22 per cent in 2005 to 6.33 per cent.
But compared with the Lok Sabha polls, it declined by nearly nine
percentage points.
Political observers point out that save one public meeting, the BSP’s
top leadership hardly campaigned in the State. Also, the support
promptly offered by the lone BSP MLA to the Congress seemed to
indicate a tacit understanding before the elections.
AKHILESH KUMAR
Om Prakash Chautala, the INLD chief. He has been elected from
Ellennabad and Uchana Kalan.
Kishan Pal Gujjar, State president of the BJP, told Frontline that his
party had bettered its performance despite going it alone. “We have to
form some strategy to expand our party’s prospects; we cannot do it
always with an alliance,” he said, satisfied that the BJP doubled its
tally and more or less retained its vote share. Kishan Pal Gujjar, who
won from Tigaon in Faridabad, denied that the BJP represented only the
urban electorate. “Their [the Congress’] feel-good factor stands
exposed; they could not even muster a comfortable majority in these
elections,” he said.
At his first press conference after being sworn in, Hooda admitted to
mediapersons that infighting and flawed ticket distribution had
damaged the party’s prospects.
Now the question is whether Hooda will be able to provide a stable
government with just 35 per cent of the vote share. The support
extended by the independents, most of whom do not represent the
factions within the Congress, can be tenuous.
Also unstable would be the unconditional support extended by Kuldeep
Bishnoi. He is reported to have said that his legislators would not
sit in the opposition, a statement which political observers have
rightly analysed as an expression of his support to the Congress.
“Where will they go is the question. Most of the HJC MLAs do not see a
future with Bishnoi. They have won on their own merit and have their
own support bases,” said a political observer. Clearly, if Hooda wants
to ensure that his tenure is going to be smooth and stable, he has to
do something radical on several fronts, including addressing the
concerns of his electorate. Infighting in the party is likely to
exacerbate in the coming months.
The Congress government can hope to last a full term only if he
realises that it is an electorate that decides the stability of a
government and not a handful of legislators.
Volume 26 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 07-20, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2623/stories/20091120262301700.htm
Sid Harth
‘People faced serious problems’
T.K. RAJALAKSHMI
Interview with Ajay Singh Chautala, secretary-general, INLD.
AKHILESH KUMAR
Ajay Singh Chautala: “The Congress government had many deficiencies.”
THE Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has emerged as the second largest
party in the Assembly elections held recently in Haryana. Political
pundits had written it off after its successive dismal performances,
first in the Lok Sabha elections of 2004, then in the Assembly
elections of 2005, and finally in the Lok Sabha polls held in May
2009. Ajay Singh Chautala, who got elected from the non-reserved seat
of Dabwali, the home constituency of the Chautala family, spoke to
Frontline on the resurrection of his party. Excerpts:
No one expected the INLD to perform the way it did in these elections.
What are the reasons for its impressive performance?
It is mainly because we followed the policies laid down by the late
Chaudhary Devi Lal and fought the elections under the leadership of Om
Prakash Chautala. Thirty of our people left us to join the Congress
after we could not win a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Leaders such as Sampat Singh, Jagdish Yadav, Kailasho Saini, M.L.
Ranga and Sushil Kumar Indora deserted us. Even the Bharatiya Janata
Party did not think it should ally with us. Everyone felt that we
would not get a double-digit figure. But Chautala Sahib ran a campaign
under the broad policies laid down by the late Chaudhary Devi Lal.
Never have we won more than 25 seats by going it alone. This was the
first time that we won 31 seats on our own and in 10 seats we lost by
fewer than 5,000 votes.
The Congress government had many deficiencies. The economic situation
in the State had become very bad. For four and a half years, people
faced serious problems following shortage of water and electricity.
The law and order situation deteriorated. As far as jobs are
concerned, the [Bhupinder Singh] Hooda government discriminated
against everyone who did not belong to Rohtak. Hooda was Chief
Minister of Rohtak rather than of Haryana.
After the Lok Sabha elections of 2004, then the Assembly elections in
2005 and then again the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, there was a
perception that the Jat votes had swung away from the INLD and that
the new Jat leader on the horizon was Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Not only the Jats, but members of 36 biraadari [communities] voted for
us. If you see the results, you will observe that we performed very
well in the Jat belt of Jind, Kaithal and Kurukshetra. Even in non-Jat-
dominated constituencies such as Sirsa, Panchkula, Yamunanagar or
Karnal, we did very well. We did very well in the reserved
constituencies as well. Then the Muslim voters threw their weight
behind us. Even in the seats we lost, our candidates came second. For
the first time, we made headway in constituencies such as Pataudi,
Bawal and Nangal Chaudhary in the Ahirwal area. The vote margins in
Ateli and Mahendargarh were very narrow. If you leave out Sonepat,
Jhajjar and Rohtak [where the Congress is very strong], voters
elsewhere were fully behind us. Even in these constituencies, we came
second.
What were the reasons for your dismal performance in the Lok Sabha
elections? You even had an alliance with the BJP in terms of a seat-
sharing arrangement.
In the Lok Sabha elections, national issues prevailed. The electorate
had to choose between L.K. Advani and Manmohan Singh. It was a choice
between the National Democratic Alliance government and the United
Progressive Alliance government.
People felt that the UPA was a better choice. But what happened was
that the BJP votes did not get transferred to us. In the rural areas,
where we have our base, we transferred our votes to our alliance
partner [the BJP], but we did not gain from it. Even the BJP
leadership admitted this. Had there been an alliance, we would have
got a two-thirds majority in the State.
People have rejected the Congress. It is true that the BJP did not do
well, but it would have done well in an alliance. We are going to try
to keep the Congress out of power as it has done a lot of damage to
the State.
Do you think at some stage there might be a merger of political
parties against the Congress? Is it possible to have a third front
representing a secular, non-Congress alternative?
Yes, people who have samaan vichaar [common thinking] should come
together. Anything is possible in politics, including a third front, a
secular alternative, in the future.
Volume 26 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 07-20, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2623/stories/20091120262301800.htm
Sid Harth
Uphill tasks
SUSHANTA TALUKDAR
in Guwahati
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu leads the Congress to
an easy victory but finds ministry-making a tough task.
RITU RAJ KONWAR
Dorjee Khandu, who has been re-elected Chief Minister.
THE results of the October 13 Assembly elections in the strategically
located border State of Arunachal Pradesh were on expected lines. The
ruling Congress swept the polls with a two-thirds majority, thanks to
the waning influence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the
principal Opposition party in the State. The victory has helped
incumbent Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu consolidate his position in the
new government and within the party.
Of the 60 seats, the Congress won 42, the Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) five, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) five, the BJP
three and the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) four while one seat
went to an independent candidate. In 2004, the Congress won 34, the
BJP nine, the NCP two, the Arunachal Congress two and independents 13.
The Congress and the Trinamool emerged as the big gainers, while the
BJP turned out to be the biggest loser.
The Congress gain was not just in the number of seats but also in the
vote share. Its vote share increased from 36 per cent in 2004 to 50.38
per cent now, while the BJP’s vote share declined drastically from 28
per cent in 2004 to 5.21 per cent. The NCP polled 19.33 per cent of
the votes, the Trinamool 15.04, the Janata Dal (United) 0.62, the PPA
and independents 9.42 per cent.
The BJP’s undoing was that it banked more on the popularity of leaders
who had defected from the Congress than on an organisational base. The
saffron party lost its hold on the nine seats it had won in 2004 after
all the nine legislators later returned to the Congress fold. Five of
these sitting legislators were re-elected this time on the Congress
ticket.
The BJP, however, wrested two new seats – Pasighat West and Rumgong –
from the Congress. It also won the Daporijo seat, which the Arunachal
Congress had bagged in 2004.
Arunachal Pradesh had become the first BJP-ruled State in the north-
eastern region when a coalition led by Chief Minister Gegong Apang
joined the party in 2003. However, Apang ended his year-long honeymoon
with the BJP ahead of the 2004 Assembly polls, putting the latter in a
tight spot. Even then, the BJP won nine seats and increased its vote
share from 25.16 per cent in 1999 to 28 per cent in 2004. The drastic
decline in vote share and seats this time is a clear indication that
voters in Arunachal Pradesh have rejected the BJP, a development that
is likely to impact the party’s prospects in other north-eastern
States.
Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress made its electoral debut in the
State and won five seats. This was the first electoral victory of the
party outside West Bengal. It put up 26 candidates, including former
Congress Ministers and sitting Congress legislators who were denied
the ticket this time. The Trinamool gave a surprising performance even
without the party chief campaigning for its candidates.
In all the five seats the NCP won – Tuting Yingkiong, Mebo, Nyapin,
Dambuk and Itanagar – it is a first-time winner. In 2004, three of
these seats went to the Congress, one to the BJP and one to an
independent. The NCP, however, did not contest the two seats – Yachuli
and Longding Pumao – it won in 2004; the NCP legislators who won from
here in the previous elections later defected to the Congress.
Six of the 17 rebel Congress candidates, who contested on the ticket
of other parties and as independents, won. These included two of the
Trinamool, two of the PPA, one of the NCP and one independent.
It is too early to conclude that the results are indicative of the
actual strength of the political parties. Rather, the victories of
some of the candidates of the smaller parties can be attributed more
to the popularity of individual candidates than to the growing
influence of the party concerned.
Two of the nine women candidates came out successful. The 2004
Assembly had no woman member. One of the winners, Karya Bagang,
defeated former Deputy Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader
Kameng Dolo in Chayeng Tajo constituency by 342 votes. The other
successful woman candidate, Nang Sati Mein, won from the Namsai
constituency, defeating Chow Pingthika Namchoom of the Trinamool by
5,699 votes. Nang Mein is also the lone independent candidate to have
won this time.
RITU RAJ KONWAR
Independent candidate Nang Sati Mein (left) and Trinamool Congress
candidate Karya Bagang after winning their seats. They are the only
women candidates who won.
According to an analysis done by the Association for Democratic
Reforms (ADR) and the National Election Watch (NEW), 35 of the 60 MLAs
elected this time are crorepatis. They include 25 from the Congress,
two from the BJP and three from the NCP. Takam Tagar of the PPA,
elected from Palin constituency in Kurung Kumey district, who declared
total assets worth over Rs.209 crore, leads the club. Chief Minister
Dorjee Khandu is also a crorepati.
Khandu won from the Mukto Assembly constituency unopposed for a record
third time. In the absence of power centres like former Chief
Ministers Gegong Apang and Mukut Mithi, Khandu became the unanimous
choice for the Congress Legislative Party leader’s post. Apang, who
ruled the State for 23 years, lost to the NCP’s Alo Libang, while his
son, former Union Minister Omak Apang, was defeated by a BJP
candidate, Tangor Tapak. In Roing constituency, Pomoya Mithi, wife of
Mukut Mithi, lost to the sitting legislator, Laeta Umbrey, who
contested on the Trinamool ticket after being denied the Congress
ticket.
Despite the easy victory, ministry formation appeared to be a
difficult task for Khandu. He did not seem to want a hasty team
selection, and hence he took the oath of office on October 25. As the
size of the ministry for a small State like Arunachal Pradesh has to
be limited to 12 Ministers including the Chief Minister, chances of
those who are left out raising the banner of revolt and switching
their loyalty to a new leader are always high. In the past the State
has witnessed several such crises. Khandu himself replaced Apang as
Chief Minister in October 2007 following a two-week-long political
crisis when 25 Congress legislators demanded Apang’s ouster.
Even after choosing 11 legislators for inclusion in the ministry,
Khandu will have to keep the remaining legislators happy in order to
continue in power. Winning the election was probably easy but holding
onto the hot seat for a five-year-term may turn out to be a tough game
for Khandu.
Volume 26 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 07-20, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2623/stories/20091120262302100.htm
Sid Harth
China factor
RITU RAJ KONWAR
Indian Army Personnel at the India-China border in Bumla, Arunachal
Pradesh, situated at an altitude of 4,700 metres.
THE elections in Arunachal Pradesh, which would have otherwise gone
unnoticed owing to the small size of its voter population and of the
State Assembly, got global attention because of the war of words and
the subsequent diplomatic engagement between India and China over the
latter’s claim to the border State. The dispute overshadowed the
election campaign as well.
A meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier
Wen Jiabao in Hua Hin, Thailand, on October 24 was followed by one
between External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Chinese
counterpart Yang Jiechi in Bangalore on October 27.
Of the three States – Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh –
that went to the polls on October 13, Arunachal Pradesh recorded the
highest voter turnout, over 72 per cent – 7.25 lakh voters exercised
their franchise. In 2004, the voter turnout was 68.77 per cent.
The Chinese objection to the elections came 10 days after the visit of
Manmohan Singh to Pasighat, the headquarters of East Siang district,
on October 3 to campaign for Congress party candidates. However,
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu’s statement on “an
Indian leader’s visit to the disputed east section area of China-India
boundary” was carefully worded so as not to name the “Indian leader”
or Arunachal Pradesh or the Assembly elections there.
Ma Zhaoxu stated that the China-India border had never been officially
demarcated. “The Chinese government’s position on the disputed area
has been consistent and clear. China expresses its strong
dissatisfaction on the visit by the Indian leader to the disputed area
in disregard of China’s grave concerns. We urge the Indian side to
take China’s solemn concerns seriously and not to stir up trouble in
the disputed area with a view to ensuring the sound development of
China-India relations,” the statement said.
India expressed its “disappointment and concern” over the statement
and said that “this does not help the process of ongoing negotiations
between the two governments on the boundary question”.
“The State of Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of
India. The people of Arunachal Pradesh are citizens of India, and they
are proud participants in the mainstream of India’s vibrant democracy.
The Chinese side is well aware of this position of the Government of
India. It is a well-established practice in our democratic system that
our leaders visit States where elections to Parliament and to the
State Assemblies are taking place. The Government of India is deeply
committed to ensuring the welfare of its own citizens across the
length and breadth of our country,” Ministry of External Affairs
spokesperson Vishnu Prakash stated in an official response.
He further stated that “India and China have jointly agreed that the
outstanding boundary question will be discussed by the Special
Representatives appointed by the two governments. India is committed
to resolving outstanding differences with China in a fair, reasonable
and mutually acceptable manner, while ensuring that such differences
are not allowed to affect the positive development of bilateral
relations. We hope that the Chinese side will similarly abide by this
understanding.”
The run-up to the polling also witnessed political parties and
candidates raising the China bogey in their campaign. The increase in
the voting percentage can perhaps be attributed to the impact of such
campaigns and the fact of voters seeing the Assembly elections as an
opportunity to demonstrate that they are proud to participate in the
Indian democratic exercise. It could also be seen as an emphatic no
from the people of the border State to the Chinese claim.
“China has nothing to do with the internal affairs of this border
State. Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. All Arunachalis
are citizens of India and they came out in overwhelming numbers today
to participate in the democratic process to elect their new
representatives,” said Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu in a statement
issued to the press on the day of polling.
He expressed surprise at Beijing’s reaction to the Prime Minister
coming to address a Congress rally. “Arunachal has a democratically
elected government and is represented by three Members of Parliament.
Arunachalis want good relationship with their neighbours across the
border. Both sides should make efforts to reopen border trade through
the traditional routes for mutual benefits and peaceful coexistence,”
the Chief Minister added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made the “growing Chinese threat over
Arunachal Pradesh” a major campaign issue and demanded that the
Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government pursue a
proactive policy on China to counter it and protect the country’s
sovereignty.
BJP president Rajnath Singh, in an election speech, alleged that China
had been making repeated claims over Arunachal Pradesh because of the
weak policy of the UPA government. He demanded that the government
issue a clarification on the actual status along the India-China
border.
Manmohan Singh, in his election speech at Pasighat, refrained from
touching the controversial issue; instead he highlighted the Rs.24,000-
crore development package announced by him the previous year aimed at
bringing the State on a par with the developed States of the country.
It gave an indication of the kind of investment New Delhi was planning
for it.
The diplomatic row was also over the anticipated visit of the Dalai
Lama to Tawang in November. Beijing objected to the visit while New
Delhi asserted that the Tibetan spiritual leader was free to visit any
part of the country.
Although the Chinese Premier did not raise the issue of the Dalai
Lama’s visit during the delegation-level talks at Hua Hin, Manmohan
Singh said he himself brought the issue up during the dinner thrown by
the Thai Prime Minister for all ASEAN and East Asia Summit country
leaders. He said the Dalai Lama’s travel plans arose in the general
context of a discussion about the Tibetan spiritual leader. “I told
him [Wen], you have raised this issue [of the visit]. He is an
honoured guest, a religious figure, but we do not allow him to indulge
in political activities.”
The new Congress government in Arunachal Pradesh is eagerly awaiting
the Dalai Lama’s visit and is ready to welcome him as a “state guest”.
However, there was no official word from the self-exiled Tibetan
leader’s office in Dharamsala about the visit. According to T.G.
Rinpoche, an aide to the Dalai Lama, it was scheduled to begin on
November 8.
Sushanta Talukdar
Volume 26 - Issue 23 :: Nov. 07-20, 2009
INDIA'S NATIONAL MAGAZINE
from the publishers of THE HINDU
http://frontlineonnet.com/fl2623/stories/20091120262302200.htm
chhotemianinshallah
SANJAY K. JHA
New Delhi, Jan. 12:
Rahul Gandhi’s tour of Bihar may be marred by a rebellion brewing in
the faction-ridden state Congress, with many senior leaders planning
to resign from the jumbo state committee formed a few days ago.
The dissenters see the PCC executive — which has 562 office-bearers,
many of them young, fresh recruits — as a move by state unit chief
Anil Sharma to remain at the helm despite overwhelming opposition.
A leader told The Telegraph most seniors were upset and many were
thinking of quitting the new committee in protest. “Many leaders want
to clearly tell the high command that working with this PCC president
is impossible,” the leader said.
While the main cause for resentment is the decision to continue with
Sharma, who is seen as too junior, some leaders are furious at what
they describe as “a committee formed without any application of mind”.
Two working presidents in the previous committee have been demoted to
the post of general secretary, and a large number of fresh entrants
have been given important posts straightaway. Sources said a majority
of older leaders felt that drawing new members into the party was fine
but the organisational hierarchy should not be destabilised in the
process.
“Around 60-70 young boys and girls have been recruited and made
secretaries to begin with,” one leader said. “Older Congressmen are
feeling dismayed. Somebody working for 10 years in the field all of a
sudden finds himself being monitored by a girl who developed a fancy
for politics two days ago.”
A section of leaders believe the very concept of membership drive has
been distorted in Bihar, where Rahul will be visiting to boost the
recruitment drive for the Youth Congress.
The sources said all important posts in the youth wing were being
filled up through elections, but the Bihar PCC had just distributed
posts at different levels without applying any criteria.
Senior leaders are enthusiastic about the membership drive, which has
seen young leaders like Sachin Pilot, Priya Dutt and Jitin Prasada
visit the state, but don’t favour appointment of greenhorns to key
posts.
The new committee has also triggered a controversy by including the
name of Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as a permanent invitee to the
PCC executive. Anybody holding a constitutional post ceases to be a
party member and some are citing this to buttress their allegation of
“incompetence” against the PCC chief.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100113/jsp/nation/story_11977900.jsp
bademiyansubhanallah
All the Singh's Men
The Manmohan Singh Government had promised to achieve a lot in 100
days after coming back after already having been there during the
previous five years.
It is over 200 days now and by way of the so-called ‘all-inclusive
growth’ that they claim to propound, the main achievement which people
see is the ‘all-inclusive’ uncontrolled inflation that spares no one
and is especially hurting the poor and the middle class who continue
to be at the receiving end.
Leaving aside a broader analysis of his Government’s working, it is
worthwhile to list some (but not all) of the useless, the non-
performers and the laggards in his Ministry. Even more important it is
to list some of the Ministers whose working is not aboveboard, to put
it extremely mildly.
Crown of Thorns
Starting with Manmohan Singh, he has to his credit mainly his honesty
of purpose and dedication. Other than that, he has left no one in
doubt that he does not have the will or the inclination to act on many
issues relating to Government which he is supposed to head, without
the say-so of his Party Boss. It is perhaps, this determination not to
upset the apple cart driven by his Boss that keeps him from taking
action against erring Ministers in the Cabinet.
Sharad Pawar
Sharad Pawar - useless and incompetent
At the top of the list of Ministers whose continuance is doing immense
harm to the country is obviously, Sharad Pawar. His indifference and
his callous approach to matters under him are too widely recognized.
Amidst continuous and unrestrained rise in prices of food products, he
has been inventing any number of excuses ever since his first term
where he started by blaming fuel prices, rise in international prices
(even if the country is self-sufficient) and a host of other excuses
unrelated to his own incompetence. While repeating ad nauseum that the
Government is very serious and doing everything possible (cleverly
saying Government not just himself, to put the blame on the entire
Government), he has very little to show for what actually he has done
himself. Of course, during his term, there has been a wheat scam, a
sugar scam, a rice scam and perhaps, some as-yet-not-known scams. But
scams and motivated decisions have always been known to be there
wherever he is involved. Knowing his past and present, there may be
very few in the country, who will honestly vouch for his integrity. If
he is still surviving in the Ministry, it is only because of his
manipulative and arm-twisting capability vis-a-vis Singh's Party Boss.
Apart from the present dismal situation of food availability, Pawar
has hardly done anything worthwhile to ensure the food security of the
people for the future. In fact, due to the total lack of any
purposeful actions during his term, the country is headed for a
serious scarcity situation in the years to come. That is the legacy
this man is going to leave for the people. He may well be voted the
worst Agriculture Minister the country has had so far.
After having run out of believable explanations and excuses, he has
repeated without a modicum of sense of responsibility, for the second
time in as many months that only an astrologer can predict when the
prices would come down. What the aam admi needs now is an astrologer
not to predict when the prices would come down, but for how long would
the country suffer him as a Minister.
He needs to be removed from the Ministry, whether ceremoniously or
unceremoniously, but without delay. The aam admi has been waiting to
say Good Riddance to him.
Praful Patel
Praful Patel
As Minister for Civil Aviation in the previous Government, he has
successfully mismanaged the national carrier Air India/Indian Airlines
under the tutelage of his party chief Pawar. That an airline with a
globally known Brand was brought on the brink in such a short period
speaks volumes for this Minister’s capabilities. And yet, he has kept
on saying that Air India was always free to take decisions and at the
same time blaming global recession for its woes. Those in the
airlines, including the employees’ Unions, know only too well about
the interference in their affairs which not only accelerated the
financial losses but also the loss of market share to other airlines
with whom the Minister and his Boss are known to have cozy relations.
( see also here)
Apart from the airlines debacle, favors were also granted to the GMR/
GVK led Consortia running Delhi and Mumbai airports, by allowing them
to recover from hapless passengers airport development fees after the
contract was won by them based on the original tender conditions. An
effort is also being made to favor GVK led Joint Venture for Mumbai
Airport by allowing them to sell 200 acres of land, ostensibly taken
for airport development earlier, to give them a windfall of over Rs,
10,000 crores. Of course, these two incidents have caught the people’s
attention as they are now in public domain. Skeletons that may still
be rattling underneath the Civil Aviation carpet will be known only
when they spring out in future.
S M Krishna
S M Krishna
After coming out from gubernatorial hibernation, he has been favored
with the External Affairs portfolio. International Relations is a
sensitive issue requiring a Minister to have considerable vision and
an alert mind. S M Krishna, a Fulbright scholar is performing only as
half-bright and is constantly at sea and at loss of words to
forcefully convey anything sensible on foreign policy. Foreign Policy
has always been a weak point with India and giving such an important
Ministry to a person whose mind is no longer alert and where he is
totally out of depth can only further weaken India’s stature in the
world. It is hardly possible to gain in stature by offering good
hospitality to foreign dignitaries as is being done by Krishna.
Murli Deora
Deora
As Petroleum Minister, he has been seen to be consistently supporting
and favoring a particular business group with whom he is known to have
close relations. He is also the Minister who in November 2008 bypassed
the Prime Minister by writing directly to the party boss about pricing
of petroleum products, a subject which was under the discussion within
the Government. So much for his loyalty to his Prime Minister, who
unfortunately is not able to act despite such incidents and despite
the Minister having made the Government go through awkward situations
in a legal dispute on gas pricing.
Mamata Banerjee
Mamata
The absentee Railway Minister who promised a White Paper on Railways
during Laloo’s time, did publish the White Paper along with a Vision
Document. But everyone knows that her heart and mind are set on the
West Bengal Chief Minister’s seat. For all practical purposes, she is
just warming the Railway Minister’s chair till the elections. Not much
can be expected when most of her time is spent in her home state.
A. Raja
Raja
He is a liability thrust upon the people by DMK, the coalition partner
of the present Government. His suspect role in the 2G Spectrum scam
that led to a huge loss estimated to be Rs. 22,000 crores to the
public exchequer – the tax payer is by now known to everyone,
including the Prime Minister who is intent on keeping such bad apples
in the apple cart. Raja like many other Ministers in similar
situations, is defending himself saying he only followed procedures
and also consulted the Prime Minister, forgetting that as Minister, he
is responsible to ensure that the public exchequer gets what it should
and he is there not just to follow procedures.
CP Joshi
Joshi
He is a laggard whose only interest, as seen during the Lok Sabha
debates was to question the opposition parties for what they did not
do, rather than answering the questions put to him. He could not
clarify exactly what, if anything, he was doing himself as Minister.
His highly immature performance during the Lok Sabha debates does not
inspire any confidence at all in his ability to do justice to his job.
Azhagiri alias Alagiri
Azhagiri
He is another liability on the people from DMK. It is not known how he
can perform any of his responsibilities without communicating with the
Babus and Cabinet colleagues except by sign language when he does not
understand any language other than his own mother tongue. Sadly, Singh
is unable to even ask him to quit because Singh does not speak in
Tamil.
Sushil Kumar Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh
Shinde
Vilasrao
Two of the lacklustre Ministers from Maharashtra have practically
nothing to show for what they have done. While Vilasrao obviously does
not have to do much at the Centre where he can no longer oblige the
builders and developers, Shinde is in charge of the critical power
ministry. They have been carrying on with the same tardiness which is
their characteristic.
Some others
Then there are the goofer-gaffers, flipper-floppers and twatter-
twitters. Sincere though they may be, they are prone to land the
Government in embarrassing situations from time to time.
Azad
Sibal
Jairam
Tharoor
While the above is a listing of only the Ministers, mention must be
made of two others who are in similar high positions but the people
are unclear about their usefulness.
Montek Singh
Narayanan
Montek Singh’s achievement as Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission
is hard to evaluate as he has been largely seen commenting only on
matters on which the Ministers concerned are required to speak.
Narayanan’s actual contribution as the National Security Advisor also
remains obscure.
The above list is naturally not exhaustive and there may be other
Ministers well qualified to take the place in the backhanded Honor
Roll. Readers are free to make their nominations in the Comments
section.
posted by Lokadhikar @ 4:26 AM
4 Comments:
At January 12, 2010, globalskyearning said...
I agree with u.. It is because they are not a long term visionry...
At January 12, 2010, vasu said...
Yes, you are right on many points but how come you forgot to mention P
Chidambaram,ex- finance minister & presently our Home minister.Is he
on any job ? If yes,then how come we have so many security related
problems ? After messing up the finance ministry,he is heading home.
Tharoor is a frustrated chap having to work under S. M. Krishna.Kapil
Sibal is good- but maybe he is too open about his ideas.
On second thoughts,only PM is good but then one is not a team .So we
have to suffer all of them.
At January 12, 2010, Raja said...
completely agree with you. I think for congress government this time
there is too much talk and less action. However i think two guys Kapil
Sibbal & Jayaram Ramesh r trying to do things....most others are
cmpletely hopeless....i think smhw Mr. Singh & Mrs. Gandhi made a
great intent statement which helped them win elections bt due to
political compulsions they made a team which is very bad...having said
that i guess this is the situation wth all parties....countries
interest is the last priority here in India...I really wonder which
way our country is going with more and more power hungry money hungry
ministers sticking to the chair and sucking money and doing things for
personal interest....be it mr. pawar or mr. patel....unfortunately we
the people seem helpless as there is hardly any impactful public forum
in this country to protest or make our views heard...we really need to
think hw do we make a difference as public....
At January 12, 2010, neelesh sinha said...
I think whatever you have written about this government is true, but
what can we do??? This is what we have to think on, because everyone
knows most of the ministers are incompetent… but they are holding the
chairs. There are so many examples like Copenhagen Summit was the
latest one, best part of this summit was no one knows why we are going
there except for that that it is on Global warming and all countries
have to cut down the emission level that’s all.
The Indian representation at the Summit was only 34 delegates out of
which 4 were the kids(who are there to sing a poem) and another 4 were
the Ministers(who defiantly don’t have the knowledge of global
warming) & 1 was our PM, where Bangladesh represented with over 350
delegates and Nepal with over 400 delegates. They have not
participated in any discussion and have just agreed on Western
countries concern without thinking about our own interest. I really
wonder where we are heading towards. Fingers are crossed may be we
have a better tomorrow with this bunch of ministers.
Lokadhikar
About Me
This blog reflects the hopes, expectations, fears and frustrations of
the COMMON MAN, the centerpiece in the Indian Democracy.
My Blogs Team Members
http://prajatantra.blogspot.com/2010/01/all-singhs-men.html
chhotemianinshallah
STAFF WRITER 14:47 HRS IST
New Delhi, Jan 13 (PTI) "Slim and trim wins the race" appears to be
the motto of Rahul Gandhi for the Congress, especially in Uttar
Pradesh, where the party is bedevilled by bogus membership.
This appears to be the case as the total number of party men in the
key state is going to decline at the end of the current membership
drive and organisational elections due by year end.
Some party leaders said it could be a substantial fall in the numbers
in the state where Gandhi is personally leading the revival effort and
ensured 22 seats to the party in the Lok Sabha polls, including the
one in Firozabad by-poll.
But party managers are not worried as they suggest that what is going
to happen is possible burning of the excess "fat".
http://www.ptinews.com/news/466186_Bogus-membership--Cong-to-shed--excess-fat--in-UP
chhotemianinshallah
Facing flak, Cong may drop Speaker’s name from BPCC
PNS | New Delhi
Facing severe criticism over inclusion of Speaker Meira Kumar in the
Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) and categorisation of all
members according to their castes, Congress on Wednesday said that it
would inquire into the matter and fix the responsibility. Embarrassed
by the controversy, the Congress is likely to come up with a new list
omitting the Speaker’s name.
“I would like to clearly state that Congress has no intent of dragging
any constitutional functionary, especially the Speaker, into any sort
of disrepute. How those documents (Bihar PCC list with caste names)
were made public and what was the thought behind that list
(categorisation by caste) is a matter for inquiry. We are in the
process of making those inquiries. We will tell you whatever comes out
of it,” said Congress spokesman Manish Tewari. When asked whether this
inquiry would mean fixing responsibility, Tewari said, “That is what
inquiries are meant for… inquiry means fixing responsibility.”
According to sources, Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi has
been asked to look into the matter. Dwivedi would speak to senior
leaders of Bihar unit and determine how the list was leaked. Sources
indicated that categorisation by caste is usually done internally in
all States. Congress always hides behind the excuse that it wants to
give representation to all sections of the society and that is why
this kind of categorisation is done. However, these lists are never
made public. The party is obviously embarrassed for not only the list
but also dragging the Speaker into the controversy.
So far, it has been a convention that Speaker does not associate
himself/herself with organisational posts. However, there is no
constitutional requirement to this effect. Speaking on the
controversy, Tewari said, “The attempt of the Congress has never been
to bring any constitutional office to disrepute.”
Meanwhile, there is widespread dissatisfaction in the State unit over
the constitution of the new team ahead of Assembly elections. Former
PCC chiefs and MLAs have descended in the capital to seek audience
with the party high command.
A group of senior leaders took their grievances to Congress general
secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. The delegation included senior
leaders Ashok Ram, Mahachander Singh, Sadanand Singh, Mehboob Ali
Kaiser, Dr Javed, Avdesh Singh and Ram Jatan Sinha. They said that
Congress would not have a chance to take on Lalu Prasad and Nitish
Kumar as it has not projected any leader of that stature.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/229132/Facing-flak-Cong-may-drop-Speaker’s-name-from-BPCC.html
chhotemianinshallah
Fresh crisis hits Cong-led alliance Govt in Goa
Nidhi Sharma | New Delhi
Trouble is brewing once again for the Congress-led Government in Goa.
The party’s own MLAs along with alliance partners NCP, United Goans’
Democratic Party (UGDP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP)
have joined hands to lead a rebellion against Chief Minister Digamber
Kamat and replace him with either former CM Pratapsing Rane or
Minister Churchill Alemao.
The unrest has reached the doorsteps of the party high command in New
Delhi. Sensing trouble among his flock Kamat, who was in Delhi to
attend meetings of Planning Commission and Finance Ministry, met
senior party leaders on Wednesday. According to sources, five Congress
MLAs, including Minister Alemao, Agnelo Fernandes, Aleixo Reginaldo
Lourenco, Francis Silveira and Pandurang Madkaikar, have triggered a
tussle within the party and the ruling coalition protesting against
the ‘high-handed ways of Kamat’.
In recent meetings with senior Congress leaders in Delhi, Ministers
such as Atanasio Monserrate and Churchill Alemao have also voiced
their discontent with Kamat and also demanded better portfolios. This
group of Congress MLAs has the support of three NCP MLAs, the
Dhavalikar brothers of MGP and a UGDP legislator.
Sources said that the move was a well-concerted effort as even former
Chief Minister Rane’s son Vishwajit Rane was supporting it.
Independent MLA Vishwajit, who had rebelled against the Congress after
being denied a ticket in the 2007 Assembly elections, has also been
holding the Congress at ransom by promising that he would join the
party but backing out twice. He is an obvious supporter of this move
which could see his father taking over the top post once again.
The Congress high command has already been briefed about the problems
in the State unit by senior leaders. With Kamat’s meetings on
Wednesday, the rival group headed by Alemao is also planning to mount
pressure on the party high command.
A senior Congress leader said, “They are now trying to disguise this
rebellion as an administrative issue by saying that Kamat is not a
good administrator.” Sources said that the discontent in the party
could have also been triggered by Kamat’s policies towards his
Ministers’ business interests.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/229134/Fresh-crisis-hits-Cong-led-alliance-Govt-in-Goa.html
Sid Harth
New Delhi, Jan 24
Call it pure admiration for their efficiency or a mere coincidence,
but it so happens that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's last three
trustworthy security advisors have been Malayalis, or Mallus as they
are known in common parlance.
The appointment of former foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon as
National Security Advisor (NSA) after M.K. Narayanan's exit bears
testimony to this.
Coincidentally again, all the three advisors have been Kerala Nairs.
J.N. Dixit, who became NSA in Manmohan Singh's first tenure, was born
to the famous Malayalam writer Munshi Paramu Pillai. He got his
surname Dixit, from his stepfather Sitaram Dixit, a freedom fighter
and journalist. He died an untimely death in 2005.
In fact, New Delhi's iron frame of bureaucracy has always been greased
by Malayalis, with many at the apex of power. They include the prime
minister's Principal Secretary T.K.A. Nair, Cabinet Secretary K.M.
Chandrasekhar, Secretary to President Christy Fernandes and Foreign
Secretary Nirupama Rao - all operating from atop Raisina Hill that has
Rashtrapati Bhavan, North and South Block from where these top
bureaucrats operate.
- * -
Squeaky Antony comes clean
His reputation as Mr. Clean often precedes Defence Minister A.K.
Antony - so much so that he is sometimes accused of not doing anything
for fear of inviting a bad name.
His reluctance to take even the smallest decision is weighed heavily
lest it should harm his clean image. But Antony finally chose a
function organized by Transparency International, the global civil
society organisation leading the fight against corruption, as a forum
to come clean on this charge.
In an impromptu speech, Antony said: "Sometimes when we are trying to
curb corruption we are accused of no action! And that we are stopping
modernisation of our security forces by cancelling defence tenders."
Antony has often been criticised for cancelling defence tenders at the
slightest questioning. The most recent hit has been the Indian Army's
artillery modernisation plan with a shortlisted Singaporean gun major
being blacklisted by the defence ministry.
- * -
Talk on sex a no-no for health minister
Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi is an image-conscious man
who makes sure his reputation is not besmirched in any way. Last week,
however, he found himself in a piquant situation.
He had accepted an invitation to be chief guest at a book release
ceremony of India's premier sexologist Prakash Kothari! The book's
title: 'Art of Loving'. Not realising that it was going to be a grand
function where he was also to speak on a subject that he claims no
expertise on, Trivedi managed to wriggle out of the function on some
pretext at the last moment.
Many in the ministry are wondering why Kothari, who has been dubbed
Sexologist of Asia, had homed in on the Trivedi in the first place!
Maybe he thought better loving leads is the secret to good health.
-*-
China seeks more Bollywood, less of classical
Guess who is thirsting for more Bollywood fare? China, which has
apparently had enough of Indian classical dance and music.
This year, India and China will be celebrating 60 years of diplomacy
by organising cultural festivals in each other's countries. As usual,
India is drawing up the menu of performances and exhibitions with
advice from the host.
With the Hindi film industry becoming a rage all over the world, China
is now keen that Indian cultural shows have a liberal sprinkling of
Bollywood.
"They tell us they have seen enough of Indian classical dance and
music. Now, they just want Bollywood dancers," said a senior official
of the ministry of external affairs, belatedly realising the 'soft
power' of Indian popular cinema.
-*-
'Himalayan' heat makes Pachauri sweat
R.K. Pachauri, the usually suave head of the UN's Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), looked flustered after a long time -
with the booboo on the predicted demise of Himalayan glaciers high on
everyone's mind.
While addressing the media on India's energy security, Pachauri must
have known very well why the room was packed with reporters but
refused to answer any questions on the Himalayan blunder.
The media held its patience for long. But an exasperated reporter
finally shouted out: "How do you react to the demand for your
resignation?" Pachauri refused to answer even that, but for the first
time was seen to pull out his green handkerchief to wipe his brow.
He also had to be escorted out of the room so that he was not mobbed
by reporters - something he has been known to love in the past!
-*-
Tytler's tales of woe
Congress leader Jagdish Tytler is in a bind once again. One would
imagine his woes had ended after his rehabilitation last July as the
party in-charge of Bihar - but not quite.
While the list of Bihar office-bearers he finalised generated a major
controversy for allegedly containing caste descriptions, Tytler made a
bigger mistake by including Speaker Meira Kumar's name among the list
of special invitees to the Pradesh Congress Committee.
Several senior Bihar Congress leaders, who are upset over the list of
office-bearers, delivered a snub to Tytler last week by not turning up
for the meeting he had called in Patna last week.
Tytler's ticket for the 2009 Lok Sabha polls was withdrawn by the
Congress following an uproar by the Sikh community over his alleged
role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Some party leaders are wondering if
Tytler would be able to bring order to the Bihar unit ahead of
assembly elections this year.
-*-
Young Indians versus old Germans?
On a visit to India, German Labour Minister Karl-Josef Laumann may
have found India's working standards wanting and felt ill at ease over
reports of child labour. But one aspect of the country's workforce has
sure left him impressed - the energy of its young working population.
Laumann was quite happy to see numerous youth employed as chauffeurs,
smartly-dressed hotel executives and factory workers -- a pleasant
change from things back home. He said Germany would welcome skilled
Indians to work there.
But his catchphrase was for the end: "Personally, like in India, I
would like to open more cr
Last updated on Jan 24th, 2010 at 14:14 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109920.html
Sid Harth
New Delhi, Jan 22
Four of the eight newly appointed governors - Shivraj Patil (Punjab),
K. Sankaranarayanan (Maharashtra), E.S.L. Narasimhan (Andhra Pradesh)
and M.O.H. Farook (Jharkhand - took their oath Friday at ceremonies
held in respective state capitals.
Patil, a former union home minister and ex-Lok Sabha speaker, was
administered the oath of office by Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief
Justice Mukul Mudgal at the Punjab Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.
He will also hold the charge of administrator of the union territory
of Chandigarh.
Patil replaces S.F. Rodrigues, a former Army chief, who completed his
tenure. He is the first political personality in two decades to become
Punjab governor. The post was mostly held by retired army chiefs.
K. Sankaranarayanan was sworn in as the new governor of Maharashtra at
a simple ceremony in Mumbai by acting Chief Justice of Bombay High
Court J.N. Patel.
Sankaranarayanan, a former minister in Kerala, was appointed governor
of Nagaland in February 2007 and was moved to Jharkhand in July 2009.
Farook was administered oath of office and secrecy by Jharkhand High
Court Chief Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi. A
former chief minister of Puducherry, he was appointed ambassador to
Saudi Arabia in 2004.
Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court A.R. Dave administered
the oath of office to E.S.L. Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad.
Narasimhan, governor of Chhattisgarh, was sworn in Dec 27 after being
given additional charge of Andhra Pradesh, following the resignation
of N.D. Tiwari over allegations of his involvement in a sex scandal.
After being appointed full-time governor last week, Narasimhan was
sworn in again in accordance with constitutional requirements.
President Pratibha Patil had appointed the new governors Jan 16. The
new governors of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and West
Bengal are expected to assume charge of their offices before Republic
Day.
Last updated on Jan 22nd, 2010 at 17:30 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109484.html
Sid Harth
New Delhi, Jan 10
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is certainly the number two in the
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) cabinet and takes charge whenever
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is away. But there could soon be a
number three.
A little bird tells us that the mantle could come Defence Minister
A.K. Antony's way. The quiet and non-controversial minister has risen
in Congress president Sonia Gandhi's esteem since he was inducted into
UPA-1 in 2006.
Apart from heading a crucial ministry, Antony has a wide portfolio and
is now incharge of Maharashtra, chairman of the party's disciplinary
action committee and also convenor of the panel formed by the party to
celebrate its 125th anniversary.
If that was not enough, Antony is a member of the Congress core group
and has been involved in crucial government decisions regarding the
creation of a separate Telangana state. Now the million dollar
question among party insiders is if it is going to be official.
-*-
A small bungalow for Mrs. Mukherjee!
For a person considered number two in the United Progressive Alliance
(UPA) government and leader of the lower house of parliament, Pranab
Mukherjee stays in a rather small official bungalow in Lutyens' Delhi.
And the reason is simple - his wife.
"I'm quite happy here. But more importantly, Mrs. Mukherjee became
tired of shifting," admitted the 74-year-old softspoken Mukherjeee at
an informal lunch for the top brass of his ministry and a few
journalists over a spread that included shorshe ilish (hilsa fish in
mustard sauce).
True to his sharp memory, the MP from Jangipur also went on to spell
out the addresses, replete with door numbers, of each of the dozen-odd
flats and bungalows he has occupied in the capital since he was
elected to the Rajya Sabha for the first time in 1969.
-*-
Aborted dinner diplomacy
That Kashmiris are voracious meat and rice eaters is legion. So when
visions of a sumptuous dinner rendezvous were thwarted by just a cup
of tea, some Hurriyat Conference leaders were left deeply
disappointed.
Separatist leaders from the two Hurriyat factions had come down to the
capital for a dinner invitation with Pakistan Speaker Fahmida Mirza at
the Pakistan embassy.
But to their utter dismay, Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz chairman Umar
Farooq and his colleagues Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Lone were
disappointed when they learnt in Delhi that their names had been
struck off the guest list because Indian officials, who were also
invited, were reluctant to see the visiting dignitary hobnobbing with
Kashmiri separatists.
The Hurriyat leaders did meet the Pakistan speaker but it was just
over a cup of tea. And the mouth-watering biryani and succulent kebabs
eluded.
-*-
Achuthanandan dodges diaspora meet
Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan's absence from the annual
conclave of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2010 in the capital left many
among the influential Malayalam speaking diaspora wondering.
The state's Industry Minister Elamaram Kareem was the official face
and was hardpressed to give a satisfactory explanation why the chief
minister was missing. Sources in the Kerala goverment say he was asked
to keep out as he is not seen by the influential diaspora as an
investment-friendly face.
"He is embarrassed about facing us as he failed to fulfil his
promises," exclaimed an influential delegate. However, Overseas Indian
Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, who also hails from Kerala, stepped in
to clear the air.
Two years ago, Achuthanandan had reportedly assured Gulf returnees of
maximum assistance but that remained just on paper. Most of the nearly
five million Malayali diaspora are located in the Gulf.
-*-
Don't visit Australia for 'phoren tag'
Australians of Indian origin who have gathered for the annual diaspora
jamboree here are not surprised by the attacks on Indian students.
They say there is no anti-India feeling Down Under, but the loud and
brash behaviour of some Indian students has attracted the hostility of
Australian low-life criminals who find them an easy target.
An Indian Australian doctor for example who has been living in Sydney
for decades said he has never faced any overt racial hostility in that
country. Indian Australians fully endorsed External Affairs Minister
S.M. Krishna's advice to Indian students and their parents to avoid
Australia for irrelevant courses like hairstyling and facials.
"He is absolutely right. There are plenty of opportunities in India,"
he said. Many parents send their sons to study in Australia just to
get the "phoren tag" so they can get a fat dowry in marriage, quipped
one.
-*-
What Lucknow knew before Delhi
It may have been a bombshell in Delhi last week. But in Lucknow's
political circles, Amar Singh's resignation from the Samajwadi Party
had been talked about for quite some time.
Party insiders talk about how the loudmouth leader had become a
millstone around the party's neck and that his negative contribution
led to the loss of the party seat in Firozabad, where party chief
Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav lost a prestige
contest to the Congress' Raj Babbar in November last year.
It is learnt that the boisterous general secretary had completely
alienated the extended family of party chief Mulayam Singh and his
brother Shivpal Yadav, leader of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh
assembly.
Such is the stranglehold of the Yadav family on the party's affairs
now that even Amar Singh, with his symbiotic closeness to Mulayam,
finds himself an outsider and had no option but to resign, though he
cited "health reasons" for quitting.
-*-
Montek Singh, the 'defunct economist'!
How does one describe Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh
Ahluwalia? With his education at the Delhi Scool of Economics and
Oxford, coupled with stints in the government and IMF, one would
presume he can be called an economist, policymaker and banker.
But at the diaspora convention, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh
said Ahluwalia can be best called a "practical man" and even managed
to make Lord Meghnad Desai describe him as such.
Ahluwalia himself was more circumspect. "With age catching up, I am
now a defunct economist," the 66-year-old retorted, evoking chuckles
among the audience, largely comprising overseas Indians.
- * -
A taste of party politics for Gadkari
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) newly appointed president Nitin
Gadkari is fast realising that he might be party chief, but he may not
have the final say in all matters. Gadkari had indicated soon after
taking over the reins last month that the party could think of taking
some former BJP leaders like Uma Bharati, Govindacharya and Kalyan
Singh back into the party.
But the move was nipped in the bud and one of the reasons given was it
did not find favour with the party's ideological patron, the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh, which handpicked Gadkari for the top job. So the
buzz in the BJP corridors is that Gadkari had his first taste of party
politics and ever since has become overcautious in terms of making any
policy statement.
-*-
For RSS, conversion wins over corruption
The big question doing the rounds in BJP circles is why the party
agreed to be part of the government in Jharkhand, though almost every
senior leader had reservations about Chief Minister Shibu Soren's
image.
The answer provided by a senior official of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram
(VKA), a frontal body of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh working to
stop the conversion of tribals in Jharkhand and other tribal areas, is
the parent organisation wanted to stop the Congress from coming to
power at any cost.
They feared this would affect growth of the VKA and its programmes.
"We had to chose between checking corruption and curbing conversion,
we went for the latter," says a senior RSS functionary who has been
closely associated with VKA's work in Jharkhand.
Last updated on Jan 10th, 2010 at 12:24 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a106370.html
Sid Harth
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 1
Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan came under attack from his
own aides at the Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) state
committee meeting here Friday for violating the party's discipline,
sources said.
CPI-M sources said that known Achuthanandan aides like state Minister
for Labour P.K. Gurudasan, Fisheries Minister S. Sarma and former
Rajya Sabha member Chandran Pillai critisised the chief minister for
his comments on the party's relationship with People's Democratic
Party (PDP) led by Abdul Nasir Maudany.
Maudany's wife Sufiya is 10th accused in a bus burning case of 2005 in
which the main accused is T. Nazir, the self-styled south India chief
of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
On Dec 16, Achuthanandan had said the CPI-M will have no relationship
with the PDP and the tie-up in the past also should not have taken
place.
The statement came a few days after state CPI-M secretary Pinarayi
Vijayan defended the party's tie-up with the PDP in the May 2009 Lok
Sabha polls.
The CPI-M in Kerala has been besieged with bitter factionalism between
two groups led by Achuthanandan and Vijayan ever since it came to
power as a part of the Left Democratic Front in 2006.
Last updated on Jan 1st, 2010 at 15:54 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a104344.html
Sid Harth
New Delhi, Jan 24
The Congress will soon appoint new general secretaries and other top
office-bearers as many of the posts were now held by central
ministers, says party leader Oscar Fernandes.
Fernandes, chairman of the Congress' central election authority, told
IANS that a reshuffle of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) "was
due".
Asked if it would happen soon, he replied: "It should happen."
The Congress central team includes nine general secretaries, eight
state in-charges and 39 secretaries. Of them, seven office-bearers -
Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mukul Wasnik, Prithviraj Chavan, M. Veerapa Moily,
A.K. Antony, V. Narayanasamy and Jairam Ramesh - are serving as union
ministers.
The Congress has largely stuck to a one-man-one-post norm since the
mid-90s. There has been speculation of a reshuffle in the party for
some time now. The new appointments are widely expected to take place
in February.
Fernandes linked the reshuffle with changes in the union council of
ministers, saying the process was "complementary". He, however, said
that changes in the council of ministers would be "limited".
Fernandes, who is an interface between the party and the government,
had resigned as a minister about three months before the 2009 Lok
Sabha elections to work in the party.
"There is a clear understanding in the party as to who does what job,"
said Fernandes, who is also incharge of AICC meetings, Congress
sessions and working committees.
Asked about the possibility of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joining active
politics, Fernandes said she was already in politics as she was
looking after her mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's
constituency of Rae Bareli.
"Whether she can devote full time for the party is her decision. Party
workers would definitely like her to play a more active role," he
said.
Fernandes said the party will give more representation to women, youth
and weaker sections during organisational elections, slated to be over
by July.
Asked if the AICC would conduct transparent elections as had been done
by party general secretary Rahul Gandhi in the Youth Congress,
Fernandes said he was "not discouraging elections".
"We have our own process from the beginning," he said.
About the party's weak standing in states like Bihar, Tamil Nadu and
Uttar Pradesh, Fernandes said organisational elections were a way of
strengthening the party.
"Blocks (block committees) are the real lifeline of the organisation,"
he said, adding that Tamil Nadu had reported a very high rate of
membership.
Asked if the Congress had a system of performance audit for office-
bearers - something the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) new president
Nitin Gadkari has repeatedly emphasised - Fernandes said the Congress
office-bearers had proved themselves in the last general elections.
"I have no comment to make on their (BJP) plans. The Congress (team)
has performed."
(Prashant Sood can be contacted at prash...@ians.in)
Last updated on Jan 24th, 2010 at 18:06 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109966.html
Sid Harth
Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 22
The Congress party Friday demanded that Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri
Balakrishnan quit after the state high court asked the Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe into the murder of
Muthoot business group scion Paul M. George.
Speaking to reporters here, Congress spokesperson M.M. Hassan said "it
is high time that Balakrishnan quits".
"Civil governance has come a cropper in the state and it is the court
that has come in to help by handing over the probe to the CBI. The
state police has failed in its duty in unravelling the Muthoot murder
case. If Kodiyeri has any scruples left, he should quit," said Hassan.
The probe was handed over to the CBI Thursday by Chief Justice S.R.
Bannurmath on a plea by Paul George's father M.G. George Muthoot, who
approached the court Oct 30 last year.
The CBI has been asked to complete the probe in six months' time.
George, 32, was killed under mysterious circumstances near Alappuzha
Aug 21 last year while travelling in a car with Om Prakash and Rajesh,
two men who face several criminal cases in the state.
The police have arrested 19 people in the murder, including Prakash
and Rajesh but George's father feels that the investigation was an
eyewash.
Last updated on Jan 22nd, 2010 at 17:56 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109491.html
Sid Harth
New Delhi, Jan 23
Demanding that the central government clear the air over Telangana,
Congress MPs from the region say that the "suspense" over its
statehood has led to "suspicion" in the minds of the people.
"The suspense over creation of Telangana has led to suspicion in the
minds of the people. People have even committed suicide," Congress MP
Madhu Goud Yaskhi told IANS Saturday.
Yaskhi, along with nine other Congress MPs from the Telangana region,
is camping in the national capital. They met Defence Minister A.K.
Antony Friday, demanding that the government end the "suspense" over
creating a separate state of Telangana. They have also sought an
appointment with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister
P. Chidambaram.
"The agitation (for creating a Telangana state) is no longer
restricted to employees or a section of the people but is being
carried out in villages. It has become a revolution," Yaskhi
maintained.
The MP said the government had indicated after the Jan 6 eight-party
meeting in the capital that a mechanism would be found to carry
forward the consultation process but no announcement has been made so
far.
He said that the resignation of party MPs from Telangana was with
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and they would press for its
acceptance if the government did not make an announcement soon.
Andhra Pradesh Congress president D. Srinivas met Antony Saturday to
discuss the issue.
Last updated on Jan 23rd, 2010 at 21:32 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109832.html
Sid Harth
Panaji, Jan 15
Some legislators and ministers in the Congress-led coalition
government in Goa are unhappy with the way the administration is being
run and a few are even tentatively seeking a change of leadership. But
the Congress has denied any discontentment.
State Revenue Minister Jose Philip D'Souza, Tourism Minister Mickky
Pacheco and Nilkant Halarnkar from the Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP), Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar and his brother Deepak of
the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), Health Minister Vishwajeet
Rane (independent) and Education Minister Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate
have begun calling themselves the 'G 7' (group of 7), whose purported
aim, as described by the group's spokesperson Monserrate, was "to
demand for streamlining of administration and effective leadership"
from the Congress central high command.
"Files are not being cleared in time. There are no decisions being
taken. Ask the people on the streets what is wrong with the government
and they will tell you," said Monserrate.
Pandurang Madkaikar, a former transport minister and Congress
legislator, is the only person outside the group, categorically
demanding that Chief Minister Digambar Kamat be asked to step down and
a new chief minister be installed.
"We are not happy with the way things are going. We are having another
meeting on Saturday. We want change," Madkaikar told IANS. No other
legislator from the group of seven has directly demanded that Kamat be
dropped as chief minister.
However, members of the group have taken heart from recent statements
to the media by Speaker and former chief minister Pratapsing Rane and
public works department minister Churchill Alemao who have indicated
that they will not mind taking the top political slot in the state.
While Speaker Rane has said that he would "take up any assignment that
my party leaders give me", Alemao, also a former chief minister said
that he too had been approached by the group.
"Though I have been approached by some legislators for the hot post, I
would go by the decision of the high command," Alemao said.
Speaking to IANS from Delhi, B.K. Hariprasad, All India Congress
Committee (AICC) secretary in charge of the Goa desk, has denied
reports of any disgruntlement in the coalition government in Goa.
"We have not received any reports of disgruntlement in Goa. These
stories are baseless," Hariprasad said.
Goa has been known for throwing up several political wrangles,
resulting in repeated regime changes over the last couple of decades.
The state has seen 17 chief ministers between 1990 and 2007.
Goa's 40-member unicameral legislative assembly comprises 18
legislators from the Congress and 14 from the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Others are NCP (3), Maharashtra Gomantak Party (2), unattached United
Goan Democratic Party (1) and two independent legislators.
Last updated on Jan 15th, 2010 at 11:15 am IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a107572.html
Sid Harth
Panaji, Jan 15
The Congress Friday ruled out any leadership changes in Goa and asked
the dissidents to use appropriate means to resolve their grievances
instead of venting these in the media.
Addressing a press conference here, state Congress unit chief Subhash
Shirodkar said the Congress high command was seized of the recent
indiscipline among party ranks, but continued to back Chief Minister
Digambar Kamat as the head of the Congress-led coalition government in
the state.
"The state government is strong. Nothing is going to happen. There
will be no change in leadership," said Shirodkar, who returned here
Thursday after meeting Congress' Goa in-charge B.K. Hariprasad in New
Delhi.
Shirodkar's statement comes amidst informal parleys by legislators of
the ruling combine, including ministers, over the last few days.
The dissidents who call themselves "Group of Seven", are led by
Atanasio Monserrate and have sought "streamlining of administration
and effective leadership" from the Congress central high command.
Describing the behaviour of the dissidents as "a sort of
indiscipline", Shirodkar said that instead of venting their ire
through the media, the legislators should have behaved like "grown
ups" and tried to resolve their difference at appropriate forums.
"The high command has taken note of what has happened. They should
have used other party forums to settle these matters," he said, adding
the combined meetings of the legislative wing and the state Congress
Committee will be held to try and resolve these issues.
Goa has been known for repeated regime changes over the last couple of
decades. The state has seen 17 chief ministers between 1990 and 2007.
Kamat himself has survived two coups attempts in his chief ministerial
tenure.
Last updated on Jan 15th, 2010 at 19:46 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a107731.html
Sid Harth
(Interview)
New Delhi, Jan 22
Steel Minister and former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra
Singh has accused the state leadership of his Congress party of
failing to put up an effective challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) government.
In an unusually candid interview, Virbhadra Singh said the party rank
and file was demoralised as there was "nobody to protect" them from
the "suppression" of the BJP government.
He accused Kaul Singh, the state Congress president, of failing to
discharge his responsibilities properly and Vidya Stokes, leader of
the opposition in the state assembly, of being "very soft" towards the
government.
"The Congress cannot be strengthened under the present leadership in
the state," Virbhadra Singh told IANS here, adding that Stokes might
have gone soft vis-a-vis the BJP government due to her age.
Virbhadra Singh, a five-time chief minister and a five-time MP, said
the Congress had 23 members in the 68-seat assembly, "a huge number".
"They can give a fight to the government but are unable to serve as
effective opposition. Many are trying to curry favours (with the
government)," he said, adding that it sent wrong signals vis-a-vis
party workers.
The minister said that due to what he described as the ineffectiveness
of the state party leadership, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal "had
become active in suppressing party workers".
He said false cases were being registered against party workers and
there "is nobody to protect them".
Virbhadra Singh also asserted that denying a party ticket to his wife
Pratibha Singh for the Rohru assembly by-election in November last
year was a mistake.
The seat was won by the BJP for the first time in almost three
decades.
He said some party leaders, including Kaul Singh and Vidya Stokes, had
given a wrong picture to the high command about his wife.
"I represented the constituency for almost 20 years and resigned from
the seat to become an MP. People were very keen that somebody from my
family represent it. Pratibha nursed the seat in my absence," he said.
Without naming Congress candidate Manjit Thakur, Virbhadra Singh said
the party fielded a lightweight.
"I campaigned for him (party candidate) for eight days though I
campaign for only one or two days for my own election," he said.
Virbhadra Singh said that the new state chief should be elected "in a
democratic way" in the party's organisational elections which are
expected to end in July.
"I laud (Congress general secretary) Rahul Gandhi for holding
democratic elections in the Youth Congress and the NSUI (National
Students Union of India). The same method should be adopted in the
parent body," he said.
"There can be no substitute for elections. Leaders who have a base
will get elected," he added.
Virbhadra Singh is widely considered the most popular leader of the
Congress in Himachal Pradesh. He has ruled the hill for more than 17
years.
The Himachal Congress is broadly divided into two factions, one led by
Virbhadra Singh and the other by Vidya Stokes.
Last updated on Jan 22nd, 2010 at 15:58 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109444.html
Sid Harth
Shimla, Jan 23
Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh Saturday demanded the registration of a
case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on the
"phone tapping" issue and termed it a fit case to be investigated by a
central agency.
"It's a serious issue, a fit case to be investigated by a central
agency like the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) or the IB
(Intelligence Bureau) as high-ranking people like the chief minister
and the vigilance chief (D.S. Manhas) are involved. We (the Congress)
have demanded the registration of an FIR against the chief minister
and the suspension of Manhas," Virbhadra Singh told reporters here.
"The Congress has nothing to do with the CDs. The BJP (Bharatiya
Janata Party) is expert in making CDs. It seems it's their in-house
matter (released of the CDs)," he said on the release of three CDs -
two audio and one video - here Jan 19.
The CDs were sent to select journalists, legislators and high court
judges through a courier service. One audio CD allegedly has Dhumal
purportedly directing Manhas to tap the phones of Virbhadra Singh and
his wife Pratibha Singh. The couple was booked Aug 3, 2009, under the
Prevention of Corruption Act and the case is being investigated by
Manhas.
"They (the state government) are carrying out surveillance on us...
where we go, who is coming to meet us. But the government is denying
any such act. Now (after the release of the audio CD) these things
have been proved correct.
"In democracy it's our right that nobody can tap our phones and censor
our postal letters unless permission is sought under rule of law," the
minister said.
He accused the state government of being vindictive against the
Congress leaders and activists.
He also ridiculed the government's decision to entrust the inquiry
into the authenticity of audio CDs to the Crime Investigation
Department (CID).
Last updated on Jan 23rd, 2010 at 23:21 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109848.html
Sid Harth
Shimla, Jan 19
In another twist to the corruption cases against union Steel Minister
Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh, a new audio compact disc
(CD) from an unknown source was circulated here Tuesday in which Chief
Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal is purportedly directing the vigilance
chief to tap the phones of the couple.
Two other CDs were also released here -- one audio in which Dhumal was
heard talking about former union ministers Sukh Ram and Shanta Kumar
and the other video in which Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
parliamentarian Virender Kashyap was shown accepting some cash in
regard to granting permission to an educational institute in the
state.
In the alleged conversation recorded in the first CD, Director General
of Police (Vigilance) D.S. Manhas asked Dhumal regarding Singh and his
wife's phone tapping. At this Dhumal replied: "Do it."
Manhas then said: "Yes, we will do it, we will do it. If the CID
(Criminal Investigation Department) is doing it, its staff will leak
it." Dhumal replied: "This is right."
Dhumal and Manhas allegedly also talked about some Rs.25 crore (Rs.250
million).
However, a senior police official said there was no proof of the
authenticity of the CD. "It is released when the vigilance is almost
ready to start within a month the prosecution against Virbhadra Singh
and his wife," he said.
The cases against Singh and his wife were registered Aug 3, 2009,
under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The complaint against Singh
alleges misuse of his official position and criminal misconduct when
he was the chief minister of the state in 1989.
Interestingly, they were booked on the basis of an audio CD released
by Singh's political adversary Vijay Singh Mankotia in 2007.
Meanwhile, Dhumal refuted the allegations in the new CD. He told IANS
on phone from Delhi Tuesday: "Right now I am not in the state. I have
not seen the CD and not even heard about it. I am not in a position to
comment on it."
"The government machinery is not involved in phone tapping of Singh
and his wife. It's just a white lie," he added.
The CD that showed BJP parliamentarian Virender Kashyap talking to
someone on the issue of granting permission to an educational
institute in the state was recorded April 17, 2009 when Kashyap was
only a party activist.
In the conversation, Kashyap was insisting and telling the person
sitting opposite to him to first complete the formalities and then
seek formal permission. The CD also showed Kashyap being offered some
cash, which he hesitantly accepted.
However, Kashyap was not available for comments.
Last updated on Jan 19th, 2010 at 20:37 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a108647.html
Sid Harth
Shimla, Jan 22
A central leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday dismissed as
weak the controversial CDs against Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal
and another party MP, and said these were the handiwork of "political
opponents" to defame the state government.
"The case (release of the CDs) is weak. These were released just to
create sensation. There is neither complainant nor claimant for the
CDs. The person who owned these should come forward," BJP national
general secretary Vijay Goel told reporters here.
"The party high command generally takes a notice of any such incident
in the state. In this case too it has taken notice. But the state
government has taken the right action so far and acted promptly," Goel
said when asked about the central leadership's take on the issue.
Goel was here to meet party leaders on the issue of price rise and to
formulate a national action plan on it.
Asked about the video CD in which BJP MP Virender Kashyap is shown
allegedly accepting cash for grant of permission to an educational
institute, Goel said: "At that time (when the footage was recorded
April 17, 2009), he was not the MP and had not even filed the
nomination for his candidature".
"It is the handiwork of the political opponents to defame the
government. The state government has taken the right decision by
ordering an inquiry into the release of the CDs. Moreover, Dhumal has
clarified on the issue and that is more than enough," Goel said.
The CDs - two audio and one video - were sent to select journalists,
legislators and high court judges Tuesday. One audio CD allegedly has
Dhumal directing the vigilance chief to tap the phones of Steel
Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh, and the other CD
talks about former union ministers Sukh Ram and Shanta Kumar.
Dhumal Wednesday ordered a Criminal Investigation Department inquiry
into the issue.
Last updated on Jan 22nd, 2010 at 17:57 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109492.html
Sid Harth
Panaji, Jan 18
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Rahul Gandhi's
visit to Goa Tuesday and his proposed plans to address students at the
Goa University (GU) campus have created controversy in the state.
The students' wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned a
protest at the vice-chancellor office and a "surprise protest
strategy" to condemn "attempts by the Congress to reduce Goa
University (GU) to a political circus".
Rahul Gandhi, son of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who is on a
countrywide tour to "gauge and understand the young minds of India",
is scheduled to have a one-hour interaction with students at the Gpa
University football ground Tuesday afternoon.
Calling an AICC general secretary to the university to address
students of Goa violated the university's apolitical standing, Atmaram
Barve, convener of the BJP's students cell, told IANS.
"A university has no place for a mainstream political leader to
address students. The GU is an apolitical entity. We will gherao
(surround) the GU vice-chancellor's office to condemn this obvious
politicisation of Goa's only state-run university," Barve said, adding
that the BJP students' wing was also planning a "surprise protest
package" for Gandhi.
According to state BJP spokesperson Govind Parvatkar, the party was
fully endorsing the protest planned by its youth wing. University
officials have declined to comment on the issue.
Goa Pradesh Youth Congress president Sankalp Amonkar said Rahul
Gandhi's meeting was open to students of all political hues. "It is an
open forum for students of any affiliation. We will have one hour of
interaction, during which Rahul Gandhi will pick 10 to 15 people, who
can ask him any questions they want," Amonkar said.
Police sources said there was no question of changing the venue for
the student interaction at such a short notice.
"The Special Protection Group (SPG) has already cleared the plan for
Rahul Gandhi's visit. There's no going back now. He has Z plus
protection, last-minute alterations to the schedule are not possible.
The organisers should have thought about such contingencies earlier,"
a police officer said.
After his interaction with students, Rahul Gandhi will also address
members of the Pradesh Congress Committee and Youth Congress
delegates.
Last updated on Jan 18th, 2010 at 16:16 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a108283.html
Sid Harth
Panaji, Jan 23
Goa Governor S.S. Sidhu has now intervened in the raging controversy
involving Rahul Gandhi's political meetings in the Goa university
campus earlier this week.
A Raj Bhavan spokesperson Saturday said Sidhu, chancellor of the
university, has sought a "factual report" from vice chancellor Dilip
Deobagkar.
Sidhu's intervention came a day after university registrar Mohan
Sangodkar said he was responsible for allowing the All India Congress
committee (AICC) general secretary to conduct three political meetings
in the varsity campus Tuesday.
"The governor has taken note of the reports in the media about the
Rahul Gandhi controversy. During a meeting with the VC (vice
chancellor) held today (Saturday), his excellency has asked him to
submit a factual report on Gandhi's visit to the campus," N.
Radhakrishnan, special secretary to governor, told reporters in a
statement.
The three meetings conducted by Rahul Gandhi Tuesday created much
controversy in the state, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) demanding the registrar's resignation for allowing them to take
place.
Rahul Gandhi addressed meetings of the Congress-backed National
Students Union of India (NSUI) on the campus and later of the Youth
Congress members and state Congress unit officials.
Before Rahul Gandhi's visit, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi
Parishad -- a students' group close to the BJP -- laid siege to the
campus over the issue.
The university later claimed that Youth Congress office bearers had
kept them in the dark about the political nature of Rahul Gandhi's
visit.
Last updated on Jan 23rd, 2010 at 14:29 pm IST--IANS
http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a109707.html
chhotemianinshallah
TNN, 26 January 2010, 01:12am IST
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission's diamond jubilee celebrations saw
a rare convergence among political parties over checking
criminalisation of politics with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi calling
for a consensus on barring candidates with criminal backgrounds.
On a day which saw BJP's Sushma Swaraj also on the same page, Sonia
said, "We need to do more in contending with the influence of money
and muscle power...We also need to build a consensus on how to prevent
individuals with a criminal record from contesting elections."
The remarks, part of a prepared speech rather than a response to
questions, are significant and the Congress chief can be held to her
words in case there is lack of progress on cleaning up politics where
as of now a candidate convicted in a case that carries a sentence up
to two years can contest polls pending appeal.
On his part, law minister Veerappa Moily assured EC that the
government will look into all demands for reform and a national
consultation will start from June this year. It needs to be pointed
out that all his predecessors gave similar assurances without any
result but a prod in the right direction from party president Sonia
Gandhi may help.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regretted that the best minds are not
getting attracted to politics and referred to the lack of unanimity on
how to clean the system so that people without means can contest
elections too.
Sonia Gandhi and Sushma Swaraj said 60 is the age for introspection.
Lauding EC for its achievements and its contribution in making India a
robust democracy, Gandhi referred to the Women's Reservation Bill and
regretted the lack of consensus on giving 33% reservation to women in
Lok Sabha and the assemblies.
Swaraj said it is only due to EC that there has been change of power
in India with ballots and not bullets. Swaraj also said the fact that
even powerful politicians are scared of EC is a testimony to its
credibility and fairness.
The speeches by leaders on Monday were measured and less rhetorical
than usual. Uniformly praising the work of EC and calling it one of
the pillars of Indian democracy, everyone from President Pratibha
Patil, PM Manmohan Singh, vice-president Hamid Ansari, Sonia Gandhi
and Sushma Swaraj advised EC to take stronger corrective measures to
improve quality of the polity.
The inaugural function that saw political adversaries sharing the same
space -- Mamata Banerjee and Prakash Karat, Jayalalithaa listening to
DMK's A Raja and Sushma Swaraj on the same dais as Sonia Gandhi -- was
inaugurated by the President. The President said impediments, lacunae
and malpractices in elections would have to be removed to make Indian
democracy cleaner, healthier and stronger.
The vice-president was most forthcoming, emphasising three big
challenges for Indian democracy. "Six decades on, a fair verdict would
be that the glass is neither empty nor full but well above the half
way mark," he said. While the country has traversed a long distance in
providing a constitutional basis for local government, real
empowerment and participatory governance at the third tier is still
"work in progress".
Then, despite efforts, unaccounted election expenses constitute the
major expenditure of political parties and candidates. "These relate
to distribution of freebies, liquor and cash during elections, the
phenomenon of surrogate advertisements and the extensive media related
malpractice of `paid news' and `coverage packages'," he said.
Lastly he said, "The challenge for the political parties now is to
bring about substantive organisational democracy." "Each of these is a
blot on the democratic process and on the objective of free and fair
elections. Corrective action by the EC and our political parties is
imperative," Ansari said.
Readers' Opinions
Comment
Bar criminals from fighting polls: Sonia Gandhi
A.S.K.Nair,Muscat,says:
Barking dog seldom bites. If this lady is honest to her words and can
practise what she preaches, immediately she should remove the
criminials in the Congress party so that it can pave the way for other
parties to follow the suite. I consider her utterance as meaningless
and is with an aim to gain popularity.
[26 Jan, 2010 1412hrs IST]
yohan,india,says:
This is sarcastic. Why such big speeches on this subject. If they have
sincerity, they should first cleanse their own party and parliament
members, by weeding out those with criminal background. Can she ask
their criminal MPs to resign forthwith, to begin with? By seeing
congress other parties will follow suit.
[26 Jan, 2010 1408hrs IST]
Gurmeet Singh,Lucknow,says:
how can she talk like this when the number of politicians in congress
are from criminal background.I think if she stands on her words today
and kick out the mischief politicians from her party then the people
of our country will bring the Congress in full power without any
external support.
[26 Jan, 2010 1403hrs IST]
Anil Kumar,Delhi,says:
It's so funny in last parliamentary election who si who of criminal
spurned by parties like RJD got safe haven and ticket from congress.
Sadhu Yadav and ilk fought on congress ticket
[26 Jan, 2010 1324hrs IST]
J Kumar Dutt,Kolkata,says:
Such homilies about ensuring "clean"
[26 Jan, 2010 1318hrs IST]
M.Murli,UAE,says:
The credit for recognizing the importance of EC office should go to
Mr.T.N.Seshan-former EC. Till his taking over charge nobody even knew
what EC stood for.
[26 Jan, 2010 1313hrs IST]
Jayakrishnan,Singapore,says:
Political parties, which allow criminals to contest the election are
the greatest enimies of Indian people and democracy. Any party
allowing criminals to contest election has to be banned, as their
agenda is anti social and anti national. Individuals with criminal
instinct, if got elected, would be a threat to the society and nation.
People who rules India should be men of integrity, and not criminals.
There should be strong rules which prevents any criminals from filing
their nominations. If criminals come to power, how does the government
ensure the safety and dignity of every individual, the constitution
offers..?
[26 Jan, 2010 1313hrs IST]
Mukesh Bhaskar,usa,says:
It will be a good start. If they are really sincere, make it possible
for the leaders only with clean image with even no case in the
beginning/process. Then these leaders if capable will able to command
respect from the people, otherwise, it will remain a goonda raj.
[26 Jan, 2010 1303hrs IST]
Hirendra Chatterjee,Delhi,says:
The devil quoting the scriptures. I remember how Mrs. Gandhi went out
of her way to keep Shibu Soren in good humour when his party's votes
were crucial.
[26 Jan, 2010 1244hrs IST]
Vennila Kabadi,Muscat,says:
Dear Sonia Madam - If that is the case, how did you condescend to
appointing Alagiri as Fertilizer minister - Alagiri is welel known for
his misdeeds in Tamilnadu/Madurai - How did you permit DMK party to be
your co-alition partner - DMK has foudned its party on decimation of
Brahmins
[26 Jan, 2010 1243hrs IST]
sanjay singh,lucnkow,says:
criminals are not the only one's who should be barred,think about
senior citizens.
[26 Jan, 2010 1217hrs IST]
Naresh Dhiman,Kuwait,says:
After long time in the history of politics or One in history of
politics, some senior leader has asked Election commission to Bar
Criminals from contesting elections. Dear Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, please do
not leave it here. This subject should be persued. Other step your
party can do is to support all the honest candidates.
[26 Jan, 2010 1209hrs IST]
Rohit,Chennai,says:
So Sonia aunty will be d first to get barred as neither is she an
Indian citizen nor does she have a clean record. Quatrochi and Bofors,
smuggling of artifacts from India to Italy via Chennai and then
auctioning in London, Hawala ...blah blah blah...so EC ..pls ban sonia
aunty first...also her Raul beta who is also not an Indian
[26 Jan, 2010 1206hrs IST]
prafull,Mumbai,says:
She says criminals,not corrupt.Obviously,she will go for every
politician from non congress party to be criminals. her family
involved with the Bofors and the Quatrocchi case,she still considers
herself a Pavitra nari,who is not even Indian. These people will stoop
to any level to crush opposition,while the whole nation is under
threat from,China,Pakistan and Indian killings in Australia.
[26 Jan, 2010 1206hrs IST]
Deepa Swaminathan,Hong Kong,says:
I thought our laws already ensured this and it is only a lack of will
to implement/uphold the law that sees criminally convicted people be
allowed to run for elections
[26 Jan, 2010 1132hrs IST]
KN Brahma,Dhaligaon,says:
Does she mean it for all parties including her own!
[26 Jan, 2010 1126hrs IST]
sathish achuthan,bangalore,says:
Corruption is one big force that is pulling our country from moving
forward...with the criminals out we could expect a stronger
country...but easier said then done...corrupt lords are stronger than
what soniaji thinks...they have nine lives...they just keep bouncing
back or find new means of staying in power if not directly but atleast
indirectly(benami funda)until we form very rigid laws. Vande mataram
[26 Jan, 2010 1122hrs IST]
G.N.Bangera,MUSCAT SULTANATE OF OMAN ,says:
this all preaching only for the time of celebration we are reading it
for the last 60 yrears no one practice what they preaching let us hope
VEERAPPA MAILY clean man of Marippady as Justice Minister will make
name in the world of clean polics of INDIA
[26 Jan, 2010 1115hrs IST]
vishal,mumbai,says:
SONIA GANDHI,YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTEST ELECTIONS AS
YOU ARE THE BIGGEST CRIMINALS,CRIMINALS OF NEPOTISM.
INTROSPECT.PLEASE.
[26 Jan, 2010 1115hrs IST]
Abhijeet,USA,says:
Ya look who is talking about it...
[26 Jan, 2010 1110hrs IST]
Capt. Guru,Bangalore,says:
Agreed. Bar criminals from politics and.. what else!
[26 Jan, 2010 1109hrs IST]
Prasad,Australia,says:
LOL! Everyone in the Inidan politics is a criminal or a would be
criminal!
[26 Jan, 2010 1105hrs IST]
SHOUKAT FIRFIRAY,KUWAIT,says:
Steps for barring candidates with criminal record was already
initiated before and public expect that EC shouldn't over look or
careless to neglect checks and balance on this matter. It will be a
serious offence by EC if such candidates get elected who may not care
for the development of his/her constituency rather look always for his/
her personal gains. I urge ruling party govt. should issue a final
document on this matter for public awareness and EC should implement
nationwide effectively.
[26 Jan, 2010 1052hrs IST]
SANKARVRG,BAHRAIN,says:
Every Republic day we gather and say something and forget afterwards.
while fighting election, again we unite with all sort of people good
or bad ( it appears more bad people than good) and quote Gandhi to
Nehru to preach and live different. Some time we think what life we
have lead. May God this noble country
[26 Jan, 2010 1052hrs IST]
T.S.gopalakrishnan,chennai,says:
sirs, Told by all leaders at all times.They give an idea that their
party is doing that but not other parties.Rahul gandhi told that there
are three gates to enter politics.But he deliberately avoided to
mention this criminal entries to politics,His mother had corrected his
ommission.But like charity this also should begin at home.The congress
president should work towards this goal from now on.
T.S.gopalakrishnan chennai 26 th jan
[26 Jan, 2010 1049hrs IST]
Sandeep,Dubai,says:
The call by Sonia Gandhi is a lining of optimism in the cloud of
political patronage to crime. Such words, backed by actions have the
power to change the face of Indian Politics. Lets hope for change
[26 Jan, 2010 1038hrs IST]
Indian,kuwait,says:
If a law is approved to bar candidates with criminal background, then
you will make proud the name of late Mr. Rajiv Gandhi who was
charismatic leader of the future and as most of the public claim that
the same charisma can see in his son Rahul.
[26 Jan, 2010 1035hrs IST]
Alok Kumar,New Delhi,says:
Madam should ensure that this should happen for the welfare of the
country.
[26 Jan, 2010 1029hrs IST]
Indian,Delhi,says:
You give Padma Bhushan's to people like Chatwal
[26 Jan, 2010 1023hrs IST]
Ahmed,mumbai,says:
Damn Good Joke from Mrs.Gandhi!
[26 Jan, 2010 1019hrs IST]
shyam prasad,bangalore,says:
This was something to have been done a long time ago. Its time the two
biggest parties got together & made a law which will bar criminals
with serious FIRs from paticipating in polls & holding public office.
If govt employment is a no-no for for ordinary people how come
politicians can become MLA's & MP's. Please right this wrong.
[26 Jan, 2010 1017hrs IST]
Melroy,dubai,says:
Let us not kid ourselves of cleaning, everyone know's you can't take a
fish out of the water, in the same way you cannot separate the
criminals from the politicians. All this talk is only to create a
false sense of keeping politics cleans. If politicians really want to
keep politics clean just start the process why only talk about it.
[26 Jan, 2010 1017hrs IST]
suresh Hattangadi,versova,Mumbai,says:
Did they (congress ) have to wait till Sonia Gandhi said this?
Probably they wanted to give credit to her and increase halo around
her.It is a wonder how much sycophantic congressman can get and what
mortal fear! Other parties also do not come out of this shining.What
BJP was doing? At least they did not have to wait for her signal.They
seem to to follow whatever congress does even in respect of tainted
MPs and MLAs.
[26 Jan, 2010 1014hrs IST]
Satyajit Paul,Bangalore,says:
Necessarily there are two aspects to the political corruption -
corruption at grass root level impacting elections, polls, and daily
lives (also can be termed as blue collar corruption) vs. corruption at
high level (white collar corruption). Both are very dangerous and
detrimental for the nation but we have to start somewhere and itâ€â
„¢s better to pick the low hanging fruits first i.e. corruption at the
grass-root level. So, in absence of the best solution, we should be
happy and appreciate the the political parties if they can at least
ensure next-best-alternative that is taming the menace that all the
Janardhan Reddys, Sahabuddins and Taslimuddins of the world have
created.
[26 Jan, 2010 1012hrs IST]
Shivam,Kanpur,says:
That's the best thing that could happen but how would you classify a
person as having criminal background ? Secondly even if a person has
criminal past and has been convicted and punished for the same, does
our country not treat such people equal to all others once the
punishment is completed ?
[26 Jan, 2010 0959hrs IST]
amar,usa,says:
Is this possible??? I doubt.
[26 Jan, 2010 0959hrs IST]
Sanjeev,Belgaum,says:
Dear Madam, Sit down with BJP on this subject and the two of you start
cleaning your two stables and others will slowly follow.
[26 Jan, 2010 0957hrs IST]
Kumarswamy,Chennai,says:
She has made4 herself more laughable tahn before>But she only favours
criminals a nd corrupt peiole to be appoinyed as Gpverners and othe
similar posts and not taking any action against them!What action has
been taken against NDTiwari,Bharadhwaja,Pawar,Reddy and others!This is
what she wants make them corrupt and than appoint them so they under
her control and this is what the Media wants for being by way of
advertisements and pareobage!
[26 Jan, 2010 0957hrs IST]
Sanjay Balakrishnan,Doha, qatar,says:Some pretty bruh up on EC Laws,
on its roots, seems to be India is thinking better for her betterment.
Hope this will not be only in speech but will be a truth in near
future. Jago India Jago.
[26 Jan, 2010 0937hrs IST]
Siva,TN,says:
If Sonia ideas to be implemented,Herself/MMS taking responsibilty of
their ministry corruption and pulling countries security to ground and
causing the death of 100's of innocent india and using Bofors money
and illgotten Rajiv foundation money for holding CPP post,so is not
criminality,
[26 Jan, 2010 0935hrs IST]
shrinivas,India,says:
This is shame to Indian congress, and even all of us (Indian's)as we
are the biggest democrat nation in the world,we dont have an Leader of
our own country....! why all those congress puppets dancing with her
we don't know the reality. why all our Indian leaders dont have guts
to take our country forward. only this widow can do this..?shame shame
on us. we feel very bad.
[26 Jan, 2010 0935hrs IST]
Sur,Mumbai,says:
It was Abdul Gaffor who once told that the Politicians are now( during
his period) MuscleMan to win the election. A day will come when they
themself will be seen in the Parliament. It has become a fact.
[26 Jan, 2010 0932hrs IST]
Sourav,Bangkok,says:
Political will & wisdom is most important. No one is criminal till
convicted and it takes years to convict , decades in case of
influential politicians. But, if you ban all accused persons from
contesting, an honest man may be accused of false cases and stopped
from contesting. This is a catch22 situation. To come out of this we
need honest leaders and concensus among them . Congress party has
itself given many tickets to well known criminals, so has all (most)
other parties , for sake of securing seats. They should stop this
practice themselves for sake of democracy.
[26 Jan, 2010 0930hrs IST]
V Prasad,India,says:
Let the Comgress party first fight against the Goondas of TRS.It is
the party which has been giving tickets to criminals in the name of
winnability. It is the party which is protecting terrorists in the
name of minority.
[26 Jan, 2010 0927hrs IST]
Udham Dillon,Toronto, Canada.,says:
Apropos of the news that Sonia Gandhi proposes to call for a consensus
on barring candidates with criminal backggrounds from contesting
elections coinciding with BJP's Sushma Swaraj being on the 'same
page', I would opine what better opportunity than now to authorise
these two ladies to commence research and introduce reforms in the
cleansing up of politics where convicts are allowed to contest polls
pending appeal. I would earnestly appeal to all political parties to
set aside their differences and give optimum support to the ladies to
come up with a speedy and just recommendation in parliament to enact
the appropriate law governing the revised eligibility of contestants
to stand for election in the polls of Lok Sabha and/or state
assemblies which would give a better mileage in honest politics than
in the current sick system. Jai Hind - forever.
[26 Jan, 2010 0926hrs IST]
Vikram,Bangalore,says:
"The inaugural function that saw political adversaries sharing the
same space -- Mamata Banerjee and Prakash Karat, Jayalalithaa
listening to DMK's A Raja and Sushma Swaraj on the same dais as Sonia
Gandhi -- was inaugurated by the President."
[26 Jan, 2010 0920hrs IST]
Manoj N,Pune,says:
Where there's a Will, there's a Way! It simply comes to that. All
parties speak of their determination in words to clense the system,
however no one really comes forward to holding the bull by the horns.
62 years of independence and Indian constitution does not have the
teeth to eradicate the political system from criminal elements. In
fact, this is on the rise. A sentence of 2 years does should not
undermine the "crime"
[26 Jan, 2010 0918hrs IST]
chandan kolvankar,vasai,says:
One suggestion. Congress has a policy of "SPONSORING CANDIDATE"
[26 Jan, 2010 0914hrs IST]
akbar,London,says:
This should have happened 60 years ego nevertheless, atleast now we
are thinking straight....This will be the first step in cleaning the
mess
[26 Jan, 2010 0913hrs IST]
seeta,cambridge,says:
if this happens ...then politics will be so clean.....but more than
half politicians will be gone.....what about Bo-force? already freed
Kwatrochi out of it..she l also have to go.
[26 Jan, 2010 0714hrs IST]
Ajit,Singapore,says:
Yes, that's a real valuable suggestion... but, will our country have
anybody left for contesting elections???
[26 Jan, 2010 0659hrs IST]
Anil,Mumbai,says:
When law takes its own course, there is no criminal until convicted.
That is the line taken by all the parties. Who will bar them from
contesting? What are they talking? Consumption for the media?
[26 Jan, 2010 0653hrs IST]
Guptan Veemboor,Bangalore,
says:In my simple mind this is like "Elementary my dear Watson"
[26 Jan, 2010 0650hrs IST]
SG,USA,says:
Finally, Sonia Gandhi thinks with her head. So far, I thought she had
no brain.
[26 Jan, 2010 0637hrs IST]
Abhishek Upadhyay,US,says:
After a long time, we are hearing something meaningful from our
politicians other than usual crap of reservation, blaming others. I
hope it is implemented in right spirit. I have one doubt though, what
if some one misuses it by lodging a false complaint against an
innocent contestant?
[26 Jan, 2010 0634hrs IST]
Jai,Bombay,says:
India will be really grateful to Sonia, sushma n team for making this
possible. How can u expect good deeds from criminal so they must be
stopped from running a public post.
[26 Jan, 2010 0631hrs IST]
Sharad C. Misra,Mumbai,says:
We have further to add that in order to exclude criminals from
contesting elections there is need for revamping the institutional
infrastructure. Towards this end, firstly, there has to be state
funding of elections so that the money power is not permitted to play
its role. Secondly, the Election Commission has to be vested with more
powers. It should approve nominations of all the candidates
specifically to debar criminals from contesting elections and
recommend those for income-tax investigation who have made money by
misusing their legislative position and otherwise.To ensure that no
candidate spends more money than what is given to him by the state the
Commission should have an elaborate monitoring mechanism and those who
are found guilty have to be summarily disqualified. The nation wants a
CEC like T. Sheshan who put the fear of God in the minds of the
corrupt and criminal and not like Chawla who is known to be a Congress
party's protege.
[26 Jan, 2010 0629hrs IST]
Mohan,Chennai,says:
This is being talked by so many leaders on so many occasions, but not
being taken forward. It is high time that itSHOULD be implemented,
otherwise country will go to dogs.
[26 Jan, 2010 0623hrs IST]
Jacob Varghese,California,says:
Bar criminals from fighting polls IMMEDIATELY!! "There is not to
reason why"
[26 Jan, 2010 0623hrs IST]
Nikhil Gohad,Canada,says:
This is joke of the century. First introspect in your own party
Soniaji and see to how many criminals you gave party tickets!!
[26 Jan, 2010 0616hrs IST]
P.S.Panwar,Raj,says:
What said is very good. Hope from today onwards no party will give
ticket to criminals.If we don't get best candidates, let us do with
average than the criminals one!
[26 Jan, 2010 0602hrs IST]
Mohinder,USA,says:This should have been done long time ago. Infact,
criminals now in the Lok Sabha should thrown out.
[26 Jan, 2010 0556hrs IST]
Satyawadi,USA,says:
If all this is not mere talk the country will surge forward. The only
problem is we all heard it before. Do they really have the guts and
the will to reform themselves and the system. Is the middle class
ready to actively participate. Is the media ready to hold the
politicians to their word. Time will tell !!
[26 Jan, 2010 0555hrs IST]
Capt.A.S.Sehmi,USA,says:Law Ministry must frame a list of minor
offences which should be exempted for election to public offices like
USA
[26 Jan, 2010 0553hrs IST]
ssmoorthy,carmel usa,says:
All Indians should commend Ms.Sonia Gandhi for daringly making the
move to bar people with criminal record to enter into politics.The
criminals should include murderers,decoits.robbers,drug dealers and
antinationalists.The civil criminals can be judged by the EC.In
addition there should be a minimum educational qualification for these
law makers.The politicians,who are supposed to be law makers cannot
pass laws of the country if they cannot read and write.This news for
the qualifications for elections is long overdue.Hopefully the law
makers do not shoot it down.
[26 Jan, 2010 0549hrs IST]
Nirmal,Pune,says:
Now this is Sonia Gandhi for you! What is the problem? A foreigner
living in India after her husband got assassinated with two younger
children left behind, a major political dynasty in unmanagable chaos,
and rest of the political parties baying for her blood on the forein
issue... Someone who turned around the situation step by step, raising
her children to respectable level, turning the fortune of the party,
winning major elections, and bringing in a capable PM without worrying
about hanging onto power... Look at the grace with which she is
conducting herself and the party. Here is one more decision - of clean
politics- that reflects the desire of millions in India today.
[26 Jan, 2010 0549hrs IST]