Right Agenda

I will fight

2011-08-19T02:39:00.000-07:00

Who are these wise guys telling us not to agitate?
Who are these people telling us not to take sides?
Who are these people reminding us of the institutions of democracy and supremacy of the parliament?

I will fight because Ram did so.
I will take sides because Krishna did so.
I will agitate because Ghandhi did it.
I will protest because Martin Luther king did it.
I will even go to war because Abraham Lincoln did it.

When the cause is the greater good, the bigger truth, a fight is justified.

In the name of law making the government has given unto itself unrestricted and arbitrary amount of power to run roughshod over us using the legislature, the police, the judiciary, the executive, and the bureaucracy.

Things have gone way too far. Tyranny has been foisted on us in the name of democracy.

This is not about the drafting of one bill, this is not about the crusade of one man, this is not even about corruption alone. It is about the freedom from a system that is increasing seeing us as pawns to be made use of as per its will.

It only starts with the Anna. It only starts with the Jan Lokpal bill.

It is incumbent on the government to climb down from its high horse and reach out to the people.

Against a collation of the corrupt

2011-08-15T21:57:00.000-07:00

There is a collation of the corrupt that runs across the party lines. Not only is the ruling dispensation sure of a majority support from its ranks and files, it is sure of finding people willing to sell their support from amongst the fringes of the opposition ranks. As it happened during the vote on the nuclear debate.

That is why, they are asserting the supremacy of the parliament in law making. They know, that the bill (Jan Lok Pal Bill) can be endlessly delayed in the parliament.

While the institution of the parliament must be respected for the sake of democracy, continual and growing public pressure is necessary to avert any move to scuttle the debate on the bill or delay its passage through the parliament. We're already late by decades.

That is why, Anna & co are right in protesting despite the introduction of the bill in the parliament.

Government as the masters versus enterprise of the people

2011-08-04T03:06:00.000-07:00

Here is the basic difference between the Congress and the BJP. The Congress continues to perpetuate a Mai Baap Raaj. This approach is based on the perspective that people are poor and helpless and we (the government and enlightened politicians) must help them. The BJPs view on the other hand is, that we as a people only need to realise our greatness. This view incidentally is not based on western capitalistic ideal but on the ideals that is part of our vedantic philosophy that talks about the divinity waiting to be realised in every individual.

The BJP must articulate this position better. - Are we helpless people that need to live by the grace of our political masters and the crumbs that they throw at us or are we the masters of our own destiny? The question to be asked is that - can only the governments do the task of building the nation or is this nation to be built by its people? Clearly the answer is the latter because despite all the government failures this nation continues to move ahead. Now we are not arguing for no government or less government. And we are certainly not arguing for crony capitalism (like that practiced by Congress and a few of its allies). What we are arguing for, is a government that does enough to make its people succeed in realising their true potential.

What government no matter how big or wise can build a nation all by itself?

This difference must become more pronounced, articulated and encapsulated in the messages and programs of the BJP. It must take a position counter to intellectual arrogance, crony capitalism and corruption. And against government being the masters and commanders, towards collaborative effort, empowerment of the individual and collective enterprise and dharmic (principled) governance.

It is only then can we live up to the vedantic ideals of realising the divinity in the souls of all individuals. There true potential.

Only then can India take a leadership position in the 21st century. And we seek this leadership position not out of our ambition to be seen as better than others but out of our sense of responsibility to lead the world for the better.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of the rule of BJP under Vajpayee was going from a state of extreme despondency to one of self confidence. My hope is that the BJP can deliver on Advani vision of not just restoring our lost self confidence but also on moving us forward to a position of global leadership.

The enemy within

2011-08-04T02:41:00.000-07:00

While politicians get much flak for all that is wrong in the country, it's the bureaucracy that is the real enemy. Hidden from public scrutiny. They are the 'enemy within', gnawing the countries vitality from inside.
India's suffocating bureaucracy was ranked the least-efficient by the survey, on 12 economies released recently by the Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC). Indian bureaucrats trailed those from Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, China, Philippines and Indonesia in that order.
‘Working with the country's civil servants was a slow and painful process,’ said the PERC. ‘They are a power center in their own right at both the national and state levels, and are extremely resistant to reform that affects them or the way they go about their duties.’
It is in this context that an institution such as the Lok Pal must be established to call them to question.

Put quality before capital

2011-08-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

40% of the water is lost to leakages during transmission. And we want to build dams, 50% misdiagnosis and we want to build hospitals. 86% of the money doesn't reach the beneficiaries and we want to allocate more capital to social spending. 40% of electric power is lost in transmission and we want to build new power plants. 80% of engineering students are unemployable and we want to build more universities.
All this building, capital allocation, investments etc. favors a certain class of people. All such policies promote crony capitalism. All such actions smack of a lazy approach. All such policies create waste. All such policies undermine our people's capacities.
Quality not quantity, innovation not capital, should be focus of public policy. That's how we can build an efficient society. That's how we can be a leading society. That's how we can preserve our traditions. That's how we can preserve our environment. That's how we can provide a higher quality of life for most.

An idea is bigger

2011-06-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

An idea is bigger than the people. It has the potential to transform.
The idea of transparency is bigger than the people fighting for it. It is bigger than those fighting to obstruct it.
It is an idea whose time has come.
People fighting for the idea may fail at times. People fighting against it may be powerful. It may even seem at times that they are winning. But in the end it is the idea that will win.
The idea will defeat or transform those against it. The idea will raise the standards of those fighting for it.

Not by selection but by vote

2010-06-08T01:01:00.000-07:00

The internal confusion and infighting in the BJP seems to be undermining its chances of presenting itself as a credible alternative to the present dysfunctional government at the center.

All the training, sermonising and image making that Gadkari and co. are undertaking is likely to have little effect in ending the confusion and infighting. All the sermonisation cannot contain the personal ambitions that many in the party may carry in their head. All the training cannot turn duds into top performers. At the heart of the problem lies the method by which candidates are chosen for the different positions in the party, legislature and the government. It's the method of choosing candidates by selection that is the real cause of the problem. It can never really shed itself of the allegation of bias.

Perhaps the best way to deal with it is to change the method to one of vote by which candidates are chosen for the various posts and positions.

What this can guarantee is that a small set of people cannot high-jack the agenda and machinery of the party, which is turn will increase the chances of a meritocratic culture taking root.

Yes there is a chance that some competent but not so popular members of the party may lose out. But such people can always be accommodated in other ways, albeit always maintaining the primacy of the vote as a method for choosing potential candidates.

Despite this, we have to make a choice

2010-06-02T23:52:00.000-07:00

The essense of the BJP is about realising our full potential as a nation. It is about leveraging the strengths of our culture to distiguish ourselves but this thinking has also breeds intolerance.

The Congress represents inclusivity and openness but it breeds corruption.

The Left for all its stupid economic theories is compassionate and rightly opposed to crony capitalism.

The regional parties represents the local culture and needs but also breed separation as a result of their indulgence in identity politics.

But we still must take a stand.

It is our responsbility to do so.

We cannot afford the luxury (or the laziness) of not making a choice.

The Divine and Demonic Politics

2010-05-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

Politics is a fight for ideas and it certainly is a fight for power. Politics remains a powerful instrument of influence over human affairs. Led by divine (compassionate, excellence, fearless...) thinking it can do much good. Led by demonic (envious, self serving, manipulative...) thinking it can wreck great havoc.

Deficit of right wing politics

2010-05-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

Much of the Indian political system is left wing (socialist), from the left of center Congress to the extreme left wing Naxalites.

There is a deficit both in quantity and quality in right wing politics (that supports individual enterprise).

Given its wider geographical spread and deeper support base, the math is skewed in favour of the Congress. The bjp must do as good as having a strike rate of 80% in the states where it has a non zero presence to stand any chance of gaining power at the center. But I think we can leave the agenda of geographical spread and gaining depth of support per constituency to the bjp.

What it seems to me is of greater concern is quality of right wing politics. What we should be more concerned about are the ideas, values and principles that drive right wing politics in India than the group of people who today represent the bjp and other right wing parties.

There is a need to refine and reform the agenda of right wing politics as much as there is a need to influence and temper the national debate with right wing thinking.

Inclusiveness and Excellence

2010-05-16T23:41:00.000-07:00

It's quite plain and simple - If the Congress stands for inclusivity (a good idea by all means) BJP stands for excellence.

Unfortunately, the BJP has been unable to project it in a way that is popular amongst the voters.

Why we need a vision lead alternative

2010-04-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

Mahatma Gandhi saw the need of a vision for the nation, the need to change the hearts and the minds of people, as more important than political freedom. He also saw the centrality of the vision in bringing about this change. To the extent that we (Indians) followed that vision we have been successful. And failed to the extent we compromised with it.

If Pakistan is a failed state today, it is only because it was an alternative without a vision.

The RTI is a more powerful tool than the vote.

2010-04-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

For years the educated middle class (which unfortunately numbers fewer than the poorer class) has been complaining about the uselessness of their vote in the face of overwhelming numbers of the poorer, less educated class, who they think are more gullible and easily fooled by unscrupulous politicians. And they might be right. The majority could be wrong.

Unless, it is used synchronously with many others, a vote is virtually ineffective by itself. Then again the chance to do so comes only once in a while. Once in five years (for the different tiers of the government). The vote therefore offers a not so powerful tool to make good change.

The vote distributes the power equally to all irrespective of ones qualifications. The RTI (Right to Information) on the other hand provides for power in proportion to ones zeal, intelligence and education. It provides for limitless power which can be exercised at anytime for any number of times to effect change.

One can argue that the effectiveness of the RTI can be (is being) blunted by deliberately slow response, slow process of judiciary, general criminalisation of the government machinery etc. But this genie (RTI) is out of the bottle. And it is likely to grow bigger and bigger over time. Its impact in the first few years is hardly an indication of what is to come.

As the means, so the End

2010-03-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

“Our progress towards the goal will be in exact proportion to the purity of our means… As the means, so the end.”

-Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Being a Hindu

2010-03-27T00:57:00.000-07:00

"I am a Hindu by faith and I mean no disrespect to any other religion when I say that I will not change my faith for all the possessions of this world or of any other. But I shall be a false Hindu and I shall deserve less to be called a Brahmin, if I desired that Hindu's, or Brahmins could have any unfair advantage as such over Muslims, Christians or any other community in India".

-Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya

Q/Q - quality by quantity ratio

2010-03-24T23:45:00.000-07:00

Shrikant Patil write...

This ratio struck me as I was driving around Konkan last week...We have a million graduates annually and many studies have confirmedthat only 25% of these are employable.

...

Indian economists keep talking of a middle class that is 300 million strong. In her latest book, " We are like that only" Rama Bijapurkar talks of only 6 million that can afford all available consumer goods.

We have 18 million kids, at any age point between 5 and 15, and we struggle to fill a class room for the National Defence Academy.

We need to add the dimension of quality in everything we do. If you look at our media, social discussions, work output, activities, status in society it is very quantitative and not qualitative.

It is a pathetic Q/Q number, the root cause why the software industry is struggling when one dollar still buys 40 rupees and the per capita income of India is US$564....

Tarun Malaviya writes....

The ratio brings out sharply what ails us as a nation and people. The reason for this is not hard to see –

Self serving attitude-

We celebrate achievement (taking) and the achievers (the takers) and disregard the givers (the teachers). We give ever more to the takers and ever so less to the givers.

Nehru's dream of creating an elite set of people who would then help multiply this set and drive the nation forward has been belied. Most of those who benefited from the nations initiatives forgot to give. Most of those who were given thought it fit to peruse self serving goals.

A Mai-Baap mindset-

I think this must have happened sometime around when the Britishers ruled India (or maybe it was earlier still) that we developed a Mai-Baap. That the king (the government) must provide for us. That we are a helpless lot living by the grace of the rulers.

What can change this--

A worthy tradition-

I feel that despite the abysmal governance and unprincipled politics, this country has managed to sustain a huge human population and move ahead, only because of this rich tradition of giving. Completely lost on the celebrated & the achievers but still preserved by the artisans, artists and the gurus in the form of Guru-Shishya Parampara. The best in India are the beneficiaries of this tradition.

It is incumbent on us (the more privileged) who've had such teachers and got the best from this country to give back. Not in half measures but wholly.

Individual & Private enterprise--

The story of progress of us as a nation is that of private enterprise. It is a story of people who have quit the Mai-Baap mindset. It is the story of people who have quit waiting for someone else to solve their problems. It is story not just confined to the world of business, but runs across all dimensions of economic, social, cultural and the governance landscape.

My hope and belief is that the tribe of such people would grow ever larger. Our work should be to encourage and grow such enterprise.

Gurukul the anchor of Indian Civilisation

2010-03-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

Gurukul was the anchor of Indian civilization for centuries until the British came and systematically destroyed it.

-Guruji Rishi Prabhakar

In the state of Madras in the year 1800, there were 130,000 universities according t the British census.Today we have hardly a dozen universities. How was it possible.?

The anwer is that all production centres were also centres of learning. Any metal moulding shop was also a training centre under a Guru. Apprentices were trained in all areas of life and given food and shelter under a Guru. Production was done as seva to the Guru. People worked tirelessly to meet targets promised by their Guru. This they did with utmost devotion. Every piece was quality checked and much art was put into each item. More advanced students added more strength and art and made research on improving production. They were labs, art centres, learning centres and production centres all in one.

People listened to the Guru who was a picture of dedication to his students. They always remembered who brought them up. Gurus house was always full of people. It was the centre of activity of the community. Respect for all was the key learning as well as sharing of wealth. Nobody was left out. Guru absorbed all.

Today, we have Bosses and owners who want to simply pay the least and get the most. There is a vast gap between the owner and worker. Workers also do not co operate. Only the jungle culture of survival of the fittest works and everyone is afraid of life. This has led to hoarding, poverty, lack of development and criminality in politics. Smart people who violate duty are rewarded. Generally everyone is fed up.

How do we resolve this knot? No politician will do the trick. Only Gurus who have the expertise to teach inward silence and outward dexterity to produce and ability to take care of large number of people to work in harmony to produce wealth can only do the job. Many intelligent people are there who can be made to understand the Gurukul method of operation. They have to be given a working model for operation. I am sure that in a short while such models will come up especially with the current market melt down and necessity for local self sufficient economies.

We have started the process in our Gurukul at Maralwadi near Bangalore and in Vizag. We have started as a school which is being transformed ino a Gurukulam. Salient features of the Gurukul are as follows: Everyone who wants to learn to share can come in. Everyone does what they can to keep the Gurukul a happy place on earth. We all eat from a common kitchen and share the expenses. Hardly any body spends time to shop and cook which are the two major unproductive jobs in any modern family. There is enough time for a walk in the forest, time to sing and dance with little children who are our Gods on earth. We have started good housing for all. Frugality is natural because of Guru's grace. Everyone is a owner and is encouraged to lern and progress to higher levels of responsibility. Young people are at the helm of affairs and there is pleny of opportunity for the willing ones to grow. We want to train Gurus and not disciples. We all are willing to learn from Masonary to teaching maths. There is no low work or a highly paid work. Those who are high take the most minimum and support those who are not so well trained. We want to produce more wealth for others to enjoy. Money is a gift from God to you to give to your neighbor and earn friendship which is the only real wealth. We want to offer our services at prices one can not refuse. We want to welcome one and all to this bountiful place and live with no jealousy from neighbors.

How can this place not progress? And How can it exist without attracting thousands to copy and live in harmony.

I have no doubt about the progress of our children with 100% marks and plenty of ability to contribute in all areas of life. They are the future Gurus and leaders for mankind. May God give me enough life to see them blossom and make this earth into a paradise.

We are actively sharing our knowledge of 100% memory and marks with all schools and children of the world. Let all jealousy in this world disappear. May everyone be happy and looked after with love and care.

Jai Guru Deva. Salutations to my Guru who taught me to laugh at myself and share what I have without fear of loss.

Rishi Prabhakar

21st Century Leadership

2010-03-23T02:40:00.000-07:00

The 21st Centry cannot belong to India on the strength of it's numbers. That way we will burn up the world faster. We cannot be leaders by aping others. We cannot be leaders without undertaking responsibility. And we cannot be leaders perforce.

We can be in contest (hopefully a friendly one) with US, Europe, China, and other continents and countries, not for the possesions of the earth or to prove ourselves better than others, but to raise our own standards of excellence in thoughts and action. The question is - do we chose to be in such a race?

Don’t block the ‘Internet Hindus’ - by Kanchan Gupta

2010-03-16T23:13:00.000-07:00

Extracted from - http://kanchangupta.blogspot.com/

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Don’t block the ‘Internet Hindus’

That won't silence the clanging bells!

Hindus who are proud to assert their identity and fly the Tricolour high have now found a new platform to have their say, the way they want it, without fear of being shouted down. Tired of being derided by pseudo-secularists in media who see nothing wrong with Muslim communalism and Christian fundamentalism but are swift to pounce upon Hindus for being ‘intolerant’, their cultural ethos crudely denigrated by the Left-liberal intelligentsia as antediluvian, Hindus have begun to harness technology to strike back with deadly effect.

They are bright, they are well-educated, they are not burdened with regional and caste biases, they are amazingly well-informed on national issues and world affairs, they are rooted in Indian culture, and they are politically alert. They hate being told they are wrong when they know they are right. They have a mind of their own and refuse to be led like sheep. Not surprisingly, they hold the Congress, the Left and regional parties in contempt, as they do journalists who cravenly ingratiate themselves with the establishment. For them, India matters — and matters more than anything else. Meet the ‘Internet Hindus’.

In recent days there has been a spate of articles disparaging the ‘Internet Hindus’, variously describing them as “loonies”, “fanatics”, “irrational”, “Hindu Taliban” and, by an enraged news channel anchor, “gutter snipes”. Much of the criticism has come from left-of-centre journalists who believe they have unfettered monopoly over media as their inalienable birth right. Exalted members of Delhi’s commentariat, who are indistinguishable from the city’s la-di-dah socialites, tend to turn up their noses every time they hear the phrase ‘Internet Hindus’ as they would at the suggestion of travelling by public transport. Others are given to contemptuously brushing aside ‘Internet Hindus’ as being irrelevant and describing their views as inconsequential. All this and more has neither dampened the spirit of ‘Internet Hindus’ nor blunted their assertive attitude.

Here are some statistics, culled from an ongoing online survey, which would help create a generic profile of ‘Internet Hindus’. The survey is open to all Hindus who use the Internet; the response has been overwhelming. Of those who have responded, 88.9 per cent have identified themselves as ‘Internet Hindus’, indicating they attach no shame to the term though their critics would want them to feel ashamed. Of the respondents, four per cent are aged 20 years and below; 55 per cent are aged 30 and below; 31 per cent are 40 and below; and, only 10 per cent are aged above 40. In brief, 90 per cent of them are young Indians.

The educational profile of the respondents is awesome: 43 per cent are graduates (most of them from top-notch engineering, science and medical colleges); 46 per cent are post-graduates (a large number of them have MBA degrees from the best B-schools); and, 11 per cent have PhDs. It is understandable that none of them is unemployed. Those without jobs are still studying (17.3 per cent) and can be found in labs and classrooms of the best universities here and abroad. Of the 82.7 per cent who are employed, 3.1 per cent earn up to Rs 2 lakh a year; 18.4 per cent earn up to Rs 6 lakh a year; 34.7 per cent earn up to Rs 12 lakh a year; and, 26.5 per cent earn more than Rs 24 lakh a year. Nearly 60 per cent of them frequently travel abroad on work and holiday. Some 11 per cent have travelled abroad at least once.

Contrary to the impression that is being sought to be created by their critics, ‘Internet Hindus’ are open to ideas, believe in a plural, law-abiding society and swear by the Constitution. They are often appalled by the shenanigans of our politicians, including those of the BJP, and are ruthless in decrying politics of identity and cynical vote-bank policies. They have no gender prejudices and most of them think banning FTV is downright silly in this day and age. The ‘Internet Hindus’ will not countenance denigration of their faith or biased media coverage of events, but 91.9 per cent of them respect and accept other religions. Asked if India is meant only for Hindus, an overwhelming majority of them, responding to the survey, said, ‘Hell, no!’

So why do they infuriate pseudo-secularists in media and make Delhi’s commentariat see red? There are three possible explanations. First, the Net is beyond the control of those who control newspapers and news channels. While the print and audiovisual media have for long excluded contrarian opinion and denied space to those who disagree with absurd notions of ‘secularism’ or question the quality of reportage, the Net has provided space to the ‘other’ voice. Real time blog posts now record the ‘other side’ of the day’s story (“The Prince was shouted down in Bihar, not feted by students!”), Twitter affords instant micro-blogging even as prime time news is being telecast (“That’s not true. I live in Bareilly. This is not how the riots began!”), and YouTube allows unedited amateur videos of events (the Meraj riots, the Islamist violence in Kashmir Valley) to be uploaded, giving the lie to edited and doctored versions shown by news channels.

Second, unlike carefully selected ‘Letters to the Editor’ in newspapers and ‘Feedback’ posted on news channel websites, the reactions of ‘Internet Hindus’, often savage and unflattering, cannot be thrown into the dustbin or deleted with a click of the mouse. English language media journalists, long used to fawning praise from readers and viewers, are horrified that someone can actually call them ‘dumb’ in public space and there’s nothing they can do about it. Third, the established elite, most of them middle-aged, are beginning to feel threatened. Here’s a new breed of Indians who have used merit and not ‘connections’ to make a mark in professional excellence, young men and women who are educated and articulate, and are willing to challenge conventional wisdom as preached by media ‘stars’ who have rarely, if ever, been questioned. The elite who dominate newspapers and news channels are seen by ‘Internet Hindus’ as part of India’s past, not future. As one ‘Internet Hindu’ writes in his blog, “A large number of ex-elite can’t stomach fact that children of bankruptcy are better travelled, better read and dominate the Internet!” Harsh, but true.

We can describe the ‘Internet Hindus’ as the “lunatic fringe”, but that won’t change the fact that their tribe is growing by the day. Soon, those on the fringe will move to the centre and their critics will find themselves precariously perched on the fringe. The Right is gaining ground as is the access and reach of the Net; newspapers and news channels, the Left’s last refuge, no longer command absolute control over information flow. It would be unwise to ‘block’ the voice of ‘Internet Hindus’, as then their clamour to be heard will further increase and there is nothing we can do to silence them. The times they are a-changin’.

It's about leadership stupid.

2009-08-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

Now this must qualify as one of the most dim witted statement I have heard from Ravi Shankar Prasad and the BJP. In an interview on TV yesterday (in an obvious reference to the likes of Jaswant Singh, Sudheendra Kulkarni et. al.) he said that there are these intellectuals who come to the party are rewarded with good posts and then they go away when things don't go as per their wishes, while the average party worker sweats for the party without any rewards for his effort and the sole motive of serving the country and the party.

Well if he was suggesting that now the masses (of the cadre) will lead the masses (the general public) it is downright silly. If he said this in an attempt to boost the morale of the party workers it sounds all too disingenuous.

Looks like, the BJP has forgotten the lessons from the life of Ram (and perhaps also their own history). Only a Ram could have transformed a vanar sena (army of monkeys) into a powerful force that devastated the much powerful army of Ravan. The vanar sena gave itself willingly for Ram. It was their faith in Ram and his cause (that he represented without compromise) that gave them their strength. Led by Ram the vanar sena could win against a mighty demonic army.

So if you e.g. consider me to be a common BJP supporter (a vanar in the BJP’s army) I'd gladly give my time and energy for an inspiring leader. I'm sure that's also true for the hundreds of thousands of the cadres and the ordinary BJP supporters.

People gladly gave their time and energy and even undertook great risks when Vajpayee and Advani provided the leadership. That's what propelled the BJP forward. Leadership. That's what propels an army, a nation, an enterprise forward. Leadership.

All the talk about ‘collective leadership’ is humbug. Shared responsibility? Yes. Collective leadership? That's an oxymoron.

If at all it is that the BJP has to find its next Vajpayee and the next Advani and even the next Jaswant. Surely there must be great talent amongst its cadres but the search cannot be limited to this group.

By the way, the best assaults on the treasury benches in the parliament were led by rebel BJP camp (Jaswat Singh, Yashwant Sinha et. al.). And if the incumbent camp (Advani, Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj et. al. look a little jaded in comparison, it is perhaps their compromise with excellence that has robbed them of their shine.

It should be the Ganga now

2009-06-08T23:43:00.000-07:00

While Ram temple agitation symbolised the awakening of the Hindu society to deterioration of secular values (what Advani called Pseudo Secularism). Today it has lost its usefulness. And I don't mean as an instrument for political gain, but as an instrument to take forward the Hindu society to the next level and as a force to unify the Hindu society.

I heard a political commentator attacking the BJP on TV post election results saying that it was our duty to provide leadership to the Muslims who chose to stay back in India after the partition and the BJP has failed in that duty.

My view is that we can leave much of that task (of providing leadership to the Muslims) to the Congress and so called secularist formations. As a right wing party, we have a more important task of providing the leadership to the Hindus.

I think that while the RAM temple can and should wait for an amicable solution to be worked out, saving the Ganga (and all the rivers in India) cannot.

There is a need to move in a new and the more urgent direction. The Hindu people have to move beyond yesterday’s issues and grievances, towards the kind of society we want to build for the future based on our values and traditions.

Ganga represents the urgent concerns of today and tomorrow an in, the Degradation of our natural wealth; Poisoning of our water, food and air; Failure of the management of our cities and towns’ Unsustainablility of the present pattern of development; Unbridled development, Degradation of our forest and farms, with the huge economic cost of that burden falling on the poorest. Indeed our very survival is as threat. The dying of our rivers are the ominous signs of it.

Ganga is as much part of our traditional, spiritual and religious symbolism as Ram is. Indian people are as much emotionally attached to the Ganga as they are to Ram.

Ganga symbolises what the young, the intelligent and the ordinary people in India would find easy to connect to. It is also something that cannot be dismissed as a divisive agenda. If anything it will be an even greater unifying force. Saving the rivers will benefit as much the Hindus as the Muslims and Christians. It will be the Hindu society fighting to save something that benefits all, reaching out to not just a larger Hindu society, but the whole nation and indeed the world at large.

The social & political causes (represented by article 370, Ram Janmabhoomi, Common Civil Code etc.) that the BJP fought for in the 90’s must now become subservient to the more urgent environmental, health and economic causes. Represented by the drive to save Ganga (rivers), the drive to popularize Traditional (and Preventive) Health Care, to arrest the spiraling health care costs; Equal Opportunity & Benefit to all, to check the kind of Crony Capitalism practiced by the current government that benefits a few with least regards to the common good; and so on.

Support Entrepreneurial India

2009-06-06T04:26:00.000-07:00

SEZs, FDI, auctioning of Telecom licenses, awarding contracts on bids for PPP project, are all forms of crony Capitalism, that usually benefit the most moneyed. Worse still they benefit the favored capitalists. That's the kind of crony capitalism passed on in the name of reforms and development by the Congress in its last term in office.

And while it is important that these initiatives be taken-up in earnestness and with urgency for the sake of general good, it must be ensured that the process ends up providing opportunities to the most number of entrepreneurs and that the most number of people benefit from it.

An estimated 95% of India's labor force works in the unorganised sector (are self employed). There are an estimated 45 million businesses in India. Essentially this is where India gets its resilience and growth from, when and where big capital and big businesses fail to deliver.

This must be the BJPs agenda. As a right wing party, it must ensure that government spending ends up benefiting the widest possible number of entrepreneurs and not the favored few.

Top 3 reasons for BJPs failure this election & what can be done about it

2009-05-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of micro analysis of the election results. Surely there are many factors at play that are responsible for the results the way they turned out to be.

But if only for the sake of putting emphasis let me select the top 3 reasons I think that were responsible for BJP's unsuccessful bid for power and what can be done about it.

1. Spread - I think that the primary reason for BJP not making it was the lack of spread. Just by the factor of shear chance and probability BJP would have found it difficult to score high enough (about 80%) in the limited region it contested to be successful. Therefore, item number one would be to expand in AP, TN, WB, Kerala and to regain significance in Orrisa and UP. Needless to say it must recover the lost ground in Delhi, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan.

2. Constancy - The Second most important reason I think was that the superb work done on creating the IT vision, Infrastructure vision, Social schemes (Ladli Ladki etc.), the Manifesto etc. never reached the people especially with the media not obliging to do the work for BJP. Perhaps the vision documents were too late in coming for the messages to spread. So these documents and messages must continue to be used as the guiding documents for all communication with the people in all up coming elections (at the city, state and national level) between now and 2014, in order to carry the message deep and wide.

3. Refinement - Unlike the popular view that BJP should abandon its position for a milder agenda, I think it is the refinement of the agenda and related messaging that is more important. All the messages and documents used during the elections must be kept open for debate and suggestions on the party websites to enable continuous refinement & improvement.

BJP lost but India still gained

2009-05-25T06:35:00.000-07:00

Every one's talking about BJPs loss in the election and how they should have been more palatable to the general public. But BJP's loss in elections, if at all due to very strident posturing, has still resulted in gains for India e.g.

-It has forced the government to abandon its slackness in dealing with terrorism and internal security matter. If only to not let the BJP gain the upper hand in the elections.

-The Citizen ID card has been brought out of the deep freezer and we might see some movement on it.

-The government seems now to be more mindful of its non-performance on the infrastructure front (especially the slow progress on the roads projects).

-Tainted ministers seem to have been kept out this time

-Third front stands discredited and there seems to be movement towards bipolar polity

-It has put the focus on pursuit of black money and so on.

Yes the power is still in the hands of same bunch of non-performers, but we might be underestimating the importance of an opposition in shaping the agenda for the country.

Winning elections is about being popular. That doesn’t necessarily go with standing for what is right.

Interenet and elections in the 2010s

2009-05-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

It may have had little impact on the on the elections this year but Advani's site represented a new and unique experiment in engaging with the voters.

Internet as a medium is likely to have a big impact on the politics of the country in the next 5-10 years just as the coming of cable TV had in the early 90's.

After doing commendable work in 90s the television medium looks both jaded and biased.

The television has limited interactivity and (worse still) it is opinionated. More likely than not, the television will be stuck to the drawing room while the internet will roam free on web enabled devices and phones.

The web may not be much as a means to make an impression on the general public than as a tool to bring the like minded people together.

Now that can be a very powerful tool for any kind of collective pursuit.

Perception over substance

2009-05-22T05:27:00.001-07:00

It seems to me that Perceptions have won over Substance. Very little of substantive issues were debated during the course of the election, both in the media and by the parties. All the fight was to create perceptions - good guys versus the bad guys, strong guys versus the weak guys and so on. In which it was perhaps the Congress which had the upper hand. Though, that might not be the sole reason for BJPs loss.

The BJP was never really in the running because of its near zero presence (with or without allies) in over 180 seats and marginal presence in another 100. Take the allies off in the rest of the seats and what we have is BJP effectively fighting about 200 seats -implying, that it would have needed a strike rate of over 80% to even reach 160 seas on its own. Now that was always very improbable.

You could say the Congress has been lucky the second time round with many things falling in its favour. But the geographical spread probably was the main reason.

That brings us back to where we started. It’s probably the inability to manage perceptions that has limited the geographical extend of the BJP’s influence to start with.