The Great Battle Of 2014 - Demystified

So after a hiatus of close to three months, here I am, pitching in again, throwing some light on one of the most followed upon topics by the people of the world's largest democracy - "General Elections 2014". In this article I won't be all mushy and delicate with my opinions; in fact, there will be some criticism - hope nobody sues me for slandering, but then none of what's written here is fake.

The facts are real; the opinions are rather mine.

The battle for the Prime minister's Office boils down to not just two leading national parties, namely the BJP and the Congress, fighting one another to prove their hegemony. The equation here is far more complex - there are inter party disputes, conflict of interests of parties that are members of the same coalition and there are also internecine conflicts within parties, especially within BJP.

Let’s look at the elections with a bird's eye view, analyzing what's going against the two major parties when it comes to reaching that magical figure of 273.

Image Courtesy:www.indiatimes.com

 WHAT CONGRESS HAS DONE WRONG :

INC has been in the soup lately - for the sake of this article let me call it the Italian 'Scam-Soup'. Congress has been executing one scam after the other so blatantly and consistently that the people's trust on Congress and its leaders has really taken a bashing. So despite its spicy flavor, people are not ready to have the scam-soup anymore. There has been a litany of scams in the past few years - Coalgate, 2G, 3G, CWG...'MadamG' and what not. It seems that the Congress ministers of state are more interested in pulling off these complicated scams, no doubt they hardly manage time for other 'unimportant' works like public welfare and good governance. Truly speaking, the UPA led coalition is in shambles at the moment with a long list of allegations tainting the image of its ministers. The CBI and the CAG, while struggling to get the perpetrators of a scam to book, are soon burdened with another scam - far too complicated and involving much more money than the previous one. It's a mess.

The economy is also struggling and the growth has largely been sluggish - Thanks to the lackadaisical attitude and policy paralysis of our ministers. One of the world's most promising economies until a few years back, almost on the verge of touching the two-digit growth mark, is now snailing at a mere 4-5% growth. And then if that's not enough, the troika of  the leading credit rating agencies of the world - Moody's, Fitch and S&P - are deteriorating India's stand in the international market by relentlessly talking about downgrading India's rating even further. Any more fall in the ratings, would plummet India down to junk status. And that would be a big blow to the economy. From the people's perspective too, the economy is not any better. Inflation is ever increasing, interest rates are rising, and rupee is dipping like mercury in winters and markets in the job are also at their all-time low. All credits to Congress. The giant robust bull of Indian economy is now reeling under pressure and trying to fight its way out of the vagaries of the western economies.

WHY IS BJP NOT A BETTER CHOICE EITHER ?

The BJP is not a stable party within itself. Its party leaders can't manage their own internal politics, let alone they would be able to manage the politics of the seventh largest nation of the world. 'Mr Red', I mean Lal Krishna Advani or the angry old man, has been all hustling and bustling with a 'Modi' elevating as the forerunner in the race to the Prime Minister’s office. Advani has divided the party further into two major factions, the Modi's and the Non-Modi's. At a juncture when the entire so called 'Parivar' of the BJP should be on its toes to curb this menace called Congress, they are busy in these petty fights. Mr  Red, with this attitude, you should not be called the party patriarch anymore. And Mr Modi, please learn to behave like a would-be-PM of the country and get over your tantrums. Your arrogance and 'I’m-the-man' kind of attitude is way too much for the people of this country to deal with. You are surely the people's best bet today but please learn to make people believe in you rather than trying to impose your belief on them.

THE NUMBER'S GAME:

Neither the Congress nor the BJP, by any chance, would be able to reach that 243 mark all alone. They would need the support of regional parties to form a coalition. Now the situation on both sides is pretty worse. The Congress lately lost two of its major allies, the TMC and the DMK. Its terms with the SP do not seem very good either. BJP also is struggling to soothe things with JDU.  Also, the BJP, with it banking on NaMo as the Prime Ministerial candidate, will not be able to get the support of many parties, if at all it appears out as the one with the major chunk of votes.

The bottom-line: Both the BJP and the Congress need to have at least 200 seats on their own to be able to form a coalition at the Centre. If that doesn't happen, the election result can swing in any of the infinite possible directions.

The Con-PM vs The Bha-PM :

This one's a bummer. While we surely know now that Bhartiya Janta Party-PM candidate would be Narendra Modi (NaMo), the Congress is still playing it ugly and has not openly come forward with a name for Congress-PM candidate. It might also be that the Congress is vacillating from Manmohan Singh to Rahul Gandhi and back to Manmohan Singh as their choice. But to expect Manmohan Singh to come up for a third consecutive term, especially when the

country's economy and also the country itself is not doing so well, would be far too much. So most probably it would be Rahul Gandhi (RaGa).

This epic battle between NaMo and RaGa is due for sure, if not now then surely in 2019. But for now, let’s presume its NaMo vs RaGa, which most likely is the case.

Now NaMo is surely the best available choice. He might not be able to do a 'Vajpayee' but he might do very well, even with his arrogance of sorts. Critics of Modi, might say that the pogrom that happened in Gujarat in the 2002 communal riots brands him as an anti-Muslim communist and stands out as the biggest example of his bad governance and administration. Okay, point conceded dear critics. As a rebuttal, I would like to make you aware of the fact that Mr Modi had been at the helm for no longer than 2 months when the riots started. And no CM, just two months old, would have been able to deal with it with strong actions right away. Can this be treated as an excuse to exculpate Modi - a blunt No. But should Modi be given a chance considering Gujarat has not witnessed any other incident of communal violence ever since - a welcoming Yes.

Modi's, arrogance and fearlessness, can also prove to be a big boon for the country, provided its channelized properly. Modi is the one who can take some serious steps in times of crisis with great audacity and conviction, he can re-establish India's dominance in the South East Asia and the subcontinent, propose India's ideas in the international zone and force leaders of other nations to mould or relax policies in India's favor.

But does all this make Modi, the best Prime Minister India could ever dream of - apologies but the answer is a NO yet again. Mr Modi has done some really good work in Gujarat. Not only has he made the state administration and bureaucracy almost corruption free, he has also helped Gujarat gain new industrial significance both in the country and abroad.  But the growth in Gujarat is not, as Nitish Kumar pointed out, all inclusive. The southern parts of Gujarat are blossoming and industrial activity is at its peak, but the drier parts of the state like Saurashtra are struggling. So if the Gujarat-model of development really work for the entire country is still a riddle. Those who champion Modi's idea of development fail to realize that 70% of India's population still resides in rural villages or rural suburbs.

But then again Mr Modi, any day, would be a better choice than the INC’s heir apparent – Rahul Gandhi. This scion of Indian politics’ first family has been remiss in his responsibilities for far too long. We cannot afford shirking of duties anymore. India needs a strong leader given that things are not panning out very well for countries around the world. And if there is no one better than Narendra Modi, we accept him with grace.

 Pseudonym : h!v

Disclaimer: The opinions presented in the article are author''s own. The author does not intend to promote any National Party/Candidate.

To 'Netaji'...With Love

Dear Mr. Netaji,

First of all I feel very disgusted for having sitting down to write this letter to you, because had you been working to the best of your ability I would have never decided to write this in the first place. So more than anything else, and more than the shabby critical eye opener this letter really is, it is a token of ignominy and chagrin for you and your political class.

When will you people learn to run the country with clean hands and head. The country today is replete with cases of corruption around almost every government deal. The top political brass is hardly bothered to address the needs and problems of the common man. Instead, they are busy draining the exchequer and in process robbing the poor Indian middle class. We pay taxes to the government to make sure that the public amenities are made available. We don't owe you that money.On the contrary you owe us services in return for the taxes we pay you. We don't pay the taxes so that you can meticulously and deceitfully appropriate huge amounts of it to yourself and hide it under your desi facade.

I also wonder how big your bellies are ??? You people are even better than pigs.For pigs have that unsocial habit of going on an eating-spree in public, but you and all other netas are pretty good at concealing your greed and appetite for money.You and your accomplices execute "the fraud" with such precision that it goes unnoticed; only to become public after all the money has been chewed and digested. And then what happens is usual chores- you convene a meeting of the top group of ministers and finally instruct the CBI to cursorily probe the matter. Days and months pass-by, and the already over-burdened and over-worried people forget the case and move on.Finally, you are free on a parole and all set to bring into effect the next scam-in-progress.So apart from running the nation - and that we know very well how you do - you also take up this arduous task of denuding the public of their hard-earned money in the name of national progress.

Sometimes I really wonder - as a responsible citizen that I am - which one of you is the best pick for leading a country of more than 100 billion people. For it needs some brainstorming to run a country like ours where people rely so much upon good governance for their welfare. After all its not a joke to shape the destiny, or on that part play with the destiny, of several billion people.Each one of you in some way or the other is worse than everyone else. Some of you are illiterate goons bequeathing political power as a heir of the family legacy.Some others are educated but make the best use of their knowledge only to indulge in scams and political heists.And just a handful of you are sincere leaders, really wanting to clean your house, but are incapable and ineffective because of lack of support from their fellow counterparts.

So all in all, its a situation of total disaster wreaking pandemonium all across the system.

The result - an inescapable political imbroglio.The repercussions - ineffective governance and a corruption prone economy.

So Mr. Netaji please learn to take the onus of governing this country seriously, if not for the people who elect you to power, then at least for your own self, because you are as much a part of this country as every other Indian is.

Yours sincerely,

Ek Aam Aadmi

Pseudonym : h!v

Kissa Kursi Ka!!!

Coutesy: 
http://en.clipart-fr.com/clipart_pictures.php?id=4446

India has long boasted of being the world’s largest democracy. But there is an inherent flaw in the very structure of Indian political system. With so many parties in the political fray, both national and regional, the people of India Inc. find themselves in a political quandary. With so many parties and regional leaders appeasing them for votes the 'junta' stands utterly confused.

This has a dual effect.

One, it makes the poor and illiterate people of rural India vulnerable to the overtures made by the leaders. They easily fall prey to the false promises made by the dominant-regional leaders and end up not using their most basic political right of voting as optimally as they

should. Their ignorance proves blissful to the shrewd leaders of this country.

Second, this has a trickle-down effect on the governance of the country at large. The votes and

subsequently the power to form the government is distributed, almost so evenly, amongst these

parties that none of them emerges victorious with a thumping majority. The result: ‘An alliance’.

The consequences: distribution of power and opinions alike.

We ultimately have a government so deeply riddled with compromises and power-sharing that it’s incapable of officiously implementing a policy across the country. The same is the condition of the Indian State currently. Be it the drama we witnessed over allowing FDI or the deregulation of the prices of petrol and its variants or whatsoever. Every time the centre has tried to ratify a

new policy there has been some opposition from at least one of the members of its alliance.

There are numerous cases where we have witnessed a high level drama and polarized opinions over the ratification of a policy. Whatever be the end-result, the process of policy implementation itself suggests how deeply plagued and how unstable the foundation of Indian political system is.

In times of severe political crisis, when quick and effective decisions need to be taken, our

government finds itself tied down and burdened with the load of an alliance. Instead of expediting the process of policy-framing and decision-making the government is busy appeasing its brethren to reach a consensus on an opinion. Instead of negotiating for policies, in India's interest, with the foreign leaders the government spends time either vegetating or solving internal disputes. The people at the centre find themselves devoid of power and authority.

It’s high time the Indian leaders learnt to work in tandem with each other or else India would

still be the largest democracy in the world but unfortunately not the most successful one.

Pseudonym : h!v

A Popular Execution

Coutesy: http://wordofgreen.com/

Afzal Guru's hanging has been the talk of the town, or rather the talk of the country, for a little too long than what's acceptable.
There has been a potpourri of unsolicited opinions from the crowd. These uncalled-for opinions from the public have brought the execution of one of India's most-wanted terrorist to almost a political crisis. Never before had the people of INDIA Inc. given so much attention to the execution of an individual. And even that, never before had the Indian 'Junta' been so involved in the after math of the execution.This is definitely 'A Popular Execution'.
The guardians of human rights have been arguing and challenging the government for not allowing Guru to exercise his basic human rights and defend his right to live. Per them Guru should have been allowed to challenge the President's decision of forfeiting his 'mercy-plea'.
But the question is-Why were these so called human-rights dug deep in a grave when this very individual was conspiring  with his accomplices to attack a structure which is the soul of this democratic nation. It was not just an attack on the Parliament. It was an attack on India's secularism and democracy, two of  the most important aspects of the country that we as Indians love boasting about. It was more than just a terrorist attack. Guru was the harbinger of doom to India's political system. And now he wants mercy!!!
Do these shameless animals, typified as terrorists, take mercy into consideration while attacking on the sovereignty of a country. Or do they feel pity on the hundreds of innocent families that suffer at the bloody hands of these people. Or ever do they repent over their deeds? No they don't. Is this humane on their part?
These group of people are not humans.They are dreaded animals driven by their hollow beliefs of what they call 'jihad'. They are inhuman and foolish and deserve no mercy. It is sad to learn that none of these had ever thought of words like 'mercy' and 'pity' when they were on the path of perpetrating such heinous acts.It appears like suddenly such words pop-up in their dictionary when they are caught and prosecuted in a court of law.
So what if Guru was not allowed a second chance to defend himself, none of the soldiers and innocent people and government officials who were killed in this attack were given a chance either to save their lives.
And emotions apart, the government had no option but to keep the confidentiality and secrecy of the execution. It was expedient for the government because any fallout at that time could have had serious repercussions. J&K already saw serious tension creeping up after the news of the execution was made public; the situation verily would have been even worse had the news of Guru's execution made public before the actual date of trial.
The government probably also wanted the terror groups to drive home a message - that India would not tolerate such acts of horror anymore and would strike back hard to make sure that the perpetrators of the crime are punished to the fullest.
So what even if it is Capital Punishment...
RIP Afzal Guru...

Pseudonym : h!v

India - The Political Cabaret

Did you know Manmohan Singh, more popularly known as 'Mannu', the honorable Prime Minister of India, is an exceptional dancer.
And so is 'Didi', the TMC Chief - Mamta Banerjee.
And how can we forget the latent talent of Sonia Gandhi when it comes to play a guitar.
The Indian politics across all demographies is replete with such political superstars. It is sad and critical on part of the 'aam junta', who play the part of being the audience here, not to recognise their talent and award these political cabret stars with due respect and accolades.

Ever since UPA-I came to power, Mannu, the lead dancer, has been dancing so well to the tunes of the INC Chief Sonia that it became imperative for the junta to vote him again to power and extend his performance to a second consecutive term. The junta it seems has really enjoyed his performnance. And why not, he has never let his body language or his dance seem out of tune to the music

 composed by the Gandhi family. Such is his dancing prowess that even Michael Jackson, had he been alive, would had pangs of inferiority. For years, he has been moving his feet in synch with Sonia Gandhi and her apostles. Never has he complained or refused to perform with them - a true team player for sure (one of the most vouched for virtue in contemporary managers and leaders). Be it the slippery Moon-SCAM-walk or the hard to perfect VADRA-steps, Mannu Bhai has never backed down.
Mamta Banerjee has time and again proved that she in no way is any less a dancer than our rockstar Mannu. Didi, as she is often called by her die-hard fans (some of them literally having no choice but

to kick the bucket), has always fought back hard and has never let Mannu's profitability, popularity and glamour quotient supercede hers. Though both Mannu and Didi are a part of the same band, administered by Sonia, they have their share of apathy, and at times even antipahty, for each other. Didi, being a young gun (she is at least younger than Manmohan) is better at some power-PUBLICITY-steps. She makes sure that she uses this to the fullest against Mannu and let the limelight be on her.
Rahul Gandhi for sure has to be the KEELER-DRUMMER(KD) - the heart of this association. He is incredible at making the perfect noise just when required. And that has proven really handy to Sonia; whenever Mannu and Didi fail to enchant the audience and get booed by them, KD gets in and does a high-adrenalin-performance which drives people crazy.Remember the visit Rahul made to J&K with a resolution to hear the problems of the youth there and look up solutions for them eventually.Though the situation is much the same and we have not witnessed any major turnaround in the valley, Rahul's visit atleast pacified the people for a while. They are in peace for few months before creating a furore again. No doubt, KD, along with his drums and sticks, is the trumpcard for the UPA band.
This odd bunch of the UPA band may not have been able to exercise good governance, may have failed to provide full meals to a million destitutes in the country, may not have been able to fight back and seek revenge for a jawaan killed at the border, may not have been able to save Nirbhaya (and then they say, may she RIP!!!), and may be won't be able to save thousands of such Nirbhayas in future, but we will still re-elect them to office because of the sheer entertainment they had offered us for all these years.  

Pseudonym : h!v

Disclaimer: The opinions in the article are author's personal ideas. The author has no intention to hurt the sentiments of the public. Any resemblance to any person dead or alive is purely coincidental.