"Weak" Creates History whilst the strong is consigned to "History"

Singh is King .

As the dust settles, we see the 200 mark up for Congress. None would have believed this just 24 hours back! The 15th Lok Sabha has certainly stirred the voter. And also the political parties. Suddenly we find the word introspection flowing from every tongue! BJP and the Left need to introspect their disaster whilst the Congress needs to understand why this windfall!! Dr.Singh goes in the annals of history as only the second Prime Minister to get re-elected for consecutive terms after a full first term. So much for a weak Prime Minister!
16th of May goes down in Indian History as the day when the Indian Politics has been rewritten. The Indian voter has woken up to the realities of today. He braved the harsh climate only to usher in a clinical revolution. And he did this silently and efficiently. It had to happen this way. The last five years saw the main party struggling for effective governance due to the heavy baggage of the allies. Each pulling it tangent to the other thus giving little room for proper movement. It was more like "One step forward...one step backward...one step sideways. The Left played the role of a belligerent bully though they did some good too. But in a nutshell, they did more harm than good. They also became arrogant and boisterous and took the nation for granted. Today they stand decimated loosing more than half their seats, but Prakash Karat shows little signs of regret, remorse and shame.
I have always maintained that the regional parties have a different agenda and normally collides with the larger national agenda. I believe that the two must be kept separate in order to maximize effective management at both the levels. I have advocated that the voter needs to be more mature. I wrote in my blog on the 10th of March, “ And yes, do look at the role at the centre played by the regional parties in the past. Have they been an asset or a hurdle? Each demanding their own pound of flesh at just the wrong time. Would it be better to have a single large party in the center or a coalition of just two or three…a badly fractured mandate normally ushers instability. Let us avoid this at all costs. We all know if multiple parties are involved in government formation, then decision making is hampered and is of poor quality. We should have distinct benchmarks for legislative and parliament elections. We should not be averse to vote for one party at the centre and another in the state…” I stand vindicated today as the tally of almost ALL the regional parties ahs taken a beating.
The voter has rejected the smaller parties and has actually voted for Congress and the BJP-the two national parties. The sign is good as policies and programs can be planned better. Regional parties need to concentrate in their specific areas and focus on development. I had written about Mayawati also and predicted what struck her on the 16th! Her arrogance and over confidence of her own so called social engineering left her fumbling as even the Congress breezed past her.
The voter has given the benefit of doubt and felt the Congress could not deliver due to the heavily fractured mandate of 2004. The verdict now is a confirmation that India wants stability - the resurgence of Congress in Uttar Pradesh confirms this. The voter has given the mandate to the Congress and will also hold it accountable. The onus now lies squarely on the door of Congress. Indian voter has given a low priority of other issues like the price rise, terrorism and so on. The mandate is for Dr Man Mohan Singh to finish the unfinished agenda. The voter has decided that Dr Singh is a strong leader who is capable of delivering.
And yes, the voter will also demand results-the price for the faith placed. Make no mistake, this is a mandate for finishing the unfinished agenda. People say it reflects secularism. I do not agree. BJP has lost some seats but has also shown Varun Gandhi and Menaka Gandhi winning.

Nitish...kya mamoo banaya!!

Nitish plays all aces!!

Quite sometime back I saw a film called Mask starring Jim Carey. Recently I saw the Indian version of the Mask, starring Nitish Kumar! If Jim Carey was amazing then Nitish has rewritten Indian Politics with a mind boggling act!! He played the soothest of ragas to the easily gullible Muslims of Bihar! His wonderful melody of “naa naa naa ray Modi” struck deep into the hearts of the secularists. And when the floored voter reached the ballot machine, his ears were still ringing with the “naa naa” and he pressed the button for Nitish. And he was a happy and content man. He had voted for the most secular man on the horizon…preferred over Laloo and Paswan.
Nitish must have chuckled in private! What prized fools these voters are! My mask was so well fitting that they could see not what I had hidden!! With the setting of the sun he prepared himself for the next agenda. Nitish must have sat in front of the mirror and smiled and then made an inter state call, “When shall we meet again, brother Modi”!! Surely on the Dias in Punjab! Came the reply from the butcher of Gujarat! Modi looked at the mirror once again and burst into an unstoppable laughter! I went to the dargahs, the masjids with a cap. And they fell for me !! Kya Topi peha dee!! Mamoo bana diya Bihar kee public ko!!
And then what we saw in the NDA rally made me suggest that Nitish should be nominated for the Oscars. What an incredible performance! The meeting with Modi showed the real happiness felt by Nitish. He had played his role to perfection. Now the time to come to real life….and this he did with a huge grin on his face as he held Modi’s hand aloft. It was a new kind of a High Five! And the two together made a perfect couple…one bluntly against secularism and the other the soft spoken Bihari who butchered secularism with the same sadistic approach albeit under the garb of a Sufi!!
I am appalled by the perversity of a man who professed equal treatment. I am saddened not by his deeds but the route he took to achieve his agenda. He has trampled innocence and honesty ruthlessly. He has hit the aam aadmi where it hurts. If he wanted to appease the butcher of Gujarat, then fine, he has the right to do so. Many are doing. Why take the route of playing with the emotions of the entire society? Sharing the dais with Modi was not a crime. He could have done so. But why mislead and tell utter lies to those who trusted you????
Nitish, now you are as bare as you are in the bathroom. The fooled public can see through you, though a wee bit late. You played your cards well but now everyone knows the real Nitish who wholly endorses the Modi Genocide. Nitish… Modi… bhai bhai!
This is all about the double speak so prevalent in our society. There are many Nitish Kumars masquerading in our society with the façade of innocence oozing from all over!!What needs to be done is that such double crossers should be given a strong dose of their own medicine. Yes, the “awam” got fooled this time. As a responsible citizen of India, we should not have a short public memory. Elections will come again. Teach them a lesson that will be a lesson to the chameleons of Indian politics.
And elections are round the corner…not too far, says my crystal ball!!

Mayawati's leap to Delhi- myth or a reality?

Mayawati is in the news these days. People are talking about the role that she might play in the days to come, post 16th May. And this did set me thinking. I became Wordsworth in spirit. I imagined myself lying “upon a couch” (not with Koyel, of course!) and the images floating by. Maya, the ruler of UP, acquiring the crown to rule India. Wow! The very first picture was that of Maya in faded Wrangler Jeans. Wondering why? Ha-ha…ehm. Well, if you would go back in history and see the Mayawati when Kanshi Ram was still his own master….the curly chute and an insecure smile which needed the approval of her mentor, you would notice the sea change in per persona. Close cropped hair and a dupatta that curls around the neck and not to forget the hurried swagger that goes with her, is the fourth time CM Maya! Gone is the insecure Maya of the 90’s! So, when the PM, then surely the Jeans will slide in!! Natural progression?
UP today is black and blue all over. No, it is not the bashing that has resulted in the state being black and blue. Or maybe it is? Lucknow has scores of statues peering at every passer by. Soon Lucknow will change from the city of Nawabs to the city of murtis. Nawabs are extinct but the murtis are very much visible and on the rise- in elephantine proportion!
Let us see the progress that the state has made since she took charge….it is a task as tedious as hunting a needle in a haystack! Where is the needle? Hunt…hunt…hunt. Maya’s forte has been the caste equation, not governance. Nitiesh Kumar in neighboring Bihar is a much better administrator and provides competent governance. Sheila Dixit is miles ahead of even Nitiesh.
Honestly speaking, a PM needs to be an ideal kind of a person. Someone who is above board, who inspires the nation, who provides confidence, who can take sound decisions at just the right time. Some one with a vision. And yes, he should be far from being vindictive. Let me confess that there is none on the horizon who fits the above!! Be it Dr Singh, Mr. Advani or anyone else. We lack genuine PM material.
But let us come back to Maya Memsaheb. I am still in a world of fantasy visualizing Maya sitting amidst Obama’s and Browns and Sarkozy’s in a G20 summit. And then Sarkozy and Carla inviting Maya to France…Carla and Maya exchanging notes on fashion and make up!! My fantasy is shattered by a call from Shoaib. Not Akhtar but Qureshi. And he kind of dampened everything by suggesting that the Queen may still not wear the crown..and probably not at all. Maya may not get the mandate that the TV channels along with their self proclaimed expert panels are predicting. Here goes another PM in waiting! The reality is that India does not need a Zardari. Right? Do we? And the voters are keen to prove the psephologists and the other pundits wrong.
Maya the politician is skillful and competent. Period. Maya the PM is a fantasy in a midsummer night’s dream. Alice in wonderland was a great story but never a reality. But then, Indian Politics is more unpredictable than an Alice in a Midsummer night’s dream!
Who knows?

Obama is capable?

Obama is capable?
Obama’s 100 days in office is like an all rounder in a cricket team! A bits and pieces man, capable of putting up his hand when required but not really one who has expertise in a particular area. At least as on date.Obama is not like Mathew Hayden or a Brett Lee but more like Symonds.
We saw Obama reaching out to the Europeans( including Turks) and the Arabs/Israelis. He had a tough swagger and a drawl when addressing the Pakistani and the Taliban. His tone was warm and affectionate when shaking hands with the master economist Dr Man Mohan Singh.
Obama has done his homework well
All rounders can come in very handy but in the long run, they cannot be effective for specific tasks. 100 days have been handled well but his tryst with destiny seeks a longer period…60 to a 120 months. And that is a long period. That is why I feel that he should don the mantle of a specialist at the earliest.
Middle East and Pakistan are two huge problems. The Arab Israel conflict needs a man who knows what he wants and also what he can deliver. The past has seen promises which could never be delivered. It was loathsome and dishonest. The need of the hour is to set the parameters for peace talks. This is a vital issue and will reflect the intentions and capabilities of the white house in general and Obama in particular. The recent posturing by him has given hopes to the genocide struck Palestinians. The two nation theory needs to be worked upon. There can never be peace in the world unless there is peace in the Middle East. There can be no peace unless there is a stable country of the Palestinians. Isreal and Palestine need to coexist as two nations. And Obama has to understand and execute that. He can do it if he follows the advise of the wise. Middle East beckons Obama.
Pakistan is passing through a very turbulent time. Partially self generated and partially by the forces that seek to rock Pakistan. And Obama knows the facts and should see through the crocodile tears that seem to flow from all corners! A stable and progressive Pakistan is a must for the regions growth. But will this be allowed to happen? Obama should ensure the holding back of the boat rockers.
And that brings me to the last issue. The G20 meeting. All was not sweet and neat. The Europeans did not appreciate the Anglo Saxon proposals, though this was not said overtly. But the French/German bonhomie did blow the top. Obama probably understands the same and knows that the G20 was not as big a hit as the media made it out to be. One needs to only look into the British media to see the skeptism and distrust. Obama has handled the economic crises fairly well and he probably knows that he cannot rely on the outcome of the G20 summit. He needs to be cautious and conservative

Give teeth to the Election Commission !

So much for the huge TV advertising exhorting people to go and exercise their franchise! Although a damp squib at the end of the day, it was not unexpected. Probably it tells a story in itself. Briefly, the audience does not hold the filmy sitarey in any high esteem. They lacked credibility. Audience felt that they did it as yet another commercial advertisement. Yes. That is what I look at it. And they did not feel the need to respond to commercials. Lesson learnt is that the next time, we wish to bring about any change in the aam aadmi, then let it be though people who are loaded with credibility. A Dr.Zakir Naik, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar or a swami Ramdev would bring better results.
Voting percentage being nominal speaks volumes about the apathy that has crept in our society. People could not see any change coming in even if they had gone and voted. Hence, the less than warm response. I believe that the Election Commission has a bigger role to play than what it does today. From a mere admonishing or an advisory role, the commission needs to be given plenty of teeth. They need to be seen as those who can bite..not just bark. The bite needs to be strong and potent. The Politician has a skin of a Hippopotamus and average teeth will elicit no response. Hence, the need for Dracula type incisors and canines. Give the EC more powers. Powers to stop one from contesting. Powers to ensure discipline throughout the election period. Perhaps even later.
The aam aadmi has lost faith in the politician. And this leads to loss of faith in the electoral system. I read in Hindu newspaper that names of minority community voters were missing in various parts of Bengaluru. Hundreds of voters could not vote since their names were not there. This inspite of the fact that they had legitimate identification papers to prove. Quite a pity that when such incidents happen, the faith in the electoral process takes a dive. And such acts of omissions and commissions are spread all over the nation.
The future of the nation appears hazy. I feel that our democracy can be really vibrant only if the processes are reviewed. A clarity in our national future can be achieved only if objectivity is practiced without any fear. EC needs to formulate rules and regulations that ensures weeding out of the unwanted, criminal from entering the public system. Crafty hate spreaders , slimy business sharks, double faced slithery politicians should be knocked down with a swift and a powerful blow.
How about introducing the concept of community service for the contenders? One can be eligible for elections only if one has put in a minimum period in community service. Like when one joins an elite business group, one starts as a trainee. Our politicians should serve as trainees during which they do community service. Five years and then being eligible for elections. For contesting the Parliamentary elections, one has to be at least a graduate. Then, ministers should have excellent academic records to prove ones potential. One cannot be considered for the post of a minister unless he averages 70% overall. Management Institutes have a minimum cut off marks for candidates. Follow the same for appointing ministers . Why not? Managers run a company; these politicians run the entire nation. We need the best who can manage the nation effectively. And yes, total transparency should be maintained.