Religion and Culture

Am interesting disucssion over breakfast on how Hinduism started off as a the most liberal and logical religion or way of life, got converted into symbolism , hypocrisy and tool at hands of so-called Gurus and Babas.

The ancient Hindu books very clearly draw a distinction between 'naman' (bow head in respect) and to touch feet. The books said that every elder, learned one, brave one, honest one and all those who deserved respect need to be bowed to but not touch their feet. Touhcing feet was limited to parents, teachers, motherland (since concept of nation was not yet born) and God. Apart from these, the real Hinduism did not promote the touching of feet.

But today touching of feet has become a joke. We see the trend in political and social curcuits. Leaders feet are touched as if they are God and every Godman thinks he is an incarnation of Vishnu and we see people touching their feet. Just a small gesture as touching feet gives deep insight into the corrution of this amazing religion apart from showing the inferiority mentality that has been bred in by years of slavery and before that the wrong interpretation of Hindu books.

The Political Blogging moves from here

Now that I have started a new blog mainly for the blogging on politics, governance, ideologies etc, this blog here will be about me, life and other things. To check the political blog, go to http://greatindiandemocracy.blogspot.com/

A candle right up the rear end

Six months gone and this is what we have as 'action' for 26/11

Ram Pradhan Report absolves the government - state and central from all charges of negligence and intelligence failure. It also clears Mumbai Police and Maharashtra Home Department of all charges of inaction and lack of preparedness.
Kasab's trial is becoming a mockery now with the Defence Counsel's time buying tactics and now a witness goofing up.
Vilasrao Deshmukh who was universally found the inefficient CM has been rewarded for his 'inefficiency' with a cabinet berth.

So, rejoice Mumbai and India as the government of India has proceeded to make a mockery of people's wish and desire to action. As for those who took out candle llight marches, this is one burning candle the government has shoved right up your rear end.

Elections and after

Before I dwell on the state of mind, I would congratulate the winners of yesterday namely Congress. They beat us outright and won the right to rule for next 5 years. Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh emerged real winners. Maybe time for the BJP senior and a rare politician L K Advani to step into political sunset.

Last few months, I have been involved in BJP campaign both online and offline. So yesterday was a day of tears, shock and disappointment. Indian voters have rejected us outright and it's time to go back to building organisation and winning the voter trust again.

That's why the morning after is different than yesterday. Yesterday was the day to lick the wounds and toay is the day to resolve to go back and work for the change we have hoped and so far worked for.

No ways, I am quitting politics and the party. I am here to stay and will continue till the time politics or BJP does not disillusion me. The results may have disappointed me but they certainly have not left me dejected with either - politics or BJP

Finally as one of the many small warriors in this democratic fight, I would be somewhere responsible for the loss.

Mumbai Votes

Mumbai, Please Vote and Vote Sensibly

Mumbai Votes

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Questions for the sitting MPs in Mumbai

These are some of the questions one would like to ask the sitting MPs who are contesting again - Priya Dutt, Milind Deora, Gurudas Kamat, Eknath Gaikwad - all from Congress and Mohan Rawale from Shiv Sena

• Where were you when Mumbai was flooded?
• What did you do after the floods to ensure relief and rehabilitation?
• Why isn't the work on Mithi River not yet completed as per court ruling?
• Why did it need an ex-MP (Dr. Kirit Somaiya) instead of sitting MPs to get whatever work has been done on Mithi cleaning?
• Why haven't the victoms of train blast not yet received the relief promised?
• Why has government gone slow on the blast trials?
• Why have some accused gone scot-free?
• Did you take the Home Minister to task for making your city unsafe?
• Have you given an appraisal of all the work done by you so far?
• How much money have you spent from MP funds on your constituency?
• Central Government promised a huge amount in last 5 years for Mumbai but less than 15% has been received. Why have you not tried to bring the money into the city?
• What have you done for the mill workers who have lost their jobs and now their lands?
• What's your stand against regularisation of slums as done by Maharashtra Government regularly in last 8 years?
• What have you done in last 5 years for the trains and roadways in Mumbai?
• Why is the Bandra Worli Sea Link not yet over?
• Why is that post 2004, most projects pertaining to Mumbai have taken such long time?
• What's your stand on local involvement during Mumbai attacks?
• Why have you not pressed for the removal of top cops, bureaucrats?
• Why did you not speak up during the MNS violence?
• What did you do when anti-Bush protestors in Azad Maidan got violent and damaged public property?

Why BJP?

So far, we have tried to see the glaring failures on the UPA and the Congress party both in Neeti (policies) and Niyati (desires). But this one to see why vote for BJP. What are the policies they promise for a better future? What is their wishlist?

Infrastructure - NDA and specially BJP has already proven that when it comes to infrastructure development, they are possibly the best. Be it the Vajpayee government or Modi government in Gujarat or Nitish Kumar in Bihar or Maj Gen (Retd) B C Khanduri in Uttarakhand. They have brought visible changes in the infrastructure in their states. BJP has already released it's Infrastructure Vision which includes interlinking of rivers, cleaning of Ganga river, giving the much needed push to the road project successful in earlier NDA govt and made to RIP by UPA. They also talk about the fast track in the power reforms.

Economy- Villages are they say are the real India. And in last 5 years, agriculture has been given the raw deal. Isn't it a sad thing that the food provider of the country is dying today because of hunger? BJP has already announced it's package for the farmers. Apart from this, the curbs need to be put on the forward trading of essential commodities. This in a large way was responsible for the farmers not getting the right price. BJP has in its manifesto ahs rightly said that the economy can thrive only when the consumer has money in his pocket (own money and not borrowed like in credit cards). This can only happen with a sympathetic view towards taxations specially for the middle class. Only if the middle class has money, they will be able to spend it. Indian middle class is the largest consumer market in the world and has the strength to turn an economy to positive.

Girl Child Welfare - No country can progress till the time the women in the country are kept away from education. The Ladli Laxmi Yojana successful in BJP rules MP is the scheme which tries to ensure that the girl child is incentivised and empowered for education. The scheme ensures the girl getting cash everytime she moves to the next level in educaiton and a large amount when she complete 12th. This ensures that girl child is given education till then and also that she has means to study further.

Security - BJP has always shown that when it comes to internal security, it does not fall back on vote bank politics. The zero tolerance to terror policy ensures that the accused when caught are given a quick and strong punishment so as to deter others. Many might talk of riots but if you see the NDA rule in centre, there was one riot in entire 7 years whereas we have seen many riot scarred cities in last 5 years or even before NDA rule.

Strong Leader - Today the country needs tough decisions. Does the country have the time to wait for 27 blasts for a Home Minsiter to be changed? Does the country need a cabinet without Finance Minister when it is facing recession? The answer is no. The country needs a leader who can lead from front and can take quick decisions. L K Advani is the strong leader India awaits. Though opposition likes to talk only of Kandahar, one should look at Parliament Attack or the hostage crisis at Akshardham Temple in Gujarat. In the first case, the accused were brought to books in record time and in the second case the entire hostage crisis was resolved strongly in less than 6 hours. Shows that L K Advani does not waste time in taking strong decisions.

This election is about a change. And change is what India needs. India today needs the BJP more than it ever did.

Knowing the PM

While the NDA PM candidate L K Advani has spent most of his life in public life and so there is ample amount of information on his life, one hardly knows of PM Manmohan Singh's career before 1991. So what better to do on a weekend and understand the professional roots and natural loyalties of the PM.

One look at his writings and speeches before 1990 and one gets a clear understanding that he actually was a fan of the Nehruvian style of economy. Infact some of his preferred writers and teachers were communists. His early essays and his speeches specially on Government control over prices are indicators of his liking towars the license raj.

If we then move to his days as bureaucrat, the greatest impact on his professional life as admitted by him was P N Haksar, then advisor to Indira Gandhi and known by most as the key person behind the license raj, nationalisation of banks, ties with USSR, bringing bureaucrats including intelligence services under government control. He also has been credited with the start of darbar culture in Congress and the grand split in Congress which over a period of time led to Emergency.

In the meantime, right from early 70s to mid 80s, Manmohan Singh was a crucial figure in economic affairs of the country holding various positions as Finance Secy, Reserve Bank Governor, Member of Planning Commission. This period which many analysts recall as the darkest period in Indian economy, was complete with high inflation, a huge debt trap and stories of financial corruption in various ministries. Manmohan Singh at that time seems to have behaved just like a bureaucrat with no desire to do things the right way. Some of the 'highlights' of his tenure in various positions are

Highest rate of inflation - 30%
Creating the cartel culture in 1973 under the guise of nationalising wholesale trading of foodgrains

He showed his first signs of loyalty towards Gandhi family by first joining Chandra Shekhar government as an advisor when Rajiv Gandhi led Congress supported it and later by resigning when the support was withdrawn. This period if we all remember was the time when India was grappling with serious issues on internal security, economic doom and rising caste-religion conflicts. But to Manmohan Singh, loyalty to family was more important than loyalty to country's call in distress.

And now he wants 100 more days to repair the economy. Believe him at your own risk.

Blackmailing the voters

Serve, Please, Appease, Buy.. we have seen it all. Now comes threaaten. Never heard of voters being blackmailed. But 2 senior ministers in Assam have crossed this milestone too.

"You must remember that we will be minister even after the Lok Sabha elections," said Congress minister Rockybul Hussain to an election rally in Nagaon. That sounded more like the hooligans on the street. Another minister Himanta Biswa Sarma offended the electorate in Barpeta when he said, "If Congress candidate is not elected from this seat, it would be difficult for them to set up the medical college which chief minister Tarun Gogoi had announced before the elections."

Jai Ho for Democracy

Dining with the enemy

Am avoiding the usage of much used phrase 'Sleeping with the Enemy' since I am talking about a lady. This is about the worst kind of political oppotunism.

Remember who and why was I K Gujral's government brought down in 97-98? Well, by Madam Sonia and Congress on issue of relationship between DMK and LTTE and their indicment in Rajiv Gandhi murder. Nearly a decade later now, Sonia finds it okay to digest Karunanidhi's statement heralding LTTE and Prabhakaran as a hero. But no words from Sonia, just because she needs his support to remain in power.

This is the opportunism of the worst kinds. Parties and politicians might have shown political or even social lack of ethics. But this is just a case of personal ethics and the Gandhi family is found seriously lacking those ethics. I wonder how a family which can't stand upto their own kin's 'murderers and their supporters', can stand up for the safety, security and self respect of the Indians.

Why will Mulayam Singh's manefesto work?

Mulayam Singh's SP came up with the most reggresive manifesto ever created. It generated a lot of criticism all over. But one look at the manifesto and Mulayam's base catchment area of voters will show why the manifesto can work well for him.

Mulayam Singh does not really care for the voters residing in cities and smaller towns. His base is the rural voters and specially the Madrasa bred rural Muslim vote. This section of the society has always thwarted attempts to modernise - be it English education or be it computers in Madrasas. Remember the time Murli Manohar Joshi tried to modernise them and bring them at par with other educational bodies? He was vehemently opposed by this section. They have been huddled into thinking that anything modern is anti-Islam.

For this section, English and computers are nothing but Zionist conspiracies. And so for this group, the manifesto might actually be sweet sound and they could posisbly end up voting for the SP.

PM and democratic values or lack of it

I won't allow Advani to be the PM candidate
Shun the independents because they trouble Congress
Mayawati should not think of becoming the PM

The above words which were used to show the PM's bravdo actually do nothing but show his background. He was a bureaucrat to start with and at heart still remains one.
The statements made above plus his reluctance to contest elections prove that Dr. Manmohan Singh might have become the PM of the 2nd largest democracy by luck but his core values are still not accustomed to democracy.

His bureacratic background ensures blind loyalty to his bosses (read Gandhis) and a desperation to cling on to the chair at any cost and avoid opposition by hook or crook. That also possibly explains the lack of acocuntablity that one has seen in the state of affairs. No one is allowed to question him and his govenment on terror attacks, recession, price rise, unemployment, lack of progress in infrastructure development etc.