The Idea of Development - Western Perspective v/s Indian Perspective

On Sunday 8 June 2014, Narendra Modi said something to the effect - so far the development work done in the country was with a western perspective, and now he would like to work with an Indian perspective.

He was speaking on the occasion of the launch of the book - Getting India Back on track – An Action Agenda for Reform, and as always, he spoke with great conviction and displayed a very clear vision about the ideas are churning in his mind.

Amongst many of the thinks he said, this one particular line that caught my attention.

And I strongly believe this is the crux of the problem with the Indian development model. 

Most of the development policies of this country, especially, those formed during the last Congress-led regimes have been made by people who had studied the economics related topics from institutes in foreign countries.

It would be safe to assume that during the overseas education, these leaders learnt the benchmarks and scales that have been refined to measure the economic progress of those countries. When referring to  India, these very benchmarks and scales where applied to the Indian scenario without giving adequate consideration to the local variables or conditions.

So naturally when the issues raised were based on alien parameters the solutions were also bound to be based on those very perspectives and hence were not designed to suit or solve our problems as we see them. Though the country may appear to have progressed in financial numbers one notices that the masses are generally not happy with the so-called progress.

Narendra Modi spoke of this in one statement during his speech, I feel he must have thought about this a lot more.



Narendra Modi is a good orator with a great vision for where he would like to take this country in the next decade. I only hope and wish him the best so that his ideas and words are converted into actions and results.

What action was taken against the the Wrong-Doers of Campa Cola Housing Society?

Time and again, there crops up news about builders and developers keep violating regulations and approvals in the structures that erect. All this happens right under the noses of the civic authorities, sometimes even in connivance.

These builders then manage to sell their illegal structures for a huge profit, leaving their innocent consumers to face the music with the civic bodies.

The Campa Cola Housing Society is also an example of one such project. The matter has even been heard by the Supreme Court of India. In the latest development, the people are being made to vacate so that demolishing may be done.

Another project - The Adarsh Building - is also in the limelight for some similar wrong reasons.

Way back in the 90s, several top, illegal floors of Pratibha, another high rise in Mumbai's Peddar Road area, had been demolished for similar reasons.

One common feature in each of these cases is that the builders managed to sell the illegal projects and very little action was taken against the wrong-doers. The major part of the burden of the penalty (the consequences of demolitions and other actions) had to be borne by the residents at these projects.

Very little, almost negligible, action was taken against the builders and promoters - Why?

I wonder, what action has been taken this time against the erring builders and promoters of the Campa Cola Housing Society????????

Some win Some lose

On one side, the Congress party has suspended Bhawarlal Sharma, a MLA from Rajasthan, for expressing his opinion over the causes of his party's miserable performance in the recently concluded General Elections 2014.

On the other side we have, BJP leadership including Narendra Modi that is encouraging its cadre and even the general public to highlight the failures of the party if it fails to perform. Today, Narendra Modi and his party leaders visited BJP office to interact and thank the party workers for their endless efforts and dedication that led to the party's victory.

What a contrast?

Mein, Narendra Damodardas Modi, ... - Finally we have our 15th Prime Minister

Mein, Narendra Damodardas Modi, ...

These were the words we had waited for and these were finally said by Narendra Modi when he was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy.

President of India Pranab Mukherjee appointed, Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of India and as advised by the Prime Minister, the President appointed the following ministers and administered the oath of office and secrecy to all of them.

CABINET MINISTERS

1. Raj Nath Singh
2. Smt. Sushma Swaraj
3. Arun Jaitley
4. M. Venkaiah Naidu
5. Nitin Jairam Gadkari
6. D.V. Sadananda Gowda
7. Sushri Uma Bharati
8. Dr. Najma A. Heptulla
9. Gopinathrao Munde
10. Ramvilas Paswan
11. Kalraj Mishra
12. Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
13. Ananthkumar
14. Ravi Shankar Prasad
15. Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati
16. Anant Geete
17. Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal
18. Narendra Singh Tomar
19. Jual Oram
20. Radha Mohan Singh
21. Thaawar Chand Gehlot
22. Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani
23. Dr. Harsh Vardhan

MINISTERS OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)

1. General V.K. Singh
2. Inderjit Singh Rao
3. Santosh Kumar Gangwar
4. Shripad Yesso Naik
5. Dharmendra Pradhan
6. Sarbananda Sonowal
7. Prakash Javadekar
8. Piyush Goyal
9. Dr. Jitendra Singh
10. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman

MINISTERS OF STATE

1. G.M. Siddeshwara
2. Manoj Sinha
3. Nihalchand
4. Upendra Kushwaha
5. Radhakrishnan P
6. Kiren Rijiju
7. Krishan Pal
8. Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan
9. Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava
10. Raosaheb Dadarao Danve
11. Vishnu Deo Sai
12. Sudarshan Bhagat

Now one last step remains before the new Government can get to work, and that is the announcement of the portfolios of the ministers.

Man of the Year - Arvind Kejriwal

By far, Arvind Kejriwal easily qualifies as the Man of the Year in India.

His achievement - Arvind Kejriwal has single-handed changed the way Indians think about politics and politicians.

The man has been crusading for more than a decade against corruption in government offices. I am sure many must not have taken him seriously when he formed his Aam Admi Party (AAP), but he has proved his mantle.

It is alleged that AAP is the only party that did not use any unfair means to contest the poll.

AAP has exceeded all expectations. The nascent party has bagged 28 seats in Delhi in the state elections that were held in December his year. Even though the party failed to get majority scenario evolved such that it has formed the government in the state.

On 28th December 2013, he has been sworn-in as Delhi's Chief Minister.

His achievement - Kejriwal has become the symbol of clean and good representation in Indian politics.

Finally - Indian Parliament passes Lokpal Bill

Finally! Yes finally - almost four decades - Indian Parliament finally clears the Lokpal Bill.

The demand for an ombudsman to investigate and punish errant public servants was first raised by Jaiprakash Narayan in the seventies. Jayprakash Narayan popularly referred to as JP had launched a movement to fight against corruption and misrule is 1974.

The demand for Lokpal once again picked up steam in 2010 when Shanti Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and others came together under the stewardship of Kisan Baburao (Anna) Hazare of Nanded.

Anna has overall sat on hunger strike 18 times out of which the last four fasts have been for getting the Jan Lokpal Bill passed by parliament.

Anna's Fasts for Lokpal

April 2011 -Anna fasted for 5 day at New Delhi.

August 2011 - Anna fasted for 13 days again at New Delhi. This proved to be a turning point in Indian politics. People came to the streets in all parts of the country in support of Anna Hazare and Lokpal. Prime Minister and the whole parliament came together and promised Anna that the Lokpal would be passed at the earliest.

December 2011 - At Mumbai - Anna fasted for 2 days.

December 2013 - Probably the last fast by Anna for Lokpal Bill. This was Anna's 18th fast in all and lasted for 9 days. This time the government bowed and the Lokpal Bill as passed by both houses of parliament.

But by this time, Arvind Kejriwal who had been a key person in Anna's Lokpal campaign had left his side. Kejriwal had formed his own political party. His party had contested in the Delhi State Polls - an election in which the Congress Party was miserably trounced.

The Bill

Although the Bill passed by parliament is not exactly what Anna Hazare had set out for, yet Anna has accepted the Bill in its current form with the confidence that coming parliamentarians will introduce modifications based the experiences gathered.

Will India finally get its Lokpal?

It seems that the Lokpal Bill will finally go through.

So much time has passed since the fast of Anna Hazare and since the Prime Minister had sent a letter of promise assuring that Parliament would pass the Lokpal Bill at the earliest. In fact, so much time has passed that many of us had started feeling the government had fooled Anna. I am sure, Anna too must have felt the same way otherwise would he have to go on fast again.

After the severe bashing received in the recently concluded state elections, I think the Congress party must have realized that it cannot ignore Anna Hazare and his fasting anymore. Whatever be the reason, the fact remains that the Bill is out of the refrigerator and has been taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha. Surprisingly, Congress supremo Rahul Gandhi has displayed a positive stance on the Lokpal Bill.

The party's young leader Rahul Gandhi has spoken in its favor and requested the other parties to ensure that the Bill is passed. The latest development is that even Anna Hazare has said that he accepts the provisions of amended Lokpal that has been tabled in the Rajya Sabha for discussion.

In the current scenario, even BJP cannot afford to ignore the Bill anymore.

So, it seems that the Lokpal Bill will finally go through.

Delhi is headed for repolls - No party appears to be ready to form government

Delhi is headed for repolls.

No party has received a clear mandate in the recently concluded state elections in Delhi. BJP bagged 32 seats while the new party on the block the Aam Admi Party, AAP won 28 seats. BJP has already turned down the Lt. Governor's invitation to form a government. The second biggest party AAP has already made it clear that it will not form a government without a clear majority.It is also expected to submit its refusal to the Lt. Governor by Saturday.

If the new government is not formed by 18 Dec 2013, Delhi state may under the President's rule, thereafter, the state will have to go to polls within 6 months.

In the recent state elections of 2013, BJP has won in 3 states Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while Congress has retained Mizoram.

Delhi is the only state that faces fresh polls.

Meanwhile, the new party on the block has really shaken the national political scene.

Encouraged by the results in Delhi - AAP has already started planning its venture into the next General Elections and also the State Elections of Haryana and Maharashtra. One spirited faction of the party has even expressed its desire to face Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at Amethi in the forth coming General Elections.

Anna Hazare starts indefinite fast for Jan Lokpal Bill

Amidst all the political activity of the recent days, Anna Hazare has started his indefinite hunger strike demanding the government to fulfill its promise to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament.

This time Anna Hazare has chosen his home town, Ralegan Siddhi, as the venue for his fast.

More than a year has passed since the Prime Minister had personally written to the veteran social activist last year requesting him to end his fast after the parliament had passed a resolution to the effect.

Some political observers are advising the Congress-led UPA government at Delhi to take cognizance of the huge defeat the Congress party has faced in the recently concluded elections and that it had better pay heed to the long pending demand of the people for a strong Jan Lokpal Bill, or be ready for an even worse fate in the forth-coming general elections.

State Election Results 2013 - the run up to Lok Sabha Elections in 2014

08-Dec-2013 - A big day in the history of Indian politics.

5 states had gone to polls during November 2013 and first week of December 2013 in the country and today, results were announced for 4 of these state elections - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. The counting and results for Mizoram the 5th state is expected tomorrow.

The take aways from these are...

• BJP has emerged as the clear winner of the polls - It is going ahead to form government in 3 of these states. 
• In Delhi, BJP is the largest party in the assembly but lacks the clear majority.
• Congress has become the biggest loser. 
• It has been reduced to a very small party in states where it was in power i.e. in Delhi and in Rajasthan.
• Congress has won only 8 seats in the 70 seater Delhi Assembly.
• Congress has won only 21 seats in the 200 seater Rajasthan Assembly.
• In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, things were not that bad for the Congress. May be the incumbency factor helped the party a little in these two states. 
• In fact, there were occasions during the day as the results were being announced, that the Congress Party might actually form the government in Chhattisgarh. 

The day's biggest surprise was the performance of the Aam Admi Party (AAP). I am sure not many had anticipated the kind of success AAP has managed to achieve.

After today, AAP has been established as a formidable which no one will take lightly anymore.

Congress is the oldest political party of the country and it really needs to get its act together, the national elections are round the corner.

Rahul Gandhi speaks against the Government's ordiance on convicted lawmakers

Things are really not right for the Congress led UPA Government at Delhi.

For long, the decisions taken by the Indian Government have been disapproved. Allies, Opposition, common public and sometimes even party colleagues. In fact, the government had gained reputation as the roll-back government that has had to go back on many of its decisions in the recent past.

Taking this reputation one notch up, the Congress led ruling coalition has approved an ordinance that even the Congress party's most powerful leader Rahul Gandhi has criticized.

The government has approved and forwarded, to the President of India, an ordinance on convicted politicians. This ordinance received widespread criticism both from within the and outside the Congress. Even a minister in the government - Milind Deora - has publicly spoken against it.

The latest addition to this brigade was Rahul Gandhi, when he spoke in the media about his opinion which was totally against the ordinance.

It seems that the Congress party has mastered the art of acting against public sentiment and attracting receiving criticism at almost every step.

Supreme Court's Landmark Decision - voters get the RIGHT TO REJECT

Yes finally it is here... - The Right to Reject

Even as the Union Cabinet has prepared an ordinance against Supreme Court's decision to immediately disqualify convicted politician.

The bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice Ranjan Gogoi has delivered what can be easily classified as the most revolutionary, path-breaking decision.

The honourable justices have directed the election commission to implement a NOTA (none-of-the-above) button in all EVMs and Ballot Papers in a phased manner and directed the center to provide support.

I personally welcome the decision and agree that this will force the political parties to nominate popular candidates.

General Elections 2014: BJP has started drawing its guns, Congress needs to wake up

General Election 2014 is less than one year away.

Today, BJP President Rajnath Singh has formally launched BJP's election preparations by announcing Narendra Modi's name as the Chairman of the party's Election Campaign. This decision was taken at the BJP conclave at Goa, where most senior BJP leaders where present, except BJP veteran L. K. Advani.

The way things are evolving It is being (safely) assumed that Narendra Modi will be the next Prime Ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is also being popularly assumed that his Congress rival in the race to PM house will be Rahul Gandhi.


One thing is obvious that the amount of media time and attention Narendra Modi is getting is much much more than what Rahul Gandhi is getting.  Let us see how the media and voters perceive these two.

Media Presentation of Narendra Modi

Most of the time when the media talks of Narendra Modi, he generally gets a positive reference as next Prime Minister of India -

• whether the NDA alliance partners will accept him as the NDA candidate for Prime Minister,
• whether he will be a good prime minister,
• what his agenda will be as a prime minister,

I am implying that the voters hear about Narendra Modi as if he is winning or he has won.

Media Presentation of Rahul Gandhi

On the other hand, most media reporting about Rahul Gandhi is not so positive. Most of the discussion about Congress is about whether the Congress will be able to complete its current tenure. Sometimes these media discussions are to the tune of how badly Rahul Gandhi will lose.

Media coverage being received by the Congress party is not going in favor of Rahul Gandhi, especially looking at the way things have developed around the Congress led UPA government at the helm of India, the scams, denial to enact strict anti-corruption laws, policy and decision paralysis, et al

The way some senior Congress leaders react in front of the camera makes me feel that the party has accepted that it will not be returning to power in the 2014.

The Candidates and The Media

Besides this, Narendra Modi has himself ensured that he gets regular media coverage - be it his speech in front of student in some college, be it his video address to American student, be his visits to Delhi, Bihar, the coverage of the BJP conclave at Goa, etc.

Whereas Rahul Gandhi, I feel, has made a conscious effort to keep himself away from the media and limelight. Rahul Gandhi is seldom seen in the media, and further he seldom addresses the people (via the media cameras and pens).

In short, I think that BJP is way ahead in the preparedness for General Election 2014. The Congress party has tighten its belt and change the negative perception that is filtering through to the voters.

Corruption, corruption and more corruption - even Cricket is not untouched

Now-a-days, the news channels and news papers are busy exposing some corruption, scam, scandal or the other. Most of the time, the ruling UPA Government at New Delhi has been at the target of these agencies, but this time the focus has shifted.

After being in the negative-light for Lokpal, Black Money, 2G, CWG, Coalgate scandals, it must be taking a breath of relief that this it is Cricket that has hit the media.

This time the focus has shifted to Cricket and the scandal of spot fixing in the IPL matches. The media reporters are busy working overtime trying to keep up pace with the revelations that are coming out from the various investigating agencies and the subsequent reactions and developments after each exposure.

There is so much money around the Indian Premier League from its very inception, in fact I was surprised to know that people were willing to pay so much money for owning teams and then again were still ready to shell out more for "buying" players for their teams.

I think it was only a matter of time before some controversy, the underworld and the betting industry stepped in.

And not surprisingly, in the second year itself it was forced to shift the tournament to South Africa due to some controversy. Then next season (in 2010) the first IPL commissioner and the "father" of IPL Lalit Modi was removed from his chair following allegations of corruption and irregularities amidst other charges.

The matches of IPL 2012 were also stained with reports of spot fixing, but this year (2013) the spot fixing scandal is promising to be the murkiest of it all. This time celebrities - cricket players, a film star and allegedly a team owner - are involved. The cops have already taken some of these celebrities into custody alongwith several bookies from different cities.

So much so, the controversy still appears to only be bloating and expanding. Time alone will tell whether the it will burst or fizzle out.

All things said - one thing is certain - the Congress led UPA government must be considering it a relief that this time it is not at the receiving end of the bad news and publicity - for a change.

BJP voted out of power in Karnataka Polls

I have strongly believed that performance of political parties matters.

This has been proven once again in the Karnataka Polls. BJP had demonstrated a lot of in-fighting and misrule in the State. Corruption, Illegal Mining, Peer Fighting - the party was highlighted in the media for all the wrong reasons.

So, it is quite natural that the people demonstrate their anger where they can and the results have spoken today.

Another election where this performance theory was proven right is the Gujarat Polls. The voters voted Narendra Modi back to power in response to all the positive environment that was created in response to his development based administration.

Once again a demonstration that performance matters.

Next - Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi are in queue. These states are supposed to go to polls before 2013 ends.

Here is how I perceive the political scenario.

Delhi Polls

I believe that in Delhi, the Congress government has been in the news more for the wrong reasons than the right.

Sheila Dixit must combat the gloomy corruption-ridden perception of the Congress-led UPA government in the Center and the insensitive image of the government in the state.

The biggest factor being the way issue of security of women has been handled. To top it, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been constantly nagging it for its insensitive price rise of electricity and water.

Sheila Dixit will be leading the Congress government to polls for the 4th time. It remains to be seen whether she stills retains public trust.

Madhya Pradesh (MP)

Shivraj Singh Chauhan has not been much in the news for the wrong reasons.

I feel that even he will be leading his party to polls on a development-based campaign. If selected by his party, he will be leading his party in the state elections for the 2nd time.

Chhattisgarh

Dr. Raman Singh to has managed to keep his team of politicians away from the negative media. He has a development model to display.

• The creation of new districts. 
• Naya Raipur.
• Free Pilgrimage.
• Many-fold increase in the use of Information Technology.

would be his main strengths and achievements. Besides, this most of his development work can be seen only in Raipur the state capital.

Coalgate Independent Investigation - the Role of CBI and of the Government

The recent fiasco of the UPA regime came to the fore when reports of Government interference in the preparation of the Status Report by CBI on Coal Mine scam were published in the media.

The anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare was started on the very premise that there should be an independent investigation agency devoid of any government interference. An investigating agency that would be free to investigate and prosecute anyone irrespective of position and status.

The recent developments,

• starting with the revelation of the fact that the Coalgate investigation report was shared with the law minister, 
• the accusing letter from Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval addressed to Attorney General GE Vahanvati 
• followed by Supreme Court's observations that the CBI need not take instructions from political masters, 

once again highlight the need for an independent investigating agency.

The Government of India had already given clear indications that it was not going to do anything to take action against the corrupt. The way action was taken against campaigners like Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdeo are glaring examples.

In fact, it has done all in its power to protect the high-profile accused. It is very disappointing.

We can only hope things improve.

2012 - Ends on a Bad Note

Today, 29-Dec-2012, the 23 year old rape victim, whose ordeal shook the nation, passed away in Singapore. She died in the wee hours due multiple organ failure at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

The year 2012 has ended on a bad note with the death of this young lady. May her soul rest in peace.


The death of the brave girl who "wanted to live" marks the end of her ordeal that began on the night of 16-Dec-2012 when she was returning from a movie with her friend.

The girl had suffered grave injuries at the hands of the criminals and had been critical since she was brought to the hospital. Doctors had to removed her intestine.


The nation was shaken by the incident. For the first time in the nation's history people were out on the street protesting against the government inaction and demand stringent laws for those who commit crimes against women.

2012 - Who grew in Indian Politics?

2012 has been a busy year for Indian Politics.

Swami Ramdev, Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal are some of the new names that have emerged on the political front during the course of 2012. Each of these three got prominence due the government's apparent inaction in tackling corruption and black money.

Swami Ramdev and Anna Hazare got great public support for their campaign against black money and corruption. But, the ruling Congress-led coalition managed to suppress their movements. The government managed to successfully put Swami Ramdev on the back foot, while Anna Hazare's campaign lost its sheen as Anna was apparently not able to recover fully from the effects of his hunger fast.

Arvind Kejriwal once a member of Team Anna has not yet given up. He is still going strong. He and his colleagues have launched a political party - Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). They are still gunning for a strong Lokpal bill. and are even willing to contest in the next elections, if necessary.

Other names that stole the limelight and grew in stature during 2012 are Narendra Modi, Akhilesh Yadav.

In Narendra Modi become the Chief Minister of Gujarat for the fourth time. In December he chalked his hat-trick - his third consecutive victory in the Gujarat Assembly polls.It was a big year for Narendra Modi himself when he was praised for the development work that he has done in the state during his tenure.

Narendra Modi's stature grew so much that he has almost become BJP's next Prime Ministerial Candidate for the next General Elections. The General Elections are originally due in 2014, but many political experts have publicly predicted that the nation could go to polls in 2013 itself.

In 2012, Akhilesh Yadav became the youngest Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh when his party ousted Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party. A lot was promised during the elections and a lot is expected from this young Chief Minister.

Violence is not and can never be part of any solution

Violence is not and can never be even a small part of the solution to any problem.

No matter how much disagreement you have with anybody - violence can never be part of the solution, at best it will only compound the problem. No matter who instigates is, no matter who strikes first.

This is what has happened at India Gate in New Delhi. So many protestors were injured, one police constable even lost his life.

Please no more!

It is my request to the representatives of the people that form the governments, to be a little more sensitive to the sentiments of the crowd. No person is on the streets for the fun of it. The people have taken the streets in such large numbers because they feel that the government is not delivering.

Reports of rape,  crimes against women and other crimes against humanity have become common-place and still there are so few arrests and even fewer convictions. It is quite natural for the people feel insecure. I think it is right for the people to have come out in large numbers to ask the representatives, they have elected, to do something to create a secure and save environment.

Where else can they go?

The string of events that lead to the lathi-charge were very misfortunate. It has only increased the gap between the people and the government.

Please no more!

Life can be pleasant and peaceful for all only if this gap reduces. I request the leaders to handle the issue, that has touched so many hearts, a little more sensitively.

What I think about Narendra Modi?

Narendra Modi has led BJP's victory in the Gujarat Assembly Elections for the third time. This time he has made it to the house with 115 seats (in 2012) as compared to 117 seats (in 2007).

Judging by the media reports it is certain that he is the most eligible prime-ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janta Party for the forthcoming 2014 general election.

So it is time Indians start taking serious note of him. Below is what I think about him. It may or may not be right, this is my impression of Narendra Modi.

Besides many things, I feel that Narendra Modi is a man with strong likes and dislikes and he shown that he has the guts to stand by what he thinks he wants to do and not do.

According to me, the biggest positive for Narendra Modi's election campaign was that it was above caste and religion. I mean he did not comment for or against any caste or religion. His opponents - that is the Congress Party and others did rake up caste and religion issues during the campaign - but I did not see him speaking on this matter.

The impression that the people have about his religious inclinations and behavior towards the minorities has been created by the media and by his opposition. I think that he himself has rarely made any comment on this matter.

He did not spend much time criticizing his opponents. He simply focused on development.

It is clear that he realizes the significance of elections and voters. During this tenure he made regular public appearances which were obviously political in nature. The frequency of such appearances obviously increased this year (2012) as the elections drew closer.