Dear manmohan Ji you cannot be absolved of 2G scam?

I am surprised to see the weak defense of the PM, on the 2g scam, and I truly hold him in high esteem. It is like nero slept?? while Rome was burning. How can it be, how can we say that the PM was oblivious of the decision taken. When every media, was screaming itself hoarse, during the spectrum allocation process of 2007, that it is being arbitrary. I still remember the day when pictures of telecom operators fighting among themselves to be in que to get the license, was displayed prominently a mockery of spectrum allocation was being made.

We as citizen of India could understand that something diabolical was going on, flouting all rules with impunity. I fail to understand that the PM was oblivious, of the whole development. One strong stance could have changed the whole game. But the compulsion of coalition politics made it all possible. Ultimately, the PM also succumbed to re inducting Raja the second time in cabinet, with the same portfolio, showing the utter helplessness of UPA 2 or the PM??????

Today, what we see is a product of judicial activism and public pressure on Congress to change its image, from a scam ridden party to a more assertive, 0 zero tolerance to corruption party.

Well its never too late, but I feel the image of the PM has taken a hit in a big way, and I foresee this blemish on his impeccable career, will always be there in the pages of history.

BJP needs to do a serious rethink

I was just pondering on the future of BJP, after Advani, to my surprise not a single coherent face came to my mind. Narendra modi, for all his personality and media coverage is the only person, who comes close to mind, if one thinks of advani's replacement. But, the sad part is with modi comes the image of hard line hindutva, no matter, what he has done for the development of Gujarat. He is undoubtedly an able administrator, but the association of Modi with hardline hindutva is a well nigh impossible to remove perception.
Apart from Modi, I could not recollect a single face, who could have a pan-India stature and appeal. This is surely a defining moment for BJP in terms of bringing in new and dynamic face and also doing a total rethink on its focus and strategy in terms of ideology.
Indian voters in the recent years have clearly reiterated that Anti incumbency is no longer a trend and seeing the opportunism of regional parties, they have given a clear mandate to national parties for a stable government.
Good governance and a focused communication around it, is the key to wining elections.
No amount of hysteria around religion and communities can really bring in votes.
Its time for BJP to really do a serious rethink, on its future strategy, before it goes back to its 86 days when they had just 2 lok sabha seats, that too was represented by legendary personalities like Atal Bihari and Advani.

Congress should not succumb to DMK for "Raja"

Keeping in view the announcement of DMK to give outside support to congress, as their aspirations and demand are not being met by a resurgent congress, which is not ready to be blackmailed by allies.
I am not sure but it is being hinted that DMK is adamant on Raja (the ex telecom minister, known for all the wrong reasons wrt telecom policies), to be inducted in the cabinet, even if he does not get IT. But, Congress, is very much aware of Raja's reputation as a minister, and is not willing to send a wrong signal to people by inducting him under pressure. I believe that Congress should stick by its stance of not inducting raja, and give a strong signal that non-performers will not be tolerated in the new ministry.
DMK is known for its pressure tactics, and has put congress in a bit of back foot, but keeping political alliances in mind, this could be the first litmus test for the congress, in terms of taking a strong stance.
I know its not easy to just ward of allies, in a jiffy , because of arrogance of numbers, as ultimately, congress will need support of numbers and could end up yielding to some other parties demand. But in a changed scenario, congress needs to take a strong stance on Raja and other such ministers who are known for their non-performance and not so good reputation.

Congress should take Laloo at its peril?

I really don't understand the reason congress is even pondering over the future of laloo with UPA? I can see only two viable reasons, congress's sympathy for a beleaguered laloo, who has at times stood for congress or congress wanting to have laoo as an alliance in Bihar, for coming vidhan sabha election. Both the reasons will make congress's any opportunity to rise in Bihar like it did in UP, impossible.
Firstly, the verdict in Bihar is clear, people have outright rejected Laloo and his opportunistic stance. Any party seen standing with laloo in Bihar, would meet the same fate. Secondly, Laloo very conveniently ditched Congress, during elections, with a view to bargain in the government formation. laloo's intent was clear, the fourth front, would be the KING MAKER.
Alas!! people saw through it and summarily rejected the stance.
If congress has even an iota of chance to revive in Bihar, it could be either through fighting it alone, or in alliance with Nitish.
The people of Bihar, if ever would look at alternative to Nitish, they will go for congress and never for laloo.
So making laloo or any of RJD memeber a minister in the UPA formation, would send a wrong signal to people of Bihar, making congress loose on any opportunity to be a potent force in Bihar.

Congress and JD U should work together!!

I personally feel that Nitish, should in the long run, do what naveen patnaik, did to BJP in Orissa. Hat's off to BJD's strategy and conviction, that has really paid of so well. Nitsh today or later will have to part way's from BJP, as the very nature of both parties ideologically is different. Nitish is seen as a secular person, with no leanings towards any fundamentalist issues, while BJP, until it does a full image makeover, will always be burdened with its legacy of mandir and masjid, which for people of India, is no more than rhetoric.
In the long run, Congress and JD U , would always be more in sync as alliance partners.
Right now, Nitish, can't take the risk of elections in Bihar, for vidhan sabha, but the election being due in two years time, Nitish should look at parting ways, sometimes before the elections.
This would lead to total pulverization of RJD as a party and give congress also a heads up in Bihar, with Nitish's impeccable legacy.
Or Nitish should go all alone, but in this era of coalition politics, to have a say at national level, alignment with one of the larger national parties is also needed.

One liner analysis of elections results trends till now-11AM

End of laloo's era
Good governance pays
Rahul Gandhi's magic works
Amar singh and mulayam singh can never be written off
100 % positive endorsement of Nitish's policies in Bihar
Mamta Banerjee's singur campaign has been a clincher
Left might need to take a right turn
Indian voters becoming more aware
Any rhetoric except for development will not work
Youth will lead Indian politics..........
Muslim voters turning to Congress fold after much failed experimentation

The D-day for democracy: Who will form the government?

Tomorrow India shall awake, to witness the world's largest democracy results leading to probable government formation. Exit polls unanimous shows that there Will be a hung verdict and no party getting absolute majority and this is totally on expected lines. UPA does have an edge over NDA in terms of numbers as per the exit polls and also the alignment of potential allies.
All the parties are in hectic parleys with their potential and existing alliance partners, while the smaller parties taking an ambiguous stance over their preference.
Nitish Kumar has played the "special status to Bihar card" at an opportune moment, to which Congress has immediately agreed in principle. jayalalitha is still to open her cards, whether she will be with third front, UPA or NDA, but her agenda is simple, she wants DMK out of Tamil Nadu. SP-RJD_LJP will in all probabilites side with UPA, as they don't have much options.
It will be quite interesting to wake up tomorrow and see what future holds for India.
As there have been innumerable instances when all the predictions have gone for a toss, and the biggest of political pundits, have not been able to predict the mood and pulse of people.

Nitish-Modi sharing dais: A conflicting signal

Personally I have nothing against Mr. Narendra Modi, I find him to be a great administrator, who has done well for the development of Gujarat. All the corporate honchos, have hailed him as the perfect individual for PM posts, which has been endorsed by even select BJP members.
However, on the other side, his perception, is also that of a hardline hindutva personality, who has been held allegedly responsible for the godhra riots, by a large part of population.
Nitish Kumar, had not allowed Modi to canvas in Bihar, and this was openly admitted by Mr. Advani. To win over minority support, Nitish, did give a stern signal, that no hardline religious insinuations or campaign would be tolerated in Bihar. BJP, owing to the influence Nitish wields readily obliged. Bihar was one place, where the star campaigner Mr. Modi did not visit.
I am sure this did appease a large part of the minority populace, who are inherently inimical to Modi.
But, just after the end of the voting in the state of Bihar, Mr. Nitish Kumar, visited ludhiana, and shared dais with Modi, which made big news and was the headlines of all the news channels.
As there was much speculation on Nitish's visit to that place.
This did give laloo and Paswan a rare chance to take snide at Nitish, saying that the latter has shown his true colors, once the voting was over.
I feel Nitish's presence as an alliance partner and sharing the dais is not really a big deal, keeping in view the alliance, however, it could give a conflicting signal to a large part of minority voters in Bihar, as the timing was just too close for comfort.

The Trinity:Mulayam-Laloo-Paswan

One of the most interesting thing of this general election has been the coming together of vowed enemies of yesteryear's on one platform, with an aim to cling to power at center at whatever cost. Yes! mulayam, Laloo and paswan, could be a good plot for a bollywood film called the "opportunist trinity'.
The manner of their alliance, leaves not even an iota of doubt about their motives, there is nothing veiled or enigmatic, the motto is clear, together we can bargain power, with whoever comes to center (I am sure till now that BJP will not be considered).
Individually, both Laloo and Mulayam, has huge stakes if they are not able to cling to power, both can't afford to be in a state of affairs, where they have to face a hostile Center and equally hostile state.
At state level, elections are still years away, and the interregnum, without power could prove quite costly. Moreover, fading away of icons from public memory in nothing new, and both lalu and Maulayam can't afford the same. For, the first time, both RJD and SP are not able to take Muslim votes for granted. In Bihar the MY (Muslim yadav), equation has been badly shattered, while in UP, the induction of Kalyan singh to SP, is being called a hara kiri, done by Mulayam singh, as far as Muslim votes are concerned.
Kalyan Singh, who has been widely perceived to be the man behind Babri Masjid demolition, will always be a pariah for the muslim community.
As far as Paswan is concerned, I would call his position not as precarious as Lalu and Mulayam. Paswan as it is would not be hoping to win more than 5-6 seats, and all his strategy would be based on the same. A forecast of hung Parliament, where even one MP can make a difference, paswan would have a role to play, moreover, Paswan, would not be as inimical to joining hands with parties like BJP, as Mulayam and Laloo would be.
Whatever the outcome of the elections, the thing worth waiting for would be what fate do the trinity meet, if they are able to hold to the power, through collective bargain, it would be considered a master stroke and if they don't muster up enough numbers, history would condemn them for their short sightedness...

Recession: Bringing sanity to job market

Being in a private sector, amidst recession is not really a good feeling, there is a sword of Damocles hanging on each one's head. There are rumors, speculations that lead to further uncertainity, as a layman its always difficult to understand the true colors of recession and how is it really impacting the economy, and subsequently our lives.
I truly believe, that India is undergoing a slowdown and not recession in truest sense of the term. Our monetary and fiscal policy has really stood the test of the day, and with so many Leviathan banks across globe's vanishing or declaring bankruptcy, Indian institutions have stood the test of the time.
I personally feel, that this slow down was imminent, as the going was to good to be true. My observations are restricted to the job market, and not a very macro one. There was a kind of an euphoria, defying all logic, youngsters, with less than two years of experience (not the IIM's and IIT's) expecting salaries and perks, much beyond their calibre and output. People had become too self centered and were overlooking the dynamic of any business, that operates in an environment. But, since it was a norm, and there were alternaltives, the employers or the companies, mostly yielded to demands.
Job hopping had become a fashion statement, and stability and long term commitment was looked down upon as weakness. Naturally good money brings better life and you tend to look at all the good things in life, which gives one, a sense of achievement and satisfaction. This led to a huge spurt in spending on consumerism, and banks and financial institutions, abetting this trend by giving credit cards, easy loans.
Alas! all good things comes to an end, and with the setting of recession, starting with the bust of Lehman Brother, the world, which seemed so good got Topsy turvy. Within no time the rules of the game changed, the same employers who pampered people for retention, brought out apt performance criterion and sometimes arbitrary, to trim down cost and work force. A whole new generation, which had never been witness to downturn, suddenly, saw an environment, where to survive you have to be diligent, disciplined and thrifty.
Suddenly, heroes turned villains, all the corporates who got into downsizing and cost cutting were labelled as shrewd, callous capitalists, who are intent on sucking the blood of innocent employees. Well I would not want to get into the morality of the debate.

One good thing which I feel this recession has brought about, is an attitudinal correction, especially among the youths, who after seeing the harsh realities of life are realizing that road to success is always through staircase and taking a lift, will always come at a price!!!

Bihar tops list of LS candidates facing criminal charges

Just found an article on the web, which basis a report shows that Bihar still tops the list of candidates facing criminal charges, followed by UP. Find below the news with the links:

Bihar has topped the list of states having the highest number Lok Sabha candidates facing criminal charges so far for this year, a report prepared by NGOs has claimed.
The report, jointly prepared by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), claims that out of a total 200 candidates contesting general elections, 51 contestants have been found facing various criminal charges.
The number amounts to 25.50 per cent of the total number of candidates contesting general elections from the state.
Uttar Pradesh has figured a close second with 46 candidates of a total 268 contestants in the fray facing criminal charges.
Maharashtra comes third in the list with 42 of 242 Lok Sabha candidates from the state having criminal charges against them.
In Andhra Pradesh, out of a total 314 candidates in the fray, 34 contestants are facing criminal charge, the report claims.
ADR and NEW said the report was prepared by analyzing 1,440 affidavits filed by the Lok Sabha candidates contesting from 11 states in the first phase of polls. NEW comprises more than 1,200 NGOs and other citizen-led organisations.

India Elections with Google, Yahoo, and Internet

Close to the heels of yahoo, google has also announced the launch of a website for Indian elections. This truly goes on to show, that elections like cricket, is becoming a good tool of monetization, for a lot of companies, with Internet brands like Yahoo and google, leading the flock. And why not, if we look at the kind of money being pumped in by political parties, unofficially people say that a single general election entails spending to the tune of whopping USD 2-4 Billion.
Online campaigning with social media, blogs, twitters, is truly the hall mark of this general election, heralding a new era of campaigning, aimed at targeting the "youths" and other people, for who, Internet is a way of life and primary source for gathering information.
Obama's election campaign can be seen as a watershed in the usage of web in political campaigns. Well, it would be unfair to compare in anyways, US with India in terms of Internet, defining users opinion, but still, in times to come, this medium, will be an integral part of all political campaigns.
I would not be surprised to see all our representatives having a blog address, on their cards, and rustic MLA's and MP's taking a lesson or two on Internet and its nuances.



This could be a good business model for budding entrepreneurs, to start up consultancy and Internet political advisory firms. The target audience will never be bereft of cash:)

Yahoo! India launches special site for general elections 2009

Hi, Folks I found this piece of release informative for all my readers who wants to have an overview on the ongoing general elections in India.

News:
Yahoo! India, the leading Internet company, announced the launch of a new site focused on providing users with up-to-date information on upcoming 2009 general elections. Users can access all the election updates on elections.yahoo.in

As India gears up for its biggest parliamentary elections this summer, Yahoo! India’s elections site aims at creating an involved and an informed voter. With various political parties and leaders already using the Internet as a medium to reach out to voters, these elections are also about catering to a large online audience. elections.yahoo.in offers the best of election content through various features and tools.

Apart from being able to view the latest news updates, the elections site will let users share their opinions and updates on various leaders and constituencies during elections, thus help in making an informed choice. In order to cater to a large section of youth, several of whom could be voting for the first time, the special elections site also focuses on educating them on the importance of casting their votes.

Updates on election schedules, expert analysis, online polls, discussion forums, opinions and photos would be some of the other key features on the site. As the site evolves, Yahoo! India will also include interesting features like Manifesto Comparisons (a user can compare manifestos of various political parties) as well as comic strips on various news and updates during the tenure of the elections.

Talibanization of Pakistan, a time for concerted action from civilized world

The impunity with which the terrorists are executing their savage plans, gives an eerie feeling of a powerful invisible hand, providing support to these organizations. Pakistan has been witness to close to 18 gory attacks which includes sri lankan team and the recent police training center, in a span of 30-40 days, it goes on to show that no one is in command there.
This is truly a precarious situation for India, which needs immediate attention, and a pragmatic approach to deal with the situation. I feel that first the mistrust which we have on Pakistan has to be played down and explore situation, where a true solution can be reached through serious dialogues, based on facts and analysis.
We can't afford to have neighbor under Taliban control. What is surprising me is in some way the complacency of the US, either they are not truly comprehending the exigency of the situation or they have some other game plan, like neutralizing the hard core Talibans through moderate ones, or creating factionalism in the group.
However, I don't feel that the philosophy which Taliban follows there is any scope of neutral and extreme.
It is time for urgent action, the coming together of civilized world, to act on this brute force, which has the potential to create an Armageddon.
There is an urgent to need to look at reasons beyond militancy and ideologies, that why people who are barely in their 20's are ready to give up their life for a cause, they don't even understand. Is there a social-economic imperative that needs to be looked into. Has the time come to create a more equitable system, globally, so that extreme disparity does not become a congenial ground for breeding terror?