Lok Sabha Elections 2024-A Post mortem

The results of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, are out and have surprised many of us. The BJP party which has been ruling for the last ten years with a comfortable majority of its own was facing this election with an inherent anti-incumbency factor. However, the party put up a brave face and announced a target of 370 seats to be achieved this time (400+ for the NDA) out of 543 which was far above its achievement in the 2019 elections. Not only the party but the country was surprised at this tall order. Looking back at what its charismatic leader, Narendra Modi, had been able to achieve in the past, everyone believed that it may be a possibility. As the slogan goes, 'Modi hai to mumkin hai'. But the results proved the BJP brass wrong as they not only missed the target of 370 but also missed the majority on their own i.e. 272. 

Simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, the elections to Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa assemblies were also held. BJP has won a majority in Arunachal and Orissa on its own while in Andhra, its NDA partner TDP has registered a comfortable win. Sikkim was wrested by the local Sikkim Krantikari Morcha. The forming of the BJP government in two of the above states and the NDA government in another state more than compensate for the losses in parliamentary elections. 

An analysis of the gains and losses has been attempted hereunder to understand what went wrong with the strategy of the NDA this time, particularly the BJP. Out of 543 seats, NDA has been able to garner 291 (BJP:240, TDP:16, SS:7, JDU:12 & LJP:5), INDI Alliance bagged 234 seats (Cong:99, SP:37, TMC:29, DMK:22 & SS(UBT):9 while Others have got 18 seats (YSRC:4 & SAD:1 etc). NDA has a clear majority and can form government but no individual party has crossed the majority mark on its own. 

1) Total Dependence on Modi's Charisma: The BJP has been totally dependent on the charisma of Modi and most of the MPs have contributed practically nothing to popularise the schemes of the government and establish a rapport with the people in their constituency. My personal experience is that the MP ( Even the MLA) of our area was not seen even once visiting our colony. On the other hand, Modi has himself shown exemplary energy and dedication to his work and his campaigning in the election was to be seen to be believed. This time he was even interviewed by many journalists. His continuous talking to the people in 'Man Ki Baat' on AIR has been one of his great strengths where people send him their questions and he tries to answer them. 

2) Selection of Candidates: It is noticed that the selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls was done by the High Command centrally ignoring the ground realities and the feedback from the State CMs. Before elections, many a CM were changed fearing incumbency factor and their non-performance but some of them recorded victory on the hustings subsequently. Shivraj Singh Chouhan has won the Lok Sabha election with a record margin of over 8 lakhs. Firstly, while choosing the CMs initially proper caste, integrity and popularity factors must be taken into account so that they do not have to be replaced midway. They should be given a free hand to manage their states without rushing to the Centre for guidance.

3) The Unresolved Farmer's Agitation:  The farmer's agitation kept engaging the Central Government for more than a year and even thereafter their demands were not properly addressed. It is emphasised that farmers form a large block of voters who can make or break the governments. The fact remains that the present government passed bills in parliament without consulting them which ignited the fire and consequently the government had to withdraw the bills. However, the incident allowed the farmers in north India to press for MSP and other demands to which the government did not agree. Everybody has seen what followed besides the insult to the National flag on the Red Fort. Disagreement on the issue has been simmering in the minds of farmers in Punjab and Haryana where BJP has recorded dismal performance. The farmers of UP led by Rakesh Tikait, though comparatively less pugnacious, have shown their resentment at the Lok Sabha polls. To make things worse the present government has developed an image to be pro-capitalists rather than pro-farmers. The narrative strengthened when the opposition called Modi a friend and benefactor of Adani and Ambani. 

4) Justice Delayed: Several cases happened during the last five years where justice was not done promptly. The reason was that some kith and kin of BJP leaders were involved. Nabbing of culprits should have been done immediately on the occurrence of the incident and action taken not only to file FIRs against the accused but also to ensure the cases were taken to their logical end. The delayed action and that too under pressure from the public or social platforms has made people believe that influential people can get scot-free even if they commit heinous crimes. A fine example of such a case was the complaint of the female athletes who alleged that they were abused by their coach. This case was initially shelved and ultimately had to be followed up and is presently in the concerned court. 

5) Uttar Pradesh Dilemma: The biggest surprise was thrown by the results of UP. The matter needs to be investigated properly as to what were the factors for such a dismal performance. I have already pointed out two factors; one, disagreement between Yogi Adityanath and the Centre in the choice of candidates, and the second, the after-effects of farmer's agitation. Probably the style of functioning of Yogi Adityanath may not have gone down well with the common public as it may have installed a sense of fear in their hearts though his actions are lauded by the intellectual and honest citizens. The marginalisation of Mayawati too has played a significant role in the outcome of polls. She totally withdrew from the election scene and did not actively participate as in the past and consequently, her vote bank got transferred to the SP-Congress combine. 

6) Nonachievement of Primary Goals: It goes without doubt that the Modi government has failed to achieve some major goals like the implementation of UCC in the country. It wasted its time in sidelining the objective by passing legislation on CAA, NRC and Triple Talaq. It was possible that the government would have faced a lot of opposition on this account but it would have given confidence to the majority of Indians that the government means business rather than appeasement. Now with present dispensation, the UCC will have to go into the cold storage. 

7) The Activities of ED/CBI: It is said that one should not only be honest but he should be seen to be honest. The present government has as per them allowed these agencies to be independent which has resulted in the unearthing of so much hoarded cash and so many corruption cases. But frankly speaking what happened to the people who left the country like Mallya, Modi, Choksi etc? We hear about them from election to election and now it is ages since they have absconded. Besides, how many cases of corruption and nepotism have been registered by these institutions during the last ten years and how many people out of them have been convicted? Does the National Herald case take so much time? What happened to the cases of the Saradha Chit fund? So many politicians are behind bars without chargesheets having been finalised. Imagine when the FIRs will be filed and when the courts will decide. Why hasn't legislation been passed to dedicate some courts to such cases only and get the cases investigated and decided promptly? No, the government does not want that but uses such cases only for adverse publicity of the opposition leaders. The present government is a firm believer in attrition and not punishment.  In case the institutions are overburdened, they should only pick up cases which may have the lowest mortality rate and can be finalised soon. Unless the government shows its intent to really take to task the corrupt and dishonest, its clean image will gradually get eroded notwithstanding its claims to transparency and good governance.

Worse still is that the BJP has been crying all the time about many politicians involved in scams. The same politicians have been subsequently inducted into the party and offered lucrative posts. As a result, it is hard to believe that the government is sincere about cleaning the administrative set-up of corrupt people. The argument of the government spokesmen that the cases have not been withdrawn against such people and the law will take its own course is hard to digest by the common people. After so many years the biggest symbol of corruption, The Adarsh Building, still stands tall in Mumbai and no action has been taken against the culprits.  

8) Breaking up Opposition Parties: Of late the BJP was possessed by an evil spirit which led it to bring down opposition governments in states. In some cases, they were successful and replaced them with a better and efficient government but in most cases, such acts only brought a bad name to the party especially where the alternative government indulged in corruption and nepotism. The BJP central command could not replace their own government for fear of revolt by the CM concerned who held influence among the major castes in the state. Naturally therefore a bad precedence was created. The best example is Karnataka, the only state in the South where BJP had been ruling for a long time. In respect of Maharashtra splitting of both Shiv Sena and NCP was yet another mistake committed by the high command of BJP. Split, of course, happened but at what cost? In the recent elections, the BJP could not register as many wins as it had done in 2019. This is beside what will be in store for forthcoming assembly elections. A similar attempt was made in HP which, however, failed.

9) Price rise and Unemployment: There is no doubt that the present government has had to face severe times. Conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine have been there for more than a year. The coronavirus pandemic created havoc all across the world and affected the economies. India has been able to survive all these and maintain its growth. But people do not go by the reasons they only accept what they perceive. On the other hand, the government has emphasised avoiding overburdening of exchequer through unproductive employment and laid stress on skill development and self-employment besides expanding private employment opportunities. The people in India under the influence of socialist regimes in the past have got used to believing that employment means only regular government employment with pensionary benefits as in the olden days. Accordingly, the Opposition parties exploited the situation and created a false narrative that there is rampant unemployment and price rise in India. They even went hammer and tongs against the Indian Army Agniveer Scheme since it is a short-term engagement only. So despite the creation of private-sector employment, the people were made to believe that the government was not interested in these areas to help the poor.  

On the other hand, there is, however, a positive side of the coin too which is discussed in brief as follows:

1) Expansion of Network: The present government has not focussed on the vote-catching areas only but expanded the reach of the party to every nook and corner of the country. The party was born after the emergency, though it already had a base in the form of erstwhile Jana Sangh which had amalgamated with other parties to form the Janta Party. In the first attempt, it got only 2 seats in the Lok Sabha. The concerted efforts made initially by L K Advani and Vajpayee, the Rath Yatra and the Ram Temple episode helped it not only revive its image as a Hindutava Party but also gain an immense voter base so much so that the party was able to form a government under the able leadership of Vajpayee. Later the ten-year interregnum of Manmohan Singh as Congress PM allowed it to introspect and it bounced back under the unmatched leadership of Narendra Modi in 2014. He has been very industrious and focused on ensuring that the BJP flag is hoisted in all the states in the country. He concentrated his efforts on developing infrastructure in hitherto neglected areas of the Northeast, which yielded good results. Today the party not only rules in Assam but Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh as well. It has also made deep inroads in West Bengal and replaced CPI(M) and Congress as the main opposition party in the state. In the elections recently held for Odisha assembly the party is likely to form its own government for the first time. Gujarat, UP, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Himachal, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Goa and Maharashtra have also welcomed the growth of BJP at the grassroots level. The resistance is seen in J&K and Punjab besides the southern states like AP, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala etc. Some hiccups have of late been experienced in Maharashtra. However, it is a matter of immense joy for the party to have made inroads in Andhra, Telangana and Kerala in the recently concluded elections.

2) Integration of the Country: While efforts have been made to settle differences with extremist groups in the Northeast and many of these have already joined the mainstream, even the Naxals have been either exterminated or reined in and many of them have surrendered to the army. Peace has prevailed in the region except in Manipur which saw a rise in ethnic clashes recently abetted by internal and external forces. The greatest achievement in this regard has been a reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir State into two Union territories i.e. UT of J&K and UT of Ladakh. Article 370 of the Constitution which granted special status to the State has been removed once and for all. 

3) Infrastructural and Industrial Development: There is no doubt about the rapid strides taken by the country in infrastructural development and industrial growth. Today India has attained fifth position in the developed countries in the world. Road networks, Airports, and Railways have shown a marked improvement. Many  AIIMS, hospitals and medical colleges have been added to the existing ones. During the Covid epidemic, the country made its own vaccination and even supplied it to needy countries rather than depending on Western MNCs. Besides the government provided houses, toilets and gas connections to millions in the vast country. 

4) Harnessing of Terror activities: The present government was able to curb the terror activities within the country besides stopping the neighbouring countries from encroaching on our lands or helping the terror outfits. Incidents of terror since 2014 have been minimal as compared to previous periods.

5) International Relations: Ever since the present government has come into existence relations with foreign countries barring a few inimical neighbouring countries have improved a lot. The world listens to India now. Even during the Ukraine and Palestinian conflicts, the country has stood its ground and not come under the influence of either the USA or Russia. Many international meets were organised in the country during the period. 

The present government has done tremendous work in many areas, but I need more time to dwell upon them. Suffice it to say that now that Narendra Modi is going to be the PM of India for the third time but with a slender majority that too depending upon the NDA partners, rapid and risky steps may not be taken this time and he will have to move with caution and care. I wish him the best in his future endeavours.  

*****  

 

Jumla vs Performance

The fact remains that India lost its opportunity to rebuild the nation in 1947 when it was set free. The British found it prudent to hand over power to a mild, non-violent and passive leader Gandhi assisted by westernised Nehru in order to firstly, get a safe passage at that point in time and secondly, to continue their control on its polity indirectly. For seven decades we were tamed to remain as passive slaves, fatalists and the world nicknamed our growth as Hindu Rate of Growth. 

With the rise of Narendra Modi, things have taken a drastic turn but you have to realise that we have lost the golden opportunity to integrate India and make it a nation. Today we have inimical forces all over the country nurtured by Congress since independence be it Tamilnadu, Kashmir, Punjab, North East or other states. To quote a Kashmiri saying the efforts made by Modi are like Yupis Shup Dyun Dole (To stop a flood with a winnow). 

We Kashmiris were not exposed to casteism in the valley but I have worked in many states and seen its dirty face. Shiv Sena's hate against lower castes in Maharashtra and against Goans in Goa, DMK's tirade against Brahmins and Hindi-speaking people followed by some political parties in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra and Telangana, inter-tribal hate-mongering and bloodshed in North East, extinction of aborigines in Tripura by refugees from East Bengal, outwitting of Assamese by Bengali refugees and so on. Modi or Shah don't have a Staff of Moses to counter this. 

Nevertheless, what surprises me is the wrong priorities of the present government. They are wasting their energy on many trivial things to remain in power. Yes, it is a known fact that money is inducted into different channels in India like the purchase of journalists, expanding the network of subversive NGOs by vested interests to dislodge the present government and funding helpful opposition political parties. That, however, is a natural outcome of BJP's all-out efforts to ensure a Congress-mukt Bharat and follows Newton's law, "To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." 

I must frankly admit that I am not able to convince myself of Modi's soft corner for Adani, the escape of Neerav, Mallya and Choksi from the country, writing off loans of big tax evaders, tie-up with Mehbooba Mufti in J&K despite her soft-corner for Pakistan, the estrangement of allies like Shiv Sena and Akali Dal besides encouragement to vigilantes and lynching mobs. The main agenda of implementing the Uniform Civil Code, ban on proselytising, reduction of unemployment, harnessing price rise, eradicating corruption and taking cases of criminals to the logical end have become only election issues that have remained pending since 2014. Many cases against big guns have not been pursued vigorously for the last nine years. On the other hand, ED and CBI remain active day in and day out raiding political opponents for maligning them mostly when the elections are fast approaching. However, you cannot overlook the fact that India was visited by natural disasters like floods, land erosions in the Himalayas and the worst coronavirus pandemic which the government has successfully coped with. The people watch the government by results on the ground and benefits derived from.  

Time is going to decide the future of this country. The only thing I have faith in is that India has a culture that has withstood such vicissitudes for over five thousand years and will continue to do so. I quote Dr Mohd Iqbal;

       Unan-o-Misr-o-Roma sab mit gaye jahan see,

       Ab tak magar hai baqi nam-o-nishan hamara.

       Kuch  baat  hai  ki   hasti   mit-ti   nahi  hamari,

      Sadiyon raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara.

Modi Government: SWOT Analysis

 

MODI GOVERNMENT: SWOT ANALYSIS

• Strengths:

1. Made BJP expand its base from Cow/Hindi belt to whole of India especially North East, South India & Bengal. No mean achievement.
2. Eschewed dependence on fair weather friends/Allies e.g Shiv Sena, Akali Dal, TDP and even JDU.
3. The image of BJP, hitherto considered as Upper Caste party, was totally overhauled by embracing OBC's, SC's & ST's. Focussed on their development & extended reservations to deserving groups.
4. Reduced a National party i.e Congress to nonentity under Congress Mukt Bharat campaign besides marginalising regional parties like SP, BSP, TDP, NC, PDP etc,
5. Tried to reduce corruption & nepotism in the country despite resistance by vested interests including politicians and bureaucrats.
6. Increased vigilance on internal security of the country. No major Terrorist attacks happened except in & around J&K.
7. Made special efforts to develop Indian defence system and prepare the country for any eventuality due to China-Pakistan military axis. In this effort modern fighter airplanes, tanks, guns, arsenal and clothing for defense personnel were purchased.
8. Gave up Ostrich attitude towards enemies, Stongly resisted Chinese incursions on Northern Border. Struck back at Pakistan for sponsoring terrorist activities in & around J&K. Surgical Strikes yielded expected results.
9. Integrated the country by abrogation of Art 370 & Art 35A besides separation of Ladakh UT to relieve it from Kashmiri hegemony. Kashmir Separatist leaders & their cheerleaders wearing secular masks were totally marginalized.
10. Developed a strong sense of NATIONALISM among Indians which was found lacking generally.
11. Took action against war mongering Left extremists especially Naxalites and reduced their influence on Indian minds.
12. A rethinking on writing objective history of India was initiated with a view of giving proper place to all the dynasties who ruled India from North to South and from West to East besides giving proper place to those martyrs and freedom fighters who had laid their lives in freedom struggle against foreign invaders from time to time but had been hitherto ignored by Historians with vested interests.
13. To further this aim Civilian Awards were given to deserving people working for the society in remote areas rather than celebrities who come to limelight due to media propaganda.
14. Washed away from Indian minds the much hyped Socialism and Social justice which despite 70 years hardly bore any fruit since the number of poor and illiterate increased in number. In fact it was politicians and middlemen who amassed money. As a result India remained a laggard.
15. Laid emphasis on MADE IN INDIA and gave incentives to industries and entrepreneurs in the country. Privatisation and PPP model was adopted vigorously to reduce government role in PSUs & for monetization of assets.
16. Let large industries develop without victimization in order to develop proper industrial infrastructure in India and make it globally competitive. No unnecessary coditions or controls imposed.
17. Emphasis on Skill development was an innovative idea. Youth instead of seeking unproductive degrees have now an option to equip themselves with proper employment oriented skills
18. Development (VIKAS) became the key word in India during last 7 years.
19. Initiated Digital India revolution. Substitution of Cash transactions by digital transactions was encouraged with an eye to reduce blackmarketing. Prior to that Demonetisation was done to unearth black money, one side effect of which was that new notes introduced are smaller in size saving crores to the exchequre.
20. Exemplary performance was registered in laying a network of roads connecting remotest corners of the country and rapidly developing surface transport. Besides Roads, Railways and Airports have also registered an unprecedented growth in number, speed and quality.
21. Laid emphasis on Tribal development and reached out to remote tribes.
22. Innovative schemes introduced such as Housing for poor, Banking for all, Direct subsidy to farmers, Girl child education, Ujjwala Yojana etc.
23. Introduced the much needed Triple Talaq Act and saved Muslim women from Male chauvinism and exploitation.
24. Bravely faced the biggest challenge of CORONAVIRUS pandemic, acknowledged the work of Corona Warriors and eventually brought the pandemic under control. India developed a Vaccine against the virus for the first time despite immense lobbying and pressure from MNCs of the developed world.

• Weaknesses:

1. Due to lack of belief in coexistence and coalition culture, forced their avowed friends to become their foes and even poached on them. Shiv Sena felt frightened as a result and separated their ways. So did Akalis and earlier JDU, the latter however returned back to the fold.
2. Made too many promises in the initial phase of electioneering in 2014 which were unimaginable and couldd never have been achieved. Non-fulfilment of such promises still haunts the government. Its leader is nicknamed FEKU and many people don't trust the government for promises they make.
3. Too much reliance on charisma of Narendra Modi who became a mascot for elections whether Parliamentary or for State legislatures. Regional leadership was neither created nor depended upon. Popular state leaders were stunted.
4. Too many YESMEN were encouraged and established leaders in states were sidelined in many cases. As a result elections in many states were lost to opposition. Delhi case was a classic example and so was Maharashtra. Agreements reached with the allies should have been put in black and white.
5. While luminaries like Advani, Joshi etc were eliminated, potential of stalwarts like Sushma Swaraj was never used optimally. In fact it was difficult to know who dealt with External affairs, PM or EAM.
6. In order to introduce reforms rapidly, passed several legislations in hurry especially the three farm laws which resulted in a year long sit-in strike by farmers of Northern India. Ultimately had to retrace their steps and announce cancellation of farm laws. Even application of mind in case of Demonetization and Janta Curfew during COVID was lacking.
7. Rate of growth of GDP during six years before pandemic was substantially less compared to previous six years. Reasons for eceonomic slow down were not analysed and action to invigorate economy was not taken.
8. Created an image of being captive to crony Capitalists. Such image activated poor and lower middle class, trade unions, farmers and other groups who joined hands to dislodge the government.
9. Aligned with PDP in J&K which turned out to be counter productive.
10. Qualified and Intelligent people were not chosen for dealing with finance or RBI.
11. Middle and small industries were ignored while too much emphasis was laid on large industries which resulted in slow growth in this sector besides unemployment.
12. No proper action was taken for employment generation. The target of employment announced by government was never achieved resulting in turbulence among youth especially educated youth. Worse still the pandemic further caused escalation in unemployment.
13. An atmosphere of Communalism, casteistism and sectarianism was allowed to grow unbridled which has dented the image of the government run by BJP which already has a tag of being a Hindu party.
14. There is a feeling that present government has undermined the federal character of the country. Democracy demands cooperation between Centre, State and Local Self Government institutions.

C. Opportunities:

1. Implementation of UCC and Family planning are two opportunities which need to be implemented. Instead frivolous CAA/NRC was attempted.
2. The Coronovirus pandemic has exposed the fragile health sector of India which remained neglected all through. This opportunity has been seized by the government which has initiated making many AIIMS all over India besides developing indigenous vaccine and giving incentives to indigenous Research and Development besides Drugs sector.

D. Threats:

1. India has lost neighbouring friends due to change in global scenario. China has used the opportunity to befriend them. Thus India has been encircled by hostile countries with backing of wealthier China.
2. Possibility of war by China & Pakistan cannot be ruled out though India has already taught both countries a lesson against such misadventure.
3. Hostile farmers can be detrimental to BJP and the government needs to be wary of them. Farmers is a large class without any borders of caste, religion or language.
4. Political cum Bureaucratic vicious circle has developed over last 70 years supporting each other. This is the biggest threat faced by the present government which has not been able to make any dent in fixing corrupt politicians be it National Herald case, Chit fund case or Vasooli gate.
5. Inability to restrain extreme right wing organizations from creating communal discord can become volcanic in due course and we may face a bigger problem in the country. It is better to ensure that SAB KA SATH, SAB KA VIKAS, SAB KA VISHWAS AUR SAB KA PRAYAS filters down to the lowest level in BJP in order to create a harmonious and peaceful environment in the country which is a must for growth and development.

To Be or Not to Be - The Dilemma of BJP: (English)

To Be or Not to Be - The Dilemma of BJP

(English)

Yedurappa is gone. So did Waghela in Gujarat many years ago. And later did Uma Bharti also brave herself to say adieu but she realized later that she has no existence without the organization called BJP standing tall on the crutches of RSS.
Today however the issue is different. Yedurappa’s exit is due to his alleged involvement in corruption. Surprisingly Gadkari , the BJP President too is now alleged to be involved in similar corruption charges. Nothing is proved yet either against Yedurappa or Gadkari but in case of Yedurappa BJP showed how quick they were in reacting to the charges so that the party’s image is not tarnished. Yet action against Gadkari has been delayed rather shelved. Why? No one can utter a single word inside the BJP camp because he is the chosen blue-eyed boy of RSS. And see the non-RSS faction in the BJP has suddenly become vocal be it Jethmalani or Yashwant Sinha or Shatrughan Sinha.
Again recall the exit of previous President of BJP, Bangaru Laxman, who was caught taking Bribe. Nobody defended him and he was shown the door for he belonged to Scheule Caste as did Uma Bharti belong to Scheduled Tribe. And Poor Kalyan Singh who played with his future by implementing the agenda of BJP to demolish the Babri Masjid and yet he had no friends in BJP to stand by him for he was an OC , other caste or more appropriately an outcast in a political party which has lost its way in the political desert of India.Even today I am not able to explain about what wrong has LK Advani done that he should not become the PM of India if BJP comes to power in the Centre by any chance for he was the man around whom the Hindu bloc rallied during the Rath Yatra. Exit of stalwarts like Balraj Madhok, Govindacharya, Madan Lal etc too is an enigma.
And yet these élite urban leaders of BJP who call the shots now at Delhi  but cannot even gather a small mob for themselves are patting each other for their antics in the Parliament which they have stalled now for so long.
I am not worried about what happens to whom as individuals but feel for the party which at the time of inception had stressed upon high morals and ethical standards. Before 70′s it had set high standards for itself and showed character in Delhi and UP. And today when Congress has touched its very low in political Kurukshetra, I find BJP living in a fool’s paradise thinking they will win hands down. With their regional Satraps gone the writing is on the wall. In 2014 the party is not going to put up a good show and the regional parties are going to make it big including the rebels of BJP like Yedurappa , Vasundhra Raje etc.The opportunity once lost , the party will be licking its wounds for the rest of the period sitting pretty on the ruins of the edifice built by stalwarts like Shyama Prasad Mukherjee

Tale of Two bills-FDI in Retail and Jana Lokpal: (English)

Tale of Two bills-FDI in Retail and Jana Lokpal

(English)

Nobody would have been more happy to see that FDI in Retail was passed by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha than Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley of BJP for they represent a political party that has time and again proved to be backing the upper class especially the capitalist and trading class. Their job was done by their proxy partner ,INC. You may ask then why did they oppose it? Opposition was for the sake of opposition to show the people that they look after their interests and want poor farmers and lower middle class protected against the invasion of Multinational Companies besides exposing the parties like SP and BSP who talk endlessly about poor and the downtrodden but in fact side with the rich and the capitalists directly or indirectly. The eye is on 2014 elections.
Why did Mayawati change the tag between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha voting? Was it CBI? No, Mayawati has been under the sword of Tantalus for so many years now as is Mulayam Singh and other small regional party heads like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Karunanidhi, except perhaps Mamta Banerjee who unfortunately has diligently painted herself as unreliable a partner who gives more trouble while in your camp than in the opposite camp. The real fact is that neither Mulayam singh nor Mayawati wants Lok Sabha elections immediately. One would have believed that Mulayam wanted early elections after he came to power but he was also conscious of the fact that in such an event greatest benefit would be reaped by BJP  which would bag the anti-incumbency vote given that Congress had sufficiently blackened its image due to the scams and the exposures.  The only remedy therefore was that Congress should be given time to correct itself and rebuild its reputation for the remaining one and a half years so that it is able to garner enough vote percentage and with the support of parties like SP, BSP and RJD  come back to power in next elections. On the other hand, Mayawati is waiting and watching. She wants time to lapse and let people of UP know the real worth of SP. She believes by 2014 SP will have been sufficiently exposed for their non-performance and non-fulfilling of their promises which may help BSP to get majority of seats in Lok Sabha elections and also changes fortunes at local level. Other smaller parties too hope for similar results and do not want to sink along with the Congress immediately.
What is important to note is the way Congress managed to get the bill on FDI in retail passed smoothly in both the houses this time while earlier the Lokpal bill found hurdles at every stage more so from its own allies and remains hanging ever since. This in fact shows that the Gandhi-Nehru's Congress party had no intention to get the Lokpal bill passed nor were Ambedkar's Bahujan Samajwadi Party and Narayan-Lohia's Samajwadi Party interested in seeing the bill through. Reason is obvious and needs hardly be discussed here in detail. They do not want the avenues of their parallel income to be curtailed. Sharad Pawar,Lalu Prasad, Paswan,Sharad Yadav, Nitish,and  Thakre all are birds of the same feather who do not want their avenues of earning to be choked. BJP too did not show any keenness to support Anna Hazare on this issue and work out draft of the bill that would have been acceptable to him and the party. Again the reason is obvious. There are number of Gadkaris and Yeddurappas in waiting in the top and middle levels of the party who too are opposed to the Lokpal. It is the same party that once prided itself for clean image and anti-corruption crusade. The remaining parties are the Communists who have unequivocally supported the Lokpal bill but they have by now been so much marginalized that they hardly matter and their voice in the well of both the houses hardly resonates.Fortunately no scams have been dug out against them despite having ruled West Bengal and Kerala for so long.
So one can well imagine the truth behind the failure of Lokpal bill ( as also Women's Reservation bill) and see for oneself as to why they did not get through the houses of Parliament. One can also imagine the dramatics of the people's representatives in both the houses who do what suits them and not what suits the people. I am reminded of a couplet of Ghalib;
Bazeecha-e- Atifal hai duniya mere aage;
Hota hai shab-o-roz tamasha mere aage.
The problem with this vast country is who will make our countrymen understand this since more than forty percent of voters are illiterate and another twenty percent are mal-educated. The frustration of these people is writ large on their helpless faces. Only some supernatural authority can save them.

Has Anna Hazare Lost the Battle?: (English); Anna's Fight Against Corruption;

Has Anna Hazare Lost The Battle?: (English)

Anna's Fight Against Corruption

I was in anguish when I saw the face of Anna Hazare on TV during his fast in Mumbai. He was adamant to carry out his fast despite running high temperature and he tried his best to keep his promise to the nation.. This frail old man of 74 has personally nothing to gain out of this struggle but wants to see Rama Rajya established in Bharat. I have purposely used the words 'Rama Rajya' and 'Bharat' because they are drawn from our ancient culture and not imported. However, let me make it clear that I have not been advised by any party or social group to use these words. Nor has Anna Hazare been advised by any party or social group to undertake a crusade against corruption. Had it been so, the Shiv Sena supremo would not have expressed his dislike for him.
Mumbaiites failed this selfless soul for reasons best known to them. Reasons can be many. One, Mumbai people are time conscious and do not have time to spend for political rallies since time has a cost for them and they attend the rallies of Politicians only because they are paid for the same. Two, proper logistics was not planned by IAC to ensure proper attendance coupled with State Government sabotaging it by creating transportation hurdles. Three, people found no reason why Anna should undertake fast when the bill was being tabled in the Lok Sabha. Whatever reason may have weighed heavily on the minds of the people, fact remains we failed this sincere crusader against corruption. I refrain to call Anna a Mahatma or a Second Gandhi because such tags raise the expectations of the people from the mortal human beings.
During the past several months the Government used many a method to bring down the image of Anna and his team. Initially they questioned their integrity and their past record. I do not know how much truth is there in such allegations but question arises as to why did the Government not take action against them at proper time and preferred to undertake a smear campaign now. Fortunately,this adverse publicity did not find favour with the public. I would like to add here that no body in this world is perfect and there is a possibility of some mistake having been committed by any one of them. What has to be seen is whether the act committed was with an intention to amass wealth and become rich or was it a mere act of oversight? I would advise all the members of IAC to declare their assets and let any one conduct scrutiny as they please.
When the Government failed to smear the good name of  IAC activists, it resorted to communalising the whole issue through their hounds who day in and day out publicized that the movement had the backing of RSS. For the sake of discussion, let us presume that the movement has a backing of RSS, what then? Is fighting against corruption an anti-Muslim act or anti-Christian act? Does rooting out corruption adversely affect the rights of Scheduled castes, Scheduled tribes and Other backward Classes? Muslims are known to have least representation in Government jobs. Would anti-corruption measures not reduce nepotism, communalism and money power in recruitment and ensure that all deserving Muslims get their due? Would machinations of high-caste babus not be exposed if Lokpal bill was in place? Would we not get a society which believed in equality of opportunity? If RSS backs a movement which benefits all the citizens of the country should we oppose it just because a Hindu body supports it. I feel we should welcome any step taken by anybody if it is for the welfare of the entire society and not for a few. In fact it is today I wish that Muslims and Dalits had sincere and selfless leaders like Maulana Abulkalam Azad and Baba Saheb Ambedkar who would have shown them the right path.
An objection was raised whether a nominated body could take to task the Prime Minister or the elected representatives of the people who indulge in corruption? The answer is make the Lokpal also an elected body. Let the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elect the members of Lokpal. Even by selecting the members of Lokpal through PM, Vice President, Speaker,Chief Justce and an eminent Jurist , he becomes indirectly elected as majority of the selectors are elected representatives of the people. The only thing an independent Lokpal ensures is that it will focus on eradicating corruption from the country and would expedite such cases.
And then the big questions that Prime Minister will be belittled if he comes under the purview of Lokpal. May I ask a counter question as to why should a Prime Minister do an act which calls attention of a Lokpal?  If he is upright , every citizen of India including the Lokpal will bow before him and he will write his name in golden letters in the history of India.
Last but not the least , I feel that there is still time for the Parliamentarians to rise above party politics and petty personal gains and give to the people of India a Lokpal which is truly an independent body so that the generations to come will remember them the way they remember B R Ambedkar and the constitution makers.

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