Showing posts with label Rajiv Gandhi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rajiv Gandhi. Show all posts

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Ayodhya: I Like The Idea Of Both Temple And Mosque


Apparently this is not a new idea. It was suggested during the time of Rajiv Gandhi before the demolition of the Babri Mosque, but was not entertained. Maybe enough water has flown down the Ganga and emotions have quietened down.











This is about India's global aspirations. This is about India wanting to be a global superpower. Forget weapons. This is about soft power. This is about diversity and democracy and diplomacy, three Ds as Modi might say.

India needs to send a message that Muslims and Hindus can live side by side, can co-exist, can thrive together. If Hindus and Muslims can not live happily together, India can kiss its global aspirations good bye.

This is not about history. This is about today. What do you want today?

If India can resolve this, it can hope to play a decisive role in Mideast peace, a lot of which also seems to be about ridiculous real estate.

My only suggestion is, that 100 meter wall, how about making it out of glass? Like in the Apple stores?

Monday, January 27, 2014

Modi, Rahul, Nitish, Or Kejriwal?

Narendra Modi at a BJP rally
Narendra Modi at a BJP rally (Photo credit: Al Jazeera English)
(written for Vishwa Sandesh)

Modi is the only politician in India running for Prime Minister right now. Rahul, the number two name being thrown around, is not even an official PM candidate. Nitish is not a declared candidate, and it is to be seen how many seats his party will manage to win in Bihar. Kejriwal managed an impressive victory in Delhi but some of his antics in power have given many people a pause as to whether he is ready for prime time.

Polls show Modi will manage to push the BJP past the 200 mark. The thing about the 2002 riots in Gujrat is the Supreme Court of India has said Modi is not responsible. Rule of law says that means you can not hang the 2002 riots around Modi's neck. You can not blame Modi for 2002 any more than you could have blamed Rajiv Gandhi for 1984.

The BJP could end up winning 40 seats in Uttar Pradesh out of the 80 available there. There is some indication it could win 20 seats in Bihar out of the 40 available there, although I am surprised Nitish will not do better.

If the BJP wins 200 seats, the Congress 100 seats, and the others end up with 245 seats, is that a victory for Modi? Maybe, maybe not.

That might create room for a coming together of the non Congress, non BJP parties. And if they manage to get together around someone like Nitish, you can be sure the Congress will join the anyone but Modi bandwagon. So Modi will have 200 MPs. The tally for the anti-Modi camp will stand at 345. As in, Modi might peak before a single vote has been cast.

On the other hand, the BJP as the largest party might manage to get a few parties to come along. If it manages to get two parties with 20 MPs each, it will be that much closer to the halfway mark.

Modi's elevation to the top job is going to create an uncomfortable scenario for America. Modi dreams of an India that Americans queue up to get into. He has already created a Gujrat that beats all but a few European economies.

With a few months to go, Modi still has plenty of time to make stump speeches. That gives him time to do better than 200.

Modi in Delhi and Nitish in Patna might not be such bad scenarios. Who will keep doing for Bihar what Nitish has been doing? On the other hand, Bihar's next wave of growth might be about gaining special status, and the best way to get that might be by sending Nitish to Delhi.

Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa together have 100 seats. This Eastern block might be that platform that catapults Nitish to Delhi. For as well as Nitish has done in Bihar as Chief Minister, one would think he should be able to grab 30 of the state's 40 seats. But then you also are looking at a resurgent Laloo.

Modi has momentum right now, but a few months are a very long time in Indian politics. Anything could happen between now and then. Modi's laser focus on the economy has been serving him well. It is also helping that he is actually running for the top job. He was not born into a high caste well to do family. At one point in his life he was selling tea at a railway station.

At the end of the day it might boil down to Modi and Nitish. But a Nitish with 12 MPs will not be a factor. A Nitish with 25 MPs will be.

One just hopes whoever it is puts India on a path to double digit growth rates for the next few decades. India deserves nothing less. If Modi is that person, he will get 120 months. He has been asking for 60. If he gets 200 seats, becomes Prime Minister, and gives India double digit growth rates, the next time the people might give him 250 seats.

Godhra is not the issue, double digit growth rates are. That makes you think. Why is Nitish not running for Prime Minister? His economic record as Chief Minister is better than that of Modi. Gujrat was already a leading state when Modi took over. Nitish remade Bihar.

Nitish and Laloo should have been natural allies. Both have been Chief Ministers. Both have been Railway Minister. Nitish is an excellent Chief Minister. Laloo was an excellent Railway Minister. An electoral alliance that gives 25 seats to Nitish, 10 to Laloo and five to others like Paswan would sweep the state. Nitish alone contesting all 40 seats could do well just fine too.

Things are heating up. Those who can attend rallies. Those who can't watch it on YouTube. The next few months are going to be a nail-biter. And we did not even talk about the South.

There Jayalalita is a wild card. She is "secular" about Modi. She is a declared PM candidate. She might be the first to gravitate towards Modi should he offer the DPM slot to her, and all Third Front talk might go down the tube with that one move.
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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Manmohan Gave China Like Growth To India




Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, addre...Image by London Summit via Flickr

And got rightly rewarded. This soft-spoken, unassuming man has done wonders as Prime Minister of India. Good governance delivers. Good governance is good politics. That is what he has proven.

Manmohan Singh is a Sikh. An American equivalent would be if an Asian, and Indian, someone like Bobby Jindal became President of the United States. (Independent For Bloomberg)

But Rahul Gandhi has emerged the biggest story out of this election. Suddenly he comes across as the person who will succeed Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minsiter of India.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and now Rahul Gandhi. That is one for the world history books. Which family has ruled a country as large as India for four generations? And that too in a rumbunctious democracy?

In The News

India's Congress Sweeps to Biggest Poll Win Since '91 Bloomberg
Rahul Gandhi Urged to Join India's Cabinet After Forging Election Victory “Rahul Gandhi has a shot at running this country for the next 15 years with the decimation of the BJP” ....... He addressed 120 rallies, compared with 68 for his mother and 21 for Singh..... Gandhi outdistanced all Indian politicians in campaign travel, flying 87,000 kilometers (54,000 miles) around the country to attend rallies...... Sonia Gandhi turned down the position of prime minister in 2004 ..... “We have won the elections under the visionary leadership of Sonia Gandhi and the youthful leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” Singh said, flanked by 62-year-old Sonia. ...... Uttar Pradesh, which elects 80 of the 543 members of parliament, Congress was on course to win 22 seats, up from nine...... Gandhi’s push over the past year to rebuild the party’s state and local organizations, and to urge greater internal democracy, helped win voters
India's Left Loses in Strongholds Wall Street Journal
White House says India's voting bolsters democracy The Associated Press
For India's Rupee, a New Identity Washington Post, United States
India's National Election Spreads Billions Around New York Times, United States
India's Bharti sees users doubling to 200 mln in 3 yrs Reuters
US senators ask India to reduce troops on Pak border Daily Times, Pakistan
Congress coalition wins overwhelming majority in Indian elections Daily Mail, UK
BJP routed in Rajasthan, Cong bags 19 seats Hindu, India
A Global Election, a Global Victory for India Wall Street Journal
Congress central body to meet on Sunday Economic Times, India
UPA won most seats from states of Third Front partners Economic Times, India
Rahul's magic floors UP for Congress Hindustan Times, India
Congress to stick to allies for government formation Economic Times, India
President skips legal consultations as UPA emerges on top Economic Times, India
UPA beats anti-incumbency factor, bounces back to power Hindustan Times, India
Singh, India's cerebral PM, glides to victory again AFP
Congress Win Sparks Reforms Hope Wall Street Journal
Cong, SP together would have wiped out BSP in UP: Amar Livemint, India
Congress comeback in Uttar Pradesh that no one predicted Economic Times, India

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