Narendra Modi’s Pakistan Surprise Visit

Despite being a Modi fan, I don’t support at all his flirtations with Pakistan. I would still support serious dialogue with clear agenda, after ensuring event free borders, if that were possible. But this drama about “wishing birthday boy Nawaz” and discussions going on behind doors in “Sharif’s private farm” does not amuse me at all. In fact I think breaking biscuits and cake pieces behind doors with head of an enemy country is an act of a traitor.

I think Modi ji believes that no matter what he does, country is only going to cheer for him. I know I can assume that Modi ji had something urgent and important matter to discuss with Paki PM and it will be good for India. But history tells that there is more chance that I would be fooling myself with such an assumption.

Very soon annual budgets will be announced and I am sure we shall be taxed more. And BJP supporters will explain why it had to be done. With Congress ensuring that GST gets “sufficiently delayed” and parliament does not do any useful business, I am sure Modi ji has collected enough reasons already why first ever BJP govt at center could not do well.

It is difficult to see our heroes fail us by acting like villains we hated. It is fine if they try and do not succeed. And btw, my belated birthday wishes for Modi ji’s friend Nawaz Sharif – May you remain in your hell forever.

One friend replied as following:

“I guess the idea is to make a case in front of the world community that India is doing all that it can to normalize relations but it’s Pakistan that’s playing spoil sport. I heard his address in Afghanistan in the morn. He categorically mentioned that terrorism in Afghanistan is state sponsored by Pak. And immediately he went to Pak after that. I’m sure he has a thought behind this.”

And another as follows:

“नैतिकता का फलसफां तो सदा यही रहा है,नफ़रत के जहर को हमेंशा ही उदारता ने उतारा है . ये उदारता अंतर्राष्ट्रीय फलक पर जब कूटनीति में कोई मजबूत इरादों वाला दिखाता है तो इतिहास की बानगी बन जाती है.अफगानिस्तान हमारे आर्थिक हितों के ट्रैंगल का एक भाग है,आतंकवाद पर दुनिया भर में पाकिस्तान शर्मशार है, चीन के बाद रूस की पाकिस्तान से नजदीकी आदि-आदि कई कारणों के बीच पाकिस्तानी प्रधानमंत्री नवाजशरीफ को वहां की आर्मी पर दबाब बनाने का एक मजबूत आधार मिला है. साथ ही मोदीजी की इस पहल ने एक साथ कई अंतर्राष्ट्रीय मोर्चों पर भारत को बढ़त दिलाई है.बातचीत के लिए ये एक अनूठी पहल अनूठे ही अंदाज में है.आशा तो करनी ही चाहिए कि आने वाले दिनों में ये पहल परवाने चढ़ेगी, मिडिया इसमें जरूर मिर्च मशाला लगाकर पेश कर रहा है, पर राष्ट्रहित सर्वोपरी है, मोदीजी जैसा सख्स जब कोई दांव खेलता है तो वो खालिस सिर्फ और सिर्फ राष्ट्र हित में ही होता है, हमें इसपर विश्वास करना चाहिए. हाँ,आपने भी जो मुद्दे उठाये वो भी मायने रखते हैं .”

Bihar Assembly Election 2015 Results

I think India should seriously “thank” voters of Bihar for defeating the BJP. I am saying this despite being a BJP/Modi fan and following is why.

First of all, Bihar assembly election results should not appear as if voters in Bihar do not love Modi/BJP. After all, during last year’s Loksabha elections BJP had a clean sweep in Bihar. Different results in parliament Vs assembly elections mean voters have voted ‘rationally’ and not on sentimentality – which is a good sign.

This election was a fight between ‘time-tested’ Nitish who has done good development in the state Vs PM Modi and his party who had only tall promises to make. Bihar was not really much enchanted by Modi ji’s development mantra, since Nitish was able to project himself as a competent “agent of development”.

And while Dadri happened in UP, what was all that “beef fight” in Bihar? While Hindus were not entertained by all the communal tension it was causing, Muslim population in Bihar which is only slightly below 20% must have got consolidated in favor of ‘secular’ Nitish/Lalu. Message: People who vote for/against you are real people who have to live daily lives taking help of all communities/religions and your divisive poll issues may make Twitter get abuzz but real people do not like it.

It is true that people of Bihar dreaded Lalu – but they had faith in Nitish that until he is in power, he would keep Lalu and his thugs in check. Hence they voted for so called grand alliance.

People also saw that it was not only Nitish who had company of ‘rejected’ leaders like Lalu but even BJP had its fair share in the form of Manjhi/Paswan. So on this account both were equal.

After winning general elections BJP has grown so arrogant that it miffed its ‘natural allies’ like Shiv Sena in Maharashtra which fought against it in Bihar. That must not have caused real damage on votes, but it was a confused message for the party supporters.

A non-functioning parliament and hence no big ‘development’ happening on the ground would have made people realize that voting for BJP would only continue the ‘status quo’. They rather wanted to give Nitish another chance and be in ‘safe hands’.

The message for BJP on national scale is clear – deliver or perish. Do not take escape routes by blaming Congress for all the ills in the country. When people have given you such a majority, they expect you to know how to clear your path and move ahead. If BJP gets this message, we all benefit.
I don’t know who has really won in Bihar elections.

- In the outgoing assembly, JDU had 115 seats; now the party will have around 73 on its own. Nitish ji was defacto “boss” in the previous govt but no longer in the new one.
- Lalu ji’s party has won more seats than JDU. But for the next 5 years he will have to live every single day seeing his sworn enemy as CM. That is not funny.
- Congress had 4 seats earlier; it will remain negligible and unwanted even in the new assembly.
- BJP used to sit on the opposition benches – it will continue sitting on the opposition benches and try again next time.

I think the only real winners are parties like Owaisi’s and Kejriwal’s. Despite not winning a single seat themselves, their sadistic happiness knows no boundaries.

Modi Sarkar Report Card - October 2015

Draft aviation policy: 2% fare levy, Rs 2500 cap on 1-hour flights proposed 

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has proposed an upfront subsidy to airlines by levying a two per cent fee on all domestic and international commercial flights in order to bring down the cost of air travel on non-metro routes.

The proposed move, which could result in an increase in flight costs on trunk domestic air routes such as those connecting major metros as well as international routes, is aimed at bringing down the cost of air travel on non-metro routes to about Rs 2,500 per flying hour under a freshly conceived Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) that was unveiled in the revised draft civil aviation policy here Friday.

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/draft-aviation-policy-2-fare-levy-rs-2500-cap-on-1-hr-flights-proposed/#sthash.Dlc6KB9V.dpuf

Chhota Rajan arrested in Indonesia

Fugitive underworld don Chhota Rajan, one of India’s most wanted criminals and a leading figure in the Mumbai underworld, was arrested at Bali in Indonesia on Sunday. Rajan gained widespread sympathy and public attention after he broke away from Dawood Ibrahim gang, condemning it for carrying out the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.

The Indonesian authorities are believed to have initiated steps for Rajan’s deportation to India. Confirming the don’s arrest, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the media that the Central Bureau of Investigation and other security agencies are in touch with their Indonesian counterparts to expedite Rajan’s deportation. Mr. Singh said the Indian government had been trying to arrest Rajan for a long time and had made a request to Interpol in this regard. "We had issued a notice (through the Interpol)," he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/chhota-rajan-arrested-in-indonesia/article7806541.ece

GST will result in cost cut

PM Modi offers Africa $10-bn loan, says projects to be monitored 

In the ten hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday morning offered Africa a concessional credit of $10 billion over five years and a grant assistance of $600 million, at least six African leaders walked up to the summit podium to call for a “monitoring mechanism” of projects being implemented on the ground.

Speaking at the Third India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), which was attended by 41 Heads of State and Government and officials from 54 African countries, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Swaziland King Mswati III, African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Ghana President John Dramani Mahama, Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba and Zambia Vice President Inonge Wina pressed for a monitoring mechanism.


- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/india-offers-africa-10-bn-soft-loan-seeks-stronger-ties/#sthash.ESr5JeaK.dpuf

Top Lashkar commander killed in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: A most wanted Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander, who carried a Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head, was killed in an overnight firefight with security forces at Khandaypora in Jammu & Kashmir's Kulgam district on Thursday.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Top-Lashkar-commander-killed-in-Kashmir/articleshow/49589178.cms

NRIs can invest in pension scheme

To widen the ambit of investors in the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and also to provide social security, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thrusday said that Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) can contribute to the popular NPS.

“With a view to enabling NRIs’ access to old age income security, it has now been decided, in consultation with the Government of India, to enable National Pension Scheme (NPS) as an investment option for NRIs,” the RBI said in a statement posted on its webiste.

http://gulfnews.com/business/sectors/investment/nris-can-invest-in-pension-scheme-1.1609822

Dadri, A Lawless State and Lots of Blame for Modi Sarkar

You must have seen the manner in which opposition parties, media and some award winning writers have accused Modi govt of all the wrong things happening in different states. For example, Modi govt was accused of Dadri incident which happened due to lawlessness in UP. Ink attack on some organizers of events involving Pakistanis happened due to obvious reasons. And so on. Now why do you think that the community of writers who are supposed to be intellectuals can be so foolish? If they returned awards when writers like Taslima Nasrin were threatened, or VS Naipaul was insulted, or Salman Rushdie’s book was banned – for these attacks could be seen as attack on writers’ freedom of expression – then I could understand their tirade. But a villager was killed in a state like UP and writers went nuts – is too difficult to comprehend. 

Some people say that it is because these writers were supporters of Congress. But I have a different opinion. Remember that this trend of accusing central govt for wrongs of state government is a wider phenomenon. E.g. when Delhi’s state govt raises VAT on some items due to which prices rise, people end up blaming Modi govt again.

I think what we are witnessing is people’s failure to differentiate between central govt. and state govt. And the reason why we fail is because of our history and our habit. For decades, we got used to seeing Congress party both in center and in the states. Delhi, where most Media houses are located and Maharashtra, where most financial houses are located, have very strong history of a ‘Congress legacy’. You may have states with strong non-Congress history, but such history is too recent and these states are comparatively not so important, to prevent this trend. Therefore, when something wrong happened in Delhi, whether we blamed Sheila Dixit or Manmohan Singh – made little difference because ultimately people were blaming the ‘ruling party’.

But 2014 General elections are called historic in the sense that for the first time ever, we had “real change”. Still, it seems we have not gotten ‘used to’ it. And who are the guys who are not able to adjust to the change? Media houses and writers – because these guys were so much exposed to political events – and hence ‘conditioned’ by the power equations that they find it too difficult to accept the change. Due to their mental block, they are still living in an old world where single party could be blamed no matter if something wrong happened in a state or at center.

I think the only alternative theory which is strong is that the media and writers know the difference very well but are trying to put up a face to cheat people. Media houses feed on viewers/subscribers and writers feed on readers/buyers – and if this theory is true, they are on a dangerous path.

State of Indian Politics Near the End of 2015

Do you notice that recently hard-line politics has risen in India? Here is my personal opinion on the way things are going on:

Every democratic country has a far right or unapologetic nationalist political party. If one does not have it, means freedom of press and individuals is compromised in that country. This political line attracts the best of the society (intellectuals and highly educated) as well as the worst (simplistic, uneducated) at its either ends. In India, thank God – for giving us BJP. The BJP stood for everything that was right – the party was the only one not ashamed to stand for Hindu rights – even if the mainstream and more rewarding policy was ‘minority appeasement’ – tested time and again. I think the BJP got its reward in the form of PM Modi – after years and decades of sacrifices (its leaders were killed, its cadre hated by the hands of Congis in power for years). But then, the worst happened – once in power, BJP was no longer BJP.

I know I am stretching and exaggerating the early symbols. But I think such critic is important for our democracy.

BJP knew that it had mass support of unapologetic nationalists (media calls them hardliners) and it was too difficult to qualify the very high standards set out for it (people wanted BJP to do in 5 years what no other party has done in 60). But it expected that with its “development” politics, it will keep them engaged. That did not happen as planned, thanks to less seats in RS and wonderful performance of opposition in stalling LS.

Now that BJP appears to be on path to become like Congress, Shiv Sena is trying to be the new BJP. If it goes on like this, future political war would be between old BJP Vs new BJP (SS etc) at one end and between old Congress (AAP, JDU etc) Vs new Congress (MIM). Indian politics will see increasing polarization on both ends and it will be a mess.

I doubt if things go on like this, we shall be able to be proud of our nation as always.

My solution may sound weird at glance but think about it and you will get message. Best is if BJP starts behaving like old BJP. Then, new far right nationalists like SS would not get ‘room’ to enter and grow. Also, Modi should push the development cart hard – no matter what is the cost. I am sure that if Indian economy does not start running fast soon, it will create more opportunity for others to compete and in turn we shall remain glued to fighting over trivial issues.

Government Spending on Memorials and Ad Campaigns

1. National War Memorial in Delhi – Rs 500 Crores; courtesy BJP
2. Sardar Patel’s memorial – Rs 3000 Crores; Courtesy BJP
3. Shivaji mid-sea memorial – Rs 2000 Crores; courtesy Cong/BJP
4. Ambedkar memorial – Rs 500 Crores; courtesy Cong/BJP
5. Self Promotion Ad-Campaign – Rs 500 Crores; courtesy AAP

If I had these Rs 6500 Crores to throw away; what would I do? I would put it in a bank and at 7% p.a. interest it would give me Rs 38 Crore per Month. With this I would support 38000 poor families at Rs 10000 per month. Or I would bring out 3.15 Lakh Indians from below poverty line by paying them Rs 1200 per month.

But then 3.15 lakh poor people count as only less than 3 lakh votes and that too scattered all over the different constituencies. So perhaps it still makes sense to spend all this money on memorials etc – so that people would see these and remember me? After all, Indians have lived in poverty for over a thousand years, they can live a little more too!

But then with this money I could build some more schools or hospitals in rural areas – and when people would see these ‘memorials’ too – they would remember me?

Or I could fund some rural women run industries like Lijjat Papad – with capital of only Rs 80 – but I am not sure if village women would agree to have a ‘selfie’ with me for social media. I could also repay some foreign debt – but then those foreigners would ‘like’ me less when I visit their nations with a begging bowl (even if purchased from a Tata company).

Hell no, I must spend all ‘my’ money very wisely.

AAP is No More for Aam Aadmi

Some fantastic work by AAP govt. in Delhi -

1. SC raps Delhi Govt spending Rs 2.5 crore from Construction Workers Fund for self publicity Ads (OneIndia 21.8.15)
2. AAP MLA Surinder Singh’s bail plea rejected. Finally arrested for thrashing a NDMC Officer (IndiaToday 21.8.15)
3. AAP MLA Fateh Singh booked in Fake Degree Case (Jagran 21.8.15)
4. AAP MLA Tomar (Law Minister) arrested in Fake Educational Degree Case (TOI 9.6.15)
5. AAP MLA Manoj Kumar arrested for Duping People & Forging Land Documents. Selling land which was not his (NDTV 9.8.15)
6. AAP MLA Manoj Kumar’s PA arrested for extorting money every month from shopkeepers in East Delhi (IBNLive 12.8.15)
7. AAP Leader Aftab Siddiqui, arrested under charges of drugging & raping a girl & filming her on camera for extortion (IndiaTV 16.8.15)
8. AAP MLA Gulab Singh booked for beating up a public servant, JE of MCD (Economic Times 15.815)
9. AAP Leader Alka Lamba caught on CCTV vandalising a sweet shop under the pretext of a drug drive (ET 10.8.15)
10. Wife of AAP MLA Raghuvinder Shokeen, booked for allegedly beating up two school students with a pipe. (TOI 16.7.15)
11. AAP’s MLA, Jarnail Singh, booked for beating up a South Corporation junior engineer. 5 days later Jarnail Singh was declared ‘Absconding’ by the police. (TOI 5.5.15)
12. AAP Leader Somnath Bharti booked for wife beating and letting dogs out on her (The Hindu 11.6.15)
13. And if this wasn’t enough, Kejriwal pledged support to convicted criminal Laloo for Bihar Elections. From Lokpal to Laloo’s pal – Kejriwal’s remarkable journey.

Parliament Session Washout Thanks to Adamant Congress

So entire parliament session was washout out without critically important bills being passed just because a select opposition parties led by the party heading the previous government chose to create a ruckus. Thank you Politicians for disrupting our parliament and making us realize how much we hate you! Thank you UPA; for proving it that we made a good decision in not voting you back! Thank you Sonia G; for reminding us lest we forget – why India is still poor.

When we come to Sonia G, she is a weird case. Someone said very well in Hindi: हमारे देश को ‘अपना’ बना लेने वाली एक थीं ‘सिस्टर’ निवेदिता; एक थीं ‘मदर’ टेरेसा; और अब एक ये हैं ‘एसिड आंटी’ सोनिया! ‘एसिड आंटी’ इलाज कराने विदेश ही जाती हैं; और उनके ‘अमूल बेबी’ छुट्टियाँ मनाने विदेश ही जाते हैं। बस जब रायता फैलाना होता है तो याद आता है हमारा देश। बिचारे हम…

Now it is also interesting how media and TC channels help creating an environment of negativity in India. Sometimes TV news channels ‘debate’ how Modi Govt has become Pro-Capitalist because of its policies like Land bill, GST, FDI and Make-in-India. Some other times same TV news channels ‘debate’ how Modi Govt has become Anti-Industry because of instances like Maggi Ban, Uber Ban and anti Black money.

Come on guys! First make up your mind (or ask your sponsors) about what you want to say and then shout!

LK Advani Indian Express Interview on Emergency

I know this topic is sightly outdated now but let me share what I made out of reading Advani ji’s full review with Indian Express where he recollects Emergency. If you had felt negative about Advani ji by hearing news on TV, you will find my opinion interesting.

First of all, the interview was part of Indian Express’ (IE) series of articles remembering Emergency and to find out if we have learnt enough lessons to prevent it from occurring again. So it is not that Advani had called an IE journalist to express his points; it was the other way around. All through the interview, IE was asking the same question again and again – “Can emergency happen again?” If you think about it, it would have taken much naivety to say “no” to this question. I bet no other learned person interviewed in this series would say that emergency can never happen again. Such questions are also asked to make the person being interviewed say “yes” and then the beauty lies in how he justifies it after having said “yes”. It is like walking on a tight rope; once you have started there is no way to retreat.

So Advani says that there is nothing done to prevent Emergency in future and indeed it can happen again because the forces are stronger now. Here, it became controversial – what did he mean by these “forces” which he said could crush democracy even today or in future? The way I understood him, it seemed perhaps he meant to say that the coalition politics which made govts weak and provided a balance in the past are gone; in almost all states now there is a majority govt, be it in UP or Delhi or West Bengal etc… In fact the trend is that the public is giving more than absolute majorities; as it happened in the state of Delhi. This is indeed a threat to democracy. The trend indicates that people have not learnt their lessons well from the Emergency India went through.

Now, I don’t think he meant to count Modi Sarkar in these “forces”. Why? Because Modi Sarkar does not have majority in Rajya Sabha and we have seen how miserably it failed to pass the bills it considered critical for success of govt’s policies. Forget crushing democracy, Modi govt is chained and humbled by it – that is one fact we can’t deny from the last one year’s experience. Therefore, Advani won’t have meant to demean Modi govt by counting it as “dictatorial” or anything like that.

IE asked Advani specifically what he meant by saying that it can happen again. Advani says specifically only two things – compromise of “Civil Liberties” and denial of “Press Freedom”. Modi govt has done nothing which can be called to deny civil liberties and when it comes to “Press”, we all know who has an upper hand. Media today is so strong that it can spin the spin doctors to their graves. No matter what you say, media can make it appear completely opposite if it so desires. So why was Advani mentioning these two points? Because, as he rightly says, nothing has been done (no law passed for example) to prevent a govt in future from compromising these if it so desired. I find this statement an intellectual thinking and I completely agree with Advani on this.

By the end of his interview, Advani reflects on what has been done by the public in the years after emergency which can assure us that people have become wiser. He recalls only Anna Hazare’s Lokpal movement but then he takes a jibe at Aap, saying that leading a protest is one thing but recent experience has shown that if govts are made by such protesters, they are not successful. So I wondered if Delhi CM had actually read Advani’s interview till the end, when he was rushing to meet him to congratulate him and spread his ‘raaita’…

If we see it in context, Advani’s interview appears learned and intellectual. If you read it; you will see that all through he was trying to put focus on “those people” who had enforced Emergency but never apologized for it (i.e. he was targeting Congress party). But next day when the Television and electronic media read it; they took it at entirely different terms which is in a way sad but typical media-like…

If you don’t believe me; read his full interview yourself:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/i-do-not-say-the-political-leadership-is-not-mature-but-kamiyon-ke-karan-vishwas-nahin-hota-l-k-advani/
Disclaimer: Views are personal and no, I am not Advani ji’s PR manager

—
PS: Later Advani ji clarified that Emergency comment was directed at Congress party, not at any individual. But almost no TV channel gave this clarification much importance. http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/advani-clarifies-emergency-comment-says-it-was-directed-at-congress/article1-1360776.aspx

Modi Sarkar Report Card - June 2015

Modi Sarkar Report Card - May 2015

Why I Support Ban on IIT Madras Hate Monger Group

From what I read, the guys who were part of the group called Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle (APSC) were playing politics. They have gone there to study, not to do politics. Any institute would have expelled those loafers.

What kind of “study” it is to protest beef ban (in some other state) or against “Hindi enforcement” (as if it is really happening)? These guys as their group’s name suggests, are of a particular “ideology” and hence they were pitching up against some policies which are against their own ideology. I don’t know why it should be allowed, no matter how much anti-Modi forces speak for it. Because such politics could lead to civil wars and violence – a repeat in Tamil Nadu.

I read that this group has only been “derecognized” and has been refrained from using “IIT Madras” name or logo in its work. That is the least; we could not even call it “punishment”. And the whole anti-Modi brigade/media is shouting as if heaven has fallen on us. If I were dean I would suspend all such students which are playing such politics in the campus.

This is why I support action against this group at IIT Madras.

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.

How Obama Shifts US Foreign Policy Against World Peace

As his term is nearing an end, there is increased efforts seen by Obama to change long going foreign policies. If you see the countries or regimes which have benefited from his ‘generosity’ we smell something fishy.

Obama removed sanctions against communist Cuba, which is an autocracy under Castro family with decades of human rights violations. So many Cubans had to flee from their nation in order to settle down in the US; and most of these Cuban-Americans oppose Obama’s kindness towards evil doers. Oil is second leading Cuban export; which is now cheap; and Obama acted ‘in time’ to help Cuban autocracy survive.

Then Obama seem to have worked hard to help Iran become nuclear power, with the premise that Iran will use it for peaceful purpose only. A nation with one of the biggest oil fields beneath its surface wants to become nuclear and you smell nothing in it – I wonder what Obama thinks? Shia Iran is increasingly exerting its military power in the region. Again, because of plummeting oil prices, Iran was under pressure; and removing sanctions was so much welcomed.

At the same time US-Israel relations are in the worst shape in history. When Netanyahu was reelected, Obama launched a verbal attack as if he was personally disappointed and resented Netanyahu getting reelected! What was Obama thinking? Most political analysts think that US-Israel relations are at the bottom. And we can’t blame Israel for it.

With terrorists winning everywhere be it in Iraq or Syria, I think Obama has also caused much more damage to world ‘peace’ by his ‘strategic inaction’ than Bush did by his selective actions. I am sure if one reviews and compares the status of world peace at the end of Bush’s term with Obama’s term, Bush will appear much better. So much violence, human rights violations, with terrorism thriving everywhere, are you sure you have earned your Nobel Peace Prize by now, Mr. Obama?

Disclaimer: Views are personal.

Aap-ka-Drama for control over Delhi Police and Fight with LG

My opinion on the latest Aap-ka-Drama for control over Delhi Police:

1) If Delhi Police were under state govt’s control, do you think Kejri would take ‘responsibility’ for poor law and order situation? Almost certainly, he would still pass the buck on ‘Delhi Police’! May be he would transfer or sack some policemen in order to show some action, but in any case, whether Delhi police is under state’s or center’s control, Kejri govt would still not take responsibility. So why all this drama to ‘own’ Delhi Police?

2) If Kejri does not command ‘respect’ from Delhi police, let us remember its history. Kejri/Aap called Batla House encounter ‘fake’ and hence insulted Delhi Police’s martyrs (so as to exploit minority votes) and hence if Delhi Police does not respect Kejri from day one, it is because of his ‘Karma’! And Somnath Bharti type episodes did not make Delhi Police fall in love with Aap either.

3) Kejri should be happy that Delhi Police is under Center’s control because the state is getting “free” policing! Salaries and expenditure of Delhi Police, which are not small since New Delhi is India’s Capital, is being paid by the Center! So State Govt has its funds free for its popular schemes of ‘freebies’, which actually win votes!

4) If you notice the ‘timing’ of the latest tirade on Delhi police or war against LG; it happened exactly when Bhushan-Yadav camp started gaining popularity and Aap members started resigning! So by launching this drama, Kejri camp is sending a message to its cadre and to media – “This” is where all the drama is!”, “This is where all the TRP is!” Kejri camp is trying to snatch away attention/TRP from Bhushan-Yadav camp; because this camp with same strengths and weaknesses is most difficult to defeat otherwise!

5) If you think about it, state govts have been running in Delhi for last 20 years; there have never been such drama over ‘ownership’ of Delhi Police or over LG’s rights. Congress was ousted for corruption and people chose Aap because it promised the moon to them. A shrewd politician like Kejri knows that he won’t be able to deliver on promises and hence he should have preserved this ‘passing the blame’ drama for last 1 or 2 years of his term. By playing all his cards now, he is ‘peaking too early’! Why is he forced to do it? I think the reason is point# 4 above!

Disclaimer: Views are personal.

UP Govt’s Show Business and Kashi Vishwanath Temple

When UP Chief Minister sanctioned Rs 5.5 Crores for face-lifting Kashi Vishwanath Mandir in Varanasi, it was seen as a method to appease Hindu voters. For example, The Indian Express writes [URL]:

“In a move, which political experts say has been undertaken to counter BJP’s Hindutva agenda, the Uttar Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs 5.50 crore for beautification of Kashi Vishwanath temple in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi.

The move is seen as another attempt by Akhilesh Yadav to fortify his chances for a second term when the state goes to polls in 2017.”

But if you think about it, Rs 5.5 Crores is too small a sum to make any serious ‘facelift’. It could change a few tiles, do a little whitewash, but won’t change the temple complex for the better. The temple is situated in a crowded place, surrounded by small shops dominated by Muslims. People who go to do ‘darshan’ need to stand by the side of a stinking drainage – this has been a personal experience. The temple needs serious improvement in infrastructure and it can’t be done in paltry Rs 5.5 Crores.

At the same time, we need to be informed that the same UP Government has been trying hard to ‘milk’ the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, to earn higher revenues. In this news article [URL], you can read about it:

“Eyeing higher donation income to the revered Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, the Uttar Pradesh government is mulling to study the trust administrations of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (Balaji shrine) and Shirdi Sai Baba which receive donations running into several hundred crores of rupees. In comparison, the annual donations to Kashi Vishwanath come to a paltry Rs 4-5 crore.

UP minister of state (independent charge) for religious affairs Vijay Kumar Mishra directed officials to install donation boxes and ‘hundis’ in the Varanasi temple on the pattern of Tirupati Balaji and Shirdi temple trusts.

He asked officials for physical verification of the Trust properties and collation of details of its properties located in other states.

He said official website of the Kashi Vishwanath temple should be constructed and the facility of ‘online darshan’ to devotees be facilitated.”

After knowing all this, it appears clear that this small token of Rs 5.5 Crores is just a means to trick people into believing that the Govt is doing something good for the temple. The fact is that the govt is investing a bit of the earnings made from the temple, so that it could earn even higher. In the end, the state govt wants to milk the temple’s donations for its own good.

Modi Sarkar Report Card - April 2015

(Click on news images to enlarge)

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