NaMo is soft target

Why do Psuedos target NaMo?

The obvious answer:  There’s a calculated and organized campaign to keep the bogie of Godhra alive so as to keep the muslim vote in a state of tactical anti-BJPism, which in turn prevents anti-Congressism from coalescing into an alliance with BJP as its pivot.

But that only explains one half of the equation.  The organized part - The NGOs, the political activists and similar ‘mob-for-hire’ types whose livelihood depends on keeping flames of Godhra alive.

But how about the non-professional part of the equation.  The media personalities who do not gain materially from this anti-NaMo slugfest, the Anglicized liberal arts graduate, the pink chaddis.

The answer is simple:  NaMo is a soft target.

Exhibit A:  http://www.sabrang.com/srikrish/vol1.htm - This link illustrates in gory detail events leading upto the 1992-93 riots in Mumbai.  Which both in scale and ferocity rivaled, if not surpassed, anything seen in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning.

Interestingly, the torching of Radhabai Chawl at the hands of Muslims was an incident eerily similar to what took place with the train of Hindu pilgrims in Godhra.

Leading the rioters from the front and goading them through daily editorials in his newspaper Saamna was Balasaheb Thackeray.  The undisputed king of Mumbai.

As investigations into the riots commenced, Balasaheb not only owned up to the riots but also demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya.  On several occasions he publically applauded the ‘valor’ shown by his Sainiks.

All these are well documented facts.  Anyone who lived through those times can attest to them.  Yet, why do these pink chaddis (and I do mean that in a gender neutral sense – but the pun is intended) types focus solely on NaMo.

1992-93 had a CONgress govt. both at the center and state levels and unlike Gujarat where NaMo asked for the Army to be deployed within hours of the first riot breaking out, Pawar and his cronies stalled for days before the Army was finally called in.  The final straw was that 5000 odd Sainiks had gathered outside Behrampada, ready to storm a densely populated muslim ghetto.  The devastation would have been unimaginable.

Why then do these pink chaddi types give Balasaheb and CONgress a free pass but pile on to NaMo?

The Answer is Simple: There is ZERO chance of NaMo firing back.  No fear of retaliation.

Let these pink chaddis utter a word against Balasaheb and lets see how long they can last even if they find refuge at 10 Janpath.

NaMo represents a convenient punching bag any pink chaddi can use to buttress their ‘secular’ ‘liberal’ credentials.  Zero cost. Bark, call NaMo a facist, a mass murderer, the poor man will keep working for his Gujarat.  This poor man will keep working his 20 hour work days on improving the lot of his much ignored girl child, on his irrigation-starved farmers on his ordinary amdavadis and suratis and kutchis.

Try the same with Sharad Pawar or Sonia and government TV Ads (representing 20-25% of Ad revenue for most channels) will dry up.  Lucrative licensing and political pimping fees will dry up.

Try the same with Balasaheb and a 110 lbs Sainik will rip you a new one.

But hit NaMo as hard as you want and then walk through the streets claiming valiance. 

But here’s a message for all you Pink Chaddis out there - every assault on NaMo is an assault on Bhartiya Asmita.  This Asmita will never retaliate, she will bear every insult silently, but she will never forget and when the time comes she will inspire every Indian into voting for the one man who can restore her long lost stature.

Let's Assume Narendra Modi is a monster

A recent article in the little known magazine Caravan (http://www.caravanmagazine.in/PrintThisStory.aspx?StoryId=1315)   has caused quite a ruckus.  It is, at best, a rehash of old accusations, which left unanswered may acquire the veneer of the gospel truth.  So let us examine it.

Let’s assume as the article suggests, that NaMo is a monster.  A fascist dictator.  But then what is his motive? If he is indeed evil incarnate, what does he aim to achieve?

1.       Wealth?  Probably the most laughable aspect of the Caravan article is the insinuation that Amit Shah was running a protection/extortion racket and that the taint may go upwards to NaMo himself.  How much can one extort – a few hundred crores at best.  Gujarat is an economy that is attracting investment commitments in the hundreds of lakhs of crores and NaMo would run an extortion racket to nickel-and-dime his way to a few hundred crores!! Pseudos should have their brains checked.  At least check your arguments for basic logic.  If NaMo wanted he could be wealthier than Sonia.  But he chooses to guard the treasury, not loot it like the Chiddus, Pawars and Sonias.

2.       Promote his family?  NaMo’s 80+ year old mother lives with his brother in a lower middle class tenement.  Despite 10 years as CM of India’s most prosperous state, his family has benefitted in no way.  In fact, NaMo goes out of his way to ensure that there’s not even a hint of nepotism in his actions.  Can any other leader make this claim?

3.       Carnal Pleasure?  If Sonia had sensed any susceptibility to honey-traps, Bollywood, tollywood, mollywood and every other wood would have been lined up to suggest the existence of a ladies man. Nothing here either.

4.       Power?  If Power for power sake was his mission in life, why wouldn’t he carve out his fiefdom, make peace with the Delhi sultanate and enjoy the spoils of power.  The Power hungry have a price, just as the Pawars, the Karunanidhis have repeatedly demonstrated.  NaMo wants power to make a difference.  So nothing on this front either.

5.       A Good time?  Power brings with it a host of fringe benefits – regular presence on Page 3, hobnobbing with celebrities, foreign travel, beach front mansions, a celebrity entourage etc.  But NaMo is an acknowledged workaholic.  Perhaps, the only politician in the history of India who clocks 18-20 hour work days and seldom takes even a day’s break.  Contrast that with the vacations of US Presidents and our own Sonia clan. 

6.       Spread Hindutva?  If forcing Hindutva on India was his goal, wouldn’t VHP and Pravin Togadia be his bosom buddies?  Would Gujarat Govt. have demolished more road side temples than all of India’s governments put together?  Yes he’s the very epitome of Sanatani Hindu.  But he makes no excuses on that front and wears his beliefs on his sleeve.  Nothing here either?  What’s left?

That my dear friends, leaves us with just one conclusion. 

A man who eschews wine, women, wealth and song, a leader who scrupulously ensures that neither he nor any member of his family benefits in any way from his proximity to power, can be nothing but a great leader. 

If access to power does not corrupt this man, one can only imagine the staggering strength of character he possesses. 

If intolerance of endemic corruption, if rage against greed for blood money is a dictatorial trait, may god bless all Indian leaders with just such a trait.

If caring for the least fortunate citizens under his administration is a move to garner public approval, may all politicians exhibit just such a greed for approval.

Ladies and gentleman, Narendra Damodardas Modi, is a rare breed.  One we haven’t seen since the days of Sardar Patel and Shashtriji.  Instead of demonizing this true son of Mother India, let us join our forces in doing all we can to support his candidature for the highest office of the land.

Let us strive for the day we can all proudly say:  Hamare Pradhan Matri Shri Narendra Modiji

Politics of Patronage Vs. Politics of Performance: Why Sonia really fears NaMo

Politics of Patronage Vs. Politics of Performance:  Why Sonia really fears NaMo

There’s a media perpetuated myth that CONgress’ economic policies have been curtailed by pressures of coalition politics or scams or global economic conditions.

The myth in a nutshell:

CONgress is a pro-reform political outfit with India’s best interests at heart.  Proof:  A CONgress PM and Finance minister ushered in India’s economic revolution.  And that Finance Minister has now been made the PM (By Rajmata Sonia) with the objective of taking these reforms to the next level.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

Let us examine the reasons why.

CONgress has emerged into a conglomerate of varied financial interests.  Much like the Mafia in Italy (no pun intended), CONgress has turned into a criminal enterprise which will use any means (almost always foul) to remain in power to quench its insatiable greed for India’s resources.

But the rot runs deeper.  CONgress is now a highly hierarchical enterprise with each level manned by clones of Sonia and her brood.

Sadly, apart from a few exceptions this virus of unbridled greed has infected every political party.

Much like the Mafia where earners are rewarded, CONgress now has regional and sub-regional satraps who must earn their place in the party.

Exhibit A: Kripa Shankar Singh.  Here’s a vegetable vendor, who within a short span of 2 decades has earned his keep in the CONgress party.  The fight for Mumbai can be traced back to this economy of political corruption which seeks the riches of Mumbai and is willing to make any compromises to corner them.

Any attempt at course correction is bound to be met with a massive backlash.  Rajiv Gandhi fell victim to just such a backlash.

The biggest victim of this corrupt enterprise is progress.  Funds meant for welfare of aam Indians is siphoned off to feed the ever growing greed of Capos, Captains and soldiers of this corrupt political mafia.  Sonia cannot ask a Kripa Shankar to stop stealing when her own son-in-law is filling her coffers.

Granted all political outfits across the world have an element of patronage peddling.  But CONgress has singlehandedly invented the Politics of Patronage.

Patronage which allows loyal soldiers to dip their beaks in the ever widening river of blood money.  And make no mistake it is blood money.

CONgress has achieved this staggering level of success by co-opting any and all opposition.  Opposition leaders of every hue, media houses, judiciary, you name the institution and CONgress has found a way to buy them out. 

And where co-option doesn’t work, intimidation and outright covert/overt warfare is deployed through multiple layered weapon systems.  Lies are floated, accusations are repeated through media channels till they acquire a requisite veneer of truth and opposing individuals and institutions are subdued into silence.  General Malik being only the latest victim.

Only one man stands between CONgress and the total decimation of Mother India.

Narendra Damodardas Modi

If NaMo was any ordinary leader, he would have been neutralized by now.  But he’s no ordinary leader.

Apart from his stellar individual qualities of personal integrity and absolute devotion to Mother India, one other factor protects him and puts the fear of God in the hearts of the Maino Mafia.

NaMo has birthed, nurtured and successfully demonstrated a new political paradigm: 

The Politics of Performance.

Performance in governance, in efficient transfer of resources from govt. to people, in development of weather-proof political and economic institutions.

The virulent opposition NaMo faces at every step stems from this tectonic shift he has engineered.  Sonia’s only defense is to contain this new paradigm within the boundaries of Gandhinagar.  Given even a small window of opportunity NaMo can demonstrate the efficacy of his new vision.

Given half a chance NaMo can prove the universality of the Politics of Performance.  It is this shift that Sonia and her clansmen fear the most.  For it has the potential to completely and irrevocably decimate her evil empire.

And it is for this reason that every Indian must rise up and stand behind NaMo.  For he’s the last hope.  There may never be another.

Jai Hind.

What the F is Robert Vadra upto?

The Vadra Conundrum:

Over a decade after marrying into India's first family Robert Vadra is making a move. Political analysts and lay Indians alike, are befuddled. Let’s try and make some sense out of this 'fish-out-of-water' act.

You can call them brazenly corrupt, heartless, ruthless, but you could never mistake the Sonia clan for a bunch of bumbling idiots. Given Sonia's carefully crafted public image, Robert Vadra's sudden flirtation with the national media and his comical claims to a ‘well-deserved’ place in the political constellation make absolutely no sense.

After all, this is a dynasty that has perfected the art of media management. Every interaction, every public appearance is carefully choreographed.

Exhibit A: Priyanka's recent cheek-pinching episode with her oh-so-sweet mother.

If the Gandhi clan goes to such lengths to manage its public persona, what explains Raaburt’s sudden unveiling as the village idiot?

I'm afraid there's a sinister method to this madness.

Robert is being set up (surely with his active acquiescence) to acquire the image of a man who has a rebellious streak.  A man, who without the knowledge and/or consent of his in-laws is capable of seeking the deep end and diving in….. head first.  A maverick capable of the unimaginable.

This is phase 1.  Where Vadra will be presented as a maverick, a loose cannon, a mental case with the capacity to work independently and unbeknownst to his in-laws.

Once this case is established, it will create the much needed grounds for the ‘innocent’ princesses to start claiming that she was used and betrayed by a maverick husband.

Mind you, he will not be portrayed as conniving, only as foolhardy.  A man who in pursuit of his place in the sun, betrayed the trust bestowed upon him by the clan that can do no wrong.

What will Vadra gain from this? And what will the Clan gain from it?

The Sonia angle first:

1.      It leaves Vadra’s sins of rampant corruption at his doorstep and proceed no further.  This leaves the clan politically unscathed.

2.      It permits Priyanka to play the victim.  The perennially wronged bharatiya nari, who was deceived by a mooch of a husband.

3.      It then frees up Priyanka to take the political plunge

4.      Vadra’s empire has grown so extensive that it is now the proverbial elephant in the political maidan.  Even BJP’s friendly D4 cannot refrain from pulling the trigger, lest they forfeit that last sliver of political legitimacy they currently retain

5.      Clinically amputating Vadra from the family is the best option

6.      Lastly, Sonia gets to retain her criminal wealth without having to expend very much political capital with ‘Victim’ Priyanka as an added benefit to attract the female vote.

 Folks, this is nothing but Soniaji laundering her political black money.

So what does Vadra gain?

1.      First, does he have an option

2.      He knows the clan cannot allow him to sink, they will use CBI and a friendly opposition to protect him, even if the likes of Dr. Swamy get to him

3.      Families across the political spectrum have plenty of sons-in-law of their own to protect and shove under the carpet - he’ll do just fine, pumping iron and living the delusion of being India’s own JFK Jr. – John John ….. Bob Bob.

So as Act 1 of the Vadra drama unfolds, watch how the media does its job and Bob Bob is painted the tragic villain – a noble son in law, fallen victim to the twin vixens of power and wealth.

BMC election analysis - Its all about Pawar

Its all about Pawar Politics:

Forget demographics, or Balasaheb's charisma, or Uddhav's managerial skills or RajT' rising graph.  BMC elections prove Pawar holds the fate of Maharastra in his hands.  It is a shame he has turned into such an evil genius.  If Pawar had applied his obvious managerial/leadership skills (compare Baramati's progress vs. Amethi during the same time frame) across Maharastra he could have outdone NaMo 10 years back.

An old urban legend (gathered from multiple sources) suggests a tacit understanding between BalT and Pawar.  NCP controls Mantralaya and Sena gets to keep BMC and its thousands of crores in potential kickbacks.

Recent local body elections in Maharashtra prove this beyond doubt.

The only silver lining to this cloud is that the biggest loser in these elections has been the CONgress.

NCP has largely retained its strong holds, BJP has held on to its strongholds, MNS has emerged as a credible threat, credible enough to warrant an alliance in the near future.  And ofcourse Sena has managed to buy a little time.

Despite Privthi Chavan's best efforts, Congress lost across the board.  Pune went to NCP, Nasik to MNS, Mumbai/Thane to Sena, Pimpri to NCP, Nagpur to BJP. 

As mentioned in a previous post, Congress is getting marginalized as a north Indian party in Mumbai and restricted to its sugar lobby in and around Kolhapur.   If Pawar sticks around for a few more years and MNS ties up with SS-BJP, Congress would end up like its counterpart in TN (perhaps not as much a bit player but close).  Pawar's ultimate dreams seems to be to destroy the Congress.

The low voter turnout can be attributed to the inability (or unwillingness of the NCP) to drive turnout from North Indian migrants in Mumbai.  Sena's strong organization helped drive turnout.

Another reason seems to be the increasing dominance of the North Indian lobby (Kripa Shankar, Sanjay Nirupam) in Mumbai Congress.  If the likes of Priya Dutt complain about it, you know a serious schism has developed between the old guard and the upstarts.  This development will be interesting to watch in the months/years to come.

This could be one of the reasons being the defeat of Sameer Desai (nephew of Congress strongman Gurudas Kamat) - Kamat had resigned from the union cabinet a few months back and his recent losses in Mumbai's political setup suggest a possible move to BJP (if not MNS) in the next 18 months.

Bottomline:  Pawar handed BMC to Sena by first refusing an alliance with Congress, and when Chavan demanded and got the alliance, holding back his horses by not putting NCP's muscle behind the campaign.  NCP won a handful of seats only.

Maharastra belongs to Pawar.  Pity he could never graduate beyond an Evil genius. 

Understanding the Rise of Raj Thackeray

This is not an endorsement of MNS or SS or BJP.  Just an attempt to dispassionately explain the growing popularity of Raj Thackeray.

Bottomline: Raj Thackeray is gaining support across Maharastra not because of his anti-outsider stand but in spite of it.

Raj Thackeray – SWOT analysis:

Strength:

Name recognition

Oratorical/communication skills

Understanding of Maharastra’s aspirational yearning and the Marathi manoos

Lack of a (poor) governance record

Uddhav Thackeray lacks necessary skills to counter Raj Thackeray

Has copied the language of Politics of Development of Narendra Modi (perhaps the best articulation of it outside of NaMo)

Weakness:

Lack of organization

Restrictive, anti-north agenda

Opportunity:

Growing urban population – easier to reach a larger audience (50% of population lives in urban centers)

Political vacuum with no credible leader in sight

Threats:

Sharad Pawar. Period.

Prognosis:

Raj Thackeray will keep growing and upon Balasaheb’s exit will usurp all or most of Sena’s constituency.  NCP will continue growing.

Congress’ footprint will continue to diminish and may settle within the sugar belt and Mumbai only.  In Mumbai, Congress is fast acquiring image of being a north indian party.  Even likes of Priya Dutt and Gurdas Kamat are complaining of this trend and opposing it.

BJP will be second biggest loser.

Rise of Raj Thackeray or rapprochement between Raj and Uddhav will be huge benefit for …..Narendra Modi.

10 years from now, Maharastra may well witness a direct fight between an Urban MNS and a rural NCP with BJP/Congress playing support roles.

Detailed analysis:

To understand Raj Thackeray’s rise over the past 4 years we must first understand the Marathi mindset and the prevailing conditions across Maharashtra.  Conditions, he has deftly exploited to his advantage.

The best illustration of the Marathi mindset is the recent issue between Mukesh Ambani’s reliance and farmers from Konkan region of Maharastra.  Reliance is easily the best buyer in terms of remuneration.  Reliance typically pays rates that exceed market prices so as to avoid hiccups and close the deal quickly.

Despite the handsome compensation and promises of rapid development of the region, farmers in this region refused to part with their lands.  Similar offers have been lapped up by farmers around other metropolitian regions such as Delhi, Bangalore, etc.

One can argue that this mindset restricts growth of the Marathi manoos.  But thats a different.  What this episode illustrates is the loyalty and love the average Marathi manoos harbors for his land, his culture and religion.

Most icons emerging from Maharastra tend to be on these lines – Political and cultural leaders.

But over the past 15 years, apart from Sachin Tendulkar, Maharastra has produced little of note.

Its leaders have little to show beyond land grabbing, farmer suicides and bowing to the Delhi Sultanate. 

A Maharastra built on legends of valor, courage, social reform and self-respect has slipped into a quagmire of hopelessness and seemingly terminable multifaceted decline.

Apart from the struggle for establishment of Maharastra, politically Maharastra has almost always aligned with the national mainstream.  Though there’s a clear sense of the Marathi Asmita, it has seldom manifested itself in the political discourse.

Even in the 1977 elections where Congress(I) was swept away in rest of India, Maharastra remained an exception and a Congress stronghold.

The 1995 Sena-BJP victory was thanks to Sharad Pawar’s desire to teach Congress a lesson.  He floated several independents that either won or eat into Congress votes, handing a victory to BJP-SS.  The Govt. was formed using 30-40 of these independents.

The constant revelations of how every party from Congress to NCP to Sena to BJP is corrupt beyond imagination, interested only in capturing power to rip open the fabric of the state to corner all the golden eggs, has left little to choose from.

The sense of despondency truly began with the fall of Pramod Mahajan.  Several in Maharastra had seen him as the leader who could achieve the long held but seldom mentioned collective Marathi dream: Capture the Delhi throne.

His fall and subsequent revelations of his degenerate lifestyle went against everything held dear by the aam Marathi manoos.  His pursuit of dirty money, women and wine insulted the very core of Marathi values.

The clearest indication of this despondency could be the falling voting percentages in major urban centers.  Marathi manoos has lost hope and has elected to sit it out.

One could argue that these conditions prevail all across India.  But in Maharastra these conditions are amplified given its surge even during decades of the Hindu rate of growth.  May be Maharastra was spoiled given the visionary leaders it was blessed with.  Leaders who created an environment conducive for business, developed the sugar cooperatives and leveraged these early successes to make Maharastra the capital for higher education in the 80s, power generation and infrastructure. 

The fall has been dramatic and in real time.

These factors have created a political vacuum of unprecedented proportions.  Couple this vacuum with a grudging envy for neighboring Gujarat which has within the same time frame achieved the unimaginable, and you have a recipe for a leader to step in and grab all the marbles.

Introducing Raj Thackeray:

In a crowded field how do you differentiate yourself?  And how do you win that differentiation within a short period of time.

RajT’s moves can be explained by 3 variables

1.       His promotion by Sonia-Sharad combine

2.       His own desire to quickly differentiate himself by using a cynical anti-outsider strategy

3.       Desire within Maharastra’s regional media to teach Sena a lesson

The targeting of a thorough gentleman like AmitabhB (who even Raj admits being his favorite star) has to be seen in this light.  It gave Raj instant recognition and created a platform from which to launch his fledgling outfit.

This anti north-Indian ploy is nothing but a gimmick to gain much needed political traction and it has achieved its goal.  It has handed power back to the Congress and triggered the process of Uddhav’s Shiv Sena.

However, it has firmly established Raj Thackeray as the sole custodian of that dormant Marathi asmita.

Maharastra is in for some very interesting times.