The PM’s Dilemma

It is said that the ability to delay gratification is a mark of maturity and equanimity.  Though it was fairly easy to predict that the army of Internet Hindus would need a new war once 2014 was won, none could have predicted the deep sense of despondency and disappointment which has crept into our ranks.

Even more surprising is the alacrity with which this fierce backlash has spread across PM NaMo’s core constituency.

What follows is an attempt to defend the PM and explain the constraints that have informed his many decisions.

One hopes that these explanations would trigger an internal dialog and prevent the centrifugal forces threatening to turn some Internet Hindus into permanent rebels.

1. Rehabilitation of D4

BJP wasn’t born in 2001 with NaMo’s takeover of Gujarat.  Apart from its formal birth, BJP’s antecedents inextricably link it to the larger Sangh parivar.  By association the PM is straddled with cumulative sins and virtues of this larger Sangh Ummah.  But this is a fair bargain.  If he benefits from Sangh’s foot soldiers, its vast and entrenched organization in every nook and corner of India, he must bear the suboptimal behavior of some of its associates.

Any attempt to divorce himself from the parivar will backfire in a big way.  No one understands this better than the man himself.  And so does D4.  D4 has formed the core of BJP’s decision making apparatus for over 2 decades now.  They know where the bodies are buried and skeletons are stored.  Heck, it’s possible they are the ones who buried said bodies and skeletons in the first place.

Even more damaging is the well-oiled ecosystem D4 has cultivated over their tenure in the corridors of power.  An ecosystem that extends from the Judiciary to the media, from business tycoons to middle men of every stripe.

No doubt Congress and the first family are an integral part of this ecosystem and both D4 and the family look out for each other.  But as we will see, confronting much less defeating such a formidable adversary is fraught with incalculable risk for a fledgling government.  Even for as formidable a political warrior as the PM.

In coopting D4, NaMo is following the sage advice of one Vito Corleone “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”

D4 stripped of power could become a nuisance or worst an alternate power center within the NDA.  D4 could unleash a-scandal-a-day scenario which in turn could feed a TRP hungry, anti-NaMo media and turn the new government into a pathetic political circus.  If minor incidents such as anti-Sania statements of a small regional BJP leader can be fill airwaves for 2 days, imagine what real scandals could mean for the PM.

A hopeless D4 could commit hara-kiri and take the new govt. to the gallows with it.

Much as Obama harnessed the Clinton network by coopting Hillary as Secretary of Defense, the PM has countered D4 by giving them a place in the government which ensures a respectable presence in the eyes of the public.  Scratch the surface though and you can see that PM Narendra Modi has left them with little discretionary powers.  From the babus they select to key decisions, all are controlled by the all-powerful PMO.  The non-political godfathers of this ecosystem aka Mota Saheb, Chotta Saheb, etc. have all endured the taste of an unyielding PMO.

As we shall see, rehabilitation of D4 is at best a stop-gap measure with little wiggle room conceded.

Lastly, as Amit Shah stated in his recent profile in India Today cover story “He’s only relevant to NaMo as long as he can deliver”.  If as close an acolyte as Mr. Shah is dispensable, where does that leave known frenemies like D4.  Given time, Mr. Modi will fix them too.  Patience my fellow Internet Hindus. Patience.

1. White paper on a gutted Indian economy

Some Right wingers have bemoaned lack of a white paper to set a benchmark for the new NDA government.  Such a white paper would have highlighted the abysmal state of Indian Economy.  It would further ensure a valid excuse for BJP to use in the run up to the 2019 elections, much as Obama had done in 2012 by (rightly) blaming Bush for America’s economic woes.

But there’s a vital difference between India and America.  If the PM of India tells the world that India’s economy is in dire straits, the costs would be devastating.  Rising borrowing costs would hurt the already precarious state of Government’s balance sheet. Higher interest rates would have a negative impact on the aam middle class aadmi – NaMo’s core constituency.  A weakened Rupee would raise import costs, further fueling inflation.

 Granted that there’s some merit in this (white paper) strategy, but when weighed against associated economic costs, the PM has done the right thing by allowing his ministers to selectively highlight sorry state of India’s economy, eschewing the temptation to publicly blame UPA for India economy’s pathetic state.

Moreover, people already know how Sonia screwed India over the past 10 years.  Whining about it serves little political purpose.  Getting on with the herculean task of pulling India out of the throes of economic debacle is a better strategy to adopt and the wise PM has done just that.

1. Destroying Dynasties

Anyone who believes that electoral defeat has rendered Sonia vulnerable is living a fool’s paradise.  An Italian village girl, who ruled India for 10 years with an Iron fist, won’t relinquish power so easily.  Her imbecile son may render her electorally unviable for a few more years, but have no doubt, that she has left many a trap doors to trip and counter NaMo.

Sonia achieved two major objectives in her 10 years at the helm. 

1. Weaken India’s military
2. Destroy India’s economy

Her mistake lay in the hubris that set in after the 2009 victory.  With a compromised D4 doing her bidding and the threat of a ‘communal’ NaMo keeping minority votes in her pocket she rightly analyzed the situation to be in her favor for at least the next decade.  As elections drew closer and a NaMo led government gained widespread acceptance we all witnessed her scorched earth policy.

The series of naval accidents (Naval blockade of Pakistan is a key strategic lever), botched international relations, questionable bills passed in parliament, etc. suggest a carefully crafted strategy to keep the next government on its toes, incapable of delivering any semblance of good governance.

With staggering levels of loot witnessed during UPA 1 and 2, it would be safe to assume that D Company is well entrenched within the secular political structures cutting across party lines.  From Congress to SP to even TMC.

Most importantly, it is also safe to assume that Sonia has indirectly acquiesced to the proliferation of covert ISI cells across India.  Remember the intelligence agency reports from a few years back: Key UPA ally and CM of major state was an ISI sympathizer.

Without benefits of a POTA/TADA like law, these cells could be easily activated to cause immense harm to India’s economy and keep its forces occupied in managing domestic conflicts.

Sonia could activate these carefully nurtured Black Ops assets to make life a living hell for the new government.

In this atmosphere if the PM launches an all-out war on the family it could backfire.  We should allow 1977 be our guide.  The newly elected Janata Govt. made ‘Get Indira’ its core strategy.  Hounding her became a national pastime.  With very little delivered in terms of governance, despondency quickly set in.  Granted, that experiment was a hodge-podge of egos and parties.  NDA2 is blessed with an absolute majority.  Nevertheless, the best way to hurt the dynasty is three-fold:

1. Deliver on key promises to create a feel good factor
2. Defeat dynasty at every state and local level so that Dynasty supporters are convinced that sticking with the Gandhis will only bring diminishing returns
3. Declare war on the Dynasty around 2017

Making anti-Sonia noises this early in its tenure will make her larger than life, unite the Congress/UPA behind her and engender sympathy for a widow who has ‘sacrificed’ so much for her family and adopted country.

1. NDA's support for vote against Israel

There’s no doubt that Israel and India share a common DNA.  May be it stems from the non-proselytizing nature of Primary religions of the two countries.  May be it’s because peoples of both nations have suffered (and continue to suffer) grave persecution at the hands of Jihadi tyrants.

So why, ask India’s right wingers, has the new NDA government failed to support (if not protect) Israel’s interests on the international scene.  Why, despite Israel having supported India in her times of need (Kargil, Kashmir, etc.) have we turned our backs on our dear friend?

Well the answer is fairly simple.  There are two reasons:

1. Indian expatriates working in Muslim countries
2. Arab oil

Israel’s sworn enemy Iran has been a friend of India.  Not to the same degree but a friend nevertheless.  Iranian oil supply can be counted on in an event of a war with Pakistan.  The same cannot be said about the Saudis and other Arab states.

Indians form the largest block of foreign works in the Gulf States.  With sectarian conflicts erupting and spreading cross the Middle East, as has happened in Iraq in the past few months, more Indian workers will come in the line of fire.  Any public demonstration of support to Israel will paint India as an enemy of Islam on the Arab street.  Even if sagacious elements within these conflict zones want to support India, they may not be able to. 

India’s strategy of being Israel’s friend in private and an ambivalent, neutral nebulous, confused, prevaricating nobody in public, suits India just fine.

For real evidence of NDA government’s commitment to Israel look for the burgeoning cooperation between the two nations in fields ranging from military hardware, agriculture and software development in the near future.

1.  Reforms, where the heck are the reforms

If Right wingers could have it their way, the NDA government would jettison all left wing programs from NREGA to JNURM and replace them with free market alternatives.

When a person is stabbed with a sharp pointed object, doctors advice bystanders not to remove the knife.  Interestingly enough, the knife acts as a dam, slowing down the rate of bleeding.  Thus buying precious time till medical help has arrived.

Indian economy is in a similar dilemma.  Whether we like it or not, large sections of India’s most impoverished citizens have come to depend on Sonia’s deeply flawed economic policies.  The handout policy initiatives must end.  But doing so without nurturing alternate sources of employment/livelihood would cause a massive disruption in lives of an already marginalized section of society.

Already, the PM has given us a glimpse of the innovative ways in which he plans to leverage these flawed schemes to build long term public assets. 

As he always does, PM Narendra Modi is turning a curse into a blessing.  Gujarat was transformed by two key initiatives – Joytigram and check dams.  Both these being implementable at a national level.

Funds allocated to NREGA can be easily used to build long term rural assets.  Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has laid out a simple scheme where poor in each village will be given a section of the road to plant trees.  These trees will be nurtured by these ‘owners’ and their fruits, wood, etc. sold each year to earn valuable income.

Another use of NREGA would be to use this labor to build check dams to capture and save rain water.  Gujarat implemented this scheme to trigger a mini green revolution in arid outposts of Kutch and Saurashtra.  NaMo can do the same for rural India.

Suddenly NREGA is no longer a “Sonia Gandhi Congress ko khilao Yojano” but a force multiplier.  Moreover, as these assets grow in value and value addition based agro industries take root, availability of cheap labor will be reduced.  The meager dole handed out by the govt. as part of these schemes will be unable to compete with wages and benefits offered by the private sector.

Handout, mai-baap schemes like NREGA will die a natural death.  Patience my friends patience.

1. Banning Cow slaughter

Why hasn’t NDA government banned cow slaughter as Candidate NaMo had promised on the campaign trail?  Again, economic woes explain the reluctance.  Cattle constitute the last asset left in hands of India’s beleaguered farmers.  With farmer suicides spreading to more states – sale of cattle remains the only source of income for these god forsaken farmers.

One has to only hear their gut wrenching stories (check any regional channel) to understand the pain these farmers bear as they send a “family member” to the slaughter house.  This is not an easy decision for them.  But if the choice is between committing suicide and buying a few more days with their young families, most farmers are choosing the latter.

Banning cow slaughter may or may not end cow slaughter, but it will most certainly devalue the prices of cattle, dealing a further blow to India’s marginal farmer.

Once the economy improves, have not doubt, that PM Narendra Modi will roll back cow slaughter and end it for good.

1. Friendship with Pakistan and China

India’s military is operating with one hand tied behind its back.  Countering an all-out border row with China is unthinkable at this juncture.  Another 26/11 will mandate a quick and lethal response from the new govt.  A depleted military and potentially compromised security apparatus (as evidenced by the series of naval accidents) can ill afford a direct confrontation with either of these countries.

The PM’s actions suggest a strategy to buy time as he rebuilds India’s overt and covert capabilities.  These will take time.  Certainly a decade or so, but India should be able to acquire strong defensive preparedness by 2017.

Till then, keeping Pakistan and China happy will remain the centerpiece of his foreign policy

1. Why persist with Aadhar

At first glance, scrapping this white elephant seems like a no brainer.  But dig deeper and it seems like a gift inadvertently dropped in NDA’s lap by Sonia and her NAC.  Stripped of illegal immigrants, Aadhar can be a powerful tool to circumvent state governments and deliver services directly to the people.

With key parts of Aadhar’s infrastructure already in place, the PM could use this scheme to target key constituencies across India without fear of leakages and pilferage.  From food stamps and coupons to direct deposit of pensions, Aadhar could do for the new PM in Delhi what Garib Kalyan Melas did for the then CM in Gujarat – deliver a more efficient mai-baap government.

Aaadhar’s central flaw is that it does not differentiate between residents and citizens.  By addressing this loophole, the government can help identify illegal Bangladeshis and systematically weed them out of the country.

So folks 2 months are too little a time to evaluate any outfit, much less the labyrinth that is the Indian Government.  Let us wait for 12 to 18 months before we analyze and score this government.  We have elected a man who has delivered at every level.  Given time and support he won’t let us down.

PM Narendra Modi must run an unconventional Govt (Part 2)

Many an economic right winger is taking the Modi Govt to task for continuing with UPA’s economic policies and programs.  Off with the left wing slush, in with the Right wing renaissance.

But theories tend to work best in classrooms and at academic seminars.  Where the rubber meets the road aka electoral battlefield, a more pragmatic approach is called for.  While the Modi Administration is showing just this pragmatic approach towards addressing India’s economic woes, they may not be going far enough.

One program from Gujarat which the central Government has failed to adopt is “Garib Kalyan Mela”.

As explained here, poverty ridden Indians lack the time and resources to educate themselves on nuances of Govt. policies.

Moreover, spoils of a growing economic pie take time to trickle down to the neediest beneficiaries.  This dynamic is even more pronounced in a highly inefficient economy such as India’s.  By the time Infrastructure is built, services that exploit the new infrastructure are launched and these services benefit the common man, precious time is lost in engaging voters.

With limited time and resources beneficiaries of right wing policies may not connect the dots and assign credit where credit is due i.e. the Modi Administration.

Right wing purists will no doubt challenge this argument.  Handout happy, leftist policies have failed the world over with India being one of its prime examples.  My fellow Right wingers wants to jettison 60 years of Nehruvian nonsense and replace it with a strong Right-of-center, free enterprise model.

In theory this approach should work wonders.  But India is a diverse and difficult country to govern.  Layer upon layer of vested interests now dot India’s economic landscape.  Any attempt at challenging this economic behemoth (no matter how rotten it may be) is fraught with short term political risk.

Job #1 for the Modi Administration is to win an equally robust majority in 2019.  It is this victory which will put India on a longer term right wing political and economic trajectory.  A redux of ABV circa 2004 will constitute a huge set back.  With the potential to usher in a defacto Islamic Republic in large parts of India by 2030.

In many ways 2019 is shaping up to be an even more critical test than 2014.

Given these challenges, PM Modi must implement a policy/program which closely mirrors the wildly successful ‘Garib Kalyan Melas’.

But how would he implement the program.  Most subjects related to economic policy are state controlled.  The center can propose schemes but their implementation lies in the hands of State satraps.  Most of whom are non-BJP entities.  A further rise in PM Modi’s popularity will most certainly author political obituaries of these satraps.

Given this dynamic, most central schemes implemented through non-NDA state governments are likely to fall short of reaching the intended beneficiaries.  Either due to active sabotage or a lackadaisical attitude from local administrations. Sonia’s favorite scheme NREGA is just the most recent and most glaring example of this inherent contradiction.  Even where these schemes were implemented successfully (Gujarat, MP), the state govt. received lion’s share of the credit with Congress being viewed as a non-starter given their abysmal performance in Congress ruled states.

Another critical variable for the 2019 political equation is timing.  As explained in Part 1 of this post, the Modi Administration has 30-36 months to implement various programs and policies so that they can bear a large enough fruit to energize voters to give the PM another clear mandate.

Right wing policies take much longer to implement with implementation being uneven.

PM Narendra Modi must have both time and a clear track record of implementing his programs to bring a message of hope to 2019.

So the question remains. How? How does NDA circumvent all these factors and implement a blend of right and left hand programs that ensure a victory in 2019.

The answer is simple:  Indian Railways

The Prime Minister recognizes the importance of Indian Railways, hence the emphasis on its modernization and expansion.

Implementing Garib Kalyan Melas through Railways would achieve the following:

1. Eliminate local intermediaries who breed and nurture corruption
2. Take benefits directly to the intended beneficiaries
3. Bring credit exclusively to the Modi Government
4. Circumvent objections from State governments
5. Address a host of everyday challenges faced by the poor
6. Channel a wide range of services to the lowest rung of India’s economic ladder
   1. Mobile health clinics, Pharmacies, eye care clinics, food rations, water, etc.
7. With its large, albeit inefficient network, Railways can reach every corner of India

This is not to suggest that Right wing policies should not be implemented or put on hold.  Infact the opposite is true.  We can walk and chew gum at the same time.  Long term Rightist policies and programs are the only answer for India’s economic woes.  But an electorate in survival mode seeks tangible benefits in real-time.

Easing their burden through direct action should be at the core of the new govt’s economic policies.

"Handouts Trains" would eliminate hardships in the interim as much needed policies and programs are being implemented to bring about a sustainable course correction.

Only this will ensure a repeat of 2014.

How PM NaMo will destroy dynasties without firing a bullet

Note:  I write this as a silent wave of frustration is building up within India’s Internet Hindus (easily NaMo’s most ardent supporters).  Hopefully what follows will help explain NaMo long term plan to vanquish political dynasties

Putra/Putri Prem lies at the heart of India’s burgeoning Dynasty problem.  Or so goes the conventional wisdom.  “Every doctor wants his son to become a doctor, ever movie star wants the same for his child so why can’t a politician harbor the same dream for his offspring.”

A deeper analysis behind this phenomenon reveals a different dynamic at play.  More importantly PM Narendra Modi is likely to use this very structural flaw to permanently decimate Congress and its clones.

Over the past 25 years, almost every political dynasty across India has acquired wealth beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.  Every sector ranging from water and oil to road construction is now controlled by local mafias promoted and supported by these dynasties.  More importantly this disease has infected every political outfit.

Wealth acquired through these channels cannot be held within legal structures.  This is illegal income and the very act of earning and holding it is by definition a criminal offense.

Prior to 1991 this wealth was limited in its scope.  A liberalizing Indian economy offered a wide gamut of new avenues for looting the nation which in turn led to an exponential growth in holdings of those who controlled India’s politically managed economy.

Though private players were allowed to enter heretofore government controlled corners of India’s economy, the minutiae remained within confines of Governments mandated policies and procedures.

As the disease spread to all political outfits, Indian voters were left with little to choose from.  Caste, religion and other extraneous factors trumped good, clean governance.

A comatose Indian polity only encouraged India’s political leadership to crank up its brazenness.

From being gatekeepers, India’s political leadership graduated into partners and promoters of private enterprise.  Through a complex web of front organizations and individuals India’s political leaders not only facilitated private firms in looting the nation but came to own a significant chunk of the loot.

This arrangement worked well till the mid-2000s.  A few forces upset the applecart and triggered a new imbalance.  This imbalance explains the panic engendered by the rise of NaMo.

1. Technology and Hackers:
   1. Till the early 2000s, numbered, offshore accounts were a safe bet.  A series of hacks and exposures by insiders destroyed confidence in this, the most preferred refuge for illegal wealth from across the World
2. Activist Governments
   1. Uncle Sam cracked down on American citizens who had siphoned away their wealth into Swiss accounts and more importantly, forced gilt-edged, exalted financial institutions to part with their most intimate financial secrets
   2. An increasingly well informed global citizenry has forced even small countries to successfully sue tax havens and recover money held in these over protected havens
   3. Bottom-line: India’s looters can run but they can no longer hide in these traditional tax havens
3. Cash is a weak financial instrument
   1. There are only a handful of asset classes which can stay a step ahead of inflation
   2. Held in cash, wealth erodes at 5-6% a year i.e. within 10 years value of cash would he halved
   3. With monetary instruments becoming digitized, hiding cash in a mattress is about the only way to hold it away from gaze of public prosecutors
   4. Its liquid nature makes it difficult to protect from taxmen and unscrupulous operators
4. Loyal crooks are hard to find
   1. Traditionally, Political leaders have used loyal family retainers to act as honest front men who would hold the wealth in their names and away from public scrutiny
   2. This arrangement worked well when the numbers were relatively manageable
   3. But managing billions is difficult for even the most well connected drug lord, much less for a political leader with everything to lose

And that brings us to the biggest chink in Congress and Sonia’s armor.

It is one thing to remain loyal when dealing with a few crores but quite another when the numbers are several hundred times in magnitude.  With the very act of keeping records endangering wealth and wealthy alike, loyalty (of your front men) is the only glue that ensures security for this wealth.

According to Dr. Swamy Indians lost over $8 billion held in Swiss accounts as no one showed up to claim it after the mandatory 7 year (inactivity) period.

India’s high and mighty (as with their brethren across the globe) are now caught in a dilemma.  How do you hold, grow and secure ill-gotten wealth.

Whereas business leaders can pay taxes and penalties to escape wrath of the Taxman, political leaders have a much higher price to pay.  A conviction will render them politically irrelevant (see Laloo Prasad Yadav)

It is these forces which have forced a Robert Vadra (post 2006-07) to take an active role in owning wealth and going ‘legit’ with political corruption.

Even a novice could tell you that Vadra and his in-laws were playing with political fire.  But the brazenness is explained by the aforementioned combination of factors. 

Their hubris has given PM NaMo an opening to permanently vanquish India’s most dominant political dynasty and in doing so he will lay the ground work to usher India into a new era of freedom.  Freedom from Brown Sahib political dynasties.

Power is the only vault that protects politically acquired blood money.  An extended stay out of power which in turn engenders a sense of political eclipse will break any fear that political dynasties can instill in their front men.

If people and party members are convinced that a Supriya sule or Rahul Gandhi will never wield power again, the protective ring falls apart.

Sans power, there’s no guarantee of family wealth remaining in the hands of future generations.

As team NaMo-Shah electorally vanquishes political dynasties in state after state, the protective ring of political power will begin eroding.  This erosion will lead to rebellion within the club of the family retainers.

A Natwar Singh or Sharad Pawar will rise up against the dynasty, declare a rebellion and start their own parties to capture the loot and keep it for themselves.

This NaMo triggered civil war will decimate political dynasties more than any judicial action or hunting expedition.

PM Narendra Modi must run an unconventional Govt (Part 1)

In 1999 at the peak of the dot com boom, founder, CEO of a Fortune 100 company was asked about the euphoria and his views on the road ahead.  His prognosis: 99% of all dotcom companies would fail.  Needless to say it triggered a u-know-what storm. 

The CEO’s rationale:  eCommerce is a huge disruptive force but it would have to confront and negotiate a minefield of existing status quoists.  Trade unions, tax structure and old economy tycoons i.e. vested interests of every hue who had their considerable resources tied up in a system that worked and worked very well for them.

This rationale came back to me as the Modi Govt. took office.  NaMo confronts a similar cabal.  One far more lethal, better organized and entrenched than any Fortune 50 retail behemoth.

Much as NaMo deployed an unconventional political strategy to outwit his political opponents so will PM Modi need an unconventional governance strategy to outplay the entrenched club of political pimps, mobsters and courtiers.

1. An unconventional market requires unconventional solutions
   1. Applying American solutions to Indian realities wont always work
   2. Example: Building massive universities is so 20^th century.  Instead exploit emerging trends in MOOC to bring education to a massive pool of students at a fraction of the cost
2. Short term fire fighting measures must take priority and (if possible) work hand-in-hand with long term vision
   1. Example: As news reports are suggesting Onion supply is not the problem.  Central Govt and buy Onions directly from farmers, employ BJP MPs and cadre to load trains with the produce and have them shipped to major cities
   2. Such dramatic action will give people a sense of hope and break the back of hoarders
3. Campaign for 2019 began at 12 noon, May 16^th 2014.  Conventional political wisdom would have NaMo launching a blitz around early 2018 to present his report card to voters.  That may be too late.
   1. Every decision, however controversial, will need to be run through a political filter and calibrated to enhance the PM’s image as a go getter, fighting the sewage rats left behind by Sonia’s family
4. NDA2 has just 36 months to fully implement key programs so that the last 2 years can be used to ensure that the effects of these programs are felt and imbibed by voters which in turn get them excited to come out and vote in 2019
   1. “Indians mange more”, determine the minimum threshold of development required to win 2019 and work backwards – reverse engineer elections 2019
   2. Going back to the people on the eve of elections wont be enough to win another majority.
   3. Saying we’re only doing what UPA did or these are UPA policies wont cut it.
   4. NaMo’s enemies haven’t given up their PM hopes, only postponed them.
   5. A hung parliament in 2019 suits them just fine.
   6. With a clear mandate, NaMo can no longer benefit from a perception of David-Vs-Goliath.  He must work towards creating this perception and recapture the space.
5. Replenishing India’s empty coffers is job #1 for the new administration
   1. Even if raising rates remains the preferred solution, NaMo must publicly pursue alternatives – issuing infrastructure bonds, raiding black money repositories, cutting labor costs by putting new govt recruitment on hold
6. Encourage people’s participation at every stage of development – from concept to execution
7. Every move you make will be publicly critiqued and scrutinized.  May as well keep up a continuous dialogue with voters
8. Some enemies should remain enemies. Socializing with sickulars will only enrage core BJP supporters. 
   1. ABV’s NDA did not lose core supporters with one big disastrous move.  It was lost one small, innocuous sounding move at a time – from zero work on sealing bangla border to launching ‘secular’ bus across UP
   2. Don’t take your core supporters for granted i.e. keep sickular enemies of NaMo at arms length
9. Everything NDA govt does will be placed at NaMo’s feet.  Must find a way to insulate NaMo from peripheral issues like promotion of Hindi.
10. Trickle down economics takes time.  Achieving comprehensive development across all parts of India is impossible in 5 years
    1. Instead implement doable programs – building of check dams, seal bangla border, increasing police personnel per 100K citizens
       1. Big ticket initiatives can be launched in parallel without losing focus from low hanging fruit
    2. Come 2019 these show pieces can be used to enthuse voters to come out and vote
    3. Even as a high way network is being constructed, launch services which exploit the network
       1. Example:  Launch elements of a cold chain (Temperature controlled warehouses, integrated transportation hubs, etc.) on parts of the highway as they are being constructed so those along the constructed network can experience economic benefits of the network
11. Non-BJP CMs will never cooperate with the NaMo administration.  A carrot and stick policy is the only real option
    1. Use CBI, IB and whatever dirt can be found to play hardball with entrenched interests
12. PM Narendra Modi has said time and again:  People should not treat voting as an ‘outsourcing’ contract and must remain engaged.  Similarly the Govt. must engage with BJP cadre to ensure that development is reaching their local constituencies:
    1. Example:  Use Social media to monitor price rise and address supply-demand imbalances

More in part 2.