How to Impress PM Modi

Oh the heartburn! An entire battalion worth of PM Modi’s army is disappointed.  Not because he won’t kowtow to their chosen right wing expectations, but because he won’t acknowledge their (genuine) efforts in helping get him elected by kowtowing to their preferred right wing leanings.

Some are expecting a piece of the action, others would like their ideological preferences reflected in his government’s policies and actions, still others would prefer government appointments to be made along sharp ideological lines.

Based on observing (almost obsessing over) the PM over the past 12+ years, what follows is a primer on how to impress the PM (if you wish to snag a place in the new dispensation)

• Don’t ask for it
  • Nothing annoys the PM more than individuals who demand a position.  Any position.  With the exception of a few top BJP leaders, few have had much success with lobbying for a position.
  • An indirect attempt won’t make much headway either.  Getting your flunkeys to raise a din will only annoy the man and push you further up his shit list and off his short list
  • Let your work speak for itself. 
• Toil in silence and obscurity shunning the limelight
  • Despite targeting by MSM Amit Shah has kept away from hogging the national limelight
  • CMs Khattar and Fadnavis elicited a ‘Khattar/Fadnavis who?’ when they were mentioned as front runners
  • NaMo prefers the old Sangh sanskar ‘Work without bothering with the fruits of your labor’.  He himself was a virtual unknown when BJP brought him to Gujarat as CM. 
• Lead a simple lifestyle
  • Mr. Modi is an ascetic, leading a no-frills lifestyle.  Living the good life doesn’t go down well with him.  Right through the recent state polls, his right hand man Amit Shah sought and maintained accommodation in 3 star hotels as a mark of austerity
  • DM Parrikar similarly leads an uneventful life
  • Ditto with CM Fadnavis
• Don’t speak to the media.  Don’t speak. Period
  • CM Modi always preferred making the his case directly with the people
  • His suspicion of the media may have been muted since taking office as PM, but it remains alive and kicking behind his politically correct pronouncement
  • His disdain for MSM is reflected in the use of DD and AIR as the primary channels for govt expression
  • Bottom line:  Don’t talk to the media or patronize media personalities
• Focus on your job
  • You may have great ideas.  Surely you should share them with the man.  But the responsibilities assigned to you are Job #1.  Getting distracted by side projects or political games is guaranteed to put you on his $%@&# list
• No job is too small
  • For a pracharak who toiled across the length and breadth of India in service of the nation, what attracts his attention is doing the little things.  Doing them well, with the same enthusiasm and passion as if it were a high profile undertaking.
• Produce Results
  • ‘Excuse’ is not a word in PM Modi’s dictionary.  Delete it from yours.  NDA has a mere 36 months to complete key projects.  It will take 18 months for results to register within and another 6 months to market these accomplishments across the country
  • Without results, you’re out.
• Have no personal agenda
  • There’s a very good reason why PM Modi can ask even his most ardent supporters to take a hike.  He has no personal agenda.  No family to ‘feed’, no friends to impress/enrich, no women to keep.  When a man’s only mission is the mission, he can afford to be ruthless.  Leaving your personal agenda at home will get you one step close to impressing the man.
• Finally suck it up and be prepared to work your tail off.  When the boss works a 80 week, 2 hour lunch breaks and extended weekend getaways are a luxury only UPA ministers and the first family could afford
• Eschew the temptations to put your hand in the cookie jar
  • This is a no brainer.  Nothing pissing him off more than public servants who treat people’s wealth as their own piggy bank.  Witness how none of the usual suspects have been allowed anywhere close to the ATM ministries. 
  • But this revulsion extends to even those fringe indiscretions which have become accepted behavior across govt bodies.  When the man himself donates every gift he receives what does that tell you?  Just stay away from even a hint of graft taking.

Hope these insights help you in snagging that much coveted position.  Best of luck.

The Aftermath - Why the imminent demise of Sena should worry all Hindus

As we observe Balasaheb’s 2^nd death anniversary all right wing Indians must also mourn the imminent demise of Shiv Sena.

Here’s why.

Mumbai of the late 80s and early 90s was witness to a fierce battle between India’s most well-funded and organized criminal gangs.  Mumbai’s phenomenal growth had turned it into a city of gold, a beacon for starry eyed gunslingers willing to sacrifice life and limb to earn their place in Mumbai’s sun.

Around this time Subhash Ghai released his mega hit ‘Saudagar’.  The much awaited opus broke box office records.  Arun Gawli issued the following diktat: any individual doing business with D Company would have to pay his gang a ransom of Rs. 1 crore; The collections to be used to construct a replica from the movie at one of his Ganapati pandals.

The stratagem was designed to achieve a slew of goals.  Put D on the back foot, Established Gawli as Mumbai’s top underworld boss and humiliate the D company.

Success of this strategy was illustrated by a story doing the rounds in those days.  Gawli’s men walked into the heart of Bhendi Baazar (D’s home turf) to collect the ransom from Tiger Memon (who would later become one of the chief perpetrators behind bomb blasts of 1993). 

For members of a rival gang to waltz into your den and walk away with several suitcases worth of cash, in broad daylight was unheard of.  The D company, despite its enormous resources was hemmed in by Mumbai’s two ‘Hindu’ gangs.  Gawli and Amar Naik.  And they were humiliated.

When the Shiv Sena took office in 1995 it declared elimination of these 3 gangs as job #1.  By this time, D was safely ensconced in ISI’s lap i.e. beyond reach.  Using a combination of encounter killings and brute political force, Sena was able to eliminate the Gawli/Amar Naik outfits and usurp their fiefdoms.

The same strategy did not work against Dawood.  Partly due to geographical limitations and partly due to the tremendous force multipliers Dawood had acquired via ISI’s terror network.

Mumbai settled into an uneasy detente between Sena and D company.

Both had their respective turfs with an unwritten agreement not to trample on each other’s territories.

By eliminating the ‘Hindu’ underworld, Sena had shot itself in the foot.  State and political outfits could  never attract or safely nurture the type of individuals needed to counter a D company or ISI.  The only remaining ‘Hindu’ outfit of Chota Rajan was too weak to take on Dawood.

Once Sena lost power in 2000, D took over as Mumbai’s de facto king and has remained so ever since.

There’s a lesson in this for the BJP.  When (it is no longer a matter of ‘if’) extremist Muslim elements rear their ugly head (as witnessed at Azad Maidan last year) only a Sena type of organization can counter them.

An Owaisi cannot be countered by a Suresh Prabhu or Venkahiah Naidu.  You need an Anand Dighe or Sartpodar to counter them.

The ordinary Shiv Sainik is a bulwark against marauding muslim thugs.  Only he is willing to grab that sword and charge up a hill….full speed ahead…damn the torpedoes.

By eliminating Sena, BJP may be winning a political battle, but it may render Hindus vulnerable to a much bigger threat. 

One which Hindus may find increasingly difficult to counter.

Black Money and Its Political Implications

Supporters of PM Modi (and I’m perhaps the biggest one) are making a fatal error in assuming that the current brouhaha vis-à-vis black money is a storm in a tea cup and its political impact on the Modi Govt. will be minimal.

Allow me to explain why this assumption is flawed and how this issue threatens the very core of everything PM Modi has constructed over his 40 plus years in public life.

Despite an absolute majority, despite successive victories at the state level, Black money can and will derail NDA 2 and render it ineffective in presenting a strong case in 2019.

1. PM Modi’s appeal rests on three pillars
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Personal Integrity
      
      
   
   
   
   2. His performance as CM of Gujarat
      
      
   
   
   
   3. His humble antecedents
      
      
   
   
   
   

Of these three, Personal integrity is without doubt, his strongest virtue.  In fact, it his armor.  Sans personal integrity all else gets diminished.  To put it another way, even if he performs miracles on the economic front, even if he delivers a Swachh, Surakshit Bharat, any blemish to his reputation will allow Congress and its media pimps to get a foot in the door.  A Priyanka Gandhi led Congress or a Kejriwal led UPA could then step in and ensure a hung parliament in 2019

1. One way to counter BJP was always to equate it to Congress on every issue.  From communalism to economy to corruption, once media and Congress were successful in creating this impression of ‘Congress-BJP-same-same’ the voter was confused and perplexed.  Lack of action of Black Money can have the same effect
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Congress doesn’t need to prove that it is clean.  Even the Gandhis know that is no longer possible.  All they have to do is paint BJP with the same brush.  Engender doubts (in public perception) of both parties being corrupt.  One more than the other.
      
      
   
   
   
   



2. With an absolute majority and the complete backing of the party and the larger Sangh parivar, PM Modi may seem politically invincible.  But if media is able to perpetuate the impression of ‘Congress-BJP-same-same’ in that UPA had a clean PM who could do little against the corrupt and NDA has the same situation, every decision taken by the NDA govt will be seen in the light of crony corruption where NDA is taking decisions not to create jobs or improve the economy but to ALSO benefit its corrupt benefactors.  The Ambanis, Adanis, Birlas, etc.
   
   



3. Once this impression gains ground, non-political NGOs, leftists, etc can be deployed to derail and/or delay key infrastructure and policy initiatives.  If enough people are angered by lack of clarity on the Black Money issue, we could witness agitations not seen since Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare held center stage at Ram Lila grounds.
   
   



4. Another suggestion made by fellow Internet Hindus is that the NDA govt will time its attack on Gandhis and Congress closer to key elections.  For instance, Vadra could be targeted once Priyanka decides to take the plunge.  Using the Vadra card too early will ensure dilution of its efficacy as a political tool.  Moreover complete annihilation of the Gandhis would create a vacuum allowing likes of Kejriwal to step in.  Better to keep Pappus on the back foot but at the crease instead of getting them out and allowing a better batsman to take the crease and ensure a draw or a comeback.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. But this argument has several flaws.  Yes logically it makes complete sense.  But delaying action on Vadra and timing it closer to Priyanka’s entry will allow her to play the victim – the long suffering Indian wife standing by her corrupt husband – now being targeted by an equally suspect NDA regime.
      
      
   
   
   
   2. Going after the corrupt in a timely manner is key to winning in 2019.  The cases can be expedited and delayed in accordance with a political calendar, but any delay would cause immense harm to BJP’s image as a cleaner of corrupt politics.  Initiate cases, even if conviction is many years away.
      
      
   
   
   
   



5. There may be genuine road blocks to revealing names of foreign account holders.  For instance an Ambani may be included in the list.  So how should the Modi Sarkar counter this road block. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   1. Perhaps NDA should learn from the genius that was Dhirubhai Ambani.  In 1987 when VP Singh led the first anti-corruption crusade, he had Dhirubhai squarely in his sights.  There was no escape.  Or so political pundits of the day predicted.
      
      
   
   
   
   2. But Dhirubhai deftly side stepped that battle and turned it into a VP Vs. Rajiv war.  Surely Reliance suffered significant collateral damage with Rajiv losing the election and VP taking over as PM.  But Dhirubhai was able to keep his weapons intact and when the time came he stationed himself at the Ashoka Hotel with bags of cash to take down the VP Singh Govt.
      
      
   
   
   
   3. PM Modi will have to do something similar.  Even if it means sacrificing some key figures from his ecosystem.  Be they leaders of Industry or members his own cabinet. 
   4. Bottomline:  Release all names to the SC court and let this be a battle between the People of India and the SC of India.
   
   
   
   
   
   

What is of primary importance, what is non-negotiable in the ongoing political war is PM Modi’s personal Integrity.  Nothing and I mean nothing is more valuable. 

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.