Jay Ho!

In the given circumstances, general elections 2009 have produced probably the best result one can hope for. Like the recent state assembly elections in Delhi, Gujrat and MP, voters continued the good trend of electing governments based on their previous developmental policies, rather than based on cast and creed politics.

The fact that this is the best result becomes obvious, when we consider the alternatives. Here are some could have been scenarios.

1. BJP with absolute majority: India will be walking right-bound (or backwards, whichever way you want to look at it) for at least five years in foreign relationships, energy generation, communal harmony etc. Merchants of deaths, culture police gangs, anti valentine day crusaders etc will be roaming our streets freely.

2. Lalu+Mulayam+Paswan gathers 60+ seats and are an integral part of the government: All development work, i.e. the ones which squeeze through the stubborn blockage of these parties, will be concentrated in UP and Bihar, not to mention the personal gains these leaders are going to make for themselves. Whichever govt accepts the support of these parties will be subject to constant arm-twisting from them. Just imagine opportunists like Lalu or Amar Singh deciding our foreign policies or developmental roadmap.

3. Mayawati getting 60+ seats and third front getting simple majority: We will have the honor of being ruled by Behan Mayawati. But then we already had the honor of being ruled by Humble Farmer Deva Gowda, so this prospect might not match in shock quotient. If she becomes the PM, no points in guessing which state will prosper and whose bank accounts are going to go through the ceiling. If she could make all these assets by looting, oops ruling, just a single state, just imagine who will be the wealthiest person on earth in a couple of years.

4. Jayalalitha sweeping TN polls: Instead of DMK, it would have been AIADMK mistaking portfolio allocation meeting for fish market, employing the same tactics of bargaining.

5. Deva Gowda and sons getting enough seats for bargaining: Or stretch that even further and think of a scenario where they get enough seats to bargain for the PM's post. We will see Kumaraswami getting into five different pacts with five different parties to have coalitions of one year tenure each. He will switch his partners five times within the five year term.

So lets just be thankful about the small mercies that come our way every once in a while.

Interesting battlefields

28 states, 7 union territories, 542 Lok-Sabha constituencies, more than 5,000 candidates. Going through each and every constituency and analyzing each and every candidate might be a little tedious. So here are some ‘news-making’ candidates, constituencies and regions. I am trying to keep track of these battlefields, comments of the candidates, their allegiances & alliances, their shifts etc through this post.

Bangalore South - Captian G.R.Gopinath- Independent

Aviation czar Captian G.R.Gopinath has decided to contest parliament elections as an independant from Bangalore South constituency.

"I am plunging into active politics due to the dramatic events and developments over the last six months in the country and the world over such as the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, global recession, economic slowdown in India and unsavory incidents in Karnataka."

"My three-point agenda is to fight terrorism, which is impacting our life in terms of safety, security and economic activity; communal violence and divisive forces, which are rearing their head again, especially in Karnataka after the BJP came to power; and socio-economic development of the country, particularly, infrastructure that is holding up the pace of growth."

"I am not joining any political party as people are disgusted with their functioning. As candidature is decided on the basis of caste, community and ulterior considerations, I have decided to be on my own. Even their manifestos and election strategies are driven by the interests of industrialists and business houses."
Captain Gopinath hails from Gorur in Hassan district, about 250 km from Bangalore. He has turned down support from SP, JD(U) to back him.

Result
Sr	Candidate	Party	Votes
1	ANANTH KUMAR	BJP	437953
2	KRISHNA BYRE GOWDA	INC	400341
3	PROF.RADHAKRISHNA	JD(S)	30045
4	CAPT. G.R. GOPINATH	IND	16383
5	NAHEEDA SALMA S	BSP	4621

Mumbai South – Meera Sanyal - Independent

Meera Sanyal - country head, ABN Amro Bank is contesting on an independent ticket from South Mumbai. Sanyal hopes to bring about a change she truly believes in.

"I have decided to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections from South Mumbai. I have been associated with community development programmes and policy reforms for a long time now and feel that I can bring about some positive changes in our system by participating in the election."

Asked if she had approached any political party for its ticket, Sanyal said "I did not look at all towards any political party to stand as its candidate. I found it difficult to align myself with their ideologies."

"There is no shortage of talent in our country but there is a vacuum of leadership." "We demand that our corporate leaders be honest, we demand the best from them. Then why should we accept anything less from our political leaders," she asked.

Sanyal, who is on leave from the bank till May 15 to concentrate on her campaigning, said she would be contesting as an independent and her entire campaign would be self-funded and within EC's prescribed ceiling of Rs 25-lakh.

Result
Sr	Candidate	Party	Votes
1	DEORA MILIND MURLI	INC	272411
2	MOHAN RAWALE	SHS	146118
3	BALA NANDGAONKAR	MNS	159729
4	MOHAMMAD ALI ABUBAKAR SHAIKH	BSP	33799
5	MEERA H. SANYAL	IND	10157

Gandhinagar – Mallika Sarabhai - Independent

Danseuse Sarabhai has decided to fight BJP's prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani from Gandhinagar constituency as an independent candidate. Interestingly, her symbol is a harmonium. Sarabhai who will be contesting against BJP prime ministerial candidate L K Advani and Congress leader Suresh Patel, said that the issues included in her manifesto or action plan, as she calls it, are based on the outcome of her interaction with people in her constituency.

"I have interacted with over 1.3 lakh people and visited over 130 villages in my constituency. The points in my action plan are based on the inputs of people with whom I interacted during the campaign," Sarabhai told reporters. According to her manifesto, she aims to make politicians more accountable and bring transparency to the way they function.

State capital Gandhinagar is also known as the green capital, with the number of trees perhaps exceeding the voters. Housing the secretariat and the official residence of members of the cabinet, a sizeable chunk of Ahmedabad city and Sanand — where the Tatas are relocating their Nano manufacturing plant — now comes under the new limits of Gandhinagar constituency. Victory margin for Mr. LK Advani has remained more than one and a half lakh votes consistently for the last three terms.

Result
Sr	Candidate	Party	Votes
1	L.K.ADVANI	BJP	434044
2	PATEL SURESHKUMAR CHATURDAS (SURESH PATEL)	INC	312297
3	RAKESH PANDEY	BSP	5907
4	DR.MALLIKA SARABHAI	IND	9268

Pilibhit - Varun Gandhi - BJP

The only claim to fame of this grandson of an ‘unconverted Muslim’ grandfather and ‘legally converted Muslim’ grandmother, is his hate speech-ability.

Result
Sr	Candidate	Party	Votes
1	FEROZE VARUN GANDHI	BJP	419539
2	V. M. SINGH	INC	138038
3	RIYAZ AHMAD	SP	117903
4	GANGA CHARAN	BSP	112576
5	RAM NARAYAN SINGH	IND	14246
6	VIQUARUL HASAN KHAN	IND	10777
7	MASTER CHOTEY LAL GANGWAR	NCP	4963
8	KRISHNA ADHIKARI	CPI(ML)(L)	3563

Thiruvananthapuram - Sashi Tharoor- Congress

The seasoned diplomat and former UN Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor was on Thursday (19th March) named the Congress candidate for the key Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. Tharoor is fielded against Ramachandran Nair, the current Thiruvananthapuram district secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the candidate of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF). Another formidable opponent is Neelalohithadasan Nadar of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

“I speak a simple Malayalam, not the high-flaunting literary variety. And I connect with people particularly well”

“I do represent the educated Indian middle class which has tended to abstain from politics. I have often argued in my writings that it’s a mistake for the middle class to abdicate this political space to others”

“I certainly come from a non-political background. In a parliamentary system, you can’t do an Obama so one has to find a party that embodies one’s ideals and beliefs. The Congress fitted the billing,”

53-year-old Tharoor has authored nine books, including ‘The Great Indian Novel’ and the bestseller ‘From Midnight to the Millennium’.

Result
Sr	Candidate	Party	Votes
1	SHASHI THAROOR	INC	326725
2	ADV. P RAMACHANDRAN NAIR	CPI	226727
3	DR.A NEELALOHITHADASAN NADAR	BSP	86233
4	P K KRISHNA DAS	BJP	84094
5	M.P.GANGADHARAN	NCP	2972
6	AJITHKUMAR.K	AITUC	1606
7	JAIN WILSON	BSA	457

Soja Re, and save 10000 Crore Rupees

Sand opined on Rat's blog.

Considering the recession and the job losses, govt of India should skip this year's election and continue status-quo for the next 5 years. Even if the election happens (spending around 10K Crore I heard from somewhere), the same parties will get almost the same number of seats. So, what's the point? Instead of election, parties should be given an opportunity to re-align.. Like Jayalalitha to support congress, Left to support BJP, Shivsena to support congress. RJD & SP to merge. (All the post election dramas which happen every 5 years) Then a new govt will be formed with new political equations and govt saves 10K Crore from treasury.

I haven’t heard a better proposition about Indian politics in the recent times. Makes perfect sense to me.

These politicians have been looting our nation for decades, in the name of democracy. They align with communal forces, choose candidates based on cast equations, give tickets to vested interests and outright criminals, support religious extremists to influence vote banks, align with arch rivals to form coalitions, change allegiance and alliances as often as changing clothes .... in general do anything to get into power. So why bother to spend almost 10000 crore rupees to reelect them?

Here is the party wise list of members of the fourteenth (current) Lok Sabha. Once the elections are over, I will put another post to compare the party wise list to see if there is any change in these equations because of our once in five year circus.

S.No.	Name of Party	Member	Leader
1	Indian National Congress(INC)	150	Shri Pranab Mukherjee
2	Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP)	112	Shri L.K. Advani
3	Communist Party of India (Marxist)(CPI(M))	42	Shri Basudeb Acharia
4	Samajwadi Party(SP)	32	Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav
5	Rashtriya Janata Dal(RJD)	24	Shri Lalu Prasad
6	Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP)	16	Shri Rajesh Verma
7	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK)	16	Shri C. Kuppusami
8	Shiv Sena(SS)	12	Shri Anant Geete
9	Nationalist Congress Party(NCP)	11	-
10	Biju Janata Dal(BJD)	10	Shri Braja Kishore Tripathy
11	Communist Party of India(CPI)	10	Shri Gurudas Dasgupta
12	Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD)	8	Shri Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa
13	Independent(Ind.)	6	.
14	Pattali Makkal Katchi(PMK)	6	Prof. M. Ramadass
15	Jharkhand Mukti Morcha(JMM)	5	Shri Shibu Soren
16	Lok Jan Shakti Party(LJSP)	4	Shri Ram Vilas Paswan
17	Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(MDMK)	4	Shri L. Ganesan
18	Telugu Desam Party(TDP)	4	Shri K. Yerrannaidu
19	All India Forward Bloc(AIFB)	3	-
20	Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD)	3	.
21	Revolutionary Socialist Party(RSP)	3	Shri Joachim Baxla
22	Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS)	3	Shri Kalva Kuntla Chandrasekhar
23	Asom Gana Parishad(AGP)	2	Dr. Arun Kumar Sarma
24	Janata Dal (Secular)(S))	2	Shri M.P. Veerendra Kumar
25	Kerala Congress(KEC)	2	Shri P.C. Thomas
26	All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimmen(AIMIM)	1	Shri Asaduddin Owaisi
27	All India Trinamool Congress(AITC)	1	Km. Mamata Banerjee
28	Bharatiya Navshakti Party(BNP)	1	Shri Delkar Mohanbhai Sanjibhai
29	Jammu and Kashmir National Conference(J&KNC)	1	.
30	Janata Dal (United)(U))	1	-
31	Mizo National Front(MNF)	1	Shri Vanlalzawma
32	Muslim League Kerala State Committee(MLKSC)	1	Shri E. Ahmed
33	Nagaland Peoples Front(NPF)	1	Shri W. Wangyuh
34	National Loktantrik Party(NLP)	1	Shri Baleshwar Yadav
35	Republican Party of India(A)(RPI(A))	1	Shri Athawale Ramdas Bandu
36	Sikkim Democratic Front(SDF)	1	Shri Nakul Das Rai

Total - 501, Vacant seats - 46
Source

There are precisely 11 parties which managed to get 10 or more people elected to the parliament. And these are the ones who decide our future.

Lets just examine the history of our major alliances and the way parties move in and out of these coalitions. How many of these movements are based on or inspired by ideology? What about parties which temporarily move away and then come back to the same alliance?

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a coalition of political parties in India.
Had 13 constituent parties at the time of its formation in 1998.
Formed the Government in 1998, but collapsed within a year due to the AIADMK pulling out. It proceeded to win the 1999 elections with a greater majority and new alliances.

Currently, the eight parties in the NDA are:

1. BJP - Bhartiya Janata Party
2. SS - Shiv Sena - Maharashtra
3. JD(U)- Janata Dal (United) - Bihar and Karnataka
4. SAD - Shiromani Akali Dal faction led by Parkash Singh Badal - Punjab
5. INLD - Indian National Lok Dal - Haryana
6. AGP - Asom Gana Parishad - Assam
7. RLD - Rashtriya Lok Dal - Uttar Pradesh
8. NPF - Nagaland People's Front-Nagaland

Former members of the National Democratic Alliance, who have left the alliance, are:

1. NC - Jammu & Kashmir National Conference - Omar Abdullah- Withdrew in 2002, blaming the BJP for its loss in Jammu & Kashmir state elections.
2. LJSP - Lok Jan Shakti Party -Ram Vilas Paswan- Withdrew following 2002 Gujarat religious riots.
3. MDMK - Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Joined with Congress Party during 2004 elections.
4. DMK - Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Joined with Congress party during 2004 elections.
5. AIADMK - All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Joined with Congress Party during 1999 elections; subsequently re-joined alliance during 2004 elections, but did not remain aligned post-defeat. Joined the Third Front before the 2009 elections.
6. PMK - Pattali Makkal Katchi - Joined with Congress Party during 2004 elections.
7. IFDP - Indian Federal Democratic Party -P.C. Thomas-Following the 2004 election, he merged his party with the Kerala Congress, which is aligned with the Left.
8. TC - Trinamool Congress - West Bengal - Withdrew from the alliance at the end of 2007. Joined the Congress party before the 2009 elections.
9. BJD - Biju Janata Dal - Orissa - Left the alliance just over a month before the 2009 elections.

Parties who gave outside support, but are no longer allies:

1. TDP - Telugu Desam Party - In the monsoon session of Parliament of 2005, the TDP decided not to continue as part of an NDA boycott of Parliament. Speculation of an end to the NDA-TDP relationship was confirmed in August of that year, when the BJP and TDP contested local elections in Andhra Pradesh on their own. The TDP was the founding member of the Third Front in 2009

United Progressive Alliance - Formed soon after the 2004 general elections after it became clear that the previous ruling coalition, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had been defeated. The NDA had gotten only 169 MPs in the 543 member 14th Lok Sabha, as opposed the UPA tally.

The Indian communist parties (Left Front), the Samajwadi Party with 39 (now 33) MPs and the Bahujan Samaj Party with 19 (now 17) MPs were other significant blocks that opted to support UPA at various phases of its 50 month rule.The UPA did not enjoy a simple majority on its own in the parliament, rather it has relied on the external support given by these parties to ensure that it enjoys the confidence of the Indian parliament similar to the formula adopted by the previous minority governments of the United Front and the NDA.

During the tenure of Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda, the constituents of the UPA were, by mutual consent, supporting his government.At present the UPA is no longer supported by the Left parties.

Initially, the United Progressive Alliance was given external support from the Left Front which totaled 59 MPs. Similar external support was also promised by several smaller parties that were not a member of any coalition, including the Samajwadi Party with 39 MPs, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam with 4 MPs , the Janata Dal (Secular) with 3 MPs, and Bahujan Samaj Party with 19 MPs, who promised to support the government if it faced a vote of confidence. Nevertheless, these parties were not a part of the government. The UPA thus had at least 335 MPs out of 543 supporting it at the time of its formation.

Current constituents
Due to the volatile nature of coalition politics in India, the constituents of the UPA have been wavering. As of July 15, 2008 they were:

1. INC - Indian National Congress (153 MPs) (Out of these 1 MP is now a rebel and another is a non-voting member)
2. RJD - Rashtriya Janata Dal (24 MPs)
3. DMK - Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (16 MPs)
4. NCP - Nationalist Congress Party (11 MPs)
5. PMK - Pattali Makkal Katchi (6 MPs)
6. JMM - Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (5 MPs)
7. LJP - Lok Janshakti Party (4 MPs)
8. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (1 MP)
9. RPI - Republican Party of India (Athvale) (1 MP)
10. SDF - Sikkim Democratic Front (1 MP)
11. IUML - Indian Union Muslim League (1 MP)

Outside support is currently being offered by the

1. Samajwadi Party (33 MPs)
2. Bharatiya Navshakti Party (1 MP)
3. National Conference (2 MPs)
4. National Loktantrik Party (1 MP)

In addition, rebel MPs from Biju Janata Dal , the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United), the Telugu Desam Party and the independent MPs take the tally of UPA supporting MPs to 275.

Withdrawals

1. Telangana Rashtra Samithi -K. Chandrashekar Rao- The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was the first party to quit the alliance, first when its ministers quit the Andhra Pradesh government, and finally when an official withdrawal was done at the national level by its president K. Chandrashekar Rao, who resigned his Lok Sabha seat.
2. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam - Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), began its drift when it tied up with the UPA's rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) during the Tamil Nadu elections, and on March 16, 2007 officially withdrew support.
3. Bahujan Samaj PartyOn 21 June 2008, the Bahujan Samaj Party, or the BSP, with 17 seats, announced withdrawal of its support.
4. Left Front - On 8 July 2008, Prakash Karat, the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (or the CPI (M)), announced that the Left Front would be withdrawing support over the decision by the government to go ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal, a Section 123 Agreement with the United States.
5. People's Democratic Party (PDP) - On 4 January 2009, Mehbooba Mufti, president of the People's Democratic Party announced the withdrawal of the PDP from the UPA given that the Congress had decided to support the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference Government in Jammu & Kashmir after the 2008 state elections.

Resignations

1. DMK -On October 17, 2008 14 DMK MP's, including central ministers T.R. Baalu and A. Raja, handed in their post-dated resignation letters to the head of the party, TN CM M. Karunanidhi in demanding an end to the violence against civilians in Sri Lanka. There were consequently 16 DMK MP's left in the 14th Lok Sabha. All 4 Rajya Sabha MP's had also submitted post-dated resignation letters, including Karunanidhi's daughter, Kanimozhi had handed in her resignation on October 14, A. A. Jinnah, Tiruchi Siva, and Vasanthi Stanley. All 40 Lok Sabha MP's of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry had also threatened to quit the government if it failed to take action on the Sri Lankan issue. Lawyers in Coimbatore joined their tamil brethren in burning an effigy of Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony within the court premises earlier in the day, alleging a conspiracy by bureaucrats of Kerala origin to keep the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka on tenterhooks. Following these actions, the TN CM Karunanidhi said, on November 4, that he was "satisfied" with the measures taken by the UPA government in the center on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue. A statement said: "we have a Centre, which realises the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka, and the leaders there respect our sentiments," and that they were doing their best to mitigate the sufferings of the Tamils of Lanka. He added that, "We have to raise our demands to increase their action."

Source

Update - March 27, 2009
PMK(Pattali Makkal Katchi) with 6 MPS and 2 ministers (health minister Anbumani Ramadoss and minister of state for railways R. Velu) decided to move out of UPA and join hands with AIADMK.

3 parties which were a part of or supported UPA, ie Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Lok Janshakti Party and the Samajwadi Party have decided to come out of the coalition and form their own pre-poll alignment in Bihar and UP. So the only major parties remaining inUPA are Congress, NCP and DMK.

Update - April 03, 2009
Despite their decision to field candidates against the Congress party in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) partners Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) on Friday claimed they were still a part of the UPA and would come together to form a government under the leadership of Manmohan Singh after the Lok Sabha election.

“We are with Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. There are certain managers in the Congress who tried to create a rift between us during the seat-sharing discussion. However, we still say that Manmohan singh will be our PM candidate. UPA will come back and fight communal forces. Our aim is to form the government,” RJD chief Lalu Prasad told a rally in Lucknow along with SP leader Mulayam Singh and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan.

Update - May 11, 2009 - TRS Moves from Third Front to NDA
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), at a rally in Ludhiana on May 10, sought to project itself as a united front that now includes the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who was with the Left-led Third Front, appeared on the platform and declared his support for this alliance. The rally, organised by the NDA’s founding constituent Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), was attended by a galaxy of leaders. They included the NDA’s prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani, BJP chief Rajnath Singh, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, SAD chief and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, Asom Gana Parishad president Chandra Mohan Patowary, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) supremo Om Prakash Chautala and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi. The TRS chief said his party was stabbed in the back after it gave the necessary oxygen to the Congress before the last parliamentary polls. Mr. Chautala warned the people that democracy would perish if they did not vote the NDA to power as the UPA was blindly following the agenda of large capital formation.

Mr. Lalu Prasad Yadav while addressing a separate poll rally in Chandigarh in support of party candidate from Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat Hafiz Anwar-ul-Haq had this to offer as retaliation - "We had stopped L K Advani's Rath in Bihar earlier and this time too, his dream of becoming PM will remain a dream”. Claiming that he has joined hands with the LJP and the SP to stop "communal and divisive forces" from coming to power at the Centre, Lalu Prasad vowed to again scuttle the plans of L K Advani, who is "dreaming" to become the Prime Minister of the country. "Those people who sow seeds of hatred between brothers and communities can never become the Prime Minister of this country," he said making a scathing attack on BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Advani. Stating that his fight was against the BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and the Shiv Sena, union railway minister alleged "these forces are out there to spread poison in our society and breed hatred among the communities. Calling Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi "a murderer", the RJD chief said, "Narendra Modi is a murderer in Gujarat riots. ...Even the Supreme Court has ordered that the riots be probed by an independent investigating agency." He lashed out at Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar for sharing dais with Modi at the NDA rally in Ludhiana on Sunday and said his "so called secular mask has been exposed."

Resignation remedy for Mumbai Terror Attacks

Yesterday was a field day of resignations and resignation offers in Indian politics and bureaucracy. First of all, let me summarize this post before I start - I welcome Mr.Shivraj Patil’s resignation.

Home Minister Mr. Shivraj Patil hesitantly offered to resign and his offer was gleefully accepted by the Prime Minister and the President of India. Taking a cue from this, National Security Adviser Mr. M.K. Narayanan stood up, with a resignation letter in his hand but his resignation was dutifully rejected and he was asked to remain seated. During the CWC meeting which took place yesterday, Defense Minister Mr. A.K. Antony, Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee dramatically offered to resign when their respective departments were put under the hawk’s eye for their (lack of) efficiency and all three offers were conveniently ignored by the rest of the lot.

If resignation is the solution to all our problems, all of us Indians should try resigning from whatever posts we hold and see what happens. We all know that is not the case and this is not the answer we are looking for. Then why did I say I welcome Mr. Shivraj Patil’s resignation? Because I want to see it as a change in the way the Indian politicians function. I want to see this as an instance of a politician being held accountable for his actions (or the lack of them). Accountability is a very crucial and utmost important aspect painstakingly missing in our politicians and bureaucrats.

“With great power comes great responsibility” said Uncle Ben to one Peter we all know. Indian politicians are a breed which are blessed with immense power but are not responsible for anything. They abuse their powers to lead a posh lifestyle and enjoy all the comforts they can get, bend each and every rule in the book to their and their kin’s advantage, indulge in unchecked bribery and are still protected from the clutches of the law on account of their authority and power.

• The PWD Minister is not accountable for the sad state of our roads.
• The Home Minister is not accountable for the unchecked rise in crime in our cities. He and the Internal Affairs Minister are not responsible for the recurring terror attacks.
• The Defense Minister is not accountable for the miss on the military’s part in guarding our nation.
• The Education Minister is not accountable for the sad state of affairs in our government schools.
• The Prime Minister is not accountable for any of the above even though he is supposed to oversee, control and direct all of them.

The system is so bad that the general public does not even expect these politicians to be accountable.

• When these same set of incompetent, partisan and corrupt politicians come begging for our votes in the next election, we happily elect him/her without sparing a moment to think about his/her accomplishments or credentials.
• We are so used to being held up, waiting in hour long traffic jams just to see one of these ministers speeding by through a free way, often to attend some private function.
• We are content and raise no questions when we see these politicians enjoy state sponsored trips abroad accompanied by a battalion of his clan complete with his grandson and puppy.
• We do not raise any questions when we see a pauper becoming a billionaire after joining politics.
• We do not raise any questions when we see crores getting spent on the politician’s birthday and when even more crores are spent on erecting these beggar’s statues across the state.

“Every nation gets the kind of leaders it deserves” said some Wiseman. So are we to be blamed for the sad state of our nation? Is it our fault that we don’t demand anything better from these politicians? Is it our fault that we are ready to put up with their incompetency forever? These are questions which does not have easy answers.

This is the background from which I say I welcome Mr. Shivraj Patil’s resignation. Not as a symbolic gesture or as a face saving measure for the government. But as a strong message that we won’t tolerate incompetence anymore. We want people who are responsible and are accountable. A Home Minister should not be allowed to get away with excuses like “I didn’t know about the terror attacks”, “I will tackle it next time”, “Why am I the only one responsible” and so on. At the best, he can give the excuse “I was caught unaware this time, I will make sure it does not happen again” on the very first time. But not again and again, week after week. There have been more than 10 brutal terror attacks this very year and he cannot just go on parroting his rehearsed speech every time, without even rearranging sentences. Hopefully this is going to be a new beginning when we start expecting the politicians to start delivering.

Now that dust has settled on Mr. Shivraj Patil, here are the rest of the lot whom I would like to see quitting, for the same reasons of incompetence and lack of accountability.

Mr. R.R. Patil, deputy CM and Home Minster of Maharashtra.
For issuing the statement “…small things like this happen in big cities…”. He belittled the effort and struggle of the police officers and NSG commandos who lost their life, he doesn't value the lives of innocent men and women who were killed in the melee and he just could not comprehend the seriousness of the situation. On one hand he could do nothing to avert this incident, or do something to take control and expedite the counter attack, and when everything has settled down, he has the audacity to come up and make such an atrocious statement which hurts millions of us. I do not think we the general public agree with the sentiment he expressed. Since he is a complete misfit, show him the door.

Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh, CM of Maharashtra
Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh should be kicked out for denying that there was intelligence reports about a possible attack on Mumbai. Either he is not being informed about what is happening to his state by his colleagues in his government, in which case he does not deserve to continue. If that is not the case, either he is lying or the RAW spokesperson is lying. One of them must go. We want our politicians to be accountable for their actions or at the very least for their words. They should not be allowed to get away with blabbering about anything and everything without checking the authenticity of the information they pass on and often blatantly lying.

Mr Deshmukh also had the audacity to tour around the Taj, after all the action was over, accompanied by his actor son and the film director Mr. Ram Gopal Varma. How could these people from the film industry be included in the official team which visited Taj? Doesn’t the incident expose the seriousness the CM gave for the official visit of a spot which shocked the entire nation?

The authority who should take action on a security tip off by the RAW or the RAW spokesperson.
Either the RAW spokesperson lied to us when he said his agency had passed on security warnings or the authority which is supposed to take action ignored the warnings. One of them must go. First of all, these people could not protect our motherland from being attacked, and when it happened, they are trying to pass the blame on to someone else. Make them accountable for their words at least. As a next step, we can make them accountable for their actions.

The coast guard officers who intercepted the terrorist vessel.
They are plain incompetent in carrying out their duty. If terrorists can fool them and get past them, then what are they getting paid for? If they were as effective as a bunch of village lasses in stopping a terrorist ship even after intercepting it, then why were they given the training to do their jobs? I am not asking for their resignation. Let them understand what their duties are, get necessary training and be truthful to their job.

And last but not the least, all the media persons who made this entire incident into a sop serial.
I have kept this to the very last so that I can elaborate on this. These are the people who think they are the modern Messiahs of India, but they are the ones who should be reprimanded and berated the most. What happened in Mumbai from Nov 26th to 29th was a national tragedy. It is not the time for these bastards to increase their TRPs with some irrelevant, inaccurate and inappropriate coverage and reporting. It was not a cricket test match to be telecasted live across the globe. There has to be some guidelines and restraint in place when they are covering a national tragedy.

Why should they telecast live images from the site of the adversity? It is not an action movie. Lives of hundreds of innocent men and women were trapped inside. Who is it going to help, except for the terror groups which are spread around the globe planning their next attack? Will the relatives of the people trapped inside the hotel be any more comfortable hearing about the barbaric acts committed by the terrorists? Who was supposed to enjoy the sight of the building going up in flames in front of their eyes? What we are looking for is actual news and details about the people who are rescued and are still trapped inside. I don’t think a reporter doing some bloody drama of crawling on the floor while jabbering away to glory will be of any comfort to the viewers across the globe.

And these very media men are betraying our commandos and army men who risked their lives to rescue the hostages, when the exact details, strength and movements of the commandos were telecasted real time. Don’t tell me that the TV lines to the hotel were cut, because that does not deter the terrorists from getting information through satellite phones from their accomplices spread around the world. Don’t tell me that they were not divulging military secrets and were misleading the terrorists, as the situation did not look like it was under anybody’s control for him to marshal the information being passed on to the media. Media was sneaking into unnecessary details and trying to create panic among onlookers and sensationalize the issue.

Some specific set of people from the media for whom I have specific questions to ask.

The reporters who reported that there was firing in the CST station on the second day afternoon and the presenters who presented that news on “Your Channel”s. The reporters should resign their jobs and opt for manual labor as they lack competency for anything else. They substantiated a baseless rumor and sent shockwaves to thousands. What if people had reacted violently? What if there was a stampede in or around CST station? What if there was a communal riot because of that news? The presenters who screamed that news at the top of their voice should apologize on air and admit that “Your Channel”s screwed up big time.

The presenter and reporter who were hypothesizing on a theory about who it could be when they showed a man falling out of a window. Initially they reported that it was a terrorist being thrown out. Then they corrected themselves and said it was a commando getting out. After sometime the original story was repeated again. We are not seeing a horse race or a football match for the commentator to bet and hypothesize. Report it if you know what had happened, else keep your trap shut. Nobody expects you to take educated or calculated or whatever else guesses. Neither the channel is paying you nor the viewer is watching the channel to see you gamble and bet amongst yourself and fool general public.

Bakra Dutt - For hanging out there most of the time and coming up with utter nonsensical statements every once in a while. I just want to mention your winding up speech when everything was getting over. You managed to get a set of local chaps to surround you, wave at the camera and push and pull eachother to be on air. It looked as if they were a set of spectators at a T20 cricket ground. Unfortunately in this great country, you get dime a dozen to gather around you and smile at you if you have a TV camera pointed at you. That doesn’t mean you have to capitalize on it and show the world how immature Indians are. You were prompting them to jump around you, cheer, applaud and shake hands with the tired commandos who were waiting inside the buses. It was a shame to see the way a set of mumbaikers monkeying around, dancing to the tunes of a TV reporter.

I feel it is high time we have some guidelines on what the Media can cover and what they cannot. Media should verify each and every sentence before it is aired, especially in troubled times. There should not be any live coverage of national calamities. Army and commandos should be the ones who control a catastrophe hit area, not brain-dead camera-wielding journalists and reporters. Aim of the media should be to pass accurate information in the form of news bulletins every once in a while, and not in covering it live with all the gory details.

PS: As somebody rightly pointed out, the morons with the Thackeray sir-name don’t even deserve a mention when we talk about serious issues concerning Mumbai. They are absolute lunatics who should have been chained years ago. So skipping those jokers.

They hit 'me' once again

Of all the places I have been to, Mumbai is my dearest. I simply adore the spirit of that city, the feeling of being treated as a ‘Mumbaikar’.

And those bastards hit me where it matters. This is not the first time, and probably this wont be the last also. But then, we don’t care. We will fight back. Just to prove all those bastards wrong, we will stand on our feet again, continue our work as if nothing happened.

Long live the brotherhood!

Whose war are we fighting?

“If there was a heaven on earth...” - Mughal Emperor Jahngir

Today, the same heaven on earth is in a condition, which will put even hell to shame. A partition based on religion, accession by one side, help from the other side, which translated to another accession, three wars, number of UN resolutions, a yet to be held plebiscite, thousands killed in proxy and direct wars...

History (collected from various web sites)

Kashmir was one of many princely states in India and Maharaja Hari Singh was the ruler. Under the Partition Plan in 1947, the states were free to join either India or Pakistan. Hari Singh announced his plan of leaving India and forming an independent dominion on June 3rd, 1947. J & K Government announced its decision to enter "Stand Still" Agreement with both India and Pakistan. Even after signing the agreement, Pakistan cut of supplies of food, petrol and other essentials to J & K, and put pressure on J & K to accede to Pakistan. The new Prime Minister, Mr. Justice Meher Chand Mahajan, on 15th October 1947, complained to the British Prime Minister that Pakistan broke Stand Still Agreement and stopped supplies and stopped railway service from Sialkot to Jammu, and requested him to advise Pakistan to deal fairly with J & K and stop raids on the border. Governor General Jinnah was also approached for the same.

On 22nd October, all out invasion of J & K started, along Jehlam Valley road through N. W. Frontier province, the raiders being tribesmen led by regular Pak officers. All Muslim forces in Muzafarabad deserted and joined the aggressors as advanced guard. On 24th Oct, the raiders captured the Mahura powerhouse, supplying electricity to Shrinagar. Shrinagar was immersed in darkness. Raiders declared they would capture Shrinagar by 26th October 1947. Government of J&K approached Government of India for military help on 24th October. In his request for help, Mahajan agreed for Indian accession. The Indian Cabinet rewarded this offer with the decision to send army. V.P.Menon went to Jammu and flew back with Instrument of Accession signed by the Maharaja. After a long discussion in Defense Committee, it was decided to accept the Accession subject to proviso that "a plebiscite will be held in the State when the law and order situation allowed."

The action sequence through which Kashmir was joined to India is described in ‘Freedom At Midnight’ thus: Thousands of Pathan warriors from the North-West Frontier, bordering Afghanistan, rushed into Kashmir, vowing to seize it for Pakistan. Although they were a rabble, they might have succeeded. They were close to Srinagar, the capital, when they were delayed by their lust for loot and women. They wasted one night in pillaging towns and raping girls and nuns, which was just enough for the Indian Air force to set their foot in the Kashmir soil and thus prevent a Pakistan occupation.

In early hours of 27th October, more than one hundred planes - civilian as well as RIAF - carried the soldiers with requirements. Jinnah got furious and ordered General Gracy, the acting Commander in Chief of Pak Army to send Pak troops. But the General refused saying he required orders from Field Marshal Auchinleck, who flew next day to Lahore and explained to Jinnah that in the event of war breaking out, the British Officers in Pak Army would be withdrawn. Indian Military operations were lead by the Mahar Battalions under Major General Kalwant Singh. Their stay was for 18 months. Their work was highly appreciated. They stopped the aggression and repealed the enemy with great valor. It was exclaimed that if they were allowed to fight fully, there would have been no POK.

On 1st November 1947, Governor General Lord Mountbatten flew to Lahore, and suggested to Jinnah that the plebiscite should be under UN, but Jinnah pressed for it to be under joint control of Governor-Generals of both India and Pak. On 4th November, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liyakat Ali Khan announced the accession to India to be a Fraud. India went to the United Nations, for a resolution. India said that Pakistan had attacked a neutral State and that State had now become part of India. Therefore, Pakistan should withdraw its soldiers from the State. The United Nations agreed with the Indian demand and asked Pakistan to withdraw its forces from Jammu & Kashmir. It also told India to ask the people of Jammu & Kashmir whether they wanted to be part of India or part of Pakistan. This was because some people in the State wanted to join Pakistan while others wanted to stay with India. India agreed to ask the people what they wanted through a referendum or plebiscite. Pakistan did not agree and refused to vacate the areas of Jammu & Kashmir it had forcibly grabbed. Because of this a plebiscite could not be held.

Pakistan argues that the Maharaja was forced by India to sign over Kashmir to them while India maintains that this was not the case. Pakistan also argues that the people of Kashmir (Kashmiris) were never given a chance to decide their future as the Maharaja never consulted with them. Since Muslims make up the majority of the population, Pakistan claims that Kashmir should be a part of Pakistan. The United Nations passed three resolutions calling for a plebiscite to be held but India ignored such calls. Many believe that India refuses to hold a plebiscite for fear that the majority of Kashmiris would vote to join Pakistan. Since then, India and Pakistan have gone to war thrice over Kashmir, the first in 1947-48, next in 1965 and the recent Kargil War. Over the years, sporadic clashes have taken place between the two sides.

Following the first war, a cease-fire was declared and a Line of Control (LOC) was drawn separating the two sides. The LOC left two thirds of Kashmir under Indian control and the remaining one-third under Pakistani control. The Indian-controlled part of Kashmir is called Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani-controlled sector is called Azad or Free Kashmir.

Current Affairs

So who is right and who is wrong? Whose rightful claim is Kashmir? Ours or theirs? Who are they? Weren’t we all part of a country which ‘is merely a geographical expression, which is no more a single country than the Equator’, sometime back? The head portion of Indian maps which you and me used to painstakingly draw in our geography classes, with those twin hat like projections, are no longer part of the land within Indian LOC. Are the issues between India and Pakistan bigger than what can be solved by bilateral talks?

Nobody wants a solution. The Indian political top-shots and the Pakistan military top-shots want a presentable cause for all their problems. Onion price rise in Mettuppalayam is attributed to the heavy shelling in Kargil point 4550 which causes an increase in the ‘year to date military expenditure’. Each and every kid of Lahore or Peshawar is aware, thanks to the newspapers and TV channels, that the bomb blast occurred in the nearby street is masterminded by RAW. And then there are foot soldiers on both sides getting sacrificed at the alter of our pseudo national pride. What do we gain by this incessant war? Why cant we just draw a line wherever we stand right now and call it the end of the day, or conduct an opinion poll and then move on with life? The cover page of an issue of ‘The Week’ some years back had a big question mark at the end of a sentence.

Peace or a piece of land?