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Posted on 28 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s statement that those voting for Narendra Modi would drown themselves into sea deserves to be condemned by all. This demonstrates Dr.Abdullah’s contempt for the majority opinion. Farooq Sahib believes and rightly so that India is secular and will not accept communal politics.
Where is it that secularism in India has seen the single greatest failure? We had aberrations and unfortunate incidents in various parts of the country. However, Indian society has demonstrated resilience and managed to get out of the crisis quickly and normalize itself. The single greatest failure of secularism in India is within Farooq Sahib’s own state of Kashmir. If India has witnessed an ethnic cleansing by having one community of the State, namely, the Kashmiri Pundits ejected out of the State, it has only happened in Kashmir. India will never accept communal politics. I am glad when Farooq Sahib says that Kashmir will not accept communal politics. But will Kashmir offer the red carpet back for the resettlement of the Kashmiri Pundits.
India will vote Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister. Nobody needs to jump into the sea because of that. But if Farooq Sahib and his party are silent spectators, when the Kashmiri Pundits cannot go back home he should, as a gesture of repentance, at least take a dip in the Dal lake.
Mrs. Vadra’s Vocabulary
Mrs. Vadra has announced that she is not afraid of anyone. She has compared the BJP to “the panic-stricken rats”.
Family members are always entitled to help candidates in the elections. The candidate is preoccupied with many engagements. The family fills up the vacuum either in the election office or in the campaign where the candidate cannot reach. The family members are always instructed to be extra courteous and never be overbearing on political workers. They are advised not to even make any undignified references to the political rivals.
Mrs. Vadra has lowered the quality of political discourse by her comments. Language provides a facility where even sharp comments can be made in a dignified manner.
The Vadras are right that they need not be scared of anyone. They should only be scared of the law. Be the Vadras be ever so high, the law is above them. Law spares none, be it the rich, the famous or the related. If any of my family members started referring to my opponents as rats and reptiles I surely will be a worried man.
Posted on 27 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
The Congress Party is at odds. It is unable to accept the harsh reality that it is going to be reduced to a two digit party. A two digit party must reconcile to this reality and plan for the future. After all there is no last day in the calendar of politics.
But a leopard never changes its spots. The Congress Party feels that it was born to rule. It is unable to visualize another party or person in power, least of all Narendra Modi. The guilt of having tried to implicate him falsely for over twelve years has created a fear psychosis about Modi in the Congressmens’ minds. It is for this reason that the Gandhis are shrill to the extent of being illogical when it comes to any references, made to Narendra Modi.
Salman Khurshid has virtually accepted defeat when he says that Congress may consider supporting the Third Front. Fortunately the projected figure in their case shows that even these manipulations are not likely to work. The electorate is now aware of these manipulative tendencies and is likely to deliver a decisive result. Those who toy with the idea of Third Front with Congress support are only reviving an idea which has repeatedly failed. Such non ideological combinations formed purely for convenience can never deliver governance. There are many who rejoice the political instability. It is only then that they can claim some relevance. I am sure that the electorate is wise enough to defeat not only the Congress but also the ‘merchants of instability’.
The Captain without Issues
The initial dose of Press statements and some manufactured issues made news since they reflected Captain Amarinder Singh’s ability to fight a battle. But a few days down the Captain exposed his weakness. He is unable to discuss national issues. He repeats the same two-three points most of which have no relevance to the current political environment in which the Lok Sabha elections are being held. The often repeated renditions, at some stage, cease to make news. They render the campaign dull and pedestrian.
The Captain complains that a lot of celebrities have come to campaign for me. He is right. I have a large number of family members, political friends and achievers campaigning for me. My political colleagues and leaders have also done their bit. But why has no senior Congress leader agreed to campaign for the Captain? Is Shri Anand Sharma the best he could get?
Posted on 26 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Yesterday, Narendra Modi addressed five rallies in Punjab. Accompanying him were the Chief Minister Sardar Parkash Singh Badal and the State BJP President Kamal Sharma. Each of these rallies was extremely well attended. The enthusiasm at the rallies, coupled with large attendance, was a give away. The Modi visit to Punjab is a game changer.
The most significant section where the Modi appeal is clearly visible is the youth. His ability to charge up and motivate the younger generation has been most evident. In an environment of disillusionment with governance, he appears to have become a nucleus of hope.
Even amongst those who did not attend rally were seen analyzing the political impact of his visit to each of the constituencies. The mind space of Amritsar was entirely consumed by the Modi visit. He seemed to be inspiring a certain degree of confidence in the people that he is capable of delivering what he promises. Practitioners of aspirational politics have, therefore, put their weight behind him.
General V.K.Singh in Amritsar
Today, amongst a series of programmes that have been planned for my campaign, an important one is a large gathering of ex-servicemen to be addressed by former Chief of the Army Staff, General V.K.Singh. There is already a visible activity amongst a large number of officers of the Armed Forces who have already become active in the organization of this function. Ex-servicemen are aggrieved by the fact that notwithstanding the promise of implementing ‘one rank one pension’. The notification giving effect to the announcement has not been issued. Additionally, a weak kneed policy of the UPA on the national security adversely impacts the mind set of those who hold national security as the priority issue. The geopolitical realities compel us to analyze that any future aggression may see the buildup of Pakistan and China axis. Our defence purchases and preparedness have seriously suffered. Under A.K.Antony, the Raksha Mantralya has been virtually rudderless and without direction.
Posted on 25 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Narendra Modi’s filing nomination at Varanasi witnessed a sea of humanity accompanying him in the road show prior to his filing the nomination. It was a show rarely been witnessed earlier. Such unprecedented crowds can never be ‘organized’. They have to be self inspired. It is only political workers who are persuaded to join the support bandwagons. But when crowds arrive in such mind boggling strength, there is always an element of spontaneity.
The Prime Minister reacted to the obviously visible Modi support by suggesting that he saw no Modi wave in the country. Modi has already addressed over 400 rallies across India. The attendance at the rallies has been unprecedented. The manner in which the BJP cadre and the support constituencies has been charged up through the campaign, is indicative of the inspirational mood. Modi’s ability to set the agenda for good governance and stick to the agenda despite provocation is clearly demonstrable. Northern, Central and Western India has seen a sizable BJP support base. For the Modi wave to be visible in these areas was only to be expected. It is the enormous amount of goodwill that he enjoys even in Eastern and Southern parts of the country which is leading to a significant increase in the BJP vote.
As against this, the Gandhis are all at sea. This is the first time where an outgoing government, through its leaders, is carrying on a campaign of negativity rather than highlighting their own achievements. While the country is debating on the anti-incumbency against the Congress, the Gandhis are busy attacking the incumbent. It is a rare occasion in history that a ruling party hides its failure by blaming the opposition. This desperate tactic does not sell. Dr. Manmohan Singh may be myopic not to see a Modi wave. Is it that he sees it but can’t admit it? This election is about a dual trend. The first is an anti incumbency against the Congress and the UPA. A principle component of that incumbency is leadership failure. It is thus this leadership failure which is responsible for the second electoral reaction. Modi has become a symbol of hope for an anguished India which is looking for solutions. It is the combination of these two reactions which has strengthened the desire of the country to elect Modi as its Prime Minister. The acid tongued amongst the Congress leaders are watching helplessly. The Chidambrams, Sibals, Tiwaris, Anand Sharmas have convinced themselves that rude and discourteous phrases about Modi would perhaps counter Modi juggernaut.
Posted on 24 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Why Am I here?
I have spent past five weeks extensively campaigning in Amritsar. Campaigning in constituency besides developing your political relationships also brings an emotional integration between you and the constituency. A question that frequently comes in to my mind is what will I eventually do for this constituency.
I am not here for the conventional political activity. I am here to make a difference. The people of Amritsar are full of life and extrovert. They are not timid. They assert themselves and are willing to grow. What is it that can turn Amritsar into one of India’s most fascinating cities? I visualize Amritsar as a much cleaner city, with broad roads, a lot of flyovers, elevated bus corridor, with a proper sewage and drainage system. I visualize it as a city which has modern industries at the outskirts and is buzzing with trade. I visualize it as a primary tourism circuit where the tourism infrastructure comprising of restaurants, guest houses, hotels, dhabas is extensive. I dream of it as a city which has proper public transport system. I visualize Amritsar with a lot more educational institutions, ITIs and skill development centres. Why should not Amritsar have a world class sports complex an amusement park, a walking bazaar where handicrafts are sold, a food street where people arrive from all over to enjoy the delicacies of Punjab, especially Amritsar. I can foresee the highway to Attari, buzzing with warehouses, offices and hotels which become the centre of border trade. I visualize a drug free Amritsar where the drug smuggling across the border is handled as strictly as the terrorist infiltration. I visualize Amritsar as safe city where there is zero tolerance for crimes against women.
For all this to happen, investment is required. I have decided to dedicate myself for this purpose. Amritsar requires a different kind of politics. It should be increasingly become more issue oriented and less personality oriented. It is only then that the people here can collectively make a difference.
Some stray points
Sound bites for convenience rather than out of conviction seem to be Gandhi-Vadra strategy. I thought that Mrs.Vadra made a good point when she suggested that no personal attacks should be made. In the very next breath, she raked up “snoopgate”. What she probably meant that no personal attacks against the Gandhis but the Gandhis are entitled to stoop to any level.
Captain is increasingly becoming desperate. He issued statement a pointing that Arun Jaitley has become inaccessible because his website is closed. Sorry, Captain, my website has only been temporarily hacked. I am still available on the Facebook and the Twitter.
The Congress put up a front to allege that Mr.Mukul Rohatgi, a Senior Advocate of Supreme Court, has appeared in some riot case. I checked up with Mukul who is incidentally one of India’s busiest lawyers today besides being my good friend. As an independent lawyer, he told me, in the recent past he has appeared for Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Chidambram, Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, the Badals and even Captain Sahib’s family members. Since when have I become responsible for actions of Mukul’s clients?
Posted on 23 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Mrs.Vadra’s Pain
Mrs.Priyanka Vadra claims not to be in politics. She helps her mother and brother in their constituencies which she is entitled to. Yesterday, she commented that she was pained at the personal attacks on her husband Mr.Robert Vadra, who has been in controversy over the nature of his investments. Prima facie, it is the case of investments without original capital and an unprecedented return. There is obviously something much more than meets the eye.
Mrs. Vadra is right that personal attacks pain people and should be avoided. I wish her political friends should also realize this. If they had realized it, her brother would not have made Mr.Narendra Modi’s so called child marriage into a public issue. The Congress party would not have made security to a lady in Ahemdabad into a “snoopgate” issue. In a case where courts have found that there is not even enough case to register an FIR against Mr.Modi, the Congress party would not have carried on campaign for 12 long years based on falsehood and fabrications. Certainly, if the mother had listened to her daughter, she would not have called Mr.Modi “Maut Ka Saudagar”.
I completely agree with Mrs.Vadra that personal attacks pain people and should be avoided. But good advice, like charity, always begins at home.
The Secularism of AAP
If the Delhi assembly election was the high point for AAP, the Lok Sabha elections will spell doom for it. AAP was a governance disaster in Delhi. It represented political adventurism. Its ideology was populist and only vote oriented. It demonstrated extreme opportunism. One of their lady representatives has been now seen telling the supporters that her community, must cease to be secular and adopt a more communal approach. Such comments by a political party or its representatives cannot even be privately made. These comments reflect their mind set. They demonstrate that the alleged “idealism” of AAP was put on one. The mask has slipped, even if accidentally.
Humpty Dumpty
In Lewis Carrol’s work “Through the Looking Glass” said Humpty Dumpty in rather scornful tone, “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to me mean – neither more nor less’. To this Alice (In Wonderland) asked “the question is whether you can make words mean so many different things”. Humpty Dumpty boasted in response “the question is which is to be master – that’s all”.
The Captain has chosen to call me a “third rate liar”, since I alleged that he, under whose signatures, approved the proposal for property tax in urban Punjab and given an undertaking to the Central Government. He now comes out with the most fascinating explanation that it was the Chief Secretary who did it on his own. I have produced a written note sheet signed by Capt. Amarinder Singh on 7th December, 2006 undertaking to the Central Government that the property tax will be levied in urban Punjab as a condition precedent for receiving Central grants for urban renewal. But when Humpty Dumpty signs on a proposal, he means only that he intends to be. When he says that Jagdish Tytler is not involved in the 1984 riots, he means that he is not giving him a clean chit. There is a place for Humpty Dumpty in fiction and not in real life.
Posted on 22 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Don’t Deviate from the Campaign Theme
As the campaigning closes down for the 24th April round of polling, the campaign would be over for almost more than 2/3rd constituencies in this general elections. 24th April will witness the largest number of constituencies going on to poll. The BJP campaign could not have been better organized. The momentum is with us. There is clarity in the campaign. The acceptability of the leader is extremely high. The groundswell seems to be building up not only in our traditional support areas but also in those regions where our strength is relatively marginal.
As against this, the Congress campaign is more abstract and confused. The leadership is non-inspirational, anti incumbency is hurting them significantly. Barring the BJP and its allies, some regional parties appear to be doing well within the confines of their region. Most of these regional parties are conventionally anti Congress. The third front or the federal front has a sporadic presence through certain regional groups but there is no
structured alliance.
Most opinion polls are predicting a comfortable BJP/NDA victory. No other alliance, expect the NDA has any rational possibility of forming the government. Narendra Modi has
become symbol of hope. With the focus now on a BJP/NDA victory, the voters expect an extremely responsible response from us. We have fought this election on issues of governance.
We must carry every section of society with us. People expect us to govern and deliver. Today, the flood lights are on us. We will now be increasingly put under public scrutiny. Even an isolated irresponsible statement will bring discredit to us. Every sensible well-wisher of the BJP is expected to exercise utmost restraint and concentrate on issue of governance, which is the theme of our campaign. Any statement to the contrary will only help our rivals.
The Emperor has no Clothes
The politics of Capt. Amarinder Singh only reflects his feudal instincts. He still lives in a world of sycophants where he is referred to as “Maharaja Sahib”. He is discourteous and rude. He believes that discourtesy has given him the image of being a
‘Dabbang’. He is not the best practitioner of ethical values. What is amazing is his ability to be extremely economical with the truth.
He was caught being untruthful on the issue of levy of property tax. The tax was levied on the basis of his undertaking dated 7th December, 2006 to the Central Government. I produced before the media the file carrying his signatures of approval. He ignored the truth and could bluntly lie that he did not approve it. The whole country saw him stand up and defend Jagdish Tytler in the 1984 riots case in an interview to the news channel NDTV. He
today denies that he ever gave Tytler a clean chit. He, in a monarchical style, shouts down criticism and refuses to take questions. Having been caught lying with the straight face on
the property tax and the Jagdish Tytler issue, any other candidate would have been put to shame before the people. But this emperor, even when caught without clothes, has ability to
look at you in the eye. This feudalism must be defeated.
Posted on 21 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Captain’s defence of Jagdish Tytler – The Devil’s Advocate
1984 will always go down as the year of bad memories. The massacre of innocent Sikhs following the assassination of Smt. Indira Gandhi remains a black spot on Indian democracy. The fact that the innocents can be killed in thousands is terrible. What is worse is that the guilty went unpunished.
The collusion of the state was visible. None of the rioters were fired upon by the police. They were given a safe passage to loot and kill. For years, the FIRs were not registered. No arrests were made. The violence was politically rationalized by the then
Prime Minister Mr. Rajiv Gandhi. Justice Ranganath Mishra’s Commission, appointed by the Congress government, provided a cover up for the state sponsored violence. After his retirement, this judge was rewarded with the Rajya Sabha nomination by the Congress Party. It is only the NDA government who appointed Justice Nanavati Commission of Inquiry which came out with the truth. Since then investigating agencies have tried to prosecute many of those involved in the riots.
It is for the investigating and judicial process to find out the truth. Why has Captain Amarinder Singh become the “Devil’s Advocate” and decided to offer a clean chit to Jagdish Tytler? Is he trying to prejudge the guilt of a person who is perceived to be involved in the riots? Is his personal and political relationship more important to the Captain than the interest of the victims?
Another Misstatement
The Captain has charged me for appearing for “Dow Jones” against the Bhopal gas victims. Dow Jones has nothing to do with either the Union Carbide or Bhopal gas tragedy. It is a leading American financial company. Dow Jones incidentally owns the Wall Street Journal. The name of the lawyer who appeared against Bhopal gas victims is Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is the chief spokesperson of Captain Amarinder Singh’s political party. I have advised and appeared for thousands of clients as a part of my professional commitment. If persons or a company not involved in the tragedy, wanted to have the benefit of my advice, it is my professional ethics as a lawyer to give them the correct legal advice. This is what I have done.
India’s Vulnerable Defence
As the election campaign proceeds, I have come across hundreds of ex-servicemen who live in every part of the country. They served India through its crisis. They are patriotic and welled intention citizens. All of them are concerned with the issue of “one rank one pension” which has been a long standing demand of ex-servicemen.
The BJP has included the “one rank one pension” issue as a part of its manifesto. We are committed to implement this. The Congress has been repeatedly bluffing the ex-servicemen
on this issue. A few years ago, the Finance Minister announced, in the course of his budget speech, that this demand had been accepted. Subsequently, we found out that the acceptance
was only in respect to a very miniscule category and not all ex-servicemen. This year again, in the budget speech, the Finance Minister announced the acceptance of this demand. However, again the ex-servicemen have been bluffed. No notification has been issued to give enforcement effect to this demand.
What is of equal concern is also the lack of India’s defence preparedness. Our defence procurement has hugely suffered. The Raksha Mantri A.K.Antony’s failure to take decisions is
primarily responsible for this. Today the geostrategic realities of India’s have changed. A Pakistan – China military axis has come in to existence. China’s increased assertiveness and Pakistan’s unpredictability in border relations calls for India never to lower its guard. However, modernization of defence equipment is woefully lacking. Obsolete technologies have to be replaced with the state of the art technologies. The gap between India’s military superiority over Pakistan has somewhat narrowed down. No country with 15000 kms of international border can afford to rely on obsolete technologies. The recent tragedies involving Indian submarine flags the issue of obsolete Naval fleet. Whereas China continues to strengthen its border infrastructure, we have neglected ours.
As a “nation first” party, the BJP is committed to be firm on defence preparedness.
Posted on 20 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
The Lok Pal appointment controversy refuses to die. The UPA government has framed rules under the Lok Pal Act. The rules prima facie run contrary to the Act. This is already a subject matter of a challenge before the Supreme Court.
On the eve of the announcement of the elections, the UPA government decided to rush through with the appointment of the Chairperson of the Lok Pal and its members. A Search Committee was hurriedly appointed. The Department of Personnel usurped the power of the Search Committee and prepared a short list of persons from whom the appointments would to be made. Everyone including some distinguished members of the Search Committee were uneasy about the procedure being followed. Two eminent members Fali S. Nariman and Justice K.T.Thomas resigned from the Search Committee citing this as the reason.
Today, there is no Search Committee with a full quorum. After the Search Committee is constituted, it will have to scrutinize all the names of the persons who could be recommended for appointment. Thereafter, the Search Committee would ratify the same and send them to the President.
Half the elections in the country have been completed. 26 days are remaining for the declaration of the results and the formation of a new government. Is it proper for the UPA, on the eve of its certain departure, to rush through with the appointment of the Lok Pal? Certainly not.
It would be a gross political impropriety and violation of the Code of Conduct, if the UPA would rush through its appointment at this stage. Besides this, the procedure is legally a suspect. Such unholy haste will destroy the credibility of the Lok Pal even before it is formed. This procedure should be stopped immediately. The effort of the Prime Minister’s office to convene a meeting of the Selection Committee for filling up the vacancies of the Search Committee should not be allowed to succeed.
While Dr.Manmohan Singh is now in a retirement mode, he must seriously introspect if this unholy haste in pushing a Lok Pal on the eve of certain departure is implemented, he will only be remembered as Prime Minister who subverted institutions at the behest of his party leadership. Even now if he tries to act with unholy haste, the entire democratic system of India is strong enough not to permit him to succeed. The Prime Minister has nothing to lose except some residual creditability.
Posted on 19 April, 2014, No Comments Comments admin
Prime Minister’s Speeches?
In response to controversy created by two recently published books, the Prime Minister Office has clarified that in the last 10 years, the Prime Minister had delivered over 1200 speeches. The PMO thought that this would counter the charge that the Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh was not a “speaking” Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister is the key political executive of the country. He is the face of Indian democracy. His opinion shapes policy. He provides leadership. People look to him for solutions. A Prime Minister cannot be low key. He must arouse confidence of the people. He must appear confident about offering solutions. He must be a top mass leader of the ruling coalition. He must command both moral and political authority.
A Prime Minister must be communicative. He must be heard with attention. He must be a leader and not just a reader. President Barrack Obama, on his visit to India, delivered several important speeches including one in the Central Hall of Parliament. During the presidential banquet in his honour, I had an opportunity to interact with the key draftsmen of his speeches. Each of his speeches were prepared by an expert and vetted by a group of officials and eventually by the President himself. Most of the speeches were read out from the teleprompter. The teleprompter had a transparent screen. We, in the audience, thought it was an extempore speech. But the President was reading from the two teleprompters, even in the Central Hall of Parliament. The impact that his delivery and diction created was huge. In India, the Prime Minister’s read out speeches were not being heard by the people. They are no longer remembered or talked about. The PMO is right. Statistically, the Prime Minister was speaking, factually, he was not being heard. The Prime Minister walked on snow, but did not leave any footprints.
Mr.Vadra’s makes it to the Wall Street Journal
Congratulations to Mr.Robert Vadra. He has made it to the Wall Street Journal. The Vadra business model requires the research paper to be prepared by a key business analyst.
Start a business without any investment. Investment will flow as loans and advances which is a synonym for political equity. Use these loans to buy property at fraction of the market cost. Many people are willing to sell property for an inadequate consideration, accumulate a land and a property bank with the patronage of the state. Sell off some properties and repay back the original loan. The rest is all yours with no liabilities. So far this business model has raised only eyebrows. It is time it raises serious questions. That is what the Wall Street Journal has done.
Bishen Bedi in Amritsar
My friend Bishen Bedi was in Amritsar yesterday. This was the visit with a difference. He came to campaign for a political party which has provided India the most dishonest government in history. He came to campaign for a candidate who is accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Bishen has always been a crusader even if he crusades for an immoral cause.