All the issues that Shiv Sena raised are relevant in today’s time. But they are cleverly side lined by the media. They are provoked constantly on the issue of Mumbai. The TV anchors are provoking eminent personalities like Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani etc and creating sound bytes. If proper analysis is done and all issues separately analysed then Shiv Sena’s concern is valid.

These are the 5 issues for which Shiv Sena has come under heavy criticism:

1. Stoking Regionalism

Indian states were created on linguistic basis. Every linguistic majority gets best deal in their respective states. Maharahstra state was created only after a long and agonizing agitation in which over 100 people had to give up their lives.
If regionalism is anti-Indian then why did the government agree for separate Telangana state? Why non-Himachali’s are not allowed to buy property in Himachal Pradesh? Or why the grossly anti national autonomy report submitted in J&K. Does J&K not belong to all Indians or is this privilege restricted only to Maharashtra/Mumbai?
The Marathi speaking population must be given priority in Maharashtra – Period.

2. Deteriorating Law and order problem

Media has launched a shrill campaign as though because of Shiv Sena the law and order has collapsed in Mumbai. They even created a term – “violence of the mind”. In fact the only time there was law & order problem was when MNS activists were beating people who had come to attend railway exams. And every one now knows that encouraging MNS has only resulted in dividing the traditional Marathi vote bank and benefited the ruling party.
In last week there have been a series of naxalite attacks in Jharkhand, infiltration attempts in Jammu, kidnappings in Bihar.
Rahul Gandhi’s visit was all about one upmanship and did the job of rubbing salt on wounds of the Maharashtrian pride. The Shiv Sena had only spoken about raising black flags during Rahul’s visit and the protest was thwarted by a huge contingent of police force.
If only the Police had taken a similar stand during terrorist attacks.

3. Uncontrolled Migration to cities

There is a huge migration taking place from UP & Bihar. It must be analysed and corrective action must be taken. The leaders of those states must be taken into account and made to mend their corrupt & inept ways. This will ultimately lead to a uniform development across India. Just saying India is for all Indians and any Indian can work anywhere is an escapist statement and will not solve the problem.
Those media people who are talking about Mumbai are sitting in Air Conditioned TV studios in Delhi and have never been to overcrowded filthy areas of Mumbai like Govandi or Mankhurd. Due to uncontrolled migration the infrastructure in Mumbai just has collapsed.
Today it is Mumbai; tomorrow it may be Bangalore or Ahemdabad to crumple.

4. Not mixing Sports & Politics

Pakistan has no sports relation with Israel. Telangana activist’s recently dug the pitch to prevent IPL from taking place in Hyderabad. Those who say don’t mix politics with arts or sports are being hypocrites.
In spite of all the fake statistics put up by the media, majority of Indians still believe that Pakistani cricket players & artists must be kept out of India. Their love for art/sports/films is because of the huge market that India offers and has nothing to do with passion.
We have to learn from History. The main reason why apartheid was eliminated was because the world took a tough stand and boycotted South Africa. Similar tough effort is required to eradicate terrorism by boycotting those countries that encourage mindless violence on Indian’s i.e Pakistan & Australia.
And that is what Shiv Sena advocates – Isolate countries that support terrorism.

5. Release of movie – My Name is Khan

Sharukh Khan is a very sharp business man. He was indulging in a publicity stunt for promoting his film. He may have thought that his pro Pak statement would consolidate the global Muslim community. Unfortunately it has gone horribly wrong. It has angered the average Indian who is at the forefront of bearing the brunt of bomb blasts.
The strange thing is that he did not actually bid for a Pak player. Now he is giving stupid excuses like they did not have funds.
Lack of genuine Muslim leaders in India is the reason why hypocrites like Sharukh Khan are given importance. He has managed to consolidate Muslim vote bank and has behaved like a typical minority politician by giving anti-national sound bytes.

It is a matter of time that he joins politics.

Maharahstra will witness a destructive game of politics because congress is trying to establish its vote bank in UP & Bihar. The first step that Maharastrians must take is to unite forces. All the five great Maratha leaders (Udhav, Pawar, Raj, Athavle, Munde) must leave aside their differences and join hands or else Mahararashtra will go the Andhra way.

Or they will end up carrying the slippers of Gandhi’s on their heads.

P.S: The Author is a North Indian who has spent considerable time in Mumbai.

In a late night briefing on December 9, 2009, the Government announced that the process for the formation of Telangana state will be initiated. Subsequently after 15 days, the Government announced that the issue of a new state will be addressed only after a consensus is reached. Thus effectively putting the formation of the new state in abeyance and making Telugu speaking people fight with each other.

The formation of states in India has been a tricky subject. In 1953, the States Reorganization Commission was appointed to prepare for the creation of states on linguistic lines. So creating two Telugu speaking states itself is contradictory. And it makes in vain the supreme sacrifice by Potti Sreeramulu to carve out the state of Andhra Pradesh from erstwhile Madras Principality.

The announcement to create Telanagana state was made in a very adhoc manner without taking anyone in confidence or discussions. The TRS party led by Rao was anyhow politically isolated and on the verge of disintegration. The government must have shown some resilience. Now that the Centre has agreed for a separate Telangana state out of AP, it set the trend for other separate States like Gorkhaland, Bodoland, Vidarbha, Rayalseema etc. And there are better claimants for a separate state like Jammu & Gorkhaland. It may also result in violent agitations across the country.

The situation is very tense in Telangana & may erupt anytime into full blown crises. Every alternate day there is strike, bandh, road jams or demonstrations for both pro & anti Telangana. Students are badly affected. Many of them committed suicide and several of them have lost a year in academics due to constant agitations. Business has also been badly affected as the status of Hyderabad city is in a limbo. Hyderabad is home to several IT companies and constant bandhs may affect their workings. All the Andhra Pradesh MLA’s have also submitted their resignations thereby creating a political stalemate.

To agree for a Telangana state without proper discussions was a monumental blunder. Currently there seems to be no solution in sight. The government may buy some time by setting up a committee. But the blunder has been done & people’s passions have been aroused. Now it remains to be seen how far the fire may spread and the poor nation can only count the losses.

Unable to accept the growing reality of being citizens of a failed state the Pakistani government officials; cricketers & media launched a diatribe of insults against India.

Even though the Indian government made it clear that it had nothing to do with pakistani cricketers not finding favour with any Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, they are taking it as a national insult. The Indian government also wisely advised Islamabad to “introspect on the reasons which have put a strain on relations between India and Pakistan”.

Unfortunately the Pakistanis are unable to grasp the new reality. The federal sports minister is complaining about the “discriminatory treatment” meted out by the IPL. Some called the snub a “conspiracy” against Pakistani cricketers and said the “entire incident was pre-planned”. All blogs, forums and social networking sites are now full of anti India & anti hindu hate messages.

There is no cause whatsoever for the Pakistani government to question the workings of a private venture in India. They have to realize that IPL is a business venture and team owners were wary because the availability of Pakistani players could not be assured. One more terrorist attack like 22/11 and there will be severe visa restrictions on Pakistanis. Also the public mood will be against it.

To an average Indian citizen the reaction of Pakistani cricketers or fans is very surprising. The entire process of bidding involves a simple private purchasing decision taken in the best interest after evaluating all options. Tomorrow the Pakistanis will ask for representation in Bollywood filmfare award function, Delhi auto show and India International Trade Fair etc.

The solution for this imbroglio was that the PCB must its act together to launch a privatized franchise-model Twenty20 league within Pakistan too. Rather than behaving as glorified beggars and insisting in a share in neighbour’s property, it must get its act together.

However in the entire episode, the role of Indian media was utterly disgusting. They were plain stupid, irrational & anti-national. How can any Indian citizen forget the numerous attacks, bomb blasts & killings launched by terrorist based in Pakistan? Have the Pakistani government punished any of those involved in the heinous crimes committed by its citizens on India.

Or is it because a terrorist incident increases their TRP – that the Indian media is favouring Pakistan?

The shameless conduct of Australians against poor & defenceless Indian students is an eye opener. Australia has been unmasked as a racist nation. To make matters worse they are in a constant state of denial and like to believe that attacks are opportunistic rather than racially motivated.

Thousands of Indian students travel to Australia, among other countries to study. They spend lakhs of rupees on undertaking useless courses. It is very likely that young Indians go to Australia on student visa hoping to get themselves permanent residency and look forward to to be able to stay there forever. However their dreams crash land when they reach there. Since the cost of living is high they have to do unskilled jobs for long durations just to sustain themselves. There is no security or civil concern for these students and most of the schools are just interested in making money and exploiting them.

Attacks on Indians in Australia are continuing unabated. Repeated assaults on India have strained diplomatic ties between India and Australia. Latest amid a string of attacks on Indians in Australia, with 21-year-old Nitin Garg, who was stabbed to death by unidentified assailants.  Australia is in a state of denial on the racially motivated attacks against Indians and has failed to deal with the issue.

Indian government has again failed to protect its citizens. Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna has warned that continued violence against Indian students could damage relations and called for an immediate ‘corrective action’ by Australia. However the reactions from Australian establishment have been very irresponsible and are not taking the issue seriously.

It is time to take some action.
Few steps can be taken immediately, such as – issuing a travel ban on Australia. Boycotting Australian products. Not allowing cricket players in IPL may also have some effect as they stand to loose monetarily. If attacks on Indians continue unabated we may loose our dignity worldwide and will be treated just like slave labourers.

But then why are our social sector figures so pathetic:

• If the daily income per head is less than $2, then the family is described as poor and about 80 percent of Indians are poor.
• Around half of Indian children are malnourished. The proportion of underweight children is nearly double that of Sub-Saharan Africa.
• 41.6% of its population is living below the new international poverty line of $1.25 (PPP) per day
• Only 40% of the population is illiterate and only 15% of the students reach high school
• India ranks 171 out of the 175 countries in the world in public health spending.
• The 2007 report by Transparency International ranks India at 72nd place

When it comes to showing growth figures we compare our self with US, EU, China etc but when it is the question of education, health, poverty we are bunched with sub Sahara contries,Nepal & Pakistan etc. It is a very shameful fact but our policy makes seem to be least effected by it.

The current way of development is only widening the economic inequity amongst the people. And it is because the high growth rate is oriented to benefit only a section of people.

Today with lots of efforts, India has managed to disassociate with Indo-Pak centric policy decisions. Even the US government has a new Af-Pak strategy now. So what is the need for us to associate our self with a country that is hell bent on a path of self destruction?

In Pakistan, a group led by singers, writers & cricketers are crooning for friendship. But they all have a special reason for that. And that outpouring is not love or brotherhood but money.
The lucrative Bollywood deals, publisher royalty & IPL contracts are making them sing peace songs. But what about the rest of Pakistanis, have they changed?

Have the mujahadeens across the POK closed training camps?
Has the Pakistan army reversed its anti-Indian attitude?
Has ISI stopped promoting anti-Indian activities?
Have the mullahs stopped spread of fundamentalist Islam?
Have the politicians given up claims of annexing Kashmir?

They are the real power centres in Pakistan. And what single action have they taken towards building peace & goodwill with India?

Perhaps the Indian’s in the peace committee needs another betrayal to remind them of facts. And they won’t be made to wait too long by our Pakistani “Brothers”.

1. Better Media Management
Indian Media & News channels in particular have played a major role in projecting BJP as a pariah and making it untouchable. Unlike in the past, media used to take on the government and expose its misdeeds; today most journalists are in the pockets of congress party. They are working on a single point agenda to somehow discredit BJP. So BJP needs to be smart & setup its own media network.

2. Zero tolerance for indiscipline
A loss is never easy to digest especially if it is a second consecutive one. After the disastrous lok sabha election results, the knives where out in the open and everybody was at each other’s throat. Now there is certain degree calmness maybe because of RSS diktat. The disciple message needs to percolate right across the organization especially at the top & those with feudal background.

3. Focus on winning elections
People are clever than we think. They have generalised that all politicians are same & will decide on whom to vote on the basis of – direct benefits provided by the respective party. Good governance comes after winning an election & for that BJP has to induce voters. The party must launch a series of measures that alleviate the problems faced by its core constituency i.e middle class voters.

Today the country is facing several serious challenges that affect its basic integrity. Governance has become nothing but – divide & rule. It is imperative that BJP strengthen itself and offer an alternate system of governance that focuses on twin pillars of nationalism & economic growth.

Observations:

1. It was very anguishing to watch BJP spokesman being grilled one after the other almost endlessly
Thier opinion on most issues was trivialised not only by plastic smiling anchors but even by biased audience.
It was as if they had entered in an interrogation centre.

2. On issues related to weak governance, the anchors were seen batting for the congress.
The congress ministers were being prompted/helped during interviews.
There was no coverage of ineffective congress ministers & their policies – at all.

3. During the last phase of elections the news anchors went a step further.
They tried to break BJP alliance partners, pushed Left front in UPA camp and formed an anti BJP front.
They started quoting constitutional experts, that the largest party need not be invited to form government.

4. Just before counting day, the media also fooled the Left front & regional parties into forming a “secular front with congress”.
While it was the Congress party that ate into major chunk of their vote bank.
They were quoting left front – “We won’t allow BJP to form government at any cost”.

The result was surprising & regional parties were decimated.
In Bengal, it was BJP that prevented a complete rout of the Left by dividing votes & saving them 6 seats.
BSP was left with only dalit/hindu votes & SP does not have a single Muslim MP!

It was a trick in visual imagery.
The general middle class perceptions on BJP would have been different had the TV channels shown repetitive videos of:
Shivraj Patil fumbling, virulent speeches of Muslim League leaders, divisive policies of Arjun Singh etc.

So my humble suggestion to BJP is to setup own TV channel.
The above view echoed in several of the comments posted across the internet.

Benefits of setting own news channel:

1. Instantly reach an audience in Kerala/West Bengal/Tamil Nadu/Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP presence is zero.
They constitute 143 out of 543 seats and in those states the TV penetration is staggering.

2. Unlike other parties, BJP has intellectual depth. Its leaders are presentable & knowledgeable.
Information can be presented cohesively – especially without stupid interrogations.

3. Using your own TV medium would allow you to present your side of the story and set your agenda.
Let the Left, SP, BSP, NCP etc take on the Congress in TV debates.

4. Every political party except the BJP has its own TV channel.
By proxy Congress operates several TV channels across regional lines apart from the leading two news channels in India.
Even regional parties now have their own TV channels.

In TV news channels it was the BJP interviews, speeches & briefings that were most watched/popular programs.
Every spokesperson was articulate, knowledgeable and had an air of superiority.
However the news channels used BJP, presented them as a ruling party, polarized voters, increased their own TRP’s while all time vilifying them!

It is time to give the agents of congress party some competition.
For a start – stop visiting those two news channels and watch their TRP fall.

Since they are quite sure that congress will fail to win even 100 seats on its own they are projecting a rag tag of political parties as a front which the congress party will be forced to support. Just to keep the BJP from coming to power.

The process has already begun in Orissa.
The reason why BJD withdrew from NDA is because it realized that congress, its principal enemy is no longer a force in the state. Congress is decimated in Orissa and the BJD & BJP is growing. So the anti congress compulsion & the need to stay in NDA is not there anymore.

Left front hogs limelight in Orissa even though it has only 1% of the vote back. The BJD has taken a calculated gamble. While the BJP needs only about 40 assembly seats to bring Biju Patnaik back on the negotiating table.

However the results in Karnataka have shown how quickly the table were turned when the alliance partner of BJP ditched them after completing their term. Kumaraswamy & JD(S) got wiped out in the subsequent elections.

The third front may actually hasten the nemesis of Congress and help BJP in the long run.
Moreover there are many fence sitters in this election like Jayalalitha, Sharad Pawar, Mayawati, Chiranjivi, Chandra Babu Naidu & Biju Patnaik who will play their cards only after the results are declared. And the left front would be left with empty sack since their own tally is expected to reduce drastically this time.

Will people vote for a political party just because mobile connections have increased or a slew of launch of foundation stones?

It is election time in the largest democracy of the world. The contest is very tough and all political parties will fight aggressively for every seat. However the campaign managers must realize that they have to attract voters and not just launch a barrage of disinformation.

In the run up to elections it is very important that the political parties maintain some standards during campaigning. The following must be avoided by all political parties:

1. Loud blaring speakers
Nothing is more disturbing than a constant barrage of noisy sermons and speeches using old loudspeakers. E.g. rickshaws going around blaring patriotic songs aimlessly.

2. Distorted secularism
There is absolute revulsion when religious leaders stoop down to the level of being agents for political parties and recommend their flock which way to vote.

3. Defacing walls with posters
As it is India is a very dirty country where the municipal authorities are just not functioning. There must be a fine of minimum of Rs 10,000/- per poster on a defaced wall.

4. Justifying Dynastic politics
By definition democracy means “by the people” but Indian politicians have converted it to “By the family”. All parties are guilty of converting their organizations to a Family Inc.

5. Media manipulations
Mass Media in India is today, just a business. There is no ethics or journalism involved. Each and every media report, analysis, story, debate or interview the media adopts a very biased approach. In fact most psephologists appear jokers because of their continuous wrong predictions & and an anti- BJP bias.

6. Buying voters
This new trend of using liquor, free food and even cash to woo voters has spread to all political parties. The politicians are so rich that this practise if implemented uniformly may even remove poverty from India.

7. Swearing
Election campaigning is telecast in prime time TV and for family viewing. It is therefore necessary that all politicians must maintain a sense of decency in their speeches.

8. Show Off’s
India is a poor country with most people struggling to make a decent living. However the assets of politics would rival those of the richest of businessmen in the world. Driving around in a cavalcade of luxury cars to visit a poor village appears nothing but sheer revulsion.

9. Booth Capturing
Most political parities used to employ local henchmen, criminals and mafia dons to intimidate voters, now these men have themselves graduated to being politicians and are adept at stuffing ballot boxes.

10. Lies, lies & damned lies
Political parties must not promise in their manifesto, anything they cannot deliver. It will come back to haunt them later, like Ram Temple for BJP. They must honour their commitment however stupid the election promise was, like colour TV scheme of the DMK government.

In a country rattled by terrorist attacks, absolute poverty, corruption – the success of parliamentary democracy is a miracle. Let’s sustain it for future generations and have a clean election this time. Let the games begin and most important – let the best person win.