This New Year ushers a hope for BJP.
There is a new chief, Mr.Nitin Gadkari, who can turn around things for BJP by implementing novel ideas. He has risen from the humble post of party worker to occupy the senior most position in BJP. His desk is full of – to do things & there are several issues of priority but these are some of the points which we feel are very important and must be addressed at the earliest:
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.
Indian politics is witnessing a slow but steady transition. BJP is replacing the Congress as the single largest party. However it is not an easy phase for the Indian polity. The communists, pseudo secularists, media & missionaries will try their best to avert BJP’s quest to power. Recently they have started the bogey called the Third Front.
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.
Just few days back TV channels were playing the No1 Haryana ad campaign. While the ad is OK, it is inexplicable why the ad was being played 5 times in a row! Have the politicians not learnt anything from the “shining India” campaign. Similarly there were several full page ads about foundation laying ceremonies for Airport buildings all across India.
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.
In 2008 we all suffered from poor governance in India by the UPA government. Now they have gone step further and removed “governance”. The prime minister will be out of action for a minimum of 4 weeks. How can a nation as complex as India be governed without a prime minister? But as Supreme Court said – even god cannot save India.
First there was no home minister, then they shifted finance minister and now there is no Prime Minister. Can’t we even select a prime minister from 1.2 billion people? As it is there are very few elected representatives occupying higher posts in cabinet.
Or does the decision making power lie else where and it doesn’t make a difference whether we have a prime minister or not.
As usual the mainstream media will not cover any lapse of UPA government and be a good prompter for the ruling congress government. Elections are approaching fast and the media will try its best to embarrass the BJP. Instead of focussing on this issue of national importance they are busy covering frivolous stories of some boys beating girls in a bar.
India is burning with rage. Everybody wants some action on Pakistan. But our government is quiet. There is absolutely no political leadership or direction in our country. While we are able to produce highly rated professionals in software development, management, finance etc, why do we have such dumb people in politics?
Meanwhile the media has slyly shifted the anger of average citizen from those in power (UPA) to politicians in general. For once Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was right. The society in general is trivializing the most important issue facing the country today, i.e – SECURITY.
We must understand the enormity of the problem and not deviate from the main issues.
Some of the main questions me must ask are:
- What happens if there is another terrorist attack?
- What is being done to eliminate Dawood Ibrahim’s gang?
- How are people getting houses on rent or sim cards without proper verification?
- Why are we not using our technical skills in software development, space etc on security?
- Why is the Pakistani society living in denial & how to handle them?
Instead of asking the above difficult questions, the media is covering sms messages, candle light vigils, secular rants. While asking for accountability is good there are some who are exhorting citizens not to vote, don’t pay taxes etc. These issues are not only trivial but dangerous, if implemented.
Instead of beating around the bush we all should launch an initiative to recall the ineffective UPA government before it is too late.
The UPA led by Congress party came to power after an impressive election campaign targeting the –aam admi (common man). It was expected that the country would get an efficient government headed by the highly respected economist Dr. Manmohan Singh. Though government was supported by the communist parties, it managed to complete the first three years in office with average performance. But now in its last year in office it seems that the government is in disarray and the top leadership seems rudderless.
As a result of UPA government’s mishandling of several sensitive issues, India is today facing numerous challenges like:
Democracy maligned
After the cash for vote scam, there is little credibility left for our elected leaders. Our main triumph, as being the world’s largest democracy sounds a little hollow today. Now, it is not democracy but plutocracy (wealthy rule over the poor) that has been imposed on India.
Threat to Territorial integrity
Kashmir seems to be in a hopeless situation. For the first time we are watching live on TV, discussions & debates whether we should give up a part of the country. There are live images of Indian flags being burned; leading columnists are asking questions which would have been considered as anti national anywhere else.
Rising Regionalism
Is it a crime to talk in national language? India’s most respected film artist had to apologise on his wife’s behalf for daring to speak in Hindi. And a local unelected regional leader openly challenges the police commissioner to come on street, without wearing uniform. The state government does not even have guts to file a case, while his goons go on a rampage across Maharashtra.
Unabated Inflation
The prices of almost all essential commodities have doubled over the past three years. Economists may argue that it is a global phenomenon, but low wages and poverty is not a global phenomenon. There is no concept of social security in India, unlike other countries where inflation effect is absorbed by government.
Pseudo secularism at its worst
In the name placating minorities the government has crossed all limits. In Andhra, Christians will be subsidized for a visit to Vatican. Delhi has reservation and education subsidies for Sikhs, Parsis & Jains but not for poor Hindus. Although it is common knowledge that they are high above in the per capita level and don’t need subsidies.
Terrorism Threat
Serial bomb blasts seems to have become a monthly feature in Indian calendar. The response by our home minister is always the same, that we must be patient and not take revenge. But there is absolutely no will power to counter terror. Almost all educated people want strict terror laws except our home minister who is mysteriously reluctant. To make matters worse, some cabinet ministers are openly supporting terrorist organizations.
The UPA government has postponed the winter session. The entire focus of the present government seems to be in somehow operatinalizing the Indo – US nuclear deal. There is a view that the government is in a hurry to sign some large contracts related to defence and nuclear supplies and is not bothered about the nitty gritty of running the country.
As humble citizens of India, we would request the election commission to chair an emergency meeting and discuss about the modalities of holding an early general election. Hope they act before it is too late!
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