After the gruesome & heinous rape and murder of Dr. Preeti Reddy (name changed) there has been a lot of outpouring of emotions on social media, which is understandable. The last time such a reaction was seen was during the Nirbhaya Case which had shaken the conscience of our nation. But what changed? Nothing. That’s why I believe these cases can’t be tackled by pure emotions alone. We need to take a leaf out of Armed Forces who prepare themselves after a major incident of terrorism and then collect intelligence, prepare themselves and attack at the right time to ensure their mission is successful. So how do we tackle these? We’ll have to fight on many fronts.
First is the judicial front. Our laws are archaic and most were made by British. In the past 70 years we have put bandages and tried to make do with them but now is the time to start from scratch by wiping the slate clean. Our Home Minister has constituted some panels for reviewing of IPC & CrPC and this needs to be done as fast as possible. Furthermore not only new laws for rape but even special courts and a dedicated agency should be constituted for this menace. If the situation is so serious, then the response should be of equal measure too. This will ensure that proper investigation, fast tracking of judgement and time bound execution of punishment for the crime will create a deterrence in the minds of future potential rapists.
But this is all for action after the incident. What can be done to prevent them in the first place ? We as a society will need to play a very big part in it. We will we have to dwell into the minds of these vile human beings to gauge what goes on in their minds to prevent the festering of this type of thinking among others. Our movies, serials, web series & songs will have to stop the objectification of women in general and the ‘ladki ki naa mein haan hai’ phrase in particular will have to banned from being used again. No Means No, will have to be the mantra going forward.
Furthermore we will have to counsel the survivors and their families to actually come out and report the cases where the perpetrator is known to them. Our society will have to stop the ‘izzat loot gayi’ shaming of the victim and actually shame the accused instead. We will have to understand that a rape does not diminish a female in any form and we should never ever treat her in such a way. It is not her fault and will never be. We should not sympathize but support them in their fight.
Additionally we will have to impart self defence classes to everyone irrespective of their gender because it’s just practical to know such training in case of a situation which may warrant it. Not only will it help the women but also the men when they want to prevent such incidents or molestation or even “eve teasing” type incidents. What we do need to remember is that as a society we have become accustomed to giving knee jerk reactions to everything but they don’t result in anything.
We will have to channel this anger into something constructive so that we can not only prevent such incidents from happening but also give befitting punishment to the perpetrators in a time bound trial.
I happened to know this gentleman well, had met and interacted with him several times. It was a professionally comfortable and easy relation always.
While I knew he is a Pakistani and he knew I’m an Indian what happens between two countries never really came in the way till today morning.
I was shocked, scandalized, pissed off by a forward from this gentleman today morning where he shared a signature campaign for mobilizing support against India in the UN on the Kashmir issue!
It’s a known fact that there has been a general meltdown across the border as revocation of Article 370 had meant all investment in jihad by Pakistan over the years had come to a naught. However, something of this sort to come from a professional acquaintance was the least I expected.
I felt possibly it was a general forward which had accidentally found its way on my wall but just couldn’t leave it at that. Had to revert to him, nicely and of course explaining why what he sent was least welcome.
So sent him a well worded response : firm but polite and waited for his revert. This was the inflection point. If he wanted to escalate I had enough ammunition (facts and figures) to steamroll him into submission.
But good for him, his response came a good fifteen minutes later : an acknowledgement of his mistake. What became apparent: even ordinary Pakistanis in professional walks of life aren’t politically knave or hands in mouth. They are pretty active and constantly trying to garner support through whatever means.
Next time he does these mass forwards of political nature, he will be doubly aware to not forward me – a proud Indian who wears his country on his heart and on his sleeve.
On a parting note: India must not lose out on its Kashmir narrative in the global stage (the Jihadi head butting is going on with vitriolic narratives from BBC, Washingtonpost, Newyorker post 370 revokation) against the Wahabi lobby and Goebbel’s lies generated from Pakistani fake factory network!
Time and again, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Member of Parliament from Bhopal, enters into an unnecessary controversy over Gandhi ji Vs his assassin Nathuram Godse. Maybe for her and her coterie, Godse is paramount. But she and her ilk are the fringe of the fringe in this country. Godse, to many Indians, is a misguided patriot. Had Godse shown his animosity on the British or Jinnah in the fight against colonial rule or the partition of the country, he would have been hailed as a true patriot.
Godse, on the other hand, had chosen a wrong choice in his uncontrollable emotion. His ire was, how could Gandhi ji ask for the allocation and siphoning of so much money to the newly formed Pakistan (formed on the basis of dividing the Akhand Bharat)? He felt Gandhi ji was favourably biased towards Muslims and that act of his largesse, was his height appeasing them. He also thought by assassinating Gandhi ji, he would pave the way for no further such benevolences to Pakistan or the Muslim community at the cost of the rest of the Hindus in India. As a matter of fact, he was utterly wrong in his assessment. For, Gandhi ji’s ideals remained though he was physically absent in the world.
Gandhi ji was an idealist. Idealist are often far removed from the reality. However, Gandhi ji’s ideals of non-violence, equality, eradication of untouchability, love towards minorities, simple living, were attracted by people then. He stood for what he said. He was the front runner of independence movement. He impressed all sections of people and galvanised them to participate in the political struggle against the British and also for the social causes he stood for.
Pure idealism would not suffice:
In any case, pure idealism alone, cannot run a country. The people at the helm, see to: what is pragmatic in that ideal-driven world. Had Godse, not resorted to the violent course he had taken to eliminate (physically) Mahatma, the government of the day, the Congress, had to answer Gandhi ji’s (somewhat) unreasonable demands. Godse did something ghastly that was not his job. There were many patriotic citizens in the country then, did they not keep quiet to Gandhi ji’s large-heartedness (in asking for allocating such a huge sum of money to Pakistan after the gruesome partition)? Godse by resorting to violent course lost the argument that he wished to convey. And effectively, he was demonised by the Congress government. Godse’s is a lesson for the rest of Indians i.e. whatever be the cause, extreme violence is not the answer. The law of the land should prevail. The government of the day, the Congress would have had to tackle to the heightened demands Gandhi ji, had Godse not assassinated him.
The Paradox:
If we go through Gandhi ji’s works, specially, the Hind Swaraj (written way back in 1895), there were many absurd views. In it, Gandhi ji was against railways (that were laid down by the British in India). He was against printing press. He was against doctors, he said quacks (unqualified doctors) in villages would suffice. He was against lawyers. He said India would be better off without them. He didn’t want machinery from the West. He was against machinery as it would replace the labour workforce in India. He was against free- markets and capitalism. He wrote a letter to Jawaharlal Nehru, just before getting Independence, to follow what he proposed (as theories of good- governance) in his book: Hind Swaraj. But Nehru deftly rejected the ideas by saying, India cannot live in isolation in the world. And also stated, ‘from the economic and political point of view an isolated India may well be a kind of vacuum which increases the acquisitive tendencies of others and thus creates conflicts. Though Gandhi ji declared Pandit Nehru to be his political heir, Nehru didn’t admit Gandhi ji’s theories.
It’s unclear, as to why Gandhi ji liked Pandit Nehru so much! This is the paradox: On one side, Gandhi ji was against westernisation and its resultant modernisation and on the other hand he showed his love and affection on the most westernized and modern person of the time, Jawaharlal Nehru!
The RSS has more resonance with Gandhi ji’s views than the Congress:
For instance, in 1908, Gandhi ji spoke on the theme of modern civilisation in a lecture to the Johannesburg YMCA. He took the occasion to make a valid distinction between Christian civilisation and modern western civilisation. He said, ‘I do not mix up or confuse Western civilisation with Christian progress… I refuse to believe that all this (industrial and technological) activity connotes to Christian progress, but it does connote Western civilisation. The latter, he averred rested on two fallacious maxims: might is right and the survival of the fittest. Moreover, it lacked, he claimed, a goal, a telos, being ‘centrifugal’ and merely ‘dynamic’. Indian civilisation, on the other hand, had a goal, it was ‘centripetal’, adaptive and contemplative. ‘A civilisation or a condition in which all the forces fly away from the centre (centrifugal) must necessarily be without goal. Whereas those who converge (centripetal) to a point have a goal’ (CW 8:244). This is somewhat the RSS has been saying.
In brief, Gandhi ji, as an idealist and intellectual known all over the world. Many great world leaders admire Gandhi ji’s spirit of non- violence and tried to emulate. He is the iconic figure of our country. All in all, India needs her own leaders to present to the world. Gandhi ji stands foremost among them. We do not want Stalin, Mao or Jinnah as our leaders. So, Indians should respect their revered figures. By slighting Gandhi ji (as is: in the case of Pragya Singh, M.P. Bhopal), we don’t achieve anything. The BJP should put a full stop to this Gandhi Vs Godse controversy. The party should not lose itself in arguments over such matters which can only produce division among people.
The topic is very controversial and a political hot potato in current times. Arguments and counter arguments are flying so thick that for a common man, knowing truth is like finding needle in a haystack. My arguments are just an attempt to clear the smog so that the truth, gasping for breathe like all Delhiites, can take a breathe or two.
At the very outset, I would like to make it amply clear that I do not agree with the act of Nathuram Godse. He actually caused irreparable loss to a great cause. No matter how pious his concerns might be, killing can’t be justified. In any society, the authority to kill is limited to very few institutions. An individual can also kill, but only in self defense. and we know that Godse’s act was definitely not an act of self-defense.
Now I would come to the key purpose of this write-up: “Terming Godse a Terrorist”. I am very well aware that just for asking this question, I can be branded with a lot many unlikeable terms. But that doesn’t bother me, for I am aware of the history. I am aware of Socrates, Galileo and from our own history Chanakya and Vidur. People asking uncomfortable questions are not always wrong. Its just that our conscience should be clear. The questions should not be just for our narrow self interest.
Godse has been called a terrorist by many people, mainly those in power and have capacity to influence common masses. But the timing of this nomenclature smack of conspiracy. If we look at the archives of then newspapers or the arguments and judgement of the court, nowhere has he been called a terrorist. Then why calling him terrorist now? Is it for the purpose of putting a particular community under persistent guilt? Is it to reimpose the idea of Hindu terror, which fell flat on its face despite several attempts by a certain section of the society in collaboration with people in power?
I am pretty well aware that my argument can be spun by the “intellectuals” and i can be made guilty of the whole community. It can be insinuated that as per my arguments, Godse represents the whole community. Well, he does not. Nor can i represent a community which is so diverse and so inclusive that u can be polytheist, monotheist, agnostic or atheist and continue to be its member.
Coming back to the topic, If we look at the word terrorist, it is related to generating fear psychosis in individuals or communities. Whom did Godse terrorize? He killed an individual who was revered by crores of people. But how does the fame of the victim define nomenclature of the killer? So, Godse can be a killer or an assassin, calling him a terrorist will be too far a stretch.
Putting a similar murder in perspective, John F Kennedy was also assassinated by Ostwald. Well, no one called Ostwald a terrorist. On the metric of popularity, Kennedy was also quite popular, maybe more popular than Gandhi at his time. He was also holding a constitutional position. Then why is Ostwald not a terrorist but Godse is?
Moreover, going through the newspaper clippings of 31st January, 1948, i did find The Guardian reporting that Godse tried to kill himself by his own pistol but was stopped by a Royal Air Force Sergeant (Although The Hindu denied it). it can be safely said that his act was definitely not an attempt of suicide bombing. Then why would any terrorist do anything like that?
In the aftermath of Death of mahatma Gandhi, Pune and Satara saw genocide of Maharashtrian Brahmins. In Aundh state (presently part of Satara District) alone, barbarity plagued all 13 talukas. The estimated death was around 8000 to 10,000. Dr. Narayan Rao Savarkar (son of Veer Savarkar) was stoned and he ultimately succumbed to the injuries. All this happened under the watch of the then Chief Minister of Bombay province, B G Kher. But not a shred of information about this pogrom in any of the History books.
Now my question is: which one of the two acts to you consider an act of terrorism: mahatma Gandhi’s death or what happened after that? Who were terrorised? Who were the one who had to flee their homes leaving everything behind?
Napoleon once said that history is a version of past events that people have decided to agree upon. The questions is whether that that agreement is on objective ground or we are simply following the pied piper?
The sole purpose behind writing this hugely unpopular set of questions is that I do not want to commit the same mistake that my forefathers have committed. I want the future generations to know both sides of the story and make an informed opinion about the incidents of history.
As Lincoln famously said “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
महाराष्ट्र विकास अघाड़ी औऱ एक शिवसैनिक मुख्यमंत्री।
फ्री प्रेस जर्नल के कार्टूनिस्ट, द कॉमन मैन के सर्जक आर .के.लक्ष्मण के साथी और शिवसेना के संस्थापक बाल केशव ठाकरे, जिन्हें उनके समर्थक बालासाहेब के नाम से पुकारते थे, ने १९६६ में शिवसेना की स्थापना की थी, औऱ महाराष्ट्र की राजनीति में महत्वपूर्ण धुरी के रूप में काम करने के बाद भी किसी भी सत्ता से जुड़े पद को ग्रहण नहीं करने के लिए विख्यात रहे।
उनकी मृत्यु के सात साल और बारह दिन बाद उनके पुत्र उद्धव ठाकरे ने महाराष्ट्र के नए मुख्यमंत्री के रूप में शपथ ली।
हिन्दू हृदय सम्राट के रूप में विख्यात पिता के उत्तराधिकारी के रूप में उद्धव एनसीपी और कांग्रेस के समर्थन से सत्तासीन हुए।
एक माह पहले पूर्ण हुए चुनाव में भारतीय जनता पार्टी 105 सीटों के साथ सबसे बड़ी पार्टी के रूप में उभर कर आई थी । शिवसेना ने 126 सीटों पर चुनाव लड़ा था जिसमें से उसे मात्र 56 सीटो पर विजय प्राप्त हुई और अन्य 70 सीटों पर वह एनसीपी और कांग्रेस से हार कर दूसरे और तीसरे स्थानों पर रही।
फिर क्या कारण रहा कि अपनी सबसे पुरानी साथी को छोड़कर भाजपा को विपक्ष में बैठना पड़ रहा है?
शायद इसका उत्तर सत्तासुंदरी की लालसा है जिसने उद्धव ठाकरे को अपने चुनावी विरोधियों से समर्थन लेने पे विवश कर दिया और कांग्रेस जो बालासाहेब की पुरजोर विरोधी रही और बाबरी विध्वंस के स्मरण में विपरीत ध्रुवों(कांग्रेस इस दिन काला दिवस और शिवसेना शौर्य दिवस मनाती रहीं हैं) पे खड़ी रहने वाली पार्टियां आज सत्ता पक्ष में रहने के लिए अपनी विचारधारा और मूल्यों से भी समझौता करने लगी हैं।
अस्तु उद्वव ठाकरे को मुख्यमंत्री बनने की बधाई और एक मजबूत विपक्षी दल के साथ महारष्ट्र का सचमुच भला करने की शुभकामनाएं!
India’s telecommunications sector that was teeming with a sizable number of operators nationwide just a few years back, now has only three players standing, two of them barely. A sector that promised a lot not just to the government and public but also millions associated with it, has been ruined to say the least within a pretty short time. A disgraceful scam, recurring policy changes from the government, exorbitant charges, never-ending tax insistence from an indifferent administration, disruptive entry of a new player and the government’s clear bias towards it etc. have driven most of them aground. The industry has become the latest providence tale for investors in India, showing why despite scaling the global rankings for ease of doing business, the flourishing $2.7 trillion economy with a mammoth consumer base remains an intractable, unpredictable place for certain businesses. Let us discuss and discern the primary factors responsible for the tangle, the industry finds itself today.
2G Scam: – India is divided into 22 telecommunication zones with 281 zonal licenses. In 2008, 122 new licenses were granted to a number of telecom companies during the UPA regime under telecom minister A. Raja, some of which were first timers. Although the modus operandi of granting these licenses was on a first-come-first-served basis as introduced during former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime, it was later established that the minister had tweaked several rules and violated laws to favor certain firms. It did however help in opening up the market where the stranglehold of a few companies like Reliance Communication & Airtel was conspicuous till then. But the skeletons of the shady deal began surfacing pretty soon as corruption charges were labeled and cases filed against the minister and others. The multiple players including the new entrants couldn’t thrive and reap the benefits of a free market for long. In 2012, the Supreme Court gave its judgement on the case quashing all the 122 licenses awarded in 2008. The CAG estimated a whopping Rs.1.76 trillion loss to the national exchequer for the misdoing. A subsequent auction was held for the spectrum of the canceled licenses. However, due to the reduced number of players, it didn’t fetch money even close to what the government had anticipated. Only the dominant players who were already there, participated in it taking the telecom space back to an oligopolistic state. Thus, began the fall of the telecom sector.
Exorbitant spectrum costs and greedy administration/telcos: – The new telecom policy of 1999 underlined the creation of a robust framework for the development of telecommunications in the country. Although that remained in theory, the policy makers also realized that the auction of airwaves and sale of licenses could well be a potential tool to cover the budget deficit as it fetched them billions of dollars in revenue. The cost of spectrum in the country is one of the highest in the world. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) in collaboration with the key players could have tried to negotiate better rates with the DoT and help rationalize the prices. But in their madness to outbid each other and be ahead of competition, the companies took billions of dollars in debt that eventually dried up profits and drove up their costs, spectrum prices albeit never came down.
Disruptive entry of Reliance Jio: – And then came Reliance Jio in Sep, 2016. Backed by the deep pockets of billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s textile-to-petrochemicals empire, Reliance Jio entered the telecom sector offering free voice calls and data. Its pricing was predatory and the free scheme it offered for seven successive months to customers, derailed not just its competitors but the industry as well. Why and how it was allowed to extend its free offer beyond the regulated three months period raised several questions and screamed of government’s clear bias towards it. And by the time it stopped doling out freebies, it had added more than 100 million subscribers to its base that sounded the death knell for other operators.
Telcos’ negligence & lack of foresightedness: –When a company announces its foray into a new business domain that’s already ripe, the only way it can create an impact is by bringing in something very distinctive that can have far-reaching effect. Jio did just that. The companies struggling to stay afloat today have themselves to blame for the fiasco as well. Jio’s ambitious plans were announced in 2012, four years prior to its launch. That all their network would be IP based and plans heavily data-centric was known to all. The operators should have anticipated a paradigm shift because of the brutal competition that’s always been synonymous with the sector. Jio’s new voice over LTE (Volte) technology and dirt-cheap data plans compelled the incumbents Airtel, Vodafone & Idea to launch Volte services and offer low-cost tariffs and free voice thereby eroding profits and upsetting revenues for the first time. The carriers totally failed to predict the massive demand for data in the Indian market. Nobody prevented them from altering their business model with a more data-focused outlook, enterprise business or content, investing in technology to take on Jio’s all-IP network. It was a misjudgment on their part to have not vaticinated that voice alone wouldn’t be enough for them to survive in this hostile trade.
The telecom companies owe an astonishing 1.4 lakh crores to the government over past license fees and spectrum usage charges (SUC) as on date. The Supreme Court’s verdict directing the operators to clear the dues within 90 days and upholding DoT’s definition of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) looked to be the final nail in the coffin for the floundering companies. The dues of the two flagging operators Airtel & Vodafone-Idea stand at Rs.21682.13/- crores & Rs.19823.71/- crores respectively. The decision came at a time when the sector was already under severe financial stress. Shares of Vodafone-Idea have nosedived 83% and with the on and off news of their exit doing the rounds, it could well lead to a duopoly which is not the healthiest market structure after all.
Finally, as a much-needed initiative, the Union Cabinet headed by PM Modi has offered a Rs.42000/- crore relief to the debt-laden sector by giving a moratorium of two years to the telcos on spectrum payment dues. This 2-year payment holiday will accrue an estimated benefit of Rs.11746/- crores to Airtel and Rs.23920/- crores to Vodafone-Idea respectively and is expected to significantly reduce cash flow of the stressed operators.
Lives of millions are associated and dependent on these companies for a living and it’s sad to see the once booming industry struggling for survival. Their revival is extremely crucial from various aspects. Not only will it provide a boost to employment and economic growth but will ensure maintenance of quality of services to consumers. The recent step by the government seems to be one in the right direction.
Although the saffron party is now out of power in the state (probably for a short term), it stands to gain out of this temporary setback & here is how:
The moment Devendra Fadnavis announced his resignation as Maharashtra Chief Minister, prime time television anchors & star op-ed writers started building a narrative that Maharashtra is a huge blow for Bharatiya Janata Party, Prime Minister Modi & his lieutenant Amit Shah. The narrative builders will probably succeed initially, however as we have seen in the last 5–6 years, star narrative builders have no idea of the pulse of the voter & this time too, they are completely off the mark.
I explain six reasons as to why BJP stands to gain most out of this:
One- Shiv Sena is completely exposed in the entire episode. Shiv Sainiks who used to chant ‘Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai’ are now singing praises of 10, Janpath. A thought one could never imagine just few days back. The roar of the tiger is now turned into the meow of a cat. The Hindutva mask, of which every Shiv Sainik was proud till yesterday, is now off & they are trying to prove themselves as much secular as Congress is, if not more.
There can not be a greater fall than this. Maharashtrian public is watching this carefully & probably they are very angry at the betrayal of their trust & vote. From here, Shiv Sena can never go back anywhere close to what Bal Thackrey imagined it to stand for. And this could very well be the beginning of Shiv Sena’s end.
Two- Pawar family’s fault-lines are now out in the open. Even though Ajit Pawar has gone back to his uncle- Sharad Pawar and will probably be a minister in the new SIN — SS, INC & NCP alliance government, it has forever dented the carefully crafted hollow created around Pawar family over the years. Chacha Pawar can never fully trust Bhatija Pawar on party & family matters after his short lived stunt. This was evident when Beti Supriya Sule changed her WhatsApp status to — family & party split, moments after Ajit Pawar took oath as deputy Chief Minister under Devendra Fadnavis.
And all these are not good signs for Pawar family & Nationalist Congress Party. Senior Pawar is getting old now & the infighting between Supriya Sule & Ajit Pawar over NCP’s leadership roles will have serious impact on party’s future in the state.
Three- Devendra Fadnavis is now emerged as the undisputed only mass leader in Maharashtra, who can pull votes & win seats for his party. No other leader now even comes close to him. Sharad Pawar’s best days are now over, Udhav Thackrey is nowhere close to Bala Sahab in mass appeal.
Public wanted Devendra Fadnavis back in the Chief Minister’s role & they voted for BJP-SS alliance in huge numbers. Mahayuti got clear mandate from people to form government under leadership of Devendra Fadnavis. However, Shiv Sena’s betrayal did not let this happen & this has not gone down well with the voter. This has only made voters even more determined to send Devendra Bhai back in power, next time whenever state goes to polls. This is one real positive outcome of the events for the BJP.
Four- Congress has no role in future politics of the state except for being the junior most partner of the ‘BJP roko alliance’. This is a very humiliating situation for the grand old party, but as we all know, the current leadership of the party- national & state both, neither is capable enough to lift the party nor they care anymore. The party will die a natural death in the state and NCP will be the leading force of anti-BJP political space in the state.
Five- although many would like to argue on this, contrary to the made up perception about the party in recent years, people still see Bharatiya Janata Party as party with a difference. In this entire Maha episode, the only party which did not house-arrest, rather we may call it hotel-arrest its MLAs, was BJP. All other parties were moving their elected leaders in buses from hotel to hotel like a flock of sheep.
This clearly shows that except BJP, none of the parties trust their elected leaders. This is not an isolated case of Maharashtra only. Similar events have happened repeatedly in many other states- most recently in Karnataka. People now have started raising serious questions about the integrity of the leaders of these parties. Either the central leadership of these parties does not trust their elected legislators or their legislators are too vulnerable, greedy to cross-over to the other side.
Six- the state politics is now all about BJP & anti BJP union. While BJP is seen as a pro Hindu party, now all other parties are at the other side of this affair. Many from the majority community will now have no choice but to vote for BJP if at all they are looking for a pro Hindu party to vote for. There simply is no other alternative for such voters. BJP stands to gain most from this situation as it will now be seen as the only party defending dharma, specially after positive Ayodhya verdict & Shiv Sena turning secular in Maharashtra episode.
This is probably good for the country too, because- यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः
The so called lobby of dynastic politics and the so called brigades of secularism are criticizing BJP and Devendra Fadnavis that how BJP unit of Maharashtra could trust Ajit Pawar and agreed to take oath in the odd hours and instead BJP could have waited for a while to see the truth and could have exposed NCP.
BJP, PM Modi and Amit Shah have always kept state’s interest, development and sab ka vikas above party politics. From the point of view of several tukde tukde gangs playing all kinds of dirty politics, BJP is indeed a party which is different, upholds probity and the interest of the nation, development, corruption free governance and kamdar and not namdar politics.
When Duryodhana invited Yudhishthira for game of dice, even though many tried to dissuade him as it was a ploy of Shakuni, but still Yudhishthira went ahead because of his love for the game and personal integrity. Yudhishthira firmly believed in values and principles and had never engaged in dirty tricks in the game of dice to win the game. Because of his personal honesty and integrity Yudhishthira to some extent believed is some amount of fairness and honesty from Duryodhana and Shakuni.
Can we call Yudhishthira so naïve, gullible, innocent, stupid etc? Upholding honesty, principle and values by anyone cannot be called or described as naïve or gullible act. Yudhisthira believed in the reciprocation of the same gesture from Duryodhana but Duryodhana was different, evil at heart and wicked in actions.
Devendra Fadnavis got the mandate of people to rule the state. But Shiv Sena that won due to the clean and honest image of Modi and Fadnavis has decided to stab the mandate of people from the back and wants to gel with NCP and INC for power and position.
NCP leader of legislative party Ajit Pawar approached Fadnavis with the letter of support with his authority and persuaded him to form the government immediately so that entire rank and file of NCP would support. BJP due to its commitment to give honest governance to the people of the state of Maharashtra and believing the promise of Ajit Pawar like how BJP used to uphold its promises, agreed to the arrangement and Fadnavis got sworn in. But only later the suspicion started to take different shapes like Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar might have played the trick together so that NCP can better its position in deal making and hard bargain with Shiv Sena.
It looks like NCP wants to keep both options open so that it can increase its value. In democracy, only people can teach lessons to all those cheats, betrayers and those who stab the mandate of people from the back.
Duryodhana and Shakuni although could cheat and defeat Yudhisthira in the game of dice but at the end, both these villainous, evil minded characters got killed miserably and even today we refer the name Duryodhana and Shakuni only for the purpose conveying a heavy meaning of cheats or lies etc.
Neither our mythology nor the politics have ever described or shown a cheat and betrayer as immortal and instead, all such evil forces were vanquished by truth and dharma.
The political betrayal of Shiv Sena and NCP will receive its brutal punishment sooner than later. History shall remember how all those evil and untrustworthy forces were destroyed at the end and how the dharma was protected.
BJP, PM Modi and Amit Shah follow dharma and also want to make India the land of dharma, honesty and truth as prescribed by Hindu sastra and taught and followed by by Lord Krishna and Lord Ram.
Rallying up of all evil forces clearly indicates their death sooner than later and the people of India must realize that if they give fractured mandate in future, naturally that would only favour deal making and bargaining politics. People must give decisive mandate to Modi so that BJP can rule the state and take the governance to next level of progress and prosperity. All those political parties that promote dynasty culture and sycophancy will work only for own family and not for the nation. People must remember the above truth and must give unconditional support to BJP to save India from all those divisive and evil forces. People must give decisive mandate of BJP to establish truth, honesty and governance focused on sab ka vikas.
The political acrobatics going on in Maharashtra has caught attention of one and all. Finally, when the new government was about to prove its majority, the news of renewed Congress demand for Deputy CM post took me back to the events that occurred red in the subcontinent in late 18th century.
In 1747, Marathas led by Raghoji I Bhonsle raided and plundered territories of Aliwardi Khan. During invasion of Odisha, Mir Jafar, who was the subedar, completely withdrew all the forces. Only when Aliwardi Khan supported by Mughal Army led the charge, the Maratha forces were resisted and defeated in the Battle of Burdwan. Aliwardi Khan was enraged by the actions of Mir Jafar. He humiliated and dismissed Jafar from the position of Subedar.
Later on, Jafar pretended his loyalty to Aliwardi Khan’s successor Siraj ud-Daulah and rose to become commander of Bengali forces. Ultimately, during the Battle of Plassey, he betrayed Siraj and supported the British, resulting in defeat of Siraj. Mir jafar went on to become Nawab of Bengal. But as karma would have it, Jafar was removed from the throne by the same Britishers and was replaced by his Son-in-Law Mir Qasim.
Fast forward to present day Maharashtra and we find a Battle of Plassey redux. During 2014 Vidhan Sabha elections, Shiv Sena decided to go alone and heaped choicest of adjectives for BJP top leadership and its local leaders. After results were Declard, despite NCP’s readiness to give outside support, BJP went for its oldest ally. While being in alliance, Shiv sena continued to criticise BJP and heaped praises for Congress leadership and rahul Gandhi. On major issues like Rafale, Demonetisation and GST, it sided with the opposition. Even during 20 July 2018 No Confidence Motion, Sena’s support to BJP came only at the last moment, after the reported call by BJP leaders to Uddhav Thackeray.
The BJP leadership committed the same mistake during 2019 Vidhan Sabha election, as committed by Siraj Ud Daulah. They went with Shiv Sena and gave up even those seats that BJP had won in the 2014, at the cost of angering its local leaders and cadres. Shiv Sena leaders too asked for votes in the name of BJP and Narendra modi, as claimed by Amit Shah.
Outcome of the elections present testimony to the BJP’s harakiri. BJP achieved a strike rate of 70% as opposed to Shiv Sena’s 45%. Despite contesting 96 fewer seats compared to 2014, there is marginal drop of 1.5% in Vote share of BJP. All these facts suggest that if BJP had contested all alone, It would have been much closer to the magic mark of 145 seats. Furthermore, it could also have easily accommodated its own disgruntled leaders and workers.
As Mir Jafar had aligned with Robert Clive and British, Shiv Sena took a political somersault and went with Congress and NCP. The bonhomie and cooperation was palpable as Shiv Sena workers guarded the NCP legislators and even brought some of them back from the airport.
Milind Narvekar and Eknath Sinde (Shiv Sena) with Sanjay Bansod (NCP) in the middle.
Shiv Sena’s actions can be termed as an ideological somersault only by those who are unaware of its origin and history. Sena itself was propped up by Congress to end the Trade unionism of Left (Fortunately it did not end like Bhindranwale fiasco). Moreover, till late 1980s, Hindutva was not on Shiv Sena’s agenda. Sensing the appeal for Hindutva, Sena supported it in 1987 Mumbai by-election, where victory of Ramesh Prabhu catapulted it from a regional party to a pro-Hindutva party with a greater appeal. The agenda also brought it closer to Gujarati and North Indian voters, expanding sena’s vote base.
After demise of Bala Saheb and aggressive politics of Modi-Shah, Uddhav Thackeray found the space for Shiv Sena shrinking. Furthermore, steps like criminalising Triple Talaq and nullification of article 370 saw the appropriation of Hindutva by the BJP like never before. The younger generation of Thackerays is also interested in a moderate image, which is more acceptable in elite circles. Thus, the realignment is a fait accompli.
The Maharashtra Impasse
The ongoing impasse among the three parties is nothing but a trailer of days to come. With Pawar as the power centre and mediator with Congress, Uddhav will have very little space for manoeuvre. This again gives a deja vu of Mir Jafar. Since all three parties have their vested interests, mature local leadership and a common goal of keeping BJP out; the government might survive but governance will severely suffer. This will giving BJP the opportunity to reenergise itself and take its message to the people with a greater clarity.
BJP has already burnt its fingers in hasty oath taking ceremony. But it does not have time to sit back and relax. It can not get into wait and watch mode. Such an attitude will be detrimental not only for its own interest but also for the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra as a whole.
There are some ongoing big ticket investment projects in Maharashtra. Metro Car shed has been put on hold. Same fate awaits Bullet Train project, Oil refinery and others. All of this will hamper investors’ confidence in India and raise questions over sanctity of contracts signed by the states. After Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra can not send the same signal. Moreover, in a slowing economy where investments are drying up, such actions will make economic revival even more challenging.
So the BJP needs to create situations that give rise of dissatisfaction among coalition partners leading to defections. As in karnataka, there is a need to dethrone the government, while ensuring that members do not lose their seats. Thus the new government formed will be able to focus on governance rather than winning seats of disqualified candidates.
BJP needs to get its future strategy for a major state like Maharashtra.Since politics makes strange bedfellows, asking BJP to shun any future alignment with Shiv Sena will be short sighted. It needs to be cold & calculative and must not get swayed by romanticism of ideology or past bonhomie while taking decision with respect to Sena. BJP is strong enough in Maharashtra to contest and win elections on its own.Incase it misses the majority mark, independents will always be there. A stronger rather than a weaker BJP will be in a better position to deal with Sena. Moreover, feelers should always be sent to NCP so that other options remain open.
There is a lesson for Devendra Fadnavis too. He is an able and honest administrator who has now established himself in Maharashtra as well as at the national level. But he should not try to alienate strong local leaders. The present time can be used to smoothen the ruffled feathers. In an arena where there are leaders like Sharad Pawar, Prithvi Raj Chavan and Prafull Patel, Fadnavis can not strengthen himself by weakening his own party-men. Modi could do so in Gujarat because the opposition was weak. But in Maharashtra, the opposition is strong and has a grass root hold. Thus he should desist form any such misadventure in future.
Maharashtra elections and its aftereffects can be a huge learning curve for the BJP (Decision to go alone in Jharkhand can be seen as one). It must assess comparative strength of its allies, their commitment, available options and tread accordingly. All these factors will decide the extent of saffron surge at the state level.
