Home Blog Page 619

2019 General Elections & possible narratives that could hurt BJP

nnag
-
0
2019 General Elections & possible narratives that could hurt BJP

We are heading into the heat of campaigning for general elections. There are a lot of things that will be said by a lot of people. However, two principal actors will gain all the attention. Narendra Modi, incumbent PM and the epicentre of political narrative in the country for nearly 6 years now. Rahul Gandhi, his principal challenger and unstated opposition candidate countering Modi. The NDA which had a stellar campaign in 2014 quite surprisingly lost its way on communication front early 2018. During the course of the year they yielded considerable space in setting narrative to Rahul Gandhi and Congress which translated into Congress snatching 3 states away from them in end 2018. That Congress promised the moon and much of it looks like lies peddled now is an another matter.

2019 seems to have gotten NDA / BJP / Modi off to a decent start as far as communication and narrative setting is concerned. The recent response to terrorist strikes has also bolstered the image of the government. Note, I don’t advocate cashing in on an adverse event at all. I am only stating that actions of the government are inline with the expectation they set for themselves when they came to power in 2014. BJP have also eaten humble pie and sorted (for now at least) their alliance hassles in large states of Bihar, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. This should give them some peace and the opposition who were salivating at the chance of this breaking up a little head ache.

Let us focus on things that will become part of the narrative as we go into election mode for the ruling party. Here are my top critical items.

1. Anti corruption
Modi came on the plank of anti corruption. His clean image made everyone believe he will throw corrupt people out and rid this country of all ills. However, exaggerated, people believed the moon on this topic. He has delivered the cleanest government in years. There is absolutely no high level corruption charge on him or anyone in his cabinet. He comes unscathed on this one. However Nirav, Mallya, Choksi, 2G judgment and with no scratch yet on PC/ Vardra, don’t do good on optics. This will have to be managed heavily. Opposition could beat the government to pulp on this front as they have been doing all of 2018. As I said, clean government nevertheless but corruption delivery optics needs to be managed. Who was corrupt before 2014? If so, why are they still free? Will Michel and rest help them balance the view on this front? Needs to be seen.

2. Terrorism & Naxalism
This perhaps is a decent delivery point from the PM. He has been firm on dismantling all terror infrastructure across and within the borders and has been systematically engaged at it. He has balanced talks and no talks with Pakistan at different times. Supported by smart foreign policy initiatives to corner Pakistan, he has been able to manage optics in the wake of the recent terror strike followed by the air strike. His free hand to the army yielded the surgical strike a couple of years ago. Internally as well, red corridor had been seeing meticulous cleansing. That the Chhattisgarh state government is out of their hands may not augur well for this story but there is plenty to talk on this front from the PM. Deaths on the border will be a data point thrown at random by all and sundry but it is a fact that this government has shown gumption for retribution when there is an attack on their soil / countrymen. That is a big change of image from all PMs of the past that Modi has cast for himself.

3. Triple Talaq & Uniform civil code
NDA invested heavily on the TTT bill. Yes, it is great for gender justice and sorting the social issues ailing Muslim women. However, the amount of political capital invested by the PM personally and entire cabinet on this at times made me wonder what they were doing with it? If they expect this to yield electoral dividend, then I urge them to wake up from the reverie. I expect 0 benefit out of this. However, caught in the TTT is the uniform civil code expectation that NDA has done precious little about. BJP was the truly nationalist party rooted on issues of uniform civil code, Hindutva etc but ended up delivering absolutely nothing on this front. Luckily for the BJP, they are faced with an opposition who wouldn’t touch this issue with a barge pole. So, they are saved the embarrassment of someone picking this up and weaving into their narrative instead of BJP.

4. JK policy / article 370 / 35 A
JK offered great opportunities for the BJP to stamp themselves firmly – taking on separatists, stopping their funding, integrating JK with mainstream country, 370, 35A, cross border terror, radicalization of Kashmiri youth, resettling of Kashmiri Pandits etc. Entire country waited with baited breath to see Modi do something here. People across country thought it was about right time.

A state government formed in coalition with PDP conveyed flexibility and realism from BJP on somewhere reaching out to J&K instead of waiting their turn to rule that state which they may never have in their lives due to demography stacked against them. Nationalistic issues of repealing article 370 and 35A which have been part of party articulations for decades have been kept under the carpet. People know that 370 can be repealed with a presidential order and doesn’t need a constitutional vote. Can they do this albeit as a last gasp to save their face? This will be a sore issue when they get back to voters seeking votes.

At the fag end of the term, doing anything now, would also make them look desperate. Damned if they did and damned if they didn’t on this one.

5. Hindutva
2014 Hindu voters for the first time in the history of this country cutting across caste, sub caste, state saw them firmly rally behind Modi and BJP. For once, it was surreal to see one man Modi camouflage all fault lines within the Hindu society and bring it together. Later, when BJP romped to a majority in UP, many saw this is the opportune time for what has been BJPs single biggest promise to the nation, a Ram Mandir. Knowing our judiciary and expecting them to deliver a verdict on this within this term was a bit much. That the BJP, used that as a tactic to wait and not make a move is even more flabbergasting. A party that built its entire growth trajectory on a Ram Mandir couldn’t deliver it with them being at the center and state is something many are unable to come to terms with. If not now, then when? A petition at the SC seeking control of undisputed land that are around the disputed site by the BJP is almost a last minute optics management tactic. Why did they not parallel track this ask for access along with the case progression in SC?

Yes, no other PM in history of our country has worn his religion on his sleeve unabashedly and walked around like Modi has. However, is that enough to convince your core Hindu voter that you stand for their right? Whoever gets to explain this to the people better weave a very very strong believable story. Else this is a quick sand with regional parties waiting to exploit the fault lines in the society as they have been doing for years.

What will happen if Rahul Gandhi who has a penchant for lying stands in UP and says he will build the temple? Can BJP even look the voter in the eye if he did? its an entirely different matter that Rahul Gandhi may even forget he said this the next day and most definitely not deliver on that promise. However, it could potentially damage the Hindutva narrative of BJP. They are already caught on back foot with RGs temple run.

I am not even listing other optics stuff like Ram Setu and government control of temples etc., Outside of all that, Ram Mandir/Hindu consolidation will definitely play its part till the last vote is cast. If BJP wants to come back to power, it cannot bank on the 20% (minority) vote coming its way on the plank of vikas as they have survived previously and can survive only if they hold onto the other 80% minus the other minority religion votes.

6. Communication
Modi is a brilliant orator. BJP leveraged this to the hilt in 2014. BJP has continued to leverage that till 2019 as well. Not one single cabinet minister barring Arun Jaitley has been able to articulate government policies with media / public. Government despite delivering a corruption free rule, couldn’t even handle the jarring noise from its opponents over Rafale. Independent social media (usually called RW trolls) did a much better job of explaining this and countering opposition claims than government of the day. This leads me to the final point which is communication. In 5 years, this government hasn’t been able to create 8-10 people who can woe voters with their communication. There isn’t one single vote catcher minister in the cabinet. It says a lot about BJPs bench strength. Modi was a challenger in 2014.

All he had to do was ask questions. In 2019, he has to share his government achievements and also defend allegations. The noise around Rafale is just a curtain raiser. As we move ahead, expect opposition to get shriller and more nauseating. However, it is incumbent on the government to fend for itself. It is here that the government stands naked but for the PM Modi saving the day for his entire cabinet. On and off Piyush Goyal has stepped up to explain achievements and shifts in his ministry. Barring sparing examples like that, BJP has nothing here. Yes, they were relying on the CMs of the states to bridge the gap. However, with 3 critical states not with them anymore, how believable would it be for those 3 lost CMs to take a success story to the people after having lost an election barely few months ago? This means, Modi and only Modi has to step up again and communicate with 1 B people. Pity the guy as he has to again shoulder the election campaign single handedly overcoming even the lackadaisical performances of local candidates in remote corners of the country.

In 2014 but for Modi, BJP wouldn’t have come to power. That’s known well. They must be having a sense of deja vu when they head into campaigning for 2019. What would they have done but for Modi?

De-coding the nexus between Pakistan military and terrorism

Vishal Kumar
-
0
De-coding the nexus between Pakistan military and terrorism

This is the Planet where we have had been evolving. This planet supports us and we owe responsibility towards its continuance. Everything is mutual. This planet was never known for terror, supporting or escalating. They have their plans, they make us victim to establish their agenda. They are working to achieve their agenda by disturbing global peace equilibrium. They are doing what they believe to be right. What are we upto? What’s our duty? Protect them and ensure peace, single- headedly? Our responsibility, our agenda is to survive and protect our planet by disbanding and eliminating evils. Speak to yourself!

Why the hell our agenda of establishing good is failing before their agenda of exhibiting evil? We need to understand what India does mean and what India does not mean! India has had been struggling for establishing peace and love for years and that can’t be established by living with the enemies of our planet. We need to eliminate them to enjoy freedom and bliss, ultimately! At least, we need to hold the guts to speak for our nation’s unity, integrity and sovereignty. The highest value of life is freedom, and we can establish that by doing our duty.

Pakistan is around 300 odd miles wide and about 1200 miles long. Pakistan has the frontage but it doesn’t have the depth to fight a war as much as they want to. Geo- strategic location of Pakistan is very important, that makes it an important location not only regionally but across worldwide. But, it can also be not undermined that a country which is more than 6 times in area is mapped on its east, it has Afghanistan on its west, Iran along its borders which has about 98% of Shia Population. So, strategic depth is an important requirement for Pakistan, Pakistan requires land in addition to its limited zonal influences into the states of Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia for any attack operation. So, Pakistan’s insecurity lies not only in the dearth of strategic depth but also zonal influences across Islamic countries worldwide.

The narrative that the civilians of Pakistan set lies in their serious miscalculations not only about Kashmir but also about the efforts and successes of their army and government. There is nothing called democracy in the retarded revanchist territory, whole occupancy of almost everything is in the hands of Pakistani military, they are the real intruders and force behind every tragedy, be it supporting terrorism or subduing government. The whole narrative of Kashmir that stand, trend and infuriate in Pakistan is what army say and the same outreach to the civilians in the form of opium.

Pakistan has nothing per se except the contentious Kashmir issue which they ride every time like a tiger, disturbing regional peace and order. Every army has a reason to exist, India’s army reason to exist is to protect nation’s integrity and sovereignty, Pakistan’s army reason to exist is to protect the Pakistani army and this is not generic when we venture into the number of scams they have had been involved in to fill their army exchequer to fight India. Pakistani army can’t exist unless the same is in conflict with India. For the past 70 years, it has been consoled to the people of Pakistan that one day Kashmir will be theirs and only that shall bring development and well- being to the state. Pakistani army represent itself as the legal heirs of Mughals. When we look at Kashmiri from Pakistan army the it is all about credibility, they roar before their civilians because of that.

So, Pakistan army is like a vehicle whose brakes are not working so only physical force shall help in constraining it. Secondly, there are around 400 families which control Pakistan and Pakistani army not only guides physical frontiers of Pakistan but also ideological frontiers of Pakistan. Ideological frontiers include donation theory upon which the economy and military of Pakistan subsists, state of perpetual enmity against India and the faith that the military and elites of Pakistan uphold as their guiding principle. All these factors ensure and maintain conflict in the state of Pakistan against India. Deception and misinformation on social media and among civilians are the popular ways from which they garner legitimacy to accomplish their elite goals.

Any political or diplomatic solution is neither viable nor permissible between India and Pakistan. Any act of Pakistan military is neither an incident nor a coincidence, they are rather conspiracy, conspiracy to disentangle Indian government and destabilise Indian populace. So, better hammering on front against Pakistan is inevitable for two reasons. First to change the narrative that Pakistan military set in order to protect their image before Pakistanis and international players and secondly, to decode the vested political motives and interests of Pakistani military and elite coterie of the state.

Jihadis and Kashmir militants are cheap alternatives that the Pakistan military envisions in order to accomplish their goals. So they are used. This whole structure of military and Pakistani elites supporting terrorism is equivalent to a never- ending conveyor belt in which soldiers, civilians and terrorists may die but the motive persists relentlessly. In addition to that, they have had been continuously getting moral backhand from few segments of Indian society in the name of peace and religious fraternity.

So, we need to understand the problem better and profusely. The problem is deeply ingrained into the visions elaborated above. We are not only required to attack the roots of that military- elite nexus but also required to constantly imbibe what is true and plausible among members of Indian society. The whole basis of drawing such narrative must be challenged, unveiled and presented before the civilians and international players in order to overcome this long tussle.

– Vishal Kumar, student of Law, Campus Law Centre, DU.

The Government has every right on Air Strikes success

G Indira
-
0
The Government has every right on Air Strikes success

The recent air-strikes of Indian Air Force (IAF) on Pakistani terror camps in the Pakistani territory have a two-fold effect. One, the sudden strike petrified our ever-ready terror camp neighbour Pakistan. Two, they (the air strikes) rattled the opposition parties for a moment for the credit the ruling BJP is getting just before the crucial (ensuing) parliamentary elections of this year. It was only a jerk for them. For, the opposition recovered from it very soon and appropriated the IAF act. So, they could all say in one voice that they stand by the IAF Jawans and the Government at the crucial juncture.

Now, slowly the hotchpotch parties in opposition are raising their ugly heads. Since, their supposedly sweet plums: the so-called demonetisation mess-up, botched up GST implementation, unemployment and agrarian crisis are all driven away by the air strikes in a whiff. As the NDA government has come out victorious, slowly the opposition has started gathering issues and are enquiring for proof of raids in Balakot.

It is everybody’s knowledge that the air-strikes have happened. Pakistan also agreed to it. In fact, it is aggrieved at the Indian Air Force entering into its territory and making strikes on its sovereign soil. The opposition parties of Pakistan shouted: “shame, shame” on Imran Khan’s Government in Pakistan’s parliament, is proof enough. So, therefore, the fact that the Air attacks have happened on Pakistan’s land, is an established one.

It goes without saying, without the prime minister of India’s nod or approval, the air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan would not have taken place. The government and the PM repeatedly said that their targets were terrorists, not the civilians or the country-Pakistan per se. The act of IAF itself speaks volumes of Indian- anger. The language of anger contains loaded messages. It’s (anger is) the quickest yet the densest form of communication.

Whether the air strikes achieved in hitting the target or the number of terrorists eliminated or the intended strikes yielded the result or the calibrated strikes missed the targets– are questions of secondary in nature. For all the technical glitches or lapses, for the nationalistic bravado of some TV channels, the prime minister of the country is not responsible. In any case, the opposition parties have to believe in the IAF at least, if they have some amount of animosity against the ruling.

The opposition is trying to pin the government down for taking the credit. They are blatantly blaming Modi for mentioning it (the success of strikes) in his campaigns. There is nothing wrong in taking credit by the government, for a credit-worthy act. After all, PM Modi is the person who took the risk of sending the air troops into the enemy’s land. If anything had gone wrong, he would have had to bear that cross. Since, the strikes happened successfully and the IAF returned without a minor hiccup, the PM should be lauded for that endeavour. Often the risk-takers are extolled by the people than the safe-siders.

As far as using the strikes as an advantage to win elections is concerned, always emotions play a role on Indian electorate. The Congress that is seemingly spearheading the opposition was a beneficiary of winning parliamentary elections many a time. In 1984, when Late PM Indira Gandhi was about to lose parliamentary elections, she was assassinated. In the immediate aftermath, the Congress gained tremendous sympathy that led to a massive victory and Rajiv Gandhi became the PM.

When Rajiv Gandhi’s Mr Clean image was weaning with Bofor-gun-deal scandal in 1991 (before election) he was killed by the suicide bomber and the wave of sympathy brought Congress back to power. During the first phase of 1991-elections, the BJP was ahead. The second phase was disastrous, for, it was the compassion for the departed leader that swept the electorate. On both occasions, the Congress did not leave a chance for a time-gap. They wanted the sympathy to be intact.

After Babri demolition, the Congress at the Centre dismissed at a stroke four-BJP ruled governments: the Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh by invoking Art-356. That article naturally lapsed after 6-months. Yet, the Congress was unwilling to conduct elections in those states stating that the people in those states were still emotively-surcharged towards voting for the BJP. So, extended it for another six months. Now, the same Congress harbours fear where Modi may get mileage out of Air Strikes.

It is nobody’s case to argue that the Congress party wanted those assassinations of their leaders to happen or the resulting sympathy. Similarly, the present Central Government was also caught unawares of the terror act in Pulwama. The subsequent air strikes were the Government’s reply, departing from the previous govt’s stand of muted silence in public. So, rightfully, if at all anyone of the members of this Union Government want to milk on Air-Strikes or Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman’s release through their diplomacy, they could do so calculatedly without losing elasticity.

IPL-2019 auctions: An analysis of the squads

Shubham Saxena
-
0
IPL-2019 auctions: An analysis of the squads

The auctions for the 12th season of Indian Premier League (IPL ‘2019) concluded recently, wherein a total of 351 players, including 228 Indians, entered the pool. As this season is scheduled tightly, right before the World Cup ‘2019, a large number of potential foreign players backed out before the auctions and even those in the auction-list may have to exit the league early for WC preparations. This eventually impacted the purchases as well, resulting in some big names finding themselves unsold.

As for the Indians on the list, the new generation, especially the under-19 players, earned astonishingly huge packages; whereas some veterans were left either unsold or being bought at meagre prices. Nevertheless, with the retentions, purchases and trade-offs completed – unless there are further trade-offs or players pulling off – we have all 8 teams ending up with squad-strengths ranging from 21 to 25, which makes the equation finely balanced. As we have witnessed over the seasons, the on-field performances tend to deceive the theoretical perceptions; yet, lets have a look at how the teams stack up on-papers.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS:

The MS Dhoni-led franchise made a roaring comeback in the last season after a 2-year ban, and emerged as the title winners. Having reached atleast the playoffs stage at every season they have played and with 3 titles to their name, they are unarguably the most successful IPL franchise. Their USP has always been the intent to maintain a “core-squad” without too much of chopping and changing, which is evident from the fact that they retained 23 players (the most) from last season and purchased only 2 in the auctions.

Strengths: As always, CSK has vastly experienced international players, both Indian and overseas. A majority of them have spent almost their entire IPL careers in CSK and thus their team-affinity is immense. CSK has perhaps the widest range of all-rounders (Bravo, Jadeja, Watson, Willey, Raina, Jadhav, Santner) – a big boon in T20s – and hence are unlikely to fall short of options in both departments of the game. Dhoni’s captaincy flourishes the most in this format, and his proximity with the core group of players can yet again aid in delivering “team-effort” based performances. On papers, CSK is definitely the most “balanced” side.

Weaknesses: The team lacks young blood, primarily among the core set of players. The very fact that atleast 15 “regularly-featuring” players are aged in the 30s, with the age bracket going upto 39 (Tahir), gives a lot to ponder for CSK in terms of fitness levels and agilities. Although the same set of players delivered a title-win last season, yet this time most of them are either lacking adequate game-practice (Watson, Harbhajan, Raina) or have declined in form (Dhoni, Bravo, Vijay).

Probable Starting XI: 1. Shane Watson, 2. Ambati Rayudu, 3. Suresh Raina, 4. MS Dhoni (wk), 5. Kedar Jadhav, 6. Dwayne Bravo, 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. David Willey, 9. Harbhajan Singh / Karn Sharma, 10. Deepak Chahar / Mohit Sharma / Shardul Thakur, 11. Lungi Ngidi

DELHI CAPITALS:

Being perennial under-achievers in the IPL and infamous for “refresh and reload” squad building every season, the Delhi franchise have gone for a name-change and some clever releasing, retaining and purchasing this time. The “Capitals” retained their IPL’18 performers, released those who under-performed, and have recruited a nice mix of Indian and overseas players. Shikhar Dhawan finally gets to play for his “home” franchise and will look to relish the opportunity of being the seniormost batsman in the mix. It’s highly probable he may be granted the captaincy duties this time, and DCS will hope it’s a prolonged stint; since the frequently changing captains have affected the team adversely in the past.

Strengths: We see the DCS squad and we imagine the future of Indian cricket. The team boasts of having perhaps the best mix of youngsters (Iyer, Pant, Shaw, Vihari, Avesh etc), most of them having had a foray into the Indian team already. The youth infact carries the major chunk of the team’s responsibility, and they did it well last season. Dhawan, the most valuable addition, will provide a seasoned and experienced hand to the side; and the overseas pace trio (Boult, Rabada, Morris) looks lethal. The spin attack, with Axar Patel’s addition, now looks equally potent; with Amit Mishra, Rahul Tewatia and Sandeep Lamichhane already in the squad.

Weaknesses: No visible weaknesses, and lets hope DCS do not generate some of their own, as they are habitual of.

Probable Starting XI: 1. Prithvi Shaw, 2. Shikhar Dhawan, 3. Colin Munro / Colin Ingram, 4. Shreyas Iyer, 5. Rishabh Pant (wk), 6. Chris Morris, 7. Axar Patel, 8. Harshal Patel / Rahul Tewatia, 9. Kagiso Rabada, 10. Amit Mishra, 11. Trent Boult

KINGS XI PUNJAB:

KXIP’s 2018 season started with a bang (table-toppers for quite sometime), and they suddenly fizzed out in the 2nd half of the season; so much that they lost all of their last 5 league matches and ended up 2nd last. This stemmed from the fact that their campaign was heavily devoid of team-effort and rode more on individual brilliance. Except Rahul & Gayle (primarily Rahul) in batting and Tye & Mujeeb in bowling, the rest of the team was highly deplorable. Ashwin’s captaincy skills lacked insight, and this time the team management will need to take a call on retaining him as captain or appointing a new one. Owing to their dismal 2018 season, the franchise retained only 9 players, and then invested heavily in auctions; grabbing Sam Curran for 7.2 crore, and some relatively unknown faces like Varun Chakravarthy (8.4 crore – the joint highest buy) and 17-year old Prabhsimran Singh (4.8 crore).

Strengths: KXIP boasts of genuine “T20 specialists” in their side. They have Andrew Tye and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the bowling department, both experts in containing runs as well as taking wickets; and have KL Rahul and David Miller at their service in batting. The rest of the teams haven’t seen much of Chakravarthy, and he can be a surprise element for the side. Curran, with his all-round skills, is a valuable addition and he can be the X-factor down the order. Henriques is available for the entire season, and can ably replace Curran if the latter departs for WC preparations.

Weaknesses: Having obtained uninspiring results from Miller and Ashwin at captaincy, KXIP will be in a dilemma whether to continue with Ashwin or upgrade someone like Rahul for the job, who in turn, is yet to lead an IPL franchise. Ashwin, having yielded below-par results with bowling the last time, will be a permanent feature if he remains captain; which means one of the “costliest buy” Chakravarthy and the dependable Mujeeb will need to sit out, especially on non-turning tracks. Gayle has been in dismal form in nearly all global leagues, and with age and fitness against him, might not even make the starting XI. Rahul will have to don the keeper gloves again, and being a part-timer at the role doesn’t help his team’s cause.

Probable Starting XI: 1. KL Rahul (wk), 2. Mayank Agarwal, 3. Karun Nair, 4. David Miller, 5. Mandeep Singh / Prabhsimran Singh, 6. Sam Curran, 7. Ravichandran Ashwin, 8. Andrew Tye, 9. Mohd. Shami / Ankit Rajpoot, 10. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11. Varun Chakravarthy

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS:

The Dinesh Karthik-led team, weakest on papers in the last season, punched well above their weights as they managed to reach the Qualifier-2 match. Karthik led from the front and inspired some valuable teamplay. Though they still have the smallest squad-size at 21, unlike last time they do have decent backups for their core players. KKR have spent heavily on Carlos Braithwaite this time, though it seems unlikely he’ll find a place in the starting XI. Nagarkoti is fit and raring to go this time around, and the young pace battery looks potent.

Strengths: The lower order contains expert finishers in the ever-dependable Dinesh Karthik and KKR’s biggest matchwinner Andre Russell, who now has an able backup in Braithwaite. Narine, in his new-found batting role, is apt to open the batting again and he forms a lethal spin combo with Kuldeep Yadav; with Piyush Chawla to feature as well on turning tracks. There is young blood in both departments, and the likes of Gill, Rana, Mavi, Nagarkoti and Prasidh will look to make a lasting impact. Lockie Ferguson perfectly fills the overseas-pacer void, felt by KKR the last time around.

Weaknesses: All the Indian pacers are uncapped and inexperienced, and may tend to go nervy and erratic upon being attacked, as witnessed in IPL’18. Uthappa, having done wonders for KKR in the past, wasn’t at his best in the last season, and he isn’t doing great in the domestic season either. Narine, though empowered with some batting skills now, has lost the X-factor in bowling and has become fairly predictable of late. Lynn’s struggles against spin will be a concern too.

Probable Starting XI: 1. Sunil Narine, 2. Chris Lynn, 3. Shubman Gill, 4. Robin Uthappa, 5. Nitish Rana, 6. Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7. Andre Russell, 8. Shivam Mavi / Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 9. Kuldeep Yadav, 10. Piyush Chawla / Prasidh Krishna, 11. Lockie Ferguson

MUMBAI INDIANS:

Rohit Sharma, having led his side to 3 IPL titles, was found wanting with the bat the last time around; which in turn produced an ordinary outing for MI in IPL’18. Having won equal titles as CSK, the Mumbai side is undoubtedly their closest rival on the all-time-best list. In the auctions, MI pleased their fans by adding their seasoned campaigner Lasith Malinga again, albeit at his base price; and a late addition in Yuvraj Singh pleased (and provided relief) to cricket fans across the country. To make amends, MI will need to shed their “late bloomers” tag this time, and start winning from the initial stage itself.

Strengths: Quinton de Kock’s addition upscales the opening quotient, and he will surely pip Lewis for the spot in the starting XI. The Bumrah-Malinga combo – if Malinga delivers – is easily the most lethal pace duo among all franchises, and their backups are decent too (Sran, Milne, Mcclenaghan). The Pandya-brothers, along with MI veteran Kieron Pollard, form an enviable lower order. The recent addition of Jayant Yadav strengthens the spin attack as well, as MI now has 3 Indian spinners (Markande, Krunal, Jayant) at its disposal. All said and done, Rohit Sharma still holds the key and if he delivers, there’s simply no stopping this side.

Weaknesses: Yuvraj Singh, with age-form-fitness against him, can struggle to remain a permanent entity in this side, unless he turns his form around. Though he is expected to start at no.4 for the team, if he falters in the first few matches, Rohit will have to bring himself down to the crucial spot, which can unsettle the top-order. Pollard’s form was dismal in IPL’18, and although he has found some form of late, it will be interesting to see his potency against some ruthless spin bowling.

Probable Starting XI: 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. Rohit Sharma, 3. Suryakumar Yadav / Ishan Kishan, 4. Yuvraj Singh, 5. Krunal Pandya, 6. Kieron Pollard, 7. Hardik Pandya, 8. Mitchell McClenaghan / Ben Cutting, 9. Mayank Markande, 10. Lasith Malinga, 11. Jasprit Bumrah

RAJASTHAN ROYALS:

Midway through the last season, Rajasthan Royals seemed destined to finish in the bottom half; but Jos Buttler’s surprise promotion to the opening spot worked wonders for them, as he went relentless and berserk, delivering match-winning knocks almost everytime and enabling his side to qualify for the playoffs. RR looked a bit absurd to first release Jaydev Unadkat, and then pick him up again as the joint-costliest buy (8.4 crore) in the auctions; 3 crores less than his 2018-season price. Steve Smith is back and is retained too, giving indications at him getting the captaincy role again; although there are chances RR may persist with Rahane, who was fairly decent at the job the last time around.

Strengths: The prime overseas players (Smith, Buttler, Stokes) are huge names at the international level, and others like Jofra Archer and Oshane Thomas have made successful inroads in the bowling department in T20s already. There is plenty of uncapped, raw talent; which may spring up some great surprises. Rahane’s consolidating and Samson’s attacking style of play provides good variety in batting. K Gowtham’s successful 2018 stint is a positive sign for this season too.

Weaknesses: The seasoned trio of Smith-Buttler-Stokes can leave midway for WC preparations, and that can create an incurable void in the side. The bowling, though seemingly decent, does not seem penetrative enough, Archer being the only one with “match-winning” potential. The spin department in particular (Gopal and Gowtham) seems restricted, and though RR has the likes of Ish Sodhi, his inclusion will come at the cost of leaving out the big overseas names.

Probable Starting XI: 1. Ajinkya Rahane, 2. Jos Buttler (wk), 3. Steve Smith, 4. Sanju Samson, 5. Rahul Tripathi / Manan Vohra, 6. Ben Stokes, 7. K Gowtham, 8. Jofra Archer, 9. Shreyas Gopal, 10. Dhawal Kulkarni / Varun Aaron, 11. Jaydev Unadkat

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE:

One of the most popular franchises, primarily because it always possesses world’s best batsmen in its arsenal, RCB are astonishingly devoid of a title win, and that stems primarily due to the imbalance in batting and bowling departments. Despite amending this flaw by having a skilled bowling attack in IPL’18, RCB couldn’t solve the “what is the perfect XI” and “which overseas players should play” mysteries throughout, and ended up 6th eventually. This time at auctions, they have managed to rope in the destructive Carribean Shimron Hetmyer, and have invested heavily (5 crore) in the relatively unknown “5-sixes-in-an-over” guy Shivam Dube.

Strengths: As always, the batting, especially the probable top-4, looks rock-solid. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are the frontrunners again, and Hetmyer with his power-packed batting skills, will look to make an impact in his debut season. Pace (Yadav, Siraj, Southee, Coulter-Nile) and spin (Chahal, Sundar, Negi) attacks are lethal and the bowling group has adequate backups. All overseas players are proven performers, and hence the replacement-factor is abundant in the side.

Weaknesses: RCB seems to be lacking somewhat in the lower-order “finisher” position, especially among Indians. Although each one of Stoinis, Moeen and de Grandhomme can play that role adequately, yet in all likeliness, only one of the 3 may be a part of the playing XI. ABD, with due respect to his greatness, is retired now and has been average in his home T20 league; hence his form will be significant. Kohli will need to sort out a “settled” playing XI at the very onset, in order to maintain stability throughout the season.

Probable Starting XI: 1. Parthiv Patel (wk), 2. Virat Kohli, 3. AB de Villiers, 4. Shimron Hetmyer, 5. Shivam Dube, 6. Marcus Stoinis / Moeen Ali / Colin de Grandhomme, 7. Washington Sundar / Pawan Negi, 8. Tim Southee / Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9. Umesh Yadav, 10. Mohd. Siraj, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD:

Much like CSK, the Sunrisers retained most of their last season players this time, and it’s obviously a fair call since they were IPL’18 finalists. SRH have always taken pride in possessing the best bowling attack, and they have worked wonders riding on bowling alone in some whole seasons. Hence in the auctions, they picked just 3 players, all batsmen (Bairstow, Saha, Guptill). Warner’s comeback is an enormous boost to the shoddy-looking batting order, which thrived almost entirely upon Kane Williamson’s brilliance in the last season.

Strengths: Bowling, yet again, holds the key for SRH. Rashid Khan, arguably world’s best spinner at the moment, and the newly added Shahbaz Nadeem, form a powerful spin attack; with Shakib too, provided he features among the 4 overseas players. The pace attack is equally potent, and boasts of proven T20 performers (Bhuvneshwar, Sidharth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma). The top order has the luxury to feature 3 impeccable overseas batsmen (Warner, Williamson, Bairstow), who are expected to carry the batting department on their shoulders.

Weaknesses: The middle order looks highly fragile. Pandey, Yusuf and Shakib’s indifferent form in IPL’18 proved to be the chink in SRH’s armour; and to some extent they were prevented from being completely exposed, due to some bowling brilliance from Rashid & co. Under these circumstances, whenever the top-order fails to deliver, SRH may find getting their batting fragilities exposed. Bairstow is deemed to play the keeping job, so that SRH doesn’t have to rely on Saha/Goswami; which eventually means Shakib may have to sit out, despite being the skillful allrounder he is.

Probable Starting XI: 1. David Warner, 2. Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3. Kane Williamson, 4. Manish Pandey, 5. Abhishek Sharma, 6. Deepak Hooda / Yusuf Pathan, 7. Rashid Khan, 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9. Khaleel Ahmed, 10. Sidharth Kaul / Sandeep Sharma, 11. Shahbaz Nadeem

The Pulwama aftermath: Whither to from here?

bimad
-
0
The Pulwama aftermath: Whither to from here?

The Pulwama terror attack, the IAF action in Balakot and escalation by Pakistan by attacks on our military assets are all behind us now. Are these measures enough to stem the tide of militancy flowing from across the border? Should we now deescalate, not because Pakistan wants it, but because we have achieved our limited objective of destroying a major Jihadi training facility and we can do so from a position of strength? The biggest change in post- Independence Indian counter terror paradigm happened in the wee hours of the twenty-sixth of February this year. So where do we go from here?

Truth be told, surely no one expects the terror attacks to cease or even reduce. For every terrorist killed, a hundred rioters could easily be recruited. The experience of Israel is very much before us. Truth or myth, no secret agency is known to be more ruthless and pursue retribution at any cost, than their Mossad. And yet it never ends. So too will the case be from Pakistan.

In such a situation, are we ready for a prolonged heightened tension with a semi war like situation? Because of the much talked about paradigm shift, the bar is now higher. In the event of any terror incident in the future, the country would expect a robust muscular response, scaled up multi-fold. Whether this would be possible in the future will depend on many factors like a possible shifting of the terrorist training facilities to civilian areas, so a targeted operation might not be possible any more, a possibility that the terror recruits are permitted to don the robes of the armed forces during training, camouflaging them as soldiers, being openly trained by their army itself, etc. Thus, where we go from here depends upon both our near and long term objectives as well as the change of tactics by the enemy.

As far as the external dimension is concerned, a two-pronged strategy of rapid modernization of our Armed Forces and continued pro-active diplomacy would be necessary to counter the sinister designs of our neighbor. The importance of the first one cannot be overemphasized as the much talked about asymmetry in conventional warfare systems is said to be little more than hype according to some defense analysts. Whatever the lacunae in defense preparedness, they should be rectified on a war footing. As for talks with Pakistan, they should happen only when active abetment of terrorism ceases verifiably.

The internal dimension is equally complex because of the historic baggage with which it comes. It cannot be denied that the Kashmiris today are largely alienated from India. One fails to understand what their grievance or grouse against the Indian State is. India is no Utopia and our democracy may not be perfect, but so is that of many developed countries too. None of the problems that Kashmir faces is unique. As a country that is home to the third largest Muslim population in the world, with more than 95% of it living in non- Muslim majority states and where it is the majority that feels threatened by the kind of appeasement that is going on, we are at a loss to understand what their “alienation” is all about.

Yes, India did go back on the promise of plebiscite, but so did Pakistan, whom the separatists adore. Till this day, the unique nature of Kashmir has been preserved meticulously by not allowing any non-Kashmiri to settle there. On the other hand, it is they who drove out the Pandits out of their own homes. So, the sooner the Kashmiris learn to live as a Muslim majority state in India with full rights that other states enjoy, the better it will be for them and for all of India. And it is for the kasmiri intelligentsia to enlighten us regarding their alienation. Thus, this is a conundrum for which there is no easy solution.

But that should not stop our government from taking punitive action against terrorists and terror supporters and instigators. Our government should have a long term strategy where any one espousing the cause of Pakistan should be mercilessly stripped of his civil rights and thrown, for life, behind bars as the standard operating procedure. Moreover, all the organizations that spread hatred against India and indulge in anti-India propaganda should be ruthlessly banned (this has already started), their funding sources and methods scrutinized and stopped. Without enough funding, it can be expected that their offensive capabilities would be reduced drastically. In a situation where the militants would have to be imported from across the border, as foreigners, these non-state assets should be liquidated with minimal legal processes.

A new initiative by a bold and imaginative leadership has fired the imagination of a country of a billion people. With opportunities galore that are fraught with challenges and threats, a strong political leadership with clear long-term vision is what we need now. Surely, interesting times are ahead of us.

The problem with the secular state

Sreejit Datta
-
0
The problem with the secular state

According to reports, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has strongly objected to common Indian citizens celebrating the non-military pre-emptive air raids carried out on Jaish-e-Mohammed (literally, “The Army of Muhammad”) camps in Pakistan’s Balakot by the Indian Air Force on February 26. The reports state, citing a viral video footage of the CM talking to his party members, that he thus objected to the celebrations because he anticipates the same would alienate “members of one community, and in the coming days, this will lead to innocent lives being lost.”

To put things into perspective, Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is currently leading a coalition government with his party Janata Dal (Secular) and Rahul Gandhi-led Indian National Congress as allies at the Karnataka State Assembly. Incidentally, it was Rahul Gandhi’s grandmother Indira, whose Congress-led government had introduced the term ‘secular’ in the description of the Indian republic in the country’s constitution through the 42nd Amendment of the Constitution of India during an emergency imposed by Mrs Gandhi. This was in the year 1976.

Kumaraswamy’s objection to Indians celebrating their own security force’s fitting response to the Jihadi group Jaish-e-Mohammed, which has over the last two decades attacked and killed numerous innocent Indian citizens as well as security personnel, is in line with the so-called secular mentality that has been institutionalized in this country by the Congress Party in the post-partition era. In a complete and utter perversion of the idea of secularism borrowed from the West, the Congress Party has redefined it as blind appeasement of the minority communities, and especially a specific minority community which incidentally forms the staggering majority of the populaces of several neighbouring countries of India, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Maldives.

From the very beginning of our democratic republic’s history, such appeasement has taken deep root in the political culture centred around its electoral system. And over the last seventy-plus years of that history, the fruits borne by it have been terrible for the republic. It has contributed to the deepest fault line in the body politic of India by way of preferential treatment of the minority at the expense of the aspirations and fundamental rights of the Indic populace, i.e. Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs. It is pertinent to note at this point that the Indic populace of India’s neighbouring country, or whatever little is left of them, faces a constant pressure of conversion or eviction at the hand of the majority community of those countries.

However, the flip side of the Karnataka Chief Minister’s objections is the acknowledgement of the biggest elephant in the room in the context of religious conflict in India and the Subcontinent. By objecting to celebrations at the Indian air raids in Pakistan-based Jihadi camps, and especially by citing the reasons for his objections, the Chief Minister has in effect accepted that a section of Indian citizens, characterised by the religion they practise, do get miffed by the legitimate actions taken by the Indian armed forces while defending the country.

Such acknowledgement from someone placed in the highest ranks of administration, however indirect, does expose the fragility of the post-Partition Nehruvian vision of the Republic of India. This ill-defined and fragile vision of the body politic of a region, which has been under relentless attack from its western and north-western borders since the last 1200 years, has done little to bestow its inheritors with a solid grounding in its civilizational identity. Instead, it has taken them further and further away from their roots, and even worse: it has proactively encouraged them to hate such roots by orienting the school and university curricula.

To keen and honest observers of Indian electoral politics, it would seem that Indian politicians and administrators, when they utter the word ‘secular’, do not imply the complete separation of church and state as conceived by the West at the advent of Lutheran Protestantism in the 16th century. Instead, what Indian politicos imply by that word is actually a visible bias towards religious minorities in dispensing not just welfare schemes but also justice and fundamental rights, which were supposed to be equally dispensed to all citizens of the Indian republic, irrespective of their caste, creed and sex in an ideal scenario. Indian secularists from every walk of life – politicians, bureaucrats, NGO workers, academicians, journalists and so on – suffer from an incurable defeatist psychology which makes them feel eternally duty-bound to attend to every illegitimate demand, however subversive it may be for the Indic peoples, of a specific minority group. They remain obsessed with taking extra care so that none of the oh-so-delicate feelings of that group is hurt.

In doing so, they not only continue to unjustifiably mollycoddle a specific group of Indian citizens while humiliating and upsetting the Indic populace of the country: they also unwittingly end up homogenizing the whole of that minority – as if every individual belonging to that group thinks, feels and acts in essentially the same manner. This amounts to infantilizing full-grown adult citizens, and keeping them in that man-(or woman)-child state for an indefinite period of time. These citizens, despite their religious minority status, should have been treated like free individuals, which is also the most dignified way a state may treat its citizens. Individuals must be left to themselves to choose their respective destinies and pursue them, of course with due safeguards provided by the state as is enjoyed by all other citizens – but no one individual should be offered an extra helping hand by any government simply because they subscribe to a specific religion. That would ensure minimum government intervention in personal and social spheres and eliminate (or at least minimize) the scope for appeasement politics with an eye to religious/ethnic constituency pooling.

At the heart of such monochromatic perceptions of minority groups – whether ethnic or religious or otherwise – as is expressed by the current Karnataka CM’s concern over celebrating India’s punitive actions against its sworn enemies, there lies a sweeping stereotyping of otherwise internally diverse communities. It may be safely claimed that the state’s perception towards its subjects determines, to a considerable extent, the subject’s self-perception. It is in the interest of both the subject and the ruler that the latter treats it with dignity, and truly dignified treatment can only be dispensed to an individual subject once state-sponsored stereotyping of an entire community by its religious profile ends.

It is not only wrong to assume that a significant number of a minority group will not rejoice in India taking bold steps in ensuring its citizens’ safety, but such assumption may also potentially enhance the chance of individuals from minority groups to make the same assumption about themselves. It is wrong on all fronts. That vicious cycle must be stopped from grinding more lives – whether minority or majority – under the giant cogs of an overtly patronizing, presumptuous secular state.

Had the UPA given such confidence and support to our defence forces in the past?

S Ranganathan
-
0
Had the UPA given such confidence and support to our defence forces in the past?

The bravery, determination and patriotism shown by Abinandhan Varthaman, the fighter pilot who pilots a MiG-21 Bison fighter to gun down F16 fighter of Pakistan must be preserved in golden letters for our posterity. No doubt, he was born in a family of many brave hearts, fought and served for mother India for several generations. Like Dronacharya, Ashwathama too was a great warrior.

The courage and conviction of Abinandhan Varthaman also has its origin from the current BJP administration. Ever since this govt came into power, the Prime Minister of India made sure that India’s dignity, sovereignty and integrity are not surrendered to anyone and made sure that PM Narendra Modi will travel an extra mile to ensure India shall remain a developed country and achieve sab ka vikas.

Our defence forces are the one that defend our nation from intruders, terrorists and enemy countries. PM Modi, due to his patriotic blood, recognized the importance of our defence forces and their contributions and accordingly made everything possible to boost the morale and confidence of our defence forces. Implementation of OROP (One Rank One pension), immediate sanction for the purchase of bullet proof jackets, investigation on Adharsh scam of UPA government, finalization of Rafale deal are some of the initiatives show how Modi Govt. has changed India and elevated the confidence and morale of our defence forces.

When Abinandhan realized that he was going to be in the custody of Pakistan army, he had the option to commit suicide as he had a gun. But Abinandhan did not venture for self -immolation because he was born in a patriotic family as well as he believed firmly that the government at center is different not letting go the sacrifices of our defence forces. Abinandhan both at the being level and psychological state of mind trusted and believed the govt and he was sure that the Prime Minister will do everything possible to rescue him from Pakistan Army and also to punish Pakistan brutally for its sins.

The question is had the UPA given such confidence and support to our defence forces in the past The way several congress men doubt the surgical strike and the non-military pre-emptive air strike at the terrorist base in Pakistan proves nothing but how indifferent the age old party is towards our country and how the age old party and its dynast are questioning the integrity and bravery of our defence forces. Further several congress men take pride to call Osama as Osama Ji, thanking Imran Khan and Pakistan are also pointing towards how cheep the party has stooped down to betray the national security our nation.

The fully empowered Rafale deal Indian govt has finalized between two sovereign nations without involving middlemen and any kickback might have seriously infuriated the dynast and as a result the dynast was constantly manufacturing one lie after another to tell the world there was a scam in Rafale deal but unfortunately even many congress men did not believe the dynast or his stupid mission.

It looks like the dynast does not want India to purchase the Rafale fighter aircraft may be due to two reasons. One being the dynast was denied of any kickbacks in the deal and the second being India should not be empowered through modern weaponry as that would threaten the mission of Pakistan. The dynast wants the politics of minority appeasement for electoral victory whereas PM Modi through the mission of sab ka vikas wants to empower every community in India both educationally and economically.

The confidence of Abidnandhan on India and Modi government, every Indian must display to develop India.  The dynastic forces would divide India for power and scam and would gift only an unstable government without any development. India needs a stable government, a decisive leader – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the agenda of development of the nation and not the development of a family or dynasty. Elect BJP again and save India.

2019 General Election: The one election that matters

robin1307
-
0
2019 General Election: The one election that matters

There are very few instances in history where a society (collectively) gets an opportunity to decide its own fate without any revolution or violent conflict. The Indian General Election, 2019 is one such opportunity for the people of India. The election of 2019 is much bigger than Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi. It is much bigger than BJP or Congress and certainly way bigger than Left Wing or Right Wing politics. We are facing an unfortunate situation where the opposition political parties and liberal intelligentsia of this country have unambiguously declared that they are willing to jeopardize the interests of India in their crusade to remove Narendra Modi from 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. There are three facets to 2019 Indian General Election which I shall briefly discuss in this article.

Part I : Why 2019 Indian General Election is the one election that matters

The laws of Physics clearly illustrate that if a vehicle is moving at a fast pace and the brakes are suddenly applied, the vehicle may suffer irreparable damages and the passengers will be doomed. The macroeconomics of India is zipping along at a high speed and sudden application of brakes shall derail the economy and harm the citizens in a significant manner. The infrastructure sector of India is moving ahead at a decent speed and this election will decide the outcome of this sector. If India wishes to be an economic powerhouse, she cannot afford to derail her infrastructure sector. This election will also have a direct and significant impact on issues more directly affecting the average or poor citizens of this country like poverty, health, hygiene, employment/business opportunities etc.

Part II : Why 2019 election is more important than 2014 election

The 2014 Indian General Election was an election of hope and change. India was in tatters and engulfed with pessimism up till May, 2014 due to the horrible mismanagement by UPA during 2004 to 2014. The 2014 election brought a ray of hope that we can turn it around and take the nation towards a positive and progressive path. It is my belief that this purpose has been achieved in the past five years and India has set up a foundation on which much greater things can be built. The election of 2019 will reflect whether we can achieve significant milestones in the areas of infrastructure, poverty alleviation, science & technology, judicial reforms and in many other significant field or will we once again miss the bus. The 2019 election will decide whether India can break into the big league or will just remain a developing nation with very few achievements in her kitty. It is the election of ambitions and dreams and not merely an act of desperation to fulfil basic needs.

Part III: Challenges India will face if 2019 election is not taken seriously

The challenges India will face if 2019 election is not taken seriously are frightening. Not only will it derail the economy (as discussed above) but it will result into massive degradation of our country and culture which will travel faster than a bullet train. Before 2014, India was ruled a Sultanate based out of Delhi with its tentacles spreading all across the South Asian region and it cannot be denied that it was a congregation of anti-national forces. It is pertinent to mention here that I am deliberately using the term “anti-national”. The rise of Narendra Modi has slowed it down but it is also important to note that Narendra Modi has not only just ruffled a few feathers in this process but has indeed attacked the criminally corrupt elites of India at a place where it hurts the most i.e their wallets.

An unfavourable election result will bring back these cronies to power and they will pillage and plunder India and her citizens. Our childhood enemy called Pakistan has suffered several disastrous blows during Modi’s tenure directly resulting from his actions and policies. A regime change at this point may prove to be a death knell for India vis-à-vis national security. Pakistan supported by its lobby in India will wreak havoc and attack this country in the most horrible manner possible. Our Prime Minister has made several enemies who in the event of him not returning to power will make it their life’s mission to not just reverse all the decisions taken by Prime Minister but set up a brutal example for all the nationalists in India so that none in near future may even dare to repeat what Modi has done.

Conclusion: I urge all my fellow Indians to think of India before all else when you cast your vote this summer.

Beastly doves

anilnayak
-
0
Beastly doves

— Not a letter addressed to any PM
“No issue will ever be solved as long as you are a prisoner of hate”

O peace crusader wazir-e-alam of the land of pure,
Your kindness will bring peace to our subcontinent for sure!

Our brave pilot is back, thanks to your “gesture of peace”
Come peaceniks Raul baba will now take a selfie, say cheese!

Why say yes to conventional war, when you can opt for proxy?
To assist you have the ISI, the Army and the religious orthodoxy!

The foreign aid has dried up and economy is in a nosedive,
This is not the time to throw stone at a big beehive!

So put on your acting shoes and bowl some inswinging diplomacy,
This will win you hearts of liberals and cover-up your fallacy!

No one gives a damn on what happened in the past,
The thousands dead and countless moments that left us aghast!

Oh what an exhibition of professionalism shown to WC Abhinandnan,
But where was it when Capt. Kalia was murdered with gay abandon?

And where are our ill-fated and forgotten 54?
When in 1971 we returned 93000 of yours and many more!

What pleasure do you get in letting them languish in your jails?
When many of their relatives cried and died in a sea of wails!

Squadron Leader Ahuja is still afresh in our memory,
The one who was murdered in such cold fury!

Which professional army beheads an enemy soldier?
Or slips in deadly snakes to the other side of border?

Don’t worry people will forget you were once a Taliban sympathiser,
Frankly speaking it doesn’t matter whether or not you are/were a womaniser!

The nation just needs another prime-minister,
A legatee who can continue ISI’s diplomacy/politics that is sinister!

To say you are an ISI’s stooge is mundane,
Time to make most of a captured man from a fallen plane!

The one who shot down yours F16 flying a 1960s MIG Bison,
Capturing whom made you grin and ‘bite’ like Mike Tyson!

Relax now as the war is averted, and hearts won,
In few years your political adversaries in Trump and Modi may be gone!

You can get back to your good old ways,
Proxy war is the best, it rocks!! Yays!

JEM, AQ, HUM, TTP are all figments of imagination,
Why label a group of misguided youth as terrorist organisation!

Yes, his Excellency better sense should now prevail,
But why was it lacking before, how did you fail?

Why did you focus on policy of hate in your prime?
To understand 26/11 we have to go not so far back in time,

We loved thy neighbour when thou were going through labour,
Gave MFN status, allowed movement without treating this as a favour!

When the birth of that baby was looming near,
The Americans were rejoicing and infidels in the east watched with fear!

Bravo! the baby was finally born it was time to give him a name,
They named him Taliban, thinking it will one day bring fame!

That kid grew up with lots of hate and turned uncouth,
But you rightly chose to call him a misguided youth!

Forget all these, it is time to bestow upon you Nobel peace prize,
And cut that democratic secular republic to size!

So focus on bleeding your neighbour into thousand cuts,
But the infidels on the other side will still be busy making million technocrats!

Because a nation is nothing but an idea,

Sometimes bold and sometimes frail!
While India is a good idea, yours is bound to fail!

Jai Hind!

PS: India say no to war not because “an ex-cricketer who once considered playing Indo- Pak matches as a jihad” says so, but because it is your ethos.

Opposition of Politicization or Opposition Politicization?

shiv
-
0
Opposition of Politicization or Opposition Politicization?

Electoral death. It is something a politician dreads more than death itself. The fear of irrelevance leads to a desperation, no less than the one prompting a drowning man to clutch at straws. This fear seems to have bitten the opposition pretty hard. So hard, that it’s guilty of precisely the crime it accuses the government of.

To say an electorate desires a decisive government would be a truism. And when, at the cusp of elections, a government demonstrates its resolute handling of terrorism? When years of hard work on diplomacy bear such fruit, that no country even whimpers a word of support to Pakistan? And when the very last hope of beating up the Govt, Pakistan’s custody of a Wing Commander, also peters out as his release is secured? One can hardly blame the opposition for being afraid.

In a democracy, politics boils down to elections. Giving an electoral angle to an issue is termed politicizing. A statement seen as enhancing electoral prospects is no more political than one intended to stem certain electoral losses. Denying that would be as true as Pakistan clamping down on terrorism.

Make no mistake, Yeddyurappa needs to be unequivocally condemned for saying those awful things. The man is proving to be such an embarrassment for his party, that it leaves the likes of Digvijay Singh and Mani Shankar Iyer blushing in admiration. Guilty he is. But so are the ones that ask that a development not to be mentioned, to save their skins at the hustings.

Our armed forces have always been capable. They were reasonably potent then, as they are now. The only difference is that the vacuum of political will, has been filled by a decisive government. The knowledge of this, or rather the fear of this knowledge, has united the opposition into silliness. Is it not the opposition’s case that the public will not be fooled by “Jumlas”? Why then bother to cry out?

The media, unsurprisingly, plays a dual role. That of a leader. And that of a cheerleader. When the ideology they identify with is setting the pace, the cheer leader role plays out. And when not, they take over as leaders to set the narrative. As fair as elections in Pakistan. The irony when one accuses the other of being “North Korean” is unmissable!

As children playing cricket, it was absolutely essential that the guy who owned the bat be adored. If he was out and declared out, he would walk out taking the bat away. To ensure the game continued, he had to be allowed to bat. This would continue till someone else procured a bat.

And someone seems to have!

1...618619620...889Page 619 of 889