Archive for May 14th, 2004

14
May

Foot in the Mouth Disease

   Posted by: gargi    in India

Sitaram Yechuri needs a muzzle. When your alliance has just about got into power, when you don’t know who is supporting this from the inside and who is supporting it from the outside, when you know that the markets are already jittery about the left having a say in the government - you don’t go around making statements like the Ministry of Disinvestments should be abolished. Unless you are completely daft.

The markets predictably tumbled. Sometimes, discretion is the better part of effective policy.

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14
May

Looking into a crystal ball…

   Posted by: gargi    in India

Now that the results are known and the horse trading has begun, a few predictions for the next six months:

1) The Ayodhya issue will miraculously resurface. - the entire raving right will be screaming their guts out for a temple. Supreme Court judgement not withstanding

2) The BJP will drop Vajpayee - oops he will retire to write poetry.

3) Advani will take charge - with a RSS minder perched on his shoulder

4) Manmohan Singh at the finance ministry would bring the markets back to an even keel

5) The left will bay for Modi’s blood - but he will be left in place

6) The BJP will move towards a split. the more moderate amongst them will probably break away from the death grip of the Sangh Parivaar.

7) At the same time the Sangh Parivaar is going to get more strident on a variety of issues.

8) The Navratna’s will not be sold off.

9) The interest rate on PF will rise to around 10%

10) Petrol prices will go up by Rs.5 per litre - leading the Congress to lose elections in states later this year.

11) Mr.Murali Manohar Joshi will not be invited by either the IIT’s or the IIM’s to give a guest lecture

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