Because of only one man, and that man is Dr.Manmohan Singh
Elections 2009 is not about televised debates, it is not about grandstanding, it is not about security, and it is not about black money. It is a level playing field for all parties on these issues, as far as i am concerned. If the UPA faced 26/11, the NDA had the Parliament attacks; if the Congress has the Sikh riots, the BJP has Gujarat, if the Congerss is accused of black money, the BJP has the Pramod Mahajan issue.
So what does it boil down to? why does Manmohan Singh get my vote, even if he is not contesting :
…because it is the economy stupid ! and there is no other person I trust more to navigate us out of the financial whirlpool created by Wall Street greed and White House stupidity.
The trioka of Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie – the best BJP brains in economics – don’t really inspire confidence. They didn’t when they handled the finance/disinvestment portfolios in the last Government, and they didn’t when they were in opposition. Their flip flop policies are not what the country needs at this time. The only BJP person who comes across as a competent manager of the economy – tho’ not at Dr.Singh’s level – is Mr. Narendra Modi, but his politics scare me. I am terrified of fascists – and he is one.
I would not vote for the communists if you held a gun to my head – seriously. It is better to die instantly than to have West Bengal happen to you.
That leaves Mayawati. I don’t think that she knows what her economic policies are.
Samajwadi Party does not exist for me. It stands for crooks, terrorists and murderers.
So that leaves me with a Party that i am deeply disappointed with, but not enough to punish myself by voting for the rest. I am hoping that the next 5 years give me alternatives that are worth voting for.
( I haven’t mentioned Mr.Advani – that’s because i think that he is uniquely inept. Nero level inept. And, i seriously don’t know how someone who is so not there has ended up leading a major political party. And it is tragic for the BJP that the only person who inspires confidence is also a person who makes people like me very, very nervous – Modi!)
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I think Congress can do better if they stop being the Gandhi family cult. The family’s control over the party means that there is reasonable certainty we will be stuck with a family member after Manmohan.
In addition the party is paying a price by fracturing into regional parties due to its cultish behaviour. And the seat sharing stupidity is driving voters like me who’d rather vote for someone like Pawar towards the BJP because there is no other alternative when the seat is given to Congress.
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@ Ashish – agreed. India is not a family business . i was veering towards the MNS in Maharashtra till Raj Thackeray began began beating up ‘outsiders’ . He started fairly well… but went down the hatred path
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An interesting article and an interesting discussion… we have both the Congress and BJP supporters here, both wanting their party to do better than what they are doing now.
As for me, I voted for Congress in last election in 2004 but in 2009 I have already voted, and voted for BJP. I think I voted for the right party for this elections
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Wow, a pseudo secular congie blog. Its pretty hard to find one of these.
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I cannot believe any educated person would want to vote for MMS. Regardless of BJP/Hindu rashtra or whatever MMS is nothing but a rubber stamp PM for G family and everyone knows it. He has no qualifications and by not contesting elections shows that he won’t get the pass grade for politics.
This puppet PM led by Italian Sonia Gandhi has ruined our country.
I am sorry the macaulyites and pseudo secular media got to you. How many others among the educated classes are like you I wonder.
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@ Anup – glad you voted. so many talk but don’t vote
i am not voting Congress because it’s my father’s party – tho’ at times of economic crisis, i wish it was – i am voting for them, because of the economic mess and my belief in MMS’s ability to get us out of it…. As i said earlier, i wish that there was an alternative.
The BJP’s economics is at best wonky. And, i wish that they had spent sometime clarifying what they stand for, apart from a temple in Ayodhya, and publicly warning all those who have monies stashed away abroad
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@SC – welcome to this blog.
i guess that we will figure after the elections.
and what is it with this macaulyites tag – that every one is bandying around. why is some dried up old Brit from 2 centuries ago, relavent in today’s day and age. don’t we have any new analogies
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We need change. Period.
This mentality of trusting old administration got George Bush elected for the second term as people thought his administration did great job in handling 9/11 crisis.
We do not need an intellectual economist as a PM. We need a leader.
Congress under Sonia Gandhi failed to deliver adequately !!
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gargi.. I seriously think you should read L.K. Advani’s autobiography ‘My country, My life’. Not only is it an insight into his life but a commentary on the political landscape of the last 6 decades. From Nehru’s ruinous rule to Indira Gandhi’s Emergency to the Ayodhya movement, the book has it all.
BTW: macaulayite means a an anglicised Indian who is like a brown saheb, who looks down on his fellow Indians as inferior and has no relations to his cultural background. Here is what Macaulay said in the British Parliament 150 years ago
“I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation.”
and his heirs- the carefully nurtured Nehru-Gandhis ( unlike the true nationalists like Vir Savarkar, Lajpat Rai, Bhagat Singh etc who were sentenced to kala pani, beaten or hanged etc. ) have been carrying out to this day- congress, SP, RJD, commies, etc. in the name of ‘secularism’ and ‘socialism’.
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Gargi – I too think MMS is a honest person. He is a wonderful person, no doubt. But MMS could not live up to his potential because of various factors, the left parties being one, and probably his forced allegiance to Sonia Gandhi’s myopic leadership. It has got a lot to do with his helplessness at the helm, rather than his disinterest in nation’s affairs.
After having read BJP’s manifesto, their IT and infrastructure vision, and some leading business magazines’ like BS giving a thumbs up on their manifestoes, I think they have promised more than a temple, but it is to be seen how much they will go on to implement it. My hope was that it would perhaps bring back memories of the Vajpayee era. In 1998 and 1999 the situation was worse, and almost everybody looked up to the BJP government to rule the country. So, another chance may not be that bad? After all, Dr. Manmohan Singh also got two chances, one during 1991-96 and another 2004-now. The first time he was exceptional and the next time he was less than inspiring. Also, his health problems mean he is much less inspiring.
I think, you have chosen to debate between Manmohan vs Advani, with Advani being less inspiring for you than Manmohan, but I have chosen to decide between the parties, BJP and Congress. So, in that sense I thought BJP is a much better party with lot of people who have proven their talent like a Jaitley, or Modi, or Shourie. Also, the Congress was given as many chances as possible since independence, and the rate at which they are going to destroy institutions like EC or CBI to keep power with themselves and benefit their friends, I fear we probably want democracy to not take a beating again. Now, speaking of Hindutva type of politics by BJP I think it is given far too much hype and importance by media than what it deserves. There are indeed some things which should not have happened but I choose to bury them. EI also chose to bury Congress’s dismal record on terrorism.
As a simple yardstick to choose whom I should vote, I went by comparing the level of development and level of corruption in Congress-ruled and BJP-ruled states. I for one belong to a Congress ruled state and voted for them to come to power, it did well for three years and the rural households were too happy with this government but then started unleashing all kinds of tricks to come back to power. In the process they took to everything from buying votes to rigging to goondaism to win back state elections held simultaneously with Lok sabha 2009, and finally they are in a dock now and are not really the favorites to retain power in the state on May 16th. So, congress should do better if it concentrates on maintaining integrity and the institutions and not worry about power. I am sorry, it is too long.
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why is some dried up old Brit from 2 centuries ago, relavent in today’s day and age. don’t we have any new analogies
It’s a useful analogy if the political landscape has not changed.
Because once upon a time, there used to be a political party in India which rallied people – Hindu and Muslim – to it’s cause. But the establishment running the government always doubted the party’s ability to represent the Muslims. The party did it’s best to take interest in Muslim issues, promote Muslim leaders and even came to power with Muslim votes, but the party never did convince the government that it spoke for all Indians.
Eventually, the ruling establishment won and the government created Pakistan. The political party became the part of the establishment and formed the government. But something changed along the way. There rose another political party claiming to represent the people. And the government again doubted the party’s ability to represent all Indians – Hindu or Muslim…
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Hi,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I think most of the points I would like to make have been covered here by other commentators and I would have to say that it has been a very civil discussion.
Just two points.
a. On the NREGS that you mentioned, instead of debating on anecdotes like we have been, we could debate on how the very objective of the policy is flawed/or not , setup for success/not etc – I do not want to take up more space here. Do let me know if you want to discuss, we could do it elsewhere
b. If for a minute we were to assume that Dr. Singh was a CEO, I can bet my entire life savings ( since it isn’t much yet
) that he would have been fired long long ago. Such tragedy that on the one thing we expected Dr. Singh to deliver i.e. economy, he has jettisoned our hopes.
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Cheers,
There was a time when I enjoyed watching agarkar bowl, Alas!
Socialism fails not because implementation is simply not possible. I believe that role of government is to provide opportunities to those who don’t have access to them. The old adage about Teaching to fish being better than giving them fish is precisely the reason why I am against schemes like NREGS or loan waiver even in the best case you will dole out money to the poor – until you run out of it. More practically, you will shovel money out of the economy into the pockets of some netas along the way.
Didn’t Mr.Rahul Gandhi say recently, out of Rs.100 only 10 paise is reaching the poor. I would love to ask, Sir who do you think was running the government the past five years?
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[...] Posted by anindyac on May 1, 2009 Harini Calamur in PoV has gone public with her preferences in this election: Why I am voting Congress. [...]
@SC – i have read excerpts from Mr.Advani’s biography. will read the full thing at some point in time.
i know what a macaulayite is. I don’t know why it is relevant today. there are things that we should be proud of and there are things that we should change. My culture right or wrong is a bit like saying my mother drunk or sober
do try and read Dharampal’s works on INdia before the British Raj. Especially the level of education, governance , judiciary and the like – and the way they systematically decimated it. it’s a 5 volume work that is brilliant – hopefully one day i will get the money to make a film on it !
it’s a tragedy that the books are not widely available.
chk him out here – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharampal and here http://www.dharampal.net/
there is stuff in his books that will make you weep – the systematic annihilation of culture
i am not voting for the Congress based on the past, i am voting for it for expectations of the future.
i believe that the Sangh parivar’s version of Hindutva is as detrimental to our culutre as Macaulay was. The beauty of our way of life is its sheer diversity, they are making our way of life monolithic. but, that is not the reason why i am not voting for the BJP. I am not voting for them, because i don’t particularly find them competent.
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@ anup -the tragedy of India is the rapidity with which power corrupts. look at the BJP in Rajasthan and why they lost.
i see marginal differences between the two parties. MMS gives the Congress an advantage. just as Vajpayee gave the BJP an advantage…
@amit – divide and rule. the rule of the game … we can debate Indian history and the difference between a common ethos – can’t even call it a cultural commonality – and nationalism another day. both the BJP and the Congress are guilty of polarising the people. caste, religion, language – have all been used to create vote banks with no delivery.
The BJP has to define itself better than not being the Congress.
@ lucky – i don’t subscribe to the libertarian philosophy of letting the market take care of things, for the simple reason that in an oligopolistic market there is little or no chance of that. theoretically it is possible – so is time travel
practicality is another issue. so given my disposition if you want to have a free and fair exchange of ideas – let us 
it doesn’t happen that way in the real world
lol
@Shrek – you and i are on agreement on Socialism. i think that the 10 paise quote was Rajiv, i could be wrong.
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Wow, you are still repeating same old line.You are still saying Congress is better when it comes to economics and BJP is not ?
Them please explain, which Party kept us closed and socialist for 44 years ?
Which party under which FM took India to its bankruptcy in 1991 ?
Which party under which FM went begging to IMF for loan ?
Answer is Congress party, and your favorite economist Manmohan who was FM back in 1991.
Manmohan only complied with IMF’s demands.
His second term, we are back with 5% GDP growth rate, and still double digit essential commodity inflation.
What is so wonderful about his record ?
BJP took us to 8% GDP growth rate even after 1997 Asian Financial Crisis,Pokhran, Sanctions, Kargill, Operation Parakram and 2002 Software Bubble burst + Markets Crash.
They did this while they kept inflation at 6% and interest rates low.
And you think that their BJP’s economics is wonky ?
Seriously what are you smoking ?
And tell em what do you really know about Hindutva ? Tell me why it is bad and Congressis and Macaulites’s who encourage Christian evangelism is good ?
We are not going to wait till our religion is wiped out, every religion goes through transformation. After looking at what missionaries and jihadis are doing, I think Hindutva is needed for Hindus survival.
And BTW, just now we had another bomb blast in Assam. Please go to Assam and make Assamese Hindus believe that Hindutva is bad.
If you were in place of those Assamase or those Kashmiri Pundits who are still living in camps after 25 years, you would have said that this pseudo secularism and its vanguards are bad for this country.
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REjoinderxylem – i will not debate with people who
a) have no manners – i am sure it is possible to have a conversation without accusing someone of smoking up or being drunk or being mentally challenged . everyone else on this page has managed.
b) sit in Australia ,don’t vote in India – and get sanctimonious about election issues here. if you care so much, come here and get involved. don’t snipe from the side lines. your IP address is out of Australia.
that is not to say that people outside India cannot have views on India or anywhere else. It is to say stop being a hypocrite. if you care so much, come back and make the difference.
Maybe my problem with Hindutva is not their philosophy. maybe it is the ill mannered louts who use violence – be it words or action – to drive home their point. Maybe it possible to make the same points without being offensive. Learn it, and we will talk. Else goodbye. i would say it has been a pleasure, but i usually try not to lie
peace in your life.
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The BJP has to define itself better than not being the Congress.
This does not matter as long as the BJP keeps showing how the Congress is occupying the space vacated by the Raj.
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amit – the problem is that as far as the bulk of the bulk of the voting public is concernend = ‘the raj’ happened a very, very long time ago.
i will give u a simple example – my students think that sholay was old, partition was ancient and mix up the 1962 war and the 1972 war easily. for them it is as ancient as Shivaji. while, you may say – and i would agree – that it is the fault of the education system that they don’t remember our heroes , harping on it alone is of no use. it is not relevant, except for those who really care.
i care about history. but gen next doens’t . they care about the future. while the congress has its bunch of old fogies inlcuding the PM – look at the youth they are projecting….
and, finally – the BJP needs to get relavent. beyond hindutva. beyond temples and mosques and forteen hundred and something. while they may have excellent policies somewhere, remember that the Sangh Parivar is as conservative as the Commies when it comes to liberalisation and modernisation. So where does that leave us ?
i really wish that there was an alternative to the Congress – unfortunately, the BJP is not it.
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@Gargi,
a) No body should label you, but you are free to label anyone as anything ?. Narendra Modi was voted back to back by people of Gujarat in a democratic process where there was opposition, nobody in India is criticized more than Modi, yet you call him fascist.
_You failed to defend your belief, and now you are using excuses._
b)Check my IP again, maybe now i am in Germany. I sit in India, and know a thing or two about networks. I can assure you i will be in line somewhere on 7th May.
Look i find manners of people like you no better than pigs on a farm, why do you expect us to respect you ? When you don’t respect us ?
At the same time, you people make all sort of accusations and label the people with whom likes of you disagree with as “Fascist”,”Dictator”, “UnInspiring”, “Wonky”. When people question you and expose your flawed belief with facts and figures, you fail to defend your demented belief.
Silence is a loud reminder of your weak ideological foundation.
BTW there is fine line between Cowardice and Violence, you people are the ones who see their nation raped and fail to defend its honor.
Likes of us fight, and you think that is bad because Gandhi told you be coward.
Following is a quote of Mahatma Gandhi.
“I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence… I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should, in a cowardly manner, become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonor.” http://www.mkgandhi.org/nonviolence/phil8.htm
You call us the ill mannered and violent, because we question you and fail to become eunuch like you.
Sorry we cannot become like you. But if you will question us, then expect us to question you. If you will label us, we will label you.
BTW if you don’t like being questioned, kindly make this blog private. Internet have its own definition of manners, which you certainly lack. And it will not fail to do its duty (compare information).
And after years of practicing your stupid ideology , i see no peace in India. Kashmiri Hindus disappeared years ago, now is the turn of Assamese.
http://www.livemint.com/2009/05/01095308/India-among-world8217s-most.html?d=2
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rejoinderxylem
on cowardice – we are all in public space with our own names, our own domains and we are putting our money where our mouth is. we don’t find the need hide who we are, what are names are, or where we are from.it is comes from courage of conviction.
are you in this country. do you pay taxes here. do you vote. are you making the change. are you being the change, that you want to see. are you contributing in any positive manner apart from going to other people’s virtual home’s and screaming at them. you are the one who wants to hide behind an internet curtain and call people names. which may be part of your upbringing and culture, but i was brought up to believe that it bad manners. And, not part of our culture.
if you cannot make your point in a manner that is civilized, there is no point in continuing this. I know lots of people who support the BJP – including some of my family, friends and business associates. People i genuinely care about. none of them need to resort to name calling. calling politician’s names is part of the game. calling each other names is simply intolerance. And, i seriously don’t want to waste my time and energy on someone who doesn’t know how to behave or have a civilized argument.
as i mentioned in my first response to – there is no way we will agree on anything. so good bye. and good luck in what ever it is that you do..
btw your IP says Netherlands – nice place.
go in peace and stay in peace.
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hey,
the only point i mentioned was – let us debate on whether NREGS is setup for success and its purpose. I did not question whether we need the government or not. Questioning NREGS is not equitable to questioning govt. vs free marks. Thats another topic altogether. I am sure that you would also agree that libertarians say govt. is a necessary evil. So no one is dismissing the government – last of all me!
While private has business objectives – government has social objectives. That does not mean govt. gets into business to meet social goals. There can be and are better ways of doing it and still achieving the same social goals. And thats my only point.
You haven’t responded to my earlier comments on ‘India not having a full term finance minister or finance ministry not meeting even once for past 100 days.’ – when the world is going through its biggest economic crisis!
I don’t know where to contact you over mail. You know my id, do mail in if you have patience and energy and we can take it forward.
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Nope, it was rahul. Rajiv said 15 paise out of 1 rupee, rahul extended that to 10 paise out of 100rs. and that is how their government works. more importantly, you may say mms is good at economics etc, but I haven’t seen any evidence of his knowledge in his policies.
Credit maybe claimed and given to him over liberalisation of 91-95 but remember it was due to a fiscal deficit crisis, situation forced his hand then.
I prefer to be a cynic about all politicians. The power they seek is an end in itself. They don;t seek power to do something “good” for the people.
RSS is a socially conservative, they couldnt care less if you popped open our economy with zero duties, zero taxes etc as long as they get to impose their view of indian culture and tradition on the rest of us. Commies on the other hand couldnt care less if they had to criminals or religious fundamentals in their ranks as long as they can get to shut down everyone and call for a state controlled – equal economy. The real reason left opposes bjp is not because of secularism as it claims , but because it(bjp) is rightist even in economic policies compared to the rest. Recently, cong leaders have come out and said congress and left have similar ideologies – where was dr.mms to counter that?
Beware the halo effect. Just because he’s earned a doctorate in economics doesnt mean his policies should be exempt from scrutiny and criticism. A fiscal deficit of 11% going into a recession, when most countries would add debt by Keynesian spending? Proposal for increased direct taxation in the manifesto, increased import duties during the boom years(circa 2006) to speak nothing of the tele-spectrum allocation scam and sez scams ? I’m afraid this doesn’t convince me he even knows what he is doing. Or if I am charitable, I could say he wants to do something else but is unable to because he doesn’t have the power, which doesn’t differ all that much in the outcome compared to earlier. And finally, I heard an argument long time back when the adults were discussing politics – congress and bjp should form alternate governments. I’ve come closer to subscribe to that view now- Feedback should reach the congress that past 5 years weren’t enough to warrant another go. Future expectations have to be based on past performances too, especially when judging someone who has considerable history.
I will leave you with this article I may not agree with all that he says, but about scrutiny of policies I am with him. Btw – MMS once again shows he’s forgotten economics. Low interest, low taxation are incentives for economic growth. In a saturated economy, that may lead to reduction in revenues, but in a (supposedly) high potential economy as ours, lower taxation, low interest actually increase revenue. (Laffer curve effect)
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@gargi
I rest my case, I succeeded in exposing the weak foundation of your belief that Congress=good@economic & BJP=bad@econmics.
You failed to defend it. And took shelter behind excuses.
a) I have no option but to protect my identity due to three reasons, 1) My good relations within the three ideological power circles, 2) My deep insight into media, 3) IB working overtime under congress government. I have to cover a great distance and i will not take any unnecessary risk. If you confuse my precautions with cowardice, then alright. I am sure you think same way about Bhagat Singh.
b) Rest of your drivel is outright silly. Get a clue lady, you are on
Internet. It is not possible to be one day in Australia and the next in Netherlands. There are easier ways for people like me who stay in India(also who pay taxes, who go out and vote and who bring change) to confuse the hell out of people like you and make them look silly(While google documents and archives their stupidity for many generations to see).
c) I find pigs better mannered than the likes of you. (Just saying, my opinion thats all).
Now that you are on Internet get a clue about these basic things you certainly don’t know.
We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.
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we are talking of voting a party because of particular leaders. Seems like we should be having presidential democray(http://sachinkundu.net/blog/2009/04/22/i-want-a-president/)
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hi lucky
was just setting out my own beliefs before a conversation. so that we atleast know the basics of one’s ideological views. s
a) i believe that the government has a ‘governance objective’ which includes the social objective. while it may not have a ‘profit’ (business) objective – it too has to be effective, efficient and deliver.
b) it hasn’t had a full time FM. it should have.
. i voted for it because i believe that it is better than anyone on offer currently. If that changes by the next election, great.
look, i haven’t voted the Congerss coz it’s my father’s party – tho’ at times like this i wish it was
On the NREGS – if implemented properly – it would be truly great. it’s objectives would be
a) decrease rural poverty
b) get areas out of the Naxal grip
c) ensure that developmental work – such as building of roads etc. get completed fast
The work is stuff that needs to be done – be it in terms of infrastructure projects , such as building roads or dams. i have seen it in action in part of Maharashtra, Orissa, HP. Panchayats speak well of them – talking of roads that have gotten built and housing that has ended up getting constructed.
However, given the nature of who are and how we behave there are two questions:
a) is it reaching its intended receipient or is there rampant corrupion
b) is there really development work or are people digging holes that no one needs.
and my view is that we need stronger social audit methods to figure whether these schemes are really working.
I am against the idea of social security – the way it exists in the western Europe. I belive that it causes a great deal of indolence and the expectation that people have a right not to work.
i much prefer the NREGS form of social security – where it is not a hand out. people do something in return.
There was a time that i believed that action such as this screwed up the workings of the economy.
now, i realise that but for stuff like this – it would be easy for people with no hope and no future and no income to end up with either the Taliban or its equivalent or the Naxals – as cannon fodder.
would definitely like to debate this or anyother topic – an exchange of ideas is always a good thing.
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@shrek – thankyou – i googled that and read it…
this is what he said
-
i will put it down to electioneering. MP is supposed to be a well run state !
thank you for the link. will read & revert
i am cynical on politicians in general. i subscribe to the view that goes ‘ how do you tell a politician is lying. his lips move’
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@sachin kundu – welcome to this llog.
I am not a supporter of the Presidential style – more because of the nature of india. we will end up with the Nehru Gandhi parivaar mostly. it’s a brand name that most people recoginse.
and, that is a very scary prospect !
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What I dont like about Sonia is her “wait for ever doing nothing and the problems solve themselves; Say nothing and people will interpret your silence to be thoughtful”. If only she could be a little bit more dynamic and think about her country rather than her party, the congress party would become more attractive. MMS is a bad PM- he doesnt connect with the masses. He is only a little better than Madam Patil in this respect. How can he be a leader?
You may have noticed that I am from France. Out here, all appointed ministers should resign if they do not win their popular vote.
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Hello Revathy and welcome to this blog
I have issues with the Congress Party. serious issues.
SOnia Gandhi’s function is a) the UPA alliance – which she managed to pull through for 5 years, b) the Congress Party – which she and Rahul have begun revitalising.
Some of the policies dear to her have actually been implemented by the outgoing govt. – including the NREGA. But, you are right – she can be more outgoing and forth coming.
MMS connects with the middleclass. he, like us, us a man without a constituency
and he has come from no where, with no political lineage, and relative honesty to make it to the top…. i trust him to navigate us out of this mess – only if the Congress doesn’t need the Left to run the economy. those guys are seriously retrograde
i normally don’t trace the IP adress of people who post on this blog – unless they are being terribly offensive
I like the French system of electing the President, and the Assembly.
We need systemic change in Inida.
I would like to see the rajya sabha , for example, made up of more people from civil society – to act as a countervailing power to the career politicians. i would like to see an elected presdient – but not with the absolute powers tht the US president has. And finally i would like to see a propotional representation system which is more representative.
But, for now we have to work with what we have – and i have chosen to exercise my franchise for the least offensive and most efficient option – i accept that this is subjective.
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I would prefer having MMS contest from RS. I don’t have any objection. He is still better as a PM than Sonia Gandhi. I wan’t the family tradition to stop. Seriously ! Stop it.
Congress accuses BJP of not implementing NREGA properly. Do they forget what they have done to the Golden Quadrilateral project?
They say BJP hasn’t impemented NREGA is Gujarat. Does Gujarat really need that project. They have more local coopreatives than other states.
—
I am not a die-hard BJP supporter as now you must be thinking, but a message to congress — “Those who live in glass houses, should not throw stones at other’s house”
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@Manish – welcome to this blog
thank you
I would agree with you on the family tradition.
i am also sick of this tu tu mein mein elections. each is trying to prove how horrid the other us, instead of fighting on their own merits. this election reminds me of a Balaji soap…
i am not a die hard congress supporter
i am not. tho’ i marginally prefer it to the BJP – but that’s a bit like saying that i would rather have jaundice than typhoid 
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[...] the entire article here and definitely check out the raging debate on the comments [...]
Interesting
uve put mms s pic
first i dont really know if he will last 5 yrs now that mr yuvraj is being showed at the media , he may be shown the door anytime in true congi tradition
secondly congress will come with baggage
COmmunists / mulayam laloo alliance / jaya? now that mk is predicted out
so i dont trust that lot
u said
…because it is the economy stupid … fully disagree
why? because policy is controlled by sonia and Allys
and by her statements and bloomberg , wsj reports which are free of she will bring back indira rajya which in this day and age is going back to hindu (nehru) growth rate of 4% with massive inflation
frankly mms and chidambaram the dream team have made the economy a nitemare 11% fisc deficit , 90+ % loan to gdp ratio , 10% cpi inflation- banks having a huge npa which is swept under the carpet thanks to easing of norms … dole economics…
psus milked by govt and a huge bill for future citizens in oil bonds and figure fudging budgets …
i miss vajpayee too and hey the bjp messed up an easy election victory by focussing on mms instead of inflation , incompetence and lies
the bjp is no different though as everyone will spend spend spend
id prefer the bjp for the sole reason that they are increasing the tax free limit for middle class and there is less tax goofup and mess and harassment and corruption and i got tax refund.
ps i voted independent this time hate the deora clan!
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I used to respect Manmohan Singh but developed contempt for him after his 1999 election campaign during which he claimed that it was not the Congress but BJP that killed Sikhs during 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom. That was disgusting. As a Sikh he knew the truth, but for cheap votes he lied. The man came across as a boneless wonder, who would dance to the tunes of his high command. His conduct as prime minister proved me right. What is his track record as PM? He will rank along with Dev Gowda as the most underachieving PM of India ever.
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