If you wanted an reality check on coalition politics go no further then the headline.
Just goes on to show how a small bunch of fringe parties can hold hostage an entire state. For state like Jharkhand, whose vast source of natural resources would be the envy of most other states, it is rather appalling that it remains one of the least developed states in the country. The opposite holds true for politicians.
From Madhu Koda to Shibu Soren, everybody has taken turns to and bilked corers from the state coffers.
Showing posts with label Democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Democracy. Show all posts
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Questions for the BJP
With the expulsion of Jaswant Singh from the BJP, Churumuri had a post with the list of questions for the BJP
Of all the questions this one seemed to stand out:
Now a question of my own.
Of all the questions this one seemed to stand out:
Since “inner-party democracy” in the Congress often evokes sniggers among BJP folk, are we to conclude that such a concept doesn’t exist in God’s Own Party? That its members aren’t expected to think on their own? That all its members expected to hold only one view which the RSS sends from Nagpur using sparrows?
Now a question of my own.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
India Elections - Dead Heat
Elections in India are almost drawing to a close with one final phase of polling left. Earlier exit polls had predicted a slight advantage for the ruling UPA government. But todays Times of India had a projection in which there is virtually a tie between the UPA and the BJP coaliation.
If this projection holds true, then May 16th would prove to be the start of intense back door wrangling between the BJP, UPA and the Third Front. All the political pundits must be waiting in anticipation for what is about to unfold.
Image obtained from Times of India
If this projection holds true, then May 16th would prove to be the start of intense back door wrangling between the BJP, UPA and the Third Front. All the political pundits must be waiting in anticipation for what is about to unfold.
Image obtained from Times of India
Friday, April 24, 2009
Quantity Vs Quality – When it comes to Democracy What Matters?
Timesonline had a recent editorial in the current elections in India. The editorial questions whether, India the largest democracy, is just that or if there is any substance to the democratic process and the outcome as a result of it.
The editorial does raise some very serious questions about the role of government in improving the lives of its citizens, social and economic policy as well as the how the government going to position India in the changing world.
However, what the article does not address is that, for a country the size and scale of India, where every state is so much diverse in terms of culture, religion, languages etc, the fact that every five years we have a democratically elected government is a success worth celebrating in itself.
Also, India has been a democracy for a little over 60 years. And in these 60 years there has been tremendous progress to get the voice of the people heard. Granted there are still challenges in terms of factionalism, dynasty politics, corrupted elected officials, criminalization of politics, and the transparency of the various political parties in how they manager and choose leaders.
But with the growing clout of the middle class and the raising awareness of these issues among them are heartening signs that there is hope improvements can be achieved. In addition work being done by various organizations like the Association for Democratic Reform is creating awareness about the criminalization of politics will go a long way in cleaning up the elections process.
After all you don’t expect a diverse country like India to be a perfect democracy in just 60 years. Even America, which has been democratic for the last 200 years, is still a work in progress when it comes to democracy.
The editorial does raise some very serious questions about the role of government in improving the lives of its citizens, social and economic policy as well as the how the government going to position India in the changing world.
However, what the article does not address is that, for a country the size and scale of India, where every state is so much diverse in terms of culture, religion, languages etc, the fact that every five years we have a democratically elected government is a success worth celebrating in itself.
Also, India has been a democracy for a little over 60 years. And in these 60 years there has been tremendous progress to get the voice of the people heard. Granted there are still challenges in terms of factionalism, dynasty politics, corrupted elected officials, criminalization of politics, and the transparency of the various political parties in how they manager and choose leaders.
But with the growing clout of the middle class and the raising awareness of these issues among them are heartening signs that there is hope improvements can be achieved. In addition work being done by various organizations like the Association for Democratic Reform is creating awareness about the criminalization of politics will go a long way in cleaning up the elections process.
After all you don’t expect a diverse country like India to be a perfect democracy in just 60 years. Even America, which has been democratic for the last 200 years, is still a work in progress when it comes to democracy.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Who Will Form the Next Government in India?
Election season is almost here. With each passing day, the landscape of the Indian electoral map changes. With no one party with a wide enough national appeal to gain an absolute majority to form a government, coalition politics is here to stay at-least for another five years.
According to a recent survey UPA has an upper hand and coming within hand shaking distance of forming the next government. So who do you think will form the next government in India?
According to a recent survey UPA has an upper hand and coming within hand shaking distance of forming the next government. So who do you think will form the next government in India?
Friday, March 13, 2009
You Dont Need a Title to be a Leader
With Lok Sabha elections fast approaching, the political scene is India is heating up. Every party wants to projects its candidate as the next prime minister. First it was NCP turn, projecting Indian cricket chief and current agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar as its Prime Ministerial candidate. Now it is the turn of the BSP.
In the latest political developments in the ever changing world of Indian politics, Ms Mayawati wants to join the Third Front only if she is projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate of this hurriedly clobbered coalition of parties. Her reasoning behind the claim to the post of the Prime Minister is “based on the fact that she is the leader of the largest state in the country and more popular than any other leader in the state”.
Granted she is the leader of the largest state in the country. But India does not just comprise of Uttar Pradesh. There are other states in the union and Mayawati may have forgotten about that in her hunger for power.
The so called leaders can play all the shenanigans they want, but ultimately it is the citizens of India who will decide who they want to be Prime Minister, be it ManMohan Singh, LK Advani, Sharad Pawar, Mayawati or Deve Gowda.
Maybe Ms Mayawati should read You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader just to put things in prespective.
In the latest political developments in the ever changing world of Indian politics, Ms Mayawati wants to join the Third Front only if she is projected as the Prime Ministerial candidate of this hurriedly clobbered coalition of parties. Her reasoning behind the claim to the post of the Prime Minister is “based on the fact that she is the leader of the largest state in the country and more popular than any other leader in the state”.
Granted she is the leader of the largest state in the country. But India does not just comprise of Uttar Pradesh. There are other states in the union and Mayawati may have forgotten about that in her hunger for power.
The so called leaders can play all the shenanigans they want, but ultimately it is the citizens of India who will decide who they want to be Prime Minister, be it ManMohan Singh, LK Advani, Sharad Pawar, Mayawati or Deve Gowda.
Maybe Ms Mayawati should read You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader just to put things in prespective.
Monday, February 16, 2009
When it Comes to Nepotism No Indian Political Party wants to be Left Behind
For all the hue and cry about India being the worlds lagrest democracy, the lack of a truely democratic system within the Indian political parties when it comes to selecting its representatives to contest elections is truly shocking. The latest example is that of the BJP. Party leader M Venkaiah Naidu, when speaking to reports in Karnataka on why a kin of the current Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa will be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha election , replied and I quote
Read by other posts on nepotsim, sychopancy and self promotion in Indian politics 1, 2, 3
"being son of any leader is not a disqualification. It's about acceptability. Even though the party does not approve promotion of kin, if such a person is acceptable to the locals why not give it a try?"Can we expect any of this to change anytime soon. Not unless the we the voters decide its time to end the nepotism, sychopancy and self promotion that is prevasive in Indian politics.
Read by other posts on nepotsim, sychopancy and self promotion in Indian politics 1, 2, 3
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Challenges for the New Administration
With the hoopla surrounding the inauguration of Barack Obama a thing of the past, it is time to focus on the challenges that the Obama Administration faces. Just thinking about them gives you a sobering feeling.
First there is the economy. The last year has seen the world economy nose dive. Wall Street as we knew of this time last year no more exists, with the sale of Bear Sterns and Merrill Lynch and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. What started as a sub-prime mortgage crisis in some parts of the United States has spread across the world. With jobs been lost and homes foreclosures increasing on a daily basis, the current economic environment calls for bold, swift and proper action.
Second, there are wars that are being fought on two fronts. First there is Iraq, which was a war of choice and then there is Afghanistan, which is a war of necessity. The new administrations challenge would be peacefully end the war of choice and focus its efforts on the war of necessity. Also on the foreign policy front, the Middle East presents a formidable challenge to the new administration. With the three week Israeli offensive on Gaza drawing down, the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding is just unacceptable. The unconditional support of the previous US administration to Israel’s actions has further stoked the sentiment of anti American sentiment in this region of the world. The current conflict offers the new administration a fresh starting point to bring the relevant players to the table and start over the peace process again.
Third, there is the question of energy and how American consumption of fossil fuels is propping petro dictators and warming up the planet. The new administration can take the first step by investing in green technologies like solar, wind and other environmentally friendly technologies. This will not only help in creating new better paying jobs but also will reduce American dependence of fossil fuel, which right now comes from the most unstable region of the world.
And finally, there are a whole host of domestic challenges that need to be addressed. For starters there is health care. For a country that spends the most of any developed world on health care, but has very little to show for it in terms of better patient outcomes, the rising cost of health care needs to be addressed. Also there is the question of basic education, where recent reports have indicated Asia outperforming US in Math and Science education.
None of these challenges are going to be easy, but they are not insurmountable either. As President Obama himself admitted in his inaugural speech and I quote “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.” That is a reason to Hope.
First there is the economy. The last year has seen the world economy nose dive. Wall Street as we knew of this time last year no more exists, with the sale of Bear Sterns and Merrill Lynch and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. What started as a sub-prime mortgage crisis in some parts of the United States has spread across the world. With jobs been lost and homes foreclosures increasing on a daily basis, the current economic environment calls for bold, swift and proper action.
Second, there are wars that are being fought on two fronts. First there is Iraq, which was a war of choice and then there is Afghanistan, which is a war of necessity. The new administrations challenge would be peacefully end the war of choice and focus its efforts on the war of necessity. Also on the foreign policy front, the Middle East presents a formidable challenge to the new administration. With the three week Israeli offensive on Gaza drawing down, the humanitarian crisis that is unfolding is just unacceptable. The unconditional support of the previous US administration to Israel’s actions has further stoked the sentiment of anti American sentiment in this region of the world. The current conflict offers the new administration a fresh starting point to bring the relevant players to the table and start over the peace process again.
Third, there is the question of energy and how American consumption of fossil fuels is propping petro dictators and warming up the planet. The new administration can take the first step by investing in green technologies like solar, wind and other environmentally friendly technologies. This will not only help in creating new better paying jobs but also will reduce American dependence of fossil fuel, which right now comes from the most unstable region of the world.
And finally, there are a whole host of domestic challenges that need to be addressed. For starters there is health care. For a country that spends the most of any developed world on health care, but has very little to show for it in terms of better patient outcomes, the rising cost of health care needs to be addressed. Also there is the question of basic education, where recent reports have indicated Asia outperforming US in Math and Science education.
None of these challenges are going to be easy, but they are not insurmountable either. As President Obama himself admitted in his inaugural speech and I quote “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.” That is a reason to Hope.
Monday, January 19, 2009
I Have A Dream
Today being Martin Luther King Jr's day, I thought it appropriate to list out atleast 10 of his most memorable quotes. Even today, these quotes are as relevant today, as they were when he spoke them.
1. Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.
2. I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.
3. True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.
4. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
5. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
6. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
7. I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
8. Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
9. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
10. When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.
But of all his memorable speeches and quotes none can beat the I Have a Dream speech delivered in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
1. Ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.
2. I am not interested in power for power's sake, but I'm interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.
3. True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.
4. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
5. In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
6. Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
7. I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
8. Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
9. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
10. When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative.
But of all his memorable speeches and quotes none can beat the I Have a Dream speech delivered in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Excellent Article on Mumbai Terror Attacks
An excellent article on the Mumbai terror attacks by Arundhati Roy published in the Guardian newspaper.
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The Mumbai attacks have been dubbed 'India's 9/11', and there are calls for a 9/11-style response, including an attack on Pakistan. Instead, the country must fight terrorism with justice, or face civil war
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Also read another excellent article by Priyamvada Gopal, again, published in the Guardian newspaper.
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We must not let '9/11' become a horrific status symbol signalling arrival into the fraternity of wounded superpowers
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The Mumbai attacks have been dubbed 'India's 9/11', and there are calls for a 9/11-style response, including an attack on Pakistan. Instead, the country must fight terrorism with justice, or face civil war
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also read another excellent article by Priyamvada Gopal, again, published in the Guardian newspaper.
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We must not let '9/11' become a horrific status symbol signalling arrival into the fraternity of wounded superpowers
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Monday, December 8, 2008
Nepotism or Sexism - You Decide
Well our politicians are at it again. Janata Dal(S) has nominated "Anita Kumaraswamy", wife of HD Kumaraswamy, daughter-in-law of HD Deve Gowda as the party's nominee to contest the Madhugiri assembly constituency by election in Karnataka.
In response to this BJP spokesperson V Dhananjay Kumar by saying ""I pity the JD(S). I wish Deve Gowda's family is not reduced to the same position as that of the Pandavas, who pledged their wife in the gamble. Anita is a weak candidate and she is no competition to BJP" .
Link obtained from Churumuri
Also see my previous post on Nepotism In Indian Politics
In response to this BJP spokesperson V Dhananjay Kumar by saying ""I pity the JD(S). I wish Deve Gowda's family is not reduced to the same position as that of the Pandavas, who pledged their wife in the gamble. Anita is a weak candidate and she is no competition to BJP" .
Link obtained from Churumuri
Also see my previous post on Nepotism In Indian Politics
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