Manmohanji please learn from Ratan Tata to deal with nasty Pak

The Indian government for last one week is hunting for the words to react to Pakistan Army’s barbaric behaviour on LOC. The government, sitting in Delhi  is quick to charge lathis and impose sec 144 on its own citizens when they protest peacefully, but  does not have courage to severe diplomatic relations with the country which has betrayed every time.

Salute to Ratan Tata

Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh and Hemraj were killed on January 8 by the Pakistan Army regulars after infiltrating into Indian territory in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Chief of Army reacted after six days and PM is yet to make a comment.  These dumbs can learn something from Ratan Tata. How he  reacted to Pak after Mumbai attack is the best diplomacy one can imagine.

A few months after 26/11, Taj group of Hotels owned by TATAs launched their biggest tender ever for renovation all their Hotels in India and abroad. 

Some of the companies who applied for that tender were also Pakistanis. To make their bid stronger, two big industrialists from Pakistan visited Bombay House ( Head office of Tata ) in Mumbai without an appointment to meet up with Ratan Tata since he was not giving them any prior appointment. 

They were made to sit at the reception of Bombay house and after a few hours a message was conveyed to them that Ratan Tata is busy and can not meet anyone without an appointment.

Frustrated, these two Paki industrialists went to Delhi and thru their High Commission met up with than Commerce Minister Anand Sharma. Sharma immediately called up Ratan Tata requesting him to meet up with the two Paki Industrialists and consider their tender "enthusiastically"

.

Ratan Tata replied..."you could be shameful, I am not" and kept the phone.

Few months later when Pakistani government placed an order of Tata Sumo's to be imported into Pakistan, Ratan Tata refused to ship a single vehicle to that country. This is the respect and love for motherland that Ratan Tata has.

Something that our  Politicians and  so called secularists, who invite all Pakistani players and artists, should learn from him.  

                                       After all  Nation is above everything else......

Can we rely on these Exit Polls?

As soon as the polling hours were over, all news channels got in race to telecast the exit poll results of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, where the elections have just completed and  counting is to happen on 20^th December. The four surveys did not have any significant difference unlike past when each channel used to show the projections as per their political ideology  confusing the viewers.

Psephology, which is used for these exit polls, is a branch of political science which deals with the study and scientific analysis of elections. Therefore, there is a systematic approach and it should be relied with a statistical margin of error.  The reason to raise question is not about doubting the science of psephology  or any efforts to recall failed and misleading projections of past, but it is about the ethical functioning of fourth estate of democracy – Press.

If you read the newspapers of Gujarat published  till 17^th December, it looked as if Modi’s defeat is certain. Keshubhai will emerge as kingmaker and  after 22 years some Congress leader will head the state government once again. The exit poll projections do not confirm any of these. Such a radical shift highlights two facts – press is not neutral and does not represent the factual reporting  and second, there was a mass level of paid news publication.

A PTI news  has quoted Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath  saying, "While 444 suspected cases of paid news were reported in Gujarat, notices were sent to 224 of them. In Himachal Pradesh polls, the Commission came across 211 suspected cases of paid news and notices were sent in 190 cases and 91 confirmed cases were reported,"

The election authorities in Gujarat  have identified 126 confirmed cases of paid news during the just-concluded polls, with 61 candidates admitting of have paid for such news in electronic and print media.  Election commission will take some actions in case of the confirmed cases like adding these payments  to the expenditures of the candidates.

The extreme punishment can be disqualification of the candidate like EC gave to Umesh Yadav, MLA from Bisauli assembly constituency, after finding him guilty of getting news published in his favour during 2007 UP polls by paying hefty amount to media outlets.  This punishment was announced on October 20, 2011  when the term was almost over. (fresh election were held in UP from Jan to March 2012). Media which carried  these paid  news escaped the punishment.

A fact- finding team of the Press Council of India has also confirmed about large scale  practice of 'paid news' in the Gujarat elections. PCI chairperson Justice Markandey Katju has accepted that that self regulation by media was proving to be ineffective.

Press is not self regulated to remain honest, but is getting infected by the virus of “easy money” like government servants.  Majority of small papers published in local language are involved in money extortion business.  Their staff approaches for “monetary favour”  and threatens otherwise to tarnish your image. The tone of black mailing can be sensed from the communication.  All the industries who have to carry out public hearing in Gujarat undergo through this experience.

Mr Katju refers to the “freedom of press”,  but the time has  come  when we  should think of making it a healthy press by cleaning these malpractices from media. Such tactics spoil  core culture of the country as society look towards press as “just and honest”.  While EC takes  action against erring candidates, PCI should  take equally strong action against these publication and broadcasting channels. Unless that is done the fourth estate of democracy will continue to decay.

Other  Posts :

No Issues, It was Narendra Modi versus Ahmed Patel

Opposition Surrenders to Modi for Gujarat Poll.

100 hour wastage on TV News Channels

Growth Story may help BSP returning to power

Gujarat 2012 : No Issues, It was Narendra Modi versus Ahmed Patel

The Gujarat is all set to close its verdict for next  five years.  High poll turn around has put many political analysts into dilemma whether their words  will stand true or wave for “Let us Vote for….”  Will  sweep them away.

Will These Forecasts Prove True?

During campaigning one thing was sure from both sides – BJP and Congress, that more efforts were localized and less of the national leaders’ campaign.  Congress was very aggressive during early part in making sops and promises which are difficult to achieve and provide – “Ghar nu Ghar”, free laptops   an idea borrowed from SP’s victory from UP. 

Whether Congress under the fear of vote polarization, excepts it or not, Ahmed Patel was the brain behind all the orchestra it played.  This approach has both possibilities; one, muslims and middle class may heavily support Congress; two  it   may  polarize upper caste votes against Congress in central and south Gujarat constituencies and take away many seats from Congress.

From ruling side it had been one man army of Chief Minister Narendrabhai Modi taking everything on his head. He is most hard working politician of the state. To reach to masses he worked from 8 am till 11 pm daily  and travelled across the state to ensure that he  reaches to all constituencies twice before the polling. He used technology to amplify his solo campaign. An entirely  new concept  of 3-D holographic projections covering multiple locations simultaneously was explored to amaze the opponents.  People’s response will be known post 20^th December.

Congress leadership in state was unable to resolve their internal fight with high ambitions of Shankarsinh Waghela, Arjun Modhvadia and Bharat Solanki  all trying drag down the other. The result was, Narhari Amin, a strong Patel community leader switched over loyalty to Modi’s camp.   It has  failed to garner the anger of people in Saurashtra and in particular Bhavnagar & Amreli  where people were in anguish against the corruption of ministers like Dilip Sanghani,  Purshottam Solanki etc.

Siddhu :  Helped Keshubhai back in Fray

It not only failed on this account, lacked completely on agenda in dismay to highlight candidature of former state home minister Amit Shah, who is accused of the murder of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, a petty criminal, who was killed in a fake encounter  This issue has  raised anti Modi feeling amongst the Kadva Patel community of north Gujarat  who supported Modi in all its fight with Leuva Patel leader Keshubhai.  Sensing the heat – Kadva Patel leader and revenue minister Anandiben  Patel  changed  her seat to Ghatlodia in Ahmedanad from Patan.

In 2007 Modi won 25 of the 32 seats in Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Mehsana, Patan and Gandhinagar districts of north Gujarat.  The Kadva Patel votes are very crucial in these constituencies.  But, this community is upset with the BJP after leaders from their community were convicted in two different cases of 2002 riots. More than 24 people, most of them Kadva Patels, were convicted for killing 42 people, and sentenced to life in prison by a trial court in Gujarat.

The community feels that Modi did not intervene in the proceedings and helped the  way Congress did help its supporters  in  1985 to 1988 communal riots of state.  They feel it was only because of inaction of Modi entire media talks of 2002 and not 1985-88 phase.  This  sense of disenchantment  could change the table,  had  local congress team worked united.

Speeches  of cricketer Navjotsingh Siddhu has  helped Keshubhai to make presence felt  in the poll, who was totally sidelined by the public  despite all national TV anchors’ focus on him. Leuva Patel community after Siddhu’s  comments may remain united behind Keshubhai  and will affect on many seats in Saurashtra and Surat.

Tail ender show of Sonia and Rahul has left no impact on the campaign.  Their speeches were aimless  lacking issues to energise supporters. So was the presence of other national leaders from BJP as well.  They remained only as fillers.  This time campaign had  remained highly localized and fight between two strategists – Modi and Ahmad Patel.  Verdict of people on 20^th will decide who was better.

Other Posts : 

Opposition Surrenders to Modi for Gujarat Poll.

Nitish Kumar in top 100 global thinker

Akbar was not that great.

Opposition Surrenders to Modi ahead of Poll.

Congress and Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP)  seems to have taken pre poll surveys carried out by news channels and newspapers very seriously.  They have fielded  candidates  who can get some votes on sympathy and not on the strength of their party or their own socio-political strengths – a clear walkover.

Walkover Candidate
Sweta Bhatt

All the pre poll surveys have predicted  a whopping comeback for Modi. These survey have forecasted more percentage of votes and seats for Modi this time than the year 2007.   Then 47% votes were polled in favour of BJP and 117 candidates had won  legislative assembly seats.  This time about  50% votes and around  125 seats are projected.

Even after such a favourable predictions Modi went back on his image and  theory of no repeat of maligned ones. This  time he has given tickets to controversial leaders  like Amit Shah, Purshottam Solanki,  to make sure that factors of Keshubhai’s  GPP and dissidence within party does not harm the poll prospects.

But the opposition parties do not want to take advantage of it and  are fielding candidates who do not mind losing in the return of short time publicity.  Congress has  fielded Shweta Bhatt, wife of suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt  against   Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi  from  Maninagar constituency.  Her candidature will  spice up the contest  and get more bites on visual media but can she pose any serious  threat to the CM ?

"It is not a fight between equals, I agree...but I am fully confident that I am going with a true heart to say the truth, so people will support me...I don't have false promises to make," Shweta told reporters after getting the ticket.

This will only help Modi to reinforce his claim that congress is misusing CBI to tarnish image of his government and fabricating false cases.  Indirectly Congress has extended benefit to          Controversial former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah who is contesting from Naranpura. Shah is one of accused in the  Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsi Prajapati alleged fake encounter cases and is out on bail.

Another  disadvantage to Congress in Naranpura constituency is  disgruntled former Deputy Chief Minister Narhari Amin  who is denied ticket by the party. Amin has threatened to join hands with Modi openly. Senior leadership of state is now busy in doing fire fighting.

GPP has given ticket to  Jagruti Pandya, widow of former home minister Haren Pandya.  Jagruti  is challenging  BJP's Rakesh Shah in a triangular contest  in Ellis Bridge. Haren Pandya was shot dead on March 26, 2003, near Law Garden area of the city when he had gone for a morning walk. Haren’s  father  and later  his widow  has been blaming governmrnt conspiracy in murder and pitching against Modi  for past eight years. In past three elections their cry has failed to garner any support.

The survey had shown that  the intensity of Muslims hating Modi has reduced. The surveys say, the drop is almost half.  Percentage of Muslim respondents  who say that they will never vote for Modi has come down from 44% to 23%.  This change of heart is more because the young generation is getting participative opportunity in the growth story of the state.  But still, Modi has missed the opportunity to bridge the gap with the community by not giving ticket to any Muslim candidate.

What does this all mean?  The elections this time are one sided, only over confidence can defeat Modi in December.   However,  I  foresee  atleast  three of his ministers definitely losing the election. There are not going to be any shocks to Modi,  but for BJP yes.

Other Posts :

A Split Averted in BJP

100-hour Wastage on TV News Channels

Who would apologize for 1969 and 1985 Gujarat Riots?

Bihar CM in Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers list

Three  Indians including  Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar find place in the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine among its top 100 global thinkers.   The top position of the list is shared by Myanmar's democracy icon Suu Kyi  and her military ruler. ,They  together chart out a non-military future for their country- Myanmar.

Citing Myanmar as "one of the most remarkable and unexpected political reversals of our time," the magazine writes about how the country -- long counted among the world's most repressive dictatorships -- has begun to reform under the leadership of "two very unlikely allies". 

The second  spot also is grabbed by political game changer from  new democratic country Tunisia. Tunisia's president Moncef Marzouki  is placed at second spot for providing 'vision and wisdom' since assuming office in December 2011, and ensuring that Tunisia remains the Arab Spring's "most promising success story".

The 61-year-old Chief Minister of Bihar  Nitish Kumar Kumar figures at the 77th spot and finds the place for his achievement of "turning around India's poorest state" through an array of innovative programmes to address crime, corruption and lack of development.

The list of 100 also features India's chief economic advisor Raghuram Rajan at 80 and writer Pankaj Mishra at 86.  Harvard University's young Indian American economist Raj Chetty also figures in the list at number 74 for his mathematical research on a range of issues in the US including economic policy.

Teenage icon Malala Yousufzai, perhaps is the youngest person to figure in the prestigious list. 
15 year old Malala, who is recuperating in the UK after being attacked by Taliban militants for her advocacy of education for girls is credited for "standing up to the Taliban, and everything they represent". 

US president Barack Obama features at seventh position,  a spot behind Pakistan's Malala Yousufzai.