AmreekanDesi

Ram Kadam, the mustachioed warrior out to protect Marathi Asmita assaulted Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi while the latter was taking his oath as member of the Maharashtra assembly. The reason was that Azmi refused to pay any heed to the MNS warning to all MLAs to take their oaths in Marathi, and proceeded in Hindi. (Watch Video)

(This same Ram Kadam had been arrested by the police a month ago during the assembly elections for fighting with them. Serves us right for electing goons into our assemblies.)

Later, four of the 13 MNS MLAs including Kadam were suspended from the assembly for four years, a move that critics say should have been stricter in the form of an expulsion. Now essentially their constituencies are going to be unrepresented for four years. Even after the suspension these people remain unrepentant and look at themselves are heroes out to protect their Maratha motherland.

Now people are holding Raj Thackeray responsible for all the nationalistic chauvinism being propagated by his party. I get the feeling that Raj Thackeray is merely showing us a mirror.

Raj Thackeray is in a sense a projection of India’s worst case scenario. Of an India gone all wrong in narrow minded regional glory. Of an India divided by language, religion, region, caste, gender, and what have you.

Raj Thackeray is in a sense a projection of India’s worst case scenario.

Raj Thackeray isn’t the only one who thinks the way he does. Obviously he has support from the people, or he wouldn’t get their votes into the assembly. And therein lies the problem. He is merely giving form to a very dangerous form of nationalism. Already, there is the much talked about north south divide, where the people from the southern states aren’t particularly fond of north indians, and the north Indians reciprocate the feeling through typecast terms and expressions. madrasi, anyone? Message boards on news sites provide ample examples of this attitude.

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Ravi Masoor was an ordinary man. After a lifetime of public service as a postmaster, he switched to a career in politics. He did well, and by a quirk of destiny and the complexities of coalition politics he ended up becoming India’s external affairs minister.

Unlike his cabinet colleagues, Masoor declined all official amenities and decided to continue living as a common man. Living an ordinary life would allow him to better empathize with his fellow aam aadmis.

Besides, an austere life would set an example for others in public service. He could not let himself enjoy a life of comfort while his countrymen plodded their way through hardship.

He lived in a tiny MIG flat in Dwarka and drove a Maruti Wagon R to work. The car happened because going to work on his Hero Honda Splendor became too big of a security concern. He had no domestic help (demeaning to fellow Indians), paid his phone/bijli bills himself, and lived a contented life with his wife and three little kids.

The US Secretary of state was on a state visit, and Masoor was scheduled for a meeting with her today. Pakistan had been firing on the border, and there had been increased incidents of intrusion in Kashmir. China on the other front, wasn’t any less busy with its aggressive stance on the border disputes and would routinely shake a diplomatic rifle at India.

India had been pleading with the US for some diplomatic show of support, but things were in a state of statemate stalemate.

Today’s meeting was going to be crucial.

This was peak load shedding season and there had been no power for the last 20 hours. The inverter was long gone. Somehow he spent the night preparing for the big meeting in candlelight. The kids proposed keeping a bucket nearby for the sweat. Evaporation would help cool down the room, they had just learned in school.

Somehow the night passed, and he was ready for work.

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The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh died in a helicopter crash this past week. Our heartfelt condolences to his family. It is a sad moment when life suddenly comes to such a tragic and untimely end.

Rest in Peace, Y S Rajashekhara Reddy.

As always, this event got converted into a huge national crisis, and the media went into overdrive with the frenzied zeal that has become synonymous with news coverage these days.

And then they took it up a notch.

At least 60 persons either committed suicide or died of shock after hearing the news of Chief Minister YSR Reddy’s death in a chopper crash.[link]

As much of a charismatic and visionary leader he may have been, it is hard to stomach the fact that grief stricken people are going around committing suicides because of his untimely demise.

We Indians sure are crazy, but this crazy? Somehow, in a state that has seen almost 3000 suicides in the past 5 years this claim rings hollow.

Sample these news reports from the time when YSR was alive and well.

Even as Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy admitted there had been 20 suicides by farmers in the state in the last 40 days, yet another case came to light on Saturday. [link] – 16 Aug 2009

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today admitted that 2,890 farmers committed suicide in the state since May 2004 when he took over reins for the first time.[link] – 10 June 2009

Why must we attempt to squeeze every ounce of marketing points out of even a tragic event like death? Why must death be made into a complete circus?

Is it a fair assumption that any deaths in the state following YSR’s are out of grief for the fallen leader, or is it just propoganda by overzealous party promoters?

Also read this piece by Sandeep, who points out that YSR may not quite be the god that he is being proclaimed to be.

(Image courtesy: indianexpress)

Last week the CBI removed Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrochi from its wanted list, and removed the Interpol Red Corner notice against him. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh soon supported this decision saying that the case had become an embarrassment for the government.

“It is not a good reflection on the Indian legal system that we harass people while the world says we have no case”[link]

That’s pretty much a public apology from the great nation of India to a man who never was cleared of the corruption charges against him. Bend over Bow in subservience, India!

The thing is, the CBI hasn’t really done a great job with this case. Their attempts to get Quattrochi extradited to India were rejected in Malaysia and Argentina, with the judges noting that the CBI never presented its case properly.

Not saying anything, but this gives the impression that the CBI did a sham job at getting him extradited. Maybe someone didn’t want Quattrochi to come to India?

Let’s start with some history on the Bofors scandal, which remains till date one of the biggest scandals in Indian politics.

It all started when India decided to purchase 400 155mm Howitzers (fancy word for really-big-kickass-gun) from Swedish company Bofors AB for $1.4 billion in 1986.

In 1987 the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and several others were accused of receiving kickbacks for this deal.

Ottavio Quattrochi was a businessman close to the Gandhi family and a prominent man in the hallowed passages of Indian government. His name came up as the middleman in this deal.

The Bofors scandal was huge. Rajiv Gandhi lost the 1989 elections due to the backlash of these allegations.

Other accused included the Hinduja brothers and Win Chaddha, an agent of the Bofors company. (Hi! My name is win. I am here to win your contract!)

Chaddha died in 2001. Gandhi was assassinated in 1991, and was cleared of the corruption charges against him in 2004. In 2005, the charges against the Hinduja brothers were dismissed by the Delhi High court.

The Wikipedia page on Quattrochi throws up some interesting information about the amount of clout he used to enjoy.

From roughly 1980 to 1987 – Indira Gandhi’s final years and Rajiv Gandhi’s honeymoon years – Quattrocchi had the Midas touch. No deal was refused to him. “It was understood,” remembers a Congressman from the original Mrs G’s days, “that a fertiliser contract meant Snamprogetti. That was considered the favour to Sonia and Rajiv.” [link]

It is alleged Quattrocchi was so influential with the office of the prime minister — Rajiv Gandhi — that bureaucrats used to stand up when Quattrocchi visited them.[link]

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India went to the polls in phase three of the Great Indian Elections of 2009 this week.

Here’s a few pictures of proud voters happy to have contributed their bit towards upholding the esteemed traditions of the founding fathers of the country.

First up, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chawan with Mrs Chief Minister. Hail the proud deliverance of democracy.

(Image Courtesy – Amit Verma)

The Bachchan family was there. All of them - Mom, Dad, Son and Daughter in law. Look at the excitement, the joy, the proud expression of freedom.

Even handsome people voted.

(Image courtesy: TOI)

Nice work India!

Now we just need to figure out how to interpret the middle finger gesture. Was it the Indian populace saying ‘Up Yours!’ to the politicians, or the other way around? Maybe it  just was famous people’s way of making fun of everybody else? Who exactly is the joke on?

Like a wise man once said, It happens only in India.

Just came across this video of Priyanka Gandhi in conversation with our beloved Barkha Dutt.

The full interview on NDTV’s site is 25 minutes long, but an interesting watch. Priyanka comes across as a very smart and logical woman. She reiterates that she is never going to enter politics, and somehow we are reminded of her mother, the current head of Congress.

I know i am good (at politics). I am not a fool. But does that mean i want to be in politics? No.

She talks about her mother, her father, the Tamil movement, and of course her little brother Rahul.

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The Great Indian general election is underway. India’s 714 million strong electorate is voting this month to elect the next government. By the looks of it no party seems to be in the position to get a clear majority, so it is very likely that we are going to see another coalition government.

Here’s the possibilities:

1. Congress led UPA coalition
2. BJP led NDA coalition
3. The Third front

Now the sad part beauty of Indian politics is that we don’t even know for sure who is a part of which coalition.

Given the power hungry, opportunistic regional parties slugging it out for that elusive shot at being part of the government, we will see a lot of switched alliances, many convenient marriages, and a potful of the usual political opportunistic crap that keeps the blood pumping in Indian veins. It is fascinating to see sworn foes kiss and make up, and we will see a lot of that for sure.

Here’s a little attempt to track down who’s bitching grumbling against whom, and then eating their words with the shameless grace that only politicians are capable of.

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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a universally respected man well known for his prowess as an economist, and recognized as the man responsible for India’s economic resurgence in the nineties.

He has a CV to die for. He has a clean record. He is cool and pleasant natured. He is respected by all.

It is April 2009, and the general elections are upon us. The Indian proletariat is going to the polls in one of the biggest logistical exercises of our times. Manmohan Singh is the Congress’ Prime Ministerial candidate.

But there’s some issues bothering us, and issues we would like addressed before we can decide who to vote for.

First is the fact that you are not even contesting the election.

You have never been elected to the Lok Sabha, and are currently a member of the Rajya Sabha. In 1999 you ran for South Delhi, but lost the election.

Yet you are the Prime Minister. And hoping for a second term.

Now here’s the thing – we the aam aadmi were told that we will go to the polling booth and vote for some people, and that will lead to the formation of a government. The leader of that government will be the Prime Minister of the country.

If you didn’t even come to us to get our vote, do you deserve to become the Prime Minister? The Constitution may allow a Rajya Sabha member to become PM, but that doesn’t mean that the leader of the (ostensibly) largest party shouldn’t even bother contesting the elections.

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Many thousands of years ago, when men wore no clothes and there was no way of outsourcing their primary occupation of hunting there were simple ways of resolving disputes.

Often times these involved some sort of violence, a club or two, and a defeated man sprawled on the ground.

Gradually man become more sophisticated. He started this system of government known as Democracy where he would elect the leaders who would be responsible for the various policies that determined man’s life.

There would be a Judiciary. There would be a court and judges to whom he would go for resolution of disputes.

A great man once said – Democracy is government by the people, for the people.

History would erode the last few words of that definition. Democracy became government by the people, but not necessarily for them. Man being the eternal optimistic, kept his faith. He kept on voting year after hopeless year, in the belief that he was the one determining the direction of his life by electing his government.

Governments kept changing, but the common man became an inside joke.

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Here’s some of the prominent happenings from India this past week.

Varun Gandhi continued to hog the headlines. After his anticipatory bail expired on Mar 29, he surrendered in Pilibhit. Only it wasn’t quite peaceful. Following a violent protest by his supporters, the UP government invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against him.

Now that he has been booked under the NSA, it looks like he will be contesting the elections from behind bars.

Meanwhile, Raj Thackeray revived his anti north India campaign at an election rally in Nashik, and was subsequently booked for his hate speech.

The Indian cricket team clawed their way back into the second New Zealand test to bat out the last two days to save the test, thanks to gritty innings from Gambhir and Laxman, who provided some fireworks towards the end.

After weeks of contention over the status of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the tournament was finally shifted out of India. South Africa is going to host the league this year.

The Australian tennis federation requested to move their Davis cup tie out of India for security reasons. Is India the new Pakistan?

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My name is Abhay Kumar Singh. I just lost in my quest for a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

This is my story.

I was born with no silver spoon in my mouth. Or anywhere in the house, for that matter. My father used to work for the postal department. For years i saw him languish as a government employee. The job was secure, but on his salary there was barely enough to go by. Life was hard, but we managed. I grew up resenting the system that made life so difficult for us common people.

In college i became active in student politics. I rose to become the student union president and had a fruitful tenure. Dharnas. Strikes. We got whatever we wanted from the administration. Following my graduation i became a full time politician. For the next ten years i  worked tirelessly for my party. I have organized rallies. I have collected funds. I was the one responsible for providing villagers by the busloads to beef up campaign rallies during the last elections. I know my area like the back of my hand. I can raise an army of supporters in a jiffy.

Having served my dues, this time around i believed it was my turn to become a member of Parliament (M.P.).

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Election time brings out such gems. Watch this video.

The Madam Danceth.

Also watch out for Renuka Chaudhary. Are those peacock feathers in her head?

It is election season. Congress is in power, and BJP in the opposition. The games have begun.

Navin Chawla, a 1969 cadre IAS officer born three years before Gandhi died, is at the center of the latest controversy. The chain of events kicked off a few years back is finally reaching the end game.

BJP is seeking termination of his duties as one of the gang of three super powerful election commissioners, on grounds of political bias towards the Congress.

The story began in 2006 when the BJP presented a memorandum signed by 200 MPs to the then President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, requesting removal of election commissioner Chawla.

The 13-page memorandum says: “We believe that the Election Commission must be absolutely impartial. It must also appear to be impartial. The degree of close proximity that Mr. Chawla has to one political party and its leadership does not indicate any form of impartiality.

A few months, a petition was filed with the supreme court seeking Chawla’s termination. This petition was subsequently withdrawn when the chief election commissioner (CEC) contended that he had the power to remove another election commissioner.

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Over the course of some three hundred odd years, the British gave a lot to India. They gave us the Railways, Post and Telegraph, Cricket, Tea, Movies. They gave us the English language, which was going to come in handy in the twenty first century to help India become the world’s back office. They gave us a united India, like this gentleman on the TV series ‘The Story of India’ confidently proclaimed. Apparently without the British there would have been no India to fret over.

Their greatest act of kindness was leaving us with a democratic form of government.

A form of government where votes are supreme. By hook or by crook. By manipulation or coercion. Whatever the means, the ends of power justify them. So much so that anybody can say anything, or do anything, and as long as that person has influence over a couple dozen voters, no harm can befall him. As a result, we have created demi-gods out of petty thugs who do not deserve to see the light of sun, for they should be locked away in dungeons, lest they eat into the fabric of the already sensitive society.

The game is to get a foot in, inspire the masses, become a public figure and eventually make a few crores of scandal money towards a retirement fund. Often this involves dividing the society by religion, language, region, city, height, weight, gender, shape of mustache and what have you. To their credit, its a very imaginative occupation.

Today we discuss one such great mind who has been busy ridding the world of all evil, and Mumbai of north Indians.

Raj Thackeray has been proudly running an anti-north India campaign in Maharashtra. The premise is that Uttar Pradesh  is a den of terrorism and Azamgarh is where all criminals come from, so all people from UP (and Bihar) are criminals, and are not Manhoos Manoos enough to reside in Maharashtra. That’s Mr Robin Hood for you. How very graceful, logical, and full of selfless love for his state.

If these people have their way, we would not be citizens of India, but just representatives of our state, region, religion, or caste, on a mission to establish supremacy over everyone else, through mostly violent means.

Is this the India that Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Bhagat Singh, and Subhash Chandra Bose gave their lives for? These great men of varied methodologies  dreamt of a united, free India. Did they waste their lives so that criminals in the garb of politicians get to vomit all over the constitution?

Ending a long break, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has resumed his virulent campaign against North Indians describing Uttar Pradesh as a ‘den of terrorism’ and accusing the state’s Chief Minister Mayawati and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad of doing caste politics.[link]

Caste politics? Regional politics? Is there any difference?

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Pranab Mukherjee is a great son of India who has had a long and distinguished political career. Ever since his accidental inclusion in the union cabinet to achieve an auspicious count of ministers way back in 1973, he has worked tirelessly towards making India a better place to live.

But after all these years of service to the nation, maybe it is time for him to take a break. He isnt getting younger and watching him suffer from the burden of his brilliance makes us feel bad for him. And for poor mother India.

After Sardar Patel, he is the new Iron Man of India. Check out the strong words as the external affairs minister urging Pakistan to act on evidence shared by the FBI. No mention of the evidence supplied by Indian agencies. What humility by this great man!

“We have been told the FBI has strong evidence which they have shared with Pakistan. They (the Pakistani government) should act on that evidence and hand over the perpetrators of Mumbai to us,” the minister said.[link]

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