Wanderings of Mind

Ironically, on the one issue where the UPA government was not entirely wrong in its opinions, through inept political handling, they seem to have frittered the gains away. The government seems to be adamant on purusing a down-hill journey to 2014 elections. I am not so enamoured with Baba Ramdev's fast, though the issue of corruption and black money he is highlighting is to be highlighted. It is for the simple reason that the proposals and demands he made were quite impractical. And the demands seemed to change every now and then. Initially it was black money stashed abroad and an ordinance, withdrawal of 1000 and 500 rupee notes, then land reforms and even electoral reforms creeped in. Even in Anna Hazare's campaign, my main opposition was to the contents of the Jan Lokpall bill. But that was different. Because Anna Hazare was clear - that all he wanted was sincere discussion. He wan't on a fast until say, the bill was passed in parliament. But Ramdev was asking for an o...

It was little surprising to see the kind of support Anna Hazare received. Because, it made common people who normally don't get "disturbed" by such protests come out. This is not Anna Hazare's first protest. He has led number of protests in Maharashtra on various issues over the years. He comes across as a person with ideals. He does something because he believes in it, not because he'll get some benefit out of it. But the people support for this is a little worrying as much as it is gratifying. It's gratifying to note that finally, people are fed up with the steady flow of scams coming out. So much so that they are coming out in the open the moment someone looking credible is taking up cudgels against it. But it's worrying as well, as our tendency to support or oppose without proper reading and thought has come out in full display on this issue. Of all the public support Anna Hazare received, most of them had no clue about the Jan Lokpal bill that h...

A developed India is every Indian's dream. But we never see administrators take concerted action on the top few problems which when addressed will go a long way in acheiving this goal. I believe there are two key challenges where even concerted action can make a huge difference. This is a paradox of sorts. There is a huge demand across the country for skilled workforce for many sectors. We need many many more skilled electricians, plumbers, construction workers, IT personnel etc., On the other hand, there is a significant section of population who are either unemployed / unemployable or so under-employed that they struggle to get two square meals a day. Many industrialists point out that the problem in India is not population per-se, but unemployable population and un-skilled or under-skilled labour. That is why we need a nation wide skills development and employment initiative. This initiative should equip people with such skills free of cost and connect them with ar...

If congress and its UPA lose 2014 general elections, one of the key person they can thank for that is Digvijay Singh. Congress is living in a dreamworld of its own and Diggy has a part in creating that dreamland. Congress believes that a sop here and a statement there coupled with creating a danger alert about BJP can bring Muslims and weaker sections in droves to vote for congress. They would do well to remember Lalu Yadav's fate. His MY(Muslim-Yadav) strategy didn't save him at all. Caste combinations alone can't win any election. National elections are these days combination of various state level-national elections. Digvijay's loss in MP to BJP after two terms as chief minister cannot be forgotten. He was voted out based on popular perceptions of lack of roads and power - in summary lack of development. BJP is in power for the last two terms in MP. To go with his strategy of catching votebanks and painting others red would not help in the national election. ...

I am no fan of the Congress and it's President, Sonia Gandhi. But in a comment on various corruption scandals, she has said something that I agree with. She had said that our "moral universe" is shrinking and "Greed" is on the rise. It was really refreshing that a politician, for once, cared to talk about the root cause behind these scandals rather than the usual political responses of law-taking-its-own-course or bringing-culprits-to-book. The only sad part is that she, her son-cum-heir and her party only say such things, but don't live by it. Otherwise, how can she explain Shibu Soren, A Raja, Suresh Kalmadi and the various appointments of tainted politicians and bureaucrats to important positions like Governor, EC, CVC and others? As Sonia said, greed is the prime reason many of our even well-to-do politicians and bureaucrats indulge in scandals when they get a chance. Though no law can actually regulate greed, strict and speedy enforcement of laws...

There are things in common between Arunthathi Roy's defence of her as usual senseless Kashmir remarks and the encounter death of a driver in coimbatore. And what is coming out is one of the four top things ailing this nation's progress. For the uninitiated, Arunthathi Roy questioned Kashmir's accesssion to India at a seminar where maoists and Kashmir seperatist's participated right under our home minister PC's nose in Delhi. She said "... Kashmir has never been a part of India... Even Indian government has accepted this fact". When the government, egged on by BJP, considered slapping sedition charges on her, she released a statement saying among other things that "she only spoke for lack of justice and the need to ensure justice to all - to kashmiris, dalits and everyone else". Let's forget that it was a defence by Arunthathi Roy for a moment. What she said though is something true and you can see it everywhere. What is the need for encou...