In the recent years, America's foreign relations with India seems to be on the right track. There is a widespread consensus in Indian policy-making circles that India-US relations will stay on the same path in the foreseeable future. At the moment, India is not seen as a priority in the American foreign policy. There is going to be a major change happening in India in 2014 while much of American policy-makers' energy is being expended on the handling of the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in 2014.
Modi's personal popularity is soaring throughout India especially among the youth. If the recent state polls are any indicator of the electorate's mood, Narendra Modi will be Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy by May next year. The financial markets have already cheered BJP's victory in the state polls. Most major countries have recognized his growing clout and have tried to engage him at the Ambassadorial level.
Modi may not have aired his detailed opinions on foreign policy issues but I'm sure he has comprehensive plans of his own drastically different from the previous Nehruvian dispensations. He will further improve trade relations with all of India's neighbors especially China. In his last term as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he led trade delegations to China & Japan and he received a grand welcome in both the countries.
Modi was denied a US visa in 2005 over his alleged role in the 2002 riots - a decision that the US has refused to reverse. If Modi occupies the chair of the Prime Minister, the world will have to deal with a more assertive New Delhi which does not hesitate to flex its muscles. There is an urgent need for the United States to engage him beyond Consul General level and trade delegations such as US India Business Council.
Modi has always branded himself as a pro-development leader and he is necessary for India to come out of the policy paralysis that the inept UPA government has created. Modi will revive India from slowing growth rates and that rightly serves America's business interests too. Instead of succumbing to self-serving interests of a few lobbies, the US should begin to engage Modi.
Today, India voted in favour of the Human Rights resolution that was adopted by the US against Sri Lanka. I'm not going to go into the details of either the resolution that was adopted today or the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. India was the only country in South Asia to vote against Sri Lanka. In my view, the resolution was itself watered down from the one that was initially drafted. India, by voting against Sri Lanka, jeopardized what I consider a very important strategic relation in the region. The resolution itself will need Sri Lankan government to be on board for it to be effective on the ground. India should have instead done the following if it was genuine about the Tamil issue. 1. India should have voted in favour of Sri Lanka in the UN and passed a resolution in Parliament saying it will not interfere in the internal matters of neighbouring countries to show solidarity and keep its regional interests intact. 2. India could have taken up the Tamil genocide issue in various other international forums outside the UN. 3. India could have also forced Sri Lankan government to speed up restoration efforts and reconciliatory actions through diplomatic exercises. What was the need for India to vote in favour of such a diluted resolution? India has in the process shown that its national interests can be subverted by regional politics and it also does not care for the Sri Lankan Tamils. By voting against Sri Lanka without proper consultation, India has only exposed to the world how shabbily it conducts its foreign affairs. It also exposed the fault lines in our coalition politics. At least from now on, I hope India treats its national interests foremost and not succumb to regional political players when it comes to our foreign policy. Photo Courtesy: CNN IBN
Modi's speech at the India Today Conclave was a historic moment, the Delhi establishment and countless people across the nation watched him talk on whether the NaMo mantra will work for India. Last night's speech is unarguably his best address in 2013. He wasn't overtly political though he took a couple of very subtle potshots at his political opponents. He spoke extempore and presented his vision for India- something very different from our current political discourse.
Following are the key takeaways from his address.
1. NaMo mantra is not about a new revolution. He focusses on bringing change and progress using the very same system that has pulled the country down for so long.
2. He talks about Jan Andolan in development. There is a need to change the perception in the minds of the people about development. Development is a combined effort and government alone cannot bring about development.
3. Use our innate strengths and ancient wisdom to achieve success in this fast changing world.
4. MNREGA should have been a development guarantee scheme instead of employment guarantee scheme. The whole approach towards governance should shift to empowerment-based from the current entitlement-based approach.
5. Democracy is not just about voting someone into power. A true democracy is one where the people and the government work hand-in-hand to build the nation.
6. He talks about changing the mindset of bureaucracy. His message to bureaucrats- Do not serve the government in power instead serve the people.
7. He says 'country doesn't need acts, it needs action'. A mere implementation of acts and legislation that is already in place.
8. He talks about bringing in new technologies into administration to bring in transparency and reduce corruption. He gives the example of computerisation of Gujarat's PDS system. He also mentions that Gujarat's grievance redressal system 'Swagat' allows him to study the problems that exist in the delivery of government services. The root cause of corruption is that the decision making person has the power to discriminate. If the state is policy-driven and every policy is defined in black and white, corruption will come down by itself.
9. Modi says 'Institutionalize ideas, leader-centric policies wont last long'.
10. He talks about demographic dividend being one of our biggest strengths today. Democracy is also one of our natural strengths that we can use to compete with China on the world stage.
11. Integrated development is possible only when the large industries source their raw materials locally and create more employment in the process.
12. He touches upon various topics like manufacturing fertilizers from urban solid waste & encouraging farmers to use it to reduce the fertilizer subsidy bill and allowing private players to operate rail lines to drive home the point that only novel ideas can bring change and progress. He also talks about some innovative schemes that his government has implemented like Shala Praveshotsav and Kanya Kelavani Abhiyan.
13. He expresses his personal belief in renewable energy. Gujarat is one of the first governments in the world to have a climate change department and the first in India to have a solar policy of its own. Innovative schemes like solar panels on top of canals will help solve the land acquisition problem, stop evaporation of water from the canal and produce clean energy.
14. The age of military power is over. Knowledge is the 21st century power. Indian youth with all their zeal for knowledge will go around the world and assert themselves.
15. India should build on its capabilities to become the largest supplier of arms in the world, not the largest buyer.
16. When asked about his party's opposition to FDI in multi-brand retail he says 'Indian manufacturing has to be strengthened and a level playing field should be created before FDI is brought in.'
17. His definition of secularism- Protect every citizen and appease no one.
18. When asked about the sorry state of PSUs in India he says 'Government has no business to be in business.'
I think he is the only politician in the world to keep such a large audience glued with rapt attention even while he spoke about things like urban solid waste management. It just amazed me how the Delhi establishment queued up to listen to this man from Gujarat speak in Hindi. In short, the NaMo mantra is about changing the approach towards governance, bringing a 'YES WE CAN' attitude. He carried a message of hope.
NaMo mantra is not just a mantra of development and good governance, it is a mantra of hope and an alternate vision for India, a mantra to claim back our rightful place in the world, finally a mantra to help us reach our destiny.
A message to all Modi-baiters: Sometimes in life, you need to give up, grow up and move on!
Urban local body polls are representative of only around 30% of the state's electorate and do not in anyway reveal the trend for the upcoming assembly elections. ULB polls are fought mostly on local factors. But it clearly indicates the presence of an anti-incumbency wave against the ruling BJP government. The 5 years of BJP rule in the state has been a tale of extreme cases of nepotism, casteism and corruption. Today, an average BJP karyakarta is not in a position to go out and campaign for their leaders. I have personally spoken to 2 RSS leaders who have decided to stay neutral in the upcoming assembly polls. That said, I must also point out that there is no Congress-wave as such in the state. At best it will be a mixed verdict. But the Congress is clearly in a better position than it was in 2008. Few BJP supporters have suggested that the party can only prosper if Yeddyurappa is brought back to the party fold. Yeddyurappa has clearly moved on and has made scathing remarks against RSS and the BJP central leadership in the last few months. It will backfire if the party succumbs to Yeddyurappa sympathizers and tries to woo him. One of the party leaders told me that Yeddyurappa's greatest achievement was that he made even the RSS leaders aware of their castes. BJP clearly hasn't lost everything in the state and might retain its present tally in the parliamentary elections of 2014 if it implements the following measures. 1. Strict action against Yeddyurappa sympathizers within the party even if it means bringing down the government. 2. Give Jagadish Shettar a free hand in the assembly campaign. 3. Anant Kumar and Eshwarappa should not be allowed to make important decisions within the party in the run-up to the assembly elections. 4. Few of the state level RSS leaders who have been making important decisions at the government-level should be kept away. 5. Do not welcome ex-legislators from other parties. 6. Field new faces in the assembly elections and back them fully to build the party from the grassroots. 7. BJP leadership should tender unconditional apology to the people of Karnataka for the misgovernance and charges of corruption. 8. Do not bring in Modi to campaign for the assembly elections because it is clearly a lost cause for the BJP in the state. That might do harm to his national image. 9. Do not resort to extreme caste politics and keep the Hindutva agenda alive. 10. RSS leadership in the state needs a complete overhaul too. 11. Do not make any covert deals with Reddy brothers. 12. BJP should make an honest attempt to re-build the party from the grassroots, acknowledge the hard work of loyal BJP workers and stay far away from unscrupulous elements. The above measures will help the party retain quality leadership. It will also enthuse party workers for the 2014 campaign. If the Congress forms the next government in the state it will be clearly ADVANTAGE BJP in 2014 since the anti-incumbency wave would have already set in after one year of governance since the state Congress is a divided house with at least 6 CM aspirants.
'One has to lose many battles to win a war' should be the motto of the state BJP.
Just a few years back, common man never had any enthusiasm in the union government's annual budget sessions. Fortunately the situation has changed today largely due to the penetration of media and massive urbanisation that led to the rise of the new middle class. A common man today closely monitors the annual budget session mainly to find out how the budget affects his/her spending power. It is a clear sign of a maturing democracy, a clear signal that more and more people are becoming politically aware and responding to it. I am attaching the Budget video for those of you who have not watched it.
I must say Budget-2013 was a balanced budget despite my obvious political inclinations. Though many of Mr. Chidambaram's numbers look unreal it can be called a balanced budget considering the profligacy and directionless budgets we have witnessed during the last 9 years of UPA rule. Chidambaram simply had no elbow room to resort to profligacy because the global investors and credit-rating agencies were watching him closely.
Chidambaram's Google+ Hangout four days after the budget session is a welcome development. It only reflects the rise of the aspirational middle class and the importance of social media in political discourse. It provided a platform for people from different sections of society to talk to Chidambaram directly about the budget. This is clearly a good sign considering the otherwise insensitive UPA government. The government should use such platforms to interact with people directly.
I still feel this UPA government and especially Chidambaram since he is the Finance Minister lack new ideas to bring India back to its true potential. As a result, countrymen have to turn to Narendra Modi for new ideas and inspiration. Only the lion from Gujarat can let loose the animal spirits of our economy.
Note: Watch both the Budget-2013 video and Google+ Hangout video attached with this blog.
Just 4 years back when the BJP formed it's first government in South India, BJP central leaders had plans of projecting the state on the lines of Gujarat. But what the state has seen since then is history- extreme cases of nepotism, casteism and corruption. None of the 3 CMs the state has seen since the BJP came to power delivered on their promises. The BJP government became a talking-point of corruption and a flag-bearer of misgovernance. The people of the state had to bend their heads in shame in front of the nation's eyes.
The BJP which never tasted success in South India grew from strength-to-strength in Karnataka for the following 4 reasons.
1. Death of Ramakrishna Hegde- Ramakrishna Hegde had an alliance with the BJP at the national level when he passed away. He was very popular especially among the Lingayats. The BJP filled the leadership vacuum after his passing away by taking in most of his supporters and built the party organisation very well using RSS' organisational capabilities. The popularity of Vajpayee led NDA also helped the party's standing in the state.
2. Kumarswamy's failure to transfer power to BSY- This was seen by many especially by the Lingayats as a plot against them and they sided with the BJP as the state hadn't seen a Lingayat CM since JH Patel.
3. Bellary brothers- The Reddy brothers invested heavily in the 2008 elections and helped form the BJP government to protect their business interests.
4. Good strategy- Arun Jaitley did a fantastic job by coupling RSS' organisational capabilities, sympathy factor, caste equations and Bellary mining money.
The combination of all the above factors delivered a victory for the BJP.
The BJP is solely responsible for the mess the state is currently in. The BJP has to do a face-saving act by immediately dissolving the assembly and seek early elections. It cannot even dream of coming to power on it's own in the next 5 years in the state. The central leadership should instead ask the state leadership to sit in the opposition and work over-time for the 2014 parliamentary elections to contribute maximum number of MPs to make Narendra Modi the PM.
Personally, I am a huge fan of RSS, Narendra Modi and Advani but I'm disgusted at the state of affairs in the Karnataka BJP which is full of mediocrity. Congress in the state suffers from the same problem since it's central leadership does not encourage strong leaders at the state level. The only choice for the people now is HD Kumarswamy. Once led by mighty politicians such as S Nijalingappa, Devraj Urs, Ramakrishna Hegde who had earned a name for themselves even outside the state, we're now reduced to choosing the best among the worst. Please cast your vote consciously in the next assembly elections in the state and let us collectively push mediocrity out of Karnataka's political system.
