Search Webtechi

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Narendra Modi's Open Letter on 2002 Gujarat Roits to Nation

Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has written a lengthy blog post to "share his harrowing ordeal" in the aftermath of the post-Godhra riots in 2002.

Modi's musings come a day after a metropolitan magistrate's court in Ahmedabad upheld the clean chit given to Modi by a Special Investigation Team in the Gulbarg society massacre case.

In his blog, Modi claims that he was shaken to the core by the communal riots and by the "pain of being blamed".

Here is the full text of Narendra Modi's blog post:

Dear sisters and brothers,

The law of nature is that Truth alone triumphs -- Satyameva Jayate. Our judiciary having spoken, I felt it important to share my inner thoughts and feelings with the nation at large.

The end brings back memories of the beginning. The devastating earthquake of 2001 had plunged Gujarat into the gloom of death, destruction and sheer helplessness. Hundreds of lives were lost. Lakhs were rendered homeless. Entire livelihoods were destroyed. In such traumatic times of unimaginable suffering, I was given the responsibility to soothe and rebuild.

And we had whole-heartedly plunged ourselves into the challenge at hand.

Within a mere five months however, the mindless violence of 2002 had dealt us another unexpected blow. Innocents were killed. Families rendered helpless. Property built through years of toil destroyed. Still struggling to get back on its feet from the natural devastation, this was a crippling blow to an already shattered and hurting Gujarat.

I was shaken to the core. 'Grief', 'Sadness', 'Misery', 'Pain', 'Anguish', 'Agony' -- mere words could not capture the absolute emptiness one felt on witnessing such inhumanity.

On one side was the pain of the victims of the earthquake, and on the other the pain of the victims of the riots. In decisively confronting this great turmoil, I had to single-mindedly focus all the strength given to me by the almighty, on the task of peace, justice and rehabilitation; burying the pain and agony I was personally wracked with.

During those challenging times, I often recollected the wisdom in our scriptures; explaining how those seating in positions of power did not have the right to share their own pain and anguish. They had to suffer it in solitude. I lived through the same, experiencing this anguish in searingly sharp intensity. In fact, whenever I remember those agonising days, I have only one earnest prayer to God. That never again should such cruelly unfortunate days come in the lives of any other person, society, state or nation.

This is the first time I am sharing the harrowing ordeal I had gone through in those days at a personal level.

However, it was from these very built up emotions that I had appealed to the people of Gujarat on the day of the Godhra train burning itself; fervently urging for peace and restraint to ensure lives of innocents were not put at risk. I had repeatedly reiterated the same principles in my daily interactions with the media in those fateful days of February-March 2002 as well; publicly underlining the political will as well as moral responsibility of the government to ensure peace, deliver justice and punish all guilty of violence.

You will also find these deep emotions in my recent words at my Sadbhavana fasts, where I had emphasised how such deplorable incidents did not behove a civilized society and had pained me deeply.

In fact, my emphasis has always been on developing and emphasising a spirit of unity; with the now widely used concept of 'my 5 crore Gujarati brothers and sisters' having crystallised right at the beginning of my tenure as CM itself from this very space.

However, as if all the suffering was not enough, I was also accused of the death and misery of my own loved ones, my Gujarati brothers and sisters. Can you imagine the inner turmoil and shock of being blamed for the very events that have shattered you!

For so many years, they incessantly kept up their attack, leaving no stone unturned. What pained even more was that in their overzealousness to hit at me for their narrow personal and political ends, they ended up maligning my entire state and country. This heartlessly kept reopening the wounds that we were sincerely trying to heal. It ironically also delayed the very justice that these people claimed to be fighting for. Maybe they did not realise how much suffering they were adding to an already pained people.

Gujarat however had decided its own path. We chose peace over violence. We chose unity over divisiveness. We chose goodwill over hatred. This was not easy, but we were determined to commit for the long haul. From a life of daily uncertainty and fear; my Gujarat transformed into one of Shanti, Ekta and Sadbhavana. I stand a satisfied and reassured man today. And for this, I credit each and every Gujarati.

The Gujarat Government had responded to the violence more swiftly and decisively than ever done before in any previous riots in the country.

Yesterday's judgement culminated a process of unprecedented scrutiny closely monitored by the highest court of the land, the Honourable Supreme Court of India. Gujarat's 12 years of trial by the fire have finally drawn to an end. I feel liberated and at peace.

I am truly grateful to all those who stood by me in these trying times; seeing through the facade of lies and deceit. With this cloud of misinformation firmly dispelled, I will now also hope that the many others out there trying to understand and connect with the real Narendra Modi would feel more empowered to do so.

Those who derive satisfaction by perpetuating pain in others will probably not stop their tirade against me. I do not expect them to. But, I pray in all humility, that they at least now stop irresponsibly maligning the 6 crore people of Gujarat.

Emerging from this journey of pain and agony; I pray to God that no bitterness seeps into my heart. I sincerely do not see this judgement as a personal victory or defeat, and urge all - my friends and especially my opponents - to not do so as well. I was driven by this same principle at the time of the Honourable Supreme Court's 2011 judgement on this matter. I fasted 37 days for Sadbhavana, choosing to translate the positive judgement into constructive action, reinforcing Unity and Sadbhavana in society at large.

I am deeply convinced that the future of any society, state or country lies in harmony. This is the only foundation on which progress and prosperity can be built. Therefore, I urge one and all to join hands in working towards the same, ensuring smiles on each and every face.

Once again, Satyameva Jayate!

Vande Mataram!


Saturday, December 7, 2013

Modi writes to Chief Ministers of various Indian states on Communal Violence Bill

Gujarat Chief Minister - Shri Narendra Modi has written to the Chief Ministers of several Indian states on the issue of the Prevention of Communal Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013, which the Central Government plans to introduce in the ongoing Parliament session. In his letter, Modi has called upon his counterparts to deliberate on the issue, take up the matter with the Central Government and opposite this Bill. Modi wrote that it is important for all Chief Ministers to rise beyond political affiliations and come together to oppose the Bill, which is nothing but a blatant attempt by the Centre to interfere with and intrude upon the powers of elected State Governments.

Modi emphasized on how the Communal Violence Bill would polarize society on religious and linguistic lines and would introduce the idea of differential application of criminal law to citizens based on religious and linguistic identities. He wrote about how the Bill would demoralize public savants and even impact how the state government can deal with law and order situations in future.

The Chief Ministers Modi wrote to include Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Shri Prithviraj Chavan (Maharashtra), Shri Okram Ibobi Singh (Manipur), Dr. Mukul Sangma (Meghalaya) among others.

Earlier Shri Narendra Modi had written to the Honourable Prime Minister of India expressing his strong opposition to the Bill. In a comprehensive letter to the Prime Minister, he listed the grounds on which he opposed the Bill and even pointed out the various sections of the Bill that were flawed. He had described the Bill as ill conceived, a recipe for disaster and added that it was driven by vote bank politics not genuine concern for society at large.

Even for Muslims, Modi is next Prime Minister

Whatever the so-called secular Congress leaders say one thing is clear that Narendra Modi’s popularity has transcended all the barriers of caste, creed and religion. He is no longer a Hindu leader as now even the Muslims have started talking about giving him a chance. The Muslim leaders now are not mincing words in accepting that the Congress has used Modi’s name to traumatize Muslims.

Latest in the line is the oldest plaintiff in Babri Masjid case Hashim Ansari, 85, who said in Ayodhya that the Congress was creating a fear of Gujarat Chief Minister by saying that if he becomes the Prime Minister, Muslims will have to face the consequences. This statement emphasises the new thought process that is emerging among the Muslims.

The Muslims listened to him when he said, “Muslims have supported Congress from the last 50 years but the party has gifted them communal riots. If Modi wants to become the Prime Minister, he needs support of Muslims and we should give him that.”

"Muslims in Gujarat are happy and wealthy," he said.

"Congress is creating fear of Modi by saying that if he becomes the prime minister their will be consequences for the community," he said.

Muslims have supported Congress for over 50 years, but the party in return gifted the community a series of communal riots, he said.

He also attacked the Muslim ministers in the Samajwadi party-led UP government and called them "powerless".

"Muslim ministers in the SP government are speechless and don't have any position in the party," he said.

The SP government is following the path of Congress, which has "suppressed Muslims through riots", Hashim alleged.

"Over 100 riots have taken place since the SP government took over the reigns of UP. The party is following the path the Congress, which suppressed Muslims by orchestrating riots," he said.

Ansari is not alone who spoke his heart about negative Congress politics which revolved around creating a religious divide on secular and communal lines. Only a month and a-half back Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Hind general secretary Mehmood Madani had said that the Congress was raising fears about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi only to secure support of Muslims.

Narendra Modi's Gujarat to get country’s first smart grid Project

NaMo's Gujarat to get country’s first smart grid:


Like cell-phone users, people may be able to pick a plan for
electricity consumption. The Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Ltd(UGVCL) will roll out India's first modernized electrical grid,
or the smart grid, in Naroda and Deesa in north Gujarat by April 2014.

The pilot project will study consumer behaviour of electricity usage and propose a tariff structure based on usage and load on the power utility. Eventually, it will be rolled out across the state to disincentivize power consumption during peak hours. New meters embedded with SIM cards will be installed in 20,000 residential and industrial units in Naroda to monitor data every 15 minutes on how a particular consumer uses power.

The smart grid was first implemented in the US for efficient transmission of electricity. Like the internet, the smart grid consists of controls, computers, automation, and new technologies and equipment working in unison. These technologies work with the grid to respond digitally to the consumer's dynamic electricity demand.

"The smart grid will work on the 'time of day' concept, based on which tariffs will be set. For example if the demand is at peak during 7pm to 11pm, the tariffs will be higher for that period," said Nityanand Srivastava, and managing director, UGVCL on the sidelines of the 6th India Energy Conclave organized by CII.

"This will help us curb power theft substantially," said energy minister Saurabh Patel.


Why Ahmedabad is the safest place for women today.

By Zafar Sareshwala and Asifa Khan

A recent multi-city survey by CNN-IBN and Hindustan Times suggests that Ahmedabad may be the safest city for women, with 88 percent thinking so.

There is a reason for this. Safety is partly the result of the administration developing a firm grip on law and order, including control of organized crime. And there is a story to this development in Ahmedabad. As a dry state, Gujarat was once known for its underworld dons, with bootlegging being the main reason for their rise to criminal power. Powerful criminal dons cannot really exist without a nexus between them, the politicians and the police. This was the reality in the 1980s and 1990s, and this nexus was a critical factor in the rise of communalism in the state, since rioting turned out to be a profitable activity for the people concerned and it was usually stage-managed by the powers-that-be.
This nexus had vitiated the atmosphere so much that it was impossible for most people to venture out of their homes late at night. 

Towards the late 1990s, the law enforcers realised that things had gone too far, and soon many underworld dons from both sides of the communal divide were either put in jail or forced to wind up shop. They vanished. By 2003, boot-legging was on the decline, and the associated criminal enterprises also started folding up. In fact, when the authors of this article talked to a very senior police officer in Ahmedabad who also controls law and order, they were told that the previous hotspots of criminal activity had become safer. He said: “There has been no FIR registered in those police stations which were earlier epicentres of all criminal activities over the last eight to nine years.”

The fact that Ahmedabad and most of Gujarat has been riot- and-curfew-free after 2002 suggests that the overall peace dividend has resulted in improved safety for women too.
Meanwhile, the high growth trajectory of the state has improved job opportunities. Once the youth start finding a regular source of income and urban unemployment starts tapering off, the attraction of criminal activity diminishes. Ahmedabad's night life today has to be seen to be believed. In other metro cities, night life is confined to pubs, discotheques and star hotels, where excess imbibing of liquor is the mother of all vices and presumably critical to this form of relaxation. In contrast, Ahmedabad's night life is relatively free from liquor, and is lived out mostly on the streets – not in pubs or discos.

Manek Chowk and Law Garden are just two examples. Young girls on their Scooties hang out here long past midnight and various other lively spots in Gujarat’s capital city. There are very few places in the country where you will find women street vendors plying their trades as late as 2 am. You will also increasingly find scores of Muslim families, including burkha clad women, as pillion riders at various spots such as CG Road and SG Road. Once upto a time, even Muslim men would not venture out at night.

Don’t get us wrong. We are not saying people don’t drink liquor in Gujarat. They do so in private parties, but they dare not venture out after getting drunk because the police not only lock them up but are publicly named and shamed, with their photographs being published. The near-absence of drunkards in public places is an important contributor to women’s safety in Ahmedabad. In fact, Muslim women travelling alone is now a common sight in the city. The safety standard of any city will be judged by the safety of its women. In most cities around the country and particularly in the metros, the easy availability of alcohol (when even water is scarcer) and non-existent policing make public places unsafe. In Ahmedabad and several other cities of Gujarat, you will find visible police persons and patrols. This inhibits criminals.

The authors believe that night life ought to be about food and merriment and good behaviour, and not juiced by alcohol. This will bring families out to claim the night life rather than just criminals and mischief-mongers.

(Asifa Khan is a member of the Gujarat BJP, and Zafar Sareshwala is a Gujarati businessman who opened a dialogue with Modi to improve the lot of Muslims in Gujarat)

Friday, November 8, 2013

US website takes satire too far, makes up ‘Assam Rape Festival’

US website takes satire too far, makes up ‘Assam Rape Festival’

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/living/us-website-takes-satire-too-far-holds-assam-rape-festival-1217025.html?utm_sourWhen freelance writer David Emery from About.com came to the rescue of NationalReport.net for its ‘satitical article‘ on the Assam Rape Festival he perhaps forgot that even satire, no matter how ingenious they are, cannot flout the norms of propriety. The so-called US based “humour” website NationalReport.net on 3 November came out with a piece that the Assam Rape Festival will begin this week. “Men in India are already beginning to celebrate as the annual Assam Rape Festival is just days away. Every non-married girl age 7-16 will have the chance to flee to safety or get raped,” the horrifying piece said.
When freelance writer David Emery from About.com came to the rescue of NationalReport.net for its ‘satitical article‘ on the Assam Rape Festival he perhaps forgot that even satire, no matter how ingenious they are, cannot flout the norms of propriety. The so-called US based “humour” website NationalReport.net on 3 November came out with a piece that the Assam Rape Festival will begin this week. “Men in India are already beginning to celebrate as the annual Assam Rape Festival is just days away. Every non-married girl age 7-16 will have the chance to flee to safety or get raped,” the horrifying piece said.


What made matters worse was that the article even created a head of the festival called Madhuban Ahluwalia, who claimed that the festival has been held in Assam for thousands of years. The piece, which has no satirical elements whatsoever, is vulgar and outrightly salacious. Read one of the quotes which the article claims to have been said by one 23-year-old Harikrishna Majumdar: “I’m going to get the most rapes this year. I’ve been practicing raping my sister and her friends every day. I will be rape superstar number one! I will get the Baalkrishan prize this year for sure!” As if this was not enough, the man who rapes the most will be awarded The Baalkrishan trophy. The story also provides a phone number to be contacted for more details. “For more information on the festival or if you would like to participate, please call the 24-hour Assam Rape Festival hotline at (785) 273-0325“—the piece said. Expectedly, the article went viral on social media and netizens from all over the globe slammed Assam for organising such a festival. Emery, who correctly calls the article “fictitious”, has actually failed to judge the enormity of the negative impact that it is having on India as a nation and Assam in particular. He would surely agree that it isn’t a simple satire anymore if he goes through feedback on the piece. Comments below the piece like—”May God help this fallen nation!This is disgusting!!” (Vee), “this is really horrible … raping 7-16 year old girls. aren’t men suppose to protect us and not treat children like they are animals or whatever. something is wrong in India I’m hurt and disgusted” (Mo)—clearly suggest that it is no longer fun and the damage is already been done. The state police has already taken note of the matter. “We have got to know about the piece on NationalReport.net. The Criminal Investigation Department has already started an enquiry. We are looking to locate the source and the veracity of the website. Further action will depend on the report of the initial investigation,” Assam Police, Director General, Jayanta Narayan Choudhury told Firstpost from Guwahati. The link, which is now flying all over the place on Facebook, also evoked angry response slamming the article. “This is bizarre and stupid.. if it is a satire, it should be mentioned and if not the publication should be sued by both the government of India and the Assam government for defamation. Unpardonable,” said Ron from New Delhi. What is perplexing is the disclaimer available on National Report as it simply washes its hands off from anything foul that goes out from its domain: “The National Report is an online portal for “citizen journalists”. The views expressed by writers on this site are theirs alone and are not reflective of the fine journalistic and editorial integrity of National Report. Advice given is NOT to be construed as professional. If you are in need of professional help, please consult a professional. National Report is not intended for children under the age of 18.” Indeed this stuff is not for anyone below 18 or above.
A satirical piece by an American website apparently targeting the increase in sexual assaults on women in India has left Assam seething in anger over the mention of an "annual rape festival" in the northeastern state.

The Assam director general of police (DGP) Jayanto Narayan Choudhury on Thursday ordered a probe in Guwahati after the write-up was posted on Facebook, drawing angry response from netizens.

The write-up, titled 'The Assam Rape Festival In India Begins This Week', was first posted five days ago on a website nationalreport.net which claimed to be the US' most independent news site. The report was later picked up by many other news portals and forums.

Assam is among many states in India which has seen a rise in incidents of sexual assault on women. Just a few days ago, two women were raped and murdered in the capital city, triggering mob violence against alleged police inaction.

"Men in India are already beginning to celebrate as the annual Assam Rape Festival is just days away. Every non-married girl age 7-16 will have the chance to flee to safety or get raped," the write-up said, eliciting comments ranging from incredulity to anger.

"WTF..", wrote one user Gitima Das, using the abbreviated version of a common slang phrase.

Facebook users agreed that it was meant to be a satire but took objection to naming a state. "It's satire. But u can't name a state or a country while writing a satirical piece," wrote another Facebook user Tonmoy Borkotoky.

In fact, the satirical piece also dragged in other states. "The Assam Festival began in 43 BC when Baalkrishan Tamil Nadu raped everyone in his village of Ludhiana. Baalkrishan Tamil Nadu is remembered every year at this event, in fact the trophy given to the man with the most rapes is called The Baalkrishan."

Apparently, the piece is identical to a similar piece posted by the same website, only the state targeted that time was Punjab.

Devraj Upadhyay, the superintendent of police of Assam Police's CID, said that they have already started a probe into the matter. "We have taken up a suo moto case. It is a sensitive issue and we will take up the matter with the matter with the website," Upadhyay told Hindustan Times over phone from Guwahati.

The probe will be handled by the CID's cyber crime cell.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

25 Questions that Arvind Kejriwal and his Supporters Should Answer :

25 Questions that Arvind Kejriwal and his Supporters Should Answer :

1. Why Arvind Kejriwal & his wife were never transferred out of Delhi in their entire career if they were fighting against Corrupt Govt. unlike Ashok Khemka or Durga Shakti?

2. What are Kejriwal's achievements as an IRS Officer?

3. What is his stand on Kashmir, Indian Army and Hindu Terrorism with respect to Bhushan's comments?

4. What is the stand of Aam Aadmi Party on Ram Janmabhoomi issue?

5. What does AK think of the Martyrdom of Mohanchand Sharma in Batla House?

6. What had Narendra Modi got to do in his speech and banners at Jantar Mantar when Sikhs were protesting against Sajjan Kumar?

7. Why dreaded Maoist leaders such as Binayak Sen, who have been convicted by Court, are in AAP core Reforms team?

8. Imam Bukhari who has dozens of arrest warrants against him and was openly seen for calling for Islamic Rule in India, Kejriwal has been seen with him on occasions, would he clarify his relations with him?

9. Is there any personal reason why Kejriwal chose not to speak against Navin Jindal and Pawan Bansal on matters of Scams and Corruption?

10. Kejriwal intelligently did an expose on Nitin Gadkari naming him in an irrigation scam, but he really didn’t mention that it was Sharad Pawar & family which was in power for over a decade in Maharashtra

11. What was the reason that Bharat Mata picture was removed in later anshans/protests by Kejriwal

12. What was the reason for his Media Byte - "We dont want support from communal people" on question asked by a journalist about RSS providing food during their Anshan when at a later stage, AAP workers who went for Relief work in Uttarakhand, were found gobbling food in Baba Ramdev’s camp, which was meant for Flood Victims?

13. Why is Kejriwal utterly silent on Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh of Congress, when he faced so many serious allegations?

14. Who asked Kejriwal to go on Aamaran Anshan (fast unto death) and later break his fast by drinking water from a Steel Glass (he wasn’t asked for either of the two)

15. What was the reason of him for writing a letter to Muslims saying Batla house encounter was fake and Ishrat Jahan was an innocent who was killed in Fake encounter?

16. Further Why did he mention that “many innocent Muslims are killed in Gujarat” in his letter, when he does not have proof that those were fake.

17. Also why does Kejriwal handpick Gujarat in citing examples of encounters on terrorists when the number of encounters in Congress ruled Maharashtra and AP, north eastern states and Uttar Pradesh are much higher?

18. Even when it came to UP Riots, Kejriwal blamed Modi and Amit Shah and faintly mentioned Samajwadi Party, when in reality 2 Congress ex MPs were booked and BSP, SP MPs were found inciting violence. Why this soft corner in not naming Congress responsible for UP Riots?

19. Why did Kejriwal not campaign for the BJP govt. of Uttarakhand in the last Assembly elections, as they had promised even when they passed exactly the same Lokayukta Bill that team Anna wanted, although Kejriwal is silent on Congress removing most of its content from the bill after it came to power last year in Uttarakhand.

20. During his tenure as IAS officer, how many corrupt people did Arvind kejriwal bust? He says corruption is deep rooted, therefore he must have busted a lot of corrupt officials during his tenure as IAS officer

21. He set up an Internal Lokpal to investigate Corruption of AAP members such as Mayank Gandhi, Damania etc. How was the process carried out and how is Internal Lokpal of AAP any different than CBI investigating Congress?

22. There were allegations on Kejriwal that he siphoned off extra salary during his tenure as IAS officer. He refused the charges, but returned the extra salary he had taken to the department. If he had not taken illegal salary why did he return it?

23. AAP was forthcoming in demanding investigation of encounters of alleged terrorists Ishrat Jahan and Shahzad of Batla house. Why did he not ask for investigation of alleged murder of RTI activist & AAP member Santosh Koli?

24. What was the need for AAP leader to work with Congress candidate's husband Sanjeev Bhatt against Narendra Modi just before Gujarat election in 2012 to do a fake expose which was later quashed

25. Lastly, why is AAP not responding to RTI queries, including convicted people in its Core Reforms team, when it claims to support RTI for political parties and the Supreme Court ruling?

Friday, September 27, 2013

Bigg Boss 7: Gauhar Khan, Kushal Tandon are new Jannatwasis

Gauhar Khan and Kushal Tandon are new Jannatwasis.  

After Bigg Boss asks Gauhar to name two Jahannumwasis who did their best during the weekly task, she names Kushal and herself, sparking a debate amongst the inmates. While Kamya feels taking her own name was unfair on Gauhar's part, Pratyusha feels that Gauhar took the names so that she can continue staying with Kushal.

On the other hand, Andy and Sangram are the new inhabitants of Jahannum. Later, near midnight, the wild card entry model Asif Azim makes a dramatic entry emerging out of the swimming pool.

Earlier in the day, Rajat and Armaan will be seen locking horns over names to be nominated for being sent to jahannum. Later, Armaan also picks up a fight with Andy over the same issue.

During the day, Rajat's health gets worse and Rajat is called inside the confession room for a doctor's check-up. Rajat gets the medical attention only after the other house inmates put forth their demands violently.

Kushal & Gauahar Khan, the new love birds of Bigg Boss

Kushal & Gauahar Khan, the new love birds of Bigg Boss

Though small screen's controversial reality show Bigg Boss is best known for its clashes, fights and controversial contestants, the show's mushy love stories also keep viewers busy.

And the latest contestants who are painting the Bigg Boss house red with their love are Kushal Tandon & Gauahar Khan.

Sources inform that from the moment Gauahar (who was earlier placed in the heaven section of the Bigg Boss house) stepped in hell, Kushal has been showering extra attention on the model turned actress. Both the housemates are mostly seen spending time and chilling with each other. In yesterday's (23 September 2013) episode, Kushal said that Gauahar is the one person who he loves to trouble in the house and was also seen giving her a back massage to make her feel better. Kushal, who recently broke up with girl friend Elena, is seen singing songs for Gauahar. Recently, when Eli, Kushal and Gauahar were in a conversation, Kushal-Gauahar forgot about Eli and kept looking in each other's eyes.

Later, Eli had to tell them that they were behaving like couples. This is not all. The handsome lad has become protective about her and is ready to take fights with even friends like Armaan who he knew before entering the Bigg Boss house.

Will Kushal-Gauahar's love story survive the testing time? Only time will tell.


All about Right to Reject

Right to Reject: A great step towards future electoral reforms to make our democracy vibrant and meaningful

Dear Friends,
This morning the Honorable Supreme Court directed the Election Commission to include negative voting by allowing the voters to reject all the candidates in an election.
I wholeheartedly welcome this. I am sure it will have a long lasting impact on our polity and will be a great step in the direction of further electoral reforms that can make our democracy even more vibrant and participative.


Friends, for a very long time I have called for a provision for a right to reject in elections. Without it, there was something lacking in the system. Right now, if there are ten candidates contesting from a seat, we are compelling the voters to choose from those ten candidates. This judgment will empower the voters to express their anger and reject all of them. The voters can give a message that we do not like the candidate or the candidates party or the party policies. This will give out a very strong message to political parties- parties will be forced to think why is it that people are not accepting them. It will make parties more responsible.

Many friends in some political parties are skeptical of having a Right to Reject in forthcoming elections. However, I am not surprised. We introduced a bill on compulsory voting, which even included the Right to Reject but Congress Party opposed it tooth and nail. The bill was passed twice, in 2008 and in 2009 but it was then withheld by the Honourable Governor.
Compulsory voting too, has several advantages that can make our democracy stronger. It will even mitigate fears about elections becoming display of money power. Many citizens are disturbed by the large amounts of money being spent on elections. However, by bringing compulsory voting, mindless and extravagant expenditure on elections will not happen as the voter will anyway have to come to the polling booth and cast his or her franchise.


It is natural for many of you to ask- do things like Right to Reject and Compulsory voting violate our Right to Expression? No, I would say it is adding completeness in the opportunity for expression. Right now, you are getting only half the right of expression- that of selecting the person or party. In future, you will get a complete right of expression- of even rejecting the candidates.

And it is not that something is being snatched from the voters. If compulsory schooling for children is advocated, can you say that we are denying a child his or her childhood?
Once someone asked Mahatma Gandhi what are the fundamental rights of the people? Gandhi ji said that it is not about the fundamental right but the fundamental duties of the people. When we do our duties properly, the rights will be automatically safeguarded and if we do our duties properly, our democracy will be safeguarded.


But friends, while it is good to talk about Right to Reject and Compulsory Voting, this debate will be meaningless if you are not registered as voters! I am told that a large number of youngsters who are 18 to 24 years old are not registered as voters. There is nothing more unfortunate than this. The Election Commission has started a special drive across all states for enlisting voters and I urge all of you to make use of the drive and get registered as voters. It is equally true that many of our NRI friends who retain their India passports do not know that they can vote in elections. Thus, I even urge my NRI friends to check the Election Commission website and get registered as voters.

Democracy can only be strengthened by all of us! As voters, we are the ‘Bhagya Vidhatas’ of our nation. What the Supreme Court said today is a wonderful step but it is now for us to come together, put it into practice and strengthen our democracy so that our nation can shine in the years to come!

by- Narendra Modi

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

India finally gets its leader as Narendra Modi


People see in Modi everything that UPA leaders are not, a man who can deliver our country back to us. 

All right thinking people who feel strongly for the genuine progress and prosperity of our country have heaved a sigh of relief at the BJP declaring Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections. Yes, there was a power struggle, as there is and should be in any real democracy in the world. It was a tough contest and the best man won. But many in India have become so accustomed to dynastic succession, that a democratic succession exercised through contest in the true spirit of democracy is construed as a great aberration, or an indication of a dysfunctional political party. Dynasty has even changed the democratic terminology, particularly among the media. Never before have I heard the words "anointment" and "coronation" recklessly becoming idioms of a democratic leadership change.

Some of the despondency that was gripping the country has started to lift. During the last few years, one heard the same questions over and over again across the spectrum: where is this country heading? Is there any hope at all for the future? Because what every patriotic and responsible citizen saw during the last decade of UPA rule was a directionless drift, apathy towards national interest and the welfare of the people, a complete breakdown of the state machinery, and a supreme commitment to corruption. The poor of India experienced the highest form of cruelty inflicted on them through the unprecedented rise in the prices of their already meagre food consumption articles, which all the misleading promises of the Food Security Act cannot compensate.

For me personally, it was a momentous event, something that I have been consistently urging the BJP to do for the last few years. And when I say this, I speak about the interest of the nation, and the leadership it needs today, and not about the interest of any particular person. Regardless of the unceasing propaganda hurled against Narendra Modi, his popular appeal among the intelligentsia and the masses had already been acknowledged, even by an unfriendly media, through the series of surveys and opinion polls that put him at the top of the list for future Prime Minister. People believe he has the qualities that are required to forcefully stem the steep descent of our polity into a completely failed state. Clearly, it is refreshing and promising for people that they do not find any resemblance between Modi and any of the present political leaders of the UPA. Instead, they see in him everything that the UPA leaders are not — the last ray of hope that can end our nation's nightmare and deliver our country back to us.

However, the road ahead will continue to be pitted with challenges. Narendra Modi's enemies outside his own party, though strangely sobered and bewildered about how to handle this new blazing star on the Prime Ministerial firmament, will continue their vilification campaign against him, despite their previous failures. They know that they don't have anything substantial to attack him with. His record in governance and achievement has been impressive, whether on the development or economic front. There is no taint of corruption in his decade long tenure as Chief Minister. The SIT found nothing to implicate him personally in the unfortunate 2002 riots. Having exhausted these, Modi's enemies have been forced to downgrade their weaponry to a weak propaganda of some vague and non-existent accusations that even they find difficult to substantiate.

For example, accusations against Modi have now changed from the political to personal, using hazy, nebulous words. The worst his enemies now call him is a "polarising figure", whatever that means. Well, in my view, if Modi is able to polarise opinions regarding what is good for the country and what is not, I think, the polarisation was long overdue. Next, he is accused of being "divisive", again without explaining what it means. After ten long years of UPA's paralysed governance, it appears that anyone "decisive" is now derisively labelled as "divisive". Do these accusers, supported by some sections of the media, consider it more beneficial for the progress of our nation and people to continue the non-decisive UPA leadership model of "coalition dharma" of corruption and inaction, which has almost destroyed our country, and made us a laughing stock in the world? Today, we are pathetically known the world over as an aspiring global superpower reeking in corruption; a power which has lost the ability to govern or protect its national interest and is ever too eager to sell its national interest for private gain. All opinion polls suggest that India has had enough of the UPA's consensus and compromise leadership model, and instead requires a strong, firm, no-nonsense leader.

Modi's enemies have spread another canard, that he is no "team leader", that he's a "one man show", again without providing any details or substance. I can only ask that if he were indeed not a team leader, would he win three elections in succession in Gujarat, surrounded as he was by powerful opponents holding the keys to every national investigation agency in the country and instigating every possible dissenter to revolt against him? I ask these puerile critics to compare the intra party revolts within the Congress and the UPA constituents in states across the country, with the Gujarat BJP, before they loosely throw around terms like team leadership, divisiveness and polarisation. But I do notice that the misuse of the word "communal" to describe him has reduced drastically.
I claim that even though I have several admiring friends, and perhaps several critics, neither my admirers nor critics have ever accused me of being communal or in any manner hostile to Muslims. I have repeatedly expressed my deepest admiration for the Prophet of Islam before audiences of all hues. I always impress my students with the Prophet's invaluable words that "he who walks in the path of knowledge walks on the path of God" and "the ink of the scholar is more valuable than the blood of a martyr". I believe I have the perfect credentials for categorically informing the public, who has for too long been bombarded by disinformation about Narenbhai being an anti-Muslim fanatic, that he is not so. I would say the same under oath in any court of law. The Muslim minority is as safe with him as Prime Minister as any other citizen of India. My Muslim friends must accept my guarantee, on which I stake all my reputation. Narenbhai deserves the vote of every patriotic Indian.

The people of India and most parties have realised that there is no one with a greater pan-Indian charisma and natural communication skills than Narendra Modi, so much so, that he is evaluated by the electorate on his own merit and nothing else. He has the rare gift of holding an audience spellbound. And no one can deny that charisma and communication skills are indispensable qualities for the leader of a large and pluralistic nation like India. The best example of the lack of these qualities is the UPA government.

Nobody can stop Narendra Modi from becoming Prime Minister.

Mumbai : The elections of 2014 will definitely see a change in power and Shri. Narendra Modi is going to be the Prime Minister of India. Nobody can stop him from this. The above frank opinion was given by Dr. Subramanian Swamy at ‘Mumbai Patrakar Sangh’ on 23rd September. Dr. Swamy was the Chief Guest of the program held for release of book titled ‘Wake up or Perish’ authored by Shri. Madhu Devalekar. The book published by ‘Hindu Voice’, was released by senior journalist, ‘Padmashri’ Muzaffar Husain when P. Deivamuthu, the Editor of ‘Hindu Voice’ magazine, Advocate Ashish Shelar, the Regional President of BJP for Mumbai were also present.
Dr. Swamy said,
1. The culture of this country is Hindu and it should be protected; the seats of honour of this culture should be protected. It has been proved that Sriram Mandir was there beneath Babri Mosque. A mosque where Prophet Mohammad read ‘namaz’ at Mecca, was demolished by the Government to construct palace because mosque is a simple ground for reading ‘namaz’ which can be created anywhere; but so is not the case with temples. The idols of Deities are installed by performing rituals and every day, ‘puja’ is performed at such place. A temple has to be, therefore, constructed at Babri mosque and big mosque can be built for Muslims elsewhere.
2. Indian Muslims should become part of global development and should not object to India maintaining friendly ties with Israel. Such friendship is made for the welfare of the country and Muslims need to first become nationalists. Common civil law and ‘one-wife’ rule should be implemented in this country.
3. Muslims were not ready to live with Hindus in this country; therefore, they demanded partition and Pakistan and Bangla Desh, two independent nations were created. Now, Muslims from those countries are infiltrating and living in India; therefore, population of Muslims has grown. Thus, if Muslims from Bangla Desh are ready to live with Hindus, Bangla Desh should be merged with India or India should take over land of Bangla Desh through military action. If that happens, it will be easy to take care of those people in that land.
4. Conspiracy is hatched to destroy history of this country. The culture of this country cannot be protected without nationalism. It is therefore, time to wake up, with a kick, all those who are pretending to be sleeping.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Its time to go Mr Prime Minister - Bye Bye Mr.Manmohan

Its time to go Mr Prime Minister


Dear Prime Minister,

In Hindu tradition and culture the concept of renunciation has always been valued more than the idea of acquisition, and even though you may not accept this for fear of offending your party's minority vote bank, let me allay your fears by reminding you that this is something preached by the Abrahamic religions also.


I would, therefore, urge you to seriously consider this option in your own interest as well as in the larger interest of this unfortunate country.


The government headed by you has already taken the country back to 1990 in sheer economic terms, and in terms of other social and public values we have reached the nadir of the Dark Ages.


The country had great hopes from you when it voted you to power in 2004, and even higher expectations when it renewed your mandate in 2009 after your sterling display of vision and courage in the nuclear deal. But you only flattered to deceive, and for reasons which are now becoming obvious, relinquished any pretense of leadership or governance.


A big ship needs a strong hand at the rudder-your hand- but you have handed it over to a motley crew of rank opportunists and faceless lascars who can only run it aground.


You were never a politician- a positive for most of the voters – and the two qualities that made us repose our trust in you were your honesty and your acknowledged status as an eminent economist. Today, both lie in tatters- you have betrayed our trust, not substantially but wholly, and therefore you must go.
 

Time to go Mr Prime Minister


Honesty is not divisible, and for those who exercise power there can be no nuances between personal honesty and public honesty. A person who allows others to loot cannot be honest. A Manager who does not raise his voice when illegalities are being committed by his subordinates cannot be honest.

A law maker who protects criminals cannot be honest. And a Prime Minister who does all this simply to remain in power cannot be honest. Your honesty has already cost the country dearly, Mr. Prime Minister, and we cannot sustain this cost any longer.


Your reputation as an economist may still follow you to Harvard or to the LSE after your retirement, but in this country its devaluation is proportionate to the devaluation of the Indian rupee. Where did you lose the plot?


You had everything going for you when you took over in 2004– an economy growing at 8-9%, a Current Account SURPLUS of US$ 10.56 billion, Foreign Exchange reserves in excess of US$ 400 billion, a comfortable net INFLOW of Foreign Direct Investment.


After nine years of your being at the helm, the growth rate is down to between 5% and 6% and falling, the Current Account has gone into a DEFICIT of US$ 20 billion and increasing, Foreign Exchange reserves are down to seven months import and depleting, the Fiscal Deficit is going to hit 6%, Foreign Exchange reserves are down to US $ 200 billions (with repayments of US$ 150 due before March 2014), there is a net OUTFLOW of FDI funds to the tune of almost US$ 7-10 billions every month.


The Rupee has reached an exchange rate of 65 to the dollar. Nobody believes Mr. Chidambaram anymore, the RBI Governor can only hyper-ventilate, and you, of course, continue to maintain your sphinx-like silence.


In the meantime inflation continues unabated, jobs are being lost by the millions ( unemployment actually rose by 2% between July 2011 and June 2012), Indian industry prefers to take its money abroad, infrastructure projects languish somewhere between Messers Jaiswal, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and a litre of cooking oil now costs more than two litres of beer! (Can you imagine, Mr. Prime Minister, what a field day Marie Antoinette would have had with this?!).


And this is at the precise time when the rest of the world is coming out of its downturn! No, sir, you and your band of forty thieves have been so busy with your petty politicking, with ensuring the survival of a particular dynasty, securing the financial well being of future generations of your party colleagues and allies, dividing communities and classes, that you have had no time for planning and taking decisions.


The only decisions you HAVE taken boggle the mind. We are already spending 75000 crores every year on our Public Distribution System: every single survey indicates that at least 40% of this, or 30000 crores is siphoned off by politicians, bureaucrats and middle-men. And now your govt. is determined to pour another 50000 crores into this bottomless pit through the Food Security Act! What for?



The BPL( Below Poverty Line) families and the Antyodaya (poorest of the poor) families are already covered under the existing PDS-the FSA will make no difference to them. Govt.’s own figures state that only 27% of our population is now below the poverty line; why then do you want to bring 67% of the population under the FSA, and spend a whopping 50000 crore on people who do not deserve this largesse?


And that too at a time when you have no money for infrastructure development or health and education( in both of which we now lag behind even Sri Lanka and Bangladesh!). Is it worth destroying a country just so your motley crew can win another election? Is this honesty, Mr. Prime Minister?


Had it been only the economic downturn we could perhaps have been more generous. For economics, as we all know, is not only a dismal science, it is also an uncertain one: as they say, even if one were to lay down all economists end to end, we still wouldn't reach a conclusion!


After all, if Mr. Amartya Sen and Mr. Bhagwati cannot agree on what is good for India we can hardly expect you to have the answer. No sir, the economics is only a part of the mess: let me recount what the others are.


You have systematically sought to destroy every fiber of the democratic fabric of this nation. Constitutional authorities have been attacked publicly by your minions and sought to be humiliated at every turn: remember the diatribes against Vinod Rai and the Central Information Commissioner?


Statutory authorities like the CBI and the office of the Attorney General have been subverted and made to fall in line, your party’s line. Your oath of office demanded that you protect them, but you remained mute, as is your wont.


You have even done the unthinkable: set the Intelligence Bureau against the CBI, ensuring for ever that our premier intelligence agency will never cooperate with our premier criminal investigating agency- every terrorist, insurgent and crooks of all assorted types must be lining up outside Teksons to buy ” thank you” cards for you!


Such is your hubris that you have shown contempt for the orders of the Supreme Court even. The courts judgments, instead of being respected and seen as a matter for serious contemplation, are publicly criticised and sought to be by-passed by the collation of a consensus of those affected by the judgments (!) and a brute legislative majority.


So criminals can continue in Parliament. Merit will find no place in the selection of Doctors (at the senior most, Professor, level) even in Super specialty disciplines; minorities will get reservations in government jobs even though the Constitution forbids it.

This lack of respect for the final arbiter of the Constitution and the law is not only breeding a competitive defiance of the Court among other political parties but is also setting the stage for a show down with the judiciary a-la Pakistan and other banana republics.


You behave as if the Opposition is not part of the democratic process, that it is a nuisance that is best ignored; consequently, all communication between the two has now snapped, and the nation is a helpless witness to a Parliament that resembles a rugby locker room in both language and action and is in a permanent state of adjournment.


All parties are to blame for this, of course, but it is your party which laid down the rules of engagement. By refusing to walk the extra mile to accommodate even the legitimate demands of the Opposition, and by sabotaging time and again the Committees of Parliament, you have eviscerated this vital organ of democracy which under you has become as vestigious and irrelevant as your appendix.


Practically no legislative work has been done in the last two years: there are 116 bills pending in both Houses, of which 19 and 21 relate to financial and educational reforms, respectively, two of the areas that need immediate attention.


But your lack of concern is matched only by your shocking sense of priorities: instead of trying to push these bills, you have instead chosen to concentrate your fading energies on two other amendments that can only make politics murkier and more criminalised: removing the disqualification of convicted legislators, and exempting political parties from the RTI Act!


Perhaps the biggest price for your incompetence and your colleagues venality is being paid by our defense forces: all three are many years behind in terms of armaments and weaponry (because another ” honest” Minister, Mr. Antony, will neither effect purchases from abroad nor allow FDI in defense production) and their very capacity to defend the country has been seriously eroded.


Who will defend our borders in such a scenario, Mr. Prime Minister- the lethal barbs of Mr. Manish Tewari, or the boomerangs of Mr. Digvijay Singh or the IEDs of Mr. Mani Shankar Iyer? Even worse, you have demoralized our armed forces by the constant interference of your Ministry and completely taken away their operational and tactical independence.


A succession of retired Army commanders have said so in recent times and the pusillanimous approach of our troops in response to violations of the LOC testify to this. (Of course, these same Army Commanders who have suddenly found their conscience and their voice also need to explain why they didn't defend their operational independence more vigorously when they were enjoying the perks of their office!).


Under you we have become a whining nation- we whine when Pakistani troops shoot our soldiers, we whine when Chinese troops camp on our territory for weeks on end, we whine when Italian marines shoot our sailors, we whine when the Sri Lanka navy arrests our fishermen, we whine when our ex-President is frisked at an American airport.


Under you a once-proud nation is being kicked around by even a Maldives or a Bhutan. What in God’s name have you done to our image?


In communal terms we have always been a fractured society. But true leaders have in the past tried to bridge these fissures. To you, however, will go the dubious credit of widening and deepening these cracks between communities and castes.
In order to survive, your party has countenanced the retrograde decisions of allies that can only raise the confrontational pitch: earmarking of state budgets for a religious minority, reservations in jobs for the same community (which goes against the express provisions of our Constitution), reservations in promotions (which has been struck down by the courts), setting up of a central Commission to review the (criminal) cases of suspects of one community only.


It is your party which has put communalism at the center of the campaign for next year’s election, not the BJP or Mr. Modi. The former has consciously downplayed the Ram Mandir issue, and Modi had made it clear that development was going to be his plank. But this did not suit you since your party couldn’t possibly debate him on this plank, what with your miserable record of the last five years.


So you deliberately inserted the communal element, as did your allies, by harping only on the 2002 Gujarat riots. To his credit, Mr. Modi has so far not agreed to stoop so low, and I do not think your strategy will work.


But you have in the process vitiated the atmosphere for a long time to come, reopened old wounds that were beginning to heal, and provided a legitimate space for hot heads on both sides of the divide.

How much damage to the country is one Parliamentary seat worth, Mr. Prime Minister? How many more Partitions will you recreate to satisfy your party’s lust for power?

Your opportunistic creation of Telangana has sown the seeds of disputes and blood-letting in all parts of the country that will sorely test the federal integrity of our country for many years to come. There are twenty one more statehood specters waiting in the wings and by the time they are exorcised we may have ceased to exist as one nation.


Do I need to refer to the endemic corruption that your government has been indulging in these last ten years? And to your pathetic attempts to distance yourself from them, even though it is gradually becoming clearer with each passing day that you were aware of what was happening and did nothing to stop it? Why?


The quality of honesty, like that of mercy, cannot be strained: one cannot be honest and yet knowingly allow dishonesty on one’s watch.


Even worse, your increasing brazenness in the face of evidence against you boggles the mind: the Minister who doctored the Coalgate report has been made Special Envoy to Japan, a Minister whose nephew sold posts in The Railways for crores has not even been named in the charge sheet, the Minister on whose watch files relating to YOUR period of the coal scam have gone missing continues to bestride Shastri Bhavan like a colossus.


Who is this Faustian devil you have sold your soul to, Mr. Prime Minister?


Your deafening silence on all these matters-you have spoken in both houses of Parliament only fifty times in ten years-defies logic and conventional wisdom. And that leads me to speculate whether we are underestimating you.


Is there, after all, a method in your madness? Could it be that you are reconciled to losing the next elections and are therefore deliberately implementing a scorched earth policy?


That you will leave behind as a legacy for the next government an India that is bankrupt, ungovernable, riven by caste and communal conflicts, all its institutions destroyed?


An India that will soon be on its knees, begging for your party- the lone horseman riding in from the sunset, in Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s words, don’t forget-to take over the reins again, and save the country from perdition? But I forget, you never speak- so we’ll never know till the horseman is upon us.

Mr. Prime Minister, your party has stripped this country like a cloud of locusts. You have sown every type of poisonous seed known to your ilk and we shall be reaping the bitter harvest for many years hence. You have engendered an atmosphere of uncertainty,venality, indecision, communalism, opportunism, criminalisation and defiance of constitutional and statutory institutions which cannot be allowed to continue, for that way lies certain disaster.


Elections are nine months’ hence but we cannot allow this conception to come to full term: the seed sown by you can only destroy this country and must be aborted. The time has come for you to go, Mr. Prime Minister, and to go immediately.


Call for elections now, end the uncertainty, let us get on with our lives, give this country a chance to redeem itself. Do one last service to this nation, sir- stand not upon the order of your going, but go!
 
 
With best wishes,
Your’s sincerely,

A VOTING STATISTIC
The author retired from the Indian Administrative Service in December 2010. He is a keen environmentalist and loves the mountains- he has made them his home.