Collapse of the right wing

On June 14th, I had written a post titled - Defeat of the right wing.

In that I had warned that the BJP is fast becoming the ideological mirror of the Left. A piece of political space occupied by the huffers and puffers who enjoy the patronage of a select hardcore few in the electorate but banished to the extreme wilderness.

That was then and this is now. The BJP is moving too slowly. They have absolutely no idea what to do next. While they are busy blowing down each others house of cards, the electorate has moved on.

For the third time in Maharashtra, the electorate has shown a thumbs down to the rabble rouser's. The BJP-Sena combine and the Thackeray's squabbling pushed the voters to a saner lot.

Why wouldn't the voters be attracted to a party that has a sane, low-profile, no nonsense president and an equally sane, low-profile and intelligent Prime Minister.

Where is the alternative? It looks like the principle opposition is clearing the political real estate faster than anyone expected.

As I said earlier, I say it now. The Congress is well on its way to becoming the natural party of governance in the country and I don't see any force being able to stop it.

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The States should pull up their socks

Sometime ago I had written about the Lessons India should learn from all the turmoil happening all around her.

Today, after reading about the increase in the naxalite activity and the home minstry's report that 20 states are under some form of naxal influence, I can safely say that our country need not look outside at all.

The Leftist Maoist movement has sprouted from the lack of development and opportunities available in parts of India and its heartening to see that our home minister P. Chidambaram himself openly talking about it.

While the reasons contributing to the naxalite violence could range from failed land reforms to non-existent local employment and development, they all point to a massive failure of our established governing structures.

The self-correcting features of our governing structures seem to have failed. While some states have taken great advantage of the system, like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra etc. Others have let the whole system rot or gamed it.

The next steps are quite clear. The home minister has promised to take back districts under the naxal influence followed by massive aid driven development. While this might work in the short-term, the long-term strategy has to be different.

I hope the wise home minister goes into why some states are unable to drill down economic benefits that stagnate at the state capital.

Should these "weak states" be treated differently? Should there be more economic devolution to the states and from the states down to the district / panchayat level? Should more smaller states be created from bigger ones?

The questions are many, the answers are few and far in between.

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Pak does a back flip for Saudi Arabia

It was really funny reading this news in the Dawn.

Al Qaeda leader’s sons sent to S. Arabia

Pakistan had captured, interrogated and sent packing to Saudi Arabia, suspected Al-Qaeda operatives responsible for the failed attack on their deputy Interior Minister Prince Nayef in Jeddah last month.

The Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik had visited Saudi Arabia end of last month where he was presented with evidence of this linkage between the failed attack and the sons of a Yemeni Al-Qaeda leader. And exactly ONE month later Pakistan not only captures, not only interrogates but also packs these guys to Saudi Arabia. This, even though Pakistan and Saudi Arabia don't have an extradition treaty.

While on the other side, the Pakistani government leaves no stone unturned, giving excuses on why the Mumbai attack masterminds need to be subject to the lengthy process of Pakistan's judicial system. What a whole bunch of BS!

And the Interior Minister and the Foreign Minster of Pakistan have the audacity to shamelessly stand in front of the press complaining of India's impatience and disregard for the rule of law and judicial trial.

I am amazed how these guys can sleep at night. The rate at which the Pakistani leadership bends for Saudi Arabia and China and the United States and the Taliban and whatever else, it will soon become a Pakistani Circus of sorts.
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The Narasimha Rao Formula

India's CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) has its hands full these days dealing with the western neighbor.

In the case of India-Pakistan, history repeats itself. India is unable to shake off the Pakistani shadow and Pakistan simply loves to needle its neighbor, with admirable success I must add.

The recent article by Jawed Naqvi from the Dawn (Is India really a big nation, which behaves small?), asking India to act its size meaning large hearted, is well written but impractical. Its the Gujral doctrine rehashed. While the Gujral doctrine could work with India's other neighbors (sans China), it will not work with Pakistan.


I dont know if the Pakistani security establishment is pulling a fast one on its own media, but what else can I say when they (the Pak media) fall hook line and sinker to their Information Minister's oft repeated line posing as a victim & an anti-terror warrior. Its akin to Bill Clinton preaching morality lessons.

So all this talk of large heartedness and magnanimity is a waste of time.

During the Prime Ministership of Shri Narasimha Rao (remember him!), India went into a low key mode for its relations with Pakistan. While regular Foreign Secretary level talks kept happening, nothing much came out of it in the end. There was no high pitch sabre rattling or hu-ha press releases. Everything was in silent mode.

Its time the CCS took a leaf out of this but with a twist.

Draw up a long time table of secretary level meetings without an agenda. Then work out a limited proportional retaliatory strategy which can be triggered on very short notice when a massive terror attack takes place. This could be ranging from taking out a few enemy posts to lobbing rockets over to surgical cross border stabs. Now, ofcourse this will not go unanswered for which we need to be prepared.

Any such punitive retaliation from India will immediately bring the US right in. And we should count on this. The US should simply be told that this self-defense action will stop when terror emanating from Pakistan stops. The US wouldn't want its battle on Pak's western front disturbed or diluted would it!?

In all this commotion, continue the agendaless meaningless secretary level talks.

The only language Pakistan understands is a bloody nose. Its about time we gave some.

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Defeat of the right wing

This season seems to be the season of the right wing in trouble. In India, the right wing nationalists BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) lost for the second time in five years and in the United States the right Republicans lost for the first time in eight years.

Perhaps its Iran that survived this trend with the re-election of its current President defeating the reformist rival convincingly, though disputed.

I am noticing good similarities between the state of the BJP and that of the GOP. Both are sulking. Both are searching for a theme. Both are clueless.

But I also notice that there are some good dissimilarities too. The GOP is better equipped to recover faster than the BJP simply because its not hamstrung by the "party ways" of Indian political parties. The GOP currently is seeing a back-and-forth between leaders who represent different shades of GOP ideology who are trying to occupy the leadership vacuum. While it looks like a dust storm, it is part of a process of rejuvenation and new direction.

Unfortunately, Indian political parties still chiefly rely on dynasty's and political patronage as a driving force. Even the famous 'party with a difference', has found its 'difference' to be woefully inadequate to meet the current challenge of quickly becoming irrelevant.

I read with amusement a news report where the BJP President Rajnath Singh had issued a gag order prohibiting airing of opinion by party leaders. These people still don't get it. Openly venting is part and parcel of the healing process. By gaging these voices, you are simply postponing it for a rather loud explosion later.

The whole bunch of people on top, those tired faces returning to their seats after this defeat like nothing has happened will hurt the party more. And I never thought I will say this, but the BJP's anti-dynastic mindset has given the Congress party a one up over it. Images of all those young sons and daughters of former party leaders makes the Congress party look young and energized. Compare this with all the grey haired BJP leaders like Advani, Swaraj, Joshi, Jaitely, Singh, Sinha, Modi, etc.

I am reminded of grumpy tired old people sitting outside Walmart welcoming customers when they step into the store compared to young faces that one sees in Target. All these small things shape the mindset of the common folks.

The strength and weakness of the BJP is its ideological roots. If the BJP continued true to its original RSS brand of Hindutva, the part will shrink and become a counter weight to the left parties. A core group sticking to their guns no matter what will surely find some takers, enough to keep them in power in a few states but not at the national or even regional level.

However, if the BJP wants to be relevant and a counter weight to the Congress, then it must occupy the political space between the center and the extreme right. It is there that the anti-congress platform lies and is up for grabs.

Fortunately for the party, there is no other in the horizon that is ready or equipped to occupy this space. At least not yet.

Anyways, I really am not that concerned about what political space the BJP will occupy. I am more concerned about the lack of inner-party political tools and mechanisms to deal with such situations. Its even more shocking that having been in the opposition for five years, one would have expected the BJP to have used all this time to re-invent not only itself but also its party machinery. However, what we see here today is a rudderless, captainless ship on the stormy high seas with mutiny on everyones minds.

For the the party with a difference, its about time to do something that's totally different. Something that's radical and never seen in Indian politics today. Anything short of that will severely restrict its political ascendancy in the near future.

Fortunately for the Congress, its ruling family seems have both its heart and mind in the right place. They are making the right moves and the right noises. And their goal to becoming India's natural party of governance is laudable.

I remember vividly, when the congress party was defeated in the 90s and the BJP emerged as the largest party, there were calls in the air declaring the decline of the Congress. Dynastic politics and cronyism were held responsible for the party's decline and some even predicted that the congress will eventually splinter and die out. Those were the days when the center of the whole country had shifted to the political right and the BJP had a bumper harvest.

Now years later, the political center has moved left of its position coming right back to the Congress's political space and BJP has remained stagnant.

Its about time the BJP interpreted the tea leaves correctly.

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The NY Times Patronizes India

Before you read any further, I suggest you read this New York Times Op-Ed titled "India's Challenges".

And I am sorry to be so judgmental but the article is a whole load of BS.

For this blog post, I will only talk about those lines which, in my humble opinion, are the most bogus.

The first paragraph had these lines.

"...it is time for India to exercise the kind of regional and global leadership expected of a rising power."

The NY times does not waste time and space. The patronizing attitude starts from the first paragraph itself. The paper sets the stage for India by saying its about time she behaved like a power. Oh! wow! Finally some recognition !!

After a few paragraphs of Pakistan bashing, the paper then drops the line and I quote.

"India is essential to what Pakistan will do."

So what does it mean? Does it mean the US should involve India on all its plans in Af-Pak? Or does it mean India to some measure contributes to the situation by its silence? or perhaps the paper cannot make a determination of what it wants?

Anyways, the next few lines not only makes it abundantly clear what the paper wants but also what the administration of President Obama has in store for India.


And I quote again.

"New Delhi exercised welcome restraint when it did not attack Pakistan after the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai by Pakistani-based extremists. But tensions remain high, and the Pakistani Army continues to view India as its main adversary. India should take the lead in initiating arms control talks with Pakistan and China. It should also declare its intention to stop producing nuclear weapons fuel, even before a proposed multinational treaty is negotiated. That would provide leverage for Washington and others to exhort Pakistan to do the same."

Says the NY Times - "New Delhi exercised welcome restraint...". And so the paper approves of India's restraint but that's just not enough.

Continues the NY Times - "India should take the lead in initiating arms control talks with Pakistan and China...stop producing nuclear weapons fuel...That would provide leverage for Washington...to exhort Pakistan..."

Simply put the paper wants India simply to roll over and play dead. Waste of so many words above to express this intent!

Wait there is more. The paper then drops the K-word.

"Ignoring Kashmir is no longer an option."

Oh really! Pray why, may I ask the venerated paper, should Kashmir suddenly come into the picture now? Is it because the US has miserably failed to make Pakistan play ball and wag its tail?

And then comes the most naive of them all.

"India has played a constructive role in helping rebuild Afghanistan, but it must take steps to allay Islamabad’s concerns that this is a plan to encircle Pakistan."

What!? What was that? India should bend over backwards to make Pakistan feel its not being encircled? Are you really that dumb? Why would we want to do that? India IS encircling Pakistan, period. And just because the US finds it inconvenient for its War on terror, why should India give up its legitimate security concerns.

The Op-Ed then closes with these patronizing words.

"India is the dominant power in South Asia, but it has been hesitant to assume its responsibilities."

Oh please! Go sell this to someone born yesterday.

Did any of you watch former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf's interview in Fareed Zakaria GPS?

Pervez list out all the divisions and infantries of the Indian army posted on its border with Pakistan and sights that as the primary reason for Pakistan not being able to direct more troops to its western border to fight the Taliban.

What President Pervez does not say is that India needs to keep troops there on account of two reasons -

1. Export of terror from Pakistan for decades now, latest one in Mumbai.
2. Pakistan army's penchant for high risk battles, the latest one in Kargil.

Pakistan's Mumbai gamble to provoke India into action to enable it (Pakistan Army) to move troops to its eastern border thereby giving some elbow room to their Taliban fell flat. And so once again they have created this mirage of a Taliban take over to jolt the US into complying with whatever Pakistan wants.

The proof is in all the papers. The administration which said it will question every penny spent by Pakistan, now within days is pushing to approve billions of dollars to aid Pakistan in its so called fight against the Taliban. I can only feel sorry for the Americans.

How many of you have heard of the "Super Nanny" TV show on ABC? I picked this up from the TV show's website and it says -

"Jo Frost, as Supernanny, can tame the wildest toddler, soothe the savage six-year-old and get the most difficult child to overcome problems with behavior, sleep, mealtime, potty training and other challenges that have vexed parents around the world for centuries."

Sounds similar?

United States = Vexed Parent
Pakistan = Wild, Savage, difficult child

May be Obama should give Richard Holbrook's job to The Super Nanny.


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Victory? What Victory?

So finally the day has come when Sri Lanka believes no longer will its people be terrorized by the Tamil Tigers. No longer will the Lankans have to send their sons to join the Lankan army to fight the tigers. No longer will they wake up every morning listening to news of attacks and suicide bombings. And so the Lankans celebrate the victory.

But again what are they celebrating? Are they celebrating the fact that their own countrymen are now refugees? Are they celebrating the fact that the armed struggle for equal rights by the minority Tamils started because of Sinhalese nationalism? Are they celebrating the army having fought its way to victory killing and bombing Tamils and their settlements? What hollow victory is this?


The Tamil Tiger's methods may be wrong but their love for their people cannot be questioned. May be they lost sight of the ultimate goal, the welfare of the tamils, but they did start off on the right path.

To the Sri Lankan government and the majority Sinhalese, I say this. Show some humility in victory. Show some magnanimity. Show some brotherly concern. The victory dance over Tamil blood will not go down well with the now vanquished Tamils.

Your behavior will sow the seeds for future generational relationship between different ethnic groups in Sri Lanka and directly impact the island nations future. This is the time to introspect and reach out to the minorities.

If the Sri Lankan government wishes to be seen as the government of Sri Lanka instead of as the government of the Sinhalese, it must stop making crude gestures that could be misconstrued as Sinhalese chauvinism. The Sri Lankan president kissing the soil of Sri Lanka is one such. What soil is he kissing? The soil where blood of citizens were spilled?

The government and the President is advised to keep its emotions in check and get on with the task of healing and reaching out to the hearts of fallen Tamils.

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