Narendra Modi - Sending out the right signals

We have been reading and listening to people saying "Parliament is Temple of Democracy." Finally, someone behaves like it really is! 

News channels have talked much about Modi-Advani rift, yet today we saw both Modi and Advani share a genuine hug. Advani has seen the party grow from just 2 seats to a massive majority of 282 seats for BJP alone, while the alliance, NDA, bags 336 seats! Even for a seasoned Politician like Advani, to see the sapling he and his fellow BJP leaders planted bloom into such a massive tree, must be overwhelmingly emotional. No doubt he has been spotted teary eyed a few times by reporters. The overwhelming victory seemed to get the best of Modi too, when he too got emotional during his speech, twice. Other BJP leaders too couldn't help joining in. Cynics may pass this as merely a publicity stunt, but those who understand human behavior and BJP-RSS history, their passion, and devotion for the Nation would'nt doubt the feelings. In any case, the Nation today follows every move made by Modi very closely and is full of hopes. What makes Modi so special? 

The answer is, besides his and BJP's hard work and marketing, Modi never fails to make positive and bold statements through his actions. He grabs every opportunity to send the right message. Here is a list of observations - 

Pre-election, Modi not only refrained but also refused to address and divide Indians as Muslims and Hindus, as Minority and Majority. This was the beginning of the end of Vote-bank Politics. 

While filing his nomination at Vadodra, Kiran Mahida (a Tea vendor) and Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad from the royal family of Vadodra were his two proposers. Both were carefully chosen to represent the humble and the great, a male and a female. 

Similarly, in Varanasi, the four proposers - Padmabhushan Pt. Channulal Mishra (Hindstani Classical Singer), Justice Giridhar Malviya (grandson of freedom fighter Madan Mohan Malviya), Virbhadra Nishad (Boatman) and Ashok Kumar (weaver)... all represent and symbolise different sections of the society. Before Modi, not many knew about even the role of a proposer in the process.

Post Elections, the 1st time he was spotted was while visiting his mother, hitting the right notes with people.

His 1st public address was at Vadodra, 2nd at Ahmedabad and 3rd at Varanasi after visiting Kashi-Vishwanath temple and performing Ganga aarati. The 3 cities symbolise his journey from State to National Politics. His speeches ensured a strong connect with every individual who voted for him, finding the same with the ones who didn't. Offering prayers, he made sure to put an end to 'pseudo-secular' vote bank appeasement politics. 

The most probable name for his successor as Gujrat CM is Anandiben patel - Women empowerment in action.

Pre and post elections  Modi talked about development...development for everyone - for the young and the old, for poor and rich, for men and women. His talks about technology made him popular among the younger generation. He respects India's customs and Traditions. He comes from a humble family. His relatives still live a humble life. All this makes it possible for him to connect emotionally and ideologically with people from different walks of life. How about the other politicians start taking notes?

Elections2014 - Not all those who lost are defeated

No battle is won without losing a few brave soldiers. Elections aren't very different when it comes to victory and defeat. With the outstanding victory BJP registered, there were few candidates who lost too. Out of many, the most shocking was the news about the defeat of Shahnawaz Hussain and Arun Jeitley. Smriti Irani even with a defeat, made her fans proud. It is important to analyse the reasons for the loss of these Stalwarts.
  

Shahnawaz Hussain lost from a narrow margin of 9,000 votes! now that takes away the pain from the sting a bit. no?

Arun Jaitley on the other hand became a victim of BJP and his own mistakes and his opponents' effective strategies. First the Navjot Singh Siddhu's issue and then when finally his candidature was confirmed, Congress decided to pull out one of its Big Guns - Ex-CM Capt Amrinder Singh. While Capt Amrinder Singh focused on local issues, Arun Jaitley focused on National issues, which ofcourse helped people to find a connect with Capt. Amrinder Singh and not Arun Jaitley. Capt. Amrinder Singh in addition raised the issue of Jaitley being an 'outsider'.

What impresses me about Jaitley is that neither during election campaigns nor in defeat, did Arun Jaitley ever abandon his Gentlemanly behavior. During the campaign in Amritsar, the two opponents were seen greeting each other warmly during a morning walk. After the results were declared he made sure to greet Capt. Amrinder Singh for his victory - something other Politicians need to learn from Jaitley. 

Last but not the least, Our very own 'India's Bahu' - Smriti Zubin Irani! what a brilliant Lady - Her Poise, Her Grace and her command over language! While AAP kept trying to make the battle in Amethi look like 'RaGa V/s  Kumar Vishwas', as soon as Smriti Irani entered the battle field, it was only Her against RaGa. Kumar Vishwas was no where in the scene, which was even reflected in the poll results when Kumar Vishwas lost his deposit! Kumar Vishwas had managed to secure only 25,527 votes - a humiliating defeat. The margin between Smriti Irani and RaGa was 1.08 Lakh - not a Huge gap, considering previous margins registered by the Gandhi scion. 

Not all those who have lost are defeated. So, along with the victorious, let us not forget the dedicated soldiers who gave a tough fight to their mighty opponents and who made sure that a huge part of the resources and efforts of the other party were concentrated in defeating them. In many ways, they served as a mighty shield that helped keep others safe. A huge Salute and a round of applause for them. 

Inferences drawn from 'Har-Har Modi' issue

As the election campaign for Narendra Modi moved forward with cries of 'Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi', a controversy too followed. Many devout Hindus and 'Secular' Congress leaders took objection on the use of this slogan, but it was Shankaracharya Shri Swaroopanand Saraswati of Jyotirpeeth who strongly condemned the use of 'Har Har Modi' slogan. Modi promptly requested his supporters to do the same. While the slogan has been MODIfied as 'Har dil Modi, Ghar ghar Modi', there are few interesting things to note about this whole incidence.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Congress for once talking about Hindu sentiments. Yes, we are talking about the same Congress that in its arrogance had even put a question mark on existence of Raam! Recently a Congress Leader, P. Shankar Rao, was in news for constructing a temple dedicated to Sonia Gandhi. Even in past, Sonia Gandhi has been portrayed as Goddess Durga in posters. 



The sycophants do not only exist in Congress, but in every party. A good example is the case of BJP's Hemant Bohra from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, who printed a poster depicting Vasundhra Raje as Goddess Annapoorna. 

Why limit ourselves to Politics?

Sport Personalities like 

Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni too were found in similar controversy. 

While Hindu Saints have been demanding a ban on Cow slaughter, India becomes leader in Beef exports. No heed was payed to their cries when they marched to Delhi to save river Yamuna. Swami Nigamanand died after fasting for 73 days to save holy river Ganga, but no one seemed to care. I have immense respect for Shankaracharya Shri Swaroopanand Saraswati as religious scholar, and eagerly want to know his views on all the above mentioned incidences. I would love to know why he only chose to speak on 'Har Har Modi', and not on any other issue? But I doubt, these questions will ever be answered. 

In any case, whats interesting is that Modi supporters stopped using the slogan after Modi's request, and not because of Shankaracharya's criticism. Usually labelled 'Communal', Hindu masses rejected a Religious Head's views for a leader who talks about development. I try to compare this with Shahi Imam's recent visit to Sonia Gandhi and his endorsement of Mamata Banerjee. Azam Khan addresses a conference of Madrassa managers and Principals to secure his party's Muslim vote bank. This only hints that these religious heads hold a good influence over a huge Muslim population. what inference do I draw from this?  

I'm sure any sane mind will agree with me when I say Religion should not be allowed to control politics of a Nation. While the Majority seems to have learnt this lesson, the Minority yet seems to be in need of time to accept this fact. 

In light of these facts, let us now argue the definition of 'Communalism'. 

Elections 2014 : a lesson from Mahabharat for indecisive minds

As we draw closer to the Lok Sabha Elections 2014, a lot of people still seem to be confused as to who deserves their vote. A new party raises its voice against corruption and enters into politics claiming itself to be honest, but soon loses its credibility. The ruling party tries to appear Honest, secular and pro-development but its track record speaks otherwise. The opposition's PM candidate though has a track record that speaks for itself, the party also has few members that face corruption charges. Other parties that aspire to rule the Nation as 3rd front, have their own closets full of skeletons. In short, no party is spotless. 

Those who plan to vote based on religion and caste, or for some other personal gains, have little confusion. Ignorance is bliss, right? And equally true is the corollary - 'He who increases knowledge, increases sorrows.'  The ones that know the true value of their vote and are aware of every party's blots are left disillusioned. The desire to find an 'ideal' party, with spotless track record and that can solve people's problems immediately, turns this disillusionment into utter confusion. Such 'aware' individuals are thus not able to pick a side. And even when they do, they don't let their choice spare anyone from their criticism. Blindly following any party is dangerous and Criticism is good...BUT timing is crucial. Most of such individuals fail to realise this.

This predicament reminds me of a story from Mahabharat -

The most powerful of all the warriors present at the beginning of the great war was Barbareek (बरबरीक). Barbareek, Grandson of Bheem and Son of Ghatotkach, after completing his education, had Promised his Guru that he would only fight for the weaker side in a battle, and so, in the beginning, he joined the Pandavas. Pandavas rejoiced while Kauravas were alarmed. But it was only Shree Krishna who was able to see what this really could lead to, and hence Barbareek was prevented from joining any side. Why was the most powerful warrior present at that time, who could have finished the war in matter of minutes, not allowed to join the war? because his promise to his Guru would not let him remain on one side. He would join the weaker side and kill warriors of the other side till the stronger side is now reduced to the weaker one. And so, he would again switch sides, till all are killed and only he remains. 

Powerful enough to change the course of the war, but too confused to pick a side and stick with it - Barbareek represents today's aware, disillusioned and confused individuals. Such enlightened minds are excellent when it comes to constructive criticism. But is this the right time for such discussions? 

Pick a side and join the battle.

Defending Salman Khurshid on Impotence

Often I've heard people talking about fashion and its trends, saying things like 'Red is the new black'. For a Neandersexual man like myself, such jargons have been difficult to understand, until today. Today when I heard Salman Khurshid saying that Narendra Modi is 'impotent', the one phrase that came to my mind was, "Salman Khurshid is the new Digvijay Singh". Digvijay Singh is known for his prowess in voicing his mental diarrhea, but since long
seems to have taken sabbatical. Meanwhile, other Congress leaders appear to be trying tirelessly to fill the void, with Khurshid on the forefront. The thought that scares me the most is that what if Digvijay Singh is not on a sabbatical, but actually training other congress leaders in the art? Nooooo!

Since I am a man, and one that likes to observe, I like to think that I know a thing or two about human nature, especially about males. If a man himself is not able to perform well, to make himself look better, he may try to prove other males totally inadequate, sexually or otherwise. 'Overcompensation' is the term used for this kind of behavior. Also, males and females, at times, are known to try and defame the other person when their romantic/sexual advances are not met with welcome and are denied the pleasure. Their ego is hurt when they receive a blow of rejection. I leave it on the sensible readers to take a pick in Mr. Khurshid's case. There may be another case which we may consider. It is quite possible that Salman Khurshid may have confused Elections with Errections. No?

I would like to add, in any situation, remarks like these are highly sexist. Do we really want such sexist Politicians? If he has such respect for a fellow male, I highly doubt his ideas on 'Women Empowerment', a cause so close to Rahul Baba's heart. While the paid media is busy portraying Rahul Jee as an entertaining fool, He once again 'rose to occasion' and criticised Mr. Khurshid's use of the term. Why drag Rahul Baba in Khurshi-Modi feud? 

Khurshid, after the noise made by BJP and other parties on the use of the Hindi word 'Napunsak', which means impotent, clarified that he meant it in a figurative way and not literally. Offcourse he meant it figuratively. what did you buffoons think? He, afterall, is an Oxford alumni. He may have displaced sense of values, but Language? No, Sir. He has an excellent command over it. And hence, we may also conclude that, in his sense of the word, every Chief Minister of every state that ever saw a riot, be it Delhi, Kashmir, Assam, Muzaffarnagar etc. too are Napunsak/impotent. Now, I personally cant agree more. What about you?

Blasts, Congress and Digvijay Singh

We do not take seriously what Digvijay Singh has to say; No one does. But when his words on recent blasts seem like an echo of what some other Congress leaders said after a previous blast, disgust erupts. 

On blast outside BJP office in Bangalore on  17th April 2013, which left 16 people injured, including 11 policemen, Shakeel Ahmad had this to say : twitter link

On ABP News debate on the same subject, Roshan Baig raised his suspicion saying "is this just a coincidence? when elections are so close and BJP is losing its credibility day-by-day, ye patakha phoot'ta hae. daal mein kuchh kaala hae".

One right away weighs Political advantages and disadvantages of the blasts while the other not only blames it on the other party but even trevialises the issue! No one seemed to care for the injured. Just a day back, Boston too had faced a tragedy but the reactions were totally different. Our anger and disgust for these filthy Politicians came out on our blog - Blasts : Boston and Bangalore

Today, on 7 blasts in Patna which claimed 5 lives just before Narendra Modi's Hunkar Rally, Digvijay Singh spewed similar disgusting remarks! The conspiracy theorist had nothing to say about the 5 innocent individuals who lost their lives, no words to comfort their loved ones but is ready with a challenge for Nitish Kumar and his Government, hinting BJP's involvement! He shamelessly weighs how this tragedy presents itself as a "Perfect setting for Modi's Launch".

Whenever the blasts point out at Jehadi outfits, we repeatedly hear dialogues like "Terrorism has no religion"; but for such blasts, the same people don't waste time before pointing fingers.

its futile to expect any better from Digvijay Singh, but when the same behavior gets repeated again and again, It becomes difficult not to react. 

Measuring People's IQ with Toilets and Temples

1. "That Senile old Man finally Kicked the Bucket."
2. "That aged gentleman passed away." 

IFF (If and only if) you can understand the difference between these two sentences, go ahead and read the article, else this article will be a waste of your time.

Recently, while speaking to the youth in New Delhi, Narendra Modi expressed his views on sanitation as : "Pehle Shauchalaya, Phir Devalaya."
which literally translates into - "Toilet first, Temples later."
now this could have following meanings - 

1. Toilets should be built in front of Temples.
2. you should 1st go to toilets, and then visit a temple.
3. 1st build toilets, Temples later.

The News channels, that sit with a microscope waiting for a chance to stir a controversy for the sake of TRPs, isolated the statement form the context and did what they do the best. 
Yet It surprises me, the 1st two interpretations of Modi's statement weren't used!

almost a year back, the Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had made a statement that sounds similar and stirred a controversy. Here is the complete statement:

"ab tak yaatraein Vinash ke liye hui hein, ye yatra asli vikas ke liye hae. ye yatra ek sakaratmak aur rachnatmak kam ke liye hae..ye yatra wo cheez banane ke liye hae, jo main samajhta hoon, Mandir se bhi pavitra hae, aur wo hae Shauchalaya." 

Anyone who has even a little knowledge of Hindi language would translate the words "Mandir se bhi pavitra hae" to "(Toilets are) holier/purer than Temples".
Though the intentions were right, the choice of words were derogatory. 
yet, (no surprise) the News headlines were: 

• country needs toilets more than Temples. 
• Toilets need to be given more Priority. 

Media had Absolved Jairam Ramesh of his folly. The same media only showed Modi's isolated statement again and again on TV, editing the rest of the matter. 

Here is a video link of the complete speech : Narendra Modi Full Statement on "Pehle Sochalay, Fir Devalay" - where he clearly mentions that if you have funds, you should build Toilets, before building temples. 

saying "Toilets are holier than Temples" is totally different than "you should build toilets before building Temples." While the former is Derogatory, The latter expresses concern for sanitation. 

A similar campaign was launched with RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement about "India and Bharat" statement, for which the News channels had to apologise later. 

If you still don't see the difference, please again read the warning at the top of this article.