An open letter to the BJP Leadership - What ails the BJP Today?

Dear Mr.Punj, Mr.Advani, Mr.Jaitly (and the Thought Leadership of BJP at large)

Greetings.

I believe this is a very busy period for all the office bearers ad the leadership at BJP and perhaps therefore, an inconvenient occasion for them to address or discuss fundamental issues.

By tradition I (and my family) have been BJP/Jana Sangh supporters, but our enthusiasm for the party is waning.

The party hold no appeal for people like me, with a lacklustre and rudderless management of the party and its affairs and its handling of issues of national import.

While we haven’t lost belief in the inherent decency of it leaders we believe they have lost touch with the evolving contours of the country and disappoint us with their inability to break out of the strait jacket of the pseudo-secular and non-secular debate.

The political culture and consciousness of this country was willy-nilly cast by the Congress in pre independence years and then continued in the same vein. There was, leadership and greatness, thrust upon individuals, who were sometimes willing, sometimes more than willing and on the rare occasion the less than willing too.

This was pretty much and continues to be, reflected in the quality and direction of discourse which was benchmarked to congress-ism and the management of political parties and systems too.

The BJP today has failed to break free from this mimicry and think outside the box.

This is a significant failing and a cause for deep disappointment to young and ardent supporters of the BJP. It is also a great success for the Congress and the rest of the non-BJP milieu which has succeeded in keeping public discourse benchmarked to this stupid feudal paradigm created by the congress.

The leadership of the BJP has failed to think outside the box and apply itself to creating a healthier model of political thought in the country.

The debates and rebuttals that form the decibels of discussion lack substance and connect with the country and its issues and continue to ring hollow.

This creates a disaffection amongst the people with the politician who they rightly see as coming from one mould.

This is further compounded by the hunger for power that seems to dominate all thoughts and actions of each political organization in this country. Nation building just seems like mandatory lip service when you respond in kind to the congress and its paradigm of politics.

There is always the option of pouring more scorn on the other, but does it reflect you in any better light at all?
I do not see the BJP being able to differentiate itself from this generic version of politics practised in this country.

Take for example BJP’s abject failure as an opposition and reactive politics. This keeps the BJP forever in a reactive phase and the congress with its better structured media management has a ball. Gross incompetence this.

What prevented BJP from creating a shadow cabinet type of organization? Such an organization could research and monitor the government and its actions and create better informed and diligent debate on each aspect of governance.

It would communicate a substantial approach to the people of the nation and not mere gladiatorial politics that makes reactive discourse the only available option.

It also makes credible, the claim of leadership development and a viable team to run affairs of the nation when you do get to power.

A credible team that possesses insight and understanding, experience and ability to comment or manage affairs. It would also force the opponents to treat the BJP with respect and not dismiss its discourse as mere wordplay or rhetoric.

Such teams when extended to state , city or village levels would provide acuity and credibility to the information flow and build a bridge of dialogue with the people of the country.

The good governance that all parties scream about could actually be reality.

Getting to power with a clear majority would then be a distinct possibility and not just a rhetorical proposition.
This though would take reticence and patience that does not seem to be available to the second rung of leadership that the BJP has today. If I can call it leadership, that is.

The BJP (and not only the BJP) seem to be in defiance of evolution and its current disarray is entirely well earned.

Managing large organizations needs skills that do not come naturally to most people who are busy with the trees and lose sight of the woods i.e. the congress style of things.

This malaise seems to afflict the BJP too. Where is the difference in the party with a difference?

In the interests of brevity and focus I end this note here. I do hope you would find the time and the inclination to spend some time going through this and step back to take a look at the substance of what I am trying to communicate.

The other choice is of course being busy and mindless to the mediocrity that I have discussed above.

I would be happy to receive a response, should you like to discuss this.

With warm regards
Arun

The Humble Shoe Humbles - The power of Symbols

Amazing what a peaceful protest can acheive when it creates a simple yet powerful symbolism!!!!
Isn't that what Dhatura Awards aim for? (http://dhaturaawards.blogspot.com)
The 1984 riots were a serious act of genocide leaving 3000 defenceless Indians dead, more families rendered asunder and perhaps many young children orphaned or rudderless.
The real Culprits of the Carnage still roam scot free, barring those who managed to reach their grave before justice. They were lucky television hadn't struck then. There is encouraging progress in riots of recent origin where people closer to the epicenter have found justice knocking on their door.
And yet our leaders and opinion makers busy themselves trying to put partisan spin on something so horrific in the hopes that two wrongs could make theirs right!
This brings us to an important question - Can a leader really escape responsibility for the deeds he may have instigated wittingly or unwittingly and more importantly, should he?
Can we allow this? Is this how civilized we are?
Come 'throw-a-shoe' and make a difference.
Your participation can make Dhatura a potent symbol of consequence.
Cheers
Arun- Dhature Ka Beej

The politics of issues that unite us

There are many things that fragment and divide us. These are handy tools for politicians and parties to subvert the will of the people. It is ironical that even while democracy is about what people can agree upon - not what they can disagree upon. The politicians are successful in keeping us largely distracted by playing up these differences instead of building on what unites us as a nation. Let us root for a directly elected chief executive of government (you can call the position anything you like - prime minister isn't too bad). He can be checked and balanced by a parliament elected as it is currently. No prizes for guessing which constituency or special interest group such an elected CEO would have to serve! What are the chances of Dawood or any other criminal backed politico rigging the whole national vote? Only then the chosen leader would have the mandate to weed out the undesirable influences like criminals, fixers, touts and scamsters that are our elected representatives today

Line of Fire

Here is a real incident - without comment.
A must read.
Cheers
Vitchdokta

(Please read completely)

A real story ...An interesting Conversation between a Solider and a Software Engineer in Shatabdi Train .........An interesting and a must read! Must read !

Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought; he had tried to reason with the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!! He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.

"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.

"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized. "

"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and well built like a sportsman. He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.

"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."

Vivek smiled deprecatingly and replied "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it." For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement.

"It is complex, very complex."

"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid!," came the reply.

This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone.

"Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing."

He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point. "Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centres across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"

The man was awestruck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination. "You design and code such things."

"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager."

"Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, "so your life is easy now."

This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful!

My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality. To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday." Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realization. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth.

"My friend, you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire" Vivek concluded triumphantly.

The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization. When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek. "I know sir,..... I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire......." He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time..............

"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the Tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."

"You are a...?"

"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier.

.....On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my Captain Batra Sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself. "He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... ....his own personal safety came last, always and every time. "He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me .

I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."

Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valor and duty was a daily part of life; valor and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes.

The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.

"It was nice meeting you sir." Vivek fumbled with the handshake.

This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the Tricolour !.

Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute.

It was the least he felt he could do for the country.

PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.


- Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn!!!!

Now that the wheels are turning

Finally Pakistan has moved grudgingly or otherwise, in a direction that could be the first steps towards resolving the cross border terror issues long suffered by India.
It is however a fledgling start and would need to be cupped in our palms like a candle in high winds.
Too much negativity may take the wind out of the sails of Pakistan's civilian administration and make them retreat into their familiar pattern of ostrich like behavior.On the other hand leniency at this stage may tempt them into believing that they've done enough and can rest on their laurels as it were.
Indians dealing with the situation will need to exercise a lot of tact without letting up on the pressure as has been our wont in the past.
Sustained positive pressure and restrained engagement will be the key to making progress in the long haul.

On the other hand we have been too thin skinned in the past to even the mildest criticisms or counter points in the past and this has been destructive in our key relationships in the neighborhood and further afield.Reasonable requests for information to further the investigations in Pakistan must be considered and met, which after all is a sovereign nation too.

Let us show more sagacity in dealing with the issues now that the wheels have begun to spin.

Then there are issues at home where we should be making unhindered progress as no external influences are involved.
Breaking the Underworld support system that has been aiding terror unto now is perhaps what should take priority #1 if we are to prevent outrages like 26/11.
What needs to be done is pretty simple but mustering the will to do so seems to be the bigger challenge, considering the recent hat-trick of shameful assembly events by our Taliban like elected representatives. This is the real threat from within.
There has been also been no perceptible progress towards overhauling the security-intelligence networks which was the most objective need post 26/11.
Do we as a nation have any cognitive strengths at all?
Decibels never bring results, results come from Decisive action.

Is there hope with Pakistan's civil society?

Just watched "Head Start " on Lok Sabha Television where Paranjoy Guha Thakurta interviewed Asma Jahngir and Jugnu Mohsin from Pakistan.
Asma Jahangir needs no introduction as a huma rights champion of abiding spirit and Jugnu Moshin is a noted Published and Editor of News Publications from Pakistan.
They seemed to reflect the voice of Civil Society in Pakistan and communicated candidly the perceptions and resolve of the civil society in Pakistan which i thought so far only existed as a notion.
If that is so, there might be hope for sane and humane forces yet in the Sub-continent.
Power be to their tribe and may they have leadership thrust upon them.
Cheers
Arun

50 Days - ACT NOW!

50 Days.

50 days have passed since 26/11, a blatant violation of a sovereign India and the ideas she stands for.
Increasingly it is clear, that Pakistan has been equivocating all the time and terror is a key instrument of their state polity and policy. All we have been witnessing is stalling, fudging and denials using semantics, and Oscar Worthy performances of injured innocence from a pathetic cast of cardboard crew.

Pakistan shall do as is its wont.

The pertinent question before India and Indians is: What do we, as a nation do now ?

Let us admit that we have carried our vain Nehruvian follies too far, and also acknowledge the fact that Pakistan is a hostile neighbour that is at war with us even if by unconventional means.

The state policies in Pakistan are unlikely to change towards any known benchmarks of civilization any time soon. It is a long way off from economic or socio-political stability and needs an external threat to string together its notion of nationhood and if that can weave in Islam too, so much the better since they then have a connect with Jinnah and his rationale for their nationhood. Kashmir or any issue handy would do very well, thank you.

What would a country do when at war with another?

Cease all exchanges, diplomatic, trade, cultural and raise its defences.

The defences that we need to build up in this kind of conflict would need to be built around predicting, preventing and also remedying terror. This means a completely different level of sensing, equipping, training of forces and military and political leadership.

Let us also recognize that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda stand just 450 Kilometres from Srinagar (NOT the border or LOC ) and that is a very small distance from an unconventional and toxic enemy that has the ability to recruit, arm, support and propel fighting units into our territory in any guise.
The talk of any let up in Kashmir is plain stupidity on our part.

This malignant force is fully capable of displacing civil administration in Pakistan with active collusion of state forces in any part of Pakistan and is not bound by any conventional limitations.

Let us also not discount their willing accessories in Pakistan and India in the form of the underworld and the other anti national forces operating on the principle of enemy's enemy being a friend.

Let us also recognize another key force multiplier readily available to this enemy.

The Indian underworld with is epicentre in Mumbai is an ardent facilitator of no ordinary means, that makes things possible for them. It enjoys a very high level of political patronage in India, which is obvious from the fact that we have been utterly unsuccessful in extraditing or taking out Dawood and his henchmen who remain safely ensconced in the same neighbourhood as Mr.Zardari and his gang in Karachi.

Not only that, they still manage to control a crew in Mumbai, what should essentially be hostile territory for them. It is plain common sense that these desperadoes are able to do so only because they are secure in the knowledge that they have an umbrella over them.

Isn't it ludicrous that Indian intelligence and security forces are unable to drive mortal fear into these operatives when they can easily do so for other citizens of this country? The identities of these key operatives are well known to the law enforcers who in other cases can be a law unto themselves.

Contrast this with the retrieval of Nazi war criminals by Israel from all corners in the world when it counted and subjecting them to trials in Israel.

The focus of common citizens of this country needs to be decriminalizing the politics of our country and getting rid of these hyenas who protect these desperadoes, through the ballot. This is going to be the acid test for us as ordinary Indians this coming poll.

The media needs to play a very important role in asking the right questions without fear or favour to help the public identify these treacherous individuals in the guise of politicians and public servants, who for their vested interest have been nurturing these criminals.

This is the clear and present danger.

No longer can we abdicate our responsibility and expect the rest of the system to deliver what they have been encouraging either by omission or commission for all these years.

As for dealing with Pakistan, let us not allow it to occupy undeserved mind space and
Just deal with it as we would with an enemy until it shows any serious intent of following a policy of mutual respect and accepts internationally accepted norms for responsible nations as the benchmark for its conduct.

Supporting civil movements in uncivil countries in no ones obligation and cannot be demanded as a divine right. Let them do the right things before acting righteous.

Let us also deliver a brief but mighty reminder that we shall support our intentions with actions and deliver justice to them at their doorstep if forces inimical to peace choose to engage us or our anywhere in the world through violence.
Justice too needs a calling card when the other party is deaf and delinquent.