No Voice, No Choice, Gujarat means development & business!

Gujarat is India’s most progressive and developing state. Such is the juggernaut of development, that anything and everything that comes in its way gets obliterated. Be it a 200 year old mosque obstructing widening of a recently constructed road, freedom of expression, freedom of choice, homes and livelihood of people, or even lives of people. Nothing is spared.

For the cause of development, no theatre in Gujarat has released Aamir Khan and Kajol starrer Yash Chopra movide Fanaa. Apparently there is no directive from the state. However, Gujaratis are angry. After all Aamir is anti-development. He has spoken in support of those who are displaced and homeless thanks to Narmada dam. In Gujarat, you can have no voice or choice. You can have only development. I wish the world was full of Gujaratis. There would have been only development and nothing else.

Quota Reservations

Last month Arjun Singh, India’s HRD minister forwarded his ministry’s proposal to add 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) to the existing 22.5-per cent reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the IITs, Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and other institutes under managed by the Central government. He hardly must have realized then that he was setting the country on fire. What he has managed to do is indeed deeply divide the country on caste grounds.

Do reservations mean Merit being shown the dustbin? Or are quotas and reservations affirmative actions that need to be taken to bring about social equality?

Whatever may be the case, one wonders whether immediate clans of the likes of Ram Vilas Paswan or Uttam Khobragade deserve reservations? Both Paswan and Khobragade represent those who although have come from weaker sections of the society are no more under-priviledged.

 Ram Vilas Paswan, India’s Steel Minister can be seen here with family.

 Uttam Khobragade is Secretary, Government of Maharashtra State.

No Right Noises from the Left

State election results are out. Communists have retained West Bengal (7th consecutive win) and regained Kerala. Prakash Karat, the General Secretary of CPM seemed extremely buoyant after the results. One would have expected him to credit Budhadeb Bhattacharjee – the sitting CM of West Bangal – with Party's grand success in West Bengal. Afterall, Buddhadeb has been the poster boy of reforming and progressive Left. Karat gave no hint of reforms and instead seemed to be at his assertive best. He issued  warnings to the Central Government, which the Left supports from outside and Election Commission. All the best India!

Indian Cricketers want lesser cricket

Senior Indian cricketers have appealed to the Indian cricket board to reduce the number of matches Indian players have to play. Apparently now-a-days they do not get any time for endorsements. And they are correct. Cricket afterall is just a side business. Primary source of income for these cricketers is indeed through endorsements. Akhir paapi pet ka sawaal hain!

Confidence, thy name is Mahajan!

BJP’s charismatic leader with “Never say die” spirit is no more. In an interview to NDTV during the election campaign of 2004 general elections, an upbeat Mahajan had proclaimed, “Never say die… is the attitude of Pramod Mahajan. Confidence thy name is Mahajan.”

From the humble beginning as the son of a teacher in rural Maharashtra to one of the most powerful men of Indian politics, Mahajan’s rise to corirdors of power was a meteoric one. He was one of the few leaders of Maharashtra who made it big on the national scene and indeed he was Maharashtra’s hope of future Prime Minister of India. Sadly, Pravin Mahajan ended that hope on the morning of 22nd April 2006.

Is there hope for BJP after Mahajan? BJP will dearly miss Mahajan as a political strategist, and modern methodist especially now when they are at one of the lowest points since the inception of the party. What BJP needs today is Mahajan’s fighting spirit and sheer optimism. I sincerely hope that somewhere someone takes inspiration from Mahjan and achieves what Mahajan would have hoped to achieve had he been around.